|
Series: The Holy Spirit, #9 November 9, 2008
GETTING STARTED WITH THE HOLY SPIRIT
I’ve been preaching on the Holy Spirit for 8 weeks now. I wonder if anyone has gotten any new insights or experiences with the Holy Spirit that you would like to share with us? This morning, I want to take up some of the important things the Spirit does for us at the beginning of our Christian lives. First, there are some things the Spirit does for us I. Before We Are Christians A. He testifies to Christ John 15:26 John 15:26, "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.” The word “testify” is drawn from the language of the courts, where an eyewitness is asked to testify regarding what they saw or know to be true. So what does the Holy Spirit know about Christ? Everything! He is the Spirit of Christ; He knows Jesus better than anyone. This verse comes in the context of Jesus telling his disciples how they should relate to the unbelieving world, and He says that while we have a responsibility to tell people what we know of Christ, the Holy Spirit is the primary witness—the “star witness” if you will, to speak to unbelievers about Jesus. How does He do that? Well, being God, He is unbelievably creative. If we could hear everyone’s story of how they came to believe in Jesus Christ, it would be fascinating to hear all the different ways the Spirit spoke to them about the Lord. (By the way, when He is doing this, we typically have no idea that it is the Spirit working in us; we usually think that we are making all the decisions for ourselves, that we are just pursuing interests we have; that it’s all our doing. Looking back, however, we can often see the hand of God in drawing us to the Savior.) The Spirit brings thoughts into our minds about Jesus. He arranges for people to cross our path who talk about Jesus. He sees to it that we read certain things that will trigger thoughts about our relationship to God; or maybe it’s a secular song; or a movie; or a “chance” comment by someone at the break room at work. The Spirit brings questions into our minds about what we believe, and gives us the freedom to doubt that our world view is entirely accurate. He creates a spiritual hunger and thirst in our souls for God. He also convicts us. B. He convicts us of sin, righteousness, and judgment John 16:7-11 On His last night with His disciples, Jesus said, John 16:7-8, “But I tell you the truth: It is for your good that I am going away. Unless I go away, the Counselor will not come to you; but if I go, I will send him to you. [8] When he comes, he will convict the world of guilt in regard to sin and righteousness and judgment.” Although it is true that God loves us, and His love is always in the foreground of His relationship with us, it is also true that there can be no genuine conversion that does not deal with our sin. We have got to come to the place where we not only desire the life God offers us, but we see our sin as the obstacle to that. So the Holy Spirit graciously makes us aware of our sin. “’Twas Grace that taught my heart to fear.” He convicts our hearts. The word “convict” means to bring to light, or expose something. It’s amazing how much more you can see when the light is brighter. [TURN SPOTLIGHT ON] For example, I can now see lint on my clothes that I couldn’t see before. I can see lines in my hand, and “horrid age spots” on my skin. I am also noticing how dirty my glasses are. I didn’t notice those things before the spotlight came on. Another interesting parallel between this spotlight and the conviction of the Spirit, is that when His light is shining brightly on our lives, exposing our sin, we can’t see the faults of others nearly as well—I can hardly see you at all! The Spirit shines the spotlight of God’s truth into our minds and hearts, and shows us our sin, and God’s righteousness, and the certainty of judgment if we don’t do something about our sin. I don’t mean to imply that everyone who comes to Christ has to have a crushing load of guilt that they are trying to get rid of; but I would question anyone who says they are a Christian if they have not seen themselves in the light of God’s holiness. If you are not in danger, you don’t need a Savior. [SPOTLIGHT OFF] C. Misunderstandings John 15:27 We often misunderstand how these first two ministries of the Holy Spirit work. For example, we read that the Holy Spirit bears witness to Christ, so we conclude that we don’t have to. Just pray that the Spirit will do His job, and you’ll never have to open your mouth and actually talk to anyone about