Opening illustration: In many Christian circles the Holy Spirit is 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." ... Apparently many have even put Him in a box …
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 A. W. Tozer, author and pastor, said, "If the Holy Spirit was withdrawn from the church today, 95 percent of what we do would go on and no one would know the difference. If the Holy Spirit had been withdrawn from the New Testament church, 95 percent of what they did would stop, and everybody would know the difference."
Apparently all of know and understand how the Holy Spirit was manifested in Acts 2 and how it was operated in the NT times. Let us turn to John 3 in God’s Word and hear what Jesus had to say about the Holy Spirit … This morning we will dwell upon the 4 profound works of the Holy Spirit.
Introduction: After the ascension of Jesus Christ, the Holy Spirit has been poured out upon the church.
• Acts 2:33
Paul calls this the “dispensation of the Spirit” which will be attended with even greater splendor then dispensation of the law. The Holy Spirit is now "Emmanuel", God with us. His work not only includes heaven but also embraces the earth.
What is He doing among us?
He is vast; His work is vast. Like the wind He is mysterious. His movements are often beyond the reach of our apprehension. He is immensely creative and though His purpose remains constant, which is witnessing to Jesus Christ. His works are varied.
From the witness of Scripture we may discern three general ways that the Holy Spirit is at work among us. These are justification, sanctification, and empowerment. The result of this three-fold working, and distinctive in its own right, is what seems to be a fourth operation of the Holy Spirit.
This is koinonia. Though we shall have to take them in sequential order, experientially it is difficult to separate them so neatly. We are baptized into them all and the Christian life consists of growing into all the fullness of the Spirit’s work. Let’s look at a description of each of these categories.
What are the 4 basic works of the Holy Spirit in the life of a believer?
1. JUSTIFICATION: new birth into the kingdom of God (John 1:12-13, John 3:1-8, I Corinthians 12:3)
The Problem: How do we enter into the Kingdom of God?
From the testimony of Scripture and the doctrines of the Church we know that in Jesus are to be found all the treasures of fellowship with God and the gift of eternal life. "All the promises of God find their yes in him." (2 Corinthians 1: 20)
We may affirm these things intellectually, and elaborate them as a philosophical system. But there is a gap! How do these blessings become ours? How does Jesus move from a historical fact and true doctrine to become lived reality?
In a nighttime conversation with Jesus this was Nicodemus’ question. He knew that Jesus was sent from God and had the keys to the Kingdom of God. But how would one enter into the Kingdom? How would one bridge the gap between knowing about the Kingdom and being in the Kingdom? There is a door and a way in. It is Jesus Christ. We must somehow get inside of Jesus and have Jesus inside of us!
The way that we enter in and are connected to Jesus Christ is through the agency of the Holy Spirit.
Jesus tells Nicodemus that he must be born again. When asked the very natural question of "How is this possible?" Jesus answers, "Truly truly I say to you unless one is born of Water and the Spirit he cannot enter the Kingdom of God." (John 3:3)
Here we touch a mystery as deep as the mystery of Jesus Himself being conceived by the Holy Spirit in the womb of Mary. By the same Holy Spirit, we are born into the family of God as sons and daughters.
The Holy Spirit thus makes the whole Christian life possible. Without the Holy Spirit, entrance into the Kingdom of God, and sharing in the new life in Jesus Christ, would all forever be beyond our reach.
How does the Holy Spirit bring us to be born again?
Nicodemus wanted to know the same thing and was given the answer that it is a mystery. Truly, it is a mystery, but we must push to the limits of our understanding and uncover the depths of the mystery.
But to all who received him, who believed in his name, he gave power to become children of God; who were born, not of blood nor of the will of the flesh nor of the will of man, but of God. (John 1:12-13)
This passage gives us the clue that the keys to being born again rest in faith in Jesus Christ. It will not serve our purpose here to fully elaborate the nature of faith; only let us ask what is its source and possibility.
The principle work of the Holy Spirit is giving us faith in Jesus Christ.
In reflecting on Ephesians 1:13, Paul shows the Spirit to be the inner teacher by whose effort the promise of salvation penetrates into our minds, a promise that would otherwise only strike the air or beat upon our ears.
In Revelations 3:20 we find this well-known image of Christ knocking at the door. Behold, I stand at the door and knock; if any one hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in to him and eat with him, and he with me.
While this image has been interpreted to refer to the church as a whole, it may also apply to individuals. There is contained in this passage the mystery of human freedom and the sovereignty of God. God has given us freedom and with it responsibility. We must decide to get up and open the door and let Jesus come into our hearts. But it is not within our will nor capacities to hear Jesus’ voice. The ability to hear and to open the door is the result of the work of the Holy Spirit.
