Understanding the Holy Spirit

Jesus Christ is the living Word of God (John 1:1) who became human (John 1:14) and was totally full of grace and truth (John 1:17). While Jesus was here on Earth, He proclaimed His good news of His peace with God. He went to the cross and paid the penalty in full for all our sins. He then rose from the dead to prove He is the LORD. He spent forty days on the Earth offering many convincing proofs that He was truly risen from the dead (Acts 1:3). After this, Jesus ascended to the throne of Heaven where He is preparing a wonderful place for us (Acts 1:9; John 14:1-4). Before He went up to Heaven, Jesus promised:

Surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age. (Matthew 28:20 NIV)

In His human body, Jesus could only minister to people one at a time. His promise before He left is that every believer would experience His presence forever. How can that be? This promise is fulfilled by the Holy Spirit. Before Jesus went to the cross, He prayed that His disciples would have the Holy Spirit in His absence (John 14:16). God the Father answered that prayer and poured out the Holy Spirit on the Day of Pentecost (Acts 2:1-4). Today, every believer in the LORD Jesus Christ receives the Holy Spirit as a special gift from God (Eph. 1:13-14).

It is important that you understand just who is the Holy Spirit, why is He here, and what is He doing in your life. This is what we will study today. Please be prepared to turn to a number of Scripture verses. Instead of focusing on one passage, I will try to preach on several to give you a more complete teaching on the Holy Spirit.

Scripture Passage: John 14:16-18

Main Point: The Holy Spirit, who is God in nature, is personally present with the believer to provide all the help needed to live a holy life.

Outline:
1. Who is the Holy Spirit?
2. Why is the Holy Spirit here?
3. What is the ministry of the Holy Spirit?

A. In the world.
(1) Bears witness of Jesus.
(2) Conviction of sin, righteousness, and judgment.
B. In the life of the believer.
(1) Teaching Truth
(2) Giving us Power
(3) Experiencing the Presence of God
(4) Gaining the Provision of God.

1. Who is the Holy Spirit?

We know from the Bible, God's own word, that He is the one true LORD (Deut. 6:4). Yet the Bible also tells us that God exists as three persons: Father, Son, and Holy Spirit (Luke 1:35; Mark 1:9-11; Matthew 28:19; 2 Cor. 13:14). Three persons sharing the one divine essence:

The Father is God.
The Son is God.
The Holy Spirit is God.

During His ministry on Earth, the disciples related to Jesus, God the Son, in His human form. Now that Jesus is on the throne in Heaven, we cannot relate to Him as a person. For this reason, Jesus prayed:

And I will pray the Father, and He will give you another Helper, that He may abide with you forever -- the Spirit of truth. (John 14:16-17 NKJV)

Jesus was our Helper on Earth. Here He prayed for "another Helper" for His disciples. Jesus used a word that means "one who is just like Me." Jesus prayed for the Holy Spirit, who shares the same divine essence with Jesus. As our "Helper", the Holy Spirit is One who comes to our side to walk with us through life. He is a special Friend who never leaves us. He is there to help us in whatever situation we face.

The Holy Spirit is a gift from the Father to anyone who believes in the Jesus Christ, the Son of God (John 7:39). Our verse (John 14:16) also tells us that the Holy Spirit is given to you as a permanent gift -- "that He may abide with you forever" (NKJV).

So who is the Holy Spirit? He is God in His divine essence, the third person of the Godhead, One who ministers to us just like Jesus, and He will be with you forever!

2. Why is the Holy Spirit here?

The most obvious answer to this question is because Jesus asked the Father to send the Holy Spirit to us. But there is a better reason. Jesus prayed:

I will not leave you as orphans; I will come to you. (John 14:18 NIV)

The Holy Spirit is here because we need Him! Jesus knew

How much we would need His help to live the holy life He desires.
How much we would need His help to proclaim the gospel of salvation through Christ.
How much we would need His help to endure trouble.
How much we would need His help to love one another.

There is a story about a soldier who was fighting in a war. He became separated from the other soldiers in his unit. He fought the enemy alone, until he had no more bullets. He ran out of food and water, leaving him weak and defenseless. The enemy soon took him as their prisoner.

