Servant
School
May 11, 2003
The Work of the Holy Spirit
We’ve talked about the Holy Spirit as a person. He’s not some impersonal force, He’s a real
person. We have a relationship with real
people. And we’ve talked about the deity
of the Holy Spirit. He isn’t just any
old person, He’s God.
Illustration
One day while walking with some children, Queen Mary was caught in a sudden
shower. Quickly taking shelter on the
porch of a home, she knocked at the door and asked to borrow an umbrella. “I’ll
send it back tomorrow,” she said. The
queen had deliberately disguised her appearance by putting on a hat that partly
covered her face and by wearing some very plain clothes. The householder,
reluctant to give a stranger her best umbrella, offered her a castoff she found
in the attic. One rib was broken and
there were several holes in it. Apologizing, she turned it over to the monarch,
whom she did not recognize. The next day
she had another visitor—a man with gold braid on his uniform and an envelope in
his hand. “The queen sent me with this
letter,” he said, “and also asked me to thank you personally for the loan of
your umbrella.” Stunned, the woman burst
into tears. “Oh, what an opportunity I missed that I did not give her my very
best,” she cried.
The Bible says that as Christians, the Holy Spirit dwells inside of
us. Do we recognize who it is that lives
in us and just what kinds of things He desires to do in us?
With, In, Upon
First I think we need to stop and look at the three kinds of relationships
the Holy Spirit has to people. These
three kinds of relationships can be described by three prepositions, “with”
(Greek para), “in” (en), and “upon” (epi).
We see two of them being used by Jesus
in:
(John
14:16-17 KJV) And I will pray the
Father, and he shall give you another Comforter, that he may abide with you for
ever; {17} Even the Spirit of truth; whom the world cannot receive, because it
seeth him not, neither knoweth him: but ye know him; for he dwelleth with you, and shall
be in you.
1.
With
When the Holy Spirit is “with” us, He is along side of us to encourage us,
comfort us, and to convict us.
The Holy Spirit may be doing these things in anybody’s life, whether or not
they are a believer.
2.
In
When we receive Jesus in our heart, the Holy Spirit comes to live “in” us.
A person who does not have the Holy Spirit living “in” their heart cannot
be a Christian.
Rom. 8:9 … Now if any man have not the Spirit of
Christ, he is none of his.
The third word is used by Jesus in:
(Acts 1:8 KJV) But ye shall
receive power, after that the Holy Ghost is come upon you: and ye shall be witnesses unto me both in Jerusalem, and in all Judaea, and in Samaria, and unto the
uttermost part of the earth.
3.
Upon
When a person has the Holy Spirit come “upon” them.
This is the power of God working dynamically in your life.
Illustration
One way of thinking of about the difference between the Holy Spirit being
“in” you and “upon” you is by thinking about glasses and water.
If I pour water from a pitcher and fill the glass in front of you, the
water is “in” the glass.
If I pour water into the glass, but let it keep flowing from the pitcher,
overflowing the glass and soaking everything around it, that’s the “upon” kind
of relationship.
This is what’s known as the “baptism” of the Holy Spirit, as we’ll see
later.
The “With” Works
I’m going to try and divide the things that the Holy Spirit does by these
three words, “with”, “in”, and “upon”. The “with” works of the Holy Spirit are
the things that the Holy Spirit desires to do for everyone, whether or not they
are a believer in Jesus.
Conviction
(John 16:8 NASB) "And
He, when He comes, will convict the world concerning sin, and righteousness,
and judgment;
The Holy Spirit works in the lives of people around us, convicting them of
their need for a Savior, of their need for Jesus.
When we share with others about our relationship with Jesus, sometimes we
can fall into the trap of thinking that we need to be convicting people of
their sin. But that’s the job of the
Holy Spirit.
Sometimes you don’t even have to say anything. Sometimes just having the Holy Spirit at work
in you is enough to make people feel guilty about their sin.
The “In” Works
1. Assurance
He assures us of our Salvation:
(Rom 8:16
KJV) The Spirit itself beareth witness
with our spirit, that we are the children of God:
(Gal 4:6 KJV) And because ye
are sons, God hath sent forth the Spirit of his Son into your hearts, crying,
Abba, Father.
You don’t usually call someone “Daddy” unless they are your Father. The Spirit reminds us that we are God’s
children.
It is very common for a Christian to
doubt their salvation. It’s common but
it’s also a sign of spiritual immaturity. God doesn’t want you to stay there.
God’s desire is not that we live in a state of constantly questioning our
relationship with Him. Part of the
Spirit’s job is to show us that we belong to God.
