The following was written in “Christian Life” magazine:
“In many Christian circles the Holy Spirit is either neglected, forgotten, or misunderstood. The One given to unite the body of Christ is the center of controversy. So often Christian work is so rigidly programmed that it seems we need no longer depend on Him. Yet Jesus said, "Without Me you can do nothing."
The late Dr. A. W. Tozer, author and pastor, said, "If the Holy Spirit was withdrawn from the church today, 95 percent of what we do would go on and no one would know the difference.
“If the Holy Spirit had been withdrawn from the New Testament church, 95 percent of what they did would stop, and everybody would know the difference."
We are reclaiming a lost truth of the Easter Story. Jesus himself told His disciples within just days of His crucifixion, and subsequent resurrection the words we find in John 16:7 (read through verse 14).
He said, “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.”
So if it is to our advantage, it would be wise to reclaim the truth of the Holy Spirit, or for some of us. . .begin for the first time to discover who this Holy Spirit is.
Overview my utilization of different styles of preaching –
the next couple of week’s will be teaching that provides a devotional outline for the week.
The challenge of a broad spectrum audience –
If you are theologically astute: this is an opportunity to memorize
If you are new to the doctrine: this is an opportunity to discover a great advantage in the Christian walk.
There was a family from a remote area who was making their first visit to a big city. They checked in to a grand hotel and stood in amazement at the impressive sight.
As they left the reception desk they came to the elevator entrance. Well they’d never seen an elevator before, and so they just stared at it, unable to figure out what it was for.
They saw an old lady hobble towards the elevator, aged, wrinkled, hunched over, and inside the elevator she went.
The door closed, and about a minute later, the door opened and out came a stunningly good-looking young woman. Flowing hair, smooth skin, high heels, just beautiful. And the father couldn’t stop staring. After just a brief pause, and without even turning his head he patted his son’s arm and said, "Son, go get your mother."
When we don’t know what something is. When we don’t understand how something works. When we aren’t aware of how something operates, we can draw all kinds of conclusions – some that turn out to be accurate.
In the case of the Holy Spirit, many that end up being false. Stigmas, assumptions, hesitations, and even fears. So lets get to know who this Holy Spirit is.
Growing up, one stigma/stumbling block I had to deal with was the mystery of the name – the Holy Ghost.
Ghost = the spirit of a dead person, but the Holy Spirit was a live before the incarnation & Jesus lives eternally.
So Holy Ghost is not a fitting name in today’s venacular.
There is also the mystery of the being:
Mystery of Jesus – Fully Human, Fully God
Similar mystery of the Holy Spirit –
Divine Characteristics, and Human Characteristics
or Descriptors
DIVINE CHARACTERISTICS –
ETERNAL – Has always been, and will always be
Mentorship meetings with friend, studying Hebrews.
Hebrews 9:13-14, “For if the sprinkling of defiled persons with the blood of goats and bulls and with the ashes of a heifer sanctifies for the purification of the flesh, how much more will the blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered himself without blemish to God, purify our conscience from dead works to serve the living God.”
The word “Eternal” = without beginning and without end.
OMNIPRESENT –
The Holy Spirit is like Sabwafair. Remember that cartoon? “Sabwafair is everywhere?”
Omnipresent = everywhere
Favorite Psalm. Psalm 139:7-10
“Where shall I go from your Spirit?
Or where shall I flee from your presence?
If I ascend to heaven, you are there!
If I make my bed in Sheol, you are there!
If I take the wings of the morning
and dwell in the uttermost parts of the sea,
even there your hand shall lead me,
and your right hand shall hold me.”
OMNIPOTENT – means He is all powerful
Luke 1:35, “And the angel answered her, ‘The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you’”
When the Holy Spirit comes upon us – He comes with all the power of Almighty God. Nothing is more powerful.
OMNISCIENT – That means He is all knowing
I Corinthians 2:10-11, “For the Spirit searches everything, even the depths of God. For who knows a person’s thoughts except the spirit of that person, which is in him? So also no one comprehends the thoughts of God except the Spirit of God.”
The Holy Spirit searches the depths of God,
comprehends the thoughts of God, and knows everything God knows. . .which is. . .everything.
So we have these divine characteristics, but the mystery takes us further because we also have human characteristics that we find in our study of the Holy Spirit.
In his book The Counselor, A.W. Tozer writes,
"Spell this out in capital letters: THE HOLY SPIRIT IS A PERSON. He is not enthusiasm. He is not courage. He is not energy. He is not the personification of all good qualities, like Jack Frost is the personification of cold weather. Actually, the Holy Spirit is not the personification of anything, He has individuality. He is one being and not another. He has will and intelligence. He has hearing. He has knowledge and sympathy and ability to love and see and think. He can hear, speak, desire, grieve and rejoice. He is a Person."
