Servant
Leadership School
May 5, 2003
Introduction
Old TV quiz shows. The show was
called “What’s My Line?” (1950-1967, 1968-1975)
The object of the game was for four panelists to try to guess unusual
occupations of contestants or a product associated with them.
In 1953, one of the panelists was Steve Allen, who coined the phrase “Is it
bigger than a breadbox?” on the show.
The panel would be introduced to a mystery person. The panel would get to ask ten questions of
the person and then make a guess at what that person did for a living.
On the very first show, the first contestants were Pat Finch (a hat check
girl from the Stork Club), Arthur Feinberg (an executive from the Cascade
Diaper Club), and Dr. Seymour Kolodny (a veterinarian).
Wouldn’t it be embarrassing if you were one of the panelists on the show,
and it turned out that the contestant in front of you actually lived in your
house, yet you couldn’t guess what He did? I want to begin a series tonight about
a “mystery guest”, the Holy Spirit.
The Person of the Holy Spirit
He, not “it”.
The Holy Spirit is not an “it”, the Holy Spirit is a “He”
I think that in many ways, the Holy Spirit is the most misunderstood person
of the Trinity. I think there are more
misconceptions about the Holy Spirit than there are about the Father or the
Son.
One misconception about the Holy Spirit is that He is not a person, but
just a “force”.
We can see this idea in many different places, including the “force” of
Star Wars (“use the force Luke, use the force”)
The eastern world has this non-personal idea in their view of the
world. There’s a Japanese children’s
cartoon where the characters battle each other using things called a “spirit
bomb”. They show the character grunting and
groaning and magically little twinkly things start coming from all around the
world until he has a giant ball of energy in his hand, which he throws and
blows up his enemy.
There was an early Church scholar named Arias, who caused division with his
declaration that God the Father was the only true God, that Jesus was a created
being, and the Holy Spirit was only an essence. This doctrine is known as the
Arian heresy.
The Jehovah’s Witnesses follow the Arian heresy and also see the Holy
Spirit as some kind of impersonal “force”.
In a way, it’s not hard to see where these ideas can come from, because the
Holy Spirit is an interesting person in that we don’t really have a “name” for
Him, we just call Him by a description of what He is.
The Holy Spirit is the most “behind-the-scenes” person of the Trinity in
that He always likes to do things in a way that does not draw attention to
Himself.
(John 16:13-14 KJV) Howbeit when he, the Spirit of truth, is
come, he will guide you into all truth: for he shall not speak of himself; but
whatsoever he shall hear, that shall he speak: and he will show you things to
come. {14} He shall glorify me: for
he shall receive of mine, and shall show it unto you.
The Holy Spirit is constantly drawing people’s attention to Jesus rather
than to Himself.
One of the most obvious ways in which the Holy Spirit doesn’t draw
attention to Himself is the fact that we don’t even call Him by a name, we just
call Him by His title, “The Holy Spirit”.
He has the characteristics of a person
Personal pronouns (masculine, not neuter) are used to refer to Him.
(John 16:7-8 KJV) Nevertheless I tell you the truth; It is
expedient for you that I go away: for if I go not away, the Comforter will not
come unto you; but if I depart, I will send him unto you. {8} And when he
is come, he will reprove the world of sin, and of righteousness, and of
judgment:
Why is this significant? The Greek
word for “spirit” (pneuma) is neuter,
and sometimes the pronouns used for the Spirit are neuter, only because they
need to agree the noun. But here in John
16, Jesus uses masculine pronouns (literally, “Him”, auton, and “that one”, ekeinos)
to describe the Holy Spirit.
He strives
(Gen 6:3 KJV) And the LORD said, My spirit shall not always strive
with man, for that he also is flesh: yet his days shall be an hundred and
twenty years.
He teaches
(John 14:26 KJV) But
the Comforter, which is the Holy Ghost, whom the Father will send in my name, he shall teach you all things, and
bring all things to your remembrance, whatsoever I have said unto you.
