THAT HOLY SPIRIT IN THE SKY
DONT STOP BELIEVING Number 4
John 14:16 And I will pray the Father, and He will give you another Helper, that He may abide with you forever.
INTRODUCTION: Have you ever felt alone, needing someone, and then someone comes and puts an arm around your shoulder, saying, “You can do this. I’m here to help.” How does that make you feel? Comforted? Our message series is called Don’t Stop Believing. It’s about foundational teachings in our church’s statement of faith. So far, we have looked at the Bible, God, and Jesus. Today, we come to the Holy Spirit (John 14:14-17).
Many churches talk about God the Father and Jesus the Son but don’t focus much on the Holy Spirit. This is a mistake. At FloodGate, we talk a lot about the Holy Spirit, even when we talk about doctrine.
Our two statements of faith in the Holy Spirit read, NAE: “We believe in the present ministry of the Holy Spirit by who’s indwelling the Christian is enabled to live a godly life.” FG: The Holy Spirit is equal with the Father and the Son as God. He is present in the world to make men aware of their need for Jesus Christ. He also lives in every believer from the moment of salvation.
Buckle up, buttercup; it’s time to examine our belief in the Holy Spirit!
- WHO IS THE HOLY SPIRIT?
Billy Graham wrote one of the best books on The Holy Spirit, fittingly titled The Holy Spirit. Graham said, “Man has two great spiritual needs: one is for forgiveness, and the other is for goodness.” Forgiveness happened at Calvary. Goodness was satisfied at Pentecost when the Holy Spirit was sent to birth and establish the church.
The Bible teaches that the Holy Spirit is a person who acts. He is given job titles like Counselor or Comforter. We see this in John 14-16. The Holy Spirit thinks, acts, feels, has desires, teaches, is a witness, prays, speaks, and grieves over sin, all personality characteristics.
He possesses divine names: Spirit of God, Spirit of Christ, Spirit of the Lord. It is essential to recognize the Holy Spirit is a person. He is not ‘it,’ ‘thing,’ or a ‘force.’
“Then why is there so much confusion about the Holy Spirit?” Great question! Part of the problem is in Greek, the word “Spirit” is neuter (neutral), which muddies understanding. Making matters worse, the old KJV translators identify the Spirit as an “it” in Romans 8:16. It says that the Spirit itself beareth witness with our spirit and that we are the children of God. This is not theologically sound. If He is identified as an “it,” it is a mistranslation. This is one of the errors in Textus Recepticus. Bad grammar must bow to the correct theology. The NKJV corrected the mistake by translating The Spirit Himself. The Spirit isn’t divine power. He’s the Third Person of the Godhead.
The upper room dialog in John 13-17 gives us incredible insight into the one who has been sent. John 14:16-18 reads, And I will pray the Father, and He will give you another Helper (or “Comforter,” in the KJV), 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.18 I will not leave you orphans; I will come to you. Another (Greek allon) means “another of the same kind.”
In Jesus’ pronouncement, I will pray (to) the Father, notice that Jesus, God the Son, is speaking about His Father, saying, He will give you another Helper (Comforter), the Holy Spirit. How do we know He is referring to the Spirit? In John 14:26, Jesus says, but the Helper, the Spirit. So, you have the Godhead cooperating: Jesus, the Son, praying to God the Father that they would give us the Holy Spirit. Every phrase in these verses deserves a big “wow!” Underline them, highlight them, or mark them! It’s like the old K-Mart Blue Light Special: “Attention K-Mart shoppers,” with lights, bells, and whistles.
In Greek, the word for helper or comforter is Parakletos, a title given to the Spirit. Parakletos also means “strengthen” or “empower.” When Jesus told the disciples He had to leave, He ensured they understood He would not leave them “orphans” or “without strength, comfortless.”
Let me also say that personal pronouns are essential. Scripture uses personal pronouns to give us ways to see the Spirit is a person. John 14:16 says, And I will pray the Father, and He will give you another Helper, that He may be with you. Greek “ekeinos,” a personal pronoun for he, is often used by John to identify the Spirit, “may abide with you forever. Not “it,” “He.”
He is, well, he. Again, personal pronouns are important. John 14:17 says, 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 14:25-26 These things I have spoken to you while being present with you. 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 16:13-14 However, when He, the Spirit of truth has come, He will guide you into all truth; for He will not speak on His own authority, but whatever He hears He will speak; and He will tell you things to come. He will glorify Me, for Hewill take of what is Mine and declare it to you. The voice is active, singular, and accusative in the Greek. This is important. The Bible says that the work of listening and speaking is ongoing. The Holy Spirit continues to speak through Scripture, preaching, and prophets. Revelation 2:7 tells us to listen to what is being said. He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches.
How many of us want to hear God speak? What if I said I can guarantee to show you how to hear God speak to you audibly? Would you walk out? Would you pay to go to the conference or pay for the online course? It’s simple. Can you put John 15:26 back up on the screen? Read this verse out loud with me. If you believe that the Word of God is God’s Word, you just heard God speak audibly. Silly, I know, but seriously, if you want a sermon to be anointed, fill it with the Word. Sermons that deemphasize the Word are human rationale and human reasoning.