the Lord. But Jesus goes on in the very next verse in John 15 to say, John 15:27, “And you also must testify, for you have been with me from the beginning.” We do have a responsibility, and if we really have a relationship with Jesus, then we have something to say about what He has done for us. In fact, a great way to help you talk to people about Christ is to make a short mental list of the things that He has done for you that are most meaningful to you. You can thank Him frequently for those things, and then you’ll have them on the tip of your tongue when you have a chance to “give a reason for the hope that you have.” We misunderstand the second work of the Spirit in exactly the opposite way. Rather than relying on the Spirit to convict people of their sin, we assume it’s all our responsibility to do that. I had a chaplain in the Air Force who normally only had a few of us in the chapel service at this very small radar site in Oregon. But whenever a new airman showed up in chapel, the chaplain would launch into a lengthy and fiery sermon on sin. He obviously thought it was his job to convict people. But he was not nearly as good as the Holy Spirit at that, because none of those men every returned to chapel. Sometimes we’ll try to play Holy Spirit by asking people not to smoke or swear in our presence; we may refuse to laugh at their dirty jokes (even if they are funny); we may make a point of saying that we don’t smoke or chew or snort or whatever, “because we’re Christians.” All that does is convince people that Christians are just legalistic hypocrites. We really should give thanks to God often for the way the Holy Spirit testifies to us and convicts us, because without those ministries, we never would have come to know Christ. If you are here today, and you find yourself thinking more about your relationship with God, or who Jesus really is, or you are more aware of your sin than before, that’s a good sign—it means the Spirit is working on you. Don’t fight Him—rejoice and keep following that trail. The Holy Spirit is leading you to the only one who can save you. Another thing the Spirit does for us before we are saved is He gives us a new birth. D. He regenerates us John 3:1-8 Nicodemus was a Pharisee, a very learned and righteous man, who became intrigued with Jesus. But it was not politically correct for him to be seen asking Jesus questions, so he came to Jesus at night. Before he could even get his question out, Jesus told him, “you have to be born again.” Nicodemus took Jesus literally, and asked how He thought he could get back into his mother’s womb. Jesus answered, John 3:5-8 "I tell you the truth, no one can enter the kingdom of God unless he is born of water and the Spirit. [6] Flesh gives birth to flesh, but the Spirit gives birth to spirit. [7] You should not be surprised at my saying, 'You must be born again.' [8] The wind blows wherever it pleases. You hear its sound, but you cannot tell where it comes from or where it is going. So it is with everyone born of the Spirit." The phrase “born again” is a good translation of the Greek that literally means “generated again”, “regenerated”, started anew. Unless we are born again, we cannot see the kingdom of God, we cannot be rightly related to God. Being religious obviously doesn’t do it—Nicodemus was far more religious than most of us. Being good isn’t it—Nicodemus was a member of the strictest sect of the Jews, and his life was more righteous than almost anyone we have ever met. Being well educated and knowledgeable about the Bible doesn’t do it—Nicodemus was a teacher of the Jews. The only way to get into the kingdom of God is to be born again, born from above, born of the Spirit. We have all had a physical birth: flesh gives birth to flesh; we have been born of water, the amniotic fluid we lived in for the first nine months of our life. But we also need to be born a second time, spiritually. The Holy Spirit causes our spirit to be born, to come alive. Ephesians 2 says we were dead in our sins, but God, by His great mercy, made us alive. That’s the work of the Holy Spirit. And that, in turn, enables us to put our faith in Jesus Christ. When we are dead in our sins we can’t do that. God has to make our spirits alive first. Then we can exercise our faith and trust Jesus and His work on the cross to save us. So while we often think that we are born again when we put our faith in Christ, actually, we have to be born again spiritually first, so that we can put our faith in Christ. When we are spiritually dead, we can’t even do that.