The justifying work of the Holy Spirit is symbolized by baptism. Through faith, given by the Holy Spirit, we are joined with Jesus Christ. We share in His death and are raised to new life. This is symbolized by baptism with water.
• Romans 6: 3
All who are born again into the Kingdom of God have the Holy Spirit within them.
• Romans 8: 9
• I Cor. 12: 3
We can conclude that anyone who knows Christ as Lord and Savior has the Holy Spirit living within him. Likewise, a Christian by definition is one who has the Holy Spirit within them. Mark this well! Later when we deal with being filled with the Holy Spirit, baptized with the Holy Spirit, receiving the Spirit, the Holy Spirit upon, etc., we are not speaking of getting the Holy Spirit. Rather, these terms apply to different operations of the Holy Spirit who is already "within" those who believe.
We are justified, declared righteous, at the moment of our salvation. Justification does not make us righteous, but rather pronounces us righteous. Our righteousness comes from placing our faith in the finished work of Jesus Christ. His sacrifice covers our sin, allowing God to see us as perfect and unblemished. Because as believers we are in Christ, God sees Christ’s own righteousness when He looks at us. This meets God’s demands for perfection; thus, He declares us righteous—He justifies us.
2. SANCTIFICATION: growing the fruit of a holy, Christ-like character (2 Corinthians 3:17-18, Galatians 5:22-23, Romans 12:1-2)
Through the Holy Spirit we are born again, we enter the Kingdom of God as children of God. Whether our birth took place with all the drama of one who was lost being found, or nearly imperceptibly as a "child of the Covenant" in the loving embrace of a Christian family, it should be celebrated as a great and glorious thing, a miracle and a mystery. Being born again, however, is not the consummation of our life in Christ but the beginning. It is a birth, and afterwards spiritual children like natural children must grow and mature. This also is the work of the Holy Spirit indwelling within us who shapes our character into the image of Jesus Christ. We are sanctified, made holy, set apart as God’s sons and daughters.
Biblical Images of the Sanctifying Work of the Holy Spirit
Scripture describes this work of the Holy Spirit with several powerful images.
(a) The Old Person Being Put To Death the New Person Being Raised Up
Sanctification is the process of the old self being put to death and a new self being raised up. (Romans 6:1-11) We have been bought with a price; we no longer belong to ourselves. This fact redirects our life to live for the glory of God.
(b) Bearing the Fruit of the Holy Spirit
Paul also speaks of this work of the Holy Spirit in terms of enabling us to bear the fruit of the Holy Spirit. ..but the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control; against such there is no law. (Galatians 5:22)
The fruits of the Holy Spirit are an expression of our own character transformation brought by the indwelling of the Holy Spirit and our relationship with Christ. They are also descriptions of the variety of ways that we live out Christ’s love in the context of community.
Growing In Sanctification Is A Process That Will Not Be Completed Until the Resurrection
Being transformed into the likeness of Jesus Christ and yielding the fruit of the Holy Spirit is not a sudden complete experience; rather, it is a lifelong process. And we all with unveiled face, beholding the glory of the Lord, are being changed into his likeness from one degree of glory to another: for this comes from the Lord who is the Spirit. (II Corinthians 3:17-18)
This work of the Holy Spirit has to do with holiness of life and character formation. Both justification and sanctification may be referred to as the "inward work of the Holy Spirit" because the images used to describe them are of the Spirit living inside of us. This is the fulfillment of the prophecies of Jeremiah and Ezekiel who looked to the day when there would be established a new covenant in which the Spirit of God would be within the hearts of God’s people. The law would be written upon their hearts, and they would all know the Lord. (Jeremiah 31:31, Ezekiel 36:26)
3. EMPOWERMENT: equipping believers for active service (Acts 1:8, Luke 24:49, I Corinthians 12:4-11)
The third aspect of the Holy Spirit’s work is giving us the power and gifts that we need in order to fulfill the mission of being witnesses to Jesus Christ. Through us Jesus continues his work on earth as prophet, priest, and king. Jesus promises us, "Truly truly I say to you, he who believes in me, will do the works that I do; and greater works than these will he do because I go to the Father." (John 14:12)
Jesus also clearly commissions us with the same mission that the Father had given Him.
• John 20:21
• Matthew 28:18-20
This is all possible because we may have the Holy Spirit "upon us" for power just as Jesus did. This working of the Holy Spirit is foreseen in the following verses.
