We struggle with the mystery of God, don’t we? It’s hard enough to understand Jesus … but what about the holy spirit?
You hear him called the Holy Ghost (sounds like something out of Scooby doo).
But who is he?
The Holy Spirit has been around for a while! Since the creation of the world in fact. And that’s where I want to begin – at the Creation account. Let’s look at the history of the Holy Spirit throughout the Bible.
We’re going to start with Genesis 1, verse 1, and we’re going to go the whole way through the Bible right until the very last verse of the Bible in Revelation, chapter 22. (If you’re lucky we’ll leave out one or two verses in between!).....blisteringly fast!...ready?! Ok:
The Holy Spirit was involved in creation:
Genesis 1, verses 1 and 2:
‘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.’
Out of the chaos, the Holy Spirit brings the cosmos; out of disorder he brings order; out of confusion, harmony; out of deformity he brings beauty; out of the old he brings the new.
That’s how the Spirit of God works in our lives, wanting to bring order and harmony and beauty and newness, he’s the Creator Spirit.
Next, he brings life to human beings.
Genesis 2, verse 7: ‘The LORD God formed a man from the dust of the ground and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life, and the man became a living being.’
The Hebrew word for the Holy Spirit in Genesis 1, verse 1 is ‘ruach’. And it’s a very similar word to the word that’s used here for ‘breath’.
Breath … Spirit …
The breath of God brings life: physical life, and spiritual life
We read that Jesus breathed on the disciples and said, ‘Receive the Holy Spirit.’
And when someone decides to become a Christian, the Holy Spirit comes to live within them, to breathe in them the breath of life.
It’s fascinating to read through the Old Testament and see how the Spirit of God rested upon particular people at particular times for particular tasks.
For example, on Bezalel for artistic work – Exodus, chapter 31
On Gideon for leadership – Judges, chapter 6
Then on Samson for power and strength – Judges, chapter 15
The Spirit rests on Bezalel for artistry, on Gideon for leadership, on Samson for strength … And then Isaiah for prophecy.
Isaiah, chapter 61, verses 1-3:
‘The Spirit of the LORD is upon me,
because the Lord has anointed me
to preach good news to the poor.
…to bind up the broken-hearted,
to proclaim freedom for the captives
and release from darkness for the prisoners,
to proclaim the year of the LORD’s favour
and the day of vengeance of our God,
to comfort all who mourn,
and to provide for those who grieve in Zion—
to bestow on them a crown of beauty instead of ashes,
the oil of joy instead of mourning,
and a garment of praise instead of a spirit of despair.’
Prophecy in the Bible is not so much foretelling; it’s more forth-telling. Telling people about the freedom that God offers us in Jesus.
The experience of the Holy Spirit is not just that we should have a ‘nice, warm feeling in our hearts and feel good’! It’s so we can go out and make a difference to our world.
As we go on through the Old Testament there’s this rising sense of something even more amazing. And this is referred to as ‘the promise of the Father’.
If you wanted, you could sum up the whole Old Testament in one word: ‘promise’. So what exactly is this promise?
We find it in Jeremiah, chapter 31:
‘I will put my law in their minds and write it on their hearts.’
Under the old covenant, the Old Testament, the people of God were given the law. And the law was written on blocks of stone. They looked at these laws and they said, ‘These look good! – don’t kill, don’t steal, don’t commit adultery … if we lived like this, we’d have a great society.’
So they tried to live by the laws, but they couldn’t. And so the law, instead of becoming a blessing, it was just this great burden on them – they were trying desperately to keep it, but they were failing constantly.
So God says: ‘Look, I’m going to do something new. This is my promise. Instead of the law being outside – something that you are trying to keep but fail,’ he said, ‘I’m going to put it inside, so that you really want to do it, it comes from your hearts.’
How does he do this? How can the promise of the Father be fulfilled? In Ezekiel 36:26, God says
this:
‘I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit in you; I will remove from you your heart of stone and give you a heart of flesh. I will put my Spirit in you and move you to follow my decrees and be careful to keep my laws.’
That’s how he does it – by the Holy Spirit coming to live within us.
To whom does this promise apply?
Joel, chapter 2, verse 28 – this is what God says:
‘For afterwards, I will pour out my Spirit on all people.
