The highway department hired a new painter to paint the lines on the road. The first day on the job he painted lines on a five mile stretch of road and he was the talk of the department. The next day he did well again, but this time only two and a half miles. Still, it was very good.
On the third day he painted one and a quarter mile of road. His results were not nearly as impressive. On the fourth day it was three quarters of a mile of road painted. By now there was concern at his drop in performance, so his boss called him in to find out why the decline in output.
When he was asked about why he only painted half as much each day as before he openly told them the reason. He said, as I keep painting, I go further and further away from the bucket of paint. He somehow did not know he could move the paint bucket along the way as he painted.
That would be ludicrous, but we want to be sure we don’t do something like that with our spiritual resources, thinking that we go to church to get filled or we attend some dynamic meeting. We want to understand that the ministry of the Holy Spirit should be an ongoing experience. The Holy Spirit is our spiritual resource for our Christian life and ministry.
‘Not by might nor by power, but by my Spirit,’ says the LORD Almighty. (Zechariah 4:6)
We want to look at the Holy Spirit in context to our overall Biblical study of God. We keep in mind that Holy, creator God is One. We also keep in mind that there is one God in three-person, Father, Son and Holy Spirit. For context the other studies can be accessed here.
The God We Worship
https://www.sermoncentral.com/sermons/2-the-god-we-worship-brad-beaman-sermon-on-god-269787
The Fatherhood of God
https://www.sermoncentral.com/sermons/3-the-fatherhood-of-god-brad-beaman-sermon-on-fatherhood-269715
The Authority of Jesus Christ
https://www.sermoncentral.com/sermons/4-the-authority-of-jesus-christ-brad-beaman-sermon-on-authority-269651
From a practical standpoint the Holy Spirit is the most important of our studies on God. Just as the illustration of the painter highlights, we do not need to think the Holy Spirit is our Spiritual resource we go back to at an event. He is our daily moment by moment resource for supernatural living. That is why this may be the most important study of our studies on God. We must have the divine empowering of the Holy Spirit to be relevant as believers.
The Nature of the Holy Spirit
The Bible establishes that the Holy Spirit is God. He Holy Spirit is interchanged with references to God. These passages then speak of the Holy Spirit as God. When Ananias and Sapphira had sold a piece of property they lied about it. Keeping back a portion for themselves they represented it as the whole they received.
Then Peter said, “Ananias, how is it that Satan has so filled your heart that you have lied to the Holy Spirit and have kept for yourself some of the money you received for the land? 4 Didn’t it belong to you before it was sold? And after it was sold, wasn’t the money at your disposal? What made you think of doing such a thing? You have not lied just to human beings but to God.” (Acts 5:3-4)
Ananias and Sapphira were struck dead. Lying to the Holy Spirit and lying to God were interchangeable expressions. Paul interchanges God and Holy Spirit when he talks about the body as the temple of the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit dwells in you so God dwells in you.
Do you not know that your bodies are temples of the Holy Spirit, who is in you, whom you have received from God? You are not your own; 20 you were bought at a price. Therefore honor God with your bodies. (1 Corinthians 6:19-20)
When we look at the attributes of God, the qualities of God we see that the Holy Spirit possesses all of the attributes of God. God is all knowing. The Theological term for all knowing is Omniscience.
When the Holy Spirit has revealed truth to us, then God has revealed truth to us. These are the things God has revealed to us by his Spirit.
The Spirit searches all things, even the deep things of God. For who knows a person’s thoughts except their own spirit within them? In the same way no one knows the thoughts of God except the Spirit of God. (1 Corinthians 2:10-11)
Another attribute of God, and therefor attribute of the Holy Spirit is all powerful. The theological term is omnipotent. The Holy Spirit is all powerful as in the work of the virgin birth of Christ.
