Holy Spirit Introduction
Notes
Transcript
"Meeting the Third Person of the Trinity"
"Meeting the Third Person of the Trinity"
Primary Text: John 14:16–18
16 And I will pray the Father, and He will give you another Helper, that He may abide with you forever—17 the Spirit of truth, whom the world cannot receive, because it neither sees Him nor knows Him; but you know Him, for He dwells with you and will be in you. 18 I will not leave you orphans; I will come to you.
25 “These things I have spoken to you while being present with you. 26 But the Helper, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in My name, He will teach you all things, and bring to your remembrance all things that I said to you.
Introduction
Introduction
If I were to ask this morning..."Who is God?"
Most people would answer,
"The Creator."
If I asked, “Who is Jesus?"
Most would quickly say,
"The Son of God who died for our sins."
But if I asked, “Who is the Holy Spirit?"
Many Christians suddenly get uncomfortable.
Because some have been taught very little about the Holy Spirit.
And some have been taught things that simply aren't biblical.
Others know almost nothing except that He is somehow involved with the church.
Today, I want to change that.
Today, I simply want to introduce you to Someone.
—Not a doctrine.
—Not a denomination.
—Not an experience.
But a Person.
The Holy Spirit.
He has always been here.
He was here before the earth existed.
He was present at creation.
He empowered the prophets, & filled the apostles.
And if you belong to Jesus Christ...
He is living inside of you, right now, this very minute.
Today we're going to meet Him.
I. First, Let Me Tell You Who He Is
The Holy Spirit is not God's power.
He is not God's energy.
He is not God's invisible force.
He is God Himself.
The Third Person of the Trinity.
The Father is God.
The Son is God.
& The Holy Spirit is God.
Not three gods, but One God...
Existing eternally as three distinct Persons.
This is one of the greatest mysteries in Scripture.
It is not something we can completely explain...
But something we humbly believe because God has revealed it.
Jesus Introduced Him
Notice what Jesus says.
16 And I will pray the Father, and He will give you another Helper, that He may abide with you forever—
That little word another is beautiful.
In Greek there are two words for "another."
1st – ἄλλος (allos)another of the same kind
2nd – ἕτερος (heteros)another of a different kind
One means another of a different kind.
The other means another of exactly the same kind.
Jesus chose the one that describes another of the same kind.
In other words...
"I'm leaving, but someone exactly like Me is coming soon,”
Imagine hearing that from Jesus Himself.
The disciples must have wondered,
"How can anyone replace Jesus?"
Jesus answered...
"I'm not replacing Myself.
I'm sending Someone who shares My divine nature."
II. The Holy Spirit Is Someone You Can Know
One of the biggest mistakes we Christians can make...
Is treating the Holy Spirit like an object.
We say things like
“It came over me."
I felt it."
"It was moving."
However, Jesus never spoke that way.
He continually identified Him as.."He."
Listen carefully.
12 “I still have many things to say to you, but you cannot bear them now. 13 However, when He, the Spirit of truth, has come, He will guide you into all truth; for He will not speak on His own authority, but whatever He hears He will speak; and He will tell you things to come. 14 He will glorify Me, for He will take of what is Mine and declare it to you. 15 All things that the Father has are Mine. Therefore I said that He will take of Mine and declare it to you.
—He will teach.
—He will guide.
—He will convict.
—He will glorify Me.
The Holy Spirit isn't a “something.”
He is a “Someone.”
Now Imagine if you would, introducing your best friend.
You wouldn't say,
"This is my friendship."
You'd say rather,
"This is my friend."
Today… I'm introducing you to your greatest Friend.
III. Let Me Tell You What He's Like
How do we get to know someone's personality?
Usually its by what we observe them doing.
The Bible paints an incredible picture of Him.
We see
—He Teaches
26 But the Helper, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in My name, He will teach you all things, and bring to your remembrance all things that I said to you.
Have you ever been reading your Bible...
And suddenly...
A verse you've read fifty times finally makes sense?
Who do you think did that?
The Holy Spirit did.
—He opens blind eyes.
—He Comforts
The KJV among other translations translate the word the word helper for comforter.
Mind you, He;s not called this because life is easy.
But rather He is called this because life is hard.
You see, He doesn't always remove the storm
Sometimes He simply sits down beside us while we are going through it.
—He also Convicts
Nobody enjoys conviction.
But conviction is our proof of God's love.
Imagine a doctor who discovers cancer...
But never tells you…. That isn't compassion.
That would be cruelty.
As a matter of fact, in our day and time, that would be a major law suit
And rightly so,
But the Holy Spirit lovingly points out our sin
And the reason is because He desires our healing.
Multiple times in the Book of Acts we’re told
The Holy Spirit said..."
Imagine that.
