Alright well we’re there in Luke Chapter 3. I’d like you to keep your place in Luke. We’re going to come back to it. But go with me real quickly to the book of Zechariah in the Old Testament. This evening we are beginning a series called “By My Spirit”. And it is a study that we will spend the next several weeks on going on a systematic study of the Holy Spirit. And I want to just kind of begin by answering the question “Why do a series on the Holy Spirit”? And why title it “By My Spirit”? The title comes from Zechariah 4:6 “6 Then he answered and spake unto me, saying, This is the word of the Lord unto Zerubbabel, saying,” I want you to notice what the Lord says to Zerubbabel. “Not by might, nor by power, but by my spirit, saith the Lord of hosts.”. And the idea in this verse that is being presented is that anything that you and I are going to accomplish for God in our lives is not going to come by our might or by our power. Without God we can do nothing. And really the acts that we have through the power of God is through the Holy Spirit of God. He says “Not by might, nor by power, but by my spirit”.
And the reason why we’re going to take 10 to 12 weeks on a Sunday night potentially going through systematically the study of the Holy Spirit. Because the truth of the matter is that anything we accomplish for God will be done by the Holy Spirit of God. It’s the Holy Spirit of God that indwells us, that impowers us, that helps us in our lives to be able to walk with the Lord and to walk in the Spirit. Unfortunately though, many of us are not familiar with the Holy Spirit. Like I said this morning, because I believe part of the reason that Fundamentalist Christians have shied away from teaching or preaching on the Holy Spirit is because of the nonsense coming out of the Pentecostal-Charismatic churches. And how they’ve basically made a circus out of the Holy Spirit and the teaching of the Holy Spirit. But the truth of the matter is that the Bible talks a lot about the Holy Spirit. In fact, he’s mentioned in the 2nd verse of the entire Bible. And we’re going to go back and look at that here in a minute. But it is important for us to learn and understand about the Holy Spirit. The sermon tonight is entitled The Person of the Holy Spirit. And it’s really an introductory sermon in to this series. Because I want to begin tonight by just starting with and explaining to you that the Holy Spirit is a person. He is the 3rd person of the Godhead. He is the 3rd person of the Trinity. And he is a person.
Now we understand as those that believe in the Trinity, we believe that God exists in 3 person. And I want to begin by just talking about the fact that there is often not a lot of arguments in regards to the person of the Lord Jesus Christ or the person of God the Father. Usually people will agree to the understanding that God the Father is a person and the Lord Jesus Christ is a person. And let me just give you a proof for that. In Hebrews 1:1, we see the idea that God the Father is a person. Notice Hebrews 1:1 “God, who at sundry times and in divers manners spake in time past unto the fathers by the prophets,”. I want you to understand the context here. It is God who is speaking unto the fathers. And he is speaking unto them by the prophets.
Notice verse 2. “2 Hath in these last days spoken unto us by his Son,”. I want you to notice the word “his” there is referring back to God in verse 1 of the chapter. So in Hebrews 1:1 when it says “God”, we understand that is God the Father. Because he spoke in times past through the prophets but in the last days he’s spoken through his Son which is the Lord Jesus Christ. “2 Hath in these last days spoken unto us by his Son, whom he”. Talking about God the Father. “hath appointed heir of all things, by whom also he”. Referring to God the Father. “made the worlds;”. So God the Father has appointed his Son to be heir of all things and he made the worlds through his Son. And that’s all taught in scripture and that’s a sermon for a different day.
Notice verse 3 “3 Who being the brightness of his glory,” Now when it says who being the brightness of his glory, it’s referring to the Lord Jesus Christ. “His” there is referring to the Father. It’s saying the Lord Jesus Christ was the brightness of his glory. “and the express image of his person,” So Jesus is the express image of his person. Just follow the pronouns there of his, his, he, his, God. It’s clear that the Bible says that the Lord Jesus Christ was the express image of God the Father’s person. Now I’m showing you that just to show you here that God the Father is a person and the Lord Jesus Christ is the express image of that person. And people often don’t, unless they’re just in to some weird doctrine, they don’t argue the fact that the Father is a person. That God the Father is a person. And of course we have the Lord Jesus Christ.