He testifies of Jesus
(John 15:26 KJV) But
when the Comforter is come, whom I will send unto you from the Father, even the Spirit of truth, which proceedeth
from the Father, he shall testify of
me:
He guides
(John 16:13 KJV) Howbeit
when he, the Spirit of truth, is
come, he will guide you into all
truth: for he shall not speak of himself; but whatsoever he shall hear, that
shall he speak: and he will show you things to come.
He speaks
(Acts 13:2 KJV) As they ministered to the Lord, and fasted, the Holy Ghost said, Separate me
Barnabas and Saul for the work whereunto I have called them.
He forbids
(Acts 16:6-7 KJV) Now when they had gone throughout Phrygia and the region of Galatia, and were forbidden
of the Holy Ghost to preach the word in Asia, {7} After they were come to Mysia, they assayed to go into Bithynia: but the Spirit suffered them not.
He prays
(Rom 8:26 KJV)
Likewise the Spirit also helpeth our infirmities: for we know not what
we should pray for as we ought: but the Spirit
itself maketh intercession for us with groanings which cannot be uttered.
He loves us
(Rom 15:30 KJV) Now
I beseech you, brethren, for the Lord Jesus Christ's sake, and for the love of the Spirit, that ye strive
together with me in your prayers to God for me;
He has a mind
(Rom 8:27 KJV) And
he that searcheth the hearts knoweth what is the mind of the Spirit, because he maketh intercession for the
saints according to the will of God.
He searches and knows
(1 Cor 2:10-11 KJV)
But God hath revealed them unto us by his Spirit: for the Spirit searcheth all things, yea,
the deep things of God. {11} For what man knoweth the things of a man, save the
spirit of man which is in him? even so the things of God knoweth no man, but the
Spirit of God.
He has opinions about things
(Acts 15:28 KJV) For
it seemed good to the Holy Ghost, and to us, to lay upon you no greater burden
than these necessary things;
He has a will.
(1 Cor 12:11 KJV) But
all these worketh that one and the selfsame Spirit, dividing to every man
severally as he will.
We can do things to the Holy Spirit that require Him being a person
We can lie to Him
(Acts 5:3 KJV) But Peter said, Ananias, why hath Satan
filled thine heart to lie to the Holy Ghost, and to keep back part of the price
of the land?
We can grieve the Spirit
(Eph 4:30 KJV) And
grieve not the holy Spirit of God, whereby ye are sealed unto the day of
redemption.
We can insult Him
(Heb 10:29 KJV) Of
how much sorer punishment, suppose ye, shall he be thought worthy, who hath
trodden under foot the Son of God, and hath counted the blood of the covenant,
wherewith he was sanctified, an unholy thing, and hath done despite unto the
Spirit of grace?
Why is it important that I understand that the Holy Spirit is a person?
How do you treat the electricity in your house? How do you treat a friend that comes to stay
at your house for a visit?
The Bible teaches that when I became a Christian, the Holy Spirit came to
dwell inside of me.
(Eph 1:13-14 KJV) In whom ye also trusted, after that ye heard
the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation: in whom also after that ye
believed, ye were sealed with that holy Spirit of promise, {14} Which is the
earnest of our inheritance until the redemption of the purchased possession,
unto the praise of his glory.
When we believed in Jesus, the Holy Spirit put a “seal” on us, showing
everyone that we belong to God, but more than that, He is in our lives as an
“earnest”, as a kind of down payment on heaven.
He dwells inside of us.
(Rom 8:9 KJV) But ye are not in the flesh, but in the
Spirit, if so be that the Spirit of God dwell in you. Now if any man have not
the Spirit of Christ, he is none of his.
I can’t be a Christian if the Spirit isn’t in me.
Why is it important that I understand that the Holy Spirit is a person?
I don’t have some impersonal “force” inside of me, though the Holy Spirit
can empower me. But I have the third
person of the Godhead, the mighty God Himself living inside of this body.
Illustration
The Job Applicant
Back when the telegraph was the fastest method of long-distance
communication, a young man applied for a job as a Morse Code operator.
