Work of the Holy Spirit

Holy Spirit at Work

Ever meet someone that in every sense exhibits so much of what it means to be Christ-like you are left wondering how they do it? or if its even genuine?

Stephen one of the chosen apostles is said to have been full of the Spirit, full of Grace, and full of power.

We read about the opposition he faces . This man was one whose service is unparalleled… not holding a position he serves… given a position he continues to serve… we read that his face was like that of an angel , and the council despised him for this reason.

Stephen is stoned to death and as he is dying he makes a statement that is telling of his nature.

Acts 7:59-60 “And as they were stoning Stephen, he called out, “Lord Jesus, receive my spirit.” And falling to his knees he cried out with a loud voice, “Lord, do not hold this sin against them.” And when he had said this, he fell asleep.”

I wondered what sin Stephen was talking about… While we may assume it is about his martyrdom, I am drawn to v.51

Acts 7:51 ““You stiff-necked people, uncircumcised in heart and ears, you always resist the Holy Spirit. As your fathers did, so do you.”

Whichever the case may be here is a man who exemplifies the work of the Holy Spirit in us.

So much so that in their actions against him he still petitions the Father for them.

The Holy Spirit is doing a work in us that is causing us to be like Christ.

John 14:15–18 ESV

“If you love me, you will keep my commandments. And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another Helper, to be with you forever, even the Spirit of truth, whom the world cannot receive, because it neither sees him nor knows him. You know him, for he dwells with you and will be in you. “I will not leave you as orphans; I will come to you.

The promise of the Helper

one who will bring us to refinement

one will guide us through the refinement

one who take us through the refinement

Contrary to the spirits of the world… He will Speak truth

Through the Holy Spirit we are not left alone but are one in Christ

This Holy Spirit is with us… before we get into the fruits and gifts Lets define this work

Sealed into Salvation

Salvation and Baptism in the Holy Spirit not synonymous

There is a work that occurs immediately upon salvation…

Ephesians 1:13–14 ESV

In him you also, when you heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation, and believed in him, were sealed with the promised Holy Spirit, who is the guarantee of our inheritance until we acquire possession of it, to the praise of his glory.

The NLT reads a bit different:

identified as His own

This Spirit seals us as part of the inheritance until we have possession.

John 14:15-18

there are some who cannot receive it, because they do not know Him.

2 Cor 1:22 tells us this is the promised Spirit

This sealing means we now have access to this Spirit

In the sealing

we are made heirs,

we are made His own

we are made participants in Christ

The Comforter

We see Christ after the Baptism is taken up by the Holy Spirit into the Desert to be tested

Yet we know scripture tells us that the Holy Spirit will be our comforter

2 Corinthians 1:3–5 ESV

Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies and God of all comfort, who comforts us in all our affliction, so that we may be able to comfort those who are in any affliction, with the comfort with which we ourselves are comforted by God. For as we share abundantly in Christ’s sufferings, so through Christ we share abundantly in comfort too.

Here we see what it means to be comforted

We are brought to the refiners fire and the purification process can be intense

Christ was made to suffer but we are told it is through the Holy Spirit He is brought through it

IN the same way we are brought to the fire and are brought through it all

The Helper

John 14:25–26 ESV

“These things I have spoken to you while I am still with you. But the Helper, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, he will teach you all things and bring to your remembrance all that I have said to you.

Consider Stephen who was speaking of great things the grace with which he spoke

The OG Siri

For the disciples it was what Jesus had taught them… For us we have the scriptures which tell us of everything Jesus taught

we need to be in His Word

He will remind us.

The Witness Bearer

Incompatibility with the world

Sealed and branded as His

John 15:26–27 ESV

“But when the Helper comes, whom I will send to you from the Father, the Spirit of truth, who proceeds from the Father, he will bear witness about me. And you also will bear witness, because you have been with me from the beginning.

When Jesus commands His disciples to wait He affirms they will b His witness

This Holy Spirit bears witness about Christ and We bear witness of Christ

because He showed signs and wonders

He exemplified right and wrong

took away the excuseIn becoming like Christ we testify of Him

The One Who Convicts

John 16:7–11 ESV

Nevertheless, I tell you the truth: it is to your advantage that I go away, for if I do not go away, the Helper will not come to you. But if I go, I will send him to you. And when he comes, he will convict the world concerning sin and righteousness and judgment: concerning sin, because they do not believe in me; concerning righteousness, because I go to the Father, and you will see me no longer; concerning judgment, because the ruler of this world is judged.

Jesus makes a way for all to receive the Holy Spirit

Testifies about Him and then does the work of proving the wrong doing

Sin=for the unbeliever is dead in their trespasses

Righteousness=to the believer reminds what God Requires of us

Judgment=for the ones who refuse to acknowledge the HS… eternal judgement

The Revealer

Things to Come

John 16:13–15 ESV

When the Spirit of truth comes, he will guide you into all the truth, for he will not speak on his own authority, but whatever he hears he will speak, and he will declare to you the things that are to come. He will glorify me, for he will take what is mine and declare it to you. All that the Father has is mine; therefore I said that he will take what is mine and declare it to you.

The knowledge of Christ which is the knowledge of the Father

Takes what is to come and reveals to humanity

The Depths

1 Corinthians 2:9–11 ESV

But, as it is written, “What no eye has seen, nor ear heard, nor the heart of man imagined, what God has prepared for those who love him”— these things God has revealed to us through the Spirit. For the Spirit searches everything, even the depths of God. For who knows a person’s thoughts except the spirit of that person, which is in him? So also no one comprehends the thoughts of God except the Spirit of God.

Things we want to know about God revealed through the HS

The eunuch could not understand until someone full of the Holy Spirit brings them into alignment

In the same way our Spirit reveals our thoughts

Coming to the understanding the Holy Spirit is at work

All around us

With us

Through Us

we understand the church was created to be empowered

Because of the Holy Spirit we become more Christ Like