Who Is The Holy Spirit?

Who Is The Holy Spirit?

 

Good Morning Friends,

 

There is a problem with being human in this world that cannot be answered by all the science that the most brilliant people on the planet can put forth. People deal with this in one of two basic ways. There are those who believe that this life is basically fixed and there is little that can be done to change it or ourselves and they live selfish lives, and there are those who believe that they can keep growing in ways that can make the world better with God’s help. The first is a working atheism and the second the making of a life with resilience and amazing potential…active engagement…reflection…proper assertiveness and belonging. The first approach has pitfalls and so too the second but there is a difference for the first is a surrender to the world and the second a surrender to love God and be loved by God. Perhaps on some level you know this to be true, but something has been holding you back to dive more deeply into the stream of the Holy Spirit. You know that God want full commitment and despises lukewarm approaches. But let us be honest our pious inaction and pseudo-spiritual humility desperately needs to give way to a joyous, God-centered assurance of a life in the Holy Spirit. We often limit our own commitment. We fail at being obedient. So, I do not want to take anyone off the hook when it comes to our faith including myself. But let’s fess up. We need help. If we are to keep growing, we desperately need the indwelling and the outflowing of the Holy Spirit. And even though we have the Church and the Bible it become apparent we need more. Thankfully we have a helper to assist us in catching a vision of such a great awakening. It is a bit confusing. So, this morning we peruse an answer to a perplexing question. Who Is The Holy Spirit?

 

Scripture: “If you love me, you will keep my commandments. And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another Advocate, to be with you forever. This is the Spirit of truth, whom the world cannot receive, because it neither sees him nor knows him. You know him, because he abides with you, and he will be in you. “I will not leave you orphaned; I am coming to you. In a little while the world will no longer see me, but you will see me; because I live, you also will live. On that day you will know that I am in my Father, and you in me, and I in you. They who have my commandments and keep them are those who love me; and those who love me will be loved by my Father, and I will love them and reveal myself to them.” Judas (not Iscariot) said to him, “Lord, how is it that you will reveal yourself to us, and not to the world?” Jesus answered him, “Those who love me will keep my word, and my Father will love them, and we will come to them and make our home with them. Whoever does not love me does not keep my words; and the word that you hear is not mine, but is from the Father who sent me. “I have said these things to you while I am still with you. But the Advocate, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, will teach you everything, and remind you of all that I have said to you.

 

John 14:15-26 (NRSV)

 

In the beginning when God created the heavens and the earth, the earth was a formless void and darkness covered the face of the deep, while a wind from God swept over the face of the waters. Then God said, “Let there be light”; and there was light. And God saw that the light was good; and God separated the light from the darkness. God called the light Day, and the darkness he called Night. And there was evening and there was morning, the first day.

 

Genesis 1:1-5 (NRSV)

 

In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was in the beginning with God. All things came into being through him, and without him not one thing came into being. What has come into being in him was life, and the life was the light of all people. The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness did not overcome it.

 

John 1:1-5 (NRSV)

 

“I ask not only on behalf of these, but also on behalf of those who will believe in me through their word, that they may all be one. As you, Father, are in me and I am in you, may they also be in us, so that the world may believe that you have sent me. The glory that you have given me I have given them, so that they may be one, as we are one, I in them and you in me, that they may become completely one, so that the world may know that you have sent me and have loved them even as you have loved me. Father, I desire that those also, whom you have given me, may be with me where I am, to see my glory, which you have given me because you loved me before the foundation of the world. “Righteous Father, the world does not know you, but I know you; and these know that you have sent me. I made your name known to them, and I will make it known, so that the love with which you have loved me may be in them, and I in them.”