Your sons and daughters will prophesy (it’s regardless of sex),
your old men will dream dreams, your young men will see visions (it’s regardless of age).
Even on my servants (it’s regardless of background, race, colour, rank).
Even on my servants, both men and women,
I will pour out my Spirit in those days’ (it’s for everyone!)
‘On all people.’ That’s the promise of the Father. But this promise remained unfulfilled.
The people were waiting. They waited for hundreds of years! And then, with the birth of Jesus, it’s like a trumpet sounds. And everybody connected with the birth of Jesus is filled with the Holy Spirit.
In Luke 1 we read that John the Baptist, Mary (the Mother of Jesus), Elizabeth (Jesus’s auntie) and Zechariah (Jesus’s uncle) all get filled with the Holy Spirit.
It’s still particular people at particular times. But then John the Baptist is the first person to make this link between “The Promise” and Jesus. Luke 3:16: ‘He will baptise you with the Holy Spirit and with fire.’
Baptism with water is important, but it’s not enough. Jesus is the Spirit baptiser. In the secular Greek, the word ‘baptise’ meant ‘to overwhelm, to immerse, to plunge, to drench’. It was the word that was used if a ship sunk: it was baptised, overwhelmed by water. And that’s what the Spirit wants to do – he wants to drench us, overwhelm us.
Jesus himself was completely full of the Holy Spirit, the power of God. Luke chapter 3, verse 22:
‘The Holy Spirit descended on him in bodily form like a dove.’
In Luke 4:1 we read that ‘Jesus was full of the Holy Spirit’.
Verse 14: ‘Jesus returned to Galilee in the power of the Spirit’
Verse 18: he says, ‘The Spirit of the Lord is on me,
because he’s anointed me to preach good news to the poor’ – he’s quoting directly from Isaiah’s prophecy.
And then Jesus predicts the coming of the Spirit.
In John 7, Jesus says: ‘If anyone is thirsty, come to me and drink. Whoever believes in me, as the Scripture has said, will have streams of living water flowing from within.’
By this he meant the Spirit literally, out of their innermost being will flow rivers of living water. In other words Jesus is saying, ‘Not only will I satisfy your spiritual thirst, but then you will become a source of blessing, a source of life.’
At the end of Luke’s gospel we read that Jesus said this:
‘I’m going to send you what my Father has promised [the promise of the Father]; but stay in the city until you have been clothed with power from on high.’
In Acts 1:8 we read that Jesus said to his disciples: ‘You will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you; and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.’
They waited, and they prayed – for ten days. And all the time there’s this rising sense of
anticipation. It’s like watching the winner of the Grand Prix taking a champagne bottle and just shaking it!
And eventually – Acts 2:2 – the cork flies off! ‘Suddenly (!) a sound like the blowing of a violent wind came from heaven and filled the whole house where they were sitting. They saw what seemed to be tongues of fire that separated and came to rest on each of them. All of them [ie, not just particular people at particular times for particular tasks], all of them were filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in other tongues as the Spirit enabled them.’
Now, to this ‘happening’ people’s reactions were mixed. Some said, ‘This is so cool!’ Or words to that effect.
Others – (verse 12) – were ‘amazed and perplexed’: they thought, ‘Wow, this is
amazing, but it’s also a bit perplexing!’
Others ‘made fun of them’ – verse 13: ‘They’ve had too much wine’ … ‘they’re drunk!’
In other words, something amazing was happening and they didn’t know how to explain it. So they gave a natural explanation for something that was actually supernatural.
Peter gets up and says, ‘Let me explain this to you …These people are not drunk, as you suppose. It’s only nine o’clock in the morning! No, [he says] this is …
The Promise, this is Biblical, this is what was promised in the Old Testament:
“In the last days, God says, I will pour out my Spirit on all people.” ’
Suddenly, the promise of the Father – the gift of the Holy Spirit is no longer just for particular people at particular times for particular tasks; it’s for everyone. We can all now experience the power of the Holy Spirit.
But what does that actually mean in practice? What does the Holy Spirit do in our lives?
In John, chapter 3. Jesus is talking to a man called Nicodemus:
‘I tell you the truth, no-one can enter the kingdom of God without being born of water and the Spirit. Flesh gives birth to flesh, and the Spirit gives birth to spirit. You shouldn’t be surprised at my saying, “You must be born again.” ’
The expression ‘born again’ has become a bit of a cliché. To many people it sounds a bit odd. But actually Jesus was the first person to use that expression! Jesus is saying that, just as a baby comes from physical union, so new spiritual life comes from the union of a human spirit with God’s spirit.
