*ILL>In 1954, Theodore Seuss Giesel (known to most of us as simply "Dr. Seuss") wrote his first children’s poem, Horton Hears A Who, in which Horton, an elephant, on the 15th of May in the Jungle of Nool, hears a small speck of dust talking to him. It turns out the speck of dust is actually a tiny planet, home to a city called Who-ville, inhabited by microscopic-sized inhabitants known as WHOs. Horton can’t see them, but he can hear the WHOs speak because of his gigantic elephant ears. The WHOs ask Horton to protect them from harm, to which Horton happily obliges, proclaiming that "a person’s a person, no matter how small." (As an aside, that phrase became popular in recent years with pro-life groups, proclaiming that unborn children are still persons, no matter how small, no matter that they’re unseen.)
*ILL>In contrast, in the 60’s sitcom, The Adams Family, one of the characters is Cousin Itt, a furry little being, covered with wooly hair and who waddles around, wearing some sort of crazy hat that fits the theme of that particular episode, and speaks jibberish, his favorite phrase being, "Jibbity-Hibbity-eepie-eppy-beep-beep-beep!"
Today, our focus is on the Holy Spirit, and we begin with our understanding that we should never refer to Him as "it," because He is, in fact, a WHO.
I invite you to open your Bible and turn to John 15.
In this first message in the series, Pursuing Answers, we’re looking to answer the two most-asked questions from our recent survey participants:
What does the Holy Spirit do?
Is there an unpardonable sin?
The two questions are closely related because the unpardonable sin (yes, there is one) is directly linked to how we respond to the Holy Spirit.
So our focus is in three areas:
Who is the Holy Spirit?
What does He do?
How can we respond to Him?
A. Who is the Holy Spirit?
John 4:24 -- God is Spirit, and those who worship Him must worship in spirit and truth.
He is God invisible, the power of God and presence of God.
He is the third Person-ality of the Trinity.
He is the Writer of Scripture, the revealer of truth, the giver of spiritual gifts.
He was present and was an agent in creation, brooding over the waters.
And He is ever-present within every believer.
B. What Does He Do?
1) HE REVEALS AND CONVICTS.
<>He reveals the majesty and Divinity of Jesus.
John 15:26 -- When the Helper comes, whom I will send to you from the Father, the Spirit of truth who proceeds from the Father, He will testify of Me.
*ILL>The attractiveness of most buildings are enhanced by floodlights. When floodlights are placed rightly you don’t ever see them, because you’re not supposed to see them or where the light is coming from. Instead, they are there to focus your eye on the building or landscaping they are there to bring attention to.
It’s the same way with the Holy Spirit.
His focus and mission is always the same: to bring attention and glory to Jesus, to bring our focus to Jesus, and never to the Holy Spirit Himself.
<>He reveals to us the depravity and severity of our sin.
After making us aware of the purity and Divine nature of Jesus, He makes us immediately and simultaneously aware of and convicts us of our own sinfulness.
You see, no one can ever be "saved" from the penalty of their sin until he/she first realizes that he/she has indeed sinned, and he/she is lost, separated from any fellowship with God.
2) HE DRAWS US TO THE GOSPEL AND URGES US TO RESPOND.
1 Thessalonians 1:5 -- For our gospel did not come to you in word only, but also in power and in the Holy Spirit and with full conviction;
He "woos" us / draws us to the truth of the gospel and urges us to respond to it.
He opens our eyes to the truth that Jesus really is Who He says He is...the only way to the Father.
3) HE RECREATES AND RESTORES US TO A RIGHT RELATIONSHIP WITH THE FATHER.
<>It is by the Spirit and through the Spirit that we are born again, re-created, made alive in the Spirit.
John 3:5 -- Jesus answered, "Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born of water (physical birth, as when a woman’s water breaks as she’s about to give birth to a child) and the Spirit (spiritually being born again) he cannot enter into the kingdom of God.
2 Corinthians 5:17 -- Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creature; the old things passed away; behold, new things have come.
<>It is by the Spirit and through the Spirit that we are restored to a right relationship with the Father.
Romans 8:16 -- The Spirit Himself testifies with our spirit that we are children of God.
As we discussed in detail a few weeks ago, He is the Spirit of adoption, by which we’re brought into the family of God, and by Whom we can always cry out, "Abba! (Daddy!) Father!"
4) HE INDWELLS, ENCOURAGES, AND COMFORTS US.
<>After we accept Jesus, the Holy Spirit comes to dwell within us.
Romans 8:9 -- However, you are not in the flesh but in the Spirit, if indeed the Spirit of God dwells in you. But if anyone does not have the Spirit of Christ, he does not belong to Him.