Now go with me to 2 Corinthians 2. Like I said, these sermons might feel more like a little bit of a Bible study and that’s ok. We’re just going to take some time and dig in to the Bible. And it should be obvious that the Lord Jesus Christ is a person. 2 Corinthians 2:10 “To whom ye forgive any thing, I forgive also: for if I forgave any thing, to whom I forgave it, for your sakes forgave I it in the person of Christ;”. Now again, I’m not sure if we need a verse proving the Lord Jesus Christ was a person. Obviously he was born in Bethlehem, he lived his life, he died, he was resurrected. But here again we even have a verse that refers to the Person of Christ. So most people would agree that God the Father is a person. And that God the Son, the Lord Jesus Christ is a person. However, there is some argument as to whether the Holy Spirit is a person.
Let me say this, the reason for the controversy as to whether the Holy Spirit is a person or not is because of the fact, and I’ll clearly admit to you that there is not a verse that I’m aware of or that I can remember or that I can find in my search, there is not a verse that specifically calls the Holy Spirit a person like we were able to look at Hebrews 1:1-2 and go through it and see that the Bible is calling Jesus the express image of His, God the Father’s, image. And here we have a verse referring to the Father as a person. We even have a verse referring to the person of Christ.
But there isn’t a verse that we can point to which says the person of the Holy Spirit. Because of that, there has been a lot of controversy & fights as to whether the Holy Spirit is a person. Because today there are many people that want to teach that the Holy Spirit is just a force. He’s just an energy. He’s not a person. He’s just kind of the power of God. I’m going to give you a definition of the word person which I believe is the correct word. It’s a biblical word. When we’re talking about person, what are we talking about?
A person is a being that has certain capacities or attributes. And by the way, that’s probably the right way to identify a person is through their attributes. Because the way we identify God is through his attributes which is a different sermon for a different day. We know God is God because of the attributes of God. He is omnipresent and omnipotent. And he knows everything and is self existing. His attributes make him God. Well, it is the attributes of a person that make him a person. And here’s a definition. A person is a being that has certain capacities or attributes such as reason, morality, consciousness or self-consciousness and being a part of a culturally established form of social relations such as kinships, ownership of property or legal responsibility. That’s the definition of a person.
Let me give you a definition for the word force. A force is a push or pull upon an object resulting from the objects interaction with another object. Whenever there is an interaction between 2 objects, there is a force upon each object. When the interaction ceases, the 2 objects no longer experience the force. Forces only exist as a result of an interaction. And here’s just some examples of some common forces. We’re not talking about Star Wars. But a force that you guys might think of. Like, the gravitational pull of the earth. The gravitational force. Or the electrical force. Or magnetic force. You get 2 magnets and they react to each other. They will pull away from each other. They’ll come together or they’ll come apart based on how that energy or that force is being used.
Here’s the point that I’m making. Today, people want to teach that the Holy Spirit is a force. He’s just an energy. He’s a power. He’s not a person. And though it’s true that at least I haven’t been able to find a verse (And if someone has a verse out there then let me know about it and text or email it to me). But though we cannot find a verse that specifically calls the Holy Spirit a person, what is true is this, you cannot read the Bible and walk away without the understanding that the Holy Spirit is a person. He is the 3rd person of the Godhead. He is the person of the Holy Spirit. And what I’d like to do tonight is just go through scripture. And I want to specifically just give you 5 proofs. 5 things we see about the Holy Spirit throughout the Word of God that prove that he is a person.
Now, let me just say this. The fact that God the Father is a person. The fact that God the Son is a person. Wouldn’t it just make common sense that if there are 3 person in the Trinity. That God exists in 3 persons. If 1 is a person and another is a person then the 3rd is a person too. That the 3rd is not just energy. Is not just a force. But either way, let me give you 5 reasons tonight. And if you’d like to then you can jot these down and kind of hold them for your own personal Bible study or be able to teach this to someone else in the future. But let me give you 5 reasons why the Bible proves that the Holy Spirit is a person. We believe in not the force of the Holy Spirit. We’re not in the Star Wars religion. And by the way, we’re not in the endtimes religion. Because the Book of Daniel says the antichrist will worship the God of forces. We don’t believe in the God of forces. We don’t believe in the God of energy. We believe that the Holy Spirit is a person. So let me give you reasons for that found in scripture.
