Video
Sermon Notes
Greetings and welcome,
Our topic for this moment is “Who is the Holy Spirit?”.
The scriptures tell us that the Holy Spirit is a person - the third person of the Trinity.
Genesis 15: 1 – 5 (NKJV) God’s Covenant with Abram
15 After these things the word of the Lord came to Abram in a vision, saying, “Do not be afraid, Abram. I am your shield, your exceedingly great reward.”
2 But Abram said, “Lord God, what will You give me, seeing I go childless, and the heir of my house is Eliezer of Damascus?” 3 Then Abram said, “Look, You have given me no offspring; indeed one born in my house is my heir!”
4 And behold, the word of the Lord came to him, saying, “This one shall not be your heir, but one who will come from your own body shall be your heir.” 5 Then He brought him outside and said, “Look now toward heaven, and count the stars if you are able to number them.” And He said to him, “So shall your descendants be.”
Genesis 1: 26 – 28 (NKJV)
26 Then God said, “Let Us make man in Our image, according to Our likeness; let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, over the birds of the air, and over the cattle, over all the earth and over every creeping thing that creeps on the earth.” 27 So God created man in His own image; in the image of God He created him; male and female He created them. 28 Then God blessed them, and God said to them, “Be fruitful and multiply; fill the earth and subdue it; have dominion over the fish of the sea, over the birds of the air, and over every living thing that moves on the earth.”
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We read these scriptures to verify that there were (3) involved in the creation (God, Jesus and the Holy Spirit) but God is the creator of Heaven, Earth and mankind.
Acts 5: 3 – 4 (NKJV)
3 But Peter said, “Ananias, why has Satan filled your heart to lie to the Holy Spirit and keep back part of the price of the land for yourself? 4 While it remained, was it not your own? And after it was sold, was it not in your own control? Why have you conceived this thing in your heart? You have not lied to men but to God.”
It is clear that lying to the Holy Spirit is the same as lying to God.
The Holy Spirit shares the same characteristics as God, such as omniscience and omnipresence. as seen in the following scriptures.
Psalm 139: 5 – 8 (NKJV)
5 You have [a]hedged me behind and before,
And laid Your hand upon me.
6 Such knowledge is too wonderful for me;
It is high, I cannot attain it.
7 Where can I go from Your Spirit?
Or where can I flee from Your presence?
8 If I ascend into heaven, You are there;
If I make my bed in [b]hell, behold, You are there.
Again in I Corinthians 2: 10 - 11 God’s attribute of omniscience is also present in the Holy Spirit:
1 Corinthians 2: 10 – 13 (NKJV)
10 But God has revealed them to us through His Spirit. For the Spirit searches all things, yes, the deep things of God. 11 For what man knows the things of a man except the spirit of the man which is in him? Even so no one knows the things of God except the Spirit of God. 12 Now we have received, not the spirit of the world, but the Spirit who is from God, that we might know the things that have been freely given to us by God.
13 These things we also speak, not in words which man’s wisdom teaches but which the [a]Holy Spirit teaches, comparing spiritual things with spiritual.
1}THE HOLY SPIRIT IS A DIVINE PERSON, AND HE IS INTIMATELY INVOLVED IN OUR SALVATION, ALONG WITH THE FATHER AND THE SON, AS SHOWN IN ROMANS 8:11 WHICH SAYS:
1 Corinthians 2: 10 – 13 (NKJV)
10 But God has revealed them to us through His Spirit. For the Spirit searches all things, yes, the deep things of God. 11 For what man knows the things of a man except the spirit of the man which is in him? Even so no one knows the things of God except the Spirit of God. 12 Now we have received, not the spirit of the world, but the Spirit who is from God, that we might know the things that have been freely given to us by God.
13 These things we also speak, not in words which man’s wisdom teaches but which the Holy Spirit teaches, comparing spiritual things with spiritual.
2}THE HOLY SPIRIT HAS THOUGHTS AND KNOWLEDGE:
1 Corinthians 2: 9 – 10 (NKJV)
9 But as it is written:
“Eye has not seen, nor ear heard,
Nor have entered into the heart of man
The things which God has prepared for those who love Him.”
10 But God has revealed them to us through His Spirit. For the Spirit searches all things, yes, the deep things of God.
3}THE HOLY SPIRIT CAN FEEL SORROW AND GRIEF:
Ephesians 4: 30 (NKJV)
30 And do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, by whom you were sealed for the day of redemption.
4}THE HOLY SPIRIT CAN MAKE INTERCESSION FOR BELIEVERS:
Romans 8: 26 – 27 (NKJV)
26 Likewise the Spirit also helps in our weaknesses. For we do not know what we should pray for as we ought, but the Spirit Himself makes intercession [a]for us with groanings which cannot be uttered. 27 Now He who searches the hearts knows what the mind of the Spirit is, because He makes intercession for the saints according to the will of God.
5}THE HOLY SPIRIT ALSO HAS A WILL AND MAKES DECISIONS:
1 Corinthians 12: 7 – 11 (NKJV)
7 But the manifestation of the Spirit is given to each one for the profit of all: 8 for to one is given the word of wisdom through the Spirit, to another the word of knowledge through the same Spirit, 9 to another faith by the same Spirit, to another gifts of healings by the same Spirit, 10 to another the working of miracles, to another prophecy, to another discerning of spirits, to another different kinds of tongues, to another the interpretation of tongues. 11 But one and the same Spirit works all these things, distributing to each one individually as He wills.