 

John 17:20-26 (NRSV)

 

Message: Maybe you have your own favorite scripture related to the Holy Spirit. Maybe it is at the Baptism of Jesus or the experience at Pentecost or at the Resurrection. But I find it interesting to find reference to the Holy Spirit in the first chapter of Genesis in the second verse. The ESV phrases it this way. “The earth was without form and void; and darkness was on the face of the deep, and the Spirit of God was hovering over the face of the waters. Then God said, ‘Let there be light;’ and there was light.” At the very beginning of Genesis, you have God’s Word, Jesus; you have God the Father; and you have the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit is represented in creation and so is all about life. The interesting part of this is the Hebrew word for spirit which is ruach, and it means “air in motion.” It is the same word for “breath.” It also means “life.” The Hebrew word contains all those different meanings. Now look at the first Chapter of the Book of John and see how the Spirit and the spoken word interrelates with the very incarnation of the Good News. The whole thing of the Spirit is bigger than what we might first think. Now I hope you are part of a church for I wish that you would be inspired by sermons and scripture and music and church sponsored programs but friends, please understand that we fail to recognize a great ally in the work of our faith if we limit how and where the Holy Spirit can do its work. It might be in our homes or in small groups or even an encounter in a place of business. We need the work of the Holy Spirit to conform us into the likeness of Jesus Christ and it is ridiculous to limit this process to Sunday mornings. The truth is that religion today is more alive as a network of relationships than a system of organizations. I think you know what I mean. The old denominational and even theological division are a little shopworn. We need to seek God-motivated people filled with the Holy Spirit. We need laity with a purpose in community. And this takes time, ingenuity, physical and emotional energy and yes even money to give ourselves to people. But that is what it takes to fully develop a relationship with the Holy Spirit in places we might consider secular as well as religious. But what we lack is fire. And the thing is that we can no more will this than we can organize it. This is the great mystery of the Holy Spirit, who comes and goes with an economy of effort. The Holy Spirit can be with us one moment and gone the next. But know this…the Holy Spirit is our greatest need and our only hope for revival. Friends, the Holy Spirit is the Instigator and Inspiration of the embodiment and incarnation of what Jesus came into the world to bring us. Jesus intercedes on our behalf, so we might experience this sanctification individually and collectively. So, the Holy Spirit is our helper in this regard. The Holy Spirit is our comforter and confronter. The Holy Spirit is nudging us to be better. The Holy Spirit is the Spirit of Truth for the natural world is a fraud. Friends, the Holy Spirit is our teacher of how to live life to its fullest. The Holy Spirit is a divine router in the dance of the Trinity and we get to join in the dance. Friends, if we want a better world then we need to embrace this practical plan of putting God first…others first. Only then can we reconcile the problem of pain…the problem of self-interest. And here we might just learn that the Holy Spirit is in those things that are universal instead of isolated…the Holy Spirit shows up when we take responsibility instead of playing the blame game. The Holy Spirit shows up when we are being transformative instead of informative. The Holy Spirit shows up when we overcome our fears to extend love. And the Holy Spirit shows up when we act in unity as Jesus prayed that we would. All this helps us to grow. And maybe this is not natural… but it is supernatural and that is the point. We need a supernatural solution for no other solution works. There is nothing so challenging in our faith in the flesh than to grasp this. For the Holy Spirit’s effects are seen but the Holy Spirit is invisible like the wind and sometimes ethereal like a dream or vision. So when we are converted, we received this change of mind, and a change of heart. We receive the gift of the Holy Spirit, but many do not unwrap the present of the presence of God to join us in an on-going process of sanctification which will not be completed this side of eternity. For we have been changed, we are being changed, and we will be changed by the Holy Spirit. Thankfully the Holy Spirit has been made available to us all, so all we really need to do is to make ourselves available to the Holy Spirit. You see, I hope, that Jesus has poured out this gift, so we might experience God and be transformed. And the beauty, so we not get too heady about it, is that God offers this for everyone not just a few. Regrettably few take advantage of God’s gift of God and many try to suppress, stop or stifle the Spirit. Friends, the great sin is in grieving the Spirit with a bad attitude marked by bad behavior. And sometimes we just need a fresh vision of Jesus dying for us to open our eyes to just how sinful we really are to each other and to God. Friends, the Holy Spirit is invisible, unpredictable, and uncontrollable but you can know the Spirit. The Spirit comes and goes as the Spirit wishes for God will be what God will be. And yet, Jesus was born by the work of the Spirit and Jesus was led by the Spirit to suffer temptation and come out spotless. Jesus was empowered by the Spirit to do ministry and was filled with wisdom and knowledge by The Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit gave Jesus words to speak and get this, the power of the Spirit raised Jesus from the dead. And now friends, this transformative power lives in us. And that means we have enough power to do some amazing things…including being obedient to God. Yes, the Holy Spirit will help us to overcome our fears and temptations, so we might love the more. And yes, the Holy Spirit will help us expand the borders of God’s blessings if we but follow His agenda. You see, God wants us to be part of His Hand at work in our world. God desires for us to discover what really matters. But we each must face our self in the mirror and decide if we are going to choose our own will over God’s will for us. Here we discover that God’ provision is high-yield so the investment He requires seems high-risk. Sometimes it takes decades, for others years, but be assured, God is preparing a place of service for each of us born of the Holy Spirit. Here we experience the Spirit and the power that is brought on for each of us to connect, change and be transformed. The hope is that today and each day we can be baptized with the Holy Spirit and with fire….forged together with each other as the Body of Christ. And in those moments friends, the Holy Spirit evokes, empowers and engages us in a transformation that bears fruit. We are formed in a way to reflect a new identity that is both individual and collective. Friends, Jesus as a human, like you and like me was tempted and yet unlike us fully submitted to and was guided by the Holy Spirit. His life is a picture of the perfect work of the Holy Spirit in man. The power is on right now for us to be transformed so we might never sin again. The power is on for us to be a blessing together. So this morning I would like you to contemplate the flow of Holy History but also the flow of blood through our bodies giving us life, and also our immersion into the deep mental involvement of being the church…the called out assembly of believers that somehow has figured out a bit of the mystery of why having a life that overflows in the Spirit is so important. See how the power of Jesus overcomes the power of the world. See the truth about trials and tribulations. Friends, we have a choice. Learn that if we hold the course in and through our problems, we too will become more confident, stable and stronger followers of Jesus’ way. If we endure, we will discover that God’s love will ultimately use everything for good. In the process however, the promise is that we get what we need…not what we might want and certainly not what we sinners deserve. So today is a lesson in Godliness. Discover the river inside you. Let it wash you and cleanse your soul. Drink deep and be satisfied. Know that if you are filled with the Holy Spirit there is no room left for the demons of the world. If your spiritual life is out of breath, maybe you need to open the windows and doors to let a fresh breeze clear the air. My experience is that too many people and even worshipping communities have closed doors to the Holy Spirit and have become accustomed to their own stink instead of seeking the aroma of Jesus that calls all of us to keep growing. Closing the doors of our lives and communities to the guidance of the Holy Spirit is of course just plain wrong. To overcome this challenge, the Spirit goes beyond the limits of our emotions nudging us ever forward.

