Holy Spirit Series
“The Work of the Holy Spirit”
{ Audio File: https://mega.nz/#!KZ1jkSaZ!N2kwOJ8rKqvyqRlkXRapLyidfd_ir7QRUJRI5OJZBh4 }
In all my years as a Christian, teacher, and pastor, I have found that very few people have a good grasp on the person and the work of the Holy Spirit.
In today’s message, we will look at Jesus’s promise of sending the Holy Spirit, and then the name Jesus used for the Holy Spirit, the name “Helper,” and then through both we’ll see what and how the Holy Spirit works in our lives.
Now, I have spoken at quite some length on just who the Holy Spirit is over the course of this series, but let me give a quick synopsis so that we are all on the same page.
First, the Holy Spirit is a person, not some impersonal force, nor is He a spirit that is found within the Father, and within Jesus, much the same as the spirit that is within us as human beings. He is separate, and from what the Bible says, a person in the same way that both the Father and the Son are persons.
We see this in the masculine pronouns that are used to describe Him, along with human emotional responses like being grieved, or bringing comfort and counsel, and advocating on our behalf.
We also see the personhood of the Holy Spirit in the different aspects of His personality as found within the Scriptures, such as having an intellect, will, and emotions.
Next we see that the Holy Spirit is God, or more accurately the third person of the Godhead. This is seen in the Great Commission where we are to baptize in the name of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit (Matthew 28:19). It is also seen through what the Lord said through the prophet Isaiah in how the Lord God, has sent the Lord God, the Messiah (the First and the Last, and creator of the Universe), along with the Spirit (Isaiah 48:12-16).
The Holy Spirit being God is also seen in the Apostle Peter’s assessment of Ananias and Sapphira, and how they lied to the Holy Spirit, whom He referred to as God (Acts 5:3-4). And then we see the Holy Spirit possessing the three main attributes of God, which are Omnipresence (Everywhere present), Omnipotence (All powerful), and Omniscience (all knowing).
Now, like I said, this is just a short synopsis, but if I could sum up what we find in the Scriptures, it is that we are born of the Holy Spirit (John 3:5-7), sanctified by the Holy Spirit (2 Thessalonians 2:13), receive gifts from the Holy Spirit (1 Corinthians 12:7-11), and filled and Baptized by the Holy Spirit.
Since we are blessed, filled, and empower by the Holy Spirit, let’s then walk in the Spirit so that we will not fulfill the desires of our flesh (Galatians 5:16).
Further, all that Jesus has done for us through the forgiveness of sins, would be useless if the Holy Spirit were not present to make it real as He leads us into all truth and proclaims to us all the words of Christ.
It’s kind of like filling this whole room with the masterpieces that you would find in the Louvre in Paris, but then turning off the lights and saying, “Aren’t they beautiful.” This is what it is like trying to understand the beauty of God’s word and promises without being born again and having the Holy Spirit in our lives.
And so we get to our signature verse in John’s gospel about the Helper that Jesus was to send.
“And I will pray the Father, and He will give you another Helper, that He may abide with you forever, 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 14:16-17 NKJV)
It’s the description of this word “Helper” that is key to understanding the work of the Holy Spirit, because in the Greek language it is the word, “Paraclete.” The word means, “One who comes along side and helps.” It is also translated, “Advocate.” And so, the Holy Spirit is the one who comes along side and helps us through this life, and advocates for us.
And while this is a real blessing to know, what Jesus also says is that beside being our helper advocate, is that the Holy Spirit will do the same thing for us as Jesus did for His disciples, which is seen in the word, “another,” that He uses prior to the description of the Holy Spirit being our helper and advocate. The word means someone who is the same as the one doing the sending, or another of the same kind.
And here’s the really neat part, not only is the Holy Spirit the same towards us as Jesus was towards His disciples, but He will be greater, because Jesus said that because He was going to the Father, we will be able to do greater things (John 14:12).
