Sermon Tone Analysis

I want to start with a question.

The Hebrew Bible sometimes describes the Holy Spirit as a personal being and not just as an impersonal force.

Is the Holy Spirit merely a synonym for God, or does the term describe part of his very nature, his own Spirit?

To answer this question, we will start by quoting from our website.

The Statement

Ruach Hakodesh (The Holy Spirit) is co-equal and co-eternal with the Father and with the Son; He was active in the creation of things and continues to be so; He convicts the world of sin, righteousness and judgement; He regenerates, sanctifies, baptizes, indwells, seals, illuminates, guides, fellowships with believers and bestows His gifts upon all believers.

(Genesis 1:26; Ezekiel 36:26; Matthew 3:11; 1 Corinthians 3:16, 6:11 and 12:7)

Now is all fine to say, but why do I believe that?

What do I base that statement on?

Evidence of Personality

Love

The persona and relateability of the Ruach HaKodesh, as shown in the Scripture, describe a living, feeling, and emotional personality.

In the letter to the Romans, Paul urges the church by the love of the Ruach HaKodesh, a love that, to him, comes as a given reality (Rom.

15:30).

Messiah states that a tree can only bear like fruit, so when the fruit of the Ruach (Spirit) is listed in Gal.

5:22-23, Paul validates the loving nature of the Ruach HaKodesh in listing love as the foremost quality.

Communication

The Levites appropriately thank the LORD for his great mercy and patience with Israel shown by continually drawing them back by the word of the Spirit (Neh.

9:30).

The Spirit instructed Philip, the first missionary,

Later on, the Ruach warned the Body of Messiah concerning the Great Apostasy in the latter times (1 Tim.

4:1-5).

Along with the Bride, He cries for the Bridegroom to return quickly (Rev.

22:17).

Soul

Paul refers to the soul of the spirit of God when he talks of the “mind of the Ruach” (Rom.

8:27), and that the Spirit acts according to what “He wills (1 Cor.

12:11).”

Ezekiel caught a glimpse of this as he watched the four beasts move forward “wherever the Spirit wanted to go (Eze.

1:12)”, and Paul, Silas and Timothy were forbidden, by the Ruach HaKodesh, to preach in Asia or Bithynia Acts 16:6-7

Grief

There are many instances where people have provoked and grieved the Ruach HaKodesh as Isaiah prophesied.

Isa.

63:10

Paul warns the congregation in Ephesus not to grieve the Ruach HaKodesh Eph.

4:30

or even quench Him in 1 Thess.

5:19

In many cases judgment follows the provocation of the Ruach HaKodesh as is the case for Ananias and Sapphira (Acts 5:3-7).

In fact, the letter of Hebrews strongly asserts, Heb.

10:29

Roles of the Ruach HaKodesh

Peaceful Roles

The Ruach HaKodesh functions in many different roles as He brings the gifts and Word of God to people.

David rightly says in Psalms 143:10

for the Spirit is the maker or creator of life as we see in Job 33:4

In exalting God’s majesty and referring to the creation of the universe, Job testifies, Job 26:13

Elihu reminds Job that God continues to sustain all life by His Spirit and His breath.

Job 34:14-15

David, recognizing his reliance on the Ruach HaKodesh, says, Psa.

51:13

John the Beloved knew the Paraklētôs (Comforter) as the Spirit of Truth who proceeds from the Father and testifies of Messiah.

John 14:25-27

Messiah said concerning the Spirit that: John 16:13-14

Not-so-peaceful Roles

Some of the roles of the Spirit get “forgotten.”

In (Acts 2:17-21) Peter quotes Joel and talks of signs and wonders that precipitate the judgment of the LORD.

(Joel 3:1 - 4:16) This judgment is ushered in by the power of the Spirit of God (Isa.

4:4) as He fulfils the role as the Spirit of Justice.

Paul’s description of the Armor of God has only one offensive component, the Sword of the Spirit (Eph.

6:17).

The Ruach HaKodesh wields the Word of God to bring both judgment and mercy.

John 16:8-11

Yeshua told us that we do not need to worry about what we should say when we are arrested for His sake.

Rather Matt.

10:19-20

Nature of the Ruach

Mathew, Mark, Luke and John all record the baptism of Yeshua and all recognize the voice of the Father and the Spirit descending upon the Son in the form of a dove (Matt.

3:16, Mark 1:10, John 1:32-33).

Luke 3:21-22

Paul tells the Corinthians that the Lord is Spirit (2 Cor.

3:17), and Yeshua himself states, John 4:24

John, in his later life, writes, 1 John 5:6-8

The power of the Ruach can be seen in that He raised Messiah from the dead (Rom.

8:11).

The omnipresence of God can most clearly understood through the Ruach HaKodesh.

Psa.

139:6-7

The psalmist then goes on to explain that no place in heaven or earth exists where the Spirit does not.

Ruach in Messiah

Isaiah prophesied that the Messiah would have the anointing of the Spirit upon His life purposely for preaching good news, binding broken-hearted, proclaiming liberty, opening prisons, comforting mourners, and proclaiming the acceptable year of the LORD, and the day of vengeance of our God (Isa.

42:1, Isa.

61:1, Luke 4:18).

Isaiah also says about Messiah: Isa.

11:1-2

Paul states that Yeshua was Rom.

1:4

and that only through the power of the Spirit did Messiah minister.

When Messiah Yeshua laid his life down on the cross, He did so by the strength of the Ruach HaKodesh (Heb.

9:14), and when He rose to life, it was the Spirit who quickened Him.

(1 Pet.

3:18)

The Ruach Works in Us

In the same way the Spirit empowers people for the accomplishing of God’s purposes and the edification of His people.

Sometimes, as is the case of Balaam, Samson and Saul, the person used is unholy (Num.

24:2, Judg.

13:25, 1 Sam.

19:18-24), however, most of the time God has raised up the individual for that specific time and season like David, Esther and Gideon (1 Sam.16:3, Esth.

4:14, Judg.

6:36).

The Spirit of God raised Ezekiel up and empowered him simply so that he could stand and listen to the voice of God during His visions (Eze.

2:2, 3:24).

The Lord fills each person with different gifts by the power of the Spirit in order to edify the Body and bring effectiveness to their ministry (1 Cor.

12:7, 1 Pet.

1:12).

The working of the Spirit causes a transformation to take place (1 Cor.

6:9-11, Gal.

5:16, Tit.

3:5).

Building Character

As we allow the Ruach to move in our lives, God’s character is developed in us and people recognize the gifts that He has given us.

By the time that Pharaoh recognized Joseph, the Ruach HaKodesh had worked into him the character traits needed for leadership.

Gen. 41:38

The Lord anointed Bezaleel, the son of Uri, the son of Hur, of the tribe of Judah with the Ruach HaKodesh especially regarding wisdom, understanding and knowledge in all manners of workmanship required to furnish the Tabernacle (Ex.

31:3).

King Belshazzar said of Daniel, Dan.

5:11

Because Daniel honoured God, The Ruach HaKodesh promoted him and empowered him to live a godly life in Babylon.

Sanctification

Paul understood the working of the Ruach HaKodesh though sanctification when he said to the Corinthians, 2 Cor.

3:18

This changing from one realm of glory to another comes by continually sowing in the Spirit, or in other words, making decisions based upon God’s perspective and not one’s own (Gal.

6:8).

As decisions are made according to God’s will, the Ruach HaKodesh builds a habitation of God in the life of the believer.

Eph.