Then there are several things the Spirit does for us as we become Christians. II. As We Become Christians A. He takes up residence in us Rom 8:9; 1 Cor 6:19,20 Romans 8:9, “…if anyone does not have the Spirit of Christ, he does not belong to Christ.” The Holy Spirit takes up permanent residence in every person who is truly born again. In fact, this is almost a kind of test for who is and who isn’t a Christian. Now we can’t tell that from the outside, and sometimes not even from talking to a person, but God certainly knows who His Spirit lives in. In the Old Testament, the Holy Spirit came on people for specific ministries, and then left, but since Christ has come and poured out His Spirit at Pentecost, the Spirit comes into us when we believe in Jesus, and never leaves us. If you are a follower of Christ, His Spirit lives in you. Paul makes another point related to that in 1 Cor. 6:19-20, “Do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit, who is in you, whom you have received from God? You are not your own; [20] you were bought at a price. Therefore honor God with your body.” Since the Holy Spirit lives in us, we should think of our bodies as temples of God. And the implication of that is, we ought to take care of them, and not use them in any way that would bring dishonor to Him. What are you doing with your body that may not be honoring to Christ? Are you eating too much? Are you starving yourself? Are you allowing your body to grow soft and flabby through lack of exercise? Are you poisoning it with drugs, or cigarettes, or junk food? The Holy Spirit lives in your body—treat it the same way you would maintain your home if a King lived with you. Another thing the Spirit does as we become Christians is He adopts us. B. He adopts us Rom 8:15; Gal 4:6-7 Romans 8:15, “For you did not receive a spirit that makes you a slave again to fear, but you received the Spirit of sonship (or adoption). And by him we cry, ‘Abba, Father.’” Technically, it isn’t the Spirit who adopts us, it’s the Father. But the Holy Spirit is the Spirit of Christ, the Son of God. When the Son’s Spirit lives in us, then we are children of the Father, too. So now we can call God Abba, Daddy. I don’t know about you, but sometimes, I feel like a scared little boy. How great to know that my Father is the Almighty One, the Most High God, the one with all authority in heaven and earth. We are coming up on Thanksgiving later this month, and I think it is great that as Christians, we know who to thank. Everybody in America celebrates Thanksgiving, but I often want to ask people who don’t know Christ, who are you thanking for your blessings this year? God is so generous to us; He’s a loving heavenly Father who loves to give good gifts to His children. C. He seals us Eph 1:13 The custom of the day was that when someone sent a letter to another, they would roll up the parchment, and drop a bit of wax on the edge to seal it. Then the person who sent the letter (these would usually be important officials or wealthy individuals) would take their ring, with a special design in it that identified it as theirs, and press that signet ring into the soft wax. This said to everyone who saw it: this letter belongs to the person whose sign is in the wax, and you don’t dare open it unless it is addressed to you. So Paul says, Ephes. 1:13, “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.” The Spirit Himself is the seal that God puts on our lives when we believe in Christ. This seal has two functions. First, it is a seal of ownership. 1. Seal of ownership 2 Cor. 1:21-22 2 Cor. 1:21-22 Now it is God who makes both us and you stand firm in Christ. He anointed us, [22] set his seal of ownership on us…” The presence of the Spirit in our lives shows that we belong to Christ. It’s like the 18 wheeler tractor that has neatly printed on the driver’s door, “This truck is owned and operated by ___ Van Lines.” Or the label on a can of soup that tells us it was made by Campbell’s or Progresso, or whoever. The sign of the Spirit on us is not observable outwardly—you can never tell by looking at someone whether they belong to Christ or not. But it is apparent in the spiritual realm. The angels and the demons both recognize that seal as indicating that we are Christ’s men and women. We are not our own; we were bought with a price. And the Holy Spirit in us is a proof of God’s ownership of us. Another function of the seal of the Holy Spirit, is that He keeps us safe. 2. Safety seal Ephes. 4:30 Have you ever bought anything from the store that was sealed in that really hard clear plastic? That stuff is indestructible! I’ve tried tin snips, band saw, jackhammer, plastic explosive—it’s really hard to get into it. Whatever is packaged in that is really safe! That’s the kind of security we have with the Holy Spirit sealing us. Eph 4:30, “And do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, with whom you were sealed for the day of redemption.” Your life is hidden with Christ in God, and there is no way you can get out and get lost again. When the government official in Bible times put his seal on a letter, the full authority and power of his office kept the contents safe until it was delivered to the addressee. Praise God that our eternal security in Christ does not depend on us, but on Him. When we are sealed with the Spirit, as Jesus said, no one will be able to snatch us out of the Father’s hand. Another function of the Holy Spirit in our lives is that He is a down payment from God to us. D. Down payment 2 Cor. 1:21-22; 2 Cor. 5:5; Ephes. 1:13-14 One of the reasons the housing market is in such a mess right now is that lenders didn’t ask borrowers to have a down payment to buy a house. They just loaned them some more money to cover the whole thing, and then when the owner couldn’t pay all that, they defaulted. You and I have an inheritance waiting for us, and the Holy Spirit is God’s down payment on that. Ephes. 