So, let’s now take a look at the work of the Holy Spirit as that helper advocated.
1. Executor
An executor is a legal term for someone who carries out a task for another person. It refers to a person named in a last will and testament as responsible to carry out the wishes, or directives for the person who is deceased.
After Jesus left, He sat down at the right hand of the Father, and in His place Jesus sent the Holy Spirit to carry out His directions.
When He, the Spirit of truth, has come, He will guide you into all truth; for He will not speak on His own authority, but whatever He hears He will speak; and He will tell you things to come. He will glorify Me, for He will take of what is Mine and declare it to you.” (John 16:13-14 NKJV)
The Holy Spirit is the executor, the one who is carrying out Jesus’s wishes for our lives and the life of the Church. And the Holy Spirit gives us these instructions when we read God’s word and pray.
Through time spent in God’s word and prayer, the Holy Spirit reveals God’s will. He literally tells us what Jesus would say to us if He were here. That’s why we should pray before we open up God’s word so that the Holy Spirit would open up our minds and hearts to what is being said, not only for the here and now, but for our future.
But that isn’t all that an executor does. The executor’s duties also include the disbursement of property to the beneficiaries as designated in the will. And so it is with the Holy Spirit. He dispenses the promises of God along with gifts and talents to those who would be heirs of salvation.
Literally, the Holy Spirit takes the promises of God and reveals their specific application in our lives. In other words, the general promises of God become specific promises through the Holy Spirit’s instructions.
It is through the guidance and direction of the Holy Spirit that brings light out of the darkness. When our minds are perplexed, He gives the answer. When we need an encouraging promise, He provides God’s word. When we are lost, He shows us the way.
There is another interesting aspect about the executor’s responsibilities. He is responsible to go out and find those who are potential heirs. The Apostle Paul speaks of this aspect of the Holy Spirit’s work as the executor.
“For as many as are led by the Spirit of God, these are sons of God. For you did not receive the spirit of bondage again to fear, but you received the Spirit of adoption by whom we cry out, ‘Abba, Father.’” (Romans 8:14-15 NKJV)
It is the Holy Spirit who bears witness to our spirits that we are children of God, and if children, then heirs of all of God’s promises, including salvation and an eternity with Him in heaven.
And so, one of the works of the Holy Spirit as our helper advocate is that of the executor of all of God’s promises, and that He reveals the will of God by opening up our minds and hearts to God’s word of promise.
The second work of the Holy Spirit as our helper advocate is that He is our energizer.
2. Energizer
The Holy Spirit is the ultimate energizer bunny. The Holy Spirit gives unlimited power so that we can live our lives for Jesus in a world that is diametrically opposed to Him, not to mention down right hostile and wants to shut us up and shut us down.
But His power is unmatched by anything that the world, or Satan and his demonic forces, can throw against us, in that it is power directly from heaven.
Jesus said, “Behold, I send the Promise of My Father upon you; but tarry in the city of Jerusalem until you are endued with power from on high.” (Luke 24:49 NKJV)
To be endued with means that we are to be clothed or enveloped in, but it means even more than merely something that is put on us, it also means it is something that we are infused with. That is, God has infused us with His divine power.
We can see this power through the word Jesus used for it, which in the English language is where we get the word, “dynamite.” And so through the power of the Holy Spirit, God has given us the victory and the power to demolish all the attacks against us and fulfill God calling and purpose for our lives.
“You are of God, little children, and have overcome them, because He who is in you is greater than he who is in the world.” (1 John 4:4 NKJV)
In other words, we have already won the victory, and that’s because the power of the Holy Spirit that lies within us is greater than the power of Satan, our flesh, and the world.
Therefore, if we are being held in any sort of bondage, whether it is to an addiction, fear, depression, or discouragement, just to name a few, we can be assured that the power of the Holy Spirit can and will blast apart those chains that bind us.
And so the second work of the Holy Spirit in our lives is how He energizes us with a power that is beyond our own strength, and will carry us through this life in victory until we are in heaven with Him.
