The Holy Spirit Pt. 2

All right, well, let's now move into our time in the Word.

This morning's message is kind of a part two to last Sunday's message.

Last Sunday, we came to the part of the conversation between Jesus and his disciples

where Jesus tells them about the Holy Spirit.

Jesus assured his disciples that they would not be alone when he's gone

because he's going to ask the Father and the Father is going to send.

He's going to give the Holy Spirit to be with them.

And we noticed several significant details about how the Spirit would come.

First of all, we heard that the Spirit would come to be with them

and even better, he would be coming to live in them.

Second, we saw that it wouldn't be like the Old Testament days

when the Spirit seemed to kind of come and then go,

like with Samson and King Saul.

Jesus says this time his coming would be permanent.

He would be with them forever.

Third, we talked about how the Spirit would come in a way

that the world just wouldn't understand or accept or see.

And finally, we talked about what the Spirit would do for them.

We talked about how he would be another counselor or shepherd or guide to the disciples,

just as Jesus has been to them.

And he would teach them all things, everything that they needed to know from God.

And he would remind them specifically of everything that Jesus had already said to them.

And I left us all kind of hanging there at the end.

That's what Jesus promised to the disciples, these men in the room, the apostles.

But what about the rest of us believers?

Can we expect the same thing?

Does the Spirit of God come to live in us

and work in us in the same way as he did for them?

That's our question for this morning.

What should we here this morning expect when it comes to the Holy Spirit?

What's our relationship to him as believers who live almost 2,000 years later?

And the reason we need a whole other message on this

is because we wonder, don't we?

Some of us just assume, maybe, that all of us believers get the Holy Spirit

and he lives in us exactly the same as the disciples back then.

We maybe just assume that these words are for the disciples

and they're for all of us too.

But maybe some of us, others of us, aren't so sure about that.

Maybe we look at our life or we think over our experiences and our feelings

and we wonder if maybe we've somehow not received the Spirit

or we've received something different, perhaps something less

than the disciples received.

So this morning we're going to be looking at a number of different passages

for an answer to this question of what we,

what all believers in general can expect when it comes to the Holy Spirit.

We're going to go back a little bit towards the beginning of the story of Jesus

to the days of John the Baptizer.

The Baptizer, you'll remember, proclaimed that there was one coming after him

and that one was Jesus, of course.

And what did he tell the crowds about Jesus?

In Mark 1, verse 8, he said,

Mark 1:8

I baptize you with water,

but he, that one coming after me,

will baptize you with the Holy Spirit.

Now who did John tell this to?

According to Mark,

John told this to people from all over the Judean countryside.

He told it to all the people from Jerusalem who went out to see John.

So right from the get-go,

the Holy Spirit was promised not only to a few,

but to many,

to all who came to repent and to believe,

to confess their sins

and to put their trust in this chosen one that was coming after.

And then God's chosen one came,

Jesus of Nazareth.

And what did Jesus teach?

In Luke chapter 11,

Luke 11 · chapter mention

we read what Jesus taught his disciples,

as well as all the crowds that were listening in.

He taught them and said,

Ask, and it will be given to you.

Seek, and you will find.

Knock, and the door will be opened to you.

For everyone who asks, receives.

The one who seeks, finds.

And to the one who knocks,

the door will be opened.

Which of your fathers,

if your son asks for a fish,

will give him a snake instead?

Or if he asks for an egg,

will give him a scorpion?

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?

Jesus seems pretty clearly here to suggest

that the Holy Spirit is a gift

that God is eager to give.

He's happy to give him

to all of his children,

to all who ask

the Father.

Well, eventually the day came.

The day when Jesus asked the Father,

and the Father sent the Holy Spirit down.

We usually refer to this day

as the day of Pentecost,

because that was the name

of the Jewish festival

that was being celebrated

when it happened.

Luke tells us all about this

in the book of Acts.

I'm not going to read the whole thing,

but in Acts chapters 1 and 2,

Acts 1 · chapter mention

we read about how the 11 apostles

were all gathered in Jerusalem.

Not only them,

but also a number of women

were with them,

and some of Jesus' brothers.

In fact,

there was even more than that there.

Luke tells us that in those days

they had a gathering of believers,

and it was about a group

numbering about 120 people.