He testifies. John 15:26 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. The Spirit testifies about Jesus as we speak Jesus. We point people to Jesus, not to us, like the Spirit Himself. We know when the Spirit is moving in FloodGate, our life, praise, and focus, and we give all glory to Jesus. The Holy Spirit will always turn our attention to Jesus.
He leads. Romans 8:14 says, For as many as are led by the Spirit of God, these are sons of God or the children of God. The Holy Spirit should lead Christians.
He guides. John 16:13 says, He will guide you into all truth.
He can be lied to. Acts 5:3 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? A force can’t be lied to; People are lied to.
He can be grieved. Grieving someone is subjecting them to our personal mistreatment. Ephesians 4:30: Do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, by whom you were sealed for the day of redemption. Yes, you can mistreat or abuse the Holy Spirit. We can reject and blaspheme Him. Doing so is dangerous.
Mark 3:29 addresses this bad behavior of humans toward God: he who blasphemes against the Holy Spirit never has forgiveness but is subject to eternal condemnation People can resist Him. Acts 7:51You stiff-necked and uncircumcised in heart and ears! You always resist the Holy Spirit; as your fathers did, so do you, quench Him, 1 Thessalonians 5:19 Do not quench the Spirit and insult Him, Hebrews 10:29 and insulted the Spirit of grace. Again, all personal qualities. Rocks and sticks are not abused, ridiculed, or mistreated.
- WHAT DOES THE HOLY SPIRIT DO?
One way to address He is to ask what our lives would be like without the Holy Spirit. Without the Spirit:
- You could not know Jesus (John 15:26),
- No sin conviction (John 16:8),
- No Old Testament (2 Timothy 3:16-17)
- No New Testament (John 14:26),
- No knowledge of truth (John 16:12-13),
- No lasting peace (John 14:27),
- No access to God’s power (Acts 1:8; John 14:12-14),
- No God dwelling in you or me (Ephesians 2:22),
- No certainty of salvation (2 Corinthians 5:5; 1 John 4:13),
- No salvation (Titus 3:5-7),
- No growing and maturing in Christ (Galatians 5:5,16, 22),
- No participation in Christ’s community (the body of Christ) (Ephesians 4:4),
- No spiritual gifts (1 Corinthians 12).
Yeah. The Holy Spirit is important for us. But with that said, the Holy Spirit’s primary function isn’t about us. It’s about glorifying Jesus. Jesus told the disciples in John 16:14, He will glorify Me, for He will take of what is Mine and declare it to you.
That’s why the Holy Spirit isn’t noticed as much as the Father or the Son. When your job is to glorify someone else, you aren’t credited for what you do. You are a background person. It’s like our stage lights. You can’t see who’s on stage without the stage lighting. But you don’t focus on the light when someone is up here. You look at whoever’s on stage. The Holy Spirit is Jesus’ spotlight. He shines on Jesus.
This also means that if Jesus is not glorified in us, we are restricting the Spirit. Don’t let your joy in worship, prayer, or Bible study fade. Don’t let your love grow cold, as Keith Green used to sing. Don’t stop talking about Jesus. Don’t grieve and resist the Holy Spirit’s work. Keep glorifying Jesus.
Let me also point out another reason why He is forgotten and misunderstood. We relate to the idea of the Father because we have one and the Son because we can have one. We accept the Father and Son because they are familiar, family-oriented terms. But the idea of ‘spirit’ is elusive, unreal, and strange in our modern, analytical society. We are taught that ghosts are not real. But once you meet the Holy Ghost, you discover a reality beyond all reality.
- HOW DOES THE HOLY SPIRIT PERSONALLY WORK IN US TODAY?
Number one, the Holy Spirit is a person, and number two, He is a divine Person. To deny the personage or the deity of the Holy Spirit is unorthodox, heretical, and is not Christian doctrine. Number three is personal. It’s all about us. John 14:12says Greater works than these [you] will do, because I go to My Father. Not greater quality, but greater quantity.
He indwells. Romans 8:9 But you are not in the flesh but in the Spirit, if indeed the Spirit of God dwells in you. Now if anyone does not have the Spirit of Christ, he is not His. New power for godly living if you are His, no longer a slave to the devil. Sin has been broken and replaced by the power of God to live the Kingdom lifestyle and do Kingdom stuff.
He seals us and gives us an inheritance. Ephesians 1:13 Having believed, you were sealed with the Holy Spirit of promise, 14 who is the guarantee of our inheritance. Indwelt, sealed, and an inheritance. That’s quite the package.
He fills us. Ephesians 5:18 And do not be drunk with wine, in which is dissipation; but be filled with the Spirit. “Be filled” is a command in the passive voice in Greek. This means it is not an option. It’s all-inclusive; every believer needs the infilling. It’s in the passive voice: Let the Spirit fill you. And its present tense continuing, ongoing, habitually being filled by the Spirit now! It is a work of God.
