Today we are going to start a seven part series looking at the Holy Spirit. Elim has produced a Holy Spirit Course, which is video-based, and a book. We will be able to show the course as a follow up to Alpha, in Growth Groups and YA. But what we are going to do before that is to preach through the big themes abut the Holy Spirit. Buckle up, here we go.
When I became a Christian it was from a non-church background. In fact, it was the opposite. My mother had been acting a spiritual medium on our estate. She held séances in our home, used to read tea-leaves (due to Romany background) and at one point wrote the horoscopes for the Reading Evening Post. I have seen and experienced things in that house that I knew were powerful.
Now the supernatural gets a bad wrap because of the enemy's counterfeit. But the bad stuff comes under the heading of “occult’ which means hidden. It’s done in secret. The Bible warns us about this (Deut 18: 9-14; 2 Chron 33:6; Galatians 5:19-20).
The good supernatural is the genuine power of the Holy Spirit at work. When I came to church people would talk about the power of God. Now, I was saved. There was joy and peace. But when people talked about power I was did not need convincing; I knew there was supernatural power. What I did not see was a demonstration of this. The five months after I became a Christian my pastor, John Harrison, took me to a youth camp just outside of Clacton. There, I was baptised in the Holy Spirit. I stood there singing in tongues from about 9pm until 2am in the morning. Everyone else had gone to bed, apart from Pastor Mervin Tilley who stayed with me. I had no idea. I was just in God’s presence.
I want you to know, there is more to being a Christian than coming to church. There is POWER! Power for living, for witness, for miracles.
Now, I will talk more about this is later on in the series. Pastor’s Jess, Ellie and I will unpack the truth of the Bible for you.
The Holy Spirit is just that. He is Holy - which means there is something special about Him. He is Spirit, which means there is something supernatural going on.
The Holy Spirit is a Person
On the OT and NT we see that the Holy Spirit is spoken of as a person. He is not an it, a force, a thing.
- The Holy Spirit thinks - Acts 15:28. The apostles sought the opinion of the Holy Sprit.
- The Holy Spirit speaks - Acts 1:16; John 14:26. Hearing from God is a significant part of Christina discipleship (John 10:27).
- The Holy Spirit leads people - Romans 8:14: For those who are led by the Spirit of God are the children of God. Galatians 5:25: Since we live by the Spirit, let us keep in step with the Spirit. These verses are not about letting go and being irresponsible with decision making, but rather about living a life full of the Spirit. Isaiah 30:21: Whether you turn to the right or to the left, your ears will hear a voice behind you, saying, ‘This is the way; walk in it.’ The leading of the Spirit can be a ‘check’ in our hearts. Don’t go this way, don’t make that comment on socials, do spake to that person about me, do give that person a gift. Not everything always goes well, as I previously said, but being led will be significant in the story of our spiritual growth.
- The Holy Spirit has feelings - Ephesians 4:30. Don’t grieve Him.
The Holy Spirit is God
There is a word we use to theologically describe how God the Father, God the Son, and God The Holy Spirit, are one but three: Trinity. Now, that word does not appear int he Bible, it is describing a biblical truth.
What does this mean? Well, it’s a mystery. I once spent three weeks unpacking this for the church I pastored at the time. The best picture of this I have found it this (on screen), but most illustrations fall into some kind of heresy. It is okay to live in the mystery!
When we describe Father God, or Jesus as God, or the Holy Spirt as God, we are describing the aspects of God that He has revealed Himself as. He has revealed Himself as Father/Creator; as the Son and Sacrifice; as the Holy Spirit who seals salvation and empowers us. If we could describe Him fully He would not be God.
Because the Holy Spirit is God, He is:
All-Powerful: Genesis 1:2 tells us the Sprit was hovering over the waters. By the Spirit’s power the whole world came into being.
All-Knowing: John 16:13-15. Two of the gifts of the Holy Spirit described in 1 Corinthians 12 are called, ‘a word of knowledge’ and a ‘word of wisdom’; we will look at both of these in future messages. He knows!
