Who The Holy Spirit Is Series

This topic makes me think of a book I read some time ago called, “The Forgotten God: Reversing our Tragic Neglect of the Holy Spirit.” Here’s something the author said: “From my perspective, the Holy Spirit is tragically neglected and, for all practical purposes, forgotten. While no evangelical would deny His existence…there are millions of churchgoers across America who cannot confidently say they have experienced His presence or action in their lives over the past year. And many of them do not believe they can.”

Another author believes evangelicals generally fall into one of two extremes.

• Some seem obsessed with Him, relating to Him in strange, mystical ways. Their experiences with the Spirit seem to coincide with emotionally ecstatic moments.

• Other Christians react to that perceived excess by neglecting His ministry altogether. They believe in the Holy Spirit, but they relate to Him the same way they relate to their pituitary gland. They know it’s in there somewhere, and that it’s necessary somehow for bodily growth and life but have no real ‘interaction’ with it.

Let’s be honest and admit that many Baptists fall in this second category. There’s no doubt the Holy Spirit is the most misunderstood, ignored, and even forgotten member of the Trinity.

This week, I ran into a close friend who pastors a charismatic church, and I asked him what he would say to a Baptist pastor starting a sermon series on the Holy Spirit. He was delighted to hear about the series and asked if I wanted a sarcastic answer or a real answer. I told him I wanted both. He told me that for many in Baptist circles the Trinity is “God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Bible.”

We both laughed (sort of) and then he reminded me what Jesus said to the Samaritan woman in John 4:23-24: “But the hour is coming, and is now here, when the true worshippers will worship the Father in spirit and truth, for the Father is seeking such people to worship Him. God is spirit, and those who worship Him must worship in spirit and truth.” My friend smiled and said I could teach him about worshipping in truth and he could teach me about worshiping in spirit. Actually, we need to have both spirit and truth because they are married together in the Bible.

We’re going to be in John 14:16-17 today. Let’s put our text into context. Jesus had just announced He would be leaving His disciples, and they became disappointed and distraught. Three of them expressed what the others were thinking:

• Peter said, “Lord, where are you going?” (John 13:36).

• Thomas echoed, “Lord, we do not know where you are going. How can we know the way?” (John 14:5).

• Philip added, “Lord, show us the Father, and it is enough for us” (John 14:8).

His closest followers were extremely unsettled. So the Savior spent three chapters teaching them about the Holy Spirit (John 14-16) to assure them they would not be left alone. Let’s stand and read these words inspired by the Holy Spirit as we lean on the Spirit to teach us who the Holy Spirit is. John 14:16-17: “And I will ask the Father, and He will give you another Helper, to be with you forever, 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.”

Join me as I lead in a prayer from, “The Valley of Vision.”

Three in one, one in three, God of my salvation.

Heavenly Father, blessed Son, eternal Spirit,

We adore You as one being, one essence, one God in three distinct persons.

O Father, You have loved us and sent Jesus to redeem us,

O Jesus, You have loved us and took our nature, the nature of a man,

Shed Your own blood to wash away our sins,

Wrought righteousness to cover our unworthiness,

O Holy Spirit, You have loved us and entered our hearts, implanted there eternal life, revealed to us the glories of Jesus.

Three persons and one God, we bless and praise You,

For love so undeserved, so unspeakable, so wondrous, so mighty to save the lost and raise them to glory.

In Jesus’ name. Amen.

Before we continue, let’s acknowledge that we are on holy ground as we consider the Holy Spirit. Every time we say His name, we acknowledge He is holy and weighty and honorable. How can I as a sinful human preach on the sacred topic of the Holy Spirit of God? I echo one author who wrote: “No subject intimidates me more, yet I can’t think of anything more essential for God’s church everywhere.”

Here’s our main idea: If you’ve been born of the Spirit, the Holy Spirit is your holy Helper, who will always be with you while doing His work within you.