"God The Holy Spirit"
John 20: 19 - 23
Throughout the year we focus our attention on the person of Jesus, and the attributes of God the Father. On Pentecost we
focus on the work of the Holy Spirit but we also need to focus on knowing and responding to the person of the Holy Spirit.
Throughout scripture we are given different pictures or symbols of the Holy Spirit. These pictures or symbols are important
because they help us to have a better understanding of who the Holy Spirit is. This morning we will look at a few of the pictures
or symbols.
In Genesis we read that God made man in His own image. And in Genesis 2:7 we read, "The Lord God formed man from
the dust of the ground and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life and man became a living being." It is our
breath that shows physical life is present. In the same way the Holy Spirit gives us spiritual life. He breathes life into
our spirit. In our text from John we read that Jesus breathed on them and said, "Receive the Holy Spirit."
The next picture or symbol we will look at is wind. Last week in Acts 2:2 we read, "Suddenly a sound like the blowing
of a violent wind came from heaven and filled the whole house." And in John 3:8 Jesus told Nicodemus that "The
wind blows wherever it pleases, you hear its sound but you cannot tell where it comes from or where it is going. So it is
with everyone born of the Spirit." We cannot see the wind but the wind is real and it has great power. The wind comes
from the heavens but it affects people on earth. This is like the Holy Spirit. We do not see the Holy Spirit but the Holy
Spirit has great power to move us and to change us. The Holy Spirit comes from heaven but The Holy Spirit affects people on
earth.
The next picture or symbol is fire. Again last week in Acts 2 we read that on the day of Pentecost "They saw what
seemed to be tongues of fire that separated and came to rest on each of them. All of them were filled with the Holy Spirit…"
We also remember John the Baptist’s words, "I baptize you with water for repentance, but after me will come one
who is more powerful than I whose sandals I am not fit to carry. He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and with fire."
(Matthew 2:11)
Fire has several qualities that relate to the Holy Spirit. Fire consumes and God referred to Himself as a "consuming fire".
The consuming fire is a fire of judgment, burning and destroying sin.
But fire also purifies. In Isaiah 6:7 we read, "An angel flew to me with a burning coal from the altar and touched
it to my lips and said ‘see this has touched your lips; your guilt has been taken away and your sin atoned for." The way a precious metal is purified is to heat it up to a molten state and when the impurities come
to the top they can be skimmed off.
Fire also softens things so they can be molded or reshaped. Likewise, when the Holy Spirit works in our lives He softens
the hardness of our hearts so our lives can be reshaped to be more Christ-like.
Fire is also used to harden or temper metals. Likewise when the Holy Spirit tempers our lives, we become stronger spiritually
and we are better able to resist temptation.
Fire also provides warmth. It is a wonderful feeling to gather around a roaring fire in the fireplace with family and friends
on a cold winter night. In the same way, the Holy Spirit provides warmth, encouragement, and companionship to us when we are
faced with the cold, harshness of life.
The next picture or symbol is water. In Isaiah 44:3 we read, "For I will pour water on the thirsty land. I will pour
out my Spirit on your offspring and my blessing on your descendants." In John 7:38-39 Jesus said, " whoever
believes in me, as the scripture has said, streams of living water will flow from within him. By this Jesus meant the Spirit
whom those who believed in Him would later receive. Up to that time the Spirit had not been given, since Jesus had not yet
been glorified."
Water gives life and water provides refreshment. Without water we would quickly die. When our life becomes dry, cracked,
and or shrivels up we need the refreshing flow of the Holy Spirit in our life to give us healing and restoration for our heart
and soul.
Water also provides cleansing. When our hands are dirty we wash them with water. Likewise when our lives are filthy with
sin we need the cleansing power of the Holy Spirit to purify us. Just as the gentle rain cleans the pollen and dust out of
the air, the Holy Spirit cleanses the less conspicuous sin in our lives.
The next picture or symbol is a dove. When Jesus was baptized "The Holy Spirit descended on Him like a dove."
In Genesis 1:2 we read, "While the earth was without form, dark, and empty, the Holy Spirit hovered over the waters."
Doves have become the symbol of peace, love, gentleness, and purity. Also doves were used as sacrifices in Old Testament times.
The Holy Spirit represents love, gentleness, peace, self-sacrifice, and purity.
The next picture or symbol for the Holy Spirit is oil. Throughout the Bible we find references to oil lamps. In Zechariah
we read of a golden lamp stand that is fed by a constant supply of oil. Then in Zechariah 4:6 we read these familiar words,
"Not by might nor by power, but by my Spirit says the Lord Almighty." The oil is the Holy Spirit. It was the power of the
Holy Spirit flowing through the Israelites that enabled them to fight off their enemies and for them to complete the
rebuilding of Jerusalem.
