The Holy Spirit: What He Does Series

The Holy Spirit: What He Does

John 16:7-15

The Second in a three part series of messages on the Holy Spirit…

1. Who He is (John 14:15-26)

2. What He Does (John 16:7-15)

3. The Source of His Power (Romans 8:1-17)

Last week we learned about who the Holy Spirit is. I think you would agree, God’s Holy Spirit is someone we as Christians would not want to do without for even a day, much less a week…

But if that is so, why do we LIMIT His effectiveness in our lives…and in the lives of others?

Why does it seem that some Churches go out of their way to kill the Holy Spirit of God?

Are the manifestations of God so scary that we treat them as if they were housed in Pandora ’s Box?

As the Apostle Paul would say…”God Forbid”!

I think it is more of a lack of knowledge and a lack of understanding…There is an old axiom that “knowledge is power”, and that is never truer than when man attempts to learn and understand the things of God!

Over these three weeks we are going to learn a lot about God’s Holy Spirit, Who He Is, What He Does, and The Source of His Power.

I hope once we have learned more about this third Person of the Trinity, we will open our lives up to Him the same way we opened our lives up to Christ…because…He can make just as big a difference in the lives of the believer…as Jesus can in the lives of non-believers!!!

Just as Jesus can completely transform the life of the non-believer, The Holy Spirit can completely transform the life of the believer…IF WE WILL LET HIM!!!

John 16:7 - 15 (NKJV) 7Nevertheless I tell you the truth. It is to your advantage that I go away; for if I do not go away, the Helper will not come to you; but if I depart, I will send Him to you. 8And when He has come, He will convict the world of sin, and of righteousness, and of judgment: 9of sin, because they do not believe in Me; 10of righteousness, because I go to My Father and you see Me no more; 11of judgment, because the ruler of this world is judged. 12“I still have many things to say to you, but you cannot bear them now. 13However, 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. 14He will glorify Me, for He will take of what is Mine and declare it to you. 15All things that the Father has are Mine. Therefore I said that He £will take of Mine and declare it to you.

The Work of the Holy Spirit,

1. The Holy Spirit comforts and helps believers.

Jesus said a surprising thing: "It is expedient for you that I go away." It was for the believer’s good (profit, advantage) that Jesus would leave the world.

Note the additional weight and emphasis Jesus gave to the fact: "I tell you the truth." It may be difficult for a person to see and understand, for it seems that we would be much better off if Jesus were here physically and bodily. Some people even cry out for His presence, for some sight, some vision, some dream of Him.

But Jesus said that it was best that He leave and not be physically present. Why? There is one supreme reason: if He had not left, the Holy Spirit would not have come. The believer is better off with the presence of the Holy Spirit than he is with the presence of Jesus.

Now note. How can such a statement be made? How can the believer be better off with the Holy Spirit than with the physical, bodily presence of Jesus?

1. Since Jesus departed, we now have a glorified and exalted Lord. We have a Lord who rules and reigns and controls all: who is able to fulfill all His promises and meet our desperate need for life—life that is both abundant and eternal.

2. Since Jesus departed, we now have an Intercessor before the very throne of God. We have a Person who is touched with the feelings of our infirmities, because He was tempted in all points just as we are.

Hebrews 4:14 - 16 (NKJV) 14Seeing then that we have a great High Priest who has passed through the heavens, Jesus the Son of God, let us hold fast our confession. 15For we do not have a High Priest who cannot sympathize with our weaknesses, but was in all points tempted as we are, yet without sin. 16Let us therefore come boldly to the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy and find grace to help in time of need.