PENTECOST

Introduction

READ Luke 24:44-49

What are we supposed to do with the Holy Spirit?

Most of us can wrap our minds around God the Father, he’s a sort of the stereotypical idea you get in your mind when you think of God. Almighty creator of heaven and earth. Reigns over time and space. Omnipotent. Omniscient. Omnipresent. We can sort of understand God the Father.

And though we might get tripped up on the whole fully-God and fully-man thing, we can get Jesus too. After all, he’s like us in some ways. He’s flesh and blood. He ate and drank and slept and did all kinds of other things that we - as humans - do.

But what are we supposed to do with the Holy Spirit?

For some Christians, they think of the Holy Spirit like Obi-Wan Kenobi describes the force: “It's an energy field created by all living things. It surrounds us and penetrates us. It binds the galaxy together.” But that’s not what the Holy Spirit is. When John talks about him in his gospel, he uses pronouns that make clear: The Holy Spirit is a person, not an unthinking force.

Some Christians seem to be afraid of the Spirit. They get nervous when you bring him up. You can see it in their eyes… just start talking about how the Spirit was moving… or say the word ‘Pentecost’ or ‘Spiritual Gift.’ They’ve been put on edge by all of the people out there who have tried to turn the work of the Spirit into a show or an attraction.

And that’s yet another problematic way that some Christians misunderstand the Holy Spirit. They think that the Spirit’s work is all about fireworks and miracles and speaking in languages that no one can understand.

So here we are… moderate, careful Christians. And someone asks, “What about the Holy Spirit?” And too often, we’re silently wondering ourselves: “What are we supposed to do with the Holy Spirit?”

It would be easy to attempt to live the Christian life without giving the Spirit much thought. But that would be a mistake.

After all, the same Jesus who offers us salvation from our sins… the one who died on the cross in our place, taking our guilt and shame… this same Jesus has also told us that he would send forth “the promise” from his father and clothe his followers with power from on high.

And in John’s Gospel, he promised a comforter… an encourager… one who would lead his people into all truth. In fact, there were times when it seemed like Jesus’ description of the Holy Spirit was basically like Jesus himself would still be with them. They might not be able to physically see him anymore, but through his Spirit he would still be just as present.

So, what are we supposed to do with the Holy Spirit - this gift of Pentecost? What should we expect of him? Was he given primarily to empower us to work miracles? Or speak unknown languages? Or was he given for another - perhaps less flashy but far more profitable purpose?

What did Jesus really mean when he said that his disciples would be clothed with power from on high? What kind of power does the Holy Spirit release in our lives?

Let’s examine what the scriptures say...

The Holy Spirit CONVICTS us.

According to Jesus in John 16:8, when the Holy Spirit comes, he “will convict the world concerning sin and righteousness and judgment.”

It is the Holy Spirit that convicts us when we hear the Gospel and see God’s kindness and love there. He is the one who brings us to a realization of ourselves - and where we really stand.

He shows us our sin, points us to where we’re headed, and reveals the truth of the Gospel. And as he does, we’re given the decision to respond in faith and repentance or by hardening our hearts. When we respond in faith and repentance, we begin our journey with God - and with the Holy Spirit.

When the Holy Spirit comes and convicts us, the outward appearance may look different. For some people, it feels like an earth-shaking, dramatic revelation. There are tears and ugly crying. But for others, it might not look like there’s much going on. It doesn’t appear to be a big crisis.

But we need to remember that the Holy Spirit is working within the heart of that person. And how it appears on the outside can be the result of differences in temperament, environment, and past experiences.

Ultimately, what matters isn’t the outward expression. It’s the inward work of the Holy Spirit. So, is the Holy Spirit’s work finished after he convicts us of sin and leads us into God’s presence? No. There is another power that the Spirit unleashes in our life - listen to what Paul says in Ephesians 1:13-14.

The Holy Spirit SEALS us.

READ Ephesians 1:13-14

Paul describes a clear series of events here: We listen to the message of truth. We believe or put our faith in Jesus, the subject of that message. And we are sealed in Christ with the Holy Spirit of promise.

Hear. Believe. Sealed.

When we give Christ our allegiance - our loyalty - our faith and faithfulness - the Holy Spirit takes up residence in our lives. Jesus says as much in John 14:23 when he says, “If anyone loves me, he will keep my word; and my father will love him, and we will come to him and make our abode with him.”

The Holy Spirit is the living presence of God within us.

But what does Paul mean when he says that the Spirit SEALS us?

In the ancient world, seals were used to indicate ownership. Every important person had his own seal, with a unique design, and usually with his name on it. So, if there was ever any question about who something belonged to, it could be positively identified.

This is what the SEAL of the Holy Spirit does, it identifies us as belonging to God. Interestingly, this is also the idea behind the “mark (or seal) of the beast.” In Revelation, all of God’s people are marked with the MARK of God. All people belonging to the Kingdom of Darkness are marked with the MARK of the Beast. They’re identified by those marks.

