Holy Spirit: He is God Who Indwells Part 3

The Holy Spirit’s Story

Acts 2:2–4 ESV

And suddenly there came from heaven a sound like a mighty rushing wind, and it filled the entire house where they were sitting. And divided tongues as of fire appeared to them and rested on each one of them. And they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in other tongues as the Spirit gave them utterance.

Holy Spirit filled the Disciples

Terminology

Pentecostal - arrival of the Holy Spirit at Pentecost and the speaking of other languages.

Charismatic - from the Greek word “Charisma” - Anointing. The Spirit anoints the believer with his presence and power.

Spirit-filled - refers to the unhindered presence of the Holy Spirit in the Christian’s life.

Holy Spirit gives Believers the power to spread the message

POWER- to perform miracles (healing, casting out demons, knowing secret thoughts, speak in other tongues - by the spirit) Validate the message

UNDERSTANDING- The Holy Spirit help them to understand Jesus Teachings.

COMFORT - Holy Spirit kept them focused during persecution and encouraged them to endure in love for each other and all those who were hurting them. The comfort helped them to flourish in the face of trial.

GUIDANCE - The Holy Spirit directed Christians in making difficult decisions and understanding the importance of events.

INSPIRATION- The Holy Spirit influenced Christian in the speaking and writing.

The Holy Spirit in our Lives Today

The Big Initiator

The Holy Spirit brings people to the point of decision about their need for salvation and God that has its origin beyond intellect or emotion. This is called “conviction”, in which the Spirit of God is working with our human spirit to draw us toward God.

John

John 16:8 ESV

And when he comes, he will convict the world concerning sin and righteousness and judgment:

The Change Maker

The Holy Spirit brings miraculous transforming power into our lives. We are changed immediately and eternally. This called “regeneration” or “Being born again. New family and ownership.

Titus 3:3–6 ESV

For we ourselves were once foolish, disobedient, led astray, slaves to various passions and pleasures, passing our days in malice and envy, hated by others and hating one another. But when the goodness and loving kindness of God our Savior appeared, he saved us, not because of works done by us in righteousness, but according to his own mercy, by the washing of regeneration and renewal of the Holy Spirit, whom he poured out on us richly through Jesus Christ our Savior,

The Home maker over. You get the use of a designer and construction crew who comes and totally re-makes your house and modifies it to meet the new demands and the new culture. (internet, electronics-more power, space, colour, building codes and material.)

2 Corinthians 5:17

2 Corinthians 5:17 ESV

Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away; behold, the new has come.

Regeneration does not make us perfect. we are still stuck in our human bodies with many of our old weaknesses. But the Holy Spirit empowers us to win over the old nature to a new pattern of Christ living.

The inside Source

The Holy Spirit comes to live inside us. Maybe a still small voice, a nudge in God’s direction or the power to sustain the change in our lives. Never the less the place of God presence has changed from the Old Testament “places of Worship” to the individual believer.

1 Corinthians 3:16 ESV

Do you not know that you are God’s temple and that God’s Spirit dwells in you?

“Without the power of the Holy Spirit all human efforts, methods and plans are as futile as attempting to propel a boat by puffing on the sails with your own breath” - D.M Dawson

Romans 8:9 ESV

You, however, are not in the flesh but in the Spirit, if in fact the Spirit of God dwells in you. Anyone who does not have the Spirit of Christ does not belong to him.

“Without the power of the Holy Spirit all human efforts, methods and plans are as futile as attempting to propel a boat by puffing on the sails with your own breath” - D.M Dawson

Romans

The Family Name

The Holy Spirit “Baptizes” all believers into the family of God. “Baptism” means being publicly inducted, completely taken into a new identity or family.

We are accepted into the Body of Christ which the church our new faith family regardless race, education, gender or social position.

1 Corinthians 12:13 ESV

For in one Spirit we were all baptized into one body—Jews or Greeks, slaves or free—and all were made to drink of one Spirit.

1 Corinthians

He is the Guarantee or Seal

Every believer is made a permanent member of the family of God by the Holy Spirit. You could think of it as the super-glue of your salvation. Christ has set his seal of ownership on you and has put the Holy Spirit as a deposit in your hearts as a guarantee of what is to come.