How terrible it would be for you and I to face an entire world that opposes God! Like the soldier, we would quickly become weak and be overtaken by the enemy. Jesus promised that He would not leave us here to face the enemies of God as "orphans" (John 14:18 NIV). He promised to come to us. The Holy Spirit is here because we need God to help us everyday. The Holy Spirit is our "Helper" (John 14:16) for every day in life.

3. What is the Ministry of the Holy Spirit?

The Holy Spirit has specific work to do in the world. He also ministers to every believer in specific ways. Let us look first at what the Holy Spirit does in the world.

A. The Ministry of the Holy Spirit…In the World

(1) Bears witness of Jesus.

Jesus prayed:

When the Counselor comes, whom I will send to you from the Father, the Spirit of truth who goes out from the Father, He will testify about Me. (John 15:26 NIV)

One of the most important ministries of the Holy Spirit is to convince the world of the truth about Jesus Christ. This ministry carries on even today. Whenever the word of God is proclaimed in the world, the Holy Spirit is there to work in the soul of a person. It is as if the Holy Spirit shouts inside a person: "It is true. Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God!"

Note that the Holy Spirit is called the "Spirit of Truth" who will testify to people in the world about Jesus Christ. The Holy Spirit will not contradict the Bible. Sometimes people insist that "The LORD told me to do this or that." You may be surprised at what many people say the LORD told them to do. If it disagrees with the Bible, then what that person heard was not from the LORD -- the Holy Spirit.

It should bring you great assurance that when you tell people about Jesus, the Holy Spirit is at work in that person's mind to convince them of the truth. The Holy Spirit will always glorify the LORD Jesus Christ.

(2) Conviction of sin, righteousness, and judgment.

(8) When he comes, he will convict the world of guilt in regard to sin and righteousness and judgment: (9) in regard to sin, because men do not believe in me; (10) in regard to righteousness, because I am going to the Father, where you can see me no longer; (11) and in regard to judgment, because the prince of this world now stands condemned. (John 16:8-11 NIV)

The Holy Spirit also works to convince people in the world about three things: sin, righteousness, and judgment.

Conviction of sin: Why do people feel guilt when they do something they know is wrong? John 16:9 tells us that guilt comes from the work of the Holy Spirit. If you do something wrong, the Holy Spirit works to convince you that you need to repent.
Conviction of righteousness: People usually want to decide for themselves what is right. And many people try to get to Heaven by doing good things that they think are righteous (Romans 3:9-20). Yet the Holy Spirit is at work to convince people of God's righteousness. God's righteousness is found only in Jesus Christ. The Bible says:
God made Him who had no sin to be [a sin offering] for us, so that in Him we might become the righteousness of God. (2 Corinthians 5:21 NIV, amplified)
No one can attain true righteousness apart from the grace of God demonstrated through Jesus Christ. He lived the perfect life that no one could live. Through His death and resurrection, Jesus offers His righteousness to us when we trust in Him. The Holy Spirit is constantly at work in the mind of every person to convince them of true righteousness found only in Christ.
Conviction of judgment: The Holy Spirit also works to convince people concerning judgment. God is judging the thoughts, motives, words, and actions of every person. One day God is going to have a final judgment of your life. Knowing God is judging your life, you will want to live you life in a way that pleases Him. The Holy Spirit convinces you of the reality of God's judgment so you will focus on doing what is right in His eyes.

So the ministry of the Holy Spirit in the world is to confirm the truth about Jesus and to convince the world concerning sin, righteousness and judgment.

B. The Ministry of the Holy Spirit…In the Life of the Believer

The Holy Spirit also ministers to the believer, the one who trusts in the LORD Jesus Christ by (1) Teaching us Truth (2) Giving us Power (3) Experiencing the Presence of God (4) Gaining the Provision of God.

(1) Teaching us Truth

But the Helper, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in My name, He will teach you all things, and bring to your remembrance all things that I said to you. (John 14:26 NKJV)
But when He, the Spirit of truth, comes, He will guide you into all truth. He will not speak on his own; He will speak only what He hears, and He will tell you what is yet to come. (John 16:13 NIV)

The Holy Spirit reveals the truth of God's word to us. He helps us to understand what God's word has to say. This does not mean we have no need of preachers or teachers in the church. God gave teachers to the church (Eph. 4:11) to help build up the body of Christ. This verse speaks of the very personal work the Holy Spirit performs to help you understand God's truth. The Holy Spirit also helps you to apply the truth you learn to your specific life choices.

