Who is the Holy Spirit?

John 14-16

          We don’t hear very many messages on the Holy Spirit.  I don’t remember having preached specifically on the Holy Spirit in my 10 years here.  And yet He is the key to our Christian lives.  He is not just some additive in the gas tank or an accessory for those who want additional power in their lives, He is the engine for all Christians who want to live successfully for God.

          I would like to talk about the Holy Spirit for the next four Sundays.  Realize how ridiculous that plan is.  We could speak of God the Holy Spirit forever and never exhaust His potential or explain His glories.  To give four Sundays is like trying to introduce people to the Grand Canyon in 30 minutes.

          We live among two extremes today in regard to the Holy Spirit.  One side downplays Him, and tends to ignore His centrality in our teaching and lives for fear that we might become fanatics.  The other side makes Him the celebrity, sort of the one and only God, and talks as if He is giving them immediate and personal revelation every minute.  “The Holy Spirit told me to buy this pearl necklace for $2500 because He thinks it looks great on me.”  Both extremes are dangerous because both distort the understanding of His place in our lives.  And that place is crucial, because His role in your life determines whether or not you are successful as a Christian.  So WHO IS HE?

I.  The Holy Spirit is “another comforter.”

John 14:16 "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. 18 "I will not leave you orphans; I will come to you. 19 " A little while longer and the world will see Me no more, but you will see Me. Because I live, you will live also.

          A.  Jesus is the original comforter.  The word, “helper” is a big word in Greek, that means “lawyer,” “advocate,” “intercessor before God,” “helper of any kind,” “assistant in what you need.”  The word “another” means that the disciples already had one comforter.  Jesus was to them the original helper.  Now the Holy Spirit is continuing what Christ began. 

          Jesus is talking about what we call the “indwelling” of the Holy Spirit.  When a sinner turns to Christ for Salvation, He not only forgives him of his sins, but the Holy Spirit comes to take up residence in that person’s life.  The Holy Spirit becomes that person’s “comforter,” “helper.”  The result is that the greatest help available for one’s problems is inside rather than outside.  The Holy Spirit enters our lives to help us, to enable us, to strengthen us.  Have you ever thought of God as interested in being your personal helper? 

          If you had a problem and Jesus Christ was physically sitting in my office and available to help you, where would you go with your problem, to Jesus Christ, or to me?  You probably wouldn’t be able to get to me anyway, because I’d be over there with Him too! (From Tony Evans, The Promise, 23).  You would immediately want to go to Him, the source of your life.  The unbelievable news is – YOU CAN do that.  He is not sitting in my office; He is IN YOU.  He is available for counseling.  And more than that, He is available for money.  And more than that, He is available for strength, to help you get something done, and wisdom, and direction.

          Do you know why more Christians do not spend time with Jesus Christ through the Holy Spirit?  I mean, He is residing in them, and can supply whatever they need.  WHY DON’T THEY GO TO HIM?  I don’t have any data on this, it is simply my educated, or un-educated guess, but it is based on 50 years of observation of myself and others.  We don’t spend time with Jesus Christ through the Holy Spirit, tapping into His incredible resources, because we DON’T NEED THEM.  We are self sufficient.  God give us a new awareness of our total helplessness!

          B.  He is unknown in the world.  It cannot see Him and it does not know Him.  Don’t be surprised if people think that you are strange for speaking of a “Holy Spirit.”  He is off the radar screens of unbelievers.  They are on a different wave length.  It’s like radio and TV waves.  We have so many waves bombarding us that we are unaware of.  There are low frequency waves that are being sent out from the Naval Academy area that reach out to submarines and ships almost around the world.  Sometimes they are sending out a million watts of power over there.  That power is hitting us strongly with low frequency waves.  There is an air force tower less than two miles due east of us sending out who knows what.  There are cell phone towers sending out waves.  There are satellites beaming down signals.  There are radio and TV stations beaming their messages our way.  There are even high voltage power lines hitting us with 60 hertz signals.  Why is it that we don’t know this?  Because we are not on the right frequency to pick them up.  You need to be “tuned in.” 

          The same is true with the Holy Spirit.  He can be doing powerful things a couple of feet away from you, and you are unaware of it all because you are not tuned in.  I Cor 2:14 says that the “natural” person, one who hasn’t been transformed by the power of Christ, has two strikes against him when it comes to the things of the Spirit of God: (1) he doesn’t accept them; they are foolish; and (2) he cannot know them because they are spiritually discerned.  He doesn’t want to know them.  And He cannot know them, even if he wanted to.

