"The Ministry and Work of the Holy Spirit"
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Over the course of the last few weeks we have seen the tremendous importance and value in having some solid foundations underneath us when it comes to our faith. How sure and firm is your faith today? We have been learning several things about the firm foundation of our faith.
-The solid foundation of God and the truth of His Word.
-The solid foundation of the person and work of Christ.
-The solid foundation of knowing for certain our salvation comes through Christ and He gives us an assurance of our salvation through the Holy Spirit. As believers we receive the Holy Spirit at salvation and He is our helper. How do we know this? The Gospel of John tells us some really good news as believers.
16 And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another Helper, to be with you forever,
When Jesus left this earth after his death and resurrection He gave us a Helper in that of the Holy Spirit. This leads us today to the actual person and ministry of the Holy Spirit. As a pastor over the years I have seen much confusion and questions concerning not only who the Holy Spirit is, but also the work and ministry of the Holy Spirit. So, I want to do my best this morning to give you and understanding of the person and deity of the Holy Spirit, and then also look at how the Holy Spirit works in the Christian’s life.
Let me begin by helping you to know several certainties about the Holy Spirit and then we will look at the work and ministry of the Spirit.
1. We must understand that the Holy Spirit is God.
1. We must understand that the Holy Spirit is God.
The Holy Spirit is actually referred to as “the Spirit of God” in the gospel of Matthew.
16 And when Jesus was baptized, immediately he went up from the water, and behold, the heavens were opened to him, and he saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove and coming to rest on him;
The Bible helps us to see that there are three persons existing as one God. John 14:26
26 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.
-Here we see God the Father who will send the Holy Spirit.
-We also see God the Son. The Father will send the Holy Spirit in the Son’s name, so that the Holy Spirit can teach a bring to mind all that the Son has said.
-And finally, we see God the Holy Spirit who is sent to us as a Helper.
So, there is only one God, and yet the three are distinct from each other. God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit are equal in essence yet different in function. God the Father foreknew our salvation and demonstrated His love for us by giving His only Son. Jesus came to earth and gave Himself as a sacrifice for sin and now intercedes and mediates between the Father and man. God the Spirit, indwells in the believer and works to sanctify the believer through the illumination of the Word of God.
The Holy Spirit also has some of the same attributes as the Father and Son.
1. We know that the Holy Spirit is all-knowing. (Isaiah 40:13-14)
2. We know that the Holy Spirit is present everywhere. Psalm 139:7
7 Where shall I go from your Spirit?
Or where shall I flee from your presence?
3. We know that the Holy Spirit is eternal and has no beginning or end. Hebrews 9:14
14 how much more will the blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered himself without blemish to God, purify our conscience from dead works to serve the living God.
4. We know that the Holy Spirit is truth. (1 John 5:7) So, all of these attributes help us to see the deity of the Holy Spirit. He is God. The reason why this is something we must know is that there are certain false religions who do not believe in the deity of the Holy Spirit. Some say that only the Father can be God, so it is helpful for us to know that while there is one God, there is three in one. They are co-equal, co-eternal, and all of the same essence, and because of this each deserves the same worship and obedience.
2. The Second thing we must understand is that the Holy Spirit is a Person.
2. The Second thing we must understand is that the Holy Spirit is a Person.
There are many people today who think that the Holy Spirit is some sort of weird emanation or force that is unexplainable, instead of knowing that the Spirit of God is a person. In fact, we see many personal pronouns such as He or Him used to refer to the Holy Spirit.
17 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.
But, what exactly do we know about the Holy Spirit? Let me give you 3 quick things to know about the personality of the Holy Spirit.
1. The Holy Spirit possesses a mind. We know that the Holy Spirit possesses the ability to know and understand real things. The Holy Spirit has a mind. Paul says this in Romans chapter 8.
27 And he who searches hearts knows what is the mind of the Spirit, because the Spirit intercedes for the saints according to the will of God.