And Luke tells us

how they decided to replace Judas,

the one who had betrayed Jesus,

with Matthias.

And then,

when the day of Pentecost came,

Luke tells us that they,

that same large group of believers,

they were all together in one place,

when suddenly a sound

like the blowing of a violent wind

came from heaven

and filled the whole house

where they were sitting.

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

and began to speak

in other tongues

or languages

as the Spirit

enabled them.

So God pours out

His Holy Spirit

upon the believers

there in the room.

He comes to them,

the Spirit.

And we might have assumed

that this just happened

to the 12 apostles,

but if we're kind of reading

the whole flow

of what Luke is telling us here,

we notice that,

no,

it was all of them.

It was the whole group

of believers.

As Peter will go on

to explain,

God has just now

poured out His Spirit

fulfilling the prophecy

made by Joel long ago

on both men and women.

And they're prophesying

just as He promised long ago.

So the Spirit was given

not just to the 12 apostles,

but to all of them

gathered there that day

who believed in Jesus.

Well, we might wonder,

maybe the Spirit

was just for the whole lot

of them back then.

How can I know

that the Holy Spirit

is for me here today too?

Well, Luke tells us

that Peter stood up that day

and he began to proclaim

Jesus to the crowds

that began to gather.

And what did Peter tell them?

We'll pick up Peter's message

partway through it

in verse 36 of chapter 2.

This is what Peter was saying

on the day of Pentecost,

right after the Spirit

came down.

He said,

Therefore,

let all Israel

be assured of this.

God has made this Jesus

whom you crucified,

both Lord and Messiah,

Messiah.

When the people heard this,

they were cut to the heart

and said to Peter

and the other apostles,

Brothers,

what shall we do?

Peter replied,

Repent

and be baptized,

every one of you,

in the name of Jesus Christ

for the forgiveness

of your sins,

and you

will receive

the gift

of the Holy Spirit.

the promise

is for you

and your children

and for all

who are far off,

for all

whom the Lord

our God

will call.

Do you hear that?

The promise

is for you,

said Peter.

And in the original language,

it's actually you plural.

It's for

all y'all

in the crowd.

Well,

what promise

is Peter talking about?

That's for all of them.

the promise

that if they repent

and believe

and are baptized,

they will receive

the gift

of the Holy Spirit.

And Peter makes it so clear.

I love this.

He says,

the promise

of the Spirit,

it's not just for you

that I'm speaking to here today.

It's also for your children.

It's for those

who will come after you.

And it's not just for

them.

It's not just for all of us

here in the land of Israel.

It's for all who are far off.

Them too.

Whoever believes,

whoever repents

and turns to Jesus.

The Holy Spirit

is for them as well.

All whom the Lord

our God

will call.

Do you hear this?

The Holy Spirit

is not just a gift

given

to the apostles,

to the select few.

He's not just a gift

given to

that big large group

of 120 back then.

Or the big crowd

of 3,000 people

that will put their trust

in the Lord

that day

when Peter preached.

He's for their children.

It's for the generations

of people

that will come after them.

And He's not just

for the people there

in that land

back then.

But for all

whom the Lord

our God will call.

Even in the distant lands,

places far away.

And so the gift

of the Holy Spirit

we come to see

is for everyone

who believes in Jesus.

And this is exactly

how the story goes.

As we continue on

through the book of Acts,

we see that the good news

of Jesus

spreads

all over the Mediterranean world.

And wherever

the good news

of Jesus goes,

God gives some

very visible signs

that His Spirit

has come upon

the new believers

in that place.

Even the Gentile,

the non-Jew believers,

receive the gift

of the Holy Spirit.

And the apostles

back in Jerusalem,

they recognize that.

They acknowledge that.

And so by the time

we get to all the letters

that were written

much later

in the New Testament

to the churches

all over the Mediterranean world,

it couldn't be clearer

that the gift

of the Holy Spirit

is for every believer

in Jesus.

Paul speaks

about the Spirit

in the lives

of believers

in his letter

to the church at Rome

as if it's just

a plain fact

that, yes,

if you belong to Christ,

you have the Spirit.

They go hand in hand.

Romans chapter 8

Romans 8 · chapter mention

is a wonderful chapter

describing all the good things

that come to us

because of God's Spirit

who lives in us.

