The Work Of The Holy Spirit

Holy Spirit Series

“The Work of the Holy Spirit”

{ Audio File: https://mega.nz/#!KZ1jkSaZ!N2kwOJ8rKqvyqRlkXRapLyidfd_ir7QRUJRI5OJZBh4 }

In all my years as a Christian, teacher, and pastor, I have found that very few people have a good grasp on the person and the work of the Holy Spirit.

In today’s message, we will look at Jesus’s promise of sending the Holy Spirit, and then the name Jesus used for the Holy Spirit, the name “Helper,” and then through both we’ll see what and how the Holy Spirit works in our lives.

Now, I have spoken at quite some length on just who the Holy Spirit is over the course of this series, but let me give a quick synopsis so that we are all on the same page.

First, the Holy Spirit is a person, not some impersonal force, nor is He a spirit that is found within the Father, and within Jesus, much the same as the spirit that is within us as human beings. He is separate, and from what the Bible says, a person in the same way that both the Father and the Son are persons.

We see this in the masculine pronouns that are used to describe Him, along with human emotional responses like being grieved, or bringing comfort and counsel, and advocating on our behalf.

We also see the personhood of the Holy Spirit in the different aspects of His personality as found within the Scriptures, such as having an intellect, will, and emotions.

Next we see that the Holy Spirit is God, or more accurately the third person of the Godhead. This is seen in the Great Commission where we are to baptize in the name of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit (Matthew 28:19). It is also seen through what the Lord said through the prophet Isaiah in how the Lord God, has sent the Lord God, the Messiah (the First and the Last, and creator of the Universe), along with the Spirit (Isaiah 48:12-16).

The Holy Spirit being God is also seen in the Apostle Peter’s assessment of Ananias and Sapphira, and how they lied to the Holy Spirit, whom He referred to as God (Acts 5:3-4). And then we see the Holy Spirit possessing the three main attributes of God, which are Omnipresence (Everywhere present), Omnipotence (All powerful), and Omniscience (all knowing).

Now, like I said, this is just a short synopsis, but if I could sum up what we find in the Scriptures, it is that we are born of the Holy Spirit (John 3:5-7), sanctified by the Holy Spirit (2 Thessalonians 2:13), receive gifts from the Holy Spirit (1 Corinthians 12:7-11), and filled and Baptized by the Holy Spirit.

Since we are blessed, filled, and empower by the Holy Spirit, let’s then walk in the Spirit so that we will not fulfill the desires of our flesh (Galatians 5:16).

Further, all that Jesus has done for us through the forgiveness of sins, would be useless if the Holy Spirit were not present to make it real as He leads us into all truth and proclaims to us all the words of Christ.

It’s kind of like filling this whole room with the masterpieces that you would find in the Louvre in Paris, but then turning off the lights and saying, “Aren’t they beautiful.” This is what it is like trying to understand the beauty of God’s word and promises without being born again and having the Holy Spirit in our lives.

And so we get to our signature verse in John’s gospel about the Helper that Jesus was to send.

“And I will pray the Father, and He will give you another Helper, that He may abide with you forever, the Spirit of truth, whom the world cannot receive, because it neither sees Him nor knows Him; but you know Him, for He dwells with you and will be in you.” (John 14:16-17 NKJV)

It’s the description of this word “Helper” that is key to understanding the work of the Holy Spirit, because in the Greek language it is the word, “Paraclete.” The word means, “One who comes along side and helps.” It is also translated, “Advocate.” And so, the Holy Spirit is the one who comes along side and helps us through this life, and advocates for us.

And while this is a real blessing to know, what Jesus also says is that beside being our helper advocate, is that the Holy Spirit will do the same thing for us as Jesus did for His disciples, which is seen in the word, “another,” that He uses prior to the description of the Holy Spirit being our helper and advocate. The word means someone who is the same as the one doing the sending, or another of the same kind.

And here’s the really neat part, not only is the Holy Spirit the same towards us as Jesus was towards His disciples, but He will be greater, because Jesus said that because He was going to the Father, we will be able to do greater things (John 14:12).