The angel answered, “The Holy Spirit will come on you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you. So the holy one to be born will be called the Son of God. (Luke 1:35)
The Holy Spirit and power of the Most-High are synonymous in the reference to the virgin birth. Paul attributes his working of miracles to “The Power of the Holy Spirit”. The power of the Holy Spirit and the power of God are equal.
The Holy Spirit is eternal. How much more, then, will the blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered himself unblemished to God, cleanse our consciences from acts that lead to death, so that we may serve the living God! (Hebrews 9:14)
The Holy Spirit was active in creation. Now the earth was formless and empty, darkness was over the surface of the deep, and the Spirit of God was hovering over the waters. (Genesis 1:2)
The Holy Spirit is associated with the Father and Son with assumed equality. Therefore, go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, (Matthew 28:19)
The sin of blasphemy against the Holy Spirit testifies of the personality of the Holy Spirit. But whoever blasphemes against the Holy Spirit will never be forgiven; they are guilty of an eternal sin.” (Mark 3:29) The Holy Spirit has a personality. We misunderstand the Holy Spirit if we think the Holy Spirit, is an impersonal force.
The Bible uses the personal masculine pronoun He for the Holy Spirit. Never in the Bible is the Holy Spirit referred to as it. The Holy Spirit has emotions. The Holy Spirit can be grieved and lied to. The Holy Spirit can be quenched and resisted also.
The Holy Spirit is teaching, speaking, interceding commanding, testifying, guiding and illuminating. The Holy Spirit is a person, just as fully as God the Father and God the Son. We can have a personal relationship with the Holy Spirit, and we can pray to the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit is God, and he is a person. That is the nature of the Holy Spirit.
Regeneration by the Holy Spirit.
Without the Holy Spirit there is no regeneration. Without the work of the Holy Spirit there would be no Christians. If you are a Christian, you should recognize that the Holy Spirit’s regeneration is how you were born again.
Jesus emphasized the role of the Holy Spirit. Remember his conversation with Nicodemus.
Jesus replied, “Very truly I tell you, no one can see the kingdom of God unless they are born again.” 4 “How can someone be born when they are old?” Nicodemus asked. “Surely they cannot enter a second time into their mother’s womb to be born!” 5 Jesus answered, “Very truly I tell you, no one can enter the kingdom of God unless they are born of water and the Spirit. 6 Flesh gives birth to flesh, but the Spirit gives birth to spirit. 7 You should not be surprised at my saying, ‘You must be born again.’ 8 The wind blows wherever it pleases. You hear its sound, but you cannot tell where it comes from or where it is going. So it is with everyone born of the Spirit.” (John 3:3-8)
Jesus said that no one can see the kingdom of God unless he is born again. Nicodemus was thinking in the physical realm asking, how can I be born again. The Spirit gives birth to the spirit.
Jesus makes it clear that regeneration, new life in Christ, is a supernatural occurrence, and the Holy Spirit is the agent which produces it. That is why the famous definition of successful witnessing takes this into account. Successful witnessing is taking the initiative in the power of the Holy Spirit to share Jesus Christ and leave the results up to God.
We leave the results of regeneration to God because only the Holy Spirit regenerates. Only God can do this work in a man’s heart. If any man becomes a new creature in Jesus Christ, old things pass away with regeneration.
We place our faith in Jesus Christ. To believe in Jesus is the condition upon which the Holy Spirit imparts life. The Holy Spirit does the work of regeneration.
The Holy Spirit and Sanctification.
There are two cities with two different types of water sources. One depends on a river and the other has a spring as their water source. When a drought comes the river dries up, but the spring flows abundantly. This becomes an illustration of how we live the abundant Spirit filled life.
We must walk in the fullness of the Holy Spirit. The work of the Holy Spirit is not complete when you become a believer. That is just the beginning. The Holy Spirit continues the vital role of sanctification in your life. The Holy Spirit empowers you.