The third work of the Holy Spirit as our helper advocate is that of equipper.
3. Equipper
The Holy Spirit equips us with everything we will need to live effective lives for God’s kingdom.
a. The Fruit of the Spirit
“But the Holy Spirit produces this kind of fruit in our lives: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control.” (Galatians 5:22-23 NLT)
Now, there is no way we can possess these characteristics on our own. In fact, we’d be hard pressed to find even a few of them. And while we may catch glimpses, they are fleeting.
But what the Holy Spirit does is that when we come to faith in Jesus Christ, He imparts these qualities, these characteristics within us, and what is really neat to understand is that these are the qualities of Jesus. In other words, the Holy Spirit reproduces within us the qualities of Christ’s character.
b. The Gifts of the Spirit
“There are different kinds of spiritual gifts, but the same Spirit is the source of them all … It is the one and only Spirit who distributes all these gifts. He alone decides which gift each person should have.” (1 Corinthians 12:4, 11 NLT)
Paul then lists out such gifts as wisdom, knowledge, faith, healing, miracles, prophecy, discerning of spirits, tongues and their interpretation. In other places he gives us even more, including, serving, teaching, exhorting, giving, leadership, mercy, along with the offices of apostle, prophet, teacher, evangelist, pastor, and administration.
And so the Holy Spirit equips us with great gifts to effectively live our lives for Jesus Christ and fulfill His kingdom purposes and ways.
c. The Armor of God
“Finally, my brethren, be strong in the Lord and in the power of His might. Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil.” (Ephesians 6:10-11 NKJV)
And while we never thought of these as given by the Holy Spirit, think about this for a moment with me. We are told that our warfare isn’t against flesh and blood, but against a host of spiritual forces of evil (Ephesians 6:12).
This is a spiritual battle we are in, and therefore the Lord has given to us spiritual weapons, the belt of truth, the breastplate of righteousness, the sandals of peace, the helmet of salvation, the shield of faith, the sword of the Spirit, and praying in the Spirit. Since they are spiritual, we need the Holy Spirit to apply them to our lives.
And so, the Holy Spirit energizes us, empowers us, and equips us to live effective lives through the Fruit of the Spirit, the Gifts of the Spirit, and the Armor of God.
4. Encourager
“And I will ask the Father, and He will give you another Helper (Comforter, Advocate, Intercessor, Counselor, Strengthener, Standby), to be with you forever—the Spirit of Truth.” (John 14:16 Amplified)
Here in the Amplified Bible, the full description is given.
As I mentioned earlier, the Greek word for “Helper,” is “paraklete.” The word means to come along side, and since Jesus said that the Helper would be another just like Himself, the Holy Spirit comes along side to encourage us, give us counsel, to comfort us in our discouragements, and to challenge us to live a holy life, and a life wholly devoted to God.
Now, there is even further encouragements given by the Holy Spirit, which I think is probably the most important of them all, and that is, hope and love.
“Now hope does not disappoint, because the love of God has been poured out in our hearts by the Holy Spirit who was given to us.” (Romans 5:5 NKJV)
What an encouragement, that the Holy Spirit provides us with a hope that is beyond all hope, and that hope is God’s exceedingly great love for us. This hope of God’s love is seen when He sent Jesus Christ, His only begotten Son, so that whoever believes in Him will have eternal life in heaven.
Conclusion
And so, when we give our lives over to Jesus Christ, He fills us with the Holy Spirit. And when we take the time to wait and pray, the Holy Spirit will empower us the same way He empowered the disciples 2,000 years ago.
And like the disciples back then, the Holy Spirit wants to open the floodgates of His divine power over and into our lives, providing us with everything we are going to need to make a difference and live effective lives for God’s kingdom, along with blasting to pieces all obstacles and mountains that Satan and this world throws in our way.
This then is the work of the Holy Spirit as that helper advocate. He is our executor, energizer, equipper, and encourager.
