Growing In The Holy Spirit Series

Journey With Jesus: Growing In The Holy Spirit

Introduction

In our series, we began with the foundation of following Jesus - the Beatitudes. Last week we considered the truth that Jesus Is Lord and the demands of discipleship that go along with that. Some of those seem difficult to obey, but we are not left on our own! Today we want to think about the help of the Holy Spirit in our Journey with Jesus - a daily trek of discipleship that we never walk alone!

The Spirit is involved in our salvation experience - coming to live within us when we are baptized.

Acts 2:38 “Repent and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins, and you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.”

Paul calls the Holy Spirit “… the Spirit of adoption as sons, by whom we cry, “Abba! Father!” (Romans 8:15)

Titus 3:3-5 For we ourselves were once foolish, disobedient, led astray, slaves to various passions and pleasures, passing our days in malice and envy, hated by others and hating one another. 4 But when the goodness and loving kindness of God our Savior appeared, 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,

1. Jesus said that we could know the Holy Spirit.

John 14:15-17 “If you love me, you will keep my commandments. 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.”

Sanders: "Do we enjoy His personal help and empowering in daily life, or is He just a mystical, shadowy figure of whom we have no clear concept?”

Jesus clarified the Spirit’s primary ministry: “He will glorify me, for he will take what is mine and declare it to you.” (John 16:14) The aim of the Spirit is to glorify Christ and that will be our objective as well.

2. Encountering the Holy Spirit on our Daily Trek

In the Word.

Sanders: “The Spirit of truth is both inspirer and interpreter of the Scriptures. He illumines the sacred page as we traverse it under His guidance. He delights to unfold before our eyes the glories, virtues, and achievements of the Savior.” The Word of God is a tool of the Holy Spirit for…

-Warfare - Given to the children of God for Spiritual warfare - resisting temptation and defeating the ways of the Enemy. Ephesians 6:17 says the “sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God.”

-Comfort and Encouragement. Romans 15:4 “For whatever was written in former days was written for our instruction, that through endurance and through the encouragement of the Scriptures we might have hope.”

-Wisdom for daily living.

-Salvation. “The Bible’s single theme is ‘The Salvation of Man.’ Within it’s sixty-six books written over 1500 years by, at least, forty authors guided by the Holy Spirit, it is an amazing document.” (Black)

In Prayer.

Romans 8:26 "Likewise the Spirit helps us in our weakness. For we do not know what to pray for as we ought, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us with groanings too deep for words." What a blessing to know the Holy Spirit is praying with us.

In Service.

The Spirit will help us to do everything that falls within the will of God. We actually do not do anything for the Lord on our own - He is always with us!

In Character.

Sanders: “The passion of the Holy Spirit is to transform us into the likeness of Christ.” Galatians 5:22-25 But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control …If we live by the Spirit, let us also keep in step with the Spirit.”

In Strength.

Ephesians 3:16 "that according to the riches of his glory he may grant you to be strengthened with power through his Spirit in your inner being." This might be called sanctification - growing in holiness - depending on the Spirit to help us overcoming sin and grow to be more like Christ in our inner being!

Conclusion

The Holy Spirit is essential in our daily trek of discipleship. He leads us in the word, assists us in prayer, enables us in service, emboldens us in character, empowers us in strength!

Three responses to the Holy Spirit in the life of the disciple:

-Do not Quench the Spirit (1 Thess 5:19 “Do not quench the Spirit.”). Quench suggests a smothered fire…smothered by a cold response. (DeWelt). The word used here means “to suppress, stifle.” Walvoord: “…being unyielded to Him…It is an exhortation to maintain the same attitude as was adopted in the original surrender to the will of God. … The believer must not resist the one to whom he has given his life and surrendered his will.”