The Work of the Holy Spirit -Indwelling to sanctify believers

We make a big mistake when we see our relationship with the Holy Spirit like a tug of war between two teams.

You are all familiar with these sorts of competitions, often held at country shows.

Two teams pulling as hard as they can on opposite ends of the rope trying to drag the opposing team over a line.

It is usually a hard fought contest.

And it often comes down to the determination of one team over another.

Unless the rope breaks which is usually very spectacular and sometimes a little dangerous.

When we see our relationship with the Holy Spirit like this we get it wrong.

It isn’t the forces of light and dark in contest in this sort of way.

Like the movies who have an angel on one shoulder or a demon on the other, wispering in our ear trying to convince us to go one way or another.

Nor is it the Holy Spirit trying to drag us towards what is right whilst we drag our heels and want to go the other way.

When a believer desires to walk with the Holy Spirit we need to see the picture more like two mountain climbers roped together.

One is the guide and expert mountaineer, one who has learnt from the generations that have gone before.

The other a student climber.

The Holy Spirit as guide takes the lead, assisting, sometimes pulling the student up, but always encouraging, instructing, imparting wisdom and understanding of the weather, the terrain, how to traverse obstacles, where to gain knowledge of the challenges and how to overcome them.

Jesus said in John 16:13-15

John 16:13–15 NLT

When the Spirit of truth comes, he will guide you into all truth. He will not speak on his own but will tell you what he has heard. He will tell you about the future. He will bring me glory by telling you whatever he receives from me. All that belongs to the Father is mine; this is why I said, ‘The Spirit will tell you whatever he receives from me.’

This is a relationship not a competition.

A walking with, not running against.

But there is a fundamental requirement of such a relationship that it is all to easy to forget.

It is a very simple point but is essential for things to work the way they should.

You won’t get very far mountain climbing if you don’t work with your guide.

Simply put you have to cooperate.

When we read the Scriptures there is a constant theme which comes through for God’s people.

Cooperation with the will of God is essential if we are to enjoy all that he has for us.

The indwelling of the Holy Spirit requires our ongoing cooperation, otherwise we quench his work within us

King David in Psalm 51 expressed this point when he cried out in anguish having turned his back on God’s will and intentionally sinned and then tried to cover it up.

David knew what it was to live with God’s blessing and he knew that something had changed when he sinned.

He desperately desired to know again the presence of God with him.

And while there is a fundamental difference between the Old Testament faithful who knew the presence of God’s Spirit with them and the New Testament believer who can know God’s Spirit within them the principal holds true. We will only really experience the joy of knowing God’s presence and work within us when we cooperate.

This is the great priviledge we have as believers today.

Christ has been crucified, resurrected and ascended to the right hand of the Father, therefore the Holy Spirit has been given and will dwell within us.

We have the incredible priviledge, that the Old Testament faithful did not have, the priviledge of the Holy Spirit indwelling believers on a permanent basis rather than simply being with the faithful.

On a number of occassions Jesus made this specific point. That which is to come is something new, something which will apply to all believers.

John 14:17 NLT

He is the Holy Spirit, who leads into all truth. The world cannot receive him, because it isn’t looking for him and doesn’t recognize him. But you know him, because he lives with you now and later will be in you.

The Apostle Paul picked up on this same understanding when he wrote to Timothy

2 Timothy 1:14 NLT

Through the power of the Holy Spirit who lives within us, carefully guard the precious truth that has been entrusted to you.

And also when he wrote to the church in Corinth in 1 Corinthians 3:16 “Don’t you realize that all of you together are the temple of God and that the Spirit of God lives in you?”

And 1 Corinthians 6:19 “Don’t you realize that your body is the temple of the Holy Spirit, who lives in you and was given to you by God? You do not belong to yourself, for God bought you with a high price. So you must honor God with your body. “

And again when he wrote to the church in Ephasus in Ephesians 2:22. Through him you Gentiles are also being made part of this dwelling where God lives by his Spirit

The Apostle John also picked up this same theme in 1 John 2:27 But you have received the Holy Spirit,* and he lives within you, so you don’t need anyone to teach you what is true. For the Spirit* teaches you everything you need to know, and what he teaches is true—it is not a lie. So just as he has taught you, remain in fellowship with Christ.

And 1 John 3:24. Those who obey God’s commandments remain in fellowship with him, and he with them. And we know he lives in us because the Spirit he gave us lives in us.

This indwelling is something that we really need to grasp.

The Holy Spirit is with the believer, each and every moment of the day.

