The Spirit-filled Life (1)
Scott Bayles, pastor
Blooming Grove Christian Church: 5/21/2017
If I were to ask you to describe your heavenly Father, you’d give me a response, wouldn’t you? If I were to ask you to tell me what Jesus did for you, you’d likely give a cogent answer. But if I were to ask about the role of the Holy Spirit in your life…? Eyes would duck. Throats would be cleared.
I’m afraid that many followers of Jesus know about as much concerning the Holy Spirit as the disciples in Ephesus. When the apostle Paul found these believers, he asked, “Did you receive the Holy Spirit when you believed?” They responded, “We haven’t even heard that there is a Holy Spirit!” (Acts 19:2 NLT).
Those particular disciples were followers of John the Baptist, and I’m sure they heard John preach about the Holy Spirit—after all, John himself was filled with the Holy Spirit even before his birth! And yet they didn’t seem to understand the Holy Spirit. They didn’t realize that the Holy Spirit was available to them! They never heard that the Holy Spirit could make a difference in their lives. Likewise, a lot of Christians today have heard about the Holy Spirit, but many of us have never encountered the Spirit in a life-changing way.
Receiving the unseen isn’t easy. Most Christians find the cross of Christ easier to accept than the Spirit of Christ. Good Friday makes more sense than Pentecost. Christ, our substitute. Jesus taking our place. The Savior paying for our sins. These are astounding, yet embraceable, concepts. They fall in the area of transaction and substitution, familiar territory for us. But Holy Spirit discussions lead us into the realm of the supernatural and unseen. We grow quiet and cautious, fearing what we can’t see or explain.
Someone might even be thinking, I’ve already got Jesus. Why do I need the Holy Spirit? But Jesus himself said to his disciples, “But I tell you the truth, it is better for you that I go away. When I go away, I will send the Helper to you. If I do not go away, the Helper will not come.” (John 16:7 NCV). The Helper Jesus speaks of is the Holy Spirit. So Jesus is basically telling his disciples, “Yes, I was with you for three and a half years, but it’s better that I leave you and the Holy Spirit comes to you.”
When the disciples heard that two thousand years ago, I’m sure it was hard for them to grasp. How could it be better to trade a human Jesus—a man they could talk and eat and laugh with—for a Spirit they couldn’t physically see? Today, I think most of us would still choose a physical Jesus over an invisible Spirit. But what do we do with the fact that Jesus says it’s better for his followers to have the Holy Spirit? Do we believe Him? If so, do our lives reflect that belief?
This morning and for the next three weeks, I want to challenge you to open your hearts and minds to the Holy Spirit. We will examine key passages of Scripture that teach us vital truths about who the Spirit of God is and what he is anxious to do in our lives. But our goal is not simply to gain more knowledge. Our goal is to translate that knowledge into a deeper relationship with God’s Spirit.
This morning I want to spotlight three essential concepts that we as Christian need to grab hold of related to the Holy Spirit. First is the person of the Holy Spirit.
• THE PERSON OF THE HOLY SPIRIT
There are a lot of misconceptions about the Holy Spirit. Many view the Spirit and an impersonal power or energy akin to the Force from the Star Wars movies. If you grew up with the King James Bible, like I did, you probably heard the Spirit called the Holy Ghost. While that may have been an accurate translation at the time, today the word ghost conjures images of an apparition, floating about here and there and manifesting in a mysterious, perhaps even eerie, manner.
But Scripture paints a very different picture. The Holy Spirit isn’t a Force and he’s not a Ghost. He’s a Person. The Bible tells us very clearly who the Holy Spirit is—He is 1/3 of the Trinity. He is God.
The very first reference to the Holy Spirit is found in the creation story: “In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth. The earth was formless and empty, and darkness covered the deep waters. And the Spirit of God was hovering over the surface of the waters” (Genesis 1:1-2 NLT). It was the Holy Spirit who was brooding over the waters at the outset of Creation.
A little later in the same chapter, God says, “Let Us make man in Our image, according to Our likeness” (Genesis 1:26 NKJV). When God says Our image and likeness, He’s referring to the fullness of God—God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit.
And throughout Scripture the Holy Spirit is ascribed God-only attributes. He’s called eternal (Hebrews 9:11), all powerful (Luke 1:35), omnipresent (Psalm 139:7), all-knowing (1 Corinthians 2:10-11), and God (Acts 5:3-4). And Jesus refers to the Holy Spirit in John 14:16-18 as He and Him, not it.