Well, let’s see how accurate Tozer was. Because if
the Holy Spirit is a person, that might give us
some things we can grasp. Some characteristics
that we can get our hands around, and understand.
And sure enough, as we study God’s Word, we do see that the Holy Spirit. . .has attributes like us.
MIND – Romans 8:27, “And he who searches hearts knows what is the mind of the Spirit”
WILL – I Corinthians 12:11, while speaking about
the distribution of spiritual gifts it says,
“All these are empowered by one and the same Spirit, who apportions to each one individually as he wills.”
FEELINGS – Ephesians 4:30,
“And do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, by whom you were sealed for the day of redemption.”
Grieve – (loo-peh-o): Make sorrowful, to affect
with sadness, to offend
HE ENGAGES IN ACTIVITIES LIKE US.
REVEALING – 2 Peter 1:21,
“For no prophecy was ever produced by the will of man,
but men spoke from God as they were carried along
by the Holy Spirit. “
See the connection to prophecy as a spiritual gift. Spiritual gifts come to believers who have received the Holy Spirit.
TEACHING – 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 that I have said to you.”
WITNESSING – Hebrews 10:15,
“And the Holy Spirit also bears witness to us”
INTERCEDING – 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.”
Just like we engage in the act of interceding for others, the Holy Spirit intercedes for us.
SPEAKING – Revelations 2:7,
“He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches.”
The need for listening in prayer – times of silence in prayer
COMMANDING – Acts 16:6, 7
“And they went through the region of Phrygia and Galatia, having been forbidden by the Holy Spirit to speak the word in Asia. And when they had come up to Mysia, they attempted to go into Bithynia, but the Spirit of Jesus did not allow them.”
Want to know what you should or shouldn’t do in your life? Listen for the Holy Spirit. If you desire to obey God, the Holy Spirit will command you in the ways
God would have you to go.
TESTIFYING – John 15:26
“But when the Helper comes, whom I will send to you from the Father, the Spirit of truth, who proceeds from the Father, he will bear witness about me.”
He witnesses to us, but He also witnesses of Jesus.
Testifies to the truth of Christ.
As you look through that list of activity. . .
you can separate from this mysterious stigma
of how this thing called the Holy Spirit acts, and begin to put your hands around some activities
of the Spirit that are similar to how we live,
and move, and act.
Doesn’t mean there aren’t still some mysterious
and kind of abnormal activities of the Holy Spirit.
But when you get a more holistic picture of the Holy Spirit, you see a great deal of commonality of working
to how we work and behave.
One other category of human characteristics or similarities:
HE IS RELATIONAL LIKE US.
What does it mean to be in relationship with others.
Well, as we have already explored, it means we. . .
and the Holy Spirit. . .
CAN BE GRIEVED – We experience feelings. Ups and downs. Highs and lows.
Life with the Holy Spirit is not total ecstasy 24/7.
Might be portrayed that way on various television stations. But He is more relational than that, and all the good and bad we experience in human relationships, we will probably experience in our relationship with the Holy Spirit. Because He is relational, personal, intimate with us.
Something else we experience in relationships
and that can happen in our relational experience
with the Holy Spirit is that He. . .
CAN BE LIED TO –
Acts 5: Peter confronts Ananias – “Why has Satan filled your heart to lie to the Holy Spirit?”
There is a difference between lying to other people,
and lying to the Holy Spirit.
CAN BE DENIED –
Just like you and me.
Just like Peter and Jesus. Remember those denials?
Another aspect of relationship with the Holy Spirit,
is that the Holy Spirit can be denied, and/or relationship with the Holy Spirit can be denied.
Reminder of “back burner” thought from week one –
compare to the list created today.
Closing Thought:
A children’s catechism class was learning the Apostles Creed. Each child had been assigned a sentence to repeat. The first one said, “I believe in God the Father Almighty, maker of heaven and earth.” The second child said, “I believe in Jesus Christ, His only Son…” When he had completed his sentence, there was an embarrassing silence. Finally, one child piped up, “Teacher, the boy who believes in the Holy Spirit isn’t here.”
How about here? When people look at SWC,
when they examine our lives, our ministries,
our relationships. Will they say, “The church who believes in the Holy Spirit is not here?”
Our starting or restarting point is to once again,
or for the first time get to know who the Holy Spirit is.
Today we have just scratched the surface.
Provided some guidance, reference and direction.
Up to each one of us individually to take the time
this week for personal study and reflection.
(Prayer of reflection)