In 2 Corinthians chapter 2 we see that the Holy Spirit searches all things and even knows all things, in fact, the Holy Spirit knows the thoughts of God as well.
10 these things God has revealed to us through the Spirit. For the Spirit searches everything, even the depths of God. 11 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.
2. The Holy Spirit possesses emotion. He has the ability to experience emotion and be grieved.
30 And do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, by whom you were sealed for the day of redemption.
We can grieve the Holy Spirit, by living in sin or doing unrighteous things.
3. Finally, the Holy Spirit has a will. This is demonstrated in His decision making. He possesses the ability to determine or act decisively. We see that the Holy Spirit can be responded to in several ways. We can obey Him, resist Him, lie to Him, insult Him, Grieve Him and even Blaspheme Him.
7 To each is given the manifestation of the Spirit for the common good.
11 All these are empowered by one and the same Spirit, who apportions to each one individually as he wills.
We now come to the work of the Holy Spirit. There are many ways throughout Scripture that we see the Holy Spirit working and so I want us to see the work of the Spirit in creation, in the giving of Scripture, in witnessing to the person and work of Jesus Christ, and in the work of salvation.
3. We Must Understand the Work of the Holy Spirit.
3. We Must Understand the Work of the Holy Spirit.
-The first area that I want to mention is that the Holy Spirit was active in creation. Genesis 1:1-2
1 In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth. 2 The earth was without form and void, and darkness was over the face of the deep. And the Spirit of God was hovering over the face of the waters.
30 When you send forth your Spirit, they are created,
and you renew the face of the ground.
-The second area that I want to mention is that the Holy Spirit was active in the virgin birth. I am showing you this in order for you to see the work of the Holy Spirit and often times it looks as if the work is behind the scenes. Luke 1:35
35 And the angel answered her, “The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you; therefore the child to be born will be called holy—the Son of God.
-A Third area that we see the work of the Holy Spirit is in the fact the He bears witness of Christ.
-In John 15:26 the Holy Spirit attests that Jesus is the Christ.
-In John 16:14 the Holy Spirit discloses or reveals Christ.
-The last area of the work of the Holy Spirit is one of the most important areas and that work is with respect to God’s plan of salvation. In John chapter 16 we see the work of the Holy Spirit in that He convicts the world concerning sin, righteousness, and judgment.
7 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. 8 And when he comes, he will convict the world concerning sin and righteousness and judgment:
The Holy Spirit is also working by regenerating or renewing our lives.
5 he saved us, not because of works done by us in righteousness, but according to his own mercy, by the washing of regeneration and renewal of the Holy Spirit, 6 whom he poured out on us richly through Jesus Christ our Savior,
We also see the Baptism of the Holy Spirit in the lives of each believer. What does this mean?
13 For in one Spirit we were all baptized into one body—Jews or Greeks, slaves or free—and all were made to drink of one Spirit.
There is much confusion over the baptism of the Holy Spirit and the filling of the Holy Spirit. Many times the two are confused as being the same and they are definitely not. The baptism of the Holy Spirit happens once at the time of conversion, or when we are saved.
4 There is one body and one Spirit—just as you were called to the one hope that belongs to your call— 5 one Lord, one faith, one baptism, 6 one God and Father of all, who is over all and through all and in all.
What happens at the time when we are saved is that this baptism of the Holy Spirit places us into the body of Christ. (1 Cor. 12:13) To baptize literally means to dip or to be immersed into. In this case it means to be immersed into Jesus, which literally means to be united with Christ. As a result, Christians fall under the lordship of Jesus Christ and are no longer to follow their own sinful and selfish ways, but to follow Christ and live for Him. When we come to know Christ we receive the Holy Spirit as a seal and promise. We talked about this last week, but this is how we know or are assured of our salvation, that we as believers have the Holy Spirit indwelling with us.
