WHO IS THE HOLY SPIRIT?
Text: Jn. 14:15-26
Introduction
1. Read Jn. 14:15-26
2. Illustration: Wilma had been a member of her church for many, many years. In her later years she needed the assistance of a cane to help in walking. As she was talking with her pastor, she would make points by lightly tapping him on the chest or shoulder with the handle of her cane.
One Sunday after the morning worship service, the pastor was standing at the back of the sanctuary and Wilma hobbled up to him and said, "That was a pretty good sermon." In true Christian piety he said, "Thank you Wilma, but it wasn’t me it was the Holy Spirit."
Without batting an eye she tapped him in the middle of the chest with her cane and said, "Oh no, if it was the Holy Spirit it would have been a lot better than that."
3. As Pentecostals, we talk a lot about the Holy Spirit, but I often wonder if we truly understand who He is and what He does.
Transition: Who is the Holy Spirit? First of all...
I. He Is Our Helper (15-16)
A. Another Comforter
1. Before we can understand who the Holy Spirit is we have to understand how we get Him in our lives. Notice that Jesus begins to talk about the Holy Spirit by saying "If ye love me, keep my commandments."
a. The word "keep" means "to obey; to give uncompromised attention to; to fulfill a responsibility.—Practical Word Studies in the New Testament
b. Obedience is not optional for believers. Jesus stated a simple fact that must be clearly understood.
c. He is saying that the man who truly loves Him will keep His commandments. To the believer, there is no option. He loves Jesus; therefore, he keeps His commandments.
d. Therefore, he diligently seeks Jesus, and he seeks to please Him in all that he does.
e. Heb. 11:6 But without faith it is impossible to please him: for he that cometh to God must believe that he is, and that he is a rewarder of them that diligently seek him.
2. The receiving of the Holy Spirit is conditional.
a. Note the conjunction "and." It is the person who loves Jesus who is given the Holy Spirit.
b. Note also that the Spirit is given because Jesus prays for us. He is our Intercessor, the One who pleads our case.
c. It is not that God is unwilling to give the Holy Spirit. That is not the point. The point is that Jesus Christ is our Mediator—our Intercessor—the One who makes it possible for us to receive the Spirit (cp. 1 John 2:1-2).
d. If a person truly loves Jesus, that person is given the Holy Spirit.
3. However, our focus in this message is who the Holy Spirit is and what He does. Notice what Jesus says about Him: "he shall give you another Comforter..."
a. The word translated "Comforter" means " one who helps, by consoling, encouraging, or mediating on behalf of —Louw & Nida: NT Greek-English Lexicon
b. There are several ways to translate this word, and translating it "comforter" can be a little misleading because it suggests only one very limited aspect of what the Holy Spirit does. —Louw & Nida: NT Greek-English Lexicon
c. It means one who is called; Bishop Samuel Hinds wrote that the call may be "for any purpose of need, whether to strengthen, to console, to guide, to instruct, to plead and intercede for, or otherwise to aid." - King James Bible Word Book
4. No matter how we translate the word, the job of the Holy Spirit is to help believers in all aspects of life.
B. We Need Help
1. Illustration: My wife know that if I am working on my computer and I go "ARRGH!" that I need help.
2. How many times in the Christian life to we feel like going "ARRGH!" ?
a. Seems like a day hardly goes by that we run into situations that we don’t know how to handle.
b. We run into circumstances were we feel helpless and out of control.
c. We often face difficulties that make us want to give up.
3. Rom. 8:26-27 Likewise the Spirit also helps in our weaknesses. For we do not know what we should pray for as we ought, but the Spirit Himself makes intercession for us with groanings which cannot be uttered. Now He who searches the hearts knows what the mind of the Spirit is, because He makes intercession for the saints according to the will of God.
4. When we don’t:
a. Know what to do, the Holy Spirit is there with us.
b. Know what to pray, the Holy Spirit helps us pray.
c. Know where to turn, the Holy Spirit is right there to guide us.
Transition: Secondly...
II. He Is the Spirit of Truth (17)
A. Spirit of Truth
1. Jesus refers to the Holy Spirit as the "Spirit of Truth."
2. The Holy Spirit is the Spirit of Truth, the very same Truth that Christ is.
a. He is the Embodiment, the Communicator, and the Liberator of truth.
b. The Spirit of truth indwelling us allows us to begin to understand our inner self and to see and understand something about the course of the world about us.
c. Because of that, we are comforted. He also brings comfort to troubled hearts by reminding us of the Word of God.—Preaching the Word
3. However, Jesus also says that the world cannot receive the Holy Spirit.
a. Note the word "cannot." It is impossible for the world to receive the Holy Spirit.
b. Why? Because the world of unbelievers does not "see" or "know" the Holy Spirit.
c. The world lives only for what it can see and know, only for the physical and material, only for what it can touch and feel, taste and consume, think and use.
4. The world cannot receive the Spirit because He is the "Spirit of Truth," and they are living a lie.
a. They are controlled by the father of lies, Satan, and cannot receive the truth.
b. Only when they come out of the world and into the light of Christ can they receive the Spirit of Truth.
