LESSON 1 - WHO IS THE HOLY SPIRIT?

INTRODUCTION: THIS WEEK WE START A NEW QUARTER AND A NEW TOPIC. FRANKLY, OUR STUDY OF JOSHUA WAS ONE OF MY ALL-TIME FAVORITES AND I'M SORRY WE ARE DONE. I ALSO APPRECIATE ED KIPPS TEACHING FOR ME LAST WEEK. THIS QUARTER OUR STUDY IS THE HOLY SPIRIT. LETS GET INTO THIS POWERFUL SUBJECT!

I. THE HOLY SPIRIT THE PERSON

A. LETS TAKE A SHORT SURVEY: RAISE YOUR HAND IF YOU CAN RECALL EVER TELLING SOMEONE THAT YOU LOVED JESUS.

B. NOW, RAISE YOUR HAND IF YOU CAN RECALL EVER TELLING SOMEONE THAT YOU LOVED THE HOLY SPIRIT?

1. WHY SUCH A GREAT DISCREPANCY?

2. IF NOT TELL SOMEONE YOU LOVED THE HS, WHY NOT?

C. DO YOU EVER THINK OF THE HOLY SPIRIT AS SOMEONE TO LOVE AS OPPOSED TO AN INFLUENCE?

1. COULD YOU LOVE AN INFLUENCE? OR WOULD IT HAVE TO BE A PERSON FOR YOU TO LOVE HIM?

D. LETS READ JOHN 16:5-8. THIS IS JESUS SPEAKING TO HIS DISCIPLES.

1. WHERE IS JESUS GOING? (TO HIM WHO SENT HIM)

a. WHO IS THAT? (THE FATHER)

2. WHO IS COMING IN JESUS PLACE? (THE "COUNSELOR" -- THE HOLY SPIRIT)

E. ARE JESUS, THE FATHER AND THE HS ONE PERSON? ONE GOD?

1. HOW CAN THEY BE WITH THIS "GEOGRAPHICAL" DISCUSSION GOING ON? THE SON GOES TO THE FATHER. THE HS TAKES HIS PLACE? (WE ARE GOING TO DISCUSS THIS LATER IN MORE DETAIL. WE THINK OF GOD AS BEING THREE PERSONS IN ONE: THE TRINITY: THE FATHER, SON AND HOLY SPIRIT. MY POINT HERE IS THAT THE HS IS A SEPARATE PERSON, OTHERWISE ALL OF THIS INDEPENDANT COMING AND GOING DISCUSSION MAKE NO SENSE.)

II.THE TRINITY AND THE UNIQUE HOLY SPIRIT

A. JESUS TOLD HIS DISCIPLES THAT HE WAS LEAVING AND THEY WERE SAD ABOUT IT, BUT HE SAID THEY SHOULD NOT BE SAD.

1. WHY NOT BE SAD? (HE WAS SENDING THE COMFORTER (THE HS)

2. LET ME PUT YOU IN THE SAME SITUATION AS JESUS PUT THE DISCIPLES. IF I GAVE YOU THE CHOICE OF HAVING JESUS HERE ON THIS PLANET OR THE HS, WHICH WOULD YOU CHOSE?

3. NOTE v. 8. WHY DOES JESUS SAY IT IS BETTER FOR THE HS TO BE HERE? (BECAUSE HE WILL CONVICT THE WORLD OF GUILT IN REGARD TO SIN AND RIGHTEOUSNESS.)

a. DO YOU WANT TO BE CONVICTED OF "GUILT?" (THAYER'S SAYS THAT THE GREEK HERE CAN MEAN "TO MISS OR WANDER FROM THE PATH OF UP RIGHTEOUSNESS AND HONOR." SO THIS MEANS YOUR ATTENTION IS BROUGHT TO THE FACT THAT YOU HAVE WANDERED FROM THE PATH)

B. THE WORD "COMFORTER" IN JOHN 16:7 IS THE GREEK "PARACLETE."

1. OUR LESSON SAYS THIS MEANS:

a. "PARA" = "BESIDE"

b. "KLETOS" = "ONE CALLED"

c. IF YOU CALL SOMEONE TO COME TO YOUR SIDE, YOU CALL ON THEM FOR AID.

C. HOW WOULD YOU PUT THESE TWO IDEAS TOGETHER: THAT THE HS IS SOMEONE CALLED TO OUR SIDE, AND HE BRINGS TO OUR ATTENTION WHEN WE HAVE WANDERED FROM THE PATH? (THIS REMINDS ME OF THE DUAL ROLE OF A LAWYER. YOU'VE SEEN LAWYER'S LETTERHEAD THAT SAYS "ATTORNEYS AND COUNSELLORS AT LAW?" THE ATTORNEY NOT ONLY IS AT YOUR SIDE TO DEFEND YOU IN COURT; BUT (IF HE IS ANY GOOD) IS GIVING YOU GOOD ADVICE TO KEEP YOU IN THE PATH SO YOU ARE NOT CALLED INTO COURT.)

D. LETS TURN BACK A FEW PAGES AND READ JOHN 14:15-17.

1. CONTINUING WITH THIS PICTURE OF THE DUAL ROLE OF A LAWYER: TO ADVOCATE YOUR BEST INTERESTS AND TEACH YOU WHAT TO DO TO AVOID TROUBLE.

a. TO WHOM IS THE HOLY SPIRIT ARGUING ON YOUR BEHALF?

(1) TO GOD?

(2) TO THE WORLD? (THE WORLD DOES NOT SEE HIM OR KNOW HIM THIS TEXT SAYS. SO THE HOLY SPIRIT'S EFFORTS ARE ALL DIRECTED TOWARDS THE PERSON.)