2 Corinthians 1:21–22 ESV

And it is God who establishes us with you in Christ, and has anointed us, and who has also put his seal on us and given us his Spirit in our hearts as a guarantee.

2 Corinthians

Ephesians 4:30 ESV

And do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, by whom you were sealed for the day of redemption.

How does the Holy Spirit Work in our Daily Lives?

Our Spiritual Teacher

1 Corinthians 2:10–13 ESV

these things God has revealed to us through the Spirit. For the Spirit searches everything, even the depths of God. For who knows a person’s thoughts except the spirit of that person, which is in him? So also no one comprehends the thoughts of God except the Spirit of God. Now we have received not the spirit of the world, but the Spirit who is from God, that we might understand the things freely given us by God. And we impart this in words not taught by human wisdom but taught by the Spirit, interpreting spiritual truths to those who are spiritual.

1 Corinthians 2:10-13

When we understand the spiritual truths of the scripture, the Holy Spirit is giving us the gift of “illumination”. We see things plainly and in their right perspective.

He is our Worship Leader

Praise and worship of God does not often come without self-centered human strings attached. But the Holy Spirit makes worship and prayer a natural outward expression of God’s New life in us.

Jude 20 ESV

But you, beloved, building yourselves up in your most holy faith and praying in the Holy Spirit,

Romans 8:26 ESV

Likewise the Spirit helps us in our weakness. For we do not know what to pray for as we ought, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us with groanings too deep for words.

Romans 8:26

John 4:23–24 ESV

But the hour is coming, and is now here, when the true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and truth, for the Father is seeking such people to worship him. God is spirit, and those who worship him must worship in spirit and truth.”

John 4:23-

“The Spirit is our ever-present, ever-awake prayer partner (He never Needs coffee), the one who nudges our spirit awake to talk to God. And when we don’t know what to think or pray the Spirit helps us out” - Bruce & Stan’s Guide to God :A user-Friendly Approach.

“The Holy Spirit was not given to make you rich; He was given to make you ready.” - Dan Betzer

The Nature Of Christ

As the Holy Spirit fills us, we become more like Chist in our values and character. We take on the fruit of the Spirit as described by the Apostle Paul in the book of Galatians.

Galatians 5:22–23 ESV

But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control; against such things there is no law.

He is the Wisdom of God

Right decisions are determined by right thinking and the Holy Spirit can be a Christian’s personal guide to truth and discernment.

John 16:13 ESV

When the Spirit of truth comes, he will guide you into all the truth, for he will not speak on his own authority, but whatever he hears he will speak, and he will declare to you the things that are to come.

Romans 8:14 ESV

For all who are led by the Spirit of God are sons of God.

“Being alive to God means that God’s Holy Spirit dwells within us to strengthen and develop holiness in us” - Jerry Bridges

He is the Comfort From Heaven

The Holy Spirit is our Paraclete. A paraclete is a comforter, an encourager, the one who comes along side. In battle your paraclete protects your back.

The Bible does not promise us that the Christian’s life will be free of difficulties, but it does promise that the Holy Spirit will be “the Comforter” through those difficulties.

God reminds us of His power, love and sovereign control.

Romans 8:16 ESV

The Spirit himself bears witness with our spirit that we are children of God,

Roman

Romans 8:17 ESV

and if children, then heirs—heirs of God and fellow heirs with Christ, provided we suffer with him in order that we may also be glorified with him.

Our Challenge today

The Holy Spirit indwells us so we can walk out our life with the character found in the pages of the Bible. Each day we are challenged to put various attentions before God.

The question is today: Are you experiencing the fullness of God’s power, understanding, comfort, guidance and inspiration in your life today?

Ephesians 3:16–19 ESV

that according to the riches of his glory he may grant you to be strengthened with power through his Spirit in your inner being, so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith—that you, being rooted and grounded in love, may have strength to comprehend with all the saints what is the breadth and length and height and depth, and to know the love of Christ that surpasses knowledge, that you may be filled with all the fullness of God.

Ephesians 3:16-19

Benediction:

Ephesians 3:20–21 ESV

Now to him who is able to do far more abundantly than all that we ask or think, according to the power at work within us, to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, forever and ever. Amen.

Ephesians 3:20-21