WORKINGS OF THE HOLY SPIRIT
The Holy Spirit has always existed as the third person of the Trinity: Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.
• Genesis 1:1-2 records His participation in Creation.
In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth. Now the earth was formless and empty, darkness was over the surface of the deep, and the Spirit of God was hovering over the waters.
Verse 26 adds
Then God said, "Let us make man in our image, in our likeness.
• The three persons of the Trinity were present again at Christ’s baptism (Matthew 3:16; Mark 1:10; Luke 3:21-22; John 1:33-34).
THINK OF THE HOLY SPIRIT AS A PERSONALITY THAT MAY BE HURT, LOVED, HONORED, KNOWN, AND COMMUNICATED WITH, GRIEVED, HAVING INFINITE INTELLECT, AND HAVING WILL AND EMOTION.
God the Holy Spirit was evident throughout the Old Testament.
Then the Spirit of the LORD came upon
• Balaam (Numbers 24:2)
• David (1 Samuel 16:13)
• Gideon (Judges 6:34)
• Samson (Judges 14:19) and others
• Isaiah 61:1 begins The Spirit of the Sovereign LORD is on me and speaks of Messiah. This is the verse Jesus read about Himself in the Temple when it was His turn to read (Luke 4:18).
Pentecost was one of three Jewish festivals to which every male Jew who lived within 20 miles of Jerusalem was legally bound to come.
• Pentecost means "the fiftieth," the fiftieth day after Passover.
• It commemorated the giving of the Law to Moses on Mount Sinai.
• It also was a day of gratitude for the completed and in-gathered harvest.
• No work was to be done on that day. It was a festive holiday occasion.
• The streets would have been filled with people.
At the Last Supper (John 14:16-20), Jesus [God the Son] promised that He would send the Holy Spirit.
• The disciples were not to begin their ministry until the Holy Spirit came upon them (John 15:26-27; John16:4-16).
• The disciples waited in faith for the Holy Spirit before sharing the gospel even though they had walked with Jesus for three years.
God [the Father] chose Pentecost to send God [the Holy Spirit] as promised by Jesus [the Son]. Luke describes what happened (Acts 2:1-13).
• The Holy Spirit “FILLED THE DISCIPLES,” giving them the ability to speak in known languages. They needed this miracle of language to fulfill the Great Commission (Matthew 28:19-20).
• People thought the disciples were drunk.
• Peter explained the truth to the crowd (Acts 2:14-41).
Like the apostles at Pentecost, at the moment of salvation, when you accept Christ as your personal Savior,
• You become a saint and a priest through the Holy Spirit (not by human appointment as some wrongly teach).
• You receive at least one spiritual gift (Romans 12:6-8; 1 Peter 4:10).
• You are baptized in the Holy Spirit, which establishes your new relationship and position in Christ and is the empowering for service (Romans 12:1).
• You are filled with the Holy Spirit for service (Ephesians 5:18).
Holy Spirit filling deals with our behavior. Fillings are recurring. They
• provide power to live the Christian life
• cleanse, energize, and renew
• affect the entire being (spirit, mind, emotions)
• transform habits and character
• produce supernatural fruit (Galatians 5:22-23)
The fruit of the Spirit consists of characteristics of Jesus. Cultivating spiritual fruit is a process of giving up our sinful nature (Galatians 5:1-21) and being changed into the nature of Jesus Christ.
John the Baptist (Luke 1:15), his mother Elizabeth (Luke 1:41), his father Zechariah (Luke 1:67), Simeon (Luke 2:5), Peter (Acts 4:8), and Saul/Paul (Acts 9:17; Acts 13:9) were also filled with the Holy Spirit.
As Jesus said in John 3:7, you are “born again.” Rebirth is a transformation to a new creation with
• a new nature
• a changed disposition
• a new heart
• a changed will
• changed objectives for living
• changed affections
What does the Holy Spirit do in our lives? He
• Dwells within every believer (Romans 8:11) beginning at the moment of salvation.
• Teaches and reminds us of what we have learned (John 14:26). He brings to mind verses and scriptural truth we may have forgotten.
• Convicts us of sin and judgment (John 16:8-11).
• Testifies about Jesus rather than Himself (John 15:26), revealing our need for Christ.
• Guides us into all truth (John 16:13).
• Guides our steps and helps us discover the Father's plans for us (Romans 8:14).
• Assures us that we are saved (Romans 8:16).
• Gives us spiritual gifts (1 Corinthians 12:4-8).
• Empowers us, especially for evangelism (Acts 1:7-8).
• Equips us to minister to others (Ephesians 4:11-12).
• Helps us pray (Romans 8:26).
• Seals our salvation (Ephesians 1:13).
"Witness" is a key word in the Book of Acts and is used 29 times.
• A witness is one who tells what he has seen and heard (Acts 4:19-20).
• Our English word "martyr" comes from the Greek word translated "witness."
• Many of God's people throughout the ages have sealed their witness by laying down their lives.
• While only some have an actual calling to evangelism (Ephesians 4:11), all are expected to be witnesses and to tell the lost about the Savior.
• Every Christian may not be gifted at bringing a sinner to the place of faith and decision, but every Christian can bear faithful witness to the Savior and plant the seed.
• Proverbs 14:25 says, A true witness delivers souls.
To be effective witnesses for Christ in this evil age, we should:
• walk with God
• guided by the Holy Spirit and
• tell others about the good news of Jesus Christ.
The book of Acts describes the geographical spread of the Gospel from Jerusalem (chapters 1 to 7) to Judea and Samaria (chapters 8 and 9). I’d like to paraphrase Jesus’ words to show our responsibilities as witnesses:
But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you; and you will be my witnesses in Sedalia, and in all Pettis County and Missouri and to the ends of the earth."
THE INVITATION
★ You can't depend on your own goodness to get to Heaven. We've all sinned (Romans 3:23). Jesus paid the penalty for your sins with His death on the cross and His resurrection (John 3:16).
★ To be forgiven and be guaranteed a place in Heaven, you need to repent of sin, confess that you are a sinner, and believe on the Lord Jesus Christ in your heart (Acts 2:21).
★ You can use the following prayer or your own words, but you must actually believe in your heart that your prayer is real:
Lord Jesus, I believe You are the Son of God. I confess that I have sinned against You in thought, word, and deed. Please forgive all my wrongdoing and let me live in relationship with You from now on.
I receive You as my Savior and recognize that the work You accomplished once and for all on the cross was done on my behalf.
Thank You for saving me. Help me to live a life that is pleasing to You.
In Your name I pray, Amen.
Dr. Nicholas J. Gray, Pastor Broadway Baptist Church Sedalia, Missouri May 24, 2015