Answering an ad in the newspaper, he went to the office address that was
listed. When he arrived, he entered a large, busy office filled with noise and
clatter, including the sound of the telegraph in the background. A sign on the
receptionist’s counter instructed job applicants to fill out a form and wait
until they were summoned to enter the inner office. The young man filled out his form and sat
down with the seven other applicants in the waiting area. After a few minutes,
the young man stood up, crossed the room to the door of the inner office, and
walked right in. Naturally the other
applicants perked up, wondering what was going on. They muttered among
themselves that they hadn’t heard any summons yet. They assumed that the young
man who went into the office made a mistake and would be disqualified. Within a few minutes, however, the employer
escorted the young man out of the office and said to the other applicants, “Gentlemen,
thank you very much for coming, but the job has just been filled.” The other applicants began grumbling to each
other, and one spoke up saying, “Wait a minute, I don’t understand. He was the
last to come in, and we never even got a chance to be interviewed. Yet he got
the job. That’s not fair!” The employer
said, “I’m sorry, but all the time you’ve been sitting here, the telegraph has
been ticking out the following message in Morse Code: ‘If you understand this
message, then come right in. The job is yours.’ None of you heard it or
understood it. This young man did. The job is his.”
If the Holy Spirit is a person, and He’s living in me, He thinks, He has a
will, He guides, He speaks, and He loves me, then perhaps I ought to think
about paying attention to what He wants to do in my life. Perhaps I ought to pay attention to what He
might be saying.
The Deity of the Holy Spirit
He is called God
Acts 5:1-11 tells the story of Ananias
and Sapphira who “lied to the Holy Ghost.” Peter also says, “Thou hast not lied
unto men, but unto God.” Peter equated the Holy Spirit with God.
(Acts 5:3-4 KJV) But Peter said, Ananias, why hath Satan
filled thine heart to lie to the Holy
Ghost, and to keep back part of the price of the land? {4} Whiles it
remained, was it not thine own? and after it was sold, was it not in thine own
power? why hast thou conceived this thing in thine heart? thou hast not lied unto men, but unto God.
He is equated with Yahweh in the Old Testament
In Isaiah 6, Isaiah sees a vision of
Yahweh on His throne. Isaiah uses both
the name of God (Yahweh, Is. 6:3,5) as well as the title “Lord” (Adonai, Is.
6:1,8) to speak about the same person.
God speaks to Isaiah:
(Isa
6:8-10 KJV) Also I heard the voice of
the Lord, saying, Whom shall I send, and who will go for us? Then said I, Here
am I; send me. {9} And he said, Go, and tell this people, Hear ye indeed, but
understand not; and see ye indeed, but perceive not. {10} Make the heart of
this people fat, and make their ears heavy, and shut their eyes; lest they see
with their eyes, and hear with their ears, and understand with their heart, and
convert, and be healed.
Yet Paul tells us that it was the Holy Spirit speaking:
(Acts
28:25-27 KJV) And when they agreed not
among themselves, they departed, after that Paul had spoken one word, Well
spake the Holy Ghost by Esaias the prophet unto our fathers, {26} Saying, Go
unto this people, and say, Hearing ye shall hear, and shall not understand; and
seeing ye shall see, and not perceive: {27} For the heart of this people is
waxed gross, and their ears are dull of hearing, and their eyes have they
closed; lest they should see with their eyes, and hear with their ears, and
understand with their heart, and should be converted, and I should heal them.
What’s even more interesting about this
passage is that John tells us that what Isaiah saw was the glory of JESUS.
(John 12:35-41)
In Jer 31:31-33 Yahweh promises to make
a New Covenant with His people. In Hebrews 10:15-17 it says the Holy Spirit
made the covenant.
(Heb 10:15-17 KJV) Whereof the Holy Ghost also is a witness to
us: for after that he had said before, {16} This is the covenant that I will
make with them after those days, saith the Lord, I will put my laws into their
hearts, and in their minds will I write them; {17} And their sins and
iniquities will I remember no more.
