Good morning,

One of the most amazing inventions and in my opinion, “marriage saving” tools while travelling has been the ability to use GPS navigation. When travelling, the problem has never been leaving or choosing the best highway, it has always been the last 10-15 minutes of the journey. Which exit to take, which road to turn into to get to the road you are looking for. Have you ever felt like you're trying to navigate this crazy world without a GPS?

Well, today we're talking about something even better than a GPS, something that's never lost, never needs an update, and never takes you down the wrong road - the Holy Spirit!

Now, isn't it comforting to know that we have a divine navigation system for our journey through life? Let's dive into the Word of God to understand the GPS of our souls a little better.

Heavenly Father,

As we gather here today in Your presence, we come with grateful hearts for the opportunity to explore the depths of Your Word. We thank You for the gift of the Holy Spirit, the Comforter, Counselor, and Guide who walks with us on this incredible journey of faith.

Lord, we invite the Holy Spirit to be with us in a special way during this time. Open our hearts and minds to receive the truths You have prepared for us. May Your Spirit touch us, inspire us, and lead us into a deeper understanding of Your will for each one of us.

We ask for wisdom and clarity as we delve into Your Word, and we pray that Your Spirit would speak through these words, touching each heart today. May this time be a source of encouragement, teaching and empowerment for all of us. In Jesus' name, we pray. Amen.

This morning it is my privilege to share on the “The Person, Purpose and Power of the Holy Spirit.” By no means is this a comprehensive teaching, it is just a starting point and it is my prayer that your heart will be stirred this morning and you will start reading the Bible yourself and ask the Holy Spirit to teach you new things about himself, God the Father and Jesus His Son.

Over the past couple of weeks we have been talking about the Triune God, one God in three persons. Stuart led us through a study on God the Father, then Andrew followed by sharing who Jesus is and His purposes and this morning I follow by sharing about the Holy Spirit, the final member of the Trinity.

As has been said before, all three persons of the Trinity, were present at the beginning. The Bible is clear when we read:

Genesis 1:1-2 and 26

“1 In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth.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.”

“26 Then God said, “Let us make mankind in our image, in our likeness, so that they may rule over the fish in the sea and the birds in the sky, over the livestock and all the wild animals, and over all the creatures that move along the ground.”

John 1:1-3

“1 In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.2 He was in the beginning with God.3 All things were made through him, and without him was not any thing made that was made.”

So all three persons of the Trinity were present at creation. Men and women were created in the image and likeness of God so what does that look like? Well, all we need to do is take a look at Jesus as he walked the earth. The Bible is clear in John 1:14 that God became a man in the person of Jesus Christ.

To me it is clear that I am distinctly different from the animal kingdom, so obviously Darwin has it wrong.

The Bible is also clear that all three persons of the Trinity are God, but they are also different and of the three, the Holy Spirit is the one present here with us on earth. Living in the heart of every believer, convicting us, teaching us and moulding us to become more like Jesus.

The Holy Spirit is the third person of the Trinity. He's equal to the Father and the Son, and He's just as important. But sometimes, the Holy Spirit is the most misunderstood person of the Trinity.

If I ask you to volunteer an answer to the question “Who is God the Father?”, I am pretty sure that I would have a few volunteers that would have some sort of an answer.

I could even venture that if I asked the same question about God the Son, you would have an answer as well…

What if I asked “Who is the Holy Spirit?” I feel that many would be less willing to share an answer to that question.

Some people think of the Holy Spirit as a force or an influence. Others think of Him as a ghost or an angel. But the truth is, the Holy Spirit is a person. He has feelings, thoughts, and a will. The Bible tells us a lot about the Holy Spirit. He's referenced over 130 times in the New Testament. So buckle up as we explore these 130 ….. Only Joking.

I have three headings this morning: The Person, His Purpose and His Power 3

John 14:1-14

  • Jesus preparing a place for us
  • Jesus declares that he is the way, the truth and life. He is the only way to the Father
  • Jesus promises the Holy Spirit

John 14:15-21

15“If you love me, keep my commands.16 And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another advocate to help you and 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.18 I will not leave you as orphans; I will come to you.19 Before long, the world will not see me anymore, but you will see me. Because I live, you also will live.20 On that day you will realize that I am in my Father, and you are in me, and I am in you.21 Whoever has my commands and keeps them is the one who loves me. The one who loves me will be loved by my Father, and I too will love them and show myself to them.”

The Holy Spirit has always been around, but here Jesus is talking about the Holy Spirit coming in a new and different way. This “new way” occurred after Jesus’ ascension to heaven on the day of Pentecost. From this day on every believer who accepts Jesus as their saviour, receives the Holy Spirit.

The Person

I have already touched on this. Here are three takeaways…

1. Not an Impersonal Force:

George Barna (statistician) - “60% who regularly attend Christian church say there is no such thing as the Holy Spirit, it is just a symbol of God’s power, presence or purity.”

The Holy Spirit is not a mere force; He is a person. Ephesians 4:30 warns us not to grieve the Holy Spirit, He can be lied to (Acts 5:3), and He can be resisted (Acts 7:51). He also has a will of His own (1 Corinthians 12:11), emphasising His personhood and sensitivity.

2. Distinct from the Father and the Son:

While the Holy Spirit is part of the Trinity, He has a distinct role. The Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit are co-equal and co-eternal, yet they have distinct functions within the Godhead. The Holy Spirit is also God. He is equal in power and glory (Matthew 28:19-20). We also see this when Jesus is baptised, the only time in the Bible where the Triune God is witnessed in physical form all at the same time for all to witness. The voice of God saying “This is my Son, whom I love; with him I am well pleased”, Jesus, God in human form, and the Spirit of God in the form of a Dove.

