In Part One of our new Spirit led life message series, Pastor Rebecca Malmin provides us “Holy Spirit 101” content.
Spirit Led Life, Part 1
· Who is the Holy Spirit?
· What is the Holy Spirit doing?
Who?
John 14:15-17
“If you love me, obey my commandments. And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another Advocate, who will never leave you. He is the Holy Spirit, who leads into all truth. The world cannot receive him, because it isn’t looking for him and doesn’t recognize him. But you know him, because he lives with you now and later will be in you.
John 16:13-15
When the Spirit of truth comes, he will guide you into all truth. He will not speak on his own but will tell you what he has heard. He will tell you about the future. He will bring me glory by telling you whatever he receives from me. All that belongs to the Father is mine; this is why I said, ‘The Spirit will tell you whatever he receives from me.’
Acts 1:8 & 2:1-4
But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes upon you. And you will be my witnesses, telling people about me everywhere—in Jerusalem, throughout Judea, in Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.”
On the day of Pentecost all the believers were meeting together in one place. Suddenly, there was a sound from heaven like the roaring of a mighty windstorm, and it filled the house where they were sitting. Then, what looked like flames or tongues of fire appeared and settled on each of them. And everyone present was filled with the Holy Spirit and began speaking in other languages, as the Holy Spirit gave them this ability.
Genesis 1:1-2
In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth. The earth was formless and empty, and darkness covered the deep waters. And the Spirit of God was hovering over the surface of the waters.
Lausanne Covenant – “We affirm our belief in the one eternal God, Creator and Lord of the world, Father, Son and Holy Spirit, who governs all things according to the purpose of his will.”
Also, “This one God revealed himself in three stages (as the God of Israel, as the incarnate Lord, then as the Holy Spirit) to show he exists eternally in these three personal forms. So, the risen Jesus commanded us to baptize converts ‘in the name (note the singular) of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit’ (Matthew 28:10).”
Lexham Survey of Theology – “The Holy Spirit is the third member of the Triune God and, as such, is fully God and fully personal.
CHC – We aim to be a gospel-centered, healthy, Spirit-filled, multi-ethnic, local church in urban Baltimore. God is alive today and at work through us. We value the power and presence of the Holy Spirit for ministry today.
If we are going to be Spirit Filled and Live by the Spirit, we should understand who we are talking about, who we are following!
Big “S” in scripture refers to the Holy Spirit. Little “s” refers to our spirit or that which is spiritual.
The Holy Spirit is mentioned through the Bible from beginning to end.
Genesis 1:1-2 and ending in Revelation 22:17
Old Testament – Mentioned more than 90 times with 18 different titles given.
New Testament – Mentioned more than 260 times along with 39 different names and titles.
Out of the 27 books of the New Testament, only II John & III John have no reference for the Holy Spirit.
The Holy Spirit is:
Called God (Acts 5:3, 4; I Corinthians 3:16; 12:4-6))
Eternal (Hebrews 9:14)
Omnipotent/all-powerful (Luke 1:35)
Omniscient/all-knowing (John 14:26; 16:12, 13; I Cor. 2:10)
Omnipresent/everywhere (Psalms 139:7-10)
Life Source (Rom. 8:2)
The Spirit of Truth (John 16:13)
Spirit of Love (Romans 15:30)
Spirit of Holiness (Rom. 1:4; Eph. 4:30)
The Holy Spirit:
Can be grieved (sorrow, distress, mourn) (Ephesians 4:30)
Can be insulted (Hebrews 10:29)
Can be blasphemed (spoken of irreverently)(Matthew 12:31-32)
Can be resisted (Acts 7:51) (choose not to listen)
Can be vexed (annoyed, frustrated, angry) (Isaiah 63:10)
Can be quenched/stifled (suffocate, suppress, restrain) (I Thessalonians 5:19)
What does the HS do?