The first one is this: The Holy Spirit has a body. Now, using that term can cause a lot of questions or kickback in regards to that. And I don’t know if that’s necessarily the right word. Although it’s the word used in scripture. But you could also say this. He has a bodily shape. Or he has a vessel. In the sense that he is a being. That he exists as an entity. As a being. Luke 3:21-22 “21 Now when all the people were baptized,” This is talking about John baptizing. “it came to pass, that Jesus also being baptized, and praying, the heaven was opened,” So, we of course have the famous story of Jesus being baptized. But I want you to notice what the Bible says in verse 22. “22 And the Holy Ghost” At the baptism of Christ. Notice “descended in a bodily shape like a dove upon him, and a voice came from heaven, which said, Thou art my beloved Son; in thee I am well pleased.”. Of course this is a great passage to prove the Trinity. Because you have the 3 members of the Godhead. You have the Lord Jesus Christ being baptized. You have the Holy Ghost descending in bodily shape like a dove. And you’ve got the voice from God the Father in heaven saying this is my beloved Son in whom I am well pleased.
Now Jesus was not a ventriloquist. He wasn’t there baptizing himself and making it sound like there was a voice in heaven. There are obviously 3 persons in the Godhead. We believe in 1 God that exists in 3 persons. But here we see that the Holy Spirit descended in a bodily shape like a dove. The Baptism of Christ was such an important event in scripture that it’s actually in all of the gospels. It’s referenced to. And people have a common misconception about the baptism of Christ. In Mark 1:10 “10 And straightway coming up out of the water, he saw the heavens opened, and the Spirit like a dove descending upon him: 11 And there came a voice from heaven, saying, Thou art my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased.”. Matthew 3:16-17 “16 And Jesus, when he was baptized, went up straightway out of the water: and, lo, the heavens were opened unto him, and he saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove, and lighting upon him: 17 And lo a voice from heaven, saying, This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased.”.
Now people will often assume or think that the Holy Spirit came down in the shape of a dove or looking like a dove. But that’s not what the Bible says. It doesn’t say that he came down looking like a dove. It just says that he was descending like a dove. Descending in the same way that a dove would descend. We don’t really know what he looks like or what he looked like. But the Bible tells us in Luke 3 that the Holy Ghost descended in a bodily shape. And here’s the point that I’m trying to make whether you want to call it a body or a vessel or whatever. You need to understand this, he is a person and he has a vessel. One day after the millennial reign when we are all in eternity. You will go through the throne room of God and you will see the 3 persons of the Godhead. And you will see 3 different persons bodily in a vessel. And even here we’re told that he descended in a bodily shape like a dove.
In other sermons we’ll get into the fact that the Holy Spirit is God. And we’ll get in to the attributes of God. And that the Holy Ghost has those same attributes. Since the Holy Spirit is God, the Holy Spirit is omnipresent – everywhere at once. But I want you to realize that God the Father is omnipresent. Even the Lord Jesus Christ is omnipresent. And they can have a body. They can have a vessel and still be omnipresent. That is an attribute of God. But the Holy Spirit has a bodily shape. He has a vessel. If you could see him and where they say that God is invisible but if you could see him then you would see a body. In fact that was the body that descended like a dove at the baptism of Christ. Genesis 1:1-2 “In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth. 2 And the earth was without form, and void; and darkness was upon the face of the deep.” Notice “And the Spirit of God moved upon the face of the waters.”.
Ok so God’s Spirit was moving across the face of the waters. And here’s what you need to understand and here’s the point. The Holy Spirit is not a force that is just kind of like everywhere. He’s all around us. And then you know what, the baptism of Christ, that energy morphed itself into a dove and descended like a dove. No, that is Hinduism. Alright. That is not biblical Christianity. That God is just energy. And sometimes he morphed himself into something. No, the Holy Spirit is a person. Alright. Here’s the point. A force like the gravitational force, the magnetic force, does not have a body. It does not descend down in a bodily form. You cannot put it in to a vessel. But the Holy Spirit has a body. And that is one proof that it is a person.
