What The Holy Spirit Does Series

What the Holy Spirit Does

John 14:26; 15:26; 16:7-15

Rev. Brian Bill

November 18-19, 2023

One of the action steps from the message last weekend was to look for and listen to the nudges of the Holy Spirit. When the Spirit prompts us and pushes us, we were challenged to practice immediate obedience.

Over the past couple months, I’ve had a couple brief conversations with two guys who meet together at Vibrant Coffeehouse on Wednesday mornings. I often wear an Edgewood hat, so they know I’m a pastor. This week, I was nudged by the Holy Spirit to walk by their table. When I did, one of them stopped me and asked, “Where in the Bible does it say God helps those who help themselves?” I smiled and told them that phrase doesn’t come from the Bible but originated in Aesop’s Fables and was popularized by Benjamin Franklin. They both had surprised looks on their faces. I don’t think they believed me.

Then, the other guy stepped up to the plate and asked, “Where in the Bible does it say cleanliness is next to godliness?” I smiled and replied, “Strike two. That statement is not in Scripture either. It probably came from a mom trying to get her kids to clean their rooms.” I could tell my answer was unsatisfactory because they both looked skeptical. They probably thought I didn’t know my Bible very well.

Then, the other guy asked a third question: “Doesn’t it say somewhere that the Pharisees focused on having clean dishes while having dirty hearts? Where’s that verse?” I told him that is in the Bible. I went over to my table, picked up my Bible, came back and read Matthew 23:25-26 out loud in the middle of a busy coffeehouse: “Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you clean the outside of the cup and the plate, but inside they are full of greed and self-indulgence. You blind Pharisee! First clean the inside of the cup and the plate, that the outside also may be clean.”

This led to a discussion about our unholy hearts and how Jesus came to wash away our sins. I mentioned how many of us feel we need to clean ourselves up on the outside but only Jesus can clean us up on the inside. Because the Holy Spirit had opened this door, I was able to give each of them a gospel pamphlet and invite them to church. This prompting from the Holy Spirit was very subtle. I sensed He wanted me to walk by their table and He did the rest. I’m glad I obeyed.

Here’s a good question to ponder. Would you rather have Jesus right next to you or have the Holy Spirit within you? One pastor puts it like this: “When Jesus was on earth, His miraculous work was contained to wherever He was at the moment. Now that He is in us, His power is wherever we are. The Spirit inside us is better than Jesus beside us.”

In John 16:7, Jesus said it would be to our benefit for Him to go away so the Spirit could dwell inside us: “Nevertheless, 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 go, I will send Him to you.”

The word “nevertheless” is used as a contrast or antithesis to what the disciples were feeling. Then, Jesus said something to get their full attention: “I tell you the truth…” Jesus always told the truth but it’s as if He’s saying, “Listen up guys. This is extremely important.”

What He said next was shocking: “it is to your advantage that I go away…” This word means, “useful, profitable or beneficial.” There was no way the disciples were thinking it was a good thing for Jesus to leave them. How could it be to their advantage to have Jesus go away? Of what benefit would it be for Jesus to be gone from them? How could anything be better than having Jesus right next to them?

Jesus proceeded to tell them why His departure would be profitable for them: “for if I do not go away, the Helper [there’s that word again], will not come to you. But if I go, I will send Him to you.” Jesus used the word, “go” three times to help the disciples understand He was really going to leave them. His going would be essential to the sending of the Spirit. To “send” means, “to dispatch and thrust out.”

That leads to our main idea: The Spirit inside you is better than Jesus beside you.

While Jesus could not physically be everywhere geographically at once, the Holy Spirt is everywhere present at the same time. If you’ve been born of the Spirit, the Spirit indwells you, He walks with you, and He prompts you in your culture and in your context.