—The Spirit speaks.
He leads.
He directs.
He calls.
2 As they ministered to the Lord and fasted, the Holy Spirit said, “Now separate to Me Barnabas and Saul for the work to which I have called them.”
—He Loves
Only someone who loves can be grieved.
30 And do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, by whom you were sealed for the day of redemption.
"Do not grieve the Holy Spirit."
This verse should amaze us and haunt us at the same time.
The infinite God… All knowing Creator God,
Allows Himself to be hurt by our disobedience.
IV. He Has Been Working Since the Beginning
Now, remember, this isn't someone who suddenly appeared in the New Testament.
If you open your Bible to the very first verses.
1 In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth. 2 The earth was without form, and void; and darkness was on the face of the deep. And the Spirit of God was hovering over the face of the waters.
—Before mountains.
—Before oceans.
—Before Adam.
The Spirit of God was already hovering over the waters.
The first pages of Scripture introduces Him.
Throughout the Old Testament...
He empowered Noah.
He filled Bezalel with artistic skill.
He strengthened Samson.
He spoke through David.
He inspired Isaiah.
He empowered Ezekiel.
Every prophet knew Him.
Every miracle pointed to Him.
Then...
Jesus arrived.
V. Jesus Loved the Holy Spirit
It surprises me that, this surprises many people.
Jesus is God.
Yet while living on earth...
He chose to minister in dependence upon the Spirit.
1 Then Jesus, being filled with the Holy Spirit, returned from the Jordan and was led by the Spirit into the wilderness,
Jesus was filled with the Holy Spirit.
38 how God anointed Jesus of Nazareth with the Holy Spirit and with power, who went about doing good and healing all who were oppressed by the devil, for God was with Him.
God anointed Jesus with the Holy Spirit.
Think about that.
If even Jesus chose not to minister without depending on the Holy Spirit,
Why oh why, do we try?
VI. After Jesus comes — what happened at Pentecost
Imagine being in Jerusalem.
One hundred twenty believers were
—Waiting.
—Praying.
—Wondering.
Suddenly… The promise Jesus made became reality.
The Holy Spirit came.
Not merely upon people...
But filling them within
At that moment, everything changed.
—Peter became fearless.
—Cowards became missionaries.
—The Church was born.
—The Gospel exploded across the world.
What was the difference?
The Holy Spirit was the difference
VII. And Now...
Here is the most amazing part.
Get this,
If you've trusted Jesus Christ...
Everything we've talked about...
Is no longer just history.
It is your reality!
19 Or do you not know that your body is the temple of the Holy Spirit who is in you, whom you have from God, and you are not your own?
It plainly says that your body is the temple of the Holy Spirit."
Think about what that means.
God no longer lives behind a curtain in a temple.
PrHe lives in His people.
When you wake up in the morning — He is there.
When you go to work — He goes with you.
When you're discouraged —-He is still there.
When everyone leaves, He stays.
He has never abandoned not one of His children.
VIII. Now, What Does He Want From You?
The Holy Spirit doesn't ask you to become spectacular.
He only asks the you become surrendered.
He wants your attention.
—Your obedience.
—Your trust.
—And Your heart.
When Galatians speaks about the fruit of the Spirit
It doesn't tell us to manufacture fruit.
It tells us to walk with Him.
You see, Fruit grows naturally when the branch stays connected to the vine.
Likewise...
The Christian life isn't about trying harder, —
It's about walking closer.
IX. Don't Miss out on Knowing Him
There are believers who know everything about prophecy...
But very little about the Holy Spirit.
Some who know a lot about theology...
But never stop to listen or the Holy spirit
Others know church traditions...
But have forgotten about the Person who empowers the Church.
The Holy Spirit isn't simply Someone who helps us do ministry.
And, He desires fellowship with us every day.
Conclusion
Allow me to finish where we began.
Today wasn't about learning another Bible doctrine.
It was about meeting Someone.
—The One who inspired every page of Scripture.
—The One who strengthened every prophet.
—The One who empowered every apostle.
—The One who raised Jesus from the dead.
—The One who now lives within every believer.
You may not fully understand Him today.
And don’t feel bad, because neither do I.
For God is infinite.
But you can know Him.
—You can trust Him.
—You can follow His leading.
—You can listen when He convicts.
—You can rest when He comforts.
—You can obey when He directs.
Because the Holy Spirit is not an "it."
He is not merely a feeling.
He is not simply an experience.
He is God.
He is your Comforter.
He is your Teacher.
He is your Guide.
He is your Constant Companion.
And perhaps for some of you...
Today is the first day you've truly been introduced to Him.
So don't leave this place simply saying,
"I learned about the Holy Spirit."
Leave saying,
"Today, I met Him."
Amen.
