John 16:7 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 depart, I will send Him to you.
This is where we left off with the previous messages
Introduction
The words translated “Holy Spirit” convey the concept of power. In the original Greek the phrase for “Holy Spirit” is hagios pneuma, meaning literally “holy wind.” Pneuma can also mean breath, as in “the breath [pneuma] of life” (; compare Genesis 7:15).
The Holman Bible Dictionary summarizes the comparison of God’s Spirit to wind and breath in the Old Testament: “In one sense the Spirit of God is depicted as a mighty wind, [with] Hebrew using the same word ruach for wind, breath, and spirit
Acts 2:1 When the Day of Pentecost had fully come, they were all with one accord in one place.
Acts 2:2 And suddenly there came a sound from heaven, as of a rushing mighty wind, and it filled the whole house where they were sitting.
Acts 2:3 Then there appeared to them divided tongues, as of fire, and one sat upon each of them.
Acts 2:4 And they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak with other tongues, as the Spirit gave them utterance.
Holy Spirit is not a person or a part of a trinity
See previous message: The God of the Old Testament
Jesus Christ prayed to and addressed the Father, not the Holy Spirit,
He never represented the Holy Spirit as His Father even though He was begotten by it
Jesus Christ did not speak of the Holy Spirit as a third divine person; instead He only spoke of the relationship between Him and God the Father. John 14:28 …My Father is greater than I. (Not co-equal)
Paul didn’t acknowledge the trinity (in writings or greetings) — oversight if the Holy Spirit were indeed a person coequal with God and Jesus Christ.
He didn’t clarify to a polytheistic society.
Things like 1 John 5:7 which was added; the personification of the Holy Spirit; and poor choice of pronouns (he vs it); can all be easily explained.
The Holy Spirit is referred to in many ways that would dispel the notion that it was a person
What is the Holy Spirit?
God is Holy Spirit
Psalms 99:9 Exalt the LORD our God, And worship at His holy hill; For the LORD our God is holy.
John 4:24 God is Spirit, and those who worship Him must worship in spirit and truth.”
God is Holy and God is Spirit. He is then the very personification of THE Holy Spirit.
Jesus Christ is Spirit
2 Corinthians 3:17 Now the Lord is the Spirit; and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is liberty.
Philippians 1:19 For I know that this will turn out for my deliverance through your prayer and the supply of the Spirit of Jesus Christ,
The Holy Spirit-the Power of God
When we pray to God, asking for His Holy Spirit, we are asking for the power of God that comes from both the Father and from the Son.
This is what the disciples were waiting for (Passover to Pentecost)
Luke 24:49 Behold, I send the Promise of My Father upon you; but tarry in the city of Jerusalem until you are endued with power from on high.”
Acts 1:8 But you shall receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you shall be witnesses to Me in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth.”
Power of God: to Create, Transform, and Sustain
Makes
Jeremiah 51:15 He has made the earth by His power; He has established the world by His wisdom, And stretched out the heaven by His understanding.
Changes
Psalms 104:30 You send forth Your Spirit, they are created; And You renew the face of the earth.
Genesis 1:2 The earth was without form, and void; and darkness was on the face of the deep. And the Spirit of God was hovering over the face of the waters.
Genesis 1:3 Then God said, “Let there be light”; and there was light.
Keeps
Nehemiah 9:6 You alone are the LORD; You have made heaven, The heaven of heavens, with all their host, The earth and everything on it, The seas and all that is in them, And You preserve them all. The host of heaven worships You.
It is the creative, transformative and sustaining power of God, but not only for the physical but more importantly for the spiritual. It is this power that God gives to us to for the purpose of His greatest creation – us, as family members along with Him and Christ.
1 Samuel 2:2 “No one is holy like the LORD, For there is none besides You, Nor is there any rock like our God.
1 Peter 1:15 but as He who called you is holy, you also be holy in all your conduct,
1 Peter 1:16 because it is written, “BE HOLY, FOR I AM HOLY.”
He accomplishes this in us by giving us an earnest of His spirit at the laying on of hands. From that point forward it can dwell in us.
It Defines us as a Christian
By dwelling in us we become a Christian and a part of the Church
Romans 8:7 Because the carnal mind is enmity against God; for it is not subject to the law of God, nor indeed can be.
Romans 8:8 So then, those who are in the flesh cannot please God.
Romans 8:9 But you are not in the flesh but in the Spirit, if indeed the Spirit of God dwells in you. Now if anyone does not have the Spirit of Christ, he is not His.
We are still human at this time, but we are not to be acting according to the flesh, the way that we used to.
Definition of a Christian: We must have the spirit of God in us to “be His” to be a true Christian!
It Makes a Work in Us Possible
John 5:30 I can of Myself do nothing. As I hear, I judge; and My judgment is righteous, because I do not seek My own will but the will of the Father who sent Me.
Think of all that Jesus Christ accomplished: healings, walking on water; living a sinless life; overcoming Satan; and the many works that are unable to be contained in Bible – He did by the power of the Holy Spirit in Him. He said He could not have done it by Himself as a fleshly human being.
