What does the Holy Spirit do?

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Intro

We are continuing our series called Missing

Last week we looked at who the Holy Spirit was

This week are going to look at what the Holy Spirit.

We are going pick up in a verse we looked at last week.

John 16:7 CSB

Nevertheless, I am telling you the truth. It is for your benefit that I go away, because if I don’t go away the Counselor will not come to you. If I go, I will send him to you.

2. Parakletos

The word translated as Counselor is the Greek word Parakletos. It is a legal term and it is also translated as Advocate and Helper.

John 14:16–17 CSB

And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another Counselor to be with you forever. He is the Spirit of truth. The world is unable to receive him because it doesn’t see him or know him. But you do know him, because he remains with you and will be in you.

b. We are going to take the rest of the morning and unpack what it means that the Holy Spirit is our Counselor, but I want that word to stick with you this morning. One of the questions that came out of last week’s message was, “How do I pray to the Holy Spirit?” That was an excellent question, and my hope is that Counselor will help bring clarity to the role the Holy Spirit plays in our life.

1. The Counselor Comforts and Reassures

Romans 8:16 CSB

The Spirit himself testifies together with our spirit that we are God’s children,

2 Corinthians 1:21–22 CSB

Now it is God who strengthens us together with you in Christ, and who has anointed us. He has also put his seal on us and given us the Spirit in our hearts as a down payment.

Ephesians 1:13–14 CSB

In him you also were sealed with the promised Holy Spirit when you heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation, and when you believed. The Holy Spirit is the down payment of our inheritance, until the redemption of the possession, to the praise of his glory.

The Holy Spirit, the Counselor, reminds us that we are saved by the Gospel of Jesus Christ. I love the words in Ephesians 1:13-14. The Holy Spirit is our seal and our down payment.

Now this portion of Scripture often invokes a reaction, and it goes a little something like this; “Are you saying that if I don’t see the Holy Spirit at work in my life, I’m not saved?” “What if I don’t have that reassurance in my life?”

To the first reaction, I only say this. I’m not saying anything, I am sharing with you what the Scriptures say. If you feel convicted about the lack of evidence of the Holy Spirit at work in your life, that is between you and God.

If you are struggling with feeling the reassurance of you salvation, I want to encourage you with this: Paul says in another place that we are to work out our salvation with fear and trembling. James reminds us that our faith should inspire us to live a way that reflects the faith that we hold in our hearts. There is an active aspect to our faith and relationship with God, and if we don’t experience the reassurance or comfort of the Spirit, it an opportunity to draw near to God and ask why.

Jesus says in Matthew that we do not have because we do not ask. Maybe the reassurance you are looking for is there, you just have to ask for it.

2. The Counselor Strengthens and Equips

Ephesians 3:16 CSB

I pray that he may grant you, according to the riches of his glory, to be strengthened with power in your inner being through his Spirit,

Acts 4:31 CSB

When they had prayed, the place where they were assembled was shaken, and they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak the word of God boldly.

Acts 9:31 CSB

So the church throughout all Judea, Galilee, and Samaria had peace and was strengthened. Living in the fear of the Lord and encouraged by the Holy Spirit, it increased in numbers.

Romans 8:26 CSB

In the same way the Spirit also helps us in our weakness, because we do not know what to pray for as we should, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us with unspoken groanings.

Acts 4 is talking about Peter and John being brought before the Sanhedrin. They were being questioned about their actions, and we given a beating, hoping they would stop preaching. Instead they pray and the Holy Spirit increases their boldness.

Acts 9 is talking about a time when the church was being chased out of Jerusalem during the persecution of Saul. Yet they lived in the fear of the Lord, encouraged by the Holy Spirit, and they continued to grow in the midst of persecution.

Romans talks about the Spirit’s help when we are weak.

One of the things that forms and molds our faith and character the most is trial and tribulation. When trials come, we have the option of running to Christ to help us and strengthen us through the trial, we try to endure it in our own strength, or we run from it. If we allow the Holy Spirit to be our Advocate, the one who goes before us and fights for us, I guarantee it goes way better for everyone involved.

3. The Holy Spirit Teaches Believers

John 14:26 CSB

But the Counselor, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, will teach you all things and remind you of everything I have told you.

John 16:13 CSB

When the Spirit of truth comes, he will guide you into all the truth. For he will not speak on his own, but he will speak whatever he hears. He will also declare to you what is to come.

The Spirit teaches us in two different ways

The first is that he reminds us of what Christ has taught us. Now we need to set a little context here. Jesus says this to disciples who have been doing life with him and listening to Jesus’ words. What they would need is a reminder of all that they heard. For us, it means we have to be in God’s word and studying it so that there is something to be reminded of. It is hard to recall information if the information was never there.

But not does the Spirit remind us of what we already know, he also teaches and reveals new things. Jesus said that man lives by every word that comes from the mouth of God. God has something fresh to reveal to us everyday, and it is by the Holy Spirit that we discover and learn it. But we need to be ready and willing to learn, as well as being in God’s word learning and studying.

4. The Holy Spirit Testifies and Helps Us Testify

John 15:26–27 CSB

“When the Counselor comes, the one I will send to you from the Father—the Spirit of truth who proceeds from the Father—he will testify about me. You also will testify, because you have been with me from the beginning.

5. The Holy Spirit Convicts

John 16:8–11 CSB

When he comes, he will convict the world about sin, righteousness, and judgment: About sin, because they do not believe in me; about righteousness, because I am going to the Father and you will no longer see me; and about judgment, because the ruler of this world has been judged.

Now I want to take a minute to differentiate between conviction and condemnation. Conviction comes from the Holy Spirit, and it draws us to God. It is a recognition that something is wrong or something is missing and we are drawn to God to help us meet the need or overcome the problem.

Condemnation is that guilt we experience when we have done something wrong and it often draws us away from God. Condemnation is a tool used by our spiritual enemy to steal our joy, our confidence in our salvation, and even create a barrier between us and God

However, when God convicts us, it is a result of experience his overwhelming love for us, and we can’t help but come and allow Him to do the good work of redemption in our lives.

6. Conclusion

The Holy Spirit, our Counselor and Advocate, plays an instrumental role in our lives. He is our reassurance, he is our strength, he teaches us, he convicts the world.