The Spirit-Filled Life (Part 1) Series

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.