I.        INTRODUCTION

A.      Thus far in our study of Deity, we have carefully considered two persons in the Holy Trinity – the Holy Father and the Holy Son.

B.      Now, let us consider the third person of the Holy Trinity – the Holy Spirit.

II.      HOW CAN WE EXPLAIN THE HOLY SPIRIT?

A.      Paul once encountered some disciples at Ephesus who were unfamiliar with the Holy Spirit (Acts 19:1-7).

                                                             1.      These persons were called disciples (learners) because they had learned about Jesus Christ, and they believed the things that they had heard.

                                                             2.      However, they had not heard the full truth of the gospel of Christ.  They did not know about baptism in the name of Christ, and they did not know about the Holy Spirit.

a.       Paul asked these disciples, “Did you receive the Holy Spirit when you believed?”  They responded by saying, “No, we have not even heard whether there is a Holy Spirit.”

b.       Then, after discovering that these disciples had been baptized in John’s baptism only, the text implies that Paul taught them to be baptized in the name of Christ, and so they were.

c.        Only after Paul had laid his hands upon them did they receive the Holy Spirit in such a way that they could speak with tongues and prophesy.

B.      Today, there are many persons like these souls at Ephesus who know some things about God and Christ, but very little about the Holy Spirit.  How can we explain to them who the Holy Spirit is?

                                                             1.      We cannot demonstrate the Holy Spirit in the way that Paul did, for the laying on of hands in order to bestow gifts of the Holy Spirit was a power that belonged only to the apostles (Acts 8:14-18).

                                                             2.      Therefore, we will have to explain the Holy Spirit in words.

C.      We may teach correctly that the Holy Spirit is Deity (Acts 5:3-4), but then we will have to explain that He is distinct from God the Father and the God the Son (Matt. 28:19; 2Cor. 13:14; 1Pet. 1:2).  How can we explain the differences among the Holy Spirit, the Father, and the Son?

                                                             1.      This could be difficult, for even though the Holy Spirit is distinct, yet He is called the Spirit of God (Gen. 1:2; 6:3; Isa. 61:1; Rom. 8:9), the Spirit of the Father (Matt. 10:20), and the Spirit of Christ (Rom. 8:9; 1Pet. 1:11).

                                                             2.      He is their spirit, yet Jesus said that God is spirit (John 4:24).  God has no material existence, so how is the Holy Spirit different from the Father and the Son who are also spirit?

D.      Perhaps, the Holy Spirit is best understood by considering what He does according to the Bible.  Therefore, we shall attempt to identify the Holy Spirit is in this way.

III.   THE WORK OF THE HOLY SPIRIT

A.      Although relatively little is mentioned in the Old Testament about the Holy Spirit, He was at work in some measure from the creation of the world until the Day of Pentecost after the Lord’s resurrection.

                                                             1.      At the creation, the Spirit of God was “moving over the surface of the waters” (Gen. 1:2).

                                                             2.      In the days of Noah, God said that His Spirit was striving with man (Gen. 6:3).

                                                             3.      David recognized that the Holy Spirit was upon him (Psa. 51:11; 139:7-10).

                                                             4.      Mary conceived the child Jesus by the Holy Spirit (Matt. 1:18; Luke 1:35).

                                                             5.      The parents of John the baptist were both filled with and spoke by the Holy Spirit (Luke 1:41, 67).

                                                             6.      Jesus Himself was endowed with the Holy Spirit, which descended upon Him “as a dove” when He was baptized (Matt. 3:16; Mark 1:10; Luke 3:21-22; John 1:32-34).

                                                             7.      Most prominently, the Bible declares that the Holy Spirit moved men to speak and write the words that God desired to communicate to man.

a.       Regarding the Old Testament, the Bible explicitly declares the work of the Holy Spirit in Acts 1:16; 4:25; 28:25; 1Peter 1:10-12; 2Peter 1:20-21.

b.       This work is inspiration (Greek theopneustos, meaning “God-breathed”) through the Holy Spirit, and it is the means by which God gave the Bible to man (2Tim. 3:16-17).

B.      Beginning on the Day of Pentecost after the Lord’s resurrection, the work of the Holy Spirit became broader and was declared more explicitly.