If you have been questioning whether or
not you are saved, go back to the basics:
(1 John 5:9-13 KJV) If we receive the witness of men, the witness
of God is greater: for this is the witness of God which he hath testified of
his Son. {10} He that believeth on the Son of God hath the witness in himself:
he that believeth not God hath made him a liar; because he believeth not the
record that God gave of his Son. {11} And this is the record, that God hath
given to us eternal life, and this life is in his Son. {12} He that hath the
Son hath life; and he that hath not the Son of God hath not life. {13} These
things have I written unto you that believe on the name of the Son of God; that
ye may know that ye have eternal life, and that ye may believe on the name of
the Son of God.
Do you believe that Jesus Christ died
on the cross and paid for your sins? Have you asked Jesus to be your
Savior?
If you have Jesus, then you have
eternal life. If you have Jesus, then
the Holy Spirit (the witness) is IN
you, and you need to simply work at listening to Him more than you listen to
the other voices that tell you that you don’t belong to God.
2. He seals us
(Eph 1:13 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
sealed – sphragizo
– to set a seal upon, mark with a seal, to seal.
In the days when the Bible was written,
the seal was used primarily as a stamp of ownership. Roman merchants would
travel to Ephesus to choose their goods, stamp them with their
signet rings, and then return home. When their goods arrived at the port near Rome, the merchants claimed their merchandise that
they had sealed.
The seal was used for security
reasons. It said to all other merchants
or pirates, “Keep your hands off this stuff!
It belongs to me!”
The seal showed ownership. It was a mark of authenticity, to place
beyond doubt that this item belonged to you.
Once we believe, God claims us as His
possessions and puts His seal on us. The
Holy Spirit at work in our lives is authentication that we belong to God, but
it the Holy Spirit is also a marker telling all others (including Satan) to
keep their hands off!
3. He comforts
(John
14:16-17 KJV) And I will pray the
Father, and he shall give you another Comforter, that he may abide with you for
ever; {17} Even the Spirit of truth; whom the world cannot receive, because it
seeth him not, neither knoweth him: but ye know him; for he dwelleth with you,
and shall be in you.
another – allos – another
of the same kind
Comforter – parakletos –
called to one’s side to help
Jesus is telling the disciples that He has been their Comforter.
We use the English word “comforter” to describe a quilt on your bed that
you can snuggle up in when you’re cold. That’s not all that bad.
Jesus has been that source of warmth and comfort to the disciples.
He has been the one there to pray for them. He has been the one that was
there to help them. He’s the one who’s
been there to answer all their questions.
Jesus had been there to answer all their questions. Wouldn’t it have been incredible to have lived
with Jesus for three years? Ask Him any
question? We have the Holy Spirit, the
“other” comforter alongside us.
4. He works truth in us
John 16:13
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 shew
you things to come.
The Holy Spirit is marked by truth, gives truth, and defends truth. (A.T.
Robertson)
If we are going to get close to the Holy Spirit, we’re going to also be
having a close encounter with the truth.
There’s no need for telling stories.
Don’t be afraid of the truth.
Live in reality.
5. He teaches us
We need His work in our lives to be able to comprehend the things of God
(1Cor. 2:9-14)
He teaches and helps us remember:
John
14:26 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.
Teaching: He will
give us fresh understanding into the Scriptures.
I am always amazed at the things the
Holy Spirit will bring out of the Scriptures.
It’s not uncommon for me to start preparing a message on a certain
passage, wondering what in the world the passage even means. But after studying and studying, I am amazed
at the things I learn. Sometimes I learn
stuff through other teachers, like when I’m reading commentaries on the various
passages. But it’s not uncommon for me
to have the majority of my study in place after simply reading the passage five
or six times, learning things I never saw before in a particular passage, and
then finding that the commentaries agreed on what I had found!
I find it amazing that even after
having taught a passage, if I am going back through a particular book for
another study, how I’ll learn even more from the same passage. God’s Word is so rich, full, and deep. There are many, many treasures in God’s Word,
if we’ll only take the time to be taught.
Remembrance: He
will also bring the Scriptures back to our mind at certain special times. I haven’t gotten to the point where I’ve
quoted whole chapters, but I’ve been amazed lately at how certain Scriptures
will pop into my mind during a message and I’m able to quote them, I think word
for word. Things I haven’t
memorized. And they’re incredibly
appropriate for the moment.
A
note about remembering: You can’t remember what you haven’t ever
learned. Get into the Word. Study the Word. Hide it in your heart.
6. He guides us
John 16:13 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 shew
you things to come.