• Luke 24:46-49
• Acts 1:4-5
• Acts 1:8
This third work of the Holy Spirit is distinct from the justifying and sanctifying work of the Holy Spirit and has to do with equipping and empowering that we may carry out the mission Jesus has given us.
The empowering work of the Holy Spirit is consistent with that of the Spirit of Yahweh in the Old Testament.
Peter describes the descent of the Holy Spirit on Pentecost by recalling the words of the prophet Joel:
• Acts 2:17-21
• Joel 2:28-32
Just as the spirit of God "came upon" the great prophets, judges, and kings of the Old Testament giving God’s power for action and service, now in like manner in the New Covenant the Holy Spirit continues to empower His people. There is a decisive difference however. This empowering is not just for the select few; it is for all God’s people from the greatest to the least.
The empowering work of the Holy Spirit is given to all Christians. The empowering work of the Holy Spirit is not just for the first disciples or the great saints but for all of God’s people. On the day of Pentecost, Peter affirms that the promise of the empowering work of the Holy Spirit is given to all that the Lord calls to Himself.
• Acts 2:38-39
Paul also assumes that all Christians may expect the empowering of the Holy Spirit.
• I Corinthians 12:7
Further, Paul commands us all: Ephesians 5:18-20
This operation of the Holy Spirit has to do with empowerment for action and service. The Biblical images used to communicate this are consistently that of the Spirit upon a person. This is in fulfillment of the Old Testament prophecies of Joel and Moses who looked to the day when the Spirit of God would be upon all of God’s people as He was upon the great prophets.
4. KOINONIA: creating fellowship with others in the body of Christ and the Father (Acts 2:41, I John 1:3-4, I Corinthians 12:12-31, Ephesians 4:4, Ephesians 4:15-16)
To these first three operations of the Holy Spirit, we may add a fourth: koinonia. The result of being born into the Kingdom, of beginning the process of sanctification, and being empowered to witness to Jesus Christ, is that dynamic fellowship is established between the persons of the Trinity and between those persons born again. There is a "synergy" of all the operations of the Holy Spirit that is more then the sum of the parts, and may be defined by the Greek term, koinonia. Another way to say this is that there is the creation and growth of the "Body of Christ." In Acts, after Pentecost, we find that the overall result of the dynamic life of the Holy Spirit is the creation of an extraordinary loving, growing community of believers.
• Acts 2:42-47
The fourth operation of the Holy Spirit moves from the individual to the corporate. This fourth operation of the Holy Spirit is vitally important for a complete understanding of the work of the Holy Spirit, for it moves from the work of the Holy Spirit in individuals to His work in community. One may, however, question whether this should be a distinct category at all. From the Biblical perspective, the first three operations of the Holy Spirit have koinonia both as their context and result.
The result is that being born again, sanctification, and empowerment have often been seen as individual experiences. For this reason alone, it is important to emphasize koinonia as an operation of the Holy Spirit. The overarching intention of the Holy Spirit is building koinonia. This forth operation is in according with his intention as He weaves the individual and the individual’s experience into the fabric of the whole community. In the book of Ephesians we find two clear visions of this cooperate working of the Holy Spirit. The first has to do with bringing the Gentiles into the body of Christ through the koinonia operation of the Holy Spirit.
• Ephesians 2:17-22
• Ephesians 4:4, 15-16
In all these operations of the Holy Spirit, God is working out His holy purposes to extend the koinonia of the Kingdom to include all creation.
• Ephesians 1:9-10
Building and extending koinonia thus becomes the basic motive behind Christian missions and evangelistic outreach.
• I John 1:3
Conclusion: ALL WORKS ARE POTENTIALLY OURS FROM BAPTISM ONWARD
• Baptism marks the beginning of our life in Christ, and sets us on the path in this life and the next of growing as His disciples.
• Because baptism is a sign that the Holy Spirit is within us, then all the gifts and graces of fellowship with the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit are potentially ours. There must then be the process of experimentally appropriating all that is ours. For instance, Jesus won forgiveness for our sins upon the cross, yet we must open our hearts and receive this forgiveness.
• Growing in the fruit, gifts, and power of the Holy Spirit is also a process of receiving in faith and acting in obedience on what has already been established for us in Christ and signified in our baptism. We are, as the reformers used to say, to continuously "improve upon our baptism."
• In this life of appropriating all that is promised there will be mountaintops, plateaus, and valleys. There will be advances and regressions. There will be times of blessing and times of wilderness testing. In growing in and appropriating all the works of the Holy Spirit, Paul’s prayer for the Ephesians may become our own: (Ephesians 1:16-20)
