Holy Spirit Series part 1 The Person of the Holy Spirit

                                      John 14: 15-18

 

Intro: Tonight we are beginning a series on the Person Work gifts and Power of the HS

A)Our need of the HS in our lives – filling us / empowering us / gifting us / Leading & guiding us

 

B) A woman once asked DL Moody why he spoke so much about being filled w/ the HS – Are you a Spirit filled Christian or aren’t you ?

1)   Why is it that you keep referring to your need to be filled w/ the HS

 

C) Moody’s response was classic – He said – BECAUSE I LEAK

1)    Isn’t that the problem – we come here – get before God in devotions and we are filled – but then we get out in traffic / around boss

 

D) We leak – We need to be Refilled

 

Now it is important when talking about the HS that we understand who we are talking about – there are a lot of misconceptions

A)Tonight we are going to talk about the Person of the Holy Spirit / So turn w/ me to John 14

 

15“If you love Me, keep My commandments. 16And I will pray the Father, and He will give you another Helper, that He may abide with you forever—17the 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. 18I will not leave you orphans; I will come to you.

 

B) Certain key things to see in this Passage – We are Trinitarians

1)   Jesus says 18I will not leave you orphans; I will come to you.

         send a Helper

 

C) Spirit of truth  refers to this Spirit as He / Him

     1) 500 times spirit is mentioned Neuter – 16 times He or Him

Interesting to see the Overlapping of His personality – Leaving but I am coming He is sending His spirit to us / 16 times masculine He / Him

A)Another Helper – Another of the same kind – Same kind as Himself not someone different

 

B) Jesus was & is God – He was w/ them – but now He was going to Be w/ them in a Different capacity – Spirit inside of them

 

C) Now we Understand the Concept of God the Father – most of us Know someone that is a Father – we have had a Father

1)   And we understand the Concept of God the Son – Jesus healing / forgiving / taking the kids in his arms

 

D) But when it comes to God the HS we sometimes have a tough time w/ that !!!  Talk of the spirit as a thing

1)   We want to move away from that – Realize that He is a He -/ He has a personality

 

Often times within the Christian Church the HS is communicated as This Electricity / this Power / this Impersonal force

A)We talk about getting the Holy Ghost goose Bumps /

 

B)we talk about getting a Holy Ghost Charge up – like getting our batteries Charged before we go out witnessing

     1) or before we are going to be around unbelieving neighbors or relatives

 

C) In Some circles – the HS is seen as this impersonal Power – thrown at the audience like a Frisbee - they fall over

1)   Benny Hinn – uses his coat to throw the HS at the Crowd or Blow the HS on people

 

D) Now here is the thing – we would never think throwing God the Father or throwing Jesus at the Crowd –

1)   But for some reason people talk about God the HS in that way

 

Many Make the HS out to be this power this force – Luke Skywalker the Force be w/ you Luke that makes You – do weird things

A)Watch some Christian TV – turn sound off & watch what these people are supposedly doing under the power of  HS – Nuts Spastic

 

B)This is wrong – we need to understand – that the HS is the 3rd person of the Triune Godhead –  

1)   And although he doesn’t have a Body – He lacks no personality

 

C) KJV – Holy Ghost – the Ghost of Jesus – the Spirit of Jesus

1)    Jesus coming to live in us – thru His Spirit – the very essence of who He is

 

D) It is important that we relate to the HS as a person – rather than a force 1)/ because it is then that we take the position of being passive instead of being aggressive

 

E) What I mean by that is this: If I view the HS as a Force – I am wanting to Channel that force & tap into that power / Harness it

1)   But if I View the HS as a person the 3rd person of the Triune Godhead I want to be submitted to Him & Led by Him

 

So tonight lets look at some passages that ascribe the Personal traits of the HS

A)Acts 9:3131Then the churches throughout all Judea, Galilee, and Samaria had peace and were edified. And walking in the fear of the Lord and in the comfort of the Holy Spirit, they were multiplied.