1:13-14, “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.” The word for deposit is the same word used in modern Greek for an engagement ring. That ring is a promise from the man to the woman that he is going to marry her. The Holy Spirit is God’s promise to us that we will one day sit at the marriage feast of the Lamb and receive our inheritance in full. 1. Inheritance 1 Cor 2:9 What is that inheritance? 1 Cor. 2:9, “No eye has seen, no ear has heard, no mind has conceived what God has prepared for those who love him.” We literally can’t even imagine what it will be like to be in God’s presence. The Bible says we will get crowns—a crown of life; a crown of righteousness; a crown of glory—but it’s very hard to know exactly what all that means. But the highest and best part of it all is that we will get to see God. I can’t begin to describe that, but I do know that the closer I get to Him here on earth, the more eager I am to see Him face to face. I don’t have a death wish or anything, but seriously, I can’t wait! The Holy Spirit is God’s deposit in my life, guaranteeing that one day, that joy will be mine. 2. Qualitatively the same Now, if I’m selling a car, and you give me a deposit to hold it for you, and I discover that the check you gave me bounced, how eager do you think I’m going to be to get the rest of your money? A deposit is always the same quality as what it guarantees is coming later. The Holy Spirit is like that. The kingdom of God is here, because the King is here, and His Spirit is here. But the kingdom is not yet fully here, so we are looking for more. All the power and blessing and love and joy and peace that the Holy Spirit brings to us now is just a foretaste, a little deposit, a sample, a down payment of so much more just like that when we get to glory. A third thing the Spirit does for us after we are Christians is that He unites us with all other believers. E. Unites us with other believers 1 Cor. 12:13 1 Cor. 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.” Every believer has the Holy Spirit living in them, and the Spirit has put us all into the one Body of Christ. I may be the toenail, and you may be the heart, and you may be the kidney, but we are all part of the same body of Christ that is composed of every believer on the face of the earth. If you have ever been on a mission trip to another country, or met Christians in another part of the world, you know how special this is. When we met our friends in Cameroon, there was an instant bond between us, just because we all knew Jesus and had His Spirit in us. They are black; we are white. They are Baptists; we are Presbyterians. They are poor; we are rich. But we were one in Christ, thanks to His Spirit. This is the reason I pray with other pastors, and why I pray for their churches here on Sunday mornings—we are one with those people, even though our theology and practice of church may be very different. 1. Keep the unity Ephes. 4:3 It’s also true that we are one with people we may not have much in common with, or even like very much. We are united with Christians of different political persuasions and of different races; we are united with charismatic Christians and Anglican Christians; we are even one with belligerent Christians and selfish Christians. And those differences are the reason Paul said, Ephes. 4:3, “Make every effort to keep the unity of the Spirit through the bond of peace.” The Spirit creates the unity by living in all of us; our job is to keep that unity, to maintain it when it threatens to break. So when someone hurts you, and you are tempted to just withdraw from that friendship, what do you do? What will it mean for you to make every effort to keep the unity the Spirit created between you? What if you discover that a fellow Christian belongs to a different political party from you? Will that create a breach between you? Keep the unity of the Spirit. What if your fellow Christian has a very different view of the Holy Spirit than you do, or has a very legalistic approach to their faith? Keep the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace. Maybe this is the place where I should also talk about the game of musical churches that so many people play today. I grant you that there are some legitimate reasons for leaving a church you have affiliated with, but they are very few and very serious. But today, somebody doesn’t like something the pastor said, so they get in a huff and leave. Another person gets offended by not being asked to serve or lead in some way, and they leave. Another fails to get involved in any small groups or ministries, and then concludes “nobody there loves me”, so they leave. We find it much easier just to bail out on these relationships than to stay and do the hard work of “keeping the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace.” Folks, I have to tell you, that’s just disobedience. You are disobeying a direct command from God by tearing His Body apart. I urge you—I charge you—if there is something wrong in your relationship with me, or with the leadership here, or with another member of this church, “make every effort”—do you hear that? Make every effort—no matter what it takes; no matter what humbling of yourself, or what expense, or how much time—make every effort to keep the unity the Holy Spirit has created between us.
So thank God for His Spirit who does all these things: o He testifies to Christ o He convicts us of sin
o
He regenerates us o He takes up permanent residence in us o He adopts us into God’s family o He seals us in Christ so that we are marked as His and eternally secure in Him o He’s the down payment on our inheritance o He unites us with other believers
|