IN SUMMARY, THE HOLY SPIRIT IS THE THIRD PERSON OF THE TRINITY.
ONLY AS THAT DIVINE PERSON CAN THE HOLY SPIRIT BE TO BELIEVERS A COMFORTER AND A COUNSELOR, ACCORDING TO THE PROMISE OF JESUS. (SEE JOHN 14:16,26; 15:26)
What is the role of the Holy Spirit?
How is the Holy Spirit active in our lives today?
1}CONVICTION OF SIN TO ALL PEOPLE:
John 16: 8 (NKJV)
8 And when He has come, He will convict the world of sin, and of righteousness, and of judgment:
2}SERVES AS A HELPER OR COMFORTER:
John 14: 16 - 17 (NKJV)
16 And I will pray the Father, and He will give you another Helper, that He may abide with you forever— 17 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.
The Greek word translated as {helper} or {comforter} refers to one who is called alongside another, providing the idea of a guide or encourager during times of need.
This takes place as God’s Spirit indwells the believer from the point of salvation (Romans 8: 9; I Corinthians 6: 19 - 20).
3}ANOTHER ROLE OF THE HOLY SPIRIT IS TO GUIDE THE BELIEVER INTO TRUTH.
John 14: 16 – 17 (NKJV)
16 And I will pray the Father, and He will give you another Helper, that He may abide with you forever— 17 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.
4}HE WILL SPEAK; AND HE WILL TELL YOU THINGS TO COME.
Rather than depending on our human reasoning, we have a supernatural guide in the form of God’s indwelling Holy Spirit.
5}THE HOLY SPIRIT HELPS BELIEVERS TO GLORIFY THE LORD.
John 16: 14 (NKJV)
14 He will glorify Me, for He will take of what is Mine and declare it to you.
We have a desire to worship the Lord because God’s Spirit lives within us as believers.
6}THE HOLY SPIRIT ALSO GIVES SPECIAL GIFTS.
FIRST CORINTHIANS 12, ROMANS 12:3-8, AND I PETER 4:10-11 REVEAL
THE NAMES OF MANY GIFTS GOD’S SPIRIT PROVIDES TO BELIEVERS.
EACH BELIEVER HAS AT LEAST ONE {ICORINTHIANS 12:7}, AND EACH PERSON IS SPECIFICALLY GIFTED FOR THE ACTS OF SERVICE GOD HAS PREPARED FOR HIM OR HER.
THE GIFTS ARE GIVEN TO ALLOW THE CHURCH TO WORK TOGETHER TO MEET NEEDS, MAKE DISCIPLES, AND GLORIFY GOD.
7}GOD’S SPIRIT ALSO ENABLES BELIEVERS TO PRODUCE THE FRUIT OF THE SPIRIT.
Galatians 5: 22 – 23 (NKJV)
22 But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, 23 gentleness, self-control. Against such there is no law.
Without God’s Spirit, people are unable to produce fruitful lives that reflect the desires of God.
8}THE HOLY SPIRIT INDWELLS US AS BELIEVERS.
In addition to the many roles He plays in our lives, He seals us as belonging to God {see Ephesians 1:13-14.}
EPHESIANS 1: 13 (ETRV)
13 IT IS THE SAME WITH YOU. YOU HEARD THE TRUE MESSAGE, THE GOOD NEWS ABOUT THE WAY GOD SAVES YOU. WHEN YOU HEARD THAT GOOD NEWS, YOU BELIEVED IN CHRIST. AND IN CHRIST, GOD PUT HIS SPECIAL MARK ON
YOU BY GIVING YOU THE HOLY SPIRIT THAT HE PROMISED.
THE HOLY SPIRIT IS THE PERSON OF GOD WHO LIVES WITH US IN OUR TIME ON EARTH AND TEACHES US TO TRULY KNOW AND FOLLOW GOD.
HOW DOES THE HOLY SPIRIT WORK?
FIRST, THE HOLY SPIRIT CONVICTS US OF OUR SIN.
“AND WHEN HE HAS COME, HE WILL CONVICT THE WORLD OF SIN, AND OF RIGHTEOUSNESS, AND OF JUDGMENT” (JOHN 16:8, NKJV)
SECOND, THE HOLY SPIRIT GIVES NEW LIFE. THE BIBLE SAYS THAT WE ARE DEAD IN OUR SINS (EPHESIANS 2:1) JOHN 3:3
THIRD, THE HOLY SPIRIT LIVES IN US. AS YOU READ THIS, YOU MAY REALIZE THAT YOU ARE SPIRITUALLY DEAD, BUT GOD SAYS, “I WILL PUT MY SPIRIT IN YOU. I WILL COME TO LIVE IN YOU.”
FOURTH, THE HOLY SPIRIT GIVES YOU POWER TO SERVE CHRIST. “YOU WILL RECEIVE POWER WHEN THE HOLY SPIRIT COMES ON YOU; AND YOU WILL BE MY WITNESSES” (ACTS 1:8)