Who is the Holy Spirit?

One of the popular characters in the "Peanuts" comic strip is Linus. You never see Linus in any of the comic strip frames without one thing -- his blanket. Wherever he goes and whatever he does, Linus carries his blanket with him. It brings him comfort and security, no matter what may be happening. In the wake of the September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks, America has lost something in this country that we carried around with us much like Linus and his blanket. We have lost our security. Regarding ourselves as the greatest, most powerful nation on Earth we have lived with a blanket of security whereby wars were always fought in a far and distant land. Just as our great nation found out in 1941 at Pearl Harbor, that security blanket has been removed.

I have heard from many Christians their anger over what has happened. I have also heard their fears. How do we live now that our security blanket is gone? Will we ever have that sense of comfort and security again? How could God forsake us like this?

Every believer in the LORD Jesus Christ can find comfort from God no matter the circumstance, no matter the location, no matter how you feel. God sent the Holy Spirit to dwell with you throughout time and eternity. God the Holy Spirit is your source of strength for the journey. He has the answers you need. We are to "walk by the Spirit" (Gal. 5:16, NIV). The Holy Spirit is your "Heavenly Friend" here on Earth.

Scripture Passage: John 14:16-17

Main point: Since God sent the Holy Spirit to us, every believer has a true friend forever.

Outline:

The Holy Spirit is your Helper who will walk with you on your journey through life.

The Holy Spirit is One sent from the Father to believers.
The Holy Spirit is One called alongside us to help us.
The Holy Spirit is of the same nature as Jesus Christ.

The Holy Spirit is your Truth-giver so that you can trust His guidance every step of your journey.

He is the Spirit of Truth.

He testifies to the truth about Jesus.
He guides you into all truth.

He teaches, guides, and encourages -- all in perfect truth.

He teaches the believer all things.
He encourages believers by reminding them of God's word.
He glorifies Jesus in all He says and does.

The Holy Spirit is fiercely loyal so that you need never fear loneliness even through the end of your journey.

He abides or makes His home with us.
He indwells us forever.

When believers join together, we sing the song, "What a friend we have in Jesus." In what sense do we really have a friend in Jesus since His resurrection from the dead and ascension into Heaven?

And I will pray the Father, and He will give you another Helper, that He may abide with you forever; the Spirit of truth, whom the world cannot receive, because it neither sees Him nor knows Him; but you know Him, for He dwells with you and will be in you. (John 14:16-17, NKJV)

A small boy and his Grandfather headed out for an afternoon at the "fishin' hole." The boy bounced and giggled with excitement as his Grandfather told him about old Ray -- the 30 pound catfish that no one could catch. As they approached a wooded area, the Grandfather told the boy, "The path is kind of rocky. You might stumble and fall. Here's my hand..." Walking along the ragged path, the boy slipped and fell. His Grandfather was quick to pick him up and dust him off. "Oh, I'm OK," said the boy, grabbing his Grandfather's hand. A little bit further, the boy slipped again but again got up and held on a little tighter to his Grandfather. It wasn't long before he slipped and fell a third time. As he got up, the boy said, "Grandpa, this time why don't you hold my hand?" God sent the Holy Spirit to us to "hold our hand" through all of our life experiences.

1. The Holy Spirit is your Helper who will walk with you on your journey through life.

The Holy Spirit is One sent from the Father to believers. The Apostle John writes of Jesus: "And I will pray the Father, and He will give you another Helper..." (John 14:16a NKJV). Certainly no one could deny that Jesus was a Helper. He helped the blind receive sight, the lame walk, the sick receive healing, the demon-possessed find freedom, the hopeless receive hope, the lost find their way home. Jesus was our Helper. But He knew that the Father would bring Him back to Heaven and so He asked that we not be left alone. He asked for another Helper to be with each of us. And the Father, answering the righteous prayers of His Son, gave us the Holy Spirit to be with us in our journey through life.

Friends help one another. Did you ever have to move to a new house or apartment? That is when you find out who your real friends are...especially if you tell them you have a piano. This is the kind of "Helper" Jesus prayed about. The kind that would loves you enough to be at your house early to help you move a piano! The word which is translated "Helper" is "parakletos" which literally means "one called alongside to help." Jesus asked the Father for One who, like He did with His disciples, would be called alongside each believer to help in every step we take.