John 14:10 Do you not believe that I am in the Father, and the Father in Me? The words that I speak to you I do not speak on My own authority; but the Father who dwells in Me does the works.
In much the same way that it does for us.
Ways in which the Holy Spirit Works
We know Him
1 Corinthians 12:3 Therefore I make known to you that no one speaking by the Spirit of God calls Jesus accursed, and no one can say that Jesus is Lord except by the Holy Spirit.
We can know Jesus Christ, who He was and what He did. The example that He set – the one that we are to follow
The Holy Spirit is the means by which we can understand God
It is how He communicates to us.
1 Corinthians 2:10 But God has revealed them to us through His Spirit. For the Spirit searches all things, yes, the deep things of God.
1 Corinthians 2:11 For what man knows the things of a man except the spirit of the man which is in him? Even so no one knows the things of God except the Spirit of God.
1 Corinthians 2:12 Now we have received, not the spirit of the world, but the Spirit who is from God, that we might know the things that have been freely given to us by God.
1 Corinthians 2:16 For “WHO HAS KNOWN THE MIND OF THE LORD THAT HE MAY INSTRUCT HIM?” But we have the mind of Christ.
2 Timothy 1:6 Therefore I remind you to stir up the gift of God which is in you through the laying on of my hands.
2 Timothy 1:7 For God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power and of love and of a sound mind.
Philippians 2:1 Therefore if there is any consolation in Christ, if any comfort of love, if any fellowship of the Spirit, if any affection and mercy,
Philippians 2:2 fulfill my joy by being like-minded, having the same love, being of one accord, of one mind.
Philippians 2:3 Let nothing be done through selfish ambition or conceit, but in lowliness of mind let each esteem others better than himself.
Philippians 2:4 Let each of you look out not only for his own interests, but also for the interests of others.
Philippians 2:5 Let this mind be in you which was also in Christ Jesus,
Teaches
1 Corinthians 2:13 These things we also speak, not in words which man’s wisdom teaches but which the Holy Spirit teaches, comparing spiritual things with spiritual.
1 Corinthians 2:14 But the natural man does not receive the things of the Spirit of God, for they are foolishness to him; nor can he know them, because they are spiritually discerned.
Many do not believe in the Ten Commandments much less things like: turn the other cheek. They cannot be understood otherwise
Understanding and Insight
Isaiah 11:2 The Spirit of the LORD shall rest upon Him, The Spirit of wisdom and understanding, The Spirit of counsel and might, The Spirit of knowledge and of the fear of the LORD.
Until the disciples received the Holy Spirit on Pentecost, they were lost.
John 16:12 “I still have many things to say to you, but you cannot bear them now.
John 16:13 However, 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.
Continued Growth in Understanding
John 14:26 But the Helper, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in My name, it will teach you all things, and bring to your remembrance all things that I said to you.
Not only did they not understand some things from before and there were many more things going forward for them to grow in: Gentiles; Circumcision; Jesus Christ was not to return in their time. Like babes we start out with the milk before moving on to the meat. God builds upon what He has taught you.
Leads Us
Romans 8:14 For as many as are led by the Spirit of God, these are sons of God.
The intimation here is that this is being done continually.
This further defines: Who is a true Christian – those currently being led
This is not a one-time event, where you accept the Lord and then that is it.
Romans 8:13 For if you live according to the flesh you will die; but if by the Spirit you put to death the deeds of the body, you will live.
We must continually act in the manner that we were describing in the previous verse. If we do then we can be considered a Christian and a Son of God because we have that earnest of the spirit working in us.
Leads us away from sin towards obedience in His way
Power to Obey
Now that were learning what to do – the actual following through on it was necessary. This also was to be accomplished by the Holy Spirt.
1 Peter 1:22 Since you have purified your souls in obeying the truth through the Spirit in sincere love of the brethren, love one another fervently with a pure heart,
Example: conversion of Saul/Paul ability to transform that we are talking about
Builds on itself
Acts 5:32 And we are His witnesses to these things, and so also is the Holy Spirit whom God has given to those who obey Him.”
Helps with Weaknesses
Romans 8:26 Likewise 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.
Romans 8:27 Now He who searches the hearts knows what the mind of the Spirit is, because He makes intercession for the saints according to the will of God.
Reveals
Ephesians 3:5 which in other ages was not made known (Mystery of Christ) to the sons of men, as it has now been revealed by the Spirit to His holy apostles and prophets:
Not just revelation of this mystery or things like the book of revelation, but those things when you read them or hear them, they seem so plain and straight forward – that is the power of the Holy Spirit to reveal.
Ephesians 1:17 that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, may give to you the spirit of wisdom and revelation in the knowledge of Him, (ties in with point about knowing Him above)
Moves and Inspires
2 Peter 1:19 And so we have the prophetic word confirmed, which you do well to heed as a light that shines in a dark place, until the day dawns and the morning star rises in your hearts;
2 Peter 1:20 knowing this first, that no prophecy of Scripture is of any private interpretation,
2 Peter 1:21 for prophecy never came by the will of man, but holy men of God spoke as they were moved by the Holy Spirit.