Now, this is good because when others see this seal, they know who we belong to. But it’s also good for us, because it gives us assurance that we are saved. We don’t have to live in a state of fear or worry or uncertainty about our salvation. Paul describes the Holy Spirit as a “pledge of our inheritance” which means we’re given the Holy Spirit now… but he’s only a down payment of what we will receive in eternity - the fullness of God’s presence.

And if someone has already given a down-payment, we can be confident that they will pay the rest of what they’ve promised.

The best way I know to illustrate the Holy Spirit’s SEALING power is with the movie Toy Story 2.

Tell the story.

But how do we know that we have this seal?

Part of it is an inward assurance. Scripture says his spirit testifies with our spirit that we are children of God. But there’s another, more objective way to see the seal of God’s Spirit. And its manifest in the third power of the Holy Spirit in the life of a believer.

The Holy Spirit SANCTIFIES us.

Consider what Paul tells the Galatians in the fifth chapter of that letter: “But I say, walk by the Spirit, and you will not carry out the desire of the flesh…the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control.”

These things are the FRUIT of the Spirit. In other words, when we’re saved and sealed by the Spirit, he plants himself in the soil of our lives. And as we listen to him and obey him - that’s what “walk by the Spirit” means - he bears this fruit that looks like Jesus - full of love, joy, peace, etc.

You’ll see this same idea throughout the book of 1 John. In fact, John explicitly says, “These things I have written to you who believe in the name of the Son of God, so that you may know that you have eternal life.” In a sense, 1 John is written to check for the SEAL of the Holy Spirit.

And if you’ll read this book, you’ll discover that John basically says, “Look for the sanctifying work of the Spirit in your life… look for love for God and others. Love for obedience and submission to God. Look for an aversion to sin - John even says, “No one who is born of God practices sin” in chapter 3:9.

This doesn’t mean that Christians can never fall into sin - after all, John also reminds us that IF anyone sins, we have an advocate with the Father.

But the Spirit’s power is such that sin is being dealt with in our lives. The Spirit makes it possible to have victory over sin.

Now, someone may hear this and say, “But what if I fail? What if I lose my patience with a co-worker and snap at them? Does this mean that the Spirit’s no longer at work? Has the SEAL left?”

No. If I lose my patience… and I walk away… the Spirit will begin convicting me of that. That conviction is evidence of the Holy Spirit’s SANCTIFYING power. And when he empowers me to go back to that person and apologize, that’s evidence of the Holy Spirit’s SANCTIFYING power.

Over the course of our lives, the Holy Spirit’s sanctifying power refines us, making us more and more like Jesus. We’re not looking for perfection. We’re looking for perseverance.

But the Spirit’s work doesn’t end here. He doesn’t just SANCTIFY us, rooting out sins and replacing them with virtues.

The Holy Spirit EMPOWERS us for SERVICE.

The Holy Spirit empowers us for SERVICE to the Kingdom of God.

On Pentecost, the disciples were gathered in an upper room in Jerusalem. Jesus had told them to wait until they received power from on high - the gift of God - the Holy Spirit.

But when the Spirit came like wind and fire, they were transformed. Not only did they begin experiencing the SEALING and SANCTIFYING work of the Spirit, they also were empowered to serve God’s Kingdom in new ways.

They begin speaking in languages they had never learned. And Jews from across the empire were hearing the Gospel proclaimed for the first time, in their native tongues and dialects. But the speakers were ordinary Galilean fishermen and the like.

By the time it was all over, Peter had preached a dynamic sermon with a boldness and confidence that would have terrified him a few weeks earlier at the crucifixion of Jesus.

Three thousand people were saved when the Holy Spirit showed up that day. The Kingdom of God moved forward because the Spirit was empowering Peter and the other disciples for service.

Over the next decades, the Spirit would continue to empower those within the church to serve - to serve others within the church and to serve the world by proclaiming the Gospel.

In several of his letters, including 1 Cor and Romans, Paul describes the “gifts of the Spirit”, things like leadership, teaching, exhortation, giving, prophecy, showing mercy, teaching, praying, words of knowledge and wisdom, etc.

Contrary to what some celebrity pastors or Christian YouTubers may think today, these spiritual gifts are not given for our own self-aggrandizement or profit. They are given to us for building up the Church and reaching the lost with the Gospel of Jesus.

And when the Holy Spirit comes to dwell within us, he supernaturally empowers us to do things we never would have been able to do otherwise. He does that for you.

This is how the Kingdom of God advances. It’s a movement empowered by God’s Spirit to accomplish the impossible. And he desires for each of us to play a part.

Conclusion

So, to answer the question we began with… “What are we supposed to do with the Holy Spirit?”… we really need to turn the question on its head. The real question is, “What is the Holy Spirit supposed to do with us?” And the answer is: He convicts us of sin. He leads us to salvation. He seals us as belonging to God. He sanctifies us, making us like Jesus. And he empowers us to serve in God’s Kingdom.

Have you experienced this work of the Spirit in your life? Are you experiencing it now? If you haven’t, you can. God has made his presence available to anyone who will come to him, turn away from seeking their own way, and submit themselves to the reign of Jesus.

Christ offers far more than forgiveness and heaven. He offers the very presence of God right here and right now. The offer’s yours. How will you respond?