Reflections: On the Holy Spirit (2022)
Notes
Transcript
Handout
Sermon Tone Analysis
A
D
F
J
S
Emotion
A
C
T
Language
O
C
E
A
E
Social
Meditate on these things
Meditate on these things
We started this series a few weeks ago, we have
Considered the Bible
Pondered on God
We have considered Jesus “He’s my King”
Our scripture reference for this series:
We have discussed it briefly, but have not defined it.
Med-i-tate (verb) - to think deeply or focus one’s mind for a period of time, in silence or with aid of chanting, for religious or spiritual purposes - to plan mentally; consider; to think deeply or carefully about (something).
Now according to Php4:8-9 what are we to meditate on?
8 Finally, brethren, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is of good repute, if there is any excellence and if anything worthy of praise, dwell on these things. 9 The things you have learned and received and heard and seen in me, practice these things, and the God of peace will be with you.
OK, this morning our focus is on the 3rd person of the God head, the Holy Spirit.
Mentioned 88 times in O.T.
Mentioned 60 times in the Gospels
Mentioned 57 times in Acts
Mentioned 132 times in the Epistles
All those mentions it must be important for us to ponder, consider, dwell on these things and meditate upon the things about the Holy Spirit.
I. Importance of Holy Spirit
I. Importance of Holy Spirit
2 The earth was formless and void, and darkness was over the surface of the deep, and the Spirit of God was moving over the surface of the waters.
He was there in the beginning
So let me ask the question, He has always been. What do you consider when you consider the Holy Spirit?
Through the work of the Holy Spirit we have God’s Word (2Tim3:16-17)
16 All Scripture is inspired by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, for training in righteousness; 17 so that the man of God may be adequate, equipped for every good work.
The Holy Spirit intercedes for us, knowing the heart of God and our heart (Rom8:16, 26-27)
16 The Spirit Himself testifies with our spirit that we are children of God,
The Holy Spirit Helps us
26 In the same way the Spirit also helps our weakness; for we do not know how to pray as we should, but the Spirit Himself intercedes for us with groanings too deep for words; 27 and He who searches the hearts knows what the mind of the Spirit is, because He intercedes for the saints according to the will of God.
In looking at (8:26-27) how does the Spirit help us?
helps our weaknesses
intercedes for us
searches our hearts
intercedes knowing the will of God
Holy Spirit gives life (Gen2:7)
7 Then the Lord God formed man of dust from the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and man became a living being.
Holy Spirit gives proof of forgiveness of sins. (Act2:38)
38 Peter said to them, “Repent, and each of you be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins; and you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.
Holy Spirit is a heavenly guard for us (2Tim1:14)
14 Guard, through the Holy Spirit who dwells in us, the treasure which has been entrusted to you.
In his book entitled “The Office of the Holy Spirit” the author, Richardson says this.
“There is a no subject more important in religion that that of the Holy Spirit. Unless this be properly understood, a large portion of the Bible, and especially the N.T. must remain unintelligible.”
Think about that for must a minute. How much time is spent speaking of the 3rd person of the Trinity. The Holy Spirit, mentioned over 250 times in the N.T. alone.
Richardson also states:
“On the other hand, a just view of it will do more than a knowledge of any other particular topic to give harmony, clearness, and consistency to what may be learned to all other matters presented in the Word of God.”
So understanding the importance of the Holy Spirit is important, and to understand the works of the Holy Spirit maybe we spend a few minutes pondering the character of the Holy Spirit.
II. Ponder: Character of Holy Spirit.
II. Ponder: Character of Holy Spirit.
You are used to a lot of scripture so tonight is not going to be any different.
The character of the Holy Spirit possesses Personality
The Holy Spirit is a He (Jn14:16-17, 15:26-27)
16 “I will ask the Father, and He will give you another Helper, that He may be with you forever; 17 that is the Spirit of truth, whom the world cannot receive, because it does not see Him or know Him, but you know Him because He abides with you and will be in you.
26 “When the Helper comes, whom I will send to you from the Father, that is the Spirit of truth who proceeds from the Father, He will testify about Me, 27 and you will testify also, because you have been with Me from the beginning.
So that is what Jesus has to say about the Holy Spirit, He is a person not an it.
The Holy Spirit guides, hears and warns as well as speaks and tells (Jn16:12-13)
12 “I have many more things to say to you, but you cannot bear them now. 13 “But when He, the Spirit of truth, comes, He will guide you into all the truth; for He will not speak on His own initiative, but whatever He hears, He will speak; and He will disclose to you what is to come.
He has spoken to Philip and to Peter as well as the brethren in Antioch (Act8:29, 10:19-20, 13:1-4)
29 Then the Spirit said to Philip, “Go up and join this chariot.”
19 While Peter was reflecting on the vision, the Spirit said to him, “Behold, three men are looking for you. 20 “But get up, go downstairs and accompany them without misgivings, for I have sent them Myself.”
1 Now there were at Antioch, in the church that was there, prophets and teachers: Barnabas, and Simeon who was called Niger, and Lucius of Cyrene, and Manaen who had been brought up with Herod the tetrarch, and Saul. 2 While they were ministering to the Lord and fasting, the Holy Spirit said, “Set apart for Me Barnabas and Saul for the work to which I have called them.”
3 Then, when they had fasted and prayed and laid their hands on them, they sent them away. 4 So, being sent out by the Holy Spirit, they went down to Seleucia and from there they sailed to Cyprus.
