The Ministry Of The Holy Spirit
I. Introduction
My purpose in this lesson is not to exalt the person of the Holy Spirit above Jesus and the Father, but to simply show us that it takes all three persons in the Godhead working in our lives for us to be complete and that it takes having a relationship with the person of the Holy Spirit to be able to give full honor and glory to the Father and the Son. It also takes a having a relationship with the person of the Holy Spirit for us to come into the fullness of what God has destined for our lives.
After believing and trusting in the Lord Jesus Christ we are sealed with the Holy Spirit of promise, Who is the guarantee of our inheritance until our complete redemption.
Ephesians 1:13-14 In Him you also trusted, after you heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation; in whom also, having believed, you were sealed with the Holy Spirit of promise, {14} who is the guarantee of our inheritance until the redemption of the purchased possession, to the praise of His glory.
Everything that has been committed to us from Jesus Christ and the Father are kept in our lives because of the work of the Holy Spirit in our lives.
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2 Timothy 1:13-14 Hold fast the pattern of sound words which you have heard from me, in faith and love which are in Christ Jesus. {14} That good thing which was committed to you, keep by the Holy Spirit who dwells in us.
II. The Holy Spirit’s Divine Association with the Father and Son.
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The Holy Spirit is revealed in scripture to be the third person in the eternal Godhead.
The Holy Spirit is a title that is often associated with the Father and Son.
Matthew 28:19 "Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit..
1 John 5:7-8 For there are three who bear witness in heaven: the Father, the Word, and the Holy Spirit; and these three are one. {8} And there are three that bear witness on earth: the Spirit, the water, and the blood; and these three agree as one.
The Holy Spirit is just as much God as the Father and the Son are. He is a distinct personality.
He is not merely an influence, but a Divine person, coequal and co-eternal with the Father and the Son. Believers can be robbed of a real relationship with the Holy Spirit if they consider the Spirit to be an impersonal influence, power or energy.
John 16:13-14 "However, when He, the Spirit of truth, has come, He will guide you into all truth; for He will not speak on His own authority, but whatever He hears He will speak; and He will tell you things to come. {14} "He will glorify Me, for He will take of what is Mine and declare it to you.
Jesus said that the Holy Spirit would represent Him in every way.
He came to came to take Jesus' place and in so doing He fulfills the ministry of Jesus on the earth. In order to do this He must be equal to Jesus; and He must be a person. The Holy Spirit is the silent member of the eternal Godhead. By that we mean He never projects Himself He always glorifies God the Father and God the Son.
III. The Holy Spirit Has Divine Attributes.
The same essential and moral attributes ascribed to the Father and the Son are also ascribed to the Holy Spirit. This could only be so if the Holy Spirit is indeed a Divine person.
The Holy Spirit is called God. When Peter said, "You have not lied unto men, but unto God", he was referring to the Holy Spirit being God.
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Acts 5:3-4 But Peter said, "Ananias, why has Satan filled your heart to lie to the Holy Spirit and keep back part of the price of the land for yourself? {4} "While it remained, was it not your own? And after it was sold, was it not in your own control? Why have you conceived this thing in your heart? You have not lied to men but to God."
The Holy Spirit is Eternal. Jesus offered His blood through the eternal Spirit.
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Hebrews 9:14 ...how much more shall the blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered Himself without spot to God, purge your conscience from dead works to serve the living God?
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The Holy Spirit Is Omnipotent or (All-Powerful).
Luke 1:35 And the angel answered and said to her, "The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Highest will overshadow you..
The Holy Spirit Is Omniscient or (All-Knowing).
John 14:26 "But the Helper, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in My name, He will teach you all things, and bring to your remembrance all things that I said to you.
1 Corinth. 2:10 But God has revealed them to us through His Spirit. For the Spirit searches all things, yes, the deep things of God.
The Holy Spirit Is Omnipresent (Everywhere-Present).
Psalms 139:7-10 Where can I go from Your Spirit? Or where can I flee from Your presence? {8} If I ascend into heaven, You are there; If I make my bed in hell, behold, You are there. {9} If I take the wings of the morning, And dwell in the uttermost parts of the sea, {10} Even there Your hand shall lead me, And Your right hand shall hold me.
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Other Attributes And Works Of The Holy Spirit.
· The Holy Spirit was active in the creation of the world - Genesis 1:1-2.
· The Holy Spirit Is Active In The regeneration of fallen man - John 3:3-5.
· The Holy Spirit Is actively involved in the resurrection of the body - Romans 8:11.