When Jesus said "another Helper," He had something very specific in mind. He did not mean someone else to sort of fill-in for Him while He was gone. He did not mean a new boss who would come in and really stir things up. He did not mean a new spiritual leader who would try to imitate Jesus. He asked for "another" meaning one just like Him. The Greek word for "another" means another of the exact same kind. So the Holy Spirit has the exact same divine nature as Jesus Christ. As Jesus gave us the Great Commission to "go and make disciples of all nations" (Matt. 28:19, NIV), He explained the three-in-one nature of God when He commanded us to baptize disciples "...in the name [singular] of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit" (Mat. 28:19, NIV). There is but one God. The Father, Son, and Holy Spirit are each equally and rightly called God. The three share the one divine nature.

So Jesus, the Son, asked the Father to send another Helper just like Him. The Father sent the Holy Spirit -- God the Holy Spirit -- to be your Helper through life. God walks with you as your "Helper" -- one called alongside to help. As Jesus helped every single person He encountered who was in need, your "Helper," the Holy Spirit, will help you in your time of need. He is there when you wake up. He is there when you fight the traffic. He is there when you work hard. He is there when you succeed. He is there when you fail. He is there when you feel good and "spiritual" and when you feel bad and sinful. He is your Helper through all of life.

2. The Holy Spirit is your Truth-Giver so that you can trust His guidance every step of your journey.

And I will pray the Father, and He will give you another Helper, ... the Spirit of truth. (John 14:16-17, NKJV)
But when the Helper comes, whom I shall send to you from the Father, the Spirit of truth who proceeds from the Father, He will testify of Me. (John 15:26 NKJV)
However, when He, the Spirit of truth, has come, He will guide you into all truth. (John 16:13 NKJV)

A prominent group of alleged scholars gathers regularly in what is called "The Jesus Seminar" to vote (I kid you not!) on whether they think Jesus said and did the things in the gospel accounts (I wonder if they had to research their doctoral papers or did they just give their opinion to the dissertation committee?). The only thing they agree on is that they think Jesus said, "Love one another" (John 13:34 NIV). There are some who say Jesus was a great prophet or teacher. There are others who say he was just a man who became "the Christ" or spiritually enlightened. There are others who say he was the bastard son of a carpenter, an itinerant preacher who never amounted to much before he was killed. Though they are popular, none of these views of Jesus is true. There is one source of truth about Jesus and that is the Bible. This is the truth that the Holy Spirit reveals. He is the Spirit of Truth which is found in the Bible. Though the world has degenerated into relativism -- a denial of any absolute truth -- we can count on the absolute truth found in God's word and revealed to us by the Holy Spirit. He testifies to what is true.

Three preacher friends went out on a fishing trip. In the boat was a Jewish Rabbi, a Catholic Priest, and a Baptist pastor. Just as they nestled into the perfect spot, the Rabbi got up and declared, "Why, I've left my sunscreen in the car!" So he stepped out of the boat onto the water and walked to shore. The Baptist pastor looked in amazement as he even walked back across the water and hopped in the boat. He turned over to the Priest who just sat there and fished. Suddenly, the Priest exclaimed, "Why I've left my best fishing lure in the trunk..." and stepped out of the boat, walking across the water to the car. The Baptist preacher was beside himself. As he watched the Priest walk back across the water into the boat, the preacher's pride swelled. "I can't let these men think I'm less spiritual than they are..." he thought. So he got up and said, "I'm kind of thirsty...I'll go get us some Cokes and a snack." He stood up and stepped out of the boat and made a big splash in the water. The Priest looked over at the Rabbi and said, "Do you think we should tell him where the rocks are?" With friends like this,...

The Bible tells us that the Holy Spirit will teach us the truth. The Holy Spirit will teach us truthfully. The Holy Spirit will reveal truth as we go through life. Unlike the aforementioned "preacher friends," he will be an honest friend, revealing truth to us when we need it. The Holy Spirit has a truth ministry directed at you:

He teaches the believer all things (John 14:26)
He encourages believers by reminding them of God's word (John 14:26)
He guides you into all truth (John 16:13)

Since the Holy Spirit only brings to us what Jesus wants us to hear and know (John 16:14), we can trust Him implicitly in His leading, teaching, and encouraging. His guidance will be trustworthy. Even when He reveals an aspect of our life that is sinful, we rest confidently in the sage advice from Solomon: "Wounds from a friend can be trusted, but an enemy multiplies kisses" (Proverbs 27:6 NIV).