Works (1 Corinthians 12:11)
Searches (I Corinthians 2:10)
Speaks (Acts 12:2; Revelation 2:7; II Samuel 23:2; Matthew 10:20; I Timothy 4:1)
Testifies (John 15:26; Nehemiah 9:30)
Testify =give a report
Bears Witness (I John 5:6)
Bear witness = To show that something is true
Teaches (John 14:26)
Instructs (Nehemiah: 9:20) The subtle difference between “teach” and instruct is that you can teach almost anything: concepts, ideas, theories or, say, history. When you instruct someone, you’re giving them a set of tools or tasks to do something specific.
Convicts, declare us guilty of sin (John 16:8)
Prays & makes intercession (Romans 8:26)
Leads (Matthew 4:1)
Guides the believer into all truth (John 16:13)
Glorifies the Lord Jesus Christ (John 16:14)
Strives (struggles) with Men (Genesis 6:3)
Sends messengers from God (Isaiah 48:16)
Calls men into ministry (Acts 13:2; 20:28)
Was active in the creation of everything (Genesis)
Active in the inspiration of Scripture (II Peter 1:21; II Tim. 3:16; 11 Sam. 23:2-3)
Is active in regeneration of fallen man (Jn. 3:3-5)
Active in the resurrection of the body (Rom. 8:11)
What can we learn from Jesus and his followers about the Holy Spirit and our interaction (with him)?
1. Jesus’ followers saw the perfect relationship between God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit.
Matthew 3:13-17
Then Jesus went from Galilee to the Jordan River to be baptized by John. But John tried to talk him out of it. “I am the one who needs to be baptized by you,” he said, “so why are you coming to me?”
But Jesus said, “It should be done, for we must carry out all that God requires.” So John agreed to baptize him. After his baptism, as Jesus came up out of the water, the heavens were opened and he saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove and settling on him. And a voice from heaven said, “This is my dearly loved Son, who brings me great joy.”
2. Jesus taught that God the Father would give his followers, God the Holy Spirit. It is a close personal relationship we are invited into, and we are taught to receive.
Luke 11:9-13
“And so I tell you, keep on asking, and you will receive what you ask for. Keep on seeking, and you will find. Keep on knocking, and the door will be opened to you. For everyone who asks, receives. Everyone who seeks, finds. And to everyone who knocks, the door will be opened.
“You fathers—if your children ask for a fish, do you give them a snake instead? Or if they ask for an egg, do you give them a scorpion? Of course not! So if you sinful people know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to those who ask him.”
3. Jesus spoke of the Holy Spirit’s involvement at the most important moments. The Holy Spirit is active and part of Jesus’ identity and purpose.
Luke 4:14-21
Then Jesus returned to Galilee, filled with the Holy Spirit’s power. Reports about him spread quickly through the whole region. He taught regularly in their synagogues and was praised by everyone.
When he came to the village of Nazareth, his boyhood home, he went as usual to the synagogue on the Sabbath and stood up to read the Scriptures. The scroll of Isaiah the prophet was handed to him. He unrolled the scroll and found the place where this was written:
“The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, for he has anointed me to bring Good News to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim that captives will be released, that the blind will see, that the oppressed will be set free, and that the time of the Lord’s favor has come.”
He rolled up the scroll, handed it back to the attendant, and sat down. All eyes in the synagogue looked at him intently. Then he began to speak to them. “The Scripture you’ve just heard has been fulfilled this very day!”
4. Jesus lived the example of being led by the Holy Spirit.
Luke 4:1
“Then Jesus, full of the Holy Spirit, returned from the Jordan River. He was led by the Spirit in the wilderness, 2where he was tempted by the devil for forty days. Jesus ate nothing all that time and became very hungry.”
5. Jesus’ followers came to understand and walk out this truth of being led by the Spirit.
(Many examples)
Acts 8:29 The Holy Spirit said to Philip, “Go over and walk along beside the carriage.”
6. Jesus’ followers understood prophecy to be directed by the Holy Spirit.
2 Peter 1:20-21
Above all, you must realize that no prophecy in Scripture ever came from the prophet’s own understanding, 21or from human initiative. No, those prophets were moved by the Holy Spirit, and they spoke from God.
7. Jesus’ followers listened to the Holy Spirit’s guidance as helpful in receiving and understanding God-given truth. They understood it to be a matter of obedient spiritual discernment. They understood it to always be connected to each part of the Triune God.
