WHO IS THE HOLY SPIRIT?
TOPIC: WHO IS THE HOLY SPIRIT?
TEXT: JOEL 2:28-32
MEMORY VERSE: "But all these worketh that one and the selfsame Spirit, dividing to every man severally as he will"
- 1 Corinthians 12:11
The Holy Spirit is a member of the Trinity (GODHEAD).The Holy Spirit is a Divine Person. He is eternal (Hebrews 9:14), He is omnipotent (Genesis 1; Micah 3:8; 1 Corinthians 12:4-11), He is omniscient (1 Corinthians 2:10, 11; 1 Timothy 4:1-3), He is omnipresent (Psalms 139:7-10; 1 Corinthians 6:19, 20). God and the Holy Spirit are interchangeable (Acts 5:1-4; Romans 8:9; 1 Corinthians 3:16).
The Holy Spirit is a Person.
A. There are four facets in a personality:
1. It has intelligence (1 Corinthians 2:10, 11; Romans 8:27; 1 Timothy 4:2).
2. It has emotion (Isaiah 63:10; Romans 15:30; Ephesians 4:30).
3. It has will (1 Corinthians 12:11; 1 Timothy 4:1; Romans 8:26; John 16:13).
4. It has power (Acts 1; 2; John 15:26; Acts 8:29; 10:19; Revelation 22:17).
B. He can be grieved, despised, lied to and about, resisted, and blasphemed (Acts 7:51; 5:1-4; Ephesians 4:30; Matthew 12:32; 1 Thessalonians 5:19).
The Holy Spirit is to glorify Christ
A. When the Holy Spirit is at work Christ is glorified. The ultimate work of the Holy Spirit is to plant the confession Jesus is Lord at the centre of every man’s being. The more one is led by the Holy Spirit the more Christ one has.
B. The Holy Spirit is another paraclete (John 14-16). This is a legal term meaning to call, summon alongside of. It refers to a barrister, an advocate, a comforter, or an aid (Romans 5:5). All spiritual blessings come by the ‘Blesser’ (Ephesians 1:3). A spiritual blessing is one sent by the Holy Spirit. To have spiritual blessings is to have the Holy Spirit first. To have the fruit of the Spirit (Galatians 5), one must have the Holy Spirit.
The Holy Spirit will never compete with Christ; He will complete Christ. All the promises of Christ are delivered in and by the Holy Spirit (John 15:16; 16:14). The Holy Spirit never points to Himself.
We must long and desired for the Holy Spirit to come upon us and have a personal encounter with Him and live righteously in order to keep His fellowship. Fellowship with the Holy Spirit until you are used to Him, He is the SWORD – the “(S)pirit” behind the “(Word)”. Nathan Ausubel, in his Treasury of Jewish Folklore, reminds us of the young Talmudic scholar who had just completed a learned work and come to the rabbi begging him for a testimonial. The rabbi regarded his visitor with gentle compassion. My son, he said, you must face the stern realities. If you wish to be a writer of scholarly books you must be resigned to peddle your work from house to house like a vendor of pots and pans, and suffer hunger until you are forty. And what will happen after I am forty asked the young writer hopefully? The rabbi smiled encouragingly. By the time you are forty, you will be used to it.
“Fellowship with the Holy Spirit until you are used to Him, He is the SWORD – the “(S)pirit” behind the “(Word)”.”
Central Truth