          C.  He brings the presence of Christ.  18 “I will not leave you orphans; I will come to you. 19 " A little while longer and the world will see Me no more, but you will see Me. Because I live, you will live also.”  Look at the paradoxes in these verses.  Christ is leaving, but He is coming to the disciples; the absent Christ is present.  Then Christ is unseen by the world, but seen by the disciples.  The unseen Christ is visible.  Then Christ is giving life as He is going to the cross the next day.  The dying Christ is life giving (MacLaren, 143). 

          Because He is leaving He can come and live in every one of our hearts. He came in the very act of going.  Being absent, He is present with us.  And being present with us, we can “see” Him.  “See” usually means physical sight, but to the disciples, it is spiritual perception.  Every Christian may be blessed with the vision of the present Christ.  Also the dying Christ lives and gives life.  In fact it was His dying that provided life for all (MacLaren’s notes, 143-144).

          Thus the coming of the Holy Spirit is the coming of Christ (18); “I will come to you.”  That’s a present tense, “I come to you.”  That means that the fellowship the disciples enjoyed by being around Christ for 3 + years would not change.  The Holy Spirit is not coming to do something different than Christ did, but to continue His ministry.  In fact, to provide the presence of Christ.

          What does the Holy Spirit do?  The same thing that Christ did.  Does this thought excite you?  WE CAN ENJOY THE FELLOWSHIP the disciples enjoyed with Christ.  They didn’t get ahead of us because they physically walked with Him on earth.  We have the privilege of walking with Him in the same way because He is IN us.  This wonder never left the apostle Paul.  He repeatedly spoke of being “in” Christ, and of having “Christ in you, the hope of glory.”

          J. B. Phillips said, “The writers of the NT Epistles never regarded the Christian religion as an ‘ethic,’ still less a performance.  To them it was an invasion of their own lives by the living Spirit of God . . . They lived lives of super-human quality because they believed quite simply that Christ Himself was alive within them” (J. B. Phillips, in Making Men Whole, 12-14).

          PICTURE a meeting where people are rolling on the floor, barking like dogs, laughing uncontrollably.  Is that a picture of the Holy Spirit at work?  Do you think that such activity pictures the life and work of Jesus Christ?  Is that what He taught as He walked through the dusty streets of Galilee?  Was that what He did when He entered the synagogues?  The fullness of the Spirit is the fullness of Christ.  So don’t think that it fulls you with some strange behavior.

II.  The Holy Spirit is the “Spirit of Truth.”

16:12 "I still have many things to say to you, but you cannot bear them now. 13 "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. 14 "He will glorify Me, for He will take of what is Mine and declare it to you. 15 "All things that the Father has are Mine. Therefore I said that He will take of Mine and declare it to you. 16 " A little while, and you will not see Me; and again a little while, and you will see Me, because I go to the Father."

          A.  He will teach and help the disciples remember.  With the Holy Spirit living in you, you have the TRUTH living in you.  He is called the “spirit of truth” because truth is His nature which guarantees the character of what He teaches.  And He would lead them into all truth (in their lifetimes).  Think of that, “all truth!”  Nothing had to be added later on by the church or by individuals.  The Spirit finished His job of leading the disciples into truth in their short lives, and enabled them to finish the New Testament by the time of their deaths.  Here were men who didn’t know if they were going to live much longer because of the intense persecution and the threats that they were facing.  And yet the Holy Spirit, not only protected them, but taught them, helped them to remember, so that they could finish the record of the work of Christ on earth.  It was like having their own personal tutor.  He is the perfect teacher; the perfect tutor, the perfect memory bank.  And He will meet their mental needs.

          Do you think that if that same Holy Spirit is living in us, we have access to the same perfect teacher, tutor, and memory bank?  I think the sky is the limit in terms of learning.  I think that Christians who have the presence of the incredible Holy Spirit should shine academically, as well as morally.  We ought to do better than those around us who don’t have the privilege of the Holy Spirit.  We have a built in Computer; we have a built in Library; we have a built in Recall system that others would pay big bucks to access. 

          I took three courses from a professor at the University of MD named, Richard Brown.  He has since passed on, but I learned to marvel at the man’s brain.  I think he had a photographic mind, and never forgot what he read.  You could ask him a question on almost any subject, and he would respond by saying, “well, you could consult the first chapter of such-and-such book written by so-in-so and you will find your answer.”  He had no interest in Christianity and I asked him once a question that would be discussed by Christians.  I was surprised at his answer.  He answered as if he was very familiar with the discussions that Christians engage in.

          He said that one time his wife said to him, “we could make some extra money if we just rented out your brain.”  People would want to access what lies there.  Can you imagine the help it would be in school to have access to a brain like that?  We have access to a “Brain” that is infinitely better than that.  And the amazing thing is that He WANTS to share, He WANTS to teach us, He wants to lead us into all truth.  Can you think of why we don’t have what He wants to give us?  We “have not because we ask not.”  I would encourage you to pray before you do anything and ask the Holy Spirit to be your guide, your strength and your wisdom.