Let me say this. Many people get confused when you use the term body. They’ll say, what do you mean that he has a body like a human body? With flesh & blood & bones & muscles. And the Bible teaches that there are different types of bodies. The Bible says this. That God is a Spirit in reference to God the Father. And we’re told that God has a body. We’re told all throughout the Bible that he has a right hand and a left hand and he has eyes. If you remember, God showed himself to Moses and he put his hand up so that Moses would not see him. And he put his hand out as he walked by him. He put his hands out so Moses could see his backside. That proves that God the Father has a body.
But does he have a body like a flesh & blood body? No. But there are different types of bodies. Like the Lord Jesus Christ when he was begotten had a human body. Now before that he had a body before that. He had a body when he met Jacob and wrestled with him all night long. He had a body when he met Joshua as the Captain of the Host. But he was born of the Virgin Mary. And he was begotten with a human body at that point. And that’s a sermon for another day and another series. But I want you to understand that there are different types of bodies. Let me just show you that in scripture. And I’m not going to sit here and pretend like I understand how all of this works. Obviously the spiritual world is hard for us to understand. We look through a glass darkly. But as far as we can tell there are different types of bodies.
1 Corinthians 15:40-41 “40 There are also celestial bodies, and bodies terrestrial: but the glory of the celestial is one, and the glory of the terrestrial is another.” And he’s going to use an illustration here with the earth and sun and moon and stars. Verse 41. “41 There is one glory of the sun, and another glory of the moon, and another glory of the stars: for one star differeth from another star in glory.”. He’s talking about how the body of the earth is different from the body of the sun. There are different glories. There are different ways. He’s using that as an illustration. Notice verse 42 “42 So also” He’s saying in the same way the earth can have a terrestrial body and the sun a celestial body. He says “So also is the resurrection of the dead. It is sown in corruption; it is raised in incorruption: 43 It is sown in dishonour; it is raised in glory: it is sown in weakness; it is raised in power:” Talking about your resurrected body when you get resurrected one day. Verse 44 “44 It is sown a natural body; it is raised a spiritual body. There is a natural body,” Notice what Paul is explaining. “There is a natural body,” That’s the body that you and I have right now. “and there is a spiritual body.” So there are different types of bodies. And the point is this, you could meet, if God would allow you to and he would be in the shape of a vessel of a body because he’s not energy. He’s not a force. He has a body. So how do we know that the Holy Ghost is a person? Well #1 – Because the Holy Ghost has a body. He has a vessel. But let me give you a 2nd example.
Not only do we know that he is a person because he has a body or at least he can descend in a bodily shape or bodily form. But we know that he is a person because he has a will. 1 Corinthians 12:11 “11 But all these worketh that one and the selfsame Spirit,” See that capital S with the word Spirit. That’s the Holy Spirit. “dividing to every man severally as he” As who? As the Spirit. “will.”. Here we’re told that there are some things that the Holy Spirit has control over that God the Father has allowed the Spirit to divide as he will. As he wants. As he desires. And here’s the point, that a magnetic force does not have a will. A gravitational force does not have a will. An electrical force does not have a will. It does not desire or want something and not want another. But the Holy Spirit has a will and that proves that he’s not just a force or an energy. He’s not just the Power of God just kind of out there. He is a person with a bodily form and he is a person with a will.
Acts 16:6-7 “6 Now when they had gone throughout Phrygia and the region of Galatia,” This is the Apostle Paul on his Missionary journey. Notice what it says “and were forbidden” And were forbidden of who? “of the Holy Ghost to preach the word in Asia,” The Holy Ghost has a will and his will was that they did not go to Asia. Because he wanted them to go to Macedonia. So they were forbidden of the Holy Ghost to preach the word in Asia. Notice verse 7 “7 After they were come to Mysia, they assayed” The word assay means attempted “to go into Bithynia: but the Spirit suffered them not. The word suffer means allow. The Spirit did not allow them to go. Because his will, his desire was that they go to Macedonia. So we see here that the Holy Spirit has a will. He has a bodily form. He has a will.
