In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth. And the earth was formless and void, and darkness was over the surface of the deep, and the Spirit of God was hovering over the surface of the waters. - Genesis 1:1-2
This morning we are beginning a new sermon series titled “The Works of the Holy Spirit”. We are going to spend the next few months discussing the role and various activities of the Holy Spirit according to Scripture. I decided to preach on this topic after attending a conference last fall with my son and hearing Mike Riccardi, a prominent theologian and professor who works with John MacArthur at Grace Community Church in California, speak about it. This is a very timely issue as there is much confusion and misinformation about the Holy Spirit being promoted in the Christian church right now, especially within more pentecostal and charismatic movements. Some of these influences are beginning to infiltrate and affect more conservative traditions, including Southern Baptists. That said, we need to have a solid, informed, and Biblically based understanding of the Holy Spirit and what He does.
Before we delve into the numerous works of the Holy Spirit, let’s start by clearly identifying who He is and what role He plays. This opening message will be the foundation upon which the remainder of the series rests. It is called “Who Is the Holy Spirit?”.
I. THE IDENTITY OF THE HOLY SPIRIT
There are many flawed and/or erroneous teachings about the identity of the Holy Spirit. I can remember as a child hearing Him called the Holy Ghost regularly by church leaders. Thankfully this misleading term is not as common in Christianity as it used to be. It conjures up the idea that the Holy Spirit is like an apparition of a dead person who appears to be alive. This is ridiculous. Some people mistakenly liken the Holy Spirit to a mystical force. Think about the Star Wars movies and how the Jedis were taught to use and trust “the force”. Friends, the Holy Spirit is not merely an intense feeling, inclination, or impression. Still others believe that the Holy Spirit is more like an impersonal power source which is available for Christians to tap into. Again, the Holy Spirit is much more than this.
The Bible unequivocally teaches that the Holy Spirit is God. In Acts 5:3-4, Peter rebukes Ananias for lying to the Holy Spirit about the price of a piece of property that he sold and concludes that by doing so he has lied to God. Peter’s statement clearly equates the Holy Spirit with God - they are the same.
The Holy Spirit is the 3rd Person of the Godhead or Trinity. The Baptist Faith and Message 2000 describes the doctrine of the Trinity like this: “The eternal triune God reveals Himself to us as Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, with distinct personal attributes, but without division of nature, essence, or being.” Though this explanation defies human understanding, by faith we as Christians accept and believe that the Holy Spirit is simultaneously unified with, distinct from, and equal to the Father and the Son.
II. THE DIVINITY OF THE HOLY SPIRIT
The Holy Spirit possesses all of the divine characteristics of God. He is omnipotent, omniscient, and omnipresent. These shared characteristics confirm that He is not simply a feeling, phantom, or force, but rather He is God.
By omnipotent, we mean that He is all-powerful. In Luke 1:35, the angel Gabriel tells Mary that “The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you” and you will give birth to the Son of God. In this verse and many others like it throughout Scripture, we see that the power of Almighty God is inherent in the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit is omnipotent.
By omniscient, we mean that God is all-knowing. In 1 Corinthians 2:10-11, Paul writes that “no one knows the thoughts of God except the Spirit of God.” This verse plainly teaches that the Holy Spirit knows the thoughts of God. Seeing that God knows all things, then the Holy Spirit likewise knows all things. He is omniscient.
By omnipresent, we mean that God is everywhere present. In Psalm 139:7-8, David asks “Where can I go from your Spirit? Where can I flee from your presence? If I go up to the heavens, you are there; if I make my bed in the depths, you are there.” There is no place to hide from the Holy Spirit, because He is present everywhere. He is omnipresent.
III. THE PERSONHOOD OF THE HOLY SPIRIT
Although the Holy Spirit does not have a physical or material body, He is still a divine person. He possesses a mind, emotions, and a will. These are personal traits, like those of human beings. We share these attributes with God because we were created in His image. The proper pronoun for the Holy Spirit is “He”, just like it is for God the Father or God the Son.
The Holy Spirit has a mind. Going back to 1 Corinthians 2:10-11, which we cited earlier in this message, He knows all things and “searches” the depths of God. In other words, the Holy Spirit ponders, reflects upon, examines, and investigates the thoughts of God. These are the mental and intellectual exercises of a mind.