· The Holy Spirit was active in the inspiration of Scripture - 2 Timothy 3:16, 2 Peter 1:21
· The Holy Spirit has a mind - Romans 8:21.
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· The Holy Spirit has a will - 1 Corinthians 12:11.
· The Holy Spirit has emotions - Romans 15:30.
As we have seen the Holy Spirit is a divine Person, He is the third Person in the Godhead. He is God indwelling the believer. It is a privilege to have the conscious joy and knowledge of the Spirit within.
IV. The Holy Spirit in the Life of a Believer.
1. The Holy Spirit in the Life of Jesus.
In order to fully understand how the Holy Spirit works in the life of the believer, it is important to see how He worked in the life of Jesus. Keep in mind that when Jesus came to earth, He emptied Himself of all of His Divine Attributes and became dependent upon the Holy Spirit in the same way that a believer must.
Philippians 2:5-8 Let this mind be in you which was also in Christ Jesus, 6 who, being in the form of God, did not consider it robbery to be equal with God, 7 but made Himself of no reputation, taking the form of a bondservant, and coming in the likeness of men. 8 And being found in appearance as a man, He humbled Himself and became obedient to the point of death, even the death of the cross.
The whole life of Jesus as a perfect Man was governed by the Spirit. If Jesus depended upon the Holy Spirit in such a manner, how much more should the believers constantly depend upon the Holy Spirit.
All that God has for us and wants to do in our lives will only be done by the operation of the Holy Spirit in our lives. Therefore it is of utmost importance for believers individually and the church corporately to open their hearts to seek the fullness of the Spirit working in them.
Luke 4:14 Then Jesus returned in the power of the Spirit to Galilee, and news of Him went out through all the surrounding region.
Luke 4:18 "The Spirit of the LORD is upon Me, because He has anointed Me to preach the gospel to the poor. He has sent Me to heal the brokenhearted, to preach deliverance to the captives and recovery of sight to the blind, to set at liberty those who are oppressed, to preach the acceptable year of the LORD."
2. The Holy Spirit In The Life Of The Believer.
When you have needs in your life, to whom do you turn? You look to the Father because His is the giver of every good and perfect gift. The source is the Father. But the giver of that source is Christ. And the power of the source is the Holy Spirit.
The Holy Spirit is your helper. He is your assistant to help you receive everything that pertains to life and godliness that God has made available to you.
John 14:16-17 "And I will pray the Father, and He will give you another Helper, that He may abide with you forever, {17} "even the Spirit of truth, whom the world cannot receive, because it neither sees Him nor knows Him; but you know Him, for He dwells with you and will be in you.
It Is through the New Birth that the Spirit enters Into our lives.
John 3:5-6 Jesus answered, "Most assuredly, I say to you, unless one is born of water and the Spirit, he cannot enter the kingdom of God. {6} "That which is born of the flesh is flesh, and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit.
When we come to the place in our lives where we believe on the Lord Jesus Christ we are born again, which means we have received the birth of the Holy Spirit in our lives. He is now resident within us.
John 20:20-22 Now when He had said this, He showed them His hands and His side. Then the disciples were glad when they saw the Lord. {21} Then Jesus said to them again, "Peace to you! As the Father has sent Me, I also send you." {22} And when He had said this, He breathed on them, and said to them, "Receive the Holy Spirit.
It Is through the Baptism of the Holy Spirit that we are empowered.
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It is important for all believers to understand that God's desire is that we be completely immersed or filled with His Spirit. It is through being baptized in the Holy Spirit that He is totally released and activated in our lives.
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The Baptism of the Holy Spirit is a subsequent experience that should follow our experience of salvation and being born again. Every example in the Bible shows us that it was always God's will for believers to be baptized in the Spirit following their salvation experience.
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Jesus told His disciples to wait in Jerusalem until they received the Promise of the Father, which was the baptism of the Holy Spirit. This was after He had breathed the Spirit upon them.
Luke 24:49 "Behold, I send the Promise of My Father upon you; but tarry in the city of Jerusalem until you are endued with power from on high."
Acts 1:8 "But you shall receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you shall be witnesses to Me in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth."
When we receive the Baptism of the Holy Spirit with the evidence of tongues, it brings us into the fullness of the Holy Spirit's ministry and working in our lives.
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Following the outpouring the of the Baptism of the Holy Spirit upon the 120 who were meeting in the Upper Room the Church of Jesus Christ was born and from that point on their lives were led by the Holy Spirit into all of the different ministries that were available to them through the Holy Spirit.