A force does not have a will. Gravitational pull, I know I’m going to get emails from the flat earthers that gravity doesn’t exist. But gravitational pull doesn’t decide. You know I want to bring this plane down and not this one. I want to bring this apple down and not this one. It’s just a force. It’s an energy. It does what God has set it up to do. But the Holy Spirit is not so. The Holy Spirit has a will. The Holy Spirit will want you to do some things and not want you to do others. We’re talking about the person of the Holy Spirit. How can we prove. How can we know. How can we walk away with confidence knowing the Holy Spirit is the 3rd person of the Godhead. Well #1 – The Holy Spirit has a bodily form. A form like you and I would have in regards to a body. #2 – The Holy Spirit has a will. There are things he desires. There are things he wants to do and doesn’t want you to do.
#3 – The Holy Spirit communicates. 1 Timothy 4:1 “Now the Spirit speaketh” Do you see that? “Now the Spirit speaketh expressly, that in the latter times some shall depart from the faith, giving heed to seducing spirits, and doctrines of devils;” And again, there are lots of places that we could go to in order to prove this. But here we have a verse that tells us that the Spirit speaketh expressly. Why? Because the Holy Spirit communicates. The Holy Spirit has a language. Romans 8:26 “26 Likewise the Spirit also helpeth our infirmities:” Aren’t you glad that you have the Holy Spirit to help you with your infirmities. “26 Likewise the Spirit also helpeth our infirmities: for we know not what we should pray for as we ought:”
Please get this. Sometimes we pray to God and we don’t know what we need to be praying about. Sometimes we think that we know and we come to God and we’re praying for something. And God is like you don’t need that. We see some major problem and we think that if God just gives us a million dollars then this will all be solved. God if you just give me a brand new car. And God is looking down and saying that if he gave us 1 million dollars then it would ruin your life. If I gave you a brand new car it would ruin your life. Now here is what the Holy Spirit does. ““26 Likewise the Spirit also helpeth our infirmities: for we know not what we should pray for as we ought: but the Spirit itself maketh intercession for us” So you bring your prayers to God and the Holy Spirit says let me intercede here between you and God. Because you’re not really sure. You can’t see what I can see. You don’t understand what I understand. “The Spirit itself maketh intercession for us with groanings which cannot be uttered.”
And if you study that out, the idea is that the Holy Spirit will take your prayers and you’re sitting there saying “God just give me a new wife.” Or “God give me a new husband.” And the Holy Spirit thinks “That’s what they’re praying but what they mean is God help them become a better husband. God help them become a better wife.”. We’re saying “God give me a million dollars or a new car or something else.” And the Holy Spirit says “that’s what they’re praying but this is what they mean. Help them budget better. What they actually need is to lose their job. Bring a little famine in their lives so we can get a little revival going in their heart.”. So the Holy Spirit takes our prayers and we’re just praying authentically. And this is why we should always pray God’s will be done. “Lord we’re praying for this and this is what it looks like of what we need or want but look, let your will be done. Whatever you think is best.” And the Holy Spirit will take that because he knows what you need. But what I want you to realize is the Holy Spirit communicates. A magnetic force or gravitational force or electricity does not communicate. It doesn’t talk to you. But the Holy Spirit is not a force. The Holy Spirit is a person. In a bodily shape. With a will. With the ability to communicate.
