Holy Spirit Living

This was the title for my message on Sunday. I mentioned in a previous post that I would add more after Sunday. So, here is a brief summary of points from Sunday.

My text was John 16:5-15.

Background of the the Holy Spirit
  • The Holy Spirit is personal, not an impersonal force (different than Star Wars)
  • The Holy Spirit was present before Pentecost. He did not show up in Acts 2. Look for examples in creation, with prophets and kings, Jesus' birth, baptism, temptation, etc. Also see more examples in salvation, sanctification, fruits of the Spirit and spiritual gifts.
  • 5 Symbols of the Holy Spirit: Dove-Luke 3:22; Fire-1 Thessalonians 5:19; Oil-Acts 10:38; Wind-John 3:8; and Living Water-John 7:37-39
  • The Holy Spirit dwells inside believers-John 14:17 & Romans 8:11
3 C's of the Holy Spirit to help us better understand and help in our daily Christian walk

Counselor-vs. 5-7
  • vs. 7-Greek word, Paraclete can be translated helper, comforter, counselor, advocate-literally means to come alongside of
  • Just like a good counselor helps us understand our personal situation so also the Holy Spirit will instruct or teach us (AHA moments)-helps us understand the Scriptures and comfort us-John 14:16-18
Convictor-vs. 8-11
  • Vs. 9-Convict us in relation to sin. He will convict us of our need for Christ. He will help us see we are sinners and in need of a Savior. Also, convicts believers of the truth of the Bible when we have sinned or are going in that direction.
  • Vs. 10-Convict us in regards to righteousness-Our righteousness is found in Christ alone. The Holy Spirit works to make us holy. The Holy Spirit works in a cooperative venture with us in sanctification (becoming more like Christ). Are there more fruits of the Spirit evident in our lives than the sinful nature?
  • Vs. 11-Convict in regards to judgment-We need to be aware of our enemy, Satan and his demons, who are real and wants to make us ineffective. As this verse suggests, Satan now stands condemned, but he is going to work hard to bring us down until he is eventually thrown into the Abyss. The Holy Spirit alerts us to Satan's schemes and tactics-2 Corinthians 2:11
Communicator-Vs. 12-15
  • As Jesus intercedes for us as our High Priest, so the Holy Spirit intercedes for us in prayer. Romans 8:26-27. When we are down, too tired, or don't know what to say in prayer-the Holy Spirit prays on our behalf.
  • The Holy Spirit communicates to us about how to apply Scripture in our lives. He, the Holy Spirit, will "guide you into all truth." RC Sproul writes, "The same Holy Spirit who inspires the Scripture, works to illumine the Scriptures for our benefit." Wow-what an amazing concept!
  • The Holy Spirit communicates with us in evangelism. He will give us the boldness, empower us, give us the words and put us into situations where we can share the gospel with others.
  • The Holy Spirit communicates with us in service. The Holy Spirit knows our spiritual gifts and our hearts and knows us better than we know ourselves. He will prompt us to serve in the church and outside the church. We need to respond when prompted by the Holy Spirit.
I hope this has helped you better understand who the Holy Spirit is. May we all be led by the Holy Spirit as we go through our day today and for the days to come!

Comments

  1. sastigallJuly 7, 2009 at 10:22 PM

    I'm sorry that we were unable to be there on Sunday to hear the message. I don't hear many sermons on the Holy Spirit anymore. I always need to learn more.

    ReplyDelete

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