He is Present-Everywhere: We are sent out into the word in the name of the Father, Son and Spirit (Matthew 28:19-20). He is in us but He is everywhere else too (Psalm 139:7-8).
The Holy Spirit Inspired the Written Scriptures
The Holy Spirit literally breathed into the 40 authors, across three continents, across sixty-six books, over 1500 hundred years, for the Bible as we have it today to come into existence. That is why the Bible can seen as a coherent, orderly, an organised whole, all pointing to Jesus.
2 Timothy 3:16-17: All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness, 17 so that the servant of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work.
Jesus and the Holy Spirit
Luke 3:21-22: When all the people were being baptised, Jesus was baptised too. And as he was praying, heaven was opened 22 and the Holy Spirit descended on him in bodily form like a dove. And a voice came from heaven: ‘You are my Son, whom I love; with you I am well pleased.’
If you read this carefully, you see the Father, Son and Holy Spirit, all in action in two verses (we will come back to this in a minute).
Immediately after the Father, Son and Holy Spirit being united here, the gospel of Luke talks about Jesus being full of the Spirit and returning to Galilee in the power of the Spirit (Luke 4: 1, 14).
Jesus describes this as The Spirit of the Lord is upon me… (Luke 4:18).
Jesus Resisted the Devil in the Power of the Spirit
Jesus after His is baptised sends forty days and nights in the wilderness. He faces a real battle with temptation (Luke 4:1-2).
It is in the fire of testing that Jesus draws on the power of the Spirit.
During this time the devil mocked, taunted and tempted Jesus, “If you are the Son of God…” (Matt 4:3-6).
Why would we imagine that we need anything less the power and presence of the Holy Spirit to overcome the devil?
When we do receive the power of the Holy Spirt, we will face greater problems. Life does not go smoothly. The power of the Spirit is not to give us comfortable life. His power propels us into the heat of the battle for the souls of the lost.
Jesus Fulfilled His Ministry in the Power of the Spirit
Luke 4:18-19: ‘The Spirit of the Lord is on me, because he has anointed me to proclaim good news to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim freedom for the prisoners and recovery of sight for the blind,
to set the oppressed free, 19 to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favour.’ (from Isaiah 61:1-2).
The amazing miracles, signs and wonders, Jesus performed were in the power of the Holy Spirit. He worked and walked in the power of the Holy Spirit. He promised the same power of the Holy Spirit could fill every Christian, which began at on the Day of Pentecost (Acts 2).
John 14:12: Very truly I tell you, whoever believes in me will do the works I have been doing, and they will do even greater things than these, because I am going to the Father.
We can experience the baptism of the Holy Spirit and be made ready for a life of service and ministry to others.
The Holy Spirit is the Spirit of Mission
Mission is at the heart of God, He is the sending God.
John 20:21-22: Jesus said, ‘Peace be with you! As the Father has sent me, I am sending you.’ 22 And with that he breathed on them and said, ‘Receive the Holy Spirit.
The Holy Spirit is God’s Promise to Us Too
The Pentecostal church is the fastest growing church in the world. It carries signs of the presence and power of the Holy Spirit.
Joel 2:28-29: And afterwards, I will pour out my Spirit on all people. Your sons and daughters will prophesy, your old men will dream dreams, your young men will see visions. Even on my servants, both men and women, I will pour out my Spirit in those days.Matthew 3:11:
Acts 1:5 & 8: For John baptised with water, but in a few days you will be baptised with the Holy Spirit.’… But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you; and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.’
Landing:
Some of you are considering this and wanting to know more. That’s okay, but you will need to be making sure not to miss these messages.
Some of you, you are ready and eager for the baptism of the Holy Spirit, even though today has just been an introduction. Come forward and we will pray for you.
Some of you need a fresh infilling (Ephesians 5:18). Come get a refill.
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