          How long did it take Him to accomplish His task with the disciples?  Virtually the entire New Testament was finished in 35 years.   So He is not talking about forever.  He intends to lead them and fill them with memory of their amazing three year walk with Jesus so that they can write accurately.  And He did it.

          B.  His goal is to make Christ a celebrity.  16:14 "He will glorify Me, for He will take of what is Mine and declare it to you.  If you want to sum up what the Holy Spirit is about, here it is; He is here to advertise Jesus Christ; He is here to put Jesus Christ in the store display windows of everyone’s life.  He does not advertise Himself; He does not even speak on His own initiative.  His goal is to glorify Jesus Christ.

          When people say to you, “the Holy Spirit was here today because we could feel electricity in the air, we could feel power, and we saw strange things happen” don’t believe them.  When your mind focuses on electricity and power and strange things, that is not the Spirit of God.  When the Spirit of God is present, if you “feel” anything it will be the love of One who died for you, it will be the greatness and splendor of the One who became poor that we might be made rich.

          This is a very important issue, because if your passion is not to glorify Christ, then chances are good that you don’t have the Holy Spirit energizing you.  In John 15:27, Jesus says, "And you also will bear witness [of Me], because you have been with Me from the beginning.”  How does the Holy Spirit intend to glorify Christ?  THROUGH THE DISCIPLES!  They are to bear witness of Him.  The Spirit makes Christ a celebrity as we make Him a celebrity.  Is that what happened in the New Testament?  Absolutely.  Did you see the disciples sitting around, barking, laughing uncontrollably, saying to one another, “isn’t this fun to be filled with the Spirit?”  No, you saw them walking into the middle of pain and suffering and persecution for the privilege of advertising Christ.  Things went worse for them because they wouldn’t shut up talking about the Name Jesus Christ.  In the same way the Holy Spirit intends to use you and me – to make Christ a celebrity.

          Is He doing it?  Is He encouraging you to make the priority in your life the advertising and displaying of Jesus Christ?  He wants to give us the brains of advertising agencies, the ability of department store display window creators, the boldness of one who knows exactly what the truth is and realizes that they have what sinners desperately need.  That’s why he puts you in these situations where you are trying to figure out, “how do I say a word about Christ?”  That’s why He has you living in the neighborhood in which He has placed you, and working where you work.

          I want to quote from the recent testimony of a well-known atheist.  His name is Roy Hattersley, a columnist for the U.K. Guardian.  Roy has watched the Salvation Army lead several other faith-based organizations in the relief effort after Hurricane Katrina.  He says this about what he saw in the relief effort:  “Notable by their absence, were teams from rationalist societies, free thinkers’ clubs, and atheists’ associations – the sort of people who scoff at religion’s intellectual absurdity.”   Later on he says, it is an unavoidable conclusion that Christians “are the people most likely to take the risks and make the sacrifices involved in helping others.”

          Hattersley also notes that this pattern of behavior goes beyond disaster relief.  Most “civilized people do not believe that drug addiction and male prostitution offend against divine ordinance.  But those who do are the men and women most willing to change the fetid bandages, replace the sodden sleeping bags, and – perhaps most difficult of all – argue, without a trace of impatience, that the time has come for some serious medical treatment.”

          “The only possible conclusion,” says Hattersley, “is that faith comes with a packet of moral imperatives that, while they do not condition the attitude of all believers, influence enough of them to make (Christians) morally superior to atheists like me” (from Leadership, Spring, 2006, 67).

          Isn’t that an interesting confession?  “Christians are morally superior to atheists like me?”  That’s how the Holy Spirit speaks to people – through the lives of Christians – through your life.

          Christians have taken off work, school, to travel to New Orleans to help, in the name of Jesus Christ.  That’s why we are sending a team of people to Guatemala – to advertise the name of Jesus Christ.  Apart from that name, most people don’t care about orphans in Guatemala.

III.  The Holy Spirit is the “HOLY” Spirit.

John 16:7 "Nevertheless I tell you the truth. It is to your advantage that I go away; for if I do not go away, the Helper will not come to you; but if I depart, I will send Him to you. 8 "And when He has come, He will convict the world of sin, and of righteousness, and of judgment: 9 "of sin, because they do not believe in Me; 10 "of righteousness, because I go to My Father and you see Me no more; 11 "of judgment, because the ruler of this world is judged.

          Three guesses as to why He is called “holy.”  One of the first goals the Holy Spirit has in mind as He enters a life is to convict us of sin.  If I don’t respond positively on that issue, if I ignore Him by refusing to admit my sin, hiding it, refusing to level with God and others about who I am, then I quench Him and grieve Him, which limits His influence in other areas of my life.  If I want the filling of the Spirit, the guidance of the Spirit, the illumination of the Spirit, the fellowship of the Spirit, they all recognizing that He is the HOLY Spirit.  They all depend on whether we admit and forsake our sin. 