 

B) Now the Church at this time was going thru persecution – difficult time and Luke talks about them receiving Comfort from the HS

1)   Term of Affection – Electricity doesn’t have the ability to comfort you

 

C) Personal qualities are needed

 

Rom 15:30

30Now I beg you, brethren, through the Lord Jesus Christ, and through the love of the Spirit, that you strive together with me in prayers to God for me,

A)Here Paul speaks of the Love of the HS – same love as the Father / Same love as Jesus

 

B) Again Electricity / Impersonal force doesn’t have the ability to Love

 

C) So we are talking here in terms of the HS having emotions – ability to comfort / to show love

 

Eph 4: 25Therefore, putting away lying, “Let each one of you speak truth with his neighbor,”£ for we are members of one another. 26“Be angry, and do not sin”:£ do not let the sun go down on your wrath, 27nor give place to the devil. 28Let him who stole steal no longer, but rather let him labor, working with his hands what is good, that he may have something to give him who has need. 29Let no corrupt word proceed out of your mouth, but what is good for necessary edification, that it may impart grace to the hearers. 30And do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, by whom you were sealed for the day of redemption

 

D) Here we see another personal emotion ascribed to the HS – He can be grieved – Awesome thought – God allows us to cause Him pain

1)   Point being Electricity doesn’t have emotion – Ever try to hurt Electricity ?

 

Acts 7: 51“You stiff-necked and uncircumcised in heart and ears! You always resist the Holy Spirit; as your fathers did, so do you.

 

The Scriptures also teach us that the HS has – Intellect 1 Cor 2:9-16

A)Here we are told that the HS – Searches  the deep things of God / the HS reveals those things to us / teaches us

 

B) Again Electricity doesn’t have Intellect

 

Romans 8:26, 26Likewise 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.

 

C) Here the HS is seen praying for us – Jesus lives to make intercession

 

So in these passages we see that the HS has a will / expression / Emotions Intellect – the ability to Communicate

A)Acts 8:25-29 – Here the spirit is seen speaking – how he spoke will talk about in another study

 

B) Acts 10: 19While Peter thought about the vision, the Spirit said to him, “Behold, three men are seeking you. 20Arise therefore, go down and go with them, doubting nothing; for I have sent them.”

 

C) Acts 13:2 2As they ministered to the Lord and fasted, the Holy Spirit said, “Now separate to Me Barnabas and Saul for the work to which I have called them.”

 

D) Now I don’t know about you – but I have never heard electricity speak before –

 

So what we see here is the HS – has Mind / emotions / Intellect / the ability to communicate /

A)When I consider  Him in that way – it seems Ludicrous to pretend to throw him around like a Frisbee / taping into Him like a light socket

 

B) When we think of the Holy Spirit we need to think of Him being the very life & Essence of God in dwelling in us

1)   Of all the Places in the world for the Holy spirit to Dwell – He has chosen to Dwell w/in man to live w/ in our hearts

 

God has placed His spirit in us to work in our lives / there are 160 verses in the Bible talking about the HS being active in the life of man

A)Convicting of Sin / teaching / leading / Chuck Smith – the steam is in the engine not just to blow the whistle but to move the train

 

 B)Testifying or bears witness - Budapest on Wed. – night Greg’s prayer

1)   God our Great Care taker

The Church today is in Desperate need of a Genuine outpouring of God’s spirit upon our lives

A)What we lack is a Yielded ness to the Spirit of God in our Lives  

 

B)Easy to get into our Routines – even when doing spiritual things

Problem it becomes dead & lifeless

 

C) The point of this message tonight is it is not how much of the HS you have / how much of the power / the Electricity

1)   But really how Yielded are you to the Spirit of God that is living inside of You & wants to lead / direct

 

D) Who – loves you just as much as God the father because in reality they are one in the same