Jesus conveys a divine harmony and equality in the Great Commission, saying, “Therefore, go and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit…” (Matthew 28:19). The Holy Spirit is One with the Father and the Son.
In Billy Graham’s book The Holy Spirit: Activating God’s Power in Your Life, he concludes, “There is nothing that God is that the Holy Spirit is not. All of the essential aspects of diety belong to the Holy Spirit. We can say of him exactly what was said of Jesus Christ in the ancient Nicene Creed: He is very God of very God! So we bow before Him; we worship Him; we accord to Him every response Scripture requires of our relationship to Almighty God. Who is the Holy Spirit? He is God!”
The fact that the Spirit is God opens up all kinds of wonderful possibilities for us. It means the Spirit is a personal being that we can relate to in a personal way. In fact, he wants us to know him on a deeply intimate level. As we come to develop a personal relationship with the Spirit, we are developing a relationship with God himself. Most of us already relate with Jesus, and we know how to interact with God the Father. Likewise, we can learn what it means to experience the Spirit.
Furthermore, the second central concept we need to understand is the presence of the Holy Spirit.
• THE PRESENCE OF THE HOLY SPIRIT
Jesus told his disciples, “I will ask the Father, and he will give you another Helper to be with you forever—the Spirit of truth. The world cannot accept him, because it does not see him or know him. But you know him, because he lives with you and he will be in you” (John 14:16-17 NCV).
This reminds me of this four-year-old girl who was at the pediatrician's office for a check-up. As the doctor looked into her ears with an otoscope, he asked, "Do you think I'll find Dora in here?" The little girl stayed silent. Next, the doctor took a tongue depressor and looked down her throat. He asked, "Do you think I'll find the Cookie Monster down there?" Again, the little girl was silent. Then the doctor put a stethoscope to her chest. As he listened to her heart beat, he asked, "Do you think I'll hear Barney in here?" The little girl replied, "No, silly! God is in my heart. Barney's on my underpants."
The same is true for you. Well, not the underpants part.
The Bible says, “because we are his children, God has sent the Spirit of his Son into our hearts” (Galatians 4:6 NLT). It also says, “you have the Spirit of God living in you” (Romans 8:9 NLT).
So how and when does this happen? Well, Peter answered that question on the day of Pentecost. At close of his sermon, Peter offered this invitation:
“Each of you must repent of your sins and turn to God, and be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins. Then you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. This promise is to you, to your children, and to those far away—all who have been called by the Lord our God.” (Acts 2:38-39 NLT).
When you receive Jesus as your Savior, the Holy Spirit sets up shop in your heart. It’s the Holy Spirit who truly baptizes us into Christ—He’s the one who completely covers us with the redemptive blood and living presence of Jesus. It’s the Holy Spirit who gives us our new identity in Christ. You can’t receive just part of God. When you receive Jesus, you are receiving the fullness of God into your life. The presence of God, who resides within you—dwells in you, abides in you, lives in you—is God the Holy Spirit.
Unfortunately, most of us are built like colanders; rather than cups. God fills us with his Spirit and before long we’re spiritually empty once again. That’s why the Bible also commands Christians: “Don’t be drunk with wine, because that will ruin your life. Instead, be filled with the Holy Spirit, singing psalms and hymns and spiritual songs among yourselves, and making music to the Lord in your hearts. (Ephesians 5:18-19 NLT).
The phrase translated be filled is in the present tense, indicating constant replenishment. It’s means to keep being filled. We only receive the Holy Spirit once, but we must continually be refilled with the Holy Spirit.
How do we do that? Thankfully, Paul not only encourage us to drink deeply from the well of God’s Spirit, but gives us the bucket too—worship. An entire book of the Bible—in fact, the biggest book of the Bible—is a collection of songs written by the Holy Spirit. Well, they were physically written by men like David, Solomon, and Moses, but they were inspired by the Holy Spirit. And when we sing those psalms as well as other hymns and contemporary spiritual songs—not just in a church setting, but at home, in the car, at work, wherever—we open our hearts and allow the Holy Spirit to flow through us.