2. COULD JESUS LIVE WITH US AND IN US? (NO. THAT IS WHY THE HS IS SO ESSENTIAL. JESUS TOOK THE FORM OF A HUMAN AND THEREFORE HE WAS LIMITED TO BEING IN ONE PLACE AT ONE TIME. THE HS IS NOT SO LIMITED. SO HE HAS THE POWER TO CONVICT THE WHOLE WORLD. PS 139:7-10))

III. CHARACTERISTICS OF THE HOLY SPIRIT

A. SOMEONE READ IS 63:10 FOR ME. "YET THEY REBELLED AND GRIEVED HIS HOLY SPIRIT. SO HE TURNED AND BECAME THEIR ENEMY AND HE HIMSELF FOUGHT AGAINST THEM."

B. ANY TIME SOME HAS MENTIONED TO ME "GRIEVING THE HS" I'VE THOUGHT, "BOY, I SURE DON'T WANT TO DO THAT!" SO THE DISCUSSION GENERALLY CENTERED ON HOW TO AVOID HAVING THIS TERRIBLE THING HAPPEN TO US.

1. CONSIDERING OUR DISCUSSION SO FAR, WHY WOULD THE HS GRIEVE IN THIS SITUATION--THE PEOPLE REBELLING? (HIS ROLE IS TO HELP AND GUIDE. IF WE DON'T WANT HIS HELP, AND REJECT HIS GUIDANCE, IT WOULD OBVIOUSLY MAKE HIM GRIEVE.)

2. DOES THE FACT THAT HE IS CAPABLE OF GRIEF GIVE US FURTHER EVIDENCE THAT HE IS A SEPARATE PERSON AS OPPOSED TO GOD'S SPIRIT? (THIS REMINDS ME OF A DISCUSSION WE HAD AT HOME THIS WEEK. MARGIE'S SISTER'S DAUGHTER (GOT THAT STRAIGHT?) IS GETTING MARRIED. HE IS NOT GOING TO HAVE HER FATHER GIVE HER AWAY AT THE WEDDING BECAUSE THE MOTHER AND FATHER ARE SEPARATED.

a. A FATHER'S ROLE IS TO COMFORT, DEFEND AND GUIDE. IF THE DAUGHTER SAYS, "I DON'T WANT YOU" IN SUCH A HORRID WAY, THEN A FATHER WOULD NATURALLY GRIEVE. THIS IS WHAT I THINK OF THE HS GRIEVING.)

IV. THE ACTIVE AGENT FOR WISDOM AND GIFTS

A. HOW MANY OF YOU WOULD LIKE WISDOM?

B. HOW MANY OF YOU WOULD LIKE A KIND OF WISDOM THAT IS SECRET?

C. THEN LETS TURN TO 1 CORINTHIANS 2:6-10. THESE VERSES SAY THAT "GOD'S SECRET WISDOM" IS REVEALED TO US BY THE HS. WHAT DO YOU THINK GOD'S SECRET WISDOM IS? (THESE VERSES SUGGEST THAT PART OF GOD'S WISDOM IS KNOWING THAT HE IS IN CHARGE AND THAT HE HAS A REWARD FOR THOSE WHO LOVE HIM.)

D. READ JOHN 14:23-26. LETS EXPLORE THE DIFFERENT ROLES LISTED HERE FOR THE FATHER, SON AND HOLY SPIRIT.

1. WHAT DOES THE FATHER DO HERE? (v. 24. HE SENT JESUS; v. 26 HE SENT THE HS.)

2. WHAT DOES JESUS DO? (v. 24 TEACH; v. 23-24 INSPIRES LOVE; v.25 HERE FOR A LIMITED TIME)

3. WHAT DOES THE HS DO? (v. 26 TEACH ALL THINGS; v. 26 REMIND THEM OF WHAT JESUS SAID)

E. LETS TURN NOW TO 1 CORINTHIANS 12:8-11. THIS ADDS THAT THE HS MANIFESTS HIMSELF IN US "FOR THE COMMON GOOD." (v.7)

1. HOW DOES HE DO THAT? (GIVES TO THE BODY OF BELIEVERS:

a. MESSAGE OF WISDOM;

b. MESSAGE OF KNOWLEDGE;

c. FAITH;

d. HEALING;

e. MIRACULOUS POWERS;

f. PROPHECY;

g. DISTINQUISH SPIRITS;

h. TONGUES;

i. INTERPRETATION OF TONGUES.

F. VERSE 11 SAYS THAT THE HS GIVES THESE MANEFESTATIONS OF HIS POWER "TO EACH ONE, JUST AS HE DETERMINES."

1. WHAT DOES THAT TELL YOU ABOUT THE HS? (THAT ONE OF HIS WORKS IS COORDINATING HIS POWER AMONG THE BELIEVERS.)

2. WOULD IT BE FAIR TO CALL THE HS THE MASTERMIND OF THE CHURCH?

3. READ 1 COR 2:11. IS THE SPIRIT WITHIN YOU A SEPARATE PERSON? (NO)

4. IS THE HS A SEPARATE PERSON FROM GOD? (OUR LESSON SAYS (SUN) "HE IS NOT MERELY GOD'S INFLUENCE, BUT A PERSON.")

5. IF HE WERE MERELY AN INFLUENCE, THEN IT WOULD NOT MAKE SENSE IN JOHN 16 FOR JESUS TO SAY THAT THE HS WOULD NOT COME UNTIL HE LEFT.

V. NEXT WEEK: EMPOWERED BY THE HOLY SPIRIT NEED LESSON?