Acts 2:1-4 Now when the Day of Pentecost had fully come, they were all with one accord in one place. {2} And suddenly there came a sound from heaven, as of a rushing mighty wind, and it filled the whole house where they were sitting. {3} Then there appeared to them divided tongues, as of fire, and one sat upon each of them. {4} And they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak with other tongues, as the Spirit gave them utterance.
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As a result of being filled with the spirit they went forth in the same anointing that Jesus did, healing the broken hearted, preaching the gospel to the poor, preaching deliverance to the captives, the recovery of sight to the blind, setting at liberty those who were oppressed and healing and performing miracles.
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God's desire is to fill each one of us with the power of the Holy Spirit so that we too can go forth performing the works of God and be led by His Holy Spirit to do all that He has for us. We must realize that we need His ministry in our lives, because, like Jesus, we too, can do nothing of ourselves. Our sufficiency and strength is in Him.
V. The Holy Spirit's Ministry in Our Lives.
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As we look at the ministry of the Holy Spirit in our lives it is important that we understand that His ministry works in conjunction with the will and purpose of God. The purpose of the ministry of the Holy Spirit in our lives is to bring us into the fullness of all that our sonship represents and to be transformed into the image and the glory of the Son.
He imparts the Divine Revelation of God into our Spirits.
The Holy Spirit has been given to us so that He may instruct and teach us in all of God's ways.
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John 14:26 "But the Helper, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in My name, He will teach you all things, and bring to your remembrance all things that I said to you.
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1 John 2:20 But you have an anointing from the Holy One, and you know all things.
*1 John 2:27 But the anointing which you have received from Him abides in you, and you do not need that anyone teach you; but as the same anointing teaches you concerning all things, and is true, and is not a lie, and just as it has taught you, you will abide in Him.
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He Reveals To Us The Things That Have Been Freely Given To Us By God.
We have received the Spirit Who is from God, that we might know the things that have been freely given to us by God. For it is the Spirit of God Who searches all things, yes, the deep things of God.
1 Corinth. 2:9-16 Now we have received, not the spirit of the world, but the Spirit who is from God, that we might know the things that have been freely given to us by God.
He leads & guides us Into God's will & our ministries.
The Holy Spirit is our personal guide through this life. When our lives are dedicated to serving God and His purpose we activate this ministry of the Holy Spirit in our lives. When our lives are full of self will and self-serving motives His ministry in this area will be quenched.
Romans 8:14 For as many as are led by the Spirit of God, these are sons of God.
Whether it is through prophecy, the still small voice, dreams, visions or even an audible voice the ministry of the Holy Spirit is to be our personal guide into the purpose and will of God for our lives. This starts out with a personal calling and then leads into more specific adventures in the Spirit.
John 16:13 "However, when He, the Spirit of truth, has come, He will guide you into all truth; for He will not speak on His own authority, but whatever He hears He will speak; and He will tell you things to come.
The Holy Spirit gives us Victory over sin.
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Romans 8:11-13 But if the Spirit of Him who raised Jesus from the dead dwells in you, He who raised Christ from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies through His Spirit who dwells in you. {12} Therefore, brethren, we are debtors; not to the flesh, to live according to the flesh. {13} For if you live according to the flesh you will die; but if by the Spirit you put to death the deeds of the body, you will live.
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There are many Christians walking around today who are still in bondage to the sins of their youth. God wants to break those bondages in your lives and set you free. The problem is, is that so many people try to break these bondages relying on their own strength rather than the power of the Holy Spirit. The following illustration illustrates this point to us.
Yield yourself to the power of the Holy Spirit and the purpose and will of God and you will begin to experience His help and ministry in your lives on a permanent basis. If you yield to Him and allow Him to speak to your heart through His gentle promptings you will find Him leading you through life's many snares and into the purpose of God for your lives.
VI. The Holy Spirit and His Gifts.
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The gifts of the Holy Spirit will bring forth the fullness of His ministry in our lives. It is through the gifts of the Spirit that we are able to minister effectively one to another and to receive the help of the comforter in our lives.
John 14:12 "Most assuredly, I say to you, he who believes in Me, the works that I do he will do also; and greater works than these he will do, because I go to My Father.
God's desire is to do His works through us that we might be effective in our ministry one to another. Therefore we must be good stewards of all that God has given to us through the ministry of the Holy Spirit in our lives so that those around us will be partakers of His complete ministry.
