Alright, well we’re going through a series on Sunday Nights on the subject of the Holy Spirit. And it’s been a very doctrinal type statement and we’ve been learning about the Holy Spirit. If you remember, we started 4 weeks ago. And I began with a sermon titled “The Person of the Holy Spirit”. We started looking at the Holy Spirit as a person. And we saw all those things but we saw that he’s not just an energy. He’s not just a force. He is a person. And then the 2nd week we talked about the Holy Spirit as God. And of course we went through and showed that he is God and that he is God in his own right. Last week we talked about the Holy Spirit in the Trinity. And I just felt like it was important to bring those thoughts together. And of course when we’re talking about the Holy Spirit as a person and the Holy Spirit as God, we’re talking about him as the 3rd person of the Godhead. We talked about that last week.
Tonight we are going to learn about the work of the Holy Spirit. And what I’d like to do is give you 7 different areas in which the Holy Spirit desires to work in us or through us or the work that he does for us. The work that he does for us. The work that he does in us. The work that he does through us. We won’t spend any more time than we need to but we will be flipping through a lot of pages. Now in John 14 we have the Lord Jesus Christ giving some final statements to his disciples right before he died. In fact John 14, 15, and 16 are his conversation that he’s having with his disciples. What’s interesting, and we won’t develop that tonight but in those chapters he talks a lot about the Comforter. We’re going to highlight those tonight and look at those tonight. But I want you to notice that there are 7 areas, and there may be more depending on how people categorize this. This is how I categorize it. But I categorized 7 areas in which the Holy Spirit works in the lives of believers. And I’ll give it to you and we’ll run through them.
#1 – The Holy Spirit indwells believers.
John 14:16
“16 And I will pray the Father, and he shall give you another Comforter,” Jesus was there to comfort them but what he’s saying is that he’s going away and the Father is going to give you another comforter. Notice what he says “that he may abide with you for ever;” Who is he talking about? “17 Even the Spirit of truth; whom the world cannot receive, because it seeth him not, neither knoweth him: but ye know him;” Now I want you to notice the wording here. “for he dwelleth with you, and shall be in you.”
So I want you to notice that Jesus taught that the Holy Spirit was going to indwell believers. Now I do want you to notice the last part of that verse where he says “And shall be in you”. Notice that is in future tense. He’s not saying that he’s in you but that he is going to be in you. The reason for that is because at that point that Jesus said those words, the Holy Spirit was not yet indwelling believers. Now, we’re not going to talk about that tonight. We’re going to have another sermon in this series where we’re going to talk about the Holy Spirit in the Old Testament and in the New Testament. But he had different works and different things that he did. In the Old Testament he did not indwell believers. In the New Testament he does indwell believers. If you’re wondering why or what the answer to that question is, we’re going to talk about it in another sermon. But now realize that the reason why the future tense “will be in you” is because at that point when he spoke those words, the Holy Spirit was not yet indwelling believers. Because he had not yet died, been buried, resurrected and all those things.
1 Corinthians 3:16 “16 Know ye not” Notice these words “that ye are the temple of God, and that the Spirit of God” Notice “dwelleth in you?” This is now Paul writing of course after the ascension of Christ. And he’s now speaking in present tense. The Holy Spirit dwelleth in you. Ye are the temple of God and the Spirit of God dwelleth in you. “17 If any man defile the temple of God, him shall God destroy; for the temple of God is holy, which temple ye are.”
1 Corinthians 6:19 “19 What? know ye not that your body is the temple of the Holy Ghost” Notice these words “which is in you, which ye have of God, and ye are not your own? 20 For ye are bought with a price: therefore glorify God” Notice the words “in your body, and in your spirit, which are God’s.”. So the Bible very clearly teaches that the Holy Spirit is going to indwell you. That your body is the temple of the Holy Ghost.
Let me read to you from 2 Timothy 1:14 “14 That good thing which was committed unto thee keep by the Holy Ghost which dwelleth in us.”. So it’s very clear throughout the Bible that it’s the Holy Spirit that dwells in us. 2 Corinthians 6:16 “16 And what agreement hath the temple of God with idols? for ye are the temple of the living God; as God hath said, I will dwell in them, and walk in them; and I will be their God, and they shall be my people.” So I want you to notice, you say this is basic, I know the Holy Spirit indwells us. But the basics of the Holy Spirit within believers, the foundation begins with that the Holy Spirit indwells you and I.