The Holy Spirit guides us into truth in
the sense of helping us discern right from wrong, truth from error.
show you - anaggello - to
announce, make known; literally, “to be a messenger from God right in your
midst”. NAS – “He will disclose to you what is to come”
Personal Example:
My wife and I met at church, and when we first started dating, I was kind
of a mean guy, breaking up with her twice.
During one of the times that we were broken up, and she was depressed and
upset, she felt that the Lord was speaking to her that she would marry me one
day, and that she would be a pastor’s wife.
She wrote it down on a piece of paper, and tucked it away in her Bible.
It wasn’t until after we were married, that she thought about the paper,
and showed it to me.
If she had told me this before we
were married, I might have been scared off.
I’ve known people who have used this trick to try and hook a mate, and I
shudder.
But the fact that it came true, without using it to twist my arm, showed me
that it was from the Lord.
And to think, we almost didn’t get married, several times!
Illustration
A few years ago I helped take one of our kids’ classes on a field trip a
few weeks ago. We were taking the kids
all the way through L.A., and so I
suggested that those drivers that had cell phones swap phone numbers so we
could stay in touch in case we got separated.
We got everyone’s phone numbers, then took off. I was the last car, and got separated
immediately from everyone, even before we got on the freeway. I thought, “Aha, I’ll just phone them and
tell them to drive slowly until I catch up!”
But they all had their phones turned off!
The Holy Spirit would like to guide us, but we need to be sure we’re ready
to hear.
7. He testifies about Jesus
(John 15:26-27 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: {27} And ye also shall bear witness,
because ye have been with me from the beginning.
His job is not to draw attention to Himself, His job is to be a witness
about Jesus.
A test of the Spirit’s presence is to see Who’s in the spotlight.
How do we know when the Holy Spirit has been really at work during church?
Is it by the amount of teary eyes we see?
Is it when everybody starts swaying to the music, or lifting their hands
during worship?
Is it when people are “slain in the Spirit”?
Is it by the number of “hallelujahs” shouted out during the service?
Is it when everybody begins to speak in tongues?
Some of these things may indeed be a work of the Holy Spirit, but the main
test of whether the Holy Spirit has been allowed to do His job, is whether or
not people are talking about JESUS!
8. He helps us pray
(Rom 8:26-27 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. {27}
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.
We have a hard time knowing how to pray.
Why?
We ask with the wrong motives. (James 4:1-3)
We don’t understand what really needs to be done.
How does the Holy Spirit help us pray?
Sometimes He prompts us, giving us an
idea to pray for somebody.
Sometimes we just groan, and while
we’re groaning, He’s praying.
I think that praying in tongues can
also be a way in which the Holy Spirit prays for us, even though we don’t know
how to pray.
9. He makes us “holy”
Holiness is not an optional thing for a Christian. It comes with the territory.
(1 Th 4:1-8 KJV) Furthermore
then we beseech you, brethren, and exhort you by the Lord Jesus, that as ye
have received of us how ye ought to walk and to please God, so ye would abound
more and more. {2} For ye know what commandments we gave you by the Lord Jesus.
{3} For this is the will of God,
even your sanctification, that ye
should abstain from fornication: {4} That every one of you should know how to
possess his vessel in sanctification and honour; {5} Not in the lust of
concupiscence, even as the Gentiles which know not God: {6} That no man go
beyond and defraud his brother in any matter: because that the Lord is the
avenger of all such, as we also have forewarned you and testified. {7} For God
hath not called us unto uncleanness, but unto holiness. {8} He therefore that
despiseth, despiseth not man, but God, who hath also given unto us his holy Spirit.
God’s will is for us to be holy. It’s not an option. Here, in writing to the Thessalonians, Paul
gives the example of not living in immorality.
Immorality is defined as any kind of sex outside the boundaries of
marriage. But holiness goes far beyond
the issues of immorality.
If you have a problem with wanting to
be holy, your problem isn’t with me, it’s with God. Your problem is with the “Holy” Spirit, whose
purpose it is to produce holiness in your life.
10. He produces “fruit”
You can tell a tree by the kind of
fruit it produces.
If the Holy Spirit is really at work in
your life, then you will see things naturally appear. These aren’t things that you have to work at
to manufacture, they are things that happen because the Spirit is working in
your life.
(Gal
5:19-23 NLT) When you follow the desires
of your sinful nature, your lives will produce these evil results: sexual
immorality, impure thoughts, eagerness for lustful pleasure, {20} idolatry,
participation in demonic activities, hostility, quarreling, jealousy, outbursts
of anger, selfish ambition, divisions, the feeling that everyone is wrong
except those in your own little group, {21} envy, drunkenness, wild parties,
and other kinds of sin. Let me tell you again, as I have before, that anyone
living that sort of life will not inherit the Kingdom of God. {22} But when the Holy
Spirit controls our lives, he will produce this kind of fruit in us: love, joy,
peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, {23} gentleness, and
self-control. Here there is no conflict with the law.