John 16:13-15
“There is so much more I want to tell you, but you can’t bear it now. When the Spirit of truth comes, he will guide you into all truth. He will not speak on his own but will tell you what he has heard. He will tell you about the future. He will bring me glory by telling you whatever he receives from me. All that belongs to the Father is mine; this is why I said, ‘The Spirit will tell you whatever he receives from me.’
I Corinthians 2:13-16
And we have received God’s Spirit (not the world’s spirit), so we can know the wonderful things God has freely given us. When we tell you these things, we do not use words that come from human wisdom. Instead, we speak words given to us by the Spirit, using the Spirit’s words to explain spiritual truths.
But people who aren’t spiritual can’t receive these truths from God’s Spirit. It all sounds foolish to them and they can’t understand it, for only those who are spiritual can understand what the Spirit means. Those who are spiritual can evaluate all things, but they themselves cannot be evaluated by others.
For, “Who can know the Lord’s thoughts? Who knows enough to teach him?” But we understand these things, for we have the mind of Christ.
When we don’t have the HS guidance to understand the Word, the word might seem foolish, or like God is domineering (or whatever). We can start to pick and choose what we believe from the Word because we don’t understand what the truth really is!
8. Jesus’ followers saw a unity within the Holy Spirit relationship, regardless of unique aspects of their identities.
1 Corinthians 12:13
Some of us are Jews, some are Gentiles, some are slaves, and some are free. But we have all been baptized into one body by one Spirit, and we all share the same Spirit.
What is the Holy Spirit doing?
1. The Holy Spirit is directly involved in our being “born again” believers of Jesus Christ, receiving salvation.
John 3:5-6
Jesus replied, “I assure you, no one can enter the Kingdom of God without being born of water and the Spirit. Humans can reproduce only human life, but the Holy Spirit gives birth to spiritual life.
Romans 8:14-16
For all who are led by the Spirit of God are children of God. So you have not received a spirit that makes you fearful slaves. Instead, you received God’s Spirit when he adopted you as his own children. Now we call him, “Abba, Father.” For his Spirit joins with our spirit to affirm that we are God’s children.
Galatians 4:6-7
And because we are his children, God has sent the Spirit of his Son into our hearts, prompting us to call out, “Abba, Father.” Now you are no longer a slave but God’s own child. And since you are his child, God has made you his heir.
2. The Holy Spirit leads us in receiving salvation and walking forward into spiritual growth and a positively changed life of following Jesus’ example of “sanctification”.
Sanctification is: set aside for God’s special use and purpose, dedicated, free from the guilt of sin
John 17:19 (Jesus speaking to the Father)
And I give myself as a holy (sanctified) sacrifice for them so they can be made holy (sanctified) by your truth.
3. The Holy Spirit brings renewal during the process of our spiritual growth.
Titus 3:4-6
When God our Savior revealed his kindness and love, he saved us, not because of the righteous things we had done, but because of his mercy. He washed away our sins, giving us a new birth and new life through the Holy Spirit. He generously poured out the Spirit upon us through Jesus Christ our Savior.
ESV – “by the washing of regeneration and renewal of the Holy Spirit”
4. The Holy Spirit is actively involved in the Kingdom of God on earth, here and now, bringing joy.
Romans 14:17
For the kingdom of God is not a matter of eating and drinking but of righteousness and peace and joy in the Holy Spirit.
5. The Holy Spirit brings a “foretaste or first fruits”, an appetizer, a glorious sample and pledge of the blessings to come in Heaven.
Romans 8:23
And we believers also groan, even though we have the Holy Spirit within us as a foretaste of future glory, for we long for our bodies to be released from sin and suffering. We, too, wait with eager hope for the day when God will give us our full rights as his adopted children, including the new bodies he has promised us.
What should we do this week about this?
1. Prayerfully consider today’s Scriptures.
2. Allow the Holy Spirit opportunities to guide you.
3. Come the next two weeks to learn more and dig deeper into what the Bible says about the Holy Spirit.