1 Peter 4:10 As each one has received a gift, minister it to one another, as good stewards of the manifold grace of God.
The following scriptures show that the gifts of the Holy Spirit are for the purpose of completing his ministry of comfort and strength in our lives.
1 Corinth. 14:3 But he who prophesies speaks edification and exhortation and comfort to men.
1 Corinth. 14:12 Even so you, since you are zealous for spiritual gifts, let it be for the edification of the church that you seek to excel.
1 Corinth. 14:26 How is it then, brethren? Whenever you come together, each of you has a psalm, has a teaching, has a tongue, has a revelation, has an interpretation. Let all things be done for edification.
The Presence and Power of the Holy Spirit are released through his gifts.
As we seek to be led by the Spirit and press into the Spiritual gifts that God has for us we will begin to see more of His power and presence manifested when we assemble together as His body.
1 Corinth. 12:6-7 And there are diversities of activities, but it is the same God who works all in all. {7} But the manifestation of the Spirit is given to each one for the profit of all.
There are two important words in these two verses that should help us to see God's intent and purpose for these gifts, and how He expects them to work in our lives.
It is the same God who works all in all: The word “works” here means active operation, effectual, powerful to be active, efficient, fervent, be mighty in, show forth.
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The manifestation of the Spirit is given to each one for the profit of all: The word “manifestation” means to make visible, clear, manifest, known. The true meaning is to uncover, lay bare, reveal (Vines).
With these two definitions in mind, we can see that it is God's desire to be fervent and mighty in showing forth and making visible His power through the gifts of the Spirit. We as His people are to be fervent, active, effectual, efficient and powerful in manifesting His gifts in our lives for the edification of the Body of Christ, so that the ministry of the Holy Spirit is effectively released for all of us to profit from.
The Nine Gifts of the Holy Spirit.
The gifts of the Holy Spirit are the nine gifts mentioned in 1 Corinthians 12:4-11 and they fall into three general classifications: gifts of revelation, gifts of power and gifts in inspiration or vocal gifts.
The Revelation Gifts.
The revelation gifts include the 1) word of wisdom, 2) word of knowledge, and 3) discerning of Spirits. Collectively, these three gifts are supernatural manifestations of the Spirit of God. Through them we may know anything which God chooses to reveal. Each gift is a supernatural revelation given by God to an individual for a particular purpose, and at a particular time and in a particular place.
The Power Gifts.
The power gifts are the 4) gifts of faith, 5) working of miracles and, 6) gifts of healings. Collectively these three gifts are supernatural manifestations given by God for a particular time in a particular place. These three gifts will show forth God's glory, His power, His greatness, His majesty and His victory over sickness, diseases and over death in supplying the needs of His people. The power gifts are for deliverance and overcoming nature itself.
The Vocal Gifts.
The vocal gifts or the gifts of divine revelation are the 7) gift of tongues, 8) interpretations of tongues, and 9) prophecy. Collectively these three gifts are supernatural manifestations of the Spirit of God and, through them, God can speak through man anything which He chooses to tell. Each gift is a supernatural manifestation given by God to an individual for a particular purpose, at a particular time and in a particular place.
From the beginning of mankind, God has always had the ability to speak to men, whom He created. He spoke with Adam and Eve in the garden, He spoke with Noah concerning the building of the Ark. He talked with Abraham concerning leaving His country. He also spoke with Moses and the many other prophets down through history.
Hebrews 1:1-2 God, who at various times and in different ways spoke in time past to the fathers by the prophets. {2} has in these last days spoken to us by His Son, whom He has appointed heir of all things, through whom also He made the worlds;
Throughout the New Testament, we also see God as a God who desires to speak to His children. In the Gospels He spoke to us through His Son, Jesus Christ, but now that He has ascended unto the throne of God, He now speaks to us through the Holy Spirit. Prophecy, tongues and interpretation of tongues are the vocal gifts of the Holy Spirit that God uses to speak to us as a people.
VI. Concluding Remarks.
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Let's remember that God's desire is to fill each one of us with the power of the Holy Spirit so that we too can go forth performing the works of God and be led by His Holy Spirit to do all that He has for us. We must realize that we need His ministry in our lives, because, like Jesus, we too, can do nothing of ourselves. Our sufficiency and strength is in Him.
If we are to be kingdom builders in the same way that Jesus was and as were the early disciples in the Book of Acts, we too, must be dependent upon the enabling grace that comes from a relationship with the Holy Spirit.