3. The Holy Spirit is fiercely loyal so that you need never fear loneliness even through the end of your journey.

And I will pray the Father, and He will give you another Helper, that He may abide with you forever; the Spirit of truth, whom the world cannot receive, because it neither sees Him nor knows Him; but you know Him, for He dwells with you and will be in you. (John 14:16-17, NKJV)

The Father has sent believers a Helper -- the Holy Spirit -- who will be with us and in us forever. The Bible says He will "abide" with you -- this means He will live with you. You will be as close to God as a houseguest in the next room. God desires an intimate friendship with you. He wants to cure your loneliness. He desires a dynamic relationship with you so He decided to move in and set up house.

Did you ever have a brother who wanted something? There is no better friend than a friend in need, especially a brother. There is a passage in Proverbs that speaks of this: "A man of many companions may come to ruin, but there is a friend who sticks closer than a brother" (Proverbs 18:24 NIV). The Holy Spirit is the One who sticks closer than a brother. He abides or dwells with you FOREVER. He dwells not just with you but IN you. It just doesn't get any closer than that!

My niece and nephew were having trouble getting along as siblings typically do. My brother-in-law decided on an unusual punishment. They would have to stay within 3 feet of each other for an entire day! This even meant one had to stand outside the restroom door until the other was finished. A funny thing happened. After they completed this "sentence," they were friends for life. They found out they could walk together and get along. This is what God desires to do with us. He wants to walk with us, step by step, through all of life's ups and downs, all the way to eternity.

Loneliness is the number one problem of single adults -- more so than AIDS or heart disease. People are terrified of being left alone. This makes sense when you consider that God Himself, who desires what is best for us, declared that it was not good for us to be alone. So the Holy Spirit comes to indwell the believer at the moment of salvation (Eph. 1:13-14) and never leaves. He is with you forever. He is truthful forever. A loyal and faithful companion in all of life's experiences. You have "a friend in Jesus" indeed!

End Notes

English definitions derived from The American Heritager Dictionary of the English Language, Third
Edition copyright c 1992 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Electronic version licensed from InfoSoft
International, Inc. All rights reserved. Greek definitions derived from Strong's Greek/Hebrew Concordance.

1. Helper (Jn 14:16 NASB)

          English: One that helps; an assistant.
          Greek: 3875. parakletos, par-ak'-lay-tos; an intercessor, consoler:--advocate, comforter. "Para"
          means alongside and "kletos" means called. So the Holy Spirit is one called alongside, hence the
          NASB translation of it into "helper."
          Analysis: All of these words -- comforter, intercessor, advocate, helper -- convey the same meaning
          of one who helps us along the way.

2. abides (John 14:17 NASB)

          English: 1. To remain in a place, 2. To continue to be sure or firm; endure, 3. To dwell or           sojourn.
          Greek: 3306. meno, men'-o; a prim. verb; to stay (in a given place, state, relation or expectancy):--
          abide, continue, dwell, endure, be present, remain, stand, tarry (for), X thine own
          Analysis: The Holy Spirit abides, or makes His home, with the believer.

3. proceeds (John 15:26 NASB)

          English: 1. To go forward or onward, especially after an interruption; continue, 2. To begin
          to carry on an action or a process, 3. To move on in an orderly manner, 4. To come from a
          source; originate or issue.
          Greek: 1607. ekporeuomai, ek-por-yoo'-om-ahee; from G1537 and G4198; to depart, be discharged,
          proceed, project:--come (forth, out of), depart, go (forth, out), issue, proceed (out of).
          Analysis: proceeds seems to refer to the origin of the Holy Spirit. He comes from the Father
          indicating, again, His equality with God.

4. glorify (John 16:14 NASB)

          English: 1. To give great honor, praise, or distinction accorded by common consent.
          Greek: 1392. doxazo, dox-ad'-zo; from G1391; to render (or esteem) glorious (in a wide
          application):--(make) glorify (-ious), full of (have) glory, honour, magnify.
          Analysis: The Holy Spirit will exalt the name of Jesus with praise, honor, and distinction.