          These verses tell us that the Holy Spirit’s plans are worldwide.  He comes to convict the entire world.  Notice the list, “sin,” “righteousness,” and “judgment.”  This is the message He speaks in the ear and heart of every person alive.  This is the message He wants to use us to speak to people.

          In verse 9 it says that He convicts of sin, because they do not believe in Me.”  Sin is sin not just because it disobeys the Law, but because at its root, it is unbelief.  Belief is obedience.  Unbelief is disobedience.  People cruise along in life without realizing that their attitudes and actions are telling God to “hang it on His nose.”  And they don’t recognize how this attitude has permeated every part of their lives.    The essence of sin is living for self.  Doing your own thing.  “I’ll do it my way” is not just a Sinatra special, but a way of life.  Coming to Christ is the surrender of self.  So unbelief is sin in its ‘purest’ form.  It’s a statement to God that He is a Liar, is untrustworthy, if He is there at all, and that the individual can handle it all personally.  Isaiah 53:6 says it clearly: “All we like sheep have gone astray, we have turned every one to his own way.”  “His own way” is the theme of our lives.  The Holy Spirit is here to use us to counteract that thinking, and help people recognize their sin.

          In verse 10, the Spirit convicts of “righteousness” because Christ has gone into the presence of the Father.  What does Christ in heaven have to do with righteousness?  If Christ were on earth, His righteousness could only be seen by people who were close enough to watch and talk with Him.   Since He has gone to heaven and commissioned the Holy Spirit to come and indwell every believer, His righteousness can be seen in all our lives.  People can’t see Christ, the perfect One, but they can see Him living in us.  Our right responses introduce them to a life that contrasts with their’s.  The conviction of sin, needs the conviction of righteousness.  One follows the other.

          In verse 11, the Spirit convicts of “judgment” because Satan has been judged at the cross (Col. 2:15).  What does that mean?  It means that he is the first to be judged, and there will follow a long line of those who are judged for their sin.  Your sin is preparing you for hell.  Some people come to Christ because they are “scared” into it.  Is there anything wrong with that?  Not that I can tell.  The great news is that when you are scared by the reality of the coming judgment, the good news of forgiveness in Christ becomes awfully good news. And that’s the way it should be, because good news isn’t seen as good news until one sees the other alternative.  The Holy Spirit intends to use us to help people see the other alternative, judgment.

          The bottom line is that you will not have any relationship with the Holy Spirit until you come to realize how important the word “Holy” is.  You can have fellowship with an “unholy” spirit, but that’s not the same as the HOLY Spirit.  And when you have fellowship with the HOLY Spirit, He will CHANGE you into a demonstration, a window display of CHRIST.

          You may have heard of the name, Dr. Bernard Nathanson.  In 1969, he ran the largest abortion clinic in the world.  It was in NY city, and he co-founded the National Association for the Repeal of Abortion Law.  After being involved directly or indirectly in over 75,000 abortions (including one of his own child) and seeing his political goals achieved with the Supreme Court’s Roe vs. Wade decision that legalized abortion nationwide, he came to the shocking understanding that he had been killing human beings.  In the late 1970s he became a leading pro-life advocate and you may have heard of him as the producer of that powerful video entitled, The Silent Scream.   Less than 10 years ago, Dr. Nathanson trusted Jesus Christ as his Messiah and Savior.  What influenced him?  How did Grace reach him?  It was through his contact with Christian pro-life workers.  Their lives got him thinking about the source of their “abnormal” dedication.  He said, “they prayed, they supported and encouraged each other, they sang hymns of joy . . . They prayed for the unborn babies, for the confused and pregnant women, and for the doctors and nurses in the clinic . . . And I wondered: How can these people give of themselves for a constituency that is (and always will be) mute, invisible, and unable to thank them?”  (World, March/April, 50).  How can they do this for no reward? No payback?

          What opened his eyes?  It was the Holy Spirit bringing conviction through believers.  He was speaking through the behavior of pro-life workers.  In spite of the fact that Nathanson despised them, and that they were an irritant to him, the Holy Spirit used their “demonstration,” their “abnormal” demonstration to reach his heart.

          Who is the Holy Spirit?  He is another comforter, sent by God to meet our needs; He is the Spirit of truth, who comes to lead us into truth so we can celebrate Christ; He is the Holy Spirit who comes to convict the world of sin, righteousness, and judgment.

          Do you have the Holy Spirit living in your life?  Is He filling you with His presence and power?  It all starts when you admit where you are and confess your sin, because He is the HOLY Spirit.  God the Spirit wants to use you to wake up the Benard Nathansons around you.

04/29/06, BBC am