 

Pray we realize that the Holy Spirit brings both liberty and order into our lives. Pray we realize that the problem is not that we have an excess of the Spirit but that our peril is a struggling, uninspired and joyless execution of religious routines. Pray the Holy Spirit takes away from us our littleness and self-centeredness that binds us. Pray we be lifted by the Holy Spirit into that stream of grace and love and power which is the life of the Body of Christ in this world. Pray we are obedient for that is the only choice we can make to grow in love. Pray we value the work of the Holy Spirit in our lives. Pray we realize that the work of the Holy Spirit is intimately connected with the work of Christ. Pray the Holy Spirit creates in us an overflowing of grace.  Pray we avoid the temptation to drive the Holy Spirit while we still recognize what glorifies God. Pray that we live in the Holy Spirit in such a way that the Spirit bears witness that we belong to God. Pray that we trust in the Holy Spirit to lead us to obey. Pray that we be unified in the power of the Holy Spirit as we give of our lives to God. Pray we give in to the Holy Spirit for the greater glory of God. Pray that our hearts be made new in the Holy Spirit. Pray we have a home in the Holy Spirit. Pray we trust in the Holy Spirit’s presence. Pray love is revealed to us in the Holy Spirit and helps us to know God, which in turn helps us to love God. Pray we hear and act and love in the Holy Spirit who will enlighten us to Christ. Pray we share a love in the Holy Spirit that transforms us and others. Pray we are baptized in the fire of the Holy Spirit. Pray we bear the fruit of the Spirit in acts of love, joy, peace, forbearance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control.

 

 

Blessings,

 

John Lawson