1 Corinthians 6:19 -- Or do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit who is in you, whom you have from God, and that you are not your own?
<>He is the "Paraclete" and the presence of God, Who walks beside us, who never leaves us, and is always present within us.
<>He is the "Comforter" and the power of God living within us, enabling us to experience peace amid difficult times.
<>He also inspires and motivates us to want to please God the Father and to join Him in what He’s doing.
Acts 9:31 -- So the church...enjoyed peace, being built up; and going on in the fear of the Lord and in the comfort of the Holy Spirit, it continued to increase.
Romans 8:14 -- For all who are being led by the Spirit of God, these are sons of God.
<>There are times when He intercedes on our behalf when we are incapable of expressing ourselves.
Romans 8:26-27 -- In the same way the Spirit also helps our weaknesses; for we do not know how to pray as we should, but the Spirit Himself intercedes for us with groanings too deep for words, and He who searches the hearts knows what the mind of the Spirit is, because He intercedes for the saints according to the will of God.
<>He knows our hearts, our thoughts, what we’re feeling, and what we want to say but just can’t express, so He expresses it for us.
Note: He doesn’t do it in an "unknown tongue," merely expressing our thoughts in OTHER words. No, He expresses our thoughts for us that are too deep for ANY words, regardless of the language. It means He comforts us, understands us, and puts our spirits at peace during those difficult times, assuring us that God, Who knows our hearts even before we say a word, understands, and we don’t need to stress out over finding just the right words to say at a time when we can’t bring ourselves to say anything.
In fact, the literal translation of the passage says that He intercedes for us in that way which is unutterable, meaning it can’t be uttered in any language at all.
5) HE SEALS US AND KEEPS US.
2 Corinthians 1:21-22 -- ...He who establishes us with you in Christ and anointed us is God, who also sealed us and gave us the Spirit in our hearts as a pledge.
<>He is the preserving Agent of God, keeping us within God’s family forever.
He is why no one can "pluck us out of the Father’s hand"...because He is active and powerful, and He keeps us.
<>He is also the "Pledge" of God, God’s pledge and promise that we’ll spend eternity with Him.
Romans 8:11 -- ..if (since) the Spirit of Him who raised Jesus from the dead dwells in you, He...will also give life to your mortal bodies through His Spirit who dwells in you.
He is the "surety," the "down payment," the "good faith deposit," revealing the intention of God’s heart for our future.
In other words, the Holy Spirit is given to us by God the Father, sent on behalf of the Son, to give us a little fore-taste of heaven, a "foretaste of glory divine" as the hymn, Blessed Assurance, says it.
God gives us the foretaste as a promise that the best is still yet to come. It’s His pledge to us, through the presence of the Holy Spirit being with us always that we too with be with the Father throughout all eternity. That’s His plan for us, the certainty of the events ahead for us in our future as His children.
6) HE TEACHES AND INSTRUCTS US.
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 said to you.
<>He reveals to us the truths of Scripture that are hidden to those who don’t have the Holy Spirit residing within them.
It’s why there’s no point in debating or arguing the "finer points" of Scripture with a non-believer.
They’re not going to understand it anyway until their eyes are opened AFTER they receive Jesus as Lord and Savior.
Consequently, our focus with them needs to be simply presenting the basics of the gospel and then letting the Holy Spirit reveal Jesus to them and why they need Him.
<>Then, once He has revealed truth to us, He also helps us recall those truths when we need to remember them and apply them to our lives.
He brings our minds back to the truths...to encourage us and help us when we need them.
7) HE ENRICHES AND BLESSES US.
2 Corinthians 3:17 -- Now the Lord is the Spirit, and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is liberty.
Galatians 5:22-23 -- But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control; against such things there is no law.
<>As He does His work in our lives, conforming us to the image and likeness of Jesus, we begin to give evidence in our actions of a changed heart, a new mind.
We begin to reveal the heart and characteristics that Jesus revealed during His time on earth: the fruit of the Spirit.
None of these qualities would be revealed in the quantity/capacity that they’re revealed in the life of a believer without the Holy Spirit’s work in our lives, and yet all of them are revealed in our lives when we allow Him to work within us.
So, yes, there IS a peace that passes understanding, there IS a gentleness about us that wasn’t there before, etc.
8) HE GUIDES US, MOVES US FORWARD.
John 16:13 -- But when He, the Spirit of truth, comes, He will guide you into all the truth; for He will not speak on His own initiative, but whatever He hears, He will speak; and He will disclose to you what is to come.
