How To Have Fellowship With The Holy Spirit Series

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John 16:6 Because I have said these things, you are filled with grief. 7 But I tell you the truth: It is for your good that I am going away. Unless I go away, the Counselor will not come to you; but if I go, I will send him to you. 8 When he comes, he will convict the world of guilt in regard to sin and righteousness and judgment: 9 in regard to sin, because men do not believe in me; 10 in regard to righteousness, because I am going to the Father, where you can see me no longer; 11 and in regard to judgment, because the prince of this world now stands condemned. 12 "I have much more to say to you, more than you can now bear. 13 But when he, the Spirit of truth, comes, he will guide you into all truth. He will not speak on his own; he will speak only what he hears, and he will tell you what is yet to come. 14 He will bring glory to me by taking from what is mine and making it known to you. 15 All that belongs to the Father is mine. That is why I said the Spirit will take from what is mine and make it known to you. 16 "In a little while you will see me no more, and then after a little while you will see me."

Introduction

When is the last time you enjoyed the presence of the Holy Spirit? You actually felt His presence, and it was so delightful to your soul that you are really looking forward to the next time? And when that happens, how do you know for sure it is the Holy Spirit? And what can you do to make it happen more often?

Today is sermon #12 of an extensive study on loving God, and we have discovered that the key to increasing your love for God is to have satisfying, delightful, joy-producing experiences with the presence of God. And we studied how to do that with God the Father, and then how to do it with God the Son, and now this morning – how to have fellowship with the Holy Spirit.

Fellowship With the Spirit

Philippians 2:1 If you have any encouragement from being united with Christ, if any comfort from his love, if any fellowship with the Spirit, if any tenderness and compassion, 2 then make my joy complete by being like-minded

Paul mentions five things:

Encouragement

Comfort

Fellowship with the Spirit

Tenderness

Compassion

The first two are something you feel—encouragement and comfort. The last two are something the Lord feels—tenderness and compassion. In the middle is the connection between the two. He feels tenderness and compassion toward you, and that results in you feeling encouragement and comfort only when you have fellowship with the Holy Spirit. Fellowship with the Spirit is our way of receiving all that God gives us.

Scripture does also speak of fellowship with the Father and fellowship with the Son (1 Jn.1:3, 1 Cor.1:9), but most of the time fellowship with God is spoken of in terms of fellowship with the Holy Spirit, because our most immediate, direct connection with God is through the Holy Spirit. If you picture God as being up in heaven, and Jesus standing between heaven and earth to connect us with God, picture the Holy Spirit as being inside you. The Spirit is always the one spoken of in the most nearby, close, immediate, direct terms. Even in the Creation account – God is on high looking down on the creation, and the Holy Spirit is hovering over the waters – on site, doing the direct work on location. And that is the way God works with us, too. That is why Jesus called the Holy Spirit the Counselor in John 14.

John 14:16 I will ask the Father, and he will give you another Counselor to be with you forever-- 17 the Spirit of truth.

The word translated “counselor” refers to someone who comes alongside to help and strengthen. Jesus had been with them to do that, but now He was leaving. And to console them He promised that after He left, Someone else would come to replace Him in that role. The Holy Spirit is sent to come right alongside us and help us.

John 16:13 when he, the Spirit of truth, comes, he will guide you into all truth. …14 He will bring glory to me by taking from what is mine and making it known to you. 15 All that belongs to the Father is mine. That is why I said the Spirit will take from what is mine and make it known to you.