Thursday
Evening Bible Study
January
13, 2010
Who is the Holy Spirit?
Years ago there
was an old TV quiz show 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 and ask questions to
determine who that person was or what they did for a living.
You can tell just how old this next video clip is because the panelists don’t
know who the mystery person is.
Play video clip
“What’s my line – Col. Sanders”.
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 for a living? I want to begin a series
tonight about a “mystery guest”, the Holy Spirit.
The Person
of the Holy Spirit
1. 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 way 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”)
Play “Star Wars
– the force” clip
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.
(Jn 16:13–14 NKJV) —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. 14 He
will glorify Me, for He will take of what is Mine and declare it to you.
Notice the use of “He” and not “it”?
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”.
2. Characteristics
of personality
He’s a “He”
(Jn
16:7–8 NKJV) —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. 8
And when He has come, He will
convict 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 speaks (Acts 13:2)
(Ac 13:2 NKJV) —2 As 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.”
He forbids (Acts 16:6)
(Ac 16:6 NKJV) —6 Now when they had gone through Phrygia and the
region of Galatia, they were forbidden
by the Holy Spirit to preach the word in Asia.
He prays (Rom. 8:26)
(Ro 8:26 NKJV) —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.
He loves (Rom. 15:30)
(Ro 15:30 NKJV) —30 Now 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,
He has a will (1Cor. 12:11)
(1 Co 12:11 NKJV) —11 But one and the same Spirit works all these
things, distributing to each one individually as He wills.
He also has a
mind, strives, teaches, testifies, guides, searches, and has opinions
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 strives
(Ge
6:3 NKJV) —3 And the Lord said, “My Spirit shall not strive with man forever, for he is
indeed flesh; yet his days shall be one 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 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;
3. Our actions require
Him being a person
We can lie to Him (Act 5:3)
(Ac 5:3 NKJV) —3 But Peter said, “Ananias, why has Satan filled
your heart to lie to the Holy Spirit and
keep back part of the price of the land for yourself?
We can grieve the Spirit (Eph. 4:30)
(Eph 4:30 NKJV) —30 And do not grieve
the Holy Spirit of God, by whom you were sealed for the day of redemption.
We can insult Him (Heb. 10:29)
(Heb 10:29 NKJV) —29 Of how much worse punishment, do you suppose,
will he be thought worthy who has trampled the Son of God underfoot, counted
the blood of the covenant by which he was sanctified a common thing, and insulted 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? Do you worry that you are
going to “hurt it’s feelings” if you don’t use it enough? How do you treat a friend that comes to stay at your house for a
visit? Do you just sit him in a chair
until you need him?
The Bible teaches that when I became a Christian, the Holy Spirit came to
dwell inside of me (Eph. 1:13)
(Eph 1:13 NKJV) —13 In Him you also
trusted, after you heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation; in
whom also, having believed, you were sealed with the Holy Spirit of promise,
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.
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. It is a real, live,
thinking, willing person living inside of this body.
The Deity of the
Holy Spirit
1.
He is called God
Acts 5:1-11 tells the story of Ananias
and Sapphira who “lied to the Holy Spirit.”
(Ac 5:3–4 NKJV) —3 But Peter said, “Ananias, why has Satan filled
your heart to lie to the Holy Spirit and keep back part of the price of the
land for yourself? 4 While it remained, was it not your own? And after it was
sold, was it not in your own control? Why have you conceived this thing in your
heart? You have not lied to men but to God.”
Peter equated the Holy Spirit with God.
2. He is Yahweh
in the Old Testament
There are several places where the Old
Testament talks about Yahweh doing something, but in the New Testament we are
told that it was the Holy Spirit.
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:
(Is 6:8–9 NKJV) —8 Also I heard the voice of the Lord, saying: “Whom shall I
send, And who will go for Us?” Then I said, “Here am I! Send me.” 9 And He
said, “Go, and tell this people: ‘Keep on hearing, but do not understand; Keep
on seeing, but do not perceive.’
Yet Paul tells us that it was the Holy Spirit speaking:
(Ac 28:25–26 NKJV) —25 So when they did not agree among themselves, they
departed after Paul had said one word: “The Holy Spirit spoke rightly through Isaiah the
prophet to our fathers, 26 saying, ‘Go to this people and say: “Hearing you
will hear, and shall not understand; And seeing you will see, and not perceive;
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 NKJV) —15 But the Holy Spirit also witnesses to us; for after He had
said before, 16 “This is the covenant that I will make with them after those
days, says the Lord: I will put
My laws into their hearts, and in their minds I will write them,” 17 then He
adds, “Their sins and their lawless deeds I will remember no more.”
3.
He is equal to the Father and the
Son
He works with
the Father and the Son in the church
(1 Co 12:4–6 NKJV) —4 There are
diversities of gifts, but the same Spirit. 5 There are differences of
ministries, but the same Lord. 6 And there are diversities of activities, but
it is the same God who works all in all.
He has the same authority as the Father and the Son
(Mt 28:19 NKJV) —19 Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing
them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit,
4. 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)
(Job 33:4 NKJV) —4 The Spirit of God has made me, And the breath of
the Almighty gives me life.
Eternal (Heb. 9:14)
(Heb 9:14 NKJV) —14 how much more shall the blood of Christ, who
through the eternal Spirit offered Himself without spot to God, cleanse your
conscience from dead works to serve the living God?
Omniscient (1Cor.
2:10-11)
1Cor. 2:10-11
Paul in 1 Corinthians 2:10-11 says the things of
God are known only by the Spirit.
(1
Co 2:10–11 NKJV) —10 But God has revealed them to us through His Spirit. For
the Spirit searches all things, yes, the deep things of God. 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.
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.
Omnipotent (Luke
1:35)
Luke 1:35
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?
Omnipresent (present everywhere)
(Ps 139:7 NKJV) —7 Where can I go from Your Spirit? Or where can I
flee from Your presence?
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.
For most of us, the problem we have in our lives is not our unfamiliarity
with the Holy Spirit, but the fact that we spend so little time listening or
responding to Him.
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 fact that He is also God – then He knows what He’s talking about, He
has power to help me follow Him, and He may even be at work in other people’s
lives and use us in ways that will blow people’s minds.
Lab
We talked last Sunday morning about God’s sheep hearing the voice of their
shepherd.
We talked about how sometimes it’s hard to hear His voice because things
get too noisy around us.
We’re going to take some time tonight to just be quiet and listen.
You may want to take notes on the 3x5 card you have.
We’ll sing a song. We will be silent
for five minutes. Some of you may think
it’s possible that God will have spoken to you during this time. It’s okay if you don’t think you’ve heard
anything.
Five minutes.
After the silence -
Did any of you think that God might have said something?
Sometimes it’s good to share those ideas.
Some of these things might be things that others need to
hear as well.
Some of these things might need to be “tested” to see if
they sound like God’s voice.
Do you want to share (briefly)?
Some of you may have had people come to mind, or situations that need to be
prayed for. Spend time in prayer.