And then in his letter

to the church at Corinth,

he acknowledges,

yes,

you guys have the Spirit

living in you.

They had all kinds

of spiritual gifts

that were proof

and evidence of that.

We might think

of the churches

in the region of Galatia,

largely Gentile churches.

Paul says,

yes,

you too received

the Spirit.

How?

By believing

what you heard

about Jesus.

Probably one

of the clearest statements

comes in Paul's letter

to the church

at Ephesus.

This was a church

in Asia Minor

made up of both

Jews and Gentiles.

And this is what Paul

said to them

in Ephesians chapter 1

Ephesians 1:13

verse 13 and 14.

He said,

you also were included

in Christ

when you heard

the message of truth,

the gospel

of your salvation.

When you believed,

you were marked

in him

with a seal.

And what was that seal?

The promised

Holy Spirit

who is a deposit

guaranteeing

our inheritance

until the redemption

of those

who are God's

possession.

So there can be

no doubt

from the Bible

that this gift

of the Holy Spirit

is for all

who truly believe

in Jesus.

He doesn't just

come to be with

and live in the apostles.

He comes to be with

and live in

all who repent

and believe

in Jesus' name.

So that's God's answer

to the first part

of the question.

Does the Holy Spirit

come to live

in all of us

who believe?

And the answer is yes.

In all of us

who believe.

He comes to be with us.

He comes to live in us

forever.

But now we come

to the second part

of the question.

Does the Holy Spirit

work in us

in the same

way

that Jesus promised

he would work

in the apostles?

And

we have to ask

this question

because

some of us

are reading along

in the book of Acts

and maybe we're thinking

man I don't see

a lot of

what happened there

happening in my life.

Like

where are the miracles?

Where's the

God will give you

the words to say

in every situation

part of the promise?

Where's the voice

of the Holy Spirit

speaking intelligible words

to the apostles?

Where's that in my life?

Because if I'm honest

I'm still trying to sort out

whether it's the Holy Spirit

speaking to me

or just my own head

is what some of us

are maybe thinking.

So we have to ask

this question

does the Spirit

of God

work in every believer

in the same

way

that Jesus promised

to the apostles?

And the answer is

both yes

and no.

Yes

there are things

that every believer

can expect

the Holy Spirit

to do in them

but

there are things

that not

every believer

can expect

the Spirit of God

to do

in them.