All those who have received Christ as Lord and saviour have this great priviledge of having God dwelling within them.

Not sometimes, or only on special occassions, but always.

Yes there may be occassions of a special experience of his presence and these are to be valued.

But we need to realise that he is always with us, not just on those special occassions.

This should make a huge difference.

Because it should change our understanding and way of dealing with things.

Because Christ was crucified, resurrected and has ascended to the right hand of the Father the Holy Spirit came on the day of Pentecost to dwell within all believers.

When you accepted Christ as Lord and Saviour he came and dwelt within you.

Therefore you can walk with him as your personal guide all the time.

Each and every day.

You can receive his wisdom, insight and understanding constantly.

Just as the expert mountain guide is roped to you, leading you up the mountain, showing you the way, giving you that insight and knowledge to read the terrain, to see the dangers and chose the best path so the Holy Spirit is with you to lead and guide you to walk in obedience to Christ’s commands, to see the opportunities to share Christ’s love and to speak into peoples lives so that they may have opportunity to also know him.

The Holy Spirit guarantees eternal life

Romans 8:11 NLT

The Spirit of God, who raised Jesus from the dead, lives in you. And just as God raised Christ Jesus from the dead, he will give life to your mortal bodies by this same Spirit living within you.

John 7:38–39 NLT

Anyone who believes in me may come and drink! For the Scriptures declare, ‘Rivers of living water will flow from his heart.’ ” (When he said “living water,” he was speaking of the Spirit, who would be given to everyone believing in him. But the Spirit had not yet been given, because Jesus had not yet entered into his glory.)

The Holy Spirit assures believers that they belong to God

Romans 8:14–16 NLT

For all who are led by the Spirit of God are children of God. So you have not received a spirit that makes you fearful slaves. Instead, you received God’s Spirit when he adopted you as his own children. Now we call him, “Abba, Father.” For his Spirit joins with our spirit to affirm that we are God’s children.

See also 2 Co 1:21–22; Ga 4:6; Eph 1:13–14; 1 Jn 4:13

Strength is received

Ephesians 3:16 NLT

I pray that from his glorious, unlimited resources he will empower you with inner strength through his Spirit.

Preaching and public testimony is aided

Mt 10:20 ; Ac 4:8–12; Ac 5:29–32

Matthew 10:20 NLT

For it is not you who will be speaking—it will be the Spirit of your Father speaking through you.

Acts 4:8–12 NLT

Then Peter, filled with the Holy Spirit, said to them, “Rulers and elders of our people, are we being questioned today because we’ve done a good deed for a crippled man? Do you want to know how he was healed? Let me clearly state to all of you and to all the people of Israel that he was healed by the powerful name of Jesus Christ the Nazarene, the man you crucified but whom God raised from the dead. For Jesus is the one referred to in the Scriptures, where it says, ‘The stone that you builders rejected has now become the cornerstone.’ There is salvation in no one else! God has given no other name under heaven by which we must be saved.”

Acts 5:29–32 NLT

But Peter and the apostles replied, “We must obey God rather than any human authority. The God of our ancestors raised Jesus from the dead after you killed him by hanging him on a cross. Then God put him in the place of honor at his right hand as Prince and Savior. He did this so the people of Israel would repent of their sins and be forgiven. We are witnesses of these things and so is the Holy Spirit, who is given by God to those who obey him.”

The moral law is obeyed

Eze 36:27 ; Ro 8:4–5; Ro 8:13; Ga 5:16

Ezekiel 36:27 NLT

And I will put my Spirit in you so that you will follow my decrees and be careful to obey my regulations.

Romans 8:4–5 NLT

He did this so that the just requirement of the law would be fully satisfied for us, who no longer follow our sinful nature but instead follow the Spirit. Those who are dominated by the sinful nature think about sinful things, but those who are controlled by the Holy Spirit think about things that please the Spirit.

Romans 8:13 NLT

For if you live by its dictates, you will die. But if through the power of the Spirit you put to death the deeds of your sinful nature, you will live.

Galatians 5:16 NLT

So I say, let the Holy Spirit guide your lives. Then you won’t be doing what your sinful nature craves.

The fruit of the Spirit is displayed

Galatians 5:22–23 NLT

But the Holy Spirit produces this kind of fruit in our lives: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. There is no law against these things!

See also Ro 5:5; Ro 14:17; Ro 15:13; Ro 15:30

When we have the Holy Spirit dwelling within us we have all of the resources of God within us, available to change us and to be an agent of change to those around us.

The challenge is very simple.

Will we cooperate or will we quench his work in our lives?