The Holy Spirit

Introduction

Hello everyone. How is everyone doing? We are in April y’all! It’s Lauren and I’s birthday month. But boy is time going by so fast! I want to start out by thanking you all for being so faithful week after week and for making Chi Alpha a priority in your busy lives. The implications of what we do together have the potential to move eternity and heaven. Y’all tracking with me? See this past Sunday we celebrated Easter or the Resurrection of Christ. I hope you found time to just let the weight of that miracle and victory weigh you down to your knees and you just gave thanks to God! The sacrifice and pain involved leading up to His death, the three days in the grave leading up to the resurrection, culminating in a miraculous resurrection that only the one True God could accomplish. See, my baby boy had his second set of vaccine shots yesterday (sorry anti-vaccers, love you guys), but anyhow the poor boy was so miserable and in pain I just wanted to go find the nurses and fight them. Just kidding. But y’all I just wanted to take his pain away and just hold him so tightly. I think about the weight of the sacrifice on the Triune Godhead we believe in as Christians. See we hold to something very radical as believers. That the God who created us, acted to rescue us by becoming a human. And all of our hope is founded on and built upon the fact that Jesus not only died, but also resurrected. See, the cross changed everything. So it’s only necessary that before we dive into anything at all today, we remember that as believers, we live our lives not as before the cross, but because of the cross. You guys following me? Good. And so because Jesus is our hope we must remind ourselves what He stands for. Logically speaking, if we are following Jesus because of who he is and the things he says, then who he is and the things he said are what our Hope is on. Right? Don’t lose me yet. See, what Christ came to proclaim on Earth was the Father and His will. He says in John 6:38

John 6:38 CSB

For I have come down from heaven, not to do my own will, but the will of him who sent me.

Just a disclaimer, anyone who would wish to discredit the trinity faces a huge uphill battle when reading the book of John. Ok, continuing on, we see that not only is there a Father & Son relationship, but we also see Jesus reveal another key player. In (john 14) John 14: 16-17 we see that Jesus is telling his disciples that he is going to leave them. The tricky part about this chapter is that he goes back and forth between talking to his disciples about his leaving them in reference to his death and resurrection, and also his departure post resurrection and the promise as to what will happen when he leaves after that. Anyhow, there is an emphasis to a person. He is called a counselor, or an advocate and the spirit of truth. Later in the chapter in verse 26, this spirit is called the Holy Spirit.

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.

As you all know, we love to geek out here in Chi Alpha. Let me show you the greek words for Counselor or Advocate, Holy, and Spirit. There are some, mainly jehova’s witnesses who would say that this third person is not a person at all. However, the original language shows this character referenced as a Holy Spirit who is an advocate and legal intercessor and is referred to as a He, and not an it. You can remember this because the sound “he” is the greek grammar used to refer to a person.

παράκλητος (Parakletos) - advocate; helper; legal assistant; intercessor

πνεῦμα (Pneuma) - wind; breathe; spirit

ἅγιος (Hagios) - holy, set apart, consecrated, dedicated, saints

Transition

I bring all of this up because my worry is that we have a society of believers who have become solely in love with Jesus, and neglected the father and the holy spirit. You guys tracking with me? So, I need to point out two more quick things before we get into the meat of the message or the point of tonight. We should not abandon science or theology because they are difficult. Let me repeat that again. We should not abandon science ore theology because they are difficult. I point this out because the trinity is hard. And just like in science when you run into a hard topic of life or the universe, the action of correct measure is to continue seeking after truth, not running away from it. So, as someone once quoted, the trinity, try to understand it and you’ll lose your mind, try to deny it and you’ll lose your soul.

Let me show you two quick pictures of what we believe in as Christians. The first one is a picture of what we want to be careful of as you’ll run into some headaches and lies quite honestly if you try to import this into the bible:

Modalism on the left is the teaching that the Father, is also the Son, and is also the Holy Spirit. Think of water. Water is a liquid, solid, and gas.

Tritheism is the teaching that there are three gods. The father is a god, the Son is a god, and the Holy Spirit is a god. We do not hold onto multiple gods.