Let's look to

1 Corinthians

1 Corinthians 12:4

chapter 12

verse 4

this is Paul

writing to the church

at Corinth

he says

there are different

kinds of gifts

but the same

Spirit distributes

them

there are different

kinds of service

but the same

Lord

there are different

kinds of working

but in all of them

and in everyone

it is the same

God at work

now to each

one

the manifestation

of the Spirit

is given

for the common

good

to one

there is given

through the Spirit

a message of wisdom

to another

a message of knowledge

by means of the same

Spirit

to another

faith

by the same

Spirit

to another

gifts of healing

by that one

Spirit

to another

miraculous powers

to another

prophecy

to another

distinguishing

between spirits

to another

speaking in

different kinds

of tongues

or languages

and still

another

the interpretation

of tongues

or languages

all these

are the work

of one

and the same

Spirit

and he

distributes

them to

each one

as he

determines

just as a

body

the one

has many

parts

but all

its many

parts

form one

body

so it is

with Christ

for we

were all

baptized

by one

Spirit

so as to

form one

body

whether Jews

or Gentiles

slave

or free

and we

were all

given the

one Spirit

to drink

even so

the body

is not

made up

of one

part

but of

many

and I'm

going to

skip down

a little

bit to

verse 27

now you

are the

body of

Christ

says Paul

and each

one of you

is a part

of it

and God

has placed

in the

church

first of

all

apostles

second

prophets

third

teachers

then miracles

then gifts

of healing

of helping

of guidance

and of

different kinds

of tongues

are all

apostles

are all

prophets

are all

teachers

do all

work

miracles

do all

have gifts

of healing

do all

speak

in

tongues

or

languages

do all

interpret

what is

Paul saying

here

he's telling

us that

every one

of us

shares

in the

same

Spirit

of God

we all

have the

Holy Spirit

all of us

who believe

in Jesus

have the

Holy Spirit

but the

Spirit

gifts us

in different

ways

he works

in us

and through

us

in different

ways

which means

that my

experience

of the

Christian

life

it might

have some

differences

than yours

now I

can't possibly

delve into

all the

questions that

will come

up

inevitably

as we

look at

a passage

like this

about

miracles

and the

gift of

healing

and prophets

and whether

we should

expect to

see more

of that

today

but the

overarching

point

of Paul

is the

same

every

believer

has the

Holy Spirit

but the

Holy Spirit

doesn't work

in every

believer

in exactly

the same

way

and this

is where I

hope that

we get

some

clarity

are all

apostles

no

it's a

rhetorical

question

think about

what that

implies

it means

it means

that whether

or not

your

experience

is the

same

as

Peter's

experience

is not

the mark

of whether

you are

a true

believer

it's not

the measure

of whether

you have

the Spirit

of God

in you

Peter

was called

by Jesus

Christ

for a

special

role

a unique

role

to be

an apostle

and with

that special

calling

and role

came a

special

working

of the

Holy

Spirit

in him

so that

he could

do that

job

he was

called

to be

a

spokesperson

of

Jesus

Christ

to speak

authoritatively

what he

heard the

Spirit

speaking to

him

to others

so that

what he

said

what he

taught

what he

wrote

it wasn't

just

Peter's

words

but it

was the

word of

God

flowing

through

him

the

word

of

Christ

and

that's

why

we

must

do

what

Peter

commands

in

his

letters

and

if

we

don't

it's

as though

we're

disobeying

God

we're

sinning

against

God

we believe

that because

we recognize

that Peter

had that

special

authority

that special

role

given to

him by

Jesus

but that's

different

than what

the rest

of us

who are

not

apostles

experience

we

too

have

the

spirit

of

God

in

us

but

in

each

one

of

us

he

is

at

work

in

a

different

way

the

spirit

spoke

through

men

like

Peter

and

Paul

apostles

he

spoke

the

word

of

God

for

all

of

our

benefit

but

maybe

the

spirit

doesn't

speak

to

all

of

us

in

that

same

way

instead

maybe

through

you

he

loves

the

broken

hearted

and

the

suffering

people

in

the

world

maybe

that's

how

God

has

woven

your

story

maybe

that's

the

special

gifting

of

God

in

you

a

heart

of

compassion

and

creative

inspiration

from

the

spirit

about

how

to

meet

the

needs

of

those

who

are

suffering

or

less

fortunate

that's

just

one

example

of

maybe

a

different

kind

of

gifting

or

working

of

the

spirit

but

there's

many

the

sense

I

get

at least

as

I

read

1st

Corinthians

chapter

12

is

that

there's

all

kinds

of

different

ways

in

which

the

spirit

might

work

in

us

many

more

than

are

even

listed

here

I

think

sometimes

we've

maybe

done

a bit

of

a

disservice

to

the

church

when

we

come

up

with

these

spiritual

gift

tests

but

we

only

include

the

gifts

that

are

listed

here

and

maybe

one

or

two

other

