We Believe in the Holy Spirit

OPENING/HOOK

Who is the Holy Spirit? If you went up to random people on the street and ask them who the Holy Spirit is, how do you think they would answer?

Some wouldn’t know. It would be tough for others. Still more would say angels or some type of spiritual thing. Many would say “It” a lot. A few might think He’s the conscience. And of course, some will say the answer they learned in church: Father, Son and Holy Spirit.

Many people can get their mind around the Father and the Son. Even if we have had a bad family experience, most of us understand what it means to be a father or a son.. But for many, the Holy Spirit seems more like the Force in Star Wars, or like some ethereal idea, than a person who shares in the fellowship of the Trinity alongside the Father and the Son.

For a long time, I think, in the church, the Holy Spirit has been ignored or misunderstood. Maybe it’s something to do with the fact that different translations call Him the Holy ‘Ghost’, which sounds a little bit creepy and eerie.

But God is supernatural good, the Holy Spirit is supernatural good, and we need the supernatural.

I heard once that a woman told her Pastor, ‘we don’t want anything supernatural happening in this church!’

But the Scriptures teach that Christianity is supernatural, from the beginning to the end. And they show us that the Holy Spirit is not an impersonal force or good vibes that Jesus sends to his people, or some holy high or bizarre phenomena. The Holy Spirit a Person you can know: the third person of the Trinity.

In fact, with the words “I believe in the Holy Spirit,” the Apostles’ Creed introduces us to this Third Person in the Trinity. Yet, unlike what it said about the Father and the Son, the Creed does not elaborate on the Holy Spirit. But the scriptures do! And that’s where I want to turn now to them to answer that question: Who is the Holy Spirit?

But I don’t just want you to learn about the Holy Spirit, I want you to come to know and love him and enjoy him , while being renewed by him and empowered by him to have daily fellowship with Him!

And so today, from Jesus’ own words, I want to show how the Holy Spirit is God, is a Person and Is in you (if you believe).

EXPOSITION/BOOK

The Holy Spirit is God

In John 14, Jesus was talking to His disciples before His crucifixion. He was trying to prepare them for what was to come. He knew that He would resurrect, be with them for 40 days, and then ascend to heaven. He would not leave them by themselves, but would send the Holy Spirit on earth until His work is done, and then Jesus would return. There’s a lot in this passage because it ties together everything that the Bible has to say about the Holy Spirit.

You see, in the Bible, the Holy Spirit is not a vague force nor an optional extra. The Holy Spirit is front and center, from the very beginning, because He is God!

He is not a recent invention or discovery, but all things were made through Him.

John Piper says “As far back into eternity as God the Father has been generating or imaging forth the Son, there has been an infinite Holy Spirit of love and delight between them, who is himself a divine Person.”

In Genesis 1, He was there as the Creator Spirt “hovering over the waters” and over all creation.

When God made the first man, it says, “the LORD God formed a man from the dust of the ground and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life, and the man became a living being.’

And that word `breath’ in the Old Testament is the same word for `Spirit’. God the Holy Spirit is who gives us life!

Later, the Holy Spirit came upon His chosen people, Israel, to guide them and give them gifts for a particularly time and purpose.

In Exodus 31:1-5, God the Spirit came upon a man named Bezalel, giving him the gift of creativity to artistically build the Temple.

In Judges 6:34 , the Spirit of God came upon Gideon, a weak and fearful man, and he became a great warrior who saved God’s people.

InJudges 15:14, God the spirit came to Samson, giving him extraordinary strength to deliver Israel from her enemies.

God the Spirit filled others with prophecy, using them as His mouthpiece, bringing direction and hope to His people.

In Ezekiel 36:26, God made a promise to one day: “‘...give you a new heart and put a new spirit in you; I will remove from you your heart of stone and give you a heart of flesh. I will put my Spirit in you and move you to follow my decrees and be careful to keep my laws.’

Through the prophet Joel, the Spirit promised in Joel 2:28: “I will pour out my Spirit on all people. Your sons and daughters will prophesy, your old men will dream dreams, your young men will see visions. Even on my servants, both men and women, I will pour out my Spirit in those days.’!

God promised that He would do something new, not just for a particular people at particular times for particular purpose. But for people in every position, age, sex, and ethnicity! Yet this promised remained unfulfilled for many years.

