The Person of the Holy Spirit (continued)
- Sermon By: Rev. Jothson J.
- Categories: Bible Study
The Person and Work of the Holy Spirit
John 14:16–17 And I will ask the Father, and He will give you another Helper, that He may be with you forever—the Spirit of truth, whom the world cannot receive, because it neither sees Him nor knows Him. But you know Him, for He dwells with you and will be in you.Subject 1: The Person of the Holy Spirit (continued)
We will see 3 Points Today:
1. The Spirit Among Men
2. The Spirit of Holiness
3. The Spirit in the New Testament
1. The Spirit Among Men
2 Chronicles 24:20 Then the Spirit of God came upon Zechariah the son of Jehoiada the priest, who stood above the people, and said to them, “Thus says God: ‘Why do you transgress the commandments of the Lord, so that you cannot prosper? Because you have forsaken the Lord, He also has forsaken you.’ ”
The works of the Spirit of God are not limited only to giving life, as when He breathed into man’s nostrils. He also gives understanding and knowledge.
Job 32:8 But there is a spirit in man, And the breath of the Almighty gives him understanding.
2 Thessalonians 2:7 For the mystery of lawlessness is already at work; only He who now restrains will do so until He is taken out of the way.
The mystery of lawlessness refers to the lies and false teachings that Satan spreads throughout the world. It includes everything he uses to make people enemies of God and to prevent them from repenting. According to the apostle, this is the work of the Antichrist.
As long as the Church is here, the Holy Spirit will be at work to defend the people of God, because He was sent for the Church in order to bring believers into relationship with God.
According to this passage, as soon as the Church is taken away, Satan will establish his kingdom because the Holy Spirit will no longer be present.
Prophecy Concerning the New Birth where the Holy Spirit will work in the hearts of those who are born again.
Ezekiel 36:26 I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit within you; I will take the heart of stone out of your flesh and give you a heart of flesh.
As we have said, the Gospel is prophetic in the Old Testament, proclaimed in the Gospels, and explained in the Epistles.
John 3:3–5 Jesus answered and said to him, “Most assuredly, I say to you, unless one is born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God.”
Nicodemus said to Him, “How can a man be born when he is old? Can he enter a second time into his mother’s womb and be born?”
Jesus answered, “Most assuredly, I say to you, unless one is born of water and the Spirit, he cannot enter the kingdom of God.
Here Jesus speaks about the baptism of regeneration, and water symbolizes the Word. To better understand the previous verse, let us look at:
Titus 3:5 not by works of righteousness which we have done, but according to His mercy He saved us, through the washing of regeneration and renewing of the Holy Spirit,
The Holy Spirit Equips the Believer for the Work God Entrusts to Him
He gave Moses strength to carry the burden of the people.
Numbers 11:25 Then the Lord came down in the cloud, and spoke to him, and took of the Spirit that was upon him, and placed the same upon the seventy elders; and it happened, when the Spirit rested upon them, that they prophesied, although they never did so again.
He gave Bezalel wisdom and understanding to carry out all kinds of work.
Exodus 35:31 and He has filled him with the Spirit of God, in wisdom and understanding, in knowledge and all manner of workmanship,
He prepared Joshua to lead the people of Israel after the death of Moses.
Deuteronomy 34:9 Now Joshua the son of Nun was full of the spirit of wisdom, for Moses had laid his hands on him; so the children of Israel heeded him, and did as the Lord had commanded Moses.
He gave power and boldness to the judges.
Judges 14:6 And the Spirit of the Lord came mightily upon him, and he tore the lion apart as one would have torn apart a young goat, though he had nothing in his hand. But he did not tell his father or his mother what he had done.
He inspired the prophets to become direct spokespeople for God.
Ezekiel 11:5 Then the Spirit of the Lord fell upon me, and said to me, “Speak! ‘Thus says the Lord: “Thus you have said, O house of Israel; for I know the things that come into your mind.
2 Peter 1:20–21 knowing this first, that no prophecy of Scripture is of any private interpretation, for prophecy never came by the will of man, but holy men of God spoke as they were moved by the Holy Spirit.
When Peter says, “…but holy men of God spoke as they were moved by the Holy Spirit” he is not referring to men in general, but to the approximately 40 human authors of the Bible (39 in the Old Testament and 27 books in the New Testament) who were inspired, rather than to all humanity.
The principal Author is the Holy Spirit, the One who gives inspiration.