It is not by our strength or our resources that we are able to fight off our enemy, who is Satan, or for us to complete
the job God has given each of us to do today. It is only through the enabling power of the Holy Spirit that we are able to
live the kind of life that pleases God AND it is only through the enabling power of the Holy Spirit that we
are able to accomplish the tasks that God has given us.
Just as an oil lamp provides light, the Holy Spirit enlightens our understanding of scripture. The Holy Spirit is our teacher.
The light of the Holy Spirit also shows us the dark parts of our lives so we can repent, be forgiven, and restore a broken
relationship with our Heavenly Father.
Throughout scripture we see that oil is used in anointing, to set people apart for service. In I Samuel when David was
anointed king of Israel we read these words, "Then the Lord said, ‘Rise up and anoint him. He is the one.’
So Samuel took the horn of oil and anointed David in the presence of his brothers and from that day on the Spirit of the Lord
came upon David in power." (1st Samuel 16:13) In I John 2:20 we read that as Christians, "We have
an anointing from the Holy One and all of you know the truth." As Christians we all have been set apart and commissioned
by the Holy Spirit to tell other people the truth about Jesus Christ.
When we anoint someone for healing and put oil on them, we know there is no special magical power in the oil nor is there
any mystical power in the pastor’s hands. The oil represents God the Holy Spirit and it is through His power that we
trust for healing.
Oil also has medicinal purposes. In the parable of the Good Samaritan we are told that the Good Samaritan poured oil and
wine on the man’s wounds. Likewise the Holy Spirit provides cleansing and healing for our spiritual wounds.
The Holy Spirit is a gift from God. In Luke 11:13 Jesus said, "If you then, though you are evil, know how to give
good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father in Heaven give the Holy Spirit to those who ask him."
You cannot earn the Holy Spirit, nor can you buy the Holy Spirit. When Simon the Sorcerer tried to buy the Holy Spirit Peter
said, "May your money perish with you because you thought you could buy the gift of God with money. You have no part
in this ministry because your heart is not right before God." (Acts 8:22)
The Good News is that God gladly gives the Holy Spirit to all who accept Jesus Christ as their personal Lord and Savior.
God gives all believers the Holy Spirit so that we will have the power, the courage, and the strength to follow Him and to
live for Him. God gave us His Spirit so that we will have the power, the courage, and the strength to follow Him and to live
for Him. God gave us His Spirit so that He will always be with us. The Holy Spirit is encouraging us, protecting us, empowering
us, comforting us, and healing us. God gave us His Spirit to teach us, convict us, and change us into the people He wants
us to be. We have God’s gift of the Holy Spirit so we can experience the love, joy, and peace of Jesus in all aspects
of our lives. God gives us the Holy Spirit so we can experience the abundant life Jesus promised, so we can have meaning and
purpose in our life. The Holy Spirit was given to us so we can be like Him.
The Holy Spirit is a person. The Holy Spirit is God. The Holy Spirit not only has the same qualities as God, He is God.
The Holy Spirit is the 3rd person in the Trinity.
The Holy Spirit was present at creation, the Holy Spirit was involved in the birth of Jesus Christ, and the Holy Spirit
has been given to all people who have accepted Jesus Christ as their personal Savior and Lord.
But we also need to remember that God created humans with the freedom of choice. We can choose to accept Him or reject
Him. We can choose to let the Holy Spirit work in our lives or we can resist the Holy Spirit. One of the strongest warnings
in the Bible for believers is for us not to resist the work of the Holy Spirit in our lives. In Ephesians 4:30 we are told
"not to grieve the Spirit of God" and in 1st Thessalonians we are told not to "quench the fire
of the Holy Spirit working in you." (I Thessalonians 5:19)
You see the gift of the Holy Spirit is like any other gift. A gift can have our name on it but we must claim the gift as
ours for the gift to do us any good. We can claim a gift and we can examine the gift but until we use the gift it has not
done us any good.
So I ask you "Are you grateful for God’s gift of The Holy Spirit to you"? Are you experiencing His love and His presence
in your lives? "Are you going to give the Holy Spirit permission to work in your life to make you into the person that God
wants you to be?" Do you want to experience the fulfilled abundant life that God planned for you?
God has given Himself to us so that we can know Him, so we can experience His power in our lives, and so we can enjoy fellowship
with Him each and every day.
So I ask you, Do you really know your creator? Are you enjoying fellowship with The Almighty
everyday? Are you experiencing His power in your life? The choice is yours. Are you going to give The Holy Spirit permission
to mold you into the person God wants you to be? AMEN
Let us Stand and state what we believe using The Apostles Creed!