Then with the birth of Jesus, it was like a trumpet sounded and everyone surrounding the birth of Jesus was filled with Holy Spirit. There was a marked increase in the activity of the Holy Spirit:

Mary, the mother of Jesus had the Holy Spirit come upon her. Elizabeth, Mary’s cousin was filled with the Holy Spirit. John the Baptist made a link between the Holy Spirit and Jesus, comparing his baptism in water with a future Baptism in the Sprit. And then in Jesus’ baptism in Luke 3:22 it says: “‘The Holy Spirit descended on him in bodily form like a dove’.

And from that point on, according to Luke 4:1: ‘Jesus, was full of the Holy Spirit …’

And in Luke 4:14: ‘Jesus returned to Galilee in the power of the Spirit …’

Even when He went to synagogues to teach Luke 4:18: Jesus says, ‘The Spirit of the Lord is on me, because he’s anointed me to preach good news to the poor.’

Jesus also predicted the coming of the Spirit in John 7:37-39: “Let anyone who is thirsty, come to me and drink. Whoever believes in me, as the scripture has said, will have streams of Living Water flowing from within. By this He meant the Spirit whom those who believed in Him were later to receive. Up to that time the Spirit had not been given since Jesus had not been glorified.”

Jesus being glorified meant Jesus being crucified and raised to life. He was saying that all the promises of Prophets would not be fulfilled in a place, but in a person: in Himself.

And right before His death, He told His disciples today’s passage: promising the Counselor, the Spirit of truth proceeding from the Father, who convicts the world, Guides us, Glorifies Jesus, and declares to us the things of God! Do you see all this language of the Father, Son and Spirit? The Holy Spirit is God!

And After His death and resurrection, and right before His ascension, Jesus told His disciples: “Do not leave Jerusalem but wait for the gift my Father promised, which you have heard me speak about. For john baptized with water, but in a few days, you will be baptized with the Holy Spirit. You will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you. You will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth”. Acts 1:4-5

And so, they waited and waited, for 10 days after He ascended. And like a champagne bottle, that’s been shaken and shaken, on the Jewish feast of Pentecost, the cork blew off: “Suddenly, a sound like a blowing of a violent wind came from heaven and filled the whole house where they were sitting. They saw what seemed to be tongue of fire that separated and came to rest on each of them. All of them were filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in other languages as the Spirit enabled them.”

Something amazing and supernatural was happening and people didn’t know how to explain it. What was it? Peter stood up and announced: this is it what was prophesied from the Old Testament. He quoted the prophet Joel’s promise of God pouring out His Spirit on all people. And then he said something even more amazing: This is for you! This is the promise of the Father. The gift of the Holy Spirit who once came upon particular people at particular times for particular purposes, is now for you! The promise is God coming in us as Jesus promised!

You see, this person who indwells and leads and purifies is God, the Holy Spirit. He is the "Spirit of God”, not because God created him, but because he proceeds eternally from God!

And just as Jesus prayed in John 14: 16, He asked the Father for nothing less than the Holy Spirit! The most glorious thing is that when the Holy Spirit comes into our lives, he comes not just as the Spirit of the Son, nor just as the Spirit of the Father, but as the Spirit of love between the Father and the Son, so that we may love the Father with the very love of the Son and love the Son with the very love of the Father. For the Spirit is God Himself!

ILLUSTRATION/LOOK

The Holy Spirit is A Person

And the Holy Spirit is a Person!

I know how important this is because I’ve had to wrestle through it myself. When I first became a Christian, I was all about God. I slowly became comfortable with God talk. I believed in God the Father almighty. Then, after a while, I began to comprehend truly who Jesus is, God the Son. Embracing the divinity of Jesus turned into a full-on battle in my heart and mind. When I finally embraced it, I thought I was finished. But then I began reading places in the Bible where Jesus talked about the Holy Spirit. I began hearing more about the Spirit and honestly, it terrified me. The idea of people praying to the Holy Spirit felt like praying to any kind of Spirit… how would I know it’s safe and trustworthy? It all seemed so ethereal and wild and out of control and dangerous. But the more I read things like what Jesus said in John 14, the more I became convinced that the Holy Spirit, who Jesus even called His own Spirit, is a good person… an actual person.