The Holy Spirit has emotions. In Ephesians 4:30, Paul writes that our sinful behaviors “grieve” the Holy Spirit. He is actually saddened by our disobedience. In Romans 8:26-27, we read that the Holy Spirit intercedes for us in accordance to God’s will with “groanings too deep for words”. These are just a couple of examples of the Holy Spirit’s feelings and emotions.
The Holy Spirit has a will. In 1 Corinthians 12:7-11, Paul explains that the Holy Spirit distributes various spiritual gifts to the members of Christ’s body. How does He determine who receives each particular gift or gifts? Paul concludes this passage by stating that the Holy Spirit apportions them “as He wills.” It is His prerogative to decide.
IV. THE ROLE OF THE HOLY SPIRIT
As stated previously, each Person of the Trinity - the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit - is fully and equally God. None of them are less or lower than the others in any way. However, each serves a particular role within the Godhead. It is the Holy Spirit’s role to carry out or execute the will of the Father within creation (which includes applying the redemptive work of the Son in the lives of believers). In other words, what God the Father decrees and the Son has secured the Holy Spirit accomplishes, both within the hearts of believers and in the natural universe. At the conference I mentioned in the introduction of this morning’s message, Mike Riccardi referred to the Holy Spirit as the “Executor of all Divine Operations”.
No analogy is perfect so we should be careful when using them, but they can be helpful. When I think about the manner in which God chooses to work, I like to picture the Father as the brain and the Holy Spirit as the hands and feet. What the brain desires, the hands and feet do. Without the brain, the hands and feet don’t function. Without the hands and feet, the brain’s desires cannot be realized. They work together to get things done. The power of the Holy Spirit to affect change is governed by the will of the Father.
CONCLUSION
As we conclude, let’s quickly review the major points of today’s message.
First, the Holy Spirit is God. He is the 3rd Person of the Trinity - Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.
Second, the Holy Spirit is divine. He is omnipotent, omniscient, and omnipresent.
Third, the Holy Spirit is a person. He possesses a mind, emotions, and will.
Fourth, the Holy Spirit carries out or executes the will of the Father within creation (which includes the redemptive work of the Son within believers).
Now that we have established who the Holy Spirit is, we can begin exploring many of the things that He does. In the coming weeks we will examine several works of the Holy Spirit. I am eagerly looking forward to it and I hope you are too. God bless you.
This morning we are beginning a new sermon series titled “The Works of the Holy Spirit”. We are going to spend the next few months discussing the role and various activities of the Holy Spirit according to Scripture. I decided to preach on this topic after attending a conference last fall with my son and hearing Mike Riccardi, a prominent theologian and professor who works with John MacArthur at Grace Community Church in California, speak about it. This is a very timely issue as there is much confusion and misinformation about the Holy Spirit being promoted in the Christian church right now, especially within more pentecostal and charismatic movements. Some of these influences are beginning to infiltrate and affect more conservative traditions, including Southern Baptists. That said, we need to have a solid, informed, and Biblically based understanding of the Holy Spirit and what He does.
Before we delve into the numerous works of the Holy Spirit, let’s start by clearly identifying who He is and what role He plays. This opening message will be the foundation upon which the remainder of the series rests. It is called “Who Is the Holy Spirit?”.
I. THE IDENTITY OF THE HOLY SPIRIT
There are many flawed and/or erroneous teachings about the identity of the Holy Spirit. I can remember as a child hearing Him called the Holy Ghost regularly by church leaders. Thankfully this misleading term is not as common in Christianity as it used to be. It conjures up the idea that the Holy Spirit is like an apparition of a dead person who appears to be alive. This is ridiculous. Some people mistakenly liken the Holy Spirit to a mystical force. Think about the Star Wars movies and how the Jedis were taught to use and trust “the force”. Friends, the Holy Spirit is not merely an intense feeling, inclination, or impression. Still others believe that the Holy Spirit is more like an impersonal power source which is available for Christians to tap into. Again, the Holy Spirit is much more than this.
The Bible unequivocally teaches that the Holy Spirit is God. In Acts 5:3-4, Peter rebukes Ananias for lying to the Holy Spirit about the price of a piece of property that he sold and concludes that by doing so he has lied to God. Peter’s statement clearly equates the Holy Spirit with God - they are the same.
