John 16:8-14: The Work of the Holy Spirit in the World
The Holy Spirit and Believers
1. The Work of the Holy Spirit in the World.
John 16:8-14, And when he is come, he will reprove the world of sin, and of righteousness, and of judgment: 9 Of sin, because they believe not on me; 10 Of righteousness, because I go to my Father, and ye see me no more; 11 Of judgment, because the prince of this world is judged. 12 I have yet many things to say unto you, but ye cannot bear them now. 13 Howbeit when he, the Spirit of truth, is come, he will guide you into all truth: for he shall not speak of himself; but whatsoever he shall hear, that shall he speak: and he will shew you things to come. 14 He shall glorify me: for he shall receive of mine, and shall shew it unto you.
2. What the Holy Spirit Does at the Moment of Saving Faith.
There is a fivefold work that the Holy Spirit does immediately at salvation.
1. Regenerates
2. Baptizes
3. Indwells
4. Seals
5. Fills
All five of these ministries happen instantaneously to the believer.
They all occur by faith and not dependent upon the emotional feelings at the time of salvation.
A. The Holy Spirit brings new life to the believer.
–Regeneration
1. All are spiritually dead because of sin.
Ephesians 2:1-9, And you hath he quickened, who were dead in trespasses and sins; 2 Wherein in time past ye walked according to the course of this world, according to the prince of the power of the air, the spirit that now worketh in the children of disobedience: 3 Among whom also we all had our conversation in times past in the lusts of our flesh, fulfilling the desires of the flesh and of the mind; and were by nature the children of wrath, even as others. 4 But God, who is rich in mercy, for his great love wherewith he loved us, 5 Even when we were dead in sins, hath quickened us together with Christ, (by grace ye are saved;) 6 And hath raised us up together, and made us sit together in heavenly places in Christ Jesus: 7 That in the ages to come he might shew the exceeding riches of his grace in his kindness toward us through Christ Jesus. 8 For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God: 9 Not of works, lest any man should boast.
2. Nicodemus and Jesus (John 3).
Jesus used the expression “born again” in His conversation with Nicodemus.
a. Nicodemus was religious but lost.
b. He needed a spiritual birth.
c. Apart from the new birth, he would not be saved.
3. Regeneration means new birth.
Titus 3:5 Not by works of righteousness which we have done, but according to his mercy he saved us, by the washing of regeneration, and renewing of the Holy Ghost;
Ephesians 2:8-9 For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God: 9 Not of works, lest any man should boast.
It is the work of God through the Holy Spirit of placing in one who has faith a new nature capable of doing God’s will.
It is a change of heart wrought by the Holy Spirit through conviction of sin to which the sinner responds in repentance toward God and faith in the Lord Jesus Christ.
God does not save people because they behave righteously but because He is merciful.
The Holy Spirit is the agent or divine workman of this regeneration.
His instrument is the Bible, which is likened to:
A Hammer that judges sin. (Jeremiah 23:29), Is not my word like as a fire? saith the LORD; and like a hammer that breaketh the rock in pieces?
A Mirror that reveals sin (James 1:23), For if any be a hearer of the word, and not a doer, he is like unto a man beholding his natural face in a glass:
A Sword that defeats Satan (Hebrews 4:12), For the word of God is quick, and powerful, and sharper than any twoedged sword, piercing even to the dividing asunder of soul and spirit, and of the joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart.
A Lamp that guides the believer (Psalm 119:105), Thy word is a lamp unto my feet, and a light unto my path.
In Titus 3:5, "washing" could refer to conversion and "renewing" to the coming of the Holy Spirit on the new believer.
B. The Holy Spirit baptizes the believer.
Baptizes: 1 Corinthians 12:13), For by one Spirit are we all baptized into one body, whether we be Jews or Gentiles, whether we be bond or free; and have been all made to drink into one Spirit.
1. Important to note that this takes place at conversion.
The individual believer experience Spirit baptism when they personally trust Christ as their Savior.
2. The following facts must be noted about baptism of the Spirit.
a. All references to the baptism of the Spirit before Pentecost are prophetic.
Acts 1:5, For John truly baptized with water; but ye shall be baptized with the Holy Ghost not many days hence.
The baptism of the Spirit took place initially on the day of Pentecost (Acts 2:1-4).
b. All references to the baptism of the Spirit after Pentecost speak of it as something that happened in the believer’s life after conversion.
c. No Scripture teaches us to seek the baptism of the Spirit.
3. The baptism of the Spirit places the believer into the body of Christ.
a. A new body of fellowship
b. Now part of the family of God
He makes us a part of it.
Water baptism illustrates this.
Every believer experiences Spirit baptism regardless of his or her race or social status.
We are now on equal footing in the sense that we are all members of the body of Christ.