Peter in Acts 2; Stephen in Acts 6:8 And Stephen, full of faith and power, did great wonders and signs among the people. Acts 6:10 And they were not able to resist the wisdom and the Spirit by which he spoke.
2 Timothy 3:16 All Scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness,
Comforter
John 14:26 But the Helper [Comforter], the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in My name, it will teach you all things, and bring to your remembrance all things that I said to you.
Easier to understand that this is a personification of the Holy Spirit
1 John 2:1 My little children, these things I write to you, so that you may not sin. And if anyone sins, we have an Advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous.
Parakletos means literally one “called to one’s side” or “to one’s aid” (Vine’s Complete Expository Dictionary of Old and New Testament Words, 1985, “Comfort, Comforter, Comfortless”). In the Greek usage of the time it was often used to refer to a legal counsel who pleaded one’s case before a court
We can see how that relates to what it does for us
Paul:
2 Corinthians 1:3 Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies and God of all comfort,
2 Corinthians 1:4 who comforts us in all our tribulation, that we may be able to comfort those who are in any trouble, with the comfort with which we ourselves are comforted by God.
2 Corinthians 1:5 For as the sufferings of Christ abound in us, so our consolation also abounds through Christ.
2 Corinthians 1:6 Now if we are afflicted, it is for your consolation and salvation, which is effective for enduring the same sufferings which we also suffer. Or if we are comforted, it is for your consolation and salvation.
2 Corinthians 1:7 And our hope for you is steadfast, because we know that as you are partakers of the sufferings, so also you will partake of the consolation.
Holy Spirit Bears Fruit
Love
Romans 5:3 And not only that, but we also glory in tribulations, knowing that tribulation produces perseverance;
Romans 5:4 and perseverance, character; and character, hope.
Romans 5:5 Now hope does not disappoint, because the love of God has been poured out in our hearts by the Holy Spirit who was given to us.
This is what the Holy Spirit produces in us
Galatians 5:22 But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, kindness, goodness, faithfulness,
Galatians 5:23 gentleness, self-control. Against such there is no law.
Galatians 5:24 And those who are Christ’s have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires.
Galatians 5:25 If we live in the Spirit, let us also walk in the Spirit.
John 7:37 On the last day, that great day of the feast, Jesus stood and cried out, saying, “If anyone thirsts, let him come to Me and drink.
John 7:38 He who believes in Me, as the Scripture has said, out of his heart will flow rivers of living water.” [Just as it does Christ]
John 7:39 But this He spoke concerning the Spirit, whom those believing in Him would receive; for the Holy Spirit was not yet given, because Jesus was not yet glorified.
Gives LIFE
Romans 8:10 And if Christ is in you, the body is dead because of sin, but the Spirit is life because of righteousness.
Romans 8:11 But if the Spirit of Him who raised Jesus from the dead dwells in you, He who raised Christ from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies through His Spirit who dwells in you.
Necessary for the Kingdom of God
John 3:3 Jesus answered and said to him, “Most assuredly, I say to you, unless one is born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God.”
John 3:4 Nicodemus said to Him, “How can a man be born when he is old? Can he enter a second time into his mother’s womb and be born?”
John 3:5 Jesus answered, “Most assuredly, I say to you, unless one is born of water and the Spirit, he cannot enter the kingdom of God.
Spirit of God is same as Holy Spirit
We are now, born of flesh — and therefore we are flesh when we are born of God, as God is, they will be Spirit.
The Holy Spirit makes us begotten Sons of God
the Family of God consists only of the Father and the Son
and when we are born of God — of the Spirit — we shall be Spirit
John 3:6 That which is born of the flesh is flesh, and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit.
John 3:7 Do not marvel that I said to you, ‘You must be born again.’
John 3:8 The wind blows where it wishes, and you hear the sound of it, but cannot tell where it comes from and where it goes. So is everyone who is born of the Spirit.”
2 Peter 1:4 by which have been given to us exceedingly great and precious promises, that through these you may be partakers of the divine nature, having escaped the corruption that is in the world through lust.
Romans 8:15 For you did not receive the spirit of bondage again to fear, but you received the Spirit of adoption by whom we cry out, “Abba, Father.”
spirit of bondage [slavery] not to fear; God’s spirit is one of freedom and liberality and does not weigh us down with any type of burdensome yoke.
But rather it is a Spirit that leads to “sonship”
Conclusion
A force for change
Transforms into new creation
We are His greatest creation (by transformation)
2 Corinthians 5:17 Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; old things have passed away; behold, all things have become new.
I am sure that all of this does not do it justice
Ephesians 3:19 to know the love of Christ which passes knowledge; that you may be filled with all the fullness of God.
Ephesians 3:20 Now to Him who is able to do exceedingly abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that works in us,
We might ask: What doesn’t it do? With God all things are possible!
Matthew 19:26 But Jesus looked at them and said to them, “With men this is impossible, but with God all things are possible.”