Is your life producing fruit?
In Living
Faith Jimmy Carter writes:
A group of Christian laymen involved in
missionary work approached a small village near an Amish settlement. Seeking a
possible convert, they confronted an Amish farmer and asked him, “Brother, are
you a Christian?”
The farmer thought for a moment and
then said, “Wait just a few minutes.” He wrote down a list of names on a tablet
and handed it to the lay evangelist. “Here is a list of people who know me
best. Please ask them if I am a Christian.”
Sometimes we’re not so honest about ourselves. What would others say about your life? What would those who know you best say?
The “Upon” Works
He empowers us – The Baptism
(Acts
1:5 KJV) For John truly baptized
with water; but ye shall be baptized with the Holy Ghost not many days hence.
Jesus is going to compare the baptism
of the Holy Spirit with the baptism of John.
To understand one, you have to understand the other.
How did John the Baptist baptize
people?
The word used both places is baptizo - to dip repeatedly, to immerse,
to submerge (of vessels sunk); to overwhelm
John the Baptist baptized people by
immersing them in the Jordan
River.
I don’t think he “sprinkled” them,
first, because that isn’t the meaning of baptizo,
but secondly, if he only sprinkled them, why do it in a river, why not carry
around a bucket of water?
Just as John immersed people in water,
the disciples would be immersed with the Holy Ghost, in fact, it might be more
proper to translate this as “baptized in
the Holy Ghost”.
(Acts
1:8 KJV) But ye shall receive power,
after that the Holy Ghost is come upon you: and ye shall be witnesses unto me
both in Jerusalem, and in all Judaea, and in Samaria, and unto the uttermost part of the earth.
Some folks will try and make a case for
saying that the result of being baptized in the Holy Spirit is speaking in
tongues. But Jesus said that the result
of the Holy Spirit coming “upon” the disciples would be “power”, and
specifically the power to be witnesses around the world.
The Greek word for “power” is dunamis.
Though some will focus on how we get the work “dynamite” from this word,
we also get the word “dynamic” and “dynamo”.
The root of the word simply means “to be able”, and the Greek word is
often translated in the New Testament with the phrase “to be able”.
The Holy Spirit gives us the “ability”
to live like Jesus wants us to.
On the day of Pentecost, the “promise”
came to pass …
(Acts
2:1-4 KJV) And when the day of
Pentecost was fully come, they were all with one accord in one place. {2} And
suddenly there came a sound from heaven as of a rushing mighty wind, and it
filled all the house where they were sitting. {3} And there appeared unto them
cloven tongues like as of fire, and it sat upon each of them. {4} And they were
all filled with the Holy Ghost, and began to speak with other tongues, as the
Spirit gave them utterance.
People from various nations were in Jerusalem at that time, and they came
to hear what was going on, and they all heard the disciples speaking of the
wonderful works of God in their own native languages (Acts 2:11).
As we watch things unfold in Acts, the
disciples are empowered by the Spirit to preach the gospel.
We believe that the baptism of the Holy
Spirit, also called the “Filling of the Holy Spirit” is something separate from
salvation. It can happen at the time a
person gets saved, but it can also occur after a person gets saved.
How does this happen?
(John 7:37-39 KJV) In the last day, that great day of the feast,
Jesus stood and cried, saying, If any man thirst, let him come unto me, and
drink. {38} He that believeth on me, as the scripture hath said, out of his
belly shall flow rivers of living water. {39} (But this spake he of the Spirit,
which they that believe on him should receive: for the Holy Ghost was not yet
given; because that Jesus was not yet glorified.)
For God to pour out the Holy Spirit on us, we must be thirsty for it and we
need to come to Jesus and “drink” or ask.
If we simply trust God to put His Spirit on us, He will do it.
Jesus said,
(Luke 11:9-13 KJV) And I say
unto you, Ask, and it shall be given you; seek, and ye shall find; knock, and
it shall be opened unto you. {10} For every one that asketh receiveth; and he
that seeketh findeth; and to him that knocketh it shall be opened. {11} If a
son shall ask bread of any of you that is a father, will he give him a stone?
or if he ask a fish, will he for a fish give him a serpent? {12} Or if he shall
ask an egg, will he offer him a scorpion? {13} If ye then, being evil, know how
to give good gifts unto your children: how much more shall your heavenly Father
give the Holy Spirit to them that ask him?
You don’t need to be afraid of what God is going to do if you open yourself
up to the Holy Spirit.
Ask. Receive. Yield yourself to Him.