I want you to notice #4 – The Holy Spirit has intellect. We mean he has the capacity. He is capable of thought and reason. Romans 8:26 “26 Likewise the Spirit also helpeth our infirmities: for we know not what we should pray for as we ought: but the Spirit itself maketh intercession for us with groanings which cannot be uttered. 27 And he that searcheth the hearts knoweth what is” Notice “the mind of the Spirit,” Notice that the Spirit not only has a bodily form but has a mind too. It says he “knoweth what is the mind of the Spirit because he maketh intercession for the saints according to the will of God.”. See, the Holy Spirit, the word “mind” there is not talking about a brain like the organ you have in your head. The “mind” is referring to the fact that he has the ability to think. To reason. And because he’s God. And he knows infinitely what is best for you and me. He’s able to take our prayers and reason through that and think “You know what, I don’t know that that’s really what you need”. Actually, here’s what you need. And it says that he searches the heart and knows what is the mind of the Spirit because he maketh intercession to the saints according to the will of God. Here’s the point I’m making. The Holy Spirit has intellect. He has the ability to think and to reason. There is the mind of the Spirit. So when the Pentecostals want to tell you that know the Holy Spirit is just the power of God. He’s not a person. He’s not the person of the Holy Spirit. You say how do I answer it. Ask them, does a force have a will? Does a force have a bodily form? Does a force communicate things? Are these attributes of a force? Or are these attributes of a person? Can a force reason? Can it think? Does it have a mind? Does it have intellect?
1 Corinthians 2:13 “13 Which things also we speak, not in the words” That goes back to what we just talked about. That the Holy Spirit can communicate. But this also deals with the intellect of the Holy Spirit. “not in the words which man’s wisdom teacheth, but which the Holy Ghost teacheth; comparing spiritual things with spiritual.” Please understand, he’s saying “which things also we speak.” We’re speaking the words of God. “not in the words which man’s wisdom teacheth.” The word’s which the Holy Ghost teacheth.” I want you to notice. And here’s another verse that tells us that the Holy Spirit speaks. He’s got words. But also, he teaches. Why is he able to teach? And in fact, tonight we’re looking at the person of the Holy Spirit. Next week we’re going to talk about the work of the Holy Spirit. The Gift of the Holy Spirit. The fruit of the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit in the Old Testament and the pictures of the Spirit. We’re going to do a systematic study of the Holy Spirit of God. But one of the works of the Holy Spirit is to teach you the Bible. How does he do that? He does that because he is a person with intellect and the ability to communicate. He’s not a force. He’s not energy. He’s not just power that’s just out there. It is the person of the Holy Spirit. “13 Which things also we speak, not in the words which man’s wisdom teacheth, but which the Holy Ghost teacheth; comparing spiritual things with spiritual.”.
The Holy Spirit has a body or bodily form. The Holy Spirit has a will. The Holy Spirit communicates. The Holy Spirit has intellect. These are the attributes that we can look at in scripture and walk away understanding that the Holy Spirit is a person. He’s the 3rd person of the Godhead. It’s the person of the Holy Spirit.
#5 – The Holy Spirit has emotion.
Ephesians 4:30 “30 And grieve not the holy Spirit of God,” The word grieve means to feel or be sorry. The Bible tells us that you and I have the ability to grieve the Holy Spirit of God. Here we’re being told to not grieve. It says “30 And grieve not the holy Spirit of God, whereby ye are sealed unto the day of redemption.”. You say well how can that be? And again, we’re going to talk about this in another week. But one of the works of the Holy Spirit is that it seals you. You are sealed with the Holy Spirit and it comes and indwells you. Now one thing we’re going to talk about in this series is the fact that the indwelling of the Holy Spirit is not the same as the filling of the Holy Spirit or the fullness of the Holy Spirit. We’ll talk about that and differentiate that in scripture.
But when you got saved, the Holy Spirit came and lived inside of you. And since the Holy Spirit is living inside of you, he’s exposed to everything that you expose him to. So when the Holy Spirit is inside of you because your body is the temple of the Holy Ghost. And you take that body in to a bar and start to put alcohol in it, how do you think the Holy Spirit feels about that? Well he has deep sorrow over that. You’ve grieved the Holy Spirit when you watch something on television that you shouldn’t watch or when you listen to something that you shouldn’t listen to, you grieve the Holy Spirit. When you go somewhere you shouldn’t go. When you think something you shouldn’t think. When you expose the Holy Ghost to sin, it grieves the Holy Ghost.