The Three Ways God Helps Us Understand His Truth
1. Inspiration
God communicates the message He wants us to know.
2. Revelation
God enables us to discover a truth that had previously been hidden.
3. Illumination
God helps us understand and grasp that truth.
2. The Spirit of Holiness
Isaiah 63:10 But they rebelled and grieved His Holy Spirit; So He turned Himself against them as an enemy, And He fought against them.
We see that “grieving the Holy Spirit” was already present in the Old Testament. In the New Testament, Ephesians 4:30 Paul warns us not to grieve the Holy Spirit.
This warning helps us understand that the Holy Spirit is a Person—the third Person of the Godhead.
-The Holy Spirit Communicates Sensitivity, Moral Strength, and Preserves Us from Evil
Titus 2:12 teaching us that, denying ungodliness and worldly lusts, we should live soberly, righteously, and godly in the present age,
Job 27:3–4 As long as my breath is in me, And the breath of God in my nostrils,
My lips will not speak wickedness, Nor my tongue utter deceit.
Nehemiah 9:20 You also gave Your good Spirit to instruct them, And did not withhold Your manna from their mouth, And gave them water for their thirst.
Psalm 51:13 Then I will teach transgressors Your ways, And sinners shall be converted to You.
-The Holy Spirit Gives Prophets direction and discernment concerning what they must denounce
Micah 3:8 But truly I am full of power by the Spirit of the Lord, And of justice and might, To declare to Jacob his transgression
And to Israel his sin.
3. The Spirit in the New Testament
This is a more complete revelation compared with the Old Testament, where the Holy Spirit revealed Himself in a temporary or occasional manner.
John 14:16–17 And I will pray the Father, and He will give you another Helper, that He may abide with you forever. The Spirit of truth, whom the world cannot receive, because it neither sees Him nor knows Him; but you know Him, for He dwells with you and will be in you.
As soon as someone gives his or her life to God, that person receives the Holy Spirit as evidence that he or she belongs to God. It is like when someone marks an animal with a branding iron.
Isaiah 44:3 For I will pour water on him who is thirsty, And floods on the dry ground; I will pour My Spirit on your descendants, And My blessing on your offspring;
Joel 2:28 “And it shall come to pass afterward That I will pour out My Spirit on all flesh; Your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, Your old men shall dream dreams, Your young men shall see visions.
Circumcision in the Old Testament was a physical act performed in the flesh. In the New Testament, however, it is the circumcision of the heart—the transformation or regeneration of the heart performed by the Holy Spirit.
Isaiah 11:1–3 There shall come forth a Rod from the stem of Jesse, And a Branch shall grow out of his roots.
The Spirit of the Lord shall rest upon Him, The Spirit of wisdom and understanding, The Spirit of counsel and might, The Spirit of knowledge and of the fear of the Lord.
His delight is in the fear of the Lord, And He shall not judge by the sight of His eyes, Nor decide by the hearing of His ears;
Isaiah 59:21 “As for Me,” says the Lord, “this is My covenant with them: My Spirit who is upon you, and My words which I have put in your mouth, shall not depart from your mouth, nor from the mouth of your descendants, nor from the mouth of your descendants’ descendants,” says the Lord, “from this time and forevermore.”
Mark 1:8 I indeed baptized you with water, but He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit.”
We must participate in the expansion of the kingdom of God on earth by contributing our knowledge and our energy.
While Satan uses the world to deceive the Church, God uses the Church to save the world.
Pentecost is connected with the ascension of Jesus Christ. Without the ascension, the coming of the Holy Spirit would not have taken place.
For the Holy Spirit to come, fulfill His mission in the New Testament, and accompany the Church, Jesus had to:
-come,
-die,
-rise again,
-and ascend into heaven.
His birth, His ministry, His death, His resurrection, and His ascension or exaltation were all necessary.
Acts 16:7 After they had come to Mysia, they tried to go into Bithynia, but the Spirit did not permit them.
Philippians 1:19 For I know that this will turn out for my deliverance through your prayer and the supply of the Spirit of Jesus Christ,
Romans 8:9 But you are not in the flesh but in the Spirit, if indeed the Spirit of God dwells in you. Now if anyone does not have the Spirit of Christ, he is not His.
Galatians 4:6 And because you are sons, God has sent forth the Spirit of His Son into your hearts, crying out, “Abba, Father!”