He is considered equal to the Father
and the Son
He works with the Father and the Son in
the church
(1 Cor
12:4-6 KJV) Now there are diversities of
gifts, but the same Spirit. {5} And there are differences of administrations,
but the same Lord. {6} And there are diversities of operations, but it is the
same God which worketh all in all.
Listed as the same type of authority as the Father and the Son
(Mat 28:19 KJV) Go ye
therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and
of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost:
(2 Cor 13:14 KJV)
The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, and the love of God, and the
communion of the Holy Ghost, be with you all. Amen.
He has the attributes of God
There are some things that are unique to God. These things are what set God apart from man.
Creator
Job 33:4 The Spirit of God hath made me, and the
breath of the Almighty hath given me life.
(Psa
104:30 KJV) Thou sendest forth thy
spirit, they are created: and thou renewest the face of the earth.
The Spirit was active in creation.
In Genesis 1:1 the plural word for God,
“Elohim”, indicates that the Trinity worked together.
Genesis 1:2 speaks of the Spirit moving
on the face of the waters.
Genesis 1:26 gives us a glimpse of the Trinity working in
harmony to create man. “Let Us make man in Our image.”
Glory
The phrase “glory of the Lord” appears 38 times in Scripture. Glory is an attribute of God.
1 Peter 4:14 If ye be
reproached for the name of Christ, happy [are ye]; for the spirit of glory and of God resteth upon you: on their part he
is evil spoken of, but on your part he is glorified.
Eternal
Hebrews 9:14 speaks of “the eternal Spirit.”
(Heb 9:14 KJV)
How much more shall the blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered himself
without spot to God, purge your conscience from dead works to serve the living
God?
He never changes. He’s always the same. He’ll always be there.
Omniscient (all knowing)
Paul in 1 Corinthians 2:10-11 says the
things of God are known only by the Spirit.
(1 Cor
2:10-11 KJV) But God hath revealed them unto us by his
Spirit: for the Spirit searcheth all things, yea, the deep things of God. {11}
For what man knoweth the things of a man, save the spirit of man which is in
him? even so the things of God knoweth no man, but the Spirit of God.
If there’s something you need to know,
does the Spirit know it? Yes. Does He have the ability to let you in on
what He knows? Yes. If He doesn’t let you know what’s going on,
perhaps He doesn’t want you to know.
Omnipresent (present everywhere)
In Psalm 139:7 David says the Spirit is
everywhere.
(Psa
139:7 KJV) Whither shall I go from thy
spirit? or whither shall I flee from thy presence?
We can sometimes think that we leave
the Lord outside when we go into a place where we don’t belong. Yet He’s there with us even there.
Omnipotent (all powerful)
In talking about the conception of
Jesus, an angel speaks of the Holy Spirit as the power of the Highest.
Luke 1:35 And the angel answered and said unto her, The Holy Ghost shall come upon thee, and
the power of the Highest shall overshadow thee: therefore also that holy
thing which shall be born of thee shall be called the Son of God.
He is the source of miraculous power
Jesus said,
Matthew 12:28 But if I cast out devils by the Spirit of
God, then the kingdom of God is come unto you.
God does miracles, the Spirit does miracles:
Acts 19:11 And God
wrought special miracles by the hands of Paul:
Romans 15:19 Through
mighty signs and wonders, by the power of the Spirit of God; so that from Jerusalem, and round about unto Illyricum, I have fully preached the gospel of Christ.
There is NOTHING He can’t do. If you need something done, can He do it?
Why is this important?
We’ve talked about the Spirit being a “person”. We can relate to Him. But He’s not just any
old person, He’s God.
We aren’t talking about learning to rely on any old person, we’re talking
about God here.
He isn’t some “genie” in a bottle who is here to do your beck and call. He the
Sovereign God, and we ought to learn to submit to Him.
He is all powerful and there’s nothing He can’t do. And He lives inside of us. Amazing.
For some of you, it’s possible that you’ve never taken the first step, that
of opening your heart to Jesus and having the Holy Spirit come and live inside
of you. Open your heart to Jesus.