All of us on this planet have been created by God, but not everybody is living in this relationship like a son or a daughter with a parent. And this happens not by birth but by spiritual birth.
There’s so many facets to that relationship with your Father in heaven . Let’s look at some:
1. We are born again to be children in the family of God
Paul says this – chapter 8:14:
‘… those who are led by the Spirit of God are children of God. For you did not receive a spirit that makes you a slave again to fear, but you received the Spirit of adoption. And by him we cry, “Abba, Father.” The Spirit himself testifies with our spirit that we’re God’s children. And if we’re children, then we’re heirs – heirs of God and co-heirs with Christ, if indeed we share in his sufferings in order that we may also share in his glory.’
By the Spirit you and I are adopted as children into God’s family. That’s an extraordinary
privilege and it has an impact on us, PAST, PRESENT and FUTURE
OUR PAST is impacted: a few verses earlier, in Romans 8, verses 1 and 2, St. Paul writes this:
Therefore, there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus, for through Christ Jesus the law of the Spirit of life set me free from the law of sin and death.
We can be set free from the past, whatever we’ve done. Jesus, on the cross, took all our sins. The slate is wiped completely clean the moment we come to Christ...the Spirit of life sets us free from the past.
Many of us find ourselves bound by habits, patterns of thought, addictions. And when the Spirit of God comes upon us, he enables us to break free from whatever addictions we’ve been under: drugs, immorality, anger, envy.
And so our PRESENT is impacted too: Receiving God’s Spirit means experiencing God’s freedom and love TODAY.
As we’ve read: “By him we cry, “Abba, Father.” “
‘Abba’ is a very interesting word because it’s Aramaic, but the translators haven’t even bothered to try and translate it because it’s too hard. They’ve left it as it is. It’s one of the most important words in the New Testament. It’s the word that would have been used by a child to their father; but not just when they were little, all the way through their life. So it’s almost like, ‘Dad’ or ‘Daddy’. It’s a word used in a very close and intimate relationship. It’s a word that was distinctive to Jesus. Nowhere in the Old Testament is God referred to as Abba, but Jesus used it in his relationship with God. And he offers it to us. And the Spirit gives us the deepest experience that God as “Abba” is true. By the Holy Spirit we find the deepest spiritual experience you can ever have – verse 16:
‘The Spirit ... testifies with our spirit that we are God’s children.’
By the Spirit, there is this impact: PAST, PRESENT .......AND FUTURE:
We are adopted into God’s family and that brings the most profound sense of security and hope – as verse 17 simply puts it: we are “heirs of God”
All of the riches of Heaven are ours.
The difference here is that to inherit all the riches of Heaven, the one who has to die is you and me. We need to die to ourselves. When the Spirit of God comes to live within a person, they become a child of God.
2. Then the Spirit helps us to develop that relationship with the Father
Relationships grow by communication. So the Spirit of God helps us to pray, to speak to
God....as we’ve looked at earlier in the course. The Holy Spirit also helps us understand God’s word. Paul prays in Ephesians that we would have ‘the Spirit of wisdom and revelation so that we might know God better’. He prays that ‘the eyes of our hearts may be enlightened in order that we can understand’ ...everything,
including the Bible Understanding comes by the Spirit...
I think for some people it seems like Christianity is a huge leap of faith into some huge void. But it isn’t actually a leap of faith; it’s a step of faith. But it’s only as we take the step that we understand that actually it’s true – that we’re not leaping into the unknown, we’re on solid ground.
It’s the Holy Spirit who brings that understanding and then helps to develop the relationship withGod.
3. The Holy Spirit brings the family likeness.
Paul says in 2 Corinthians 3:18, ‘We, who with unveiled faces all reflect the Lord’s
glory, are being transformed into his likeness with ever-increasing glory, which comes from the Lord, who is the Spirit.’
Paul is saying that when the Spirit of God comes to live within a person, he will bring about this family likeness, becoming more like God, becoming more like Jesus.
How does this happen?
In Galatians, chapter 5, verse 22 and 23, St Paul writes:
‘But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control.’