In fact, just re-listen to what Jesus said:

Jesus called him "another Counselor" in 14:16, "I will pray the Father and he will give you another Counselor to be with you forever, even the Spirit of truth" A Counselor or Comforter, is a person not a force. And when Jesus calls him "another Counselor," he meant that The Holy Spirit is a counselor like Jesus is—He is a person!

Jesus described the Holy Spirit as an actual teacher, not just as the voice of God's teaching. In John 14:26 , He said "The Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, he will teach you all things."

And in John 15:26, "When the Counselor comes, whom I shall send to you from the Father, even the Spirit of truth who proceeds from the Father, he will bear witness to me." Jesus even said that "He will not speak on his own authority, but whatever he hears he will speak." The Spirit is not a force, or influence, or activity of another person, but is a person Himself, hearing from the Father and the Son, and teaching and us what they are saying.

The Holy Spirit is the Spirit of Jesus! It’s as if I told you I am going away, and I am going to put the Spirit of Brandon inside of you! The inward internal invisible Person of Brandon placed inside of you, to think my thoughts and feel my feelings!

Do you see that this God is actually a person! It changes how you approach Him. It transformed my own Christian life. Because of the Spirit, I am never alone, but the Spirit is accompanying me. When I wake up, He is there, and I can say “Good morning Holy Spirit”. When I am living my life and struggling with decisions or temptation, I can say “Help me Holy Spirit”. When I need to remember and recognize His presence with me, I can say “Welcome Holy Spirit”. When I am praying for someone I can say “Come Holy Spirit.”

APPLICATION/TOOK

The Holy Spirit is in You (if you believe)

He is God! He is a person! And if you believe in Jesus, He can be in you! And that can make a big difference in your own life! Just think about it, if you believe in Jesus, you are being indwelt by, guided by and purified not by impersonal power forces from a distant God, but by a person inside of you who is God!

In fact, to go further, for Him to be ‘in you’ means to overwhelm, immerse, plunge and drench. That’s what the Spirit wants to do: to drench, fill and overwhelm us. It’s as if we are a very dry, real sponge, that when put in water, it doesn’t absorb anything because of the hard outside. Yet, when it’s left in the water, the edges begin to soften. And once the edges soften, the sponge absorbs much more water. And what’s the result: the sponge is in the water, but the water is in the sponge. And when you lift it up, the water is pouring out. That’s how we are meant to be, full of the Holy Spirit.

And that’s the very promise of Jesus in John 14:17 , where He said, "You know him, for he dwells with you and will be in you."

If the Holy Spirit is God and the Holy Spirit is a person, He is the very personal love between the Father and the Son. Now just think how human love can change 2 people. Now just imagine what the Holy Spirit does when He is with a person… and in a person!

And He does change people from the inside out, as he resides in them, renovating them. The Holy Spirit brings new things to our lives: new attitudes, desires, worship and songs. Whatever you do in your workplace, the Spirit of God wants to fill you with skill, ability, and creativity. The Spirit uses people who feel inadequate, ill-equipped. The Holy Spirit brings freedom to break habits, addictions and things that keep people spiritually bound.

He is the Counselor. The Helper. The Gift Giver. The Guide. The Holy Spirit softens our hearts. He takes away our hearts of stone and gives us hearts of flesh. The Holy Spirit helps us break free from sin and bad habits. He also creates a desire to love others and to help those in need: the poor, the broken hearted, the captive.

The experience of the Holy Spirit is not only about what is felt, but also about making a difference in the world. He can use you.

And that’s what all of this is about! I said at the beginning, Christianity is supernatural from the beginning to the end. And you can’t grasp it simply naturally. The Holy Spirit’s a bit like the wind: you can’t actually see the wind, but you can see the effect of the wind. Sometimes people say, ‘Well, I can’t see the Holy Spirit. I’ve never seen the Holy Spirit.’ But maybe you’ve seen the impact on someone else. Like the wind: you don’t see the wind, but you can see the impact. Maybe you’ve seen the impact on your own life: maybe something’s changing in your own life.

I have heard from many of you the past few months, since we’ve been planting this church. You’ve described how God has been noticeably working on you hearts and healing you. That’s the Holy Spirit! I’ve heard from some of you explain how happy and giddy you feel inside when we gather together and sing. That’s the Holy Spirit! Some of you have told me you have been crying for joy and sometimes it feels overwhelming. That’s the Holy Spirit! Some of you have expressed fresh faith and trust in Jesus. Others of you have been renewed in your simple devotion to Christ. This is all the work of the Holy Spirit!