13 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, 14 who is the guarantee of our inheritance until we acquire possession of it, to the praise of his glory.
A seal was an ancient device, usually this was some sort of signet ring or cylinder seal engraved with the owner’s name on it or with a particular design. It was used to seal goods, to demonstrate ownership, attest to a document’s authenticity, or impress an early form of a trademark. Basically, a seal would indicate ownership and security. It is the guarantee of future blessings. The presence of the Holy Spirit in our lives is God’s promise of a future eternal inheritance. What a wonderful assurance this should be for every believer today.
4. We Must Understand the Ministry of the Holy Spirit.
4. We Must Understand the Ministry of the Holy Spirit.
We now come to the ministry of the Holy Spirit in the believers life. As we think about our salvation and the fact that as believers we have been sealed by the Holy Spirit we now begin to see Him active and at work in every believer. But what exactly does this look like? When we think about the relationship between the Holy Spirit and the believer we need to know that the Spirit of God dwells within us. Here is how Paul puts it in Romans chapter 8.
9 You, however, are not in the flesh but in the Spirit, if in fact the Spirit of God dwells in you. Anyone who does not have the Spirit of Christ does not belong to him.
So, as we come to understand that the Holy Sprit is in the life of every believer we know He teaches us, speaks to us, guides and directs us, and He convicts us of sin. As the Holy Spirit dwells inside every believer He teaches us through the Scriptures, and guides the Christian as we submit to the Spirit’s control.
Have you ever heard the phrase, “Being filled with the Holy Spirit?” Or has someone ever said to you, “I am filled with the Holy Spirit?” What does that mean? There has been so much Charismatic confusion around this statement. There are some folks or denominations that teach being filled with the Holy Spirit means that you have some type of emotional experience such as speaking in tongues, dancing around, or even have some kind of out of body experience. Being filled with the Holy Spirit, is not being baptized by the Holy Sprit, it is not receiving the Holy Spirit, and it is not being sealed by the Holy Spirit. It is a giving over to the Spirit’s Control.
Let me explain to you today that being filled with the Spirit is to be under the Lord’s total domination and control. To be filled with the Spirit of God means that you have taken time to confess your sin to God and then there is a surrender of will, intellect, body, time, possessions and even desires. It requires that you die to your selfish desires and pick up your cross and follow Christ. To be filled with God’s Spirit is to be filled with His Word, and as we are filled with God’s Word and begin to grow in our faith, it controls our thinking and action.
Walking in the Spirit and being in sin or living in sin are in opposition to each other. So, the question that many Christians have asked is how do we walk with the Lord and keep from sinful ways? Galatians tells us that we are to walk by the Spirit and not in the flesh.
16 But I say, walk by the Spirit, and you will not gratify the desires of the flesh.
When we as believers are truly filled with the Holy Spirit, we will begin to bear or show fruit in our lives. This fruit looks like this.
22 But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, 23 gentleness, self-control; against such things there is no law.
To be filled with the Spirit is to live in the consciousness of the personal presence of the Lord, as if we were standing next to him. We should let His mind dominate our life. As we fill our lives with God’s Word, what we will begin to see is His thoughts will be our thoughts, His standards will be our standards, His work our work, and his will our will. He will fill us and then lead and guide us. As you think about these fruit today, are you exhibiting these qualities in your life? Do you have a desire? Will you begin to pray God help me to practice these qualities and have a love for you?
As we close today, The Apostle Paul in 1 Corinthians chapter 6 writes to believers and helps us to understand that our bodies are the very temple of the Holy Spirit. In fact, our bodies are not our own.
19 Or do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit within you, whom you have from God? You are not your own, 20 for you were bought with a price. So glorify God in your body.
As we reflect on these fruit of the Spirit, I want to encourage you to examine your own lives today and ask yourself if you see these fruit in your life? Also let me ask you today what do you need to do in order to glorify God in your body???
(Pray and lead into Communion)