And by the way, this is why we need to study about the Holy Spirit of God. Because I wonder how it would change your day to day actions if you were cognizant of the fact that every where you go, you’re dragging the Holy Spirit of God with you. Everything you look at or listen to or who you’re with, you’re bringing God there. You are the temple of the Holy Ghost. And by the way, this proves eternal security. Because what do the Pentecostals say? They say “Well when you go off and sin the Holy Ghost leaves you”. Well if that’s true then this verse doesn’t make sense. Because if the Holy Ghost leaves you every time you’re doing something bad, then he’s never grieved. Why is he grieved? Other places we’re told that you can quench the Holy Spirit of God. Because he feels. Notice what it says “30 And grieve not the holy Spirit of God, whereby ye are sealed unto the day of redemption.”. He’s got the Holy Spirit of God and you can hurt him emotionally. You can grieve him. The Bible says “30 And grieve not the holy Spirit of God, whereby ye are sealed unto the day of redemption.” He can suffer emotion. Deep sorrow. He will grieve over your sin.
And here’s the point. Magnets don’t grieve. Or magnetical force doesn’t grieve. Gravitation doesn’t grieve. Electrical force doesn’t grieve. Because the Holy Spirit is a person. And though it’s true that you can’t find a verse that calls him a person. As you study the Holy Spirit throughout the Bible, you begin to realize that he has a bodily form, he has a will, he communicates, he has intellect, he has emotion, why? Why does he have the attributes of a person? Because he is a person. He’s the person of the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit has emotion. The reason why I want to preach this series is because it allows us to dig down deep in small sections in to some heavy doctrines.
You see, what I would have done back when I was a newer Pastor is that I would get up on a Sunday night and preach a sermon called the Holy Spirit of God. Point 1 – The person of the Holy Spirit. Point 2 – The work of the Holy Spirit. Point 3 – The fruit of the Holy Spirit. And just kind of rush through it. Going through a series allows us to kind of dig deep on this stuff. We’re talking about one thing tonight, the person of the Holy Spirit. He’s not just a force or an energy. He has the power of God. He’s a person. The 3rd person of the Holy Spirit. Now you might ask why start here? Why start with the person of the Holy Spirit? Why do we need to understand that when we’re talking about the Holy Spirit do we need to know why he’s a person? Here’s why we need to know this and lay this foundation down.
Romans 15:30 “30 Now I beseech you, brethren, for the Lord Jesus Christ’s sake,” I want you to notice these words “and for the love of the Spirit, that ye strive together with me in your prayers to God for me;” Here the Apostle Paul was asking for prayer. He’s saying I’m beseeching you, I’m begging you to strive together with me in your prayers. He says I want you to do it for a couple reasons. One reason is for the Lord Jesus Christ’s sake. I want you to do it for the sake of Christ. If you love Jesus and I love Jesus. You’re saved by Jesus and I’m saved by Jesus. And I’m asking for you to partner with me for prayer for the sake of Christ. Because I’m trying to do the work of Christ and preach the gospel of Christ. But then he says this “And for the love of the Spirit”. And he says I’m asking for you to strive together with me in prayer for the love of the Spirit.
You see, what I’m afraid of is that many of us as Christians, because even though we might not ever say it, the way we act about the Holy Spirit, the way we talk about the Holy Spirit, the way we even think about the Holy Spirit, we’ve let the Charismatic Pentecostals win. And we kind of talk about and think about the Holy Spirit as just this mystical power out there. And every once in a while he’ll empower us and help us do something great. But he’s just kind of out there and he’s just kind of a force and energy. And as we begin this study and begin to dig deep in to the doctrine of the Holy Spirit, I want you to go forward understanding that he is a person that you can love. That you can fall in love with. Because Paul wrote to the Roman Church because he said we do it for the love of the Spirit. He wouldn’t have said that unless he knew or felt that they loved the Spirit. You say why begin with a study on the person of the Holy Spirit. Well the benefit of understanding that the Holy Spirit, the benefit with that is that you can walk in to the rest of this series understanding that if the Holy Spirit is a person then you can have a personal relationship with the Holy Spirit of God. You say what is this series about? By My Spirit. We could have called it Meet the Holy Spirit. Get Acquainted with the Holy Spirit. Become a Friend of the Holy Spirit. Fall in Love with the Holy Spirit. Know the Holy Spirit. Have a Relationship with the Holy Spirit. Get to know the Holy Spirit because he is a person that wants to get to know you.
Let’s pray.