The Holy Spirit is the 3rd Person of the Godhead or Trinity. The Baptist Faith and Message 2000 describes the doctrine of the Trinity like this: “The eternal triune God reveals Himself to us as Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, with distinct personal attributes, but without division of nature, essence, or being.” Though this explanation defies human understanding, by faith we as Christians accept and believe that the Holy Spirit is simultaneously unified with, distinct from, and equal to the Father and the Son.
II. THE DIVINITY OF THE HOLY SPIRIT
The Holy Spirit possesses all of the divine characteristics of God. He is omnipotent, omniscient, and omnipresent. These shared characteristics confirm that He is not simply a feeling, phantom, or force, but rather He is God.
By omnipotent, we mean that He is all-powerful. In Luke 1:35, the angel Gabriel tells Mary that “The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you” and you will give birth to the Son of God. In this verse and many others like it throughout Scripture, we see that the power of Almighty God is inherent in the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit is omnipotent.
By omniscient, we mean that God is all-knowing. In 1 Corinthians 2:10-11, Paul writes that “no one knows the thoughts of God except the Spirit of God.” This verse plainly teaches that the Holy Spirit knows the thoughts of God. Seeing that God knows all things, then the Holy Spirit likewise knows all things. He is omniscient.
By omnipresent, we mean that God is everywhere present. In Psalm 139:7-8, David asks “Where can I go from your Spirit? Where can I flee from your presence? If I go up to the heavens, you are there; if I make my bed in the depths, you are there.” There is no place to hide from the Holy Spirit, because He is present everywhere. He is omnipresent.
III. THE PERSONHOOD OF THE HOLY SPIRIT
Although the Holy Spirit does not have a physical or material body, He is still a divine person. He possesses a mind, emotions, and a will. These are personal traits, like those of human beings. We share these attributes with God because we were created in His image. The proper pronoun for the Holy Spirit is “He”, just like it is for God the Father or God the Son.
The Holy Spirit has a mind. Going back to 1 Corinthians 2:10-11, which we cited earlier in this message, He knows all things and “searches” the depths of God. In other words, the Holy Spirit ponders, reflects upon, examines, and investigates the thoughts of God. These are the mental and intellectual exercises of a mind.
The Holy Spirit has emotions. In Ephesians 4:30, Paul writes that our sinful behaviors “grieve” the Holy Spirit. He is actually saddened by our disobedience. In Romans 8:26-27, we read that the Holy Spirit intercedes for us in accordance to God’s will with “groanings too deep for words”. These are just a couple of examples of the Holy Spirit’s feelings and emotions.
The Holy Spirit has a will. In 1 Corinthians 12:7-11, Paul explains that the Holy Spirit distributes various spiritual gifts to the members of Christ’s body. How does He determine who receives each particular gift or gifts? Paul concludes this passage by stating that the Holy Spirit apportions them “as He wills.” It is His prerogative to decide.
IV. THE ROLE OF THE HOLY SPIRIT
As stated previously, each Person of the Trinity - the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit - is fully and equally God. None of them are less or lower than the others in any way. However, each serves a particular role within the Godhead. It is the Holy Spirit’s role to carry out or execute the will of the Father within creation (which includes applying the redemptive work of the Son in the lives of believers). In other words, what God the Father decrees and the Son has secured the Holy Spirit accomplishes, both within the hearts of believers and in the natural universe. At the conference I mentioned in the introduction of this morning’s message, Mike Riccardi referred to the Holy Spirit as the “Executor of all Divine Operations”.
No analogy is perfect so we should be careful when using them, but they can be helpful. When I think about the manner in which God chooses to work, I like to picture the Father as the brain and the Holy Spirit as the hands and feet. What the brain desires, the hands and feet do. Without the brain, the hands and feet don’t function. Without the hands and feet, the brain’s desires cannot be realized. They work together to get things done. The power of the Holy Spirit to affect change is governed by the will of the Father.
CONCLUSION
As we conclude, let’s quickly review the major points of today’s message.
First, the Holy Spirit is God. He is the 3rd Person of the Trinity - Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.
Second, the Holy Spirit is divine. He is omnipotent, omniscient, and omnipresent.
Third, the Holy Spirit is a person. He possesses a mind, emotions, and will.
Fourth, the Holy Spirit carries out or executes the will of the Father within creation (which includes the redemptive work of the Son within believers).
Now that we have established who the Holy Spirit is, we can begin exploring many of the things that He does. In the coming weeks we will examine several works of the Holy Spirit. I am eagerly looking forward to it and I hope you are too. God bless you.