Very truly I tell you, whoever believes in me will do the works I have been doing, and they will do even greater things than these, because I am going to the Father. (John 14:12)
Jesus spoke about his going and the Holy Spirit’s coming. They were to wait for the Holy Spirit after Jesus ascended to heaven. The Holy Spirit came on Pentecost Sunday fifty days after the death of Christ. On Pentecost Sunday Peter preached and 3,000 were saved and baptized.
The Holy Spirit illumines the believers. For God, who said, “Let light shine out of darkness,” made his light shine in our hearts to give us the light of the knowledge of God’s glory displayed in the face of Christ. (2 Corinthians 4:6)
The Holy Spirit has a teaching role. But the Advocate, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, will teach you all things and will remind you of everything I have said to you. (John 14:26)
The Holy Spirit is our intercessor. In the same way, the Spirit helps us in our weakness. We do not know what we ought to pray for, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us through wordless groans. 27 And he who searches our hearts knows the mind of the Spirit, because the Spirit intercedes for God’s people in accordance with the will of God. (Romans 8:26-27)
The Holy Spirit gives spiritual gifts to the believer. Brothers and sisters, I want you to know about the gifts of the Holy Spirit. There are different kinds of gifts. But they are all given to believers by the same Spirit. (1 Corinthians (12:1 & 4)
Look at the Galatians 5 contrast in life in the flesh and life in the Spirit. The contrast is like a well dried up verses an ever-flowing well. The Spirit controlled person has the fruit of the Spirit.
But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, forbearance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, 23 gentleness and self-control. Against such things there is no law. 24 Those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires. 25 Since we live by the Spirit, let us keep in step with the Spirit. (Galatians 5:22-23)
How do we walk in the fulness of the Holy Spirit. How do we experience the spiritual riches? You became a Christian when you turned from your way of sin and placed your faith in Christ. That was the moment you had eternal life and eternal security. For fullness of the Spirit filled life you put faith in Christ ongoing in the same way.
In walking in the Spirit you turn from anything displeasing to God. Submit your life to the will of Christ, the Lordship of Jesus. Pray to the Lord for the fullness of the Holy Spirit. Experience the fullness of the Holy Spirit as is commanded in Ephesians 5:18, be filled with the Spirit.
Below is the Statement and verses on the Holy Spirit from the Baptist Faith and Message.
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https://bfm.sbc.net/bfm2000/
God the Holy Spirit
The Holy Spirit is the Spirit of God, fully divine. He inspired holy men of old to write the Scriptures. Through illumination He enables men to understand truth. He exalts Christ. He convicts men of sin, of righteousness, and of judgment. He calls men to the Savior, and effects regeneration. At the moment of regeneration He baptizes every believer into the Body of Christ. He cultivates Christian character, comforts believers, and bestows the spiritual gifts by which they serve God through His church. He seals the believer unto the day of final redemption. His presence in the Christian is the guarantee that God will bring the believer into the fullness of the stature of Christ. He enlightens and empowers the believer and the church in worship, evangelism, and service.
Genesis 1:2;
Judges 14:6;
Job 26:13;
Psalms 51:11; 139:7ff.;
Isaiah 61:1-3; Joel 2:28-32;
Matthew 1:18; 3:16; 4:1; 12:28-32; 28:19;
Mark 1:10,12; Luke 1:35; 4:1,18-19; 11:13; 12:12; 24:49;
John 4:24; 14:16-17,26; 15:26; 16:7-14;
Acts 1:8; 2:1-4,38; 4:31; 5:3; 6:3; 7:55; 8:17,39; 10:44; 13:2; 15:28; 16:6; 19:1-6;
Romans 8:9-11,14-16,26-27;
1 Corinthians 2:10-14; 3:16; 12:3-11,13;
Galatians 4:6;
Ephesians 1:13-14; 4:30; 5:18;
1 Thessalonians 5:19;
1 Timothy 3:16; 4:1;
2 Timothy 1:14; 3:16;
Hebrews 9:8,14;
2 Peter 1:21;
1 John 4:13; 5:6-7;
Revelation 1:10; 22:17.