                                                             1.      In John 14:16-17, Jesus promised to send the Holy Spirit (the “Helper”, Gr. paraklētos) to the apostles, which He did on the Day of Pentecost after His ascension to the Father (Acts 1:8; 2:1-4).

a.       Jesus explained the work of the Holy Spirit to His apostles in John 14:26; 15:26-27; 16:8-15.  He said that the Holy Spirit would teach them all things, bring to their remembrance all things that Jesus said, testify about Jesus, convict the world concerning sin and righteousness and judgment, guide them into all truth, disclose to them what was to come, glorify Christ, and disclose to them the things of Christ.

b.       The book of Acts describes how the Holy Spirit carried out all that Jesus had promised through the apostles beginning at Pentecost (Acts 2).  He did this in two ways.

i.         He revealed to the apostles the word of God (Acts 2:4; 4:8, 31; 9:17).

ii.        He gave the apostles miraculous abilities to prove that God had endowed them with authority to speak for Him (Mark 16:20; Heb. 2:3-4), which is also the reason for Jesus performing miracles (Acts 2:22).

                                                             2.      Not only did the apostles receive the Holy Spirit, but other Christians received Him as well.

a.       On the Day of Pentecost, Peter declared what was happening, saying, “but this is what was spoken of through the prophet Joel: ‘“And it shall be in the last days,” God says, “That I will pour forth of My Spirit upon all mankind…”’” (Acts 2:16-17; emp. SED).

b.       The book of Acts and many of the epistles record how many Christians in many places were endowed with power by the Holy Spirit to speak and act.

IV.    UNDERSTANDING THE HOLY SPIRIT TODAY

A.      The common thought among many denominational churches today regarding the Holy Spirit is to associate Him exclusively with miraculous spiritual gifts.

                                                             1.      However, no one on earth now possesses miraculous spiritual gifts as the early disciples possessed them.  These gifts were common in the early church, and they were displayed openly.  Although many today claim to have miraculous spiritual gifts, no one is demonstrating them accurately as they were displayed in the first century.

                                                             2.      Therefore, if the Holy Spirit had only the work of imparting spiritual gifts, and the gifts have ceased (1Cor. 13:8-12), then the Holy Spirit’s work has ceased also.  This is not the case.

B.      Let us consider what God really accomplished and still accomplishes through the Holy Spirit.

                                                             1.      In both Old Testament and New Testament times, God has interacted with and communicated to mankind through the Holy Spirit.

a.       The work of revelation by the Spirit was to impart specific words to communicate God’s message to man (1Cor. 2:6-13).

b.       The work of miracles by the Spirit was to present signs to indicate God’s presence and authority to man in such a way that it could not be denied.

                                                             2.      Therefore, if God interacts and communicates with mankind today, it is also by means of the Holy Spirit.  To explain the Holy Spirit in a simple term, we might call Him the “Great Communicator.”

C.      Let us recognize and appreciate the work of the Holy Spirit among us today.

                                                             1.      We may have a tendency to complicate our understanding of the Holy Spirit and fail to recognize Him in us today.  Truly, it is not a complicated matter.

                                                             2.      When we read the word of God in the Bible, God communicates to us, and the Holy Spirit does His work, which is the same work that Jesus described of Him to the apostles.

                                                             3.      When we speak the word of God to others, then the communication of God is passed from us and the Holy Spirit does His work.

a.       Notice how many times in the book of Acts the Scripture describes people being filled with the Holy Spirit as they spoke the word of God to others (Acts 2:4; 4:8, 31; 6:5; 7:55; 9:17; 11:24; 13:9, 52).

b.       Although we receive the word of God through the natural means of hearing and reading, we are likewise filled with the Spirit when we speak the word to others.

c.        Consider also 1Corinthians 12:3, Ephesians 5:18-20, and Colossians 3:16.

                                                             4.      Finally, when we pray to God, our communication to Him is interpreted by the Holy Spirit, as it says, “The Spirit Himself intercedes for us with groanings too deep for words” (Rom. 8:26-27).

V.      CONCLUSION – IS THE HOLY SPIRIT IN YOU?

A.      The Holy Spirit does not take a demon-like possession of a person as some believe, but He dwells in Christians in the same manner as the Father and the Son dwell in Christians – through faith and the word of God (John 14:23; Rom. 8:9; Eph. 3:16-17).

B.      If you are a Christian, then be assured that the Holy Spirit is in you.  If you are not a Christian, then you have no relationship with the Spirit or the Father or the Son.  Why not become a Christian today?