3. Active Presence:

If you have received Jesus as your personal saviour then the Holy Spirit is active in our lives. He intercedes for us when we don't know how to pray (Romans 8:26), and He empowers us to live godly lives (Galatians 5:16). This indicates the personhood of the Holy Spirit. He comforts, guides, and dwells in us. He is also referred to as the Comforter, the Counselor, and the Advocate.

Due to the Covid pandemic people have reevaluated their priorities as people realised what really matters. Things like family and time for yourself, but post Covid data suggests a very dangerous trend, that Christians are leaving orthodox churches and Christ centred churches for churches that are meeting their ideology (set of opinions and beliefs) instead of their theology (the study of the nature of God). Why? …. “So I don’t have to feel uncomfortable.” - Is that not the purpose of the Holy Spirit, aka Spirit of Truth.

We need to be wary as Christians and as a church not to conform to this world and its “woke” ideals. We are called Christians for a reason, because we are called to imitate Jesus and to live a life that honours God.

It seems the time has come when it is easier to do the wrong thing than it is to do the right thing. The question is not: are you going to get into trouble, but rather who are you going to be in trouble with.

If you are a true believer, the world is going to hate you and cause issues for you…..and if you please the world then a day is coming when you are going to have to answer to Jesus.

Who would you rather be on the wrong side of …… for eternity?

His Purpose

1. Comforter and Counselor:

In John 14:16-17, Jesus promised to send the Holy Spirit as our Comforter and Counselor. The Spirit's purpose is to be with us, guiding us, comforting us, and giving us wisdom in times of need. For this to work, we need to be open to the leading of the Holy Spirit.

2. Conviction and Repentance:

In John 16:8, we learn that the Holy Spirit convicts the world of sin, righteousness, and judgement. His purpose is to awaken our hearts to the need for salvation, leading us to repentance. For this to work we need to be open to His leading.

It is the Holy Spirit who showed you your sin and God’s holiness. Everyone has come to Jesus in the same way.

Evangelist, Writer and Theologian JI Packer writes…

“Were it not for the work of the Holy Spirit there would be no gospel, no faith, no church, no Christianity in the world at all”

3. Empowerment for Ministry:

Acts 1:8 tells us that the Holy Spirit empowers believers to be witnesses for Christ. The Spirit equips us to share the gospel and live out our faith effectively. For this to work we need to be obedient to His leading. 

He is the source of illumination/light. The Holy Spirit illuminates the Bible to you and to me, without the Holy Spirit we cannot understand the Bible. He unlocks the scriptures for us. He is our Comforter and Guide, He provides wisdom and leads us in our daily decisions.

It is the Holy Spirit who gives us our gifts outlined in 1 Corinthians 12:4-11 and these gifts are given for the common good of the Church and to build the Body of Christ, that is you and me.

In short, The Holy Spirit is the one who convicts us of sin, draws us to Christ, and leads us to repentance. He is also the one who seals us as believers and gives us the assurance of salvation.

Finally…

His Power

John 14:16-18

16 And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another advocate to help you and 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.18 I will not leave you as orphans; I will come to you.

What I had not seen before is that we are given another advocate. I have always known that Jesus is our advocate and intercessor who is pleading our case to the Father, but this is the first time that I have come to realise that we have two advocates. What a dream team we have pleading our case.

The Holy Spirit pointing us to Jesus and Jesus pointing us to the Father.

Jesus is seated at the right hand of the Father until He returns to fetch his church and we have the Holy Spirit living in us, another advocate, helping and guiding us. WE ARE NOT ALONE.

Although I am not a Liverpool FC supporter, I must agree that their slogan “You’ll Never Walk Alone” is something I can support.

Romans 8:11 reminds us that the same power that raised Jesus from the dead dwells in us through the Holy Spirit. This power is transformative, enabling us to overcome sin and live victorious lives. He gives us the strength to resist temptation, to obey God's Word, and to love others. The Holy Spirit works in us to transform us into the image of Christ.

He empowers us to overcome sin and grow in holiness.

The Holy Spirit gives us our primary identity in Christ and allows us to have an intimate relationship with the powerful and holy God, so we can call Him “Abba Father”.

I am a son of God, and therefore no longer a slave to fear. The Holy Spirit wants to bring order to the chaos. He is the perfect love that drives out fear.

We don’t understand or forget that the Power of God is available to us. All we need to do is ask the Holy Spirit to enter our lives/situations and we have all His power available to us according to the will of our Father in heaven. What can man do to me?

The Holy Spirit guides us into all truth (John 16:13).

The Holy Spirit is a gift from God. He is the one who makes our relationship with God possible. He is the one who enables us to live a life that is pleasing to God.

Practically speaking… How to experience the Holy Spirit?

If you want to experience the Holy Spirit in your life, there are a few things you can do:

  • Ask Him to come into your life. 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!" (Luke 11:13).
  • Pray in the Spirit. The Bible says, "In the same way, the Spirit helps us in our weakness. We do not know what we ought to pray for, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us with groans that words cannot express" (Romans 8:26).
  • Read the Bible. The Bible is the Spirit's Word, and He will use it to speak to you and teach you about God.
  • Obey the Spirit. When the Spirit tells you to do something, do it. The more you obey Him, the more He will lead you and guide you.

What would it look like if you came/left today expecting the Holy Spirit to change you. Are you, am I open to Him Shaping and Chiselling you?

Conclusion

The Holy Spirit is a gift from God. He is the one who makes our relationship with God possible. He is the one who empowers us to live a godly life. Ask the Holy Spirit into the space where you are feeling hopeless. The Holy Spirit knows all the hurt in this room, pray that we leave different to when we came.

If you want to experience the Holy Spirit in your life, ask Him to come into your life, pray in the Spirit, read the Bible, and obey the Spirit. It is not too late, do it before it is too late.