Holy Spirit, Who Are You?

Today my message is “Holy Spirit, Who Are You?”

We have been looking at the Triune God – the Trinity. We have studied the Father and the Son these past two weeks and today we look at the Holy Spirit.

Who is the Holy Spirit? Is the Holy Spirit God? How do we know the Holy Spirit?

Let us look to God’s Word for answers. We start at the beginning where we find the Spirit of God.

Gen. 1:2 NIV

2 Now the earth was formless and empty, darkness was over the surface of the deep, and the Spirit of God was hovering over the waters.

Now we jump to the time when Jesus was on earth. Here Jesus is telling us about the coming of the Holy Spirit and His role in our lives.

John 14:15-17, 25-26 NIV

15 “If you love me, you will obey what I command.

16 And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another Counselor to be with you forever—

17 the Spirit of truth. The world cannot accept him, because it neither sees him nor knows him. But you know him, for he lives with you and will be in you.

25 “All this I have spoken while still with you.

26 But the Counselor, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, will teach you all things and will remind you of everything I have said to you.

Another passage comes where Jesus talks about the Holy Spirit as the Advocate. Here we see an active participant in our lives.

John 16:7-15 NIV

7 But I tell you the truth: It is for your good that I am going away. Unless I go away, the Counselor (Advocate) will not come to you; but if I go, I will send him to you.

8 When he comes, he will convict the world of guilting regard to sin and righteousness and judgment:

9 in regard to sin, because men do not believe in me;

10 in regard to righteousness, because I am going to the Father, where you can see me no longer;

11 and in regard to judgment, because the prince of this world now stands condemned.

12 “I have much more to say to you, more than you can now bear.

13 But when he, the Spirit of truth, comes, he will guide you into all the truth. He will not speak on his own; he will speak only what he hears, and he will tell you what is yet to come.

14 He will bring glory to me by taking from what is mine and making it known to you.

15 All that belongs to the Father is mine. That is why I said the Spirit will take from what is mine and make it known to you.”

Jesus told the new Christians that He was returning to the Father and the Holy Spirit would remain with them to lead and guide. They did not understand or comprehend what that really meant. Then the day came when the Holy Spirit arrived.

Acts 2:1-4 NIV

1 When the day of Pentecost came, they were all together in one place.

2 Suddenly a sound like the blowing of a violent wind came from heaven and filled the whole house where they were sitting.

3 They saw what seemed to be tongues of fire that separated and came to rest on each of them.

4 All of them were filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in other tongues as the Spirit enabled them.

This was told of back in Joel 2:28-29, which Peter now quotes to the people.

Acts 2:16-18 NIV

16 No, this is what was spoken by the prophet Joel:

17 “‘In the last days, God says, I will pour out my Spirit on all people.

Your sons and daughters will prophesy, your young men will see visions,
your old men will dream dreams.

18 Even on my servants, both men and women, I will pour out my Spirit in those days, and they will prophesy.

Receiving the Holy Spirit brings some special connections to God, and a lot of changes occur in our lives.

Rom. 8:14-16 NIV

14 because those who are led by the Spirit of God are sons of God.

15 For you did not receive a spirit that makes you a slave again to fear, but you received the Spirit of sonship. And by him we cry, “Abba, Father.”

16 The Spirit himself testifies with our spirit that we are God’s children.

1 Cor. 2:9-13 NIV He is revealed as possessing the attributes which only God can possess.

9 However, as it is written:

“No eye has seen, no ear has heard, no mind has conceived what God has prepared for those who love him”—

10 but God has revealed it to us by his Spirit.

The Spirit searches all things, even the deep things of God.

11 For who among men knows the thoughts of man except the man’s spirit within him? In the same way no one knows the thoughts of God except the Spirit of God.

12 We have not received the spirit of the world, but the Spirit who is from God, that we may understand what God has freely given us.

13 This is what we speak, not in words taught us by human wisdom but in words taught by the Spirit, expressing spiritual truths with Spiritual words.

1 Cor. 6:19-20

19 Do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit, who is in you, whom you have received from God? You are not your own;

20 you were bought at a price. Therefor honor God with your bodies.

Galatians 5:22-25

22 But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness,

23 gentleness and self-control. Against such things there is no law.

24 Those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the sinful nature with its passions and desires.

25 Since we live by the Spirit, let us keep in step with the Spirit.

Let me close today as I started three weeks ago. We have to read God’s word to discover the truths God has for us. This includes the truth of God as Father, Son and Holy Spirit. I pray that these past three weeks of discovery have provided you with those Scriptures needed for you to be assured of our triune God.

May the love of God the Father, God the Son and God the Holy Spirit be in you and flow out of you to all around you.