C. The Holy Spirit takes up His residence in the believer.
Indwells: 1 Corinthians 6:19-20, What? know ye not that your body is the temple of the Holy Ghost which is in you, which ye have of God, and ye are not your own? 20 For ye are bought with a price: therefore glorify God in your body, and in your spirit, which are God's.
1. Wuest: “The Holy Spirit takes up His permanent residence in us” John 14:16, “abide with you forever.”
2. Jesus promised this to His disciples.
John 14:16-23, And I will pray the Father, and he shall give you another Comforter, that he may abide with you for ever; 17 Even the Spirit of truth; whom the world cannot receive, because it seeth him not, neither knoweth him: but ye know him; for he dwelleth with you, and shall be in you. 18 I will not leave you comfortless: I will come to you. 19 Yet a little while, and the world seeth me no more; but ye see me: because I live, ye shall live also. 20 At that day ye shall know that I am in my Father, and ye in me, and I in you. 21 He that hath my commandments, and keepeth them, he it is that loveth me: and he that loveth me shall be loved of my Father, and I will love him, and will manifest myself to him. 22 Judas saith unto him, not Iscariot, Lord, how is it that thou wilt manifest thyself unto us, and not unto the world? 23 Jesus answered and said unto him, If a man love me, he will keep my words: and my Father will love him, and we will come unto him, and make our abode with him.
3. When the Holy Spirit comes in, there is evidence of the Occupant in the believer’s life.
a. The Bible becomes a new book.
b. The fruit of the Spirit starts showing up in daily life.
c. Power to overcome sin becomes a daily experience.
d. A new longing for holy living becomes part of life.
He is the best gift God has given us thus far.
Consequently, we have a moral obligation to the Giver.
Moreover, because He indwells us, we belong to Him.
D. The Holy Spirit seals the believer.
Seals, Ephesians 4:30, And grieve not the holy Spirit of God, whereby ye are sealed unto the day of redemption.
1. Note the thrilling progression; regeneration, baptism, indwelling, sealing.
2. Sealing speaks of ownership.
3. The presence of the Holy Spirit within the believer is like a down payment.
Ephesians 1:13-14, Till we all come in the unity of the faith, and of the knowledge of the Son of God, unto a perfect man, unto the measure of the stature of the fulness of Christ: 14 That we henceforth be no more children, tossed to and fro, and carried about with every wind of doctrine, by the sleight of men, and cunning craftiness, whereby they lie in wait to deceive;
The sealing of the Holy Spirit guarantees the benefits of our salvation, as a person might seal an envelope to guarantee its contents.
4. To guarantee this sealing, we have the witness of the Spirit.
Romans 8:14-16, For as many as are led by the Spirit of God, they are the sons of God. 15 For ye have not received the spirit of bondage again to fear; but ye have received the Spirit of adoption, whereby we cry, Abba, Father. 16 The Spirit itself beareth witness with our spirit, that we are the children of God:
5. The sealing of the Spirit guarantees that what God has begun He will continue to completion.
Philippians 1:6, Being confident of this very thing, that he which hath begun a good work in you will perform it until the day of Jesus Christ:
As Christians, we should be careful not to grieve the Holy Spirit.
Grieving the Holy Spirit amounts to rejecting a priceless gift from God.
"That which grieves the Holy Spirit is sin."
E. The Holy Spirit fills the believer.
The first four ministries can never be lost and, therefore, no need to be asked for again.
Nowhere in the Bible are we commanded to ask God to baptize us by His Spirit, or seal us, regenerate us, or indwell us.
If anyone has accepted Christ, they are for all eternity regenerated, baptized, indwelled, and sealed!
1. However, the fifth ministry of the Holy Spirit “filling” can be lost, and, therefore, should be asked for as many times as needed.
Galatians 5:16, This I say then, Walk in the Spirit, and ye shall not fulfil the lust of the flesh.
Ephesians 5:18, And be not drunk with wine, wherein is excess; but be filled with the Spirit;
The words “be filled” here means “be continually filled” emphasizing that the fullness of the Spirit is a repeated experience for believers.
2. Let the Holy Spirit Who indwells us control us completely.
3. We do this by trusting and obeying Him as His Word directs.
The believer who allows the Spirit to influence and direct his thinking and behavior will experience His control as long as he maintains that relationship to the Spirit.
When a person is drunk on alcohol, his walk, talk, sight, and mental faculties are controlled by it.
God desires that the minds of believers be controlled by the Holy Spirit: so that they will walk in the Spirit, speak on behalf of the Spirit, and understand the things of God.
Because a believer is indwelt by the Holy Spirit at salvation, they do not need to get more of the Spirit, but the filling occurs when He gets more of the believer.
All of this happens at conversion: New Life, Indwelt, Sealed, Baptized.
Let us walk in the Spirit in view of all these benefits in Christ.
We are equipped to win, more than conquers.