Here is a very simplified picture to get across what the trinity doctrine is about. And here is a definition of the God we believe in (by the way I am borrowing this from a muslim turned christian who passed away a couple of years ago but wrote a phenomenal book called Seeking Allah, Finding Jesus). Anyhow, Nabeel Qureshi says it like this: The Christian God is 3 in person, 1 in being. Not a contradiction. If we said 1 in person, and 3 in person that is a contradiction. But because a person is who we are (alan, a mexican), but the being is what we are (human being). You guys tracking with me? Human beings are 1 person and 1 being. But not God, He is if you want to get into metaphysics, the highest dimensional creature who was always. He is 1 in being, 3 in person. Last attempt and I’ll move on. Think of the way a 3 dimensional drawing of a box would look like on a two dimensional piece of paper. On a two dimensional paper you just see 4 lines that make a box. But that Box has many more sides to it.

Final point on the trinity:

Alister McGrath is a renown professor at the University of Oxford. He started out his life being a rabid Athiest. and believer in Marxism. He wanted to obliterate and disprove all religion altogether counting it all as in illusion people make to keep themselves happy. He went to Oxford to get his PhD. in Molecular Biophysics which he did with ease. During his time there, he met Jesus Christ through what he called “authentic encounters with articulate Christians”. Anyhow, he got a second degree in historical theology and is the professor of science and religion at Oxford University. Here is a quote from one of his books regarding the trinity:

“The doctrine of the Trinity wasn’t invented—it was uncovered. It is something implicit within all Christian thinking about God, and all that theologians have done is to make it explicit.”

Alister McGrath, Understanding the Trinity.

In other words, the trinity is present throughout the pages of the Bible and in our lives as believers. I hope your asking why so much focus on the trinity.

Body

Now that we have done some precursor homework, we can get into the subject of discussion for tonight and this month. See our focus is deep dive into the hagio pneumato, that is the Holy Spirit. God himself! Turn over to Acts chapter 1 please. We are going to read Acts 1: 4-8

Acts 1:4–8 CSB

While he was with them, he commanded them not to leave Jerusalem, but to wait for the Father’s promise. “Which,” he said, “you have heard me speak about; for John baptized with water, but you will be baptized with the Holy Spirit in a few days.” So when they had come together, they asked him, “Lord, are you restoring the kingdom to Israel at this time?” He said to them, “It is not for you to know times or periods that the Father has set by his own authority. But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come on you, and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.”

I want to ask you a question. Have you thought about the future? Of the planet? Of your future as a Christian? Of the challenges of the world and living your life as a Christian and where the world is going? Of course you have. The growth of the Christian Church in the most persecuted parts of the world is astonishing! Those areas have the fastest growing rate of believers and churches. China and Iran! And yet at the same time, there is more hostility towards Christians around the world and ever growing here in our society as well.

Marvin J. Rosenthal said this:

“If I were to describe our world at the present hour in just one word, I would probably use the word “chaotic.’ But tragically, our dire situation goes far deeper than that. People and nations are in all-out war - not just with each other but with God himself.... International events of a prophetic nature are converging in our generation. They point toward the approaching end of this age. How much time remains, however, we do not know.”

-Marvin J. Rosenthal.

When I think about a world like this and the future, is there somewhere we can look to in order for guidance? I think so. What we see in Acts 1: verses 4-8 is that Jesus’ followers are with Jesus post resurrection and they had spent some 40 days ( Acts 1:3) together. The time was coming for him to return to the father and right before this verse we see the disciples wondering if it was now going to be the time for him to restore the kingdom of Israel. Jesus being a jedi master at answering tough questions says they are asking the wrong question entirely. The question isn’t when is the end of time coming, but rather what are we to do until it does come. His response is you guys will receive power to be my witnesses and he again echoes the great commission of making disciples of all the nations. He says don’t go out and do ministry until you have received what I promised you! Please remember that these followers of Christ had previously been empowered to cast out demons, and heal the sick and leper (read Luke 10).

Yet, here Christ tells them to wait for something greater to happen in their lives. Can you feel the buildup? These are followers who have all given their lives to Christ, post resurrection their hearts have been regenerate (i.e. they repented and proclaimed Jesus as Lord by now), and Christ is telling them to wait for the promise. What is this promise you say? He says they are going to be baptized with the Holy Spirit.

That phrase, Baptized in the Holy Spirit is pretty interesting. Apparently whatever this phrase or event means, it is superlative that they wait and experience it before they try to go and make disciples of every nation. Our topic of study then is to discover, understand, and potentially seek after what Jesus has promised. You guys still with me? Remember, he says in verse 8 that we will receive power to be His witnesses. We can correctly infer then that if we are going to live effect Christian lives, we must know, understand, and seek the Holy Spirit. As I said earlier, my fear is that after we gave our life to Jesus, we stopped pursuing the Holy Spirit who is God! And that is what I want to continue onward with tonight.