That’s not my work. That’s the Holy Spirt. Jesus Himself said in John 3:3–8: “I tell you the truth, no one can see the kingdom of God without being born again.... I tell you the truth, no one can enter the kingdom of God without being born of water and the Spirit. Flesh gives birth to flesh, but Spirit gives birth to spirit. You shouldn’t be surprised by my saying, ‘You must be born again’. The wind blows wherever it pleases.”’

My friends, we are observing the work of the Holy Spirit all around us. It’s nothing to be afraid of. And He wants to do more. He will do more! And that’s nothing to be afraid of either.

You see, this great gift of the Holy Spirit is given to us so that in him, we have fellowship with God and fellowship with one another.

With him dwelling in us, we are able to fellowship with the Father and the Son. He shows us the glory the Father receives from the Son and the Son from the Father. Just ask Him to do that. Let the Holy Spirit show you the Father’s love for you. He especially points us to the Son. He teaches us the Son’s teachings, he testifies of the Son to us, he discloses to us what the Son wants to tell us, and he comforts us with the comfort the Father and Son want us to have. Ask Him to reveal Jesus to you and others. To teach you. Sit with Him in silence and allow Him to minister to you.

But that’s not all. The Spirit is also given to us so that we are able to have fellowship with one another. It is the Spirit who gives gifts from God to His church. Ask Him for gifts to serve and care for one another. Never rely on yourself or your abilities. It is the Spirit who inspires us to sing “in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs” and to “submit to one another out of reverence for Christ”. And it is only in the Spirit that we will experience unity together.

I want to see the Spirit working all over this church, in your gifts of ministry and service here on Sunday mornings. But also, as you eat together and care for the world around you!

And that’s even the promise Jesus gave us, that the Holy Spirit would give us power to be witnesses. Now, I know that terrifies people, the thought: ‘I’ve got to serve. They need my help! I have to deal with this spiritual stuff. I’ve got to be a witness. Do you mean if I become a Christian I have to talk to my friends?’

But here’s the point: when you encounter Jesus, when you’re filled with the Holy Spirit, I found that the first thing you will want to do is tell others. You will want your family to know. You will want your friends to know. Because it’s so amazing to know Jesus, to experience the Holy Spirit.

And that’s the invitation today. The invitation is for all of you. It’s to you! Come and experience God’s love for you! Come and experience this intimate relationship of knowing God as ‘Father’! Come and have access to the Father – the Spirit helping you to pray, helping you to understand the Bible. Come and be transformed into the likeness of Jesus! Come and be united with Christians around the world! Come and experience the gifts of the Spirit! Come and experience the power of God giving you a desire to tell other people about Jesus!

Come and behold Jesus, who said you must be born again to see His Kingdom. It’s by the Spirit, and only by the Spirit you can understand Jesus. And that’s what the Spirit does. He is a spotlight that focuses your attention on Jesus alone.

Galatians 2:20 says, "I have been crucified with Christ; and it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me." How does Christ live in us? Through the Holy Spirit!

He is the Spirit of Christ who makes known Jesus to us. Jesus lived His life and now comes to us, not in body but in Spirit, that is, in the Holy Spirit, who is the giver of spiritual life to us. Anybody who comes, you will receive the free gift of what Jesus called the water of life, of being born again. That’s the promise for you. You cannot earn it. You cannot be good enough for it. You cannot confess sins enough to gain it. You can’t do enough good deeds to reach it. You simply come to Jesus alone, and say “I thirst!”

If you say, ‘Well, I really want that,’ the promise is, if you come, you will receive. There are some of you who might say, ‘Well, I’m not ready nor thirsty.’ All you have to say is, ‘Well, I don’t feel thirsty. Jesus, I don’t have a thirst. But Jesus, would you give me a thirst? I want to want to be thirsty!”

And when you have that thirst – ‘Let those who are thirsty come; let all who wish take’ – and this is what God will give you – ‘the free gift of the water of life.’

And Jesus can freely give you His Spirit, the living waters, not because of your work or request, but because when He was on the cross, He cried out “I thirst!” He became dehydrated and His tongue stuck to the roof of His mouth, so that you could have the living water of the Spirit filling your life and flowing. And with the last breath of His exhausted body, with a swollen tongue, and a dry throat, He cried out “It is finished”. And so, it shall be. Amen.