B. Truth
1. Illustration: Once a man visited a new age bookstore. The owner said Christianity, Islam, Buddism, Sikhism, Agnosticism are all the same in substance because truth is relative--“what is true for you.” He could not get her to test her theory by standing in the road and chanting, "the truck is going hit me AND the truck is NOT going to hit me" - since they’re both the same and all truth is relative.
2. The world tells us that there is no such things as real truth, that truth is all relative. Consequently, if I hit you over the head with a sledge hammer, it only hurts if you think it hurts.
3. However, the fact is that the truth hurts, and simply saying it isn’t true doesn’t change the facts.
4. The world doesn’t want to deal with the truth because it can’t handle the truth - the Holy Spirit.
Transition: Thirdly...
III. He Is the Presence of Christ (18-20)
A. I Will Not Leave You Comfortless
1. Jesus said, "I will come to you." He would not leave them comfortless
a. The word means to be orphaned, to be without parental help, to be helpless.
b. Jesus would not leave them to struggle through the trials of life alone.
2. In verse 16, Jesus refers to the Holy Spirit as "another comforter."
a. The expression another Comforter means "another comforter of the same kind as the first."
b. This implies that Jesus was the first Comforter (see 1 John 2:1), and that the Spirit would be the same kind of Comforter.
c. When Jesus would no longer be with the disciples physically, the Holy Spirit would be their constant companion to guide, help, and empower them for the tasks ahead. Jesus identified the Counselor as the one who leads into all truth because he is the Spirit who reveals the truth about God.
3. In verse 20, Jesus says "At that day ye shall know that I am in my Father, and ye in me, and I in you."
a. On that day refers to the day of Pentecost when the outpoured Spirit gave evidence of Jesus’ Ascension to the Father. —Bible Knowledge Commentary
b. Furthermore, the Spirit’s coming would be a confirmation of Jesus’ exaltation to the Father’s right hand to begin his present ministry as Advocate and Intercessor - Expositor’s Bible Commentary, The, Pradis CD-ROM
B. Another Comforter
1. Illustration: One Sunday after church, a Mom asked her very young daughter what the lesson was about. The daughter answered, "Don’t be scared, you’ll get your quilt." Needless to say, the Mom was perplexed. Later in the day, the pastor stopped by for tea and the Mom asked him what that morning’s Sunday school lesson was about. He said "Be not afraid, thy comforter is coming."
2. Jesus didn’t abandon us and leave us as orphans, but He sent the Holy Spirit of comfort, protect, instruct and guide us.
3. Jn. 16:7 Nevertheless I tell you the truth; It is expedient for you that I go away: for if I go not away, the Comforter will not come unto you; but if I depart, I will send him unto you.
Transition: Fourth...
IV. He Is Our Teacher (25-26)
A. He Shall Teach You All Things
1. Jesus said "the Comforter, which is the Holy Ghost, whom the Father will send in my name, he shall teach you all things, and bring all things to your remembrance, whatsoever I have said unto you."
2. "All things" means all the things which Jesus taught including the presence of the Comforter (Holy Spirit), who is given to help the believer through the trials of life, and the indwelling presence and love of the Father and Son.
3. To teach all things:
a. Both the words and the life of Christ, both the Truth and the Life.
b. Both the Word and how to live, both the theory and the practice.
c. Both the principles and the conduct, both the morality and the behavior.
4. To help remember:
a. To help remember all that has been taught in the Word of God.
b. To help especially in the moments of trial when the truth is needed.
c. In a moment of trial the Holy Spirit either infuses the believer with the strength to endure or flashes across his mind the way to escape
B. Teacher
1. Illustration: An elementary school teacher had a Christian student who was very outspoken about his faith. To prove a point one day, the teacher took this student to the classroom window, pointed to the sky and said, “Look up into the sky. Can you see God up there?” “No.” the student replied. “That’s because there is no God.” Smirked the teacher. “Oh.” The student said as he returned to his desk. As the teacher was making his way back up to the front of the classroom, the student turned to a classmate and said, “Look at the teacher’s head. Do you see a brain up there?” The classmate said, “Nope.” “That’s because there is no brain up there!”
2. In life there are good teachers and bad teachers.
a. There are bad teachers, who are not lead by the Spirit and teach the things of the world.
b. There are also good teachers, that are led by the Spirit and teach us the things of God.
3. However, there is no teacher better than the Holy Spirit.
a. He knows the things of God because He is God.
b. He knows the things that are true because He is the Spirit of Truth.
Conclusion
1. Who is the Holy Spirit?
a. He is our helper
b. He is the Spirit of Truth
c. He is the Presence of Christ
d. He is our teacher
2. What is the Holy Spirit doing in your life?
a. Are you allowing Him to teach you?
b. Are you allowing Him to guide you?
c. Are you allowing Him to mold you?
Proposition: The Holy Spirit is the one who comes and stands beside us at all times.