passages

in

the

Bible

but

let's

just

look

at

what

Paul

said

he

said

there

are

different

kinds

of

gifts

there

are

different

kinds

of

service

there

are

different

kinds

of

working

but

the

same

spirit

of

God

at

work

in

and

through

all

of

them

so

we

might

consider

this

list

given

in

verse

28

and

30

we

might

consider

it

kind

of

an

abbreviated

list

of

possible

gifts

to

illustrate

just

the

variety

that

there

is

and

how

not

all

of

us

have

the

same

one

so

we

need

to

be

careful

that

we

don't

just

assume

that

everything

Jesus

says

to

the

apostles

in

the

room

this

night

in

John

14

to

16

is

exactly

how

the

spirit

of

God

will

work

in

us

there

will

be

a

kind

of

teaching

and

speaking

from

the

spirit

to

the

apostles

for

the

church

that's

unique

to

their

role

and

we're

going

to

see

that

come

out

a

little

more

as

we

get

further

into

this

so

that's

the

no

part

of

the

answer

no

the

spirit

does

not

work

in

all

of

us

the

same

as

he

did

in

the

apostles

but

let's

now

for a

few

minutes

consider

the

yes

part

of

the

answer

there

are

many

things

that

God's

spirit

works

in

all

of

us

who

believe

and

it's

kind

of

the

same

for

all

of

us

regardless

of

what

our

role

is

in

the

body

of

Christ

so

we're

going

to

go

through

quite

a

few

passages

really

quickly

here

to

see

this

Romans

Romans 5:5

chapter

5

verse

5

hope

does

not

put

us

to

shame

because

God's

love

has

been

poured

out

into

our

hearts

through

the

Holy

Spirit

who

has

been

given

to

us

how

does

it

happen

that

we

come

to

know

and

feel

the

love

of

God

for

us

in

the

depths

of

our

souls

Paul

says

the

spirit

of

God

is

responsible

for

that

it's

not

just

something

that

he

does

for

Paul

or

Peter

it's

something

he

does

for

all

of

us

even

all

those

people

in

the

church

in

Rome

Romans

Romans 8:13

chapter

8

verse

13

talks

about

how

it's

the

spirit

who

gives

us

power

and

enables

us

to

kill

sin

in

our

lives

and

instead

live

rightly

in

obedience

to

God

Paul

says

a

similar

sort

of

thing

in

his

letter

to

Timothy

2nd

Timothy

1

verse

7

for

the

spirit

God

gave

us

does

not

make

us

timid

but

gives

us

power

love

and

self

discipline

he

enables

us

all

believers

to

live

in

obedience

to

God

to

do

what's

right

Romans

Romans 8:15

chapter

8

verse

15

Paul

tells

the

Christians

in

the

Roman

church

that

it's

it's

through

God's

spirit

that

we

are

adopted

brought

into

the

family

of

God

and

become

true

children

of

God

we

become

heirs

of

this

wonderful

inheritance

that

God

will

someday

give

to

all

his

children

the

spirit

does

that

for

all

who

believe

in

Jesus

Romans

Romans 8:26

chapter

8

verse

26

Paul

says

here

that

the

spirit

of

God

intercedes

for

us

through

wordless

groans

Romans

I love

this

passage

when

a

believer

who

has

the

spirit

of

God

is

in

need

the

spirit

of

God

in

that

person

is

talking

to

the

father

on

your

behalf

like

praying

for

you

and

you

can't

even

see

it

or

hear

it

or

know

exactly

what

he's

saying

Paul

says

the

spirit

does

that

for

us

as

in

all

of

us

who

believe

Jew

and

Gentile

Romans

Romans 15:13

chapter

15

verse

13

may

the

God

of

hope

fill

you

with

all

joy

and

peace

as

you

trust

in

him

so

that

you

may

overflow

with

hope

how

by

the

power

of

the

Holy

Spirit

God

fills

us

with

hope

and

he

does

it

by

his

spirit

that's

something

he

does

in

all

of

us

1st

Corinthians

sorry

Romans

Romans 15:16

15

verse

16

here

Paul

talks

about

how

the

Holy

Spirit

makes

us

holy

he

sanctifies

us

he

works

in

us

so

that

increasingly

we

live

holy

lives

we

think

holy

thoughts

we

speak

holy

words

1st

Corinthians

chapter

6

verse

11

not

only

does

the

spirit

of

God

make

us

holy

but

he

washes

us

of

the

guilt

and

stain

of

past

sins

that

thing

that

Jesus

did

on

the

cross

the

spirit

is

the

one

who

takes

that

and

applies

it

to

us

and

puts

the

covering

of

Jesus

blood

over

us

so

that

our

sins

are

forgiven

it's

something

he

does

for

all

of

us

who

believe

in

him

and

one

and

God

God

the

fruit

of

the

spirit

God

produces

the

fruit

of

his

spirit

in

us

all

kinds

of

good

things

that

ultimately

come

from

God

love

joy

peace

forbearance

kindness

gentleness

self

control

this is

something

God's

spirit

works

and does

in all

believers

and

finally

the

spirit

of

God

does

work

in

all

of

us

to

make

us

wise

and

to

teach

us

the

truth

to

guide

us

into

the

truth

Paul

prayed

for all

the

members

of

the

church

at

Ephesus

that

God

would

give

them

the

spirit

of

wisdom

and

revelation

why

so that

they

may

know

God

better

so that

they

might

fully

appreciate

the

depth

of

God's