If singing’s not your thing, Jesus gives us another way to be filled with the Spirit: Ask. “Everyone who asks will receive… you know how to give good things to your children. How much more your heavenly Father will give the Holy Spirit to those who ask him!” (Luke 11:10-13 NCV). The Spirit fills as prayer flows. Do you desire God’s Spirit? Just ask. Invite the Spirit into every part of your life.
I did something similar with the air of my air conditioner. Outside the sidewalk sizzles in brick-oven heat. But inside my family and I are as cool as the other side of the pillow. Why? Two reasons. A compressor sits next to the house. I did not build nor install it. It was there when we moved in. Credit the cool house to a good air conditioner. But equally credit the open vents. I did not install the “air maker,” but I did open the “air blockers.” Cool air fills the house because vents are open. I went from room to room, lowering the levers and releasing the air.
The Holy Spirit will fill your life as you do the same: as you, room by room, invite him to flow in. Try this: before you climb out of bed, mentally escort the Spirit into every room of your life—your relationships, your job, your attitude, your struggles, your hopes, your fears. Before your feet touch the floor, open each vent. Invite the Holy Spirit to fill each corridor of your life and then you can experience the power of the Holy Spirit, which is the last concept I want to explore this morning.
• THE POWER OF THE HOLY SPIRIT
There are some amazing benefits associated with the Spirit-filled life. Before ascending into heaven, Jesus made a promise to his followers: “You will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes upon you. And you will be my witnesses, telling people about me everywhere” (Acts 1:8 NLT).
The Jerusalem church wasn’t an impressive bunch. They were net casters and tax collectors. A former streetwalker and a converted revolutionary or two. They had no clout with Caesar, no friends at the temple headquarters. But they had the power of the Holy Spirit. And with that power, they changed the world. The Holy Spirit gave them courage, confidence, and capability.
The same Spirit that lived in them, resides in you!
Sadly, for too many believers the Christian life boils down to simply doing the best they can. There is no power or distinction that sets them apart from the way everyone else in the world exists. Without the Holy Spirit, people operate in their own strength and only accomplish human-size results. But when believers live in the power of the Spirit, everything changes. And I’m not talking about healing the sick or casting out demons. The Holy Spirit’s power isn’t limited to miracles or marvels.
The Bible says, “The Holy Spirit helps us in our weakness. For example, we don’t know what God wants us to pray for. But the Holy Spirit prays for us with groanings that cannot be expressed in words” (Romans 8:26 NLT).
The Holy Spirit helps us in our weakness. That’s a sentence worthy of a highlighter. Who doesn’t need this reminder? Weak bodies. Weak wills. Weakened resolves. Whether we are feeble of soul or body or both, the Holy Spirit is there to help us.
Consider what it means to have the power of the living God within you. Pause and ponder this: the third member of the Godhead, the invisible, yet all-powerful representation of deity, is actually living inside your being. His limitless capabilities are resident within you because He indwells you.
You think you can’t handle what life throws at you? You think you can’t stand firm or, when necessary, stand alone in your life? You think you can’t handle the lure of life’s temptations?
Well, you certainly could not if you were all alone. But with the power of the Holy Spirit within you, you can handle it. You can do it. As a matter of fact, all the pressure will be shifted and the weight transferred from you to Him. It’s a radically different way to live. And because He is God He can handle it. We’ll talk some more in the coming weeks about specific ways the spirit empowers us, but for now how wonderful to know that He does.
Conclusion:
The Holy Spirit isn’t a mystical Force or mysterious phantasm. He’s not an it. He’s a person. He is God the Holy Spirit. He lives in you and He helps you in so many ways. When we come to know the Person of the Holy Spirit, embrace the Presence of the Holy Spirit and rely on the Power of the Holy Spirit we can begin to truly enjoy the Spirit-filled life.
Next week we’ll continue to explore the Holy Spirit and what it means to live a Spirit-filled life.
Invitation:
In the meantime, if you’ve already received the Holy Spirit, but you don’t feel filled with the Spirit, all you must do is ask. Invite the Holy Spirit in every area of your life and open your heart through praise and worship.
If you haven’t received the Holy Spirit, then my invitation is the same as Peter’s: repent and be baptized in the name of Jesus and you’ll receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. If you’re ready to start living the Spirit-filled life, come talk with me about it. You can pull me aside after church, call me at home, or just come forward now while we stand and sing.