Why seek after the Holy Spirit?

You received Him when you confessed Christ as Lord

In other words, there is a relationship. The moment you gave your life to Christ and confessed Him as your Lord and Saviour He gave you the Holy Spirit which was imparted to you to define you as a Christian and to have a connection with God. Let’s see a very interesting verse in John 20: 21-23 where he tells his disciples (this is after resurrecting from the dead) that He is sending them out and to receive the Holy Spirit. He breathes on them to receive the Holy Spirit.

John 20:21–23 CSB

Jesus said to them again, “Peace be with you. As the Father has sent me, I also send you.” After saying this, he breathed on them and said, “Receive the Holy Spirit. If you forgive the sins of any, they are forgiven them; if you retain the sins of any, they are retained.”

Grow in your relationship with the Holy Spirit. Spend time meditating on the very presence on who He is and what he is doing in and through you. What God does in us (Holy Spirit) He also wants to do through us (Holy Spirit). Make sense?

2. Spirit > Flesh

In other words, the Spirit of God is greater than your sins and your temptations and your weaknesses. Look at what Galatians 5: 16,22-23

Galatians 5:22–23 CSB

But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. The law is not against such things.

And in verse 22 it says:

Galatians 5:16 CSB

I say, then, walk by the Spirit and you will certainly not carry out the desire of the flesh.

Notice it doesn’t say the fruit(s) of the Spirit are… Think of a plate full of different fruit… This sounds like it would be a good imagery for this verse.. But this is an incorrect representation. As in love is an apple, joy is an orange, peace is a grape, kindness is a banana.. All different kinds of fruits.. NO, It says the fruit (singular) of the Spirit is (not are)! So many times we fool ourselves into saying oh that person is full of the love, and that other person goodness, and that other person self-control, and me, well I guess I am kind.. Maybe patient.. But That is the opposite of what the Holy Spirit does in and through you!

<Grape Vine Image Insert Here>

Think of a grape vine. You know like when you go to walmart and you buy that bag of grapes. You see one kind of overall fruit right. They are all grapes. But they are all linked to the grape vine. This is a better representation instead of a plate full of different kinds of fruit. So the reason we are to seek and grow in our relationship with the Holy Spirit is because He is greater than our tempatians, depression, fear, insecurities, and he produces fruit! Fruit that will stand the test of time! You are not defined by what this world says. You are a son and daughter of the Living God who is residing inside of you at this very moment and has a desire to grow in intimacy with you similar to the way that God in the Old Testament would literally flood the temple with a thick cloud of smoke and his presence! Your body is a living temple, and his presence, that is his life, his smoke, his essence is coursing through you! Do not quench or stop his precense as it says in another part of the Bibl! Do not reject Him!

If we are going to be effective Christians, disciplers, and followers, then we must grow in our intimacy with the Holy Spirit!

Conclusion

3. Power for Effective Witnessing

We will discuss this point in a great amount of detail next week, but the book of Acts will show us that the power for effective witnessing, that is the power and ability to make Christ known relies heavily on our being baptized in the Holy Spirit! Furthermore, things such as miracles, prophecy, healings, tongues, and prophetic tongues are not a thing of the past! The God who we read about who did all these amazing and miraculous things thorughout the entire time of history continues to be the same and continues to move and desire to do the same here in Wichita KS, through a bunch of young adults gathered at Zaik Church on a Tuesday Night who are who heartedly seeking a movement so real, and passionate, and divine that people can’t help but be awakened and revived in their lives!

We are Christ Ambassadors, pleading the world to be reconciled to Christ, and this will never be done or accomplished if we are not seeking and growing with the Holy Spirit, seeking after continues baptisms of the holy spirit in our lives, overflowing with streams of living water and boldy proclaiming that the Hope of the World has a name, and He is returning and we want to present His Church ready for Him, so that His Father is also glorified and praised!

Friends, I want us to conclude the same way that we saw the early church do during the days leading up to Pentecost (which we will discuss next week) in Acts 1:14

Acts 1:14 CSB

They all were continually united in prayer, along with the women, including Mary the mother of Jesus, and his brothers.

Which is that they were all united in prayer. I am going to ask our team to let us have some moments of lifting up our praises to God. (Maybe challenge a couple of people to come to the stage and pray for everyone).

Conclude.