The Holy Spirit (Part 1)
By Pastor Boffey on Sunday, July 30, 2006.I. The Holy Spirit (or Spirit of God) is also called the Holy Ghost.
II. The Spirit has personality; hence, He is not just a force.
1CO 2:10-11; ROM 8:26-27; 1TI 4:1; JOH 14:16-17.
III. The Holy Spirit is declared Deity.
ACT 5:3-4; ISA 6:5, 8-10 c/w ACT 28:25-27.
IV. Consider the diverse operations of the Spirit. 1CO 12:4-6; REV 1:4.
A. The Spirit takes part in creation. GEN 1:2; JOB 26:13; 33:4.
B. The Spirit inspired prophecy/Scripture. 2SA 23:2; 2PE 1:21.
C. The Spirit imparts eternal life. JOH 3:5-8; 6:63; TIT 3:4-5.
1. Old Testament saints also received this operation. GAL 4:28-29.
2. The Spirit takes up residence in the elect that they may cry "Abba, Father." GAL 4:6.
3. The Spirit will play an active role in the resurrection of their body. EPH 1:13-14 c/w ROM 8:11.
D. The Spirit played a role in Christ's sacrifice. HEB 9:14.
E. The Spirit makes overseers of God's flock.
ACT 20:28; 1TI 4:14 c/w 2TI 1:6, 14.
F. The Spirit plays a role in teaching and empowering.
1. Christ promised that the Holy Ghost would come for this purpose.
JOH 14:16-17, 26; 15:26-27; 16:7; ACT 1:4-5, 8.
2. These disciples were already born again. JOH 13:10; 15:3; 1:12-13.
3. This is part of the Spirit's operation as the Comforter.
a. Comfort: To strengthen (morally or spiritually); to encourage,
hearten, inspirit, incite. (fr. L. 'confortare:' to strengthen,
f. confiltered= intensive + fort = strong.
b. Con (as prefix): In Eng. com - The sense is 'together,
together with, in combination or union,' also, 'altogether,
completely', and hence, intensive.
4. The obedient believer receives this promise.
JOH 7:37-39 c/w MAT 11:28-30 c/w Lu.6:46-49; 14:26-27.
a. Through obedience to the gospel, a person is graft into the
local church by the Spirit. ACT 2:37-47 c/w 1CO 12:13.
b. The Spirit builds obedient believers together into the local church where He dwells for this ministry of comforting.
5. Consider the Holy Spirit's ministry of teaching.
a. This was to the apostles immediately.
JOH 15:15, 27; 16:12-13; 1CO 2:12-13; EPH 3:3-5.
b. This is to the believers mediately.
JOH 17:20; 2 Ti.1:13; 2:2; 2PE 1:19.
c. Continued obedience is necessary for continual teaching.
HEB 5:14; 1PE 2:1-2; COL 1:10.
d. Sin will blind the mind and obstruct this teaching ministry.
e. There are exceptions where God's truth will be declared by
the wicked.
NUM 22-25:3 c/w 2PE 2:15-16 c/w JUDE 1:11;
(1) God can cause any creature to declare His truth.
(2) However, this is no rule for enlightened Christians to walk
by. A broken clock is right twice each day.
(3) Also, there is a difference in knowing certain aspects of
truth and growing steadily in all truth. MAT 4:4.
aa. Devils know and believe that Jesus is Christ and that
there is one God. LUK 4:34, 41; JAM 2:19.
bb. There is truth that men may know naturally, i.e.,
without the Spirit. ROM 1:19-20; 1CO 11:14.
6. Consider the Spirit's ministry of empowering.
a. The goal of the gospel is obedience. ROM 15:18; 16:26.
b. The Holy Spirit empowers to obey.
(1) This power must be sought through believing prayer.
EPH 3:16-17; MAT 6:13; ROM 5:2 c/w
(2) This power is experienced in faithful obedience to the word, for the Spirit leads through the word.
REV 19:10; 1PE 1:22; JOS 1:8-9; JOH 15:4-12;
GAL 5:16 c/w PSA 119:1-3.
(3) The obedient life of the believer is the Spirit's seal of that person.
aa. Seal: To attest by a seal; to place a seal upon (a document) as evidence of genuineness, or as a mark of authoritative ratification or approval.
bb. The believer's seal is his belief of God's word. JOH 3:33.
cc. God's seal is given in 2TI 2:19. This departure from sin by one who names Christ is God's evidence of the genuineness of that person as His own. EPH 1:13; 1TH 1:4-6.
dd. The formal attestation to being a son of God (the seal) comes at baptism, as with Christ.
c. Works of righteousness may be performed by unbelievers as seen in ACT 10:1-2, 35.
(1) Cornelius was yet lacking in his life toward God.
(2) Cornelius was not yet a disciple for Christ. He was not a
witness for Christ. The following passages would not have
applied to Cornelius before his conversion:
JOH 15:8, 11, 14; 1CO 15:58; COL 2:2, 7;
7. The teaching and empowering ministry of the Spirit is the means for the abundant life. JOH 10:10.
a. Abundantly: F. ab - away from + undare - to flow in waves =
abundare. Overflowingly, exceedingly, enough and to spare;
hence, in large measure, plentifully, copiously, amply,
sufficiently for all purposes.
b. The saint should not produce trickles, but rivers of the Spirit's empowerment. JOH 7:38.
c. We should be FILLED with the spirit. EPH 5:17-21.
d. In so doing, we are FILLED with joy and peace.
8. Disobedience obstructs this ministry of the Spirit in the believer's life. EPH 4:30; JUDE 1:5 c/w HEB 3:15-19 c/w ACT 7:51.
9. Failure to obey God in future leading can nullify the effects of other obedience. EZE 18:24; REV 2:1-7; NUM 20:12; 1CO 9:27.
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