<>He reveals to us what God is doing, where He’s at work around us, what He wants us to do.
There are many examples in Scripture of the Spirit guiding and leading individuals forward who responded to Him, including:
>Simeon.
--Luke 2:26 -- And it had been revealed to (Simeon) by the Holy Spirit that he would not see death before he had seen the Lord’s Christ. And he came in the Spirit into the temple.
--Simeon, in his old age, was led by the Spirit into the temple on the very day Jesus was brought there by Mary and Joseph, fulfilling God’s promise of a Divine appointment for Simeon to see the Messiah before Simeon died.
>Jesus Himself.
--Matthew 4:1 -- Then Jesus was led by the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted by the devil.
--Immediately after being baptized, Jesus was "compelled," led by the Holy Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted by the devil, declaring His victory over the devil at the very beginning of His ministry.
>Philip.
--Acts 8:29 -- Then the Spirit said to Philip, "Go up and join this chariot."
--Philip was led by the Spirit to join the Ethiopian’s chariot so Philip could lead the Ethiopian to Christ.
>Peter.
--Acts 10:19 -- While Peter was reflecting on the vision, the Spirit said to him, "Behold, three men are looking for you."
--Peter was led by the Spirit to accept the invitation of Cornelius’ men (Gentiles) to come to Cornelius’ home and discover for himself that salvation was not limited to Jews.
9) HE EMPOWERS AND EQUIPS US.
Ephesians 3:16 -- ...according to the riches of His glory...be strengthened with power through His Spirit in the inner man.
Zechariah 4:6 -- Then he said to me, "This is the word of the Lord... "’Not by might nor by power, but by My Spirit,’ says the Lord of hosts."
*ILL>Sometime ago (when teletype was the fastest way to communicate news) the Associated Press sent the following message: "Dateline: Glasgow, Kentucky -- Leslie Puckett, after struggling to start his car, spending twenty minutes jiggly his key tomake a better connection, lifted the hood and discovered that someone had stolen the motor."
That’s the mistake we sometimes make too: not realizing that God’s work is always done through the Spirit’s power, not ours.
<>He empowers us to spread the message of the gospel and the truths of God’s word.
Acts 1:8 -- But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you shall (then) be My witnesses both in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and even to the remotest part of the earth.
Matthew 10:19-20 -- ...do not worry about how or what you are to say. For it will be given to you in that hour what you are to say. For it is not you who speak, but...the Spirit of your Father who speaks in you.
We’ve said it before, but it is important to remember "what the therefore is there for" in Matthew 28:19. When we’re instructed in verse 19 to "Go therefore, and make disciples" it is because of the verse before, verse 18. In verse 18, Jesus says, "All power is given to Me in heaven and earth," after which comes verse 19’s command to Go THEREFORE. In other words we are to go and make disciples, but we can only do it through Jesus’ power, which is the power of the Holy Spirit within us, where Jesus placed Him.
<>He equips us with at least one spiritual gift for the ministry God has called us to.
1 Corinthians 12:3,7 -- Now there are varieties of gifts, but the same Spirit...but to each one is given the manifestation of the Spirit for the common good.
*ILL>We’ve talked before about these gifts and we’ll discuss them more in the future, but I suggest people remember that the Holy Spirit operates in somewhat similar fashion as a box of Cracker Jacks!
--Yep, when someone gives you the GIFT of a box of Cracker Jacks, that’s a good thing. But one of the neat things about a box of Cracker Jacks is that there’s ANOTHER gift INSIDE the box! So, you not only get the wonderful taste of caramel corn, you also get a really nifty tattoo or a little pocket-sized game or figurine. In a similar way, when we receive the gift of the Holy Spirit at the moment we accept Jesus as being our personal Lord and Savior, we also receive an additional gift INSIDE the Spirit, an enabling gift, an over and above spiritual ability that God has given to us in order for us to function in the ministry capacity He designed us to serve in.
So, for some that’s the gift of preaching/prophesy, for others it’s a gift of teaching, or showing over-and-above mercy toward others. For some, it’s a gift of administration and organization, for others it’s a gift of extraordinary faith, or a gift of graciously and effectively serving and helping others in behind the scenes kind of ways, etc.
Whatever the gift, the Holy Spirit is the power which enables us to participate in a ministry God has designed us to serve in.
C. How We Can Respond To the Holy Spirit...
1) WE CAN RECEIVE HIM AND BE FILLED WITH HIM.
Ephesians 5:18 -- and do not get drunk with wine, for that is dissipation, but be filled with the Spirit.
However, even after receiving Him, we still are to respond to Him on a moment-by-moment basis.