This is the present ministry of the Spirit. The Holy Spirit empowers us to experience a greater yielding to the Lord’s activity and calling in our lives. A yielded life is the gateway to the more that is available. As we yield ourselves to the Holy Spirit, He fills us with His presence in intimate expressions of impartation that transcends the non-experiential placement into Christ through regeneration at conversion. 1 Corinthians 12:13 For we were all baptized by one Spirit into one body, whether Jews or Greeks, slave or free, and we were all given the one Spirit to drink. What are placed at baptism in the Spirit? We experience the Holy Spirit, letting Him continue to fill us up with more. That’s the drink reference. Sadly, some people deny the Spirit out of fear or incorrect understanding.
And receiving the gift of the Spirit was meant for everyone following the ascension. Acts 2:38, 39 Peter replied, Repent, and be baptized, and you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. The promise is for you and your children and for all who are far off, for all whom the Lord our God will call.
All of us are entitled to, and should ardently expect, and earnestly seek the promise of the Father, infilled and yielded in the Holy Ghost and fire, according to the command of Jesus Christ. This was the average experience of all in the early Christian Church. This is how we are endowed with power for life and service, bestowed with gifts and their use in the work of the ministry. The impartation of spiritual gifts is not just a privilege but a tool for every believer. We become more effective in evangelism and expressing mercy to those in need. This is how we were meant to walk in the fullness God has destined for us as we display His power and presence. This is the source of encouragement and hope for all believers.
CONCLUSION: Who is the Holy Spirit? He is the third member of the Trinity. He is both God and a person. Jesus returned to heaven and sent the Holy Spirit, who is with us in all His fullness. Luke 24:49; Acts 1:4, 8; 1 Corinthians 12:1-31 Wait until you have been clothed with power from on high. Wait for the gift my Father promised. You will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you. Wait until you are filled. Then overflow with the fullness of God’s blessings and presence. John 7:37-39 Whoever believes in me, as the Scripture has said, streams of living water will flow from within him. By this, he meant the Spirit, whom those who believed in him would later receive. Up to that time, the Spirit had not been given.
How does the Holy Spirit work in your life today? He fills! He empowers! You have a new birth, freedom, power for godly living, a new standing before God, a new destiny, and a new relationship with God. This is what you were made for. Be filled, friends, be filled!
THAT HOLY SPIRIT IN THE SKY
John 14:16 And I will pray the Father, and He will give you another Helper, that He may abide with you forever.
Romans 8:16 KJV The Spirit itself beareth witness with our spirit and that we are the children of God.
John 14:16-18 And I will pray the Father, and He will give you another Helper (or “Comforter,” in the KJV), 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.18 I will not leave you orphans; I will come to you.
John 14:26 The Helper, the Spirit.
John 14:16 And I will pray the Father, and He will give you another Helper, that He may be with you.
John 14:17 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.
John 14:25-26 These things I have spoken to you while being present with you. 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 16:13-14 However, when He, the Spirit of truth has come, He will guide you into all truth; for He will not speak on His own authority, but whatever He hears He will speak; and He will tell you things to come. He will glorify Me, for Hewill take of what is Mine and declare it to you.
Revelation 2:7 He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches.
John 15:26 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.
Romans 8:14 says, For as many as are led by the Spirit of God, these are sons of God or the children of God.
John 16:13 He will guide you into all truth.
Acts 5:3 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?
Ephesians 4:30: Do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, by whom you were sealed for the day of redemption.
Mark 3:29 He who blasphemes against the Holy Spirit never has forgiveness but is subject to eternal condemnation.
Acts 7:51You stiff-necked and uncircumcised in heart and ears! You always resist the Holy Spirit; as your fathers did, so do you.
1 Thessalonians 5:19 Do not quench the Spirit.
Hebrews 10:29 and insulted the Spirit of grace.
John 16:14, He will glorify Me, for He will take of what is Mine and declare it to you.
John 14:12 says Greater works than these [you] will do, because I go to My Father.
Ephesians 1:13 Having believed, you were sealed with the Holy Spirit of promise, 14 who is the guarantee of our inheritance.
Ephesians 5:18 And do not be drunk with wine, in which is dissipation; but be filled with the Spirit.
1 Corinthians 12:13 For we were all baptized by one Spirit into one body, whether Jews or Greeks, slave or free, and we were all given the one Spirit to drink.
Acts 2:38, 39 Peter replied, Repent, and be baptized, and you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. The promise is for you and your children and for all who are far off, for all whom the Lord our God will call.
Luke 24:49; Acts 1:4, 8; 1 Corinthians 12:1-31 Wait until you have been clothed with power from on high. Wait for the gift my Father promised. You will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you.
John 7:37-39 Whoever believes in me, as the Scripture has said, streams of living water will flow from within him. By this, he meant the Spirit, whom those who believed in him would later receive. Up to that time, the Spirit had not been given.