I Believe In The Holy Ghost?

Sermon: I believe in the Holy Ghost???? John 14:15-21 May 5, 2001

I. Introduction READ SCRIPTURE

A. Holy Ghost Hop

1. How many of you know how to do the twist, the mash potato, the funky chicken, disco duck - break dance

2. this morning I am going to teach you a new dance, called the Holy Ghost Hop

3. lift your left arm, stretch…bend your knees, give a little hop as you turn around and …

4. what’s the matter, you all are looking at me incredulously like I have lost my mind - like you are about to call of meeting of the Pastor Parish committee as soon as this service is over

B. Same look you get when you just mention the very word Holy Ghost in a conservative, white middle class church

1. people begin to get uptight, worried - they begin to shake

2. I mean I feel like I should give a viewers warning on todays sermon

3. Today’s sermon may not be appropriate for some viewers as it has been known to cause uncontrolled shouting, dancing, and falling out in the aisles Why if you aren’t careful this morning you might end up Pentecostal or worse yet…a real charismatic

4. no we don’t want that Holy Ghost stuff here in our church

5. we don’t believe in that kind of thing - in fact it is amazing how much we in the mainstream churches today deny the existence of the HS

a) a sermon reader’s program sermon central

b) 40,000 vs 100

c) you’d think close to a third since holy spirit third person of the trinity

6. what is it about the Holy Spirit that makes us squirm in our seats

a) do we really believe what we recite every week in the apostle’s creed I believe in the Holy Spirit

b) Do we believe the Holy Spirit is intended for us or is it some optional activity of Pentecost that was given to those other kind of church

(1) Do we believe the HS is the third person of the trinity or some lesser being and one we aren’t too sure we believe in him

(2) one we aren’t to sure we want in our life

(3) one we are afraid of it, afraid that to really believe in would means we would lose control and that something we don’t want to give up

II. Giving of the Holy Spirit

A. Yet the Holy is nothing new and not once to we see it in the Bible as losing control

1. Gen 1:2 Now the earth was formless and empty darkness was over the surface of the deep and the spirit of God was hovering over the waters.

2. Ps 51:11 do not cast me from your presence or take your holy spirit from me.

3. Judges 6:34 Then the Spirit of the Lord came upon Gideon and he blew a trumpet summoning the Abiezrites to follow him

4. Micah 3:8 I am filled with power with the spirit of the lord and with justice and might

5. Matt 1:18…his mother Mary was pledged to be married to Joseph but before they came together she was found to be with child through the Holy Spirit

6. Luke 3:16 One more powerful than I will come, the thongs of whose sandals I am not worthy to untie. He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and with fire.

7. Luke 3:22 [as jesus was baptized] the holy spirit descended on him in bodily form like a dove…

8. WHY if the HS is a lesser being, one of unimportance, of optional activity - why is it descending upon Jesus the one upon high, our lord, savior one whom we exalt

9. Over and over again throughout the old and new testament we hear of the message and work of the Holy Spirit

a) and slowly and maybe as we speak this morning, slowly it begins to dawn on us that the Holy Spirit isn’t a part of God - he is God - and if we are going to accept God for who he is than we must also accept, embrace fully the Holy Spirit

B. So if we are to embrace the HS as nothing new, as having been around since the beginning of time what is Jesus wants us to do with it what is it that he is promising us here in John 14

1. jesus has just told the disciples he is leaving them - he spoke of his pending crucifixion

2. disciples are confused, afraid, for three years they had abandoned their life for three years they had given everything to him, believed in him, trusted him, followed….and now he is going to leave them

3. but Jesus promised he won’t leave them alone like orphans