So, even though we’ve received Him, we STILL HAVE CHOICES IN HOW WE’LL RESPOND TO HIM:
a) We can "WALK IN HIM," and be led by Him.
Galatians 5:25 -- If (because) we live by the Spirit, let us also walk by the Spirit.
This, of course, is what God desires, and what pleases Him the most.
*ILL>Years ago, D. L. Moody was on his way to lead an evangelistic crusade in England. An elderly pastor in England protested, saying, "Why do we need this Mr. Moody? He’s uneducated, inexperienced, etc. Who does he think he is? Does he think he has a monopoly on the Holy Spirit?" Another pastor kindly answered, "No, sir, Mr. Moddy doesn’t have a monopoly on the Spirit, but the Holy Spirit has a monopoly on Mr. Moody."
That’s how it should be in our lives too.
*APP>The simple key to enjoying life to the fullest is being obedient to the leading and urging of the Holy Spirit within us.
And, when we do what God leads us to do, when we allow Him to have a monopoly on us, the result is that we experience His joy, and we experience the fruit of the Spirit.
b) But, even as believers, we can also GRIEVE the Spirit.
Ephesians 4:30 -- Do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, by whom you were sealed.
We grieve the Holy Spirit when we refuse to let Him lead our lives.
We grieve the Spirit when we engage in disunity within the church, because His desire is to bring us together.
We grieve the Spirit, just as a child grieves his/her parents, when we refuse to listen to His instruction, follow His advice, and fail to let Him grow us, bring us to become the person God created us to be and desires us to be.
c) And, as believers, we can also QUENCH the Spirit’s work in other people’s lives.
1 Thessalonians 5:19 -- Do not quench the Spirit;
We quench His work when we live lives that are contradictory to our professed convictions.
It stymies the Holy Spirit’s work in the heart of non-believers by giving them what they view as an "excuse" to resist the Holy Spirit’s "woo-ing" of them.
We’ve all heard folks say that the reason they don’t go to church is because of all the hypocrites there. They’ve been put off by believers not walking their talk, and the work of the Spirit is being quenched in His drawing them to Christ.
And we can quench the Holy Spirit’s work when we cause a distraction when the Holy Spirit is working and "woo-ing" the hearts of non-believers.
Although I know no believer would ever intentionally engage in Spirit-quenching matters such as I’m going to mention, they DO happen, HAVE happened, and we need to be alert to the fact that every time we gather together in a worship gathering such as we are today, there is SPIRITUAL WARFARE going on around us.
Satan is just as hard at work as the Holy Spirit is in gatherings such as this. While the Spirit is working to draw people’s attention to the majesty and Divinity of Jesus, to the sinfulness of the person, and urging them to respond to God’s amazing grace, Satan is working to keep the person from being able to concentrate on what the Lord is saying...trying to distract their attention AWAY from the message being preached, the message in the song being sung, testimony or Scripture being voiced, drama being performed, etc. He’s trying to make the seeds of the gospel being sowed during that gathering to fall on thorny ground so they can’t take root, and the work of the Holy Spirit made ineffective and quenched.
Some examples of quenching the Holy Spirit include:
When we talk, distract others during a worship service.
When we fail to turn our cell phones off, so they ring just at the key moment when the Spirit is seeking to penetrate the heart of a non-believer, but the ring tone distracts and "quenches" the Spirit’s work at that moment.
When we get up and go to the bathroom or go get a drink during the service. (One of the most spiritual things we can do each Sunday is to use the restroom BEFORE the worship celebration begins so we won’t need to leave during the service.)
Of course, if you have a physical condition that requires you to get up and move around, then do so, but sit on the edge of a row rather than in the middle of a row, and sit closer to the back of the auditorium than in the front, so when you do need to exit, your movement is not as distracting to others.
Again, I’m fully aware that these activities are almost never intentionally engaged in by believers, but they are Spirit-quenchers that we need to be mindful of and avoid doing them.
2) HE CAN ALSO BE RESISTED.
Acts 7:51 -- You men...are always resisting the Holy Spirit; you are doing just as your fathers did.
There are some who will try to convince you that the Holy Spirit is irresistable, but that is simply not true.
Resisting Him is saying "no" to His urging.
Resisting Him involves deeming what God wants as not being in your best interest.
Resisting Him means resisting the Holy Spirit’s revelation, refusing to respond to the conviction of sin that He reveals.
Resisting Him leaves the person in the same condition he/she was in...separated from any relationship with God.
3) AND, ULTIMATELY, HE CAN BE BLASPHEMED.