Note that the Holy Spirit "will guide you into all truth" (John 16:13 NIV). Thankfully, Jesus does not require you to know the whole Bible all at once. This would overwhelm you. We each learn a little at a time. The Holy Spirit will gently lead you into all the truth. Building your character and your faith take time and energy. The Holy Spirit is your personal guide to the truth you need to know and do.

(2) Giving us Power

But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you; and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth. (Acts 1:8 NIV)

Power speaks of the strength needed to complete a task. How can weak human beings complete God's divine task of evangelizing the world? The only way you can carry out God's plan is by the power of the Holy Spirit. The prophet Zechariah said:

Not by might nor by power, but by my Spirit,' says the LORD Almighty. (Zechariah 4:6 NIV)

Fortunately, Jesus promised that the Holy Spirit would give you power to do His work (Acts 1:8). He will give you:

Power to live a holy life (2 Pet. 1:3; 1 Cor. 2:4-5; 1 Thess. 1:5; 2 Thess. 1:11).
Power to know Christ (Eph. 3:16) and His love for you (Eph. 3:18).
Power to witness boldly (Acts 4:31).
Power to stand firm against Satan (Eph. 6:10-13).
Power to serve others with love (2 Cor. 13:4).
Power to have hope, peace, and joy even in hopeless circumstances (Romans 14:17-18, 15:13; 1 Thess. 1:6).

The more we allow the Holy Spirit to give us power, the more we will love Jesus and love one another. Submit yourself to the will of God and ask Him to fill you with the Holy Spirit (Ephesians 5:18). The Holy Spirit will surely empower you to live for Christ.

(3) Experiencing the Presence of God

And hope does not disappoint us, because God has poured out his love into our hearts by the Holy Spirit, whom he has given us. (Romans 5:5 NIV)

We have the Bible to give us the knowledge of the LORD Jesus Christ. We have the Holy Spirit to give us the experience of the LORD Jesus Christ.

While on Earth in human form, Jesus could only be in one place at one time. Now that the Holy Spirit has been given to us, He can be with every believer at the same time. That is good news! This verse tells us that God assures you of His presence and His love for you through the Holy Spirit.

(4) Gaining the Provision of God.

(37) On the last and greatest day of the Feast, Jesus stood and said in a loud voice, "If anyone is thirsty, let him come to me and drink. (38) Whoever believes in me, as the Scripture has said, streams of living water will flow from within him." (39) By this he meant the Spirit, whom those who believed in him were later to receive. Up to that time the Spirit had not been given, since Jesus had not yet been glorified. (John 7:37-39 NIV)

Perhaps the greatest work of the Holy Spirit in the life of the believer is to provide for your needs in life. Jesus said if anyone thirsts, He will satisfy you with "streams of living water" (John 7:38 NIV). The "living water" Jesus spoke of is the Holy Spirit.

The Holy Spirit will direct your path in life so that you may be satisfied. Many people are never satisfied in this life because they seek things that do not please God. The Holy Spirit will always lead you to seek God's kingdom and His righteousness. In this way all your needs will be met and you will be satisfied.

Conclusion

These are just a few of the good works of the Holy Spirit in your life. Do you possess the gift of the Holy Spirit? The Bible says that when you believed the good news about the LORD Jesus Christ, you were immediately given the Holy Spirit:

(13) And you also were included in Christ when you heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation. Having believed, you were marked in him with a seal, the promised Holy Spirit, (14) who is a deposit guaranteeing our inheritance until the redemption of those who are God's possession--to the praise of his glory. (Ephesians 1:13-14 NIV)

If you have previously committed your life to the LORD Jesus Christ, be joyful in the truth that the Holy Spirit is your Helper forever. Learn to live moment-by-moment with Him at your side.

If you have never turned from your sins and trusted in the LORD Jesus Christ, you do not have the Holy Spirit as your Helper. Believe in the LORD Jesus Christ right now and you will receive the precious gift of the Holy Spirit in your life. For more help on this, see How You Can Be Sure of Heaven.