Person Of The Holy Spirit Series

Title: Embracing the Holy Spirit - Person of

Theme: To get into the lives of people the importance of seeing the Holy Spirit as the comforter.

Text: John 14:15-17

Offering

(Malachi 3:8-11) Will a man rob God? Yet ye have robbed me. But ye say wherein have we robbed thee? In tithes and offerings, ye are cursed with a curse: for ye have robbed me, even this whole nation. Bring ye all the tithes into the storehouse, that there may be meat in mine house, and prove me now herewith, saith the LORD of host, if I will not open you the windows of heaven, and pour you out a blessing, that there shall not be room enough to receive it. And I will rebuke the devourer for your sakes, and he shall not destroy the fruits of your ground; neither shall your vine cast her fruit before the time in the field, saith the LORD of hosts. (KJV)

God wants to bless us, do we have the faith to give.

Review

Last week we began our series on the Holy Spririt called: Embracing the Holy Spirit. We sometimes limit our understanding and relationship with the Holy Spririt to gifts.

Last week we learned a little more about the fruit of the spirit.

Galatians 5:22-25 But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, (23) gentleness, self-control. Against such there is no law. (24) And those who are Christ's have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires. (25) If we live in the Spirit, let us also walk in the Spirit.

This Sunday I want to get a better overview of who the Holy Spirit is. He is obviously part of the trinity. So we know there is a role He plays in the lives of the believer.

John 14:15-17 "If you love Me, keep [83] My commandments. (16) And I will pray the Father, and He will give you another Helper, that He may abide with you forever-- (17) 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.

John 14:26 But the Helper, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in My name, He will teach you all things, and bring to your remembrance all things that I said to you.

John 15:26 "But when the Helper comes, whom I shall send to you from the Father, the Spirit of truth who proceeds from the Father, He will testify of Me.

John 16:7 Nevertheless I tell you the truth. It is to your advantage that I go away; for if I do not go away, the Helper will not come to you; but if I depart, I will send Him to you.

Introduction

Last time we came together we discussed the Holy Spirit as God and a part of the trinity. We also talked about how he can be blasphemed. Tonight I want to look into that word comforter more.

The word comforter is from the Greek word par-ak’-lay-tos. It is used four times in scripture all in the writings of John. Three times it is translated comforter (John 14:16,26; 15:26; 16:7). In 1 John 2:1 he translates the word advocate. This is important because it gives us a better understanding of the role that the Holy Spirit plays in our lives. First he is our Comforter and then he is our advocate. Let us look at these words.

Comforter

The word comforter in this context means “called to one’s side”. It is as Jesus is saying there is going to be one who will be called to your side. We talked about this last time. We have the Holy Spirit who stands beside us in our darkest moments. This is important to us but as we discussed it was more important to the disciples who was about to lose the physical presence of Jesus. They were grieving and this promise of a Comforter was a promise of assurance that they would not have to face this world alone.

As the comforter we learn that he is our companion.

This is what Jesus meant in verse 17 when he spoke of the Holy Spirit as one who “dwelleth with you”. He is our companion. One whom we trust in and depend upon. He is one who walks with us. It was God intention from the beginning to walk with man. This is what He did with Adam, he walked with Adam at certain times during the day. He spoke with Adam as I am speaking to you. Yet Adam was perfect. This was broken after the fall. This relationship changed.

So he sent us Immanuel “God with us”. Jesus began to fulfill the desire to walk with man. Then he promises the Holy Spirit. For me it is a privilege to know that God walks with me. As the old song go, “And he walks with me, and he talks with me, and he tells me I am his own”.