Matthew 12:31 -- ...any sin and blasphemy shall be forgiven people, but blasphemy against the Spirit shall not be forgiven. Whoever speaks a word against the Son of Man, it shall be forgiven him; but whoever speaks against the Holy Spirit, it shall not be forgiven him, either in this age or in the age to come.
Hebrews 10:28-29 -- Anyone who has set aside the Law of Moses dies without mercy on the testimony of two or three witnesses. How much severer punishment do you think he will deserve who has trampled under foot the Son of God, and has regarded as unclean the blood of the covenant by which he was sanctified, and has insulted the Spirit of grace? For we know Him who said, "Vengeance is mine, I will repay," and again, "The Lord will judge His people." It is a terrifying thing to fall into the hands of the living God.
<>Blaspheming the Holy Spirit is the one and only unpardonable sin.
It’s unpardonable because it is the final, ultimate, and forever rejection of the Holy Spirit’s work in drawing the person to seeing Who Jesus is, it’s the forever rejecting Jesus as Lord and Savior, which means that person never is saved, is never born again.
And, consequently, that person remains separated from the Father, remains "dead in his/her trespasses," remains outside the family of God.
So, if the person dies in that condition of having never received Jesus, he/she cannot ever be forgiven of it, because after death comes judgment, not second chances.
Every other sin is forgivable, even speaking badly about Jesus...and YES, EVEN SUICIDE is not an unpardonable sin.
Certainly, suicide is murder, but it is not unpardonable because it is NOT "blaspheming the Holy Spirit."
The truth is, when a person receives Jesus as Lord and Savior he/she is immediately forgiven forever (in the sense of becoming a part of the "forever family" of God) of every sin they ever HAD committed before that time, but ALSO of every sin they ever WOULD commit...even if it was the sin of suicide.
Undersand, it is highly unlikely that a person who truly is a believer would engage in killing himself/herself, but if that were to happen (perhaps through deciding to not prolong his/her own life beyond what he/she deems to be the "normal" length of his/her life, such as deciding to not engage in chemotherapy or choosing to refuse further medication for a terminal illness, etc.) it would not negate the work or the power of Jesus’ blood to forgive them from ALL unrighteousness. It would not cause them to LOSE what the Holy Spirit forever KEEPS for us, our eternal relationship with the Father.
In Matthew 12 (the passage we read earlier), blaspheming the Holy Spirit is the topic of Jesus’ discussion, and to understand what He means by it we must engage in one of the primary principles of correctly interpreting Scripture: see what it is saying in its CONTEXT! CONTEXT! CONTEXT!
The context is that the Pharisees were declaring that what Jesus had just done (miraculously casting a demon out of a demon-possessed young man who was blind and unable to speak, resulting in the man being able to see and speak afterwards) was NOT the work of God, but was actually the work of Satan! They declared that Jesus Himself was NOT the Son of God, but was the Son of Beelzebul (Satan), and that the miracle was NOT through the power of God, NOT through the Holy Spirit, but through the power of Satan.
So Jesus explained to them that they had just insulted the Holy Spirit in declaring that the work of the Spirit was NOT holy, but evil.
And, because these men never ever repented of that sin before they died, they were not pardoned in this life OR in the life to come...in other words they would be eternally separated from God, eternally kept out of heaven, eternally suffering from the wrath of God, receiving the judgment they brought on themselves by rejecting the work of the Spirit’s drawing their attention to Jesus as God the Father’s only way to heaven.
Bringing it home...
How are YOU responding to the Holy Spirit?
Have you received Him or are you resisting Him?
Are you obeying Him or grieving Him?
Are you sensitive to His work around you or are you guilty of quenching the Spirit’s work?
Are you allowing Him to work through you in order to touch others’ lives for God’s glory?
It’s my desire and prayer for you that you will allow the Holy Spirit total access to your heart, your thoughts, and that you will follow His leading.
He’s waiting to forgive, re-create you and adopt you into God’s family.
And, if you’re already a believer, He’s ready to forgive and restore to you the joy of your salvation.
And, He’s also ready to allow you the special blessing of being a part of His unfolding plan around you and through you.
What’s required?
Repentance, and submission.
<>Repentance is an admission of sin, and then actively turning away from that sin and turning to the Holy Spirit for direction and cleansing.
<>Submission is "taking your hands off the wheel" and letting the Holy Spirit "steer," direct your life.
He is ready to lead you to enjoy life to the fullest.
Will you take your hands off the wheel and let Him lead?
He is waiting to pardon you.
Will you turn from disobedience to obedience, and allow Him to accomplish His work within you?