He says He intercedes for us (there was Rom8:26 mentioned before) or there is (1Tim4:1)
1 But the Spirit explicitly says that in later times some will fall away from the faith, paying attention to deceitful spirits and doctrines of demons,
He can be grieved so that means He has feelings and affection. (Rom15:30; Eph4:30)
30 Now I urge you, brethren, by our Lord Jesus Christ and by the love of the Spirit, to strive together with me in your prayers to God for me,
30 Do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, by whom you were sealed for the day of redemption.
This Holy Spirit is deity (1Cor2:10-11)
He is omniscient, knowing the mind of God
10 For to us God revealed them through the Spirit; for the Spirit searches all things, even the depths of God. 11 For who among men knows the thoughts of a man except the spirit of the man which is in him? Even so the thoughts of God no one knows except the Spirit of God.
He is omnipresent, you cannot get out of his presence (Ps139:7-10)
7 Where can I go from Your Spirit? Or where can I flee from Your presence? 8 If I ascend to heaven, You are there; If I make my bed in Sheol, behold, You are there.
9 If I take the wings of the dawn, If I dwell in the remotest part of the sea, 10 Even there Your hand will lead me, And Your right hand will lay hold of me.
He is eternal (Heb9:14)
14 how much more will the blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered Himself without blemish to God, cleanse your conscience from dead works to serve the living God?
As the Father and the Son are great blessings to us, the Holy Spirit is a great blessing to. So let’s reflect on some of blessings
III. Ponder the blessings of the Holy Spirit
III. Ponder the blessings of the Holy Spirit
He is promised to those who believe (Jn7:37-39)
37 Now on the last day, the great day of the feast, Jesus stood and cried out, saying, “If anyone is thirsty, let him come to Me and drink. 38 “He who believes in Me, as the Scripture said, ‘From his innermost being will flow rivers of living water.’ ”
39 But this He spoke of the Spirit, whom those who believed in Him were to receive; for the Spirit was not yet given, because Jesus was not yet glorified.
These promises by Christ Himself, but according to Peter he tells us when
38 Peter said to them, “Repent, and each of you be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins; and you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. 39 “For the promise is for you and your children and for all who are far off, as many as the Lord our God will call to Himself.”
Blessing of the Spirit to those who believe to be born again (Jn3:3-5)
3 Jesus answered and said to him, “Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born again he cannot see the kingdom of God.” 4 Nicodemus said to Him, “How can a man be born when he is old? He cannot enter a second time into his mother’s womb and be born, can he?” 5 Jesus answered, “Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born of water and the Spirit he cannot enter into the kingdom of God.
To wash, to regenerate (Tit3:4-6)
4 But when the kindness of God our Savior and His love for mankind appeared, 5 He saved us, not on the basis of deeds which we have done in righteousness, but according to His mercy, by the washing of regeneration and renewing by the Holy Spirit, 6 whom He poured out upon us richly through Jesus Christ our Savior,
To those who believe and obey the word of God (1Pt1:22-23)
22 Since you have in obedience to the truth purified your souls for a sincere love of the brethren, fervently love one another from the heart, 23 for you have been born again not of seed which is perishable but imperishable, that is, through the living and enduring word of God.
He indwells the church of God (Eph2:22)
22 in whom you also are being built together into a dwelling of God in the Spirit.
He indwells the people of God (1Cor6:19)
19 Or do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit who is in you, whom you have from God, and that you are not your own?
He seals the people of God (Eph1:13)
13 In Him, you also, after listening to the message of truth, the gospel of your salvation—having also believed, you were sealed in Him with the Holy Spirit of promise,
He gives guarantee to the people of God (Rom8:15-17)
15 For you have not received a spirit of slavery leading to fear again, but you have received a spirit of adoption as sons by which we cry out, “Abba! Father!” 16 The Spirit Himself testifies with our spirit that we are children of God, 17 and if children, heirs also, heirs of God and fellow heirs with Christ, if indeed we suffer with Him so that we may also be glorified with Him.
We are guaranteed by the spirit we are children of God, heirs and fellow heirs with Christ!
He leads people to God, through the inspired Word of God (Jn17:17) so they may bear fruit (Gal5:22-23)
17 “Sanctify them in the truth; Your word is truth.
So that they may bear the fruit of the Spirit
22 But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, 23 gentleness, self-control; against such things there is no law.
And if that were not enough
He empowers the people of God (Rom8:5-8)
5 For those who are according to the flesh set their minds on the things of the flesh, but those who are according to the Spirit, the things of the Spirit. 6 For the mind set on the flesh is death, but the mind set on the Spirit is life and peace,
7 because the mind set on the flesh is hostile toward God; for it does not subject itself to the law of God, for it is not even able to do so, 8 and those who are in the flesh cannot please God.
So set your mind on the things of God, and the Spirit will give you the mindset of life and peace
We need the empowering of the Spirit to put the things of the flesh to death I could give you the scriptures but I want you to consider what things.
What things of the flesh need to be put to death?
For your scripture reference later you can look up Rom8:11-13
Holy Spirit, God’s active agent to empower the people of God to accomplish the will of God (Eph3:16, 20, 2:10)
16 that He would grant you, according to the riches of His glory, to be strengthened with power through His Spirit in the inner man,
20 Now to Him who is able to do far more abundantly beyond all that we ask or think, according to the power that works within us,
10 For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand so that we would walk in them.
Whew, that is a lot to ponder, consider, dwell on, meditate on, but in closing out the Spirit fills us with joy, peace, hope and love
13 Now may the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, so that you will abound in hope by the power of the Holy Spirit.
6 Because you are sons, God has sent forth the Spirit of His Son into our hearts, crying, “Abba! Father!”
(Other scriptures used, referenced Rom15:13, Gal4:6 on top of all the others listed above)
Because you are sons and because of that you can cry out Abba Father and say thank you for the understanding, the work, and the blessings of the Holy Spirit !
(Invitation slide- Abba Father) (song) (prayer)