Who wouldn’t want more of all of these in their lives? The Holy Spirit rests upon us to make us more like God.
4. The Holy Spirit brings unity in the family.
The Spirit wants us to be united with one another. We’re meant to be an example to a troubled and divided world. Jesus prayed for the unity of the Church
Paul writes in Ephesians 4, verse 3: ‘Make every effort to keep the unity of the Spirit
through the bond of peace. There is one body and one Spirit.’
The church is called the ‘Body of Christ’. There is ‘one body and one spirit’. The Spirit of God lives in every Christian regardless of colour, background, denomination... The Spirit of God lives within Catholics and Protestants, within Orthodox and Pentecostal. We are one.
What unites us is infinitely greater than what divides us. Jesus unites us!
5. The Holy Spirit brings gifts for all the children.
In a moment, in your small groups, please read 1 Corinthians 12:4-11
What you find there is a list of spiritual gifts and Paul uses the analogy of the church being a physical body where there is diversity but unity. There is an essential interdependence. So the nose can’t say, ‘I’m more important than the eye.’: we need every different part of the body of Christ, we need all of the gifts.
And some of these gifts more obviously demonstrate the unusual, supernatural acts of God in the world – the gifts of speaking in tongues, or miracles. But it also includes natural talents, which can be transformed and energised by the Holy Spirit. And, using these gifts, we’re in it together.
The church is not meant to be a kind of one-man show. Too often churches have become like this – the pastor or the priest does everything. Meanwhile everyone else isn’t doing anything! The church can be like a professional game of soccer.
You have ‘22 people desperately in need of a rest being watched by 22,000 desperately in need of exercise!’
The church only works if everybody’s involved, because the Holy Spirit gives gifts to all the children
6. Finally...the Holy Spirit makes the family of God grow
One of the verses we looked at earlier was Acts 1, verse 8, where Jesus says that when the Spirit comes ‘you will receive power; and you will be my witnesses’. In other words, ‘Other people will find out about me through what you do and what you say.’
Now, I know this terrifies some people – the thought of having to speak about our faith, having to talk about Jesus to other people!
I heard of one young man like that. He was absolutely petrified of the thought of having to speak to his friends or his family about Jesus. And actually it stopped him becoming a Christian. He just thought it was such a horrible idea that he wasn’t going to become a Christian. And he went to see a wise older Christian, and this man said to him, ‘Look,’ he said, ‘In your case God’s made an exception. You don’t have to tell anybody. It can just be a little private thing between you and God.’ He went, ‘Ooh, that’s good!’ So he went home and he went up to his bedroom and he knelt down by his bed and he gave his life to Jesus. And the moment he did that, the Holy Spirit rested upon him and filled him, flooded his whole being. And he was just filled with an overflowing joy. And he rushed downstairs, and there in the kitchen were his family and five of his friends.
And he said, ‘Do you know,’ – breathless with excitement – he said, ‘Do you know, it’s amazing – you can become a Christian and you don’t have to tell anybody!’
When the Spirit of God fills us, it’s not an effort to tell people – it’s an overflow, it’s something that we’re longing to do, because it’s such wonderful news. And the Church begins to grow.
RECAP
- We are born again to be children in the family of God
- Then the Spirit helps us to develop that relationship with the Father
- The Holy Spirit brings the family likeness.
- The Holy Spirit brings unity in the family.
- The Holy Spirit brings gifts for all the children.
- The Holy Spirit makes the family of God grow
Every Christian has the Holy Spirit living within them. Paul writes: ‘If anyone does not have the Spirit of Christ, that person does not belong to Christ.’
Yet not every Christian is filled with the Spirit. Because Paul writes to people who are already Christians and he gives them a command: ‘Be filled with the Spirit’ – present continuous tense.
It means, ‘Go on being filled, over and over and over again with the Holy Spirit.’
But how? How can we be filled with the Spirit? Well, we started with Genesis 1, verse 1 and I want to end by looking at Revelation, chapter 22, verse 17 – right at the end of the Bible.
‘The Spirit [that’s the Holy Spirit] and the bride [that’s the Bride of Christ, which is the church] – The Spirit and the bride say, “Come!” Let all who hear say, ‘Come!’ Let those who are thirsty come; let all who wish take the free gift of the water of life.” ’
Today as you have read this desire and ask the Lord and He will fill you.
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