Introductory Considerations
1. Tody is the day of Pentecost, the day on which we remember the events that marked the active beginning and work of the church of Jesus Christ.
2. What does that day of Pentecost make you think of? Is it the wind that blew into the room where the disciples were praying? Is it the tongues of fire that rested on each of them? Or the fact that they spoke in tongues?.
3. To think of these things misses the main point of what the day was all about.
4. When you think of HS what comes to your mind? The idea of the power and miracles or healings that He works thru certain people? The gifts of tongues or prophesy that He gives?
5. Often these are the thing we consider when we think of Pentecost and the Holy Spirit. The way the Spirit gives evidence of the presence of God, manifestations.
6. While these things are NB, today we look at HS and His work and discover that the most NB work He does is behind the scenes.
7. As we consider HS, we see how He works in the world today, in our own lives, and in our ministry.
Teaching
1. Who is the Holy Spirit?
a.Jesus says that He will send another Counsellor. The HS is referred to as "He" or "Him". He is a distinct person.
b. Jesus was a counsellor but now God will send another counsellor. Another means not the same - HS not just Spirit of Christ as an extension of Christ.
c. Another does not mean different. HS, as will see, continues to do work of Christ.
d. As a person, HS speaks, leads, guides and can be grieved.
e. HS is God - the third person of the trinity.(Pss 139; Acts 5:3-4; Heb 9:14)
f. Christ called him paraclntos - advocate, counsellor, comforter. Paraclntos can mean some of each of these, but rather than debate, we will consider what HS does.
e. As an advocate or counsellor He is like a lawyer pleading a case. Christ came down to plead God’s case to us and now is in heaven pleading our case before God. HS taken His place here to plead God’s case to us.
2. In speaking to the believers , Jesus says that The HS will be with us forever. The HS is in the midst of us and along side of us and most amazing of all he dwells in every believer - in you and in me.
3. In general the work of the HS is to build up our relationship with Christ. To know, as we read in Jn14:20, that Jesus and the Father are one, that Jesus is God and to know and grow in our relationship with Him. The HS has been sent to do that by both the Father and by Jesus
4. Has been said that relationship of believer to HS is like a bad marriage. Husband lives with his wife but doesn’t appreciate her. Perhaps we don’t appreciate the HS because he always seems to be in the background, away from the spotlight. In fact, HS is the operator of the spotlight, which He shines on Jesus. Jesus appreciates work of HS and shows this by the way He speaks about Him. He helps us to appreciate His work by helping us to understand what He does in more detail.
5 To discover that we turn to John 16.
6. Jesus first teaches the work of the HS in the world. He tells us that the HS has come to convict the world. He tells the world that they are guilty. The conviction is in regards to sin, to righteousness and to judgement.
7. First he convicts them in regard of sin.
a. HS lets them know of the sins they commit. Without work of HS people not aware of their sin. They are convicted in guilt not because they sin and we do not but because we believe have had Christ takes our guilt away. In fact greatest sin might be said to reject Christ and the life and hope which he offers to us.
b. By the HS convicting the world of sin, they might realize their need to come to Christ. HS exposes guilt and lead them to repentance.
c. Most NB work - I have seen people embrace X without sense of own sin - doesn’t last.
8. The world is also convicted in regards to righteousness.
a. Jews said Jesus was not righteous and that He needed to die, but Jesus says HS will convict them because Jesus is going to the Father, which proves that Christ is really the one who is righteous and that they are not.
b. By convicting them that Christ is righteous the HS shows that we are not. Since we have seen what real righteousness is, we have a standard against which we can measure our righteousness.
c. Easy to compare self to others, to world and say I’m not that bad. Not a murderer, etc., but to stand before Christ our righteous is seen for what it is. (Isa 64:6; Luke 5:8)
9. Thirdly, HS convicts the world concerning judgement because the prince of this world, Satan, now stands condemned. (John 12:31)
a. Jesus condemned Satan on the cross. The victory was attained by Chgrist’s death. If the prince of this world has been condemned and judged, so will the people of this world.
10. As said, the HS convicts the world so that it can repent. In fact we see this in operation on the day of Pentecost. The word was preached by Peter. He reminded people of their sin in crucifying Jesus (Acts 2:22-23), of Christ’s righteousness and of God’s impending judgement. (Acts 2:34-35)
a. The result is repentance.
11. We bring word as peter and disciples did but. We cannot change hearts but to know that this is work of HS.
12. But there is more that HS does for us as believers. He does not convict us - no where read of HS convicting believers of sin - only the world. We are rather led by the HS.
13. In John 16:12, Jesus says that he has much more today than they can bear. Perhaps because they would first need to see Him die and rise again, perhaps because it takes time for us to understand.
14. The HS would continue the work of Christ in their lives. He is the spirit of truth, but the truth the HS speaks will be that truth which He hears from Christ and the Father - vs. 14 - he takes from what is mine and makes it known.
15. That means that a even after we receive Christ we have much to learn. This is why confession not graduation but rather the beginning of a life time of learning.
16. The HS inspires those who write or speak word and illumines hearts of those who hear them. The HS will tell us what is still to come, not specific prophesy but he basis for our hope we have.
17. The HS will lead and guide us thru truth. Today we often hear about the leading of the HS. Usually about specific actions. Also in Bible (Acts 8:27-28, 16:7)
18. As this passage shows the leading of HS is mostly a leading of us to Christ, to follow Him and to grow in Him.
19. And so we see that the work of HS, even on the day of Pentecost is not so much in the gifts and outward manifestations that we think of, but it is the work of Christ in the world which seeks to take a heart of stone and give it live - to regenerate it. It is to take a faith that is young and weak and to strengthen and teach it . It is to guide the church into the truth.
20. How is HS working in your life? Convicting you? How are you responding?
21. May you be aware of HS working in you. Rejoice - gift of X on cross crucified but so is gift of HS. Seek Him and His work. (Luke 11:13)