The Holy Spirit of God is living inside of us and if you notice verse 16, we have a verse that affirms the Trinity. It affirms the deity of the Holy Spirit. It affirms that God, 1 being, 1 entity exists in 3 persons. Because he says “I will dwell in them, and walk in them”. Then he says “I will be their God and they shall be my people”. He said there “as God hath said, I will dwell in them”. So if God says that he will indwell you but the Holy Spirit indwells you then it means that God is indwelling you. You are the temple of the Holy Ghost. So, the Spirit of God, the Holy Spirit indwells. For those of you that are soulwinners, I’d encourage you to make a note of these verses. Because the verses I’m going to show you right now, they’re sometimes good verses to use out soulwinning. I’m not saying they need to be part of your presentation. But every once in a while, they may be helpful. And I’ll point that out to you.
Point #1 – The Holy Spirit indwells
Point #2 – The Holy Spirit seals
The Holy Spirit seals believers. Ephesians 1:13 “13 In whom ye also trusted, after that ye heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation: in whom also after that ye believed,” And this is where I was saying that this is a good verse for soulwinners to have in their arsenal because sometimes people are confused by this word belief. And the word belief can have a lot of different definitions. Even the word faith can mean different things to different people. But here the Bible, God’s Word is its own dictionary. The Bible defines itself. And here we’re told “In whom ye also trusted, after that ye heard the word of truth”. By the way that’s the only way you get saved when you hear the word of truth.
But notice the wording. He says “in whom ye also trusted. Then he says this “In whom also after that ye believed”. He’s using these words believe and trust synonymously. Why? Because when we say believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, what we mean by that is to place your trust in the Lord Jesus Christ. We’re not saying believe like you believe he existed. The devils believe and tremble the Bible says. But when we say believe we are saying that we are putting our trust completely in him. Our faith is in him. Meaning, our faith, we are trusting in his death, burial, resurrection as the atonement, as the sacrifice for our sins. It’s not me living a good life. It’s not me going to church. It’s not me turning over a new leaf. It’s not me repenting of my sins. It’s me trusting in him. So he says “13 In whom ye also trusted, after that ye heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation: in whom also after that ye believed,”
You say what happens after you believe? Notice. Because this teaching of the Holy Spirit sealing you is under attack by the Pentecostals. He says “ye were sealed with that holy Spirit of promise,”. I like how the Holy Spirit has several different names. I don’t know if we’re going to do it in this series. But we could spend an entire sermon going through the different names of the Holy Spirit. And the Holy Spirit has different names and when he is given different names, you ought to pay attention. Because he has been given different names in the context of what he is trying to do. You say why are we sealed with the Holy Spirit? Well, we’re sealed with the Holy Spirit of promise, why? Because the sealing of the Holy Spirit is what keeps the promise of God for eternal life.
Now, there are a couple things that I want you to notice from this verse. Today the Pentecostals will say that the indwelling of the Holy Spirit or sealing of the Holy Spirit comes after. They teach that salvation is a process and step #1…and by the way, it’s not just the Pentecostals. It’s many false religions. The Mormons say the exact say thing. They’ll say the first part of the process is belief. But then they’ll say that we also have to repent of our sins. Then they’ll say that we also have to get baptized. Then they’ll say that we’ll eventually get the indwelling or sealing of the Holy Spirit. And that’s confirmed with speaking of tongues. I don’t have time to go in to it but we will at a different time during this series. The point is this, the Bible does not teach that. Because the Bible says clearly “13 In whom ye also trusted, after that ye heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation: in whom also after that ye believed,” Notice, he’s saying that something happened also after that ye believed. What happened also after that ye believed? “ye were sealed with that holy Spirit of promise,”
So according to this verse, when you get the Holy Spirit, you get it immediately. When you believe, the Holy Spirit comes in to indwell you and he seals you. That sealing has to do with the promise of salvation. What is the wording? When Paul was writing to the Church of Ephesus at the Ancient Times. We’re talking about a document here that is 2000 years old. The idea was and they understood that when a King or principality would give some sort of rule or decree or letter, he would send out the decree to let them know that it came from the King. That it came with authority. They would have a seal that would be put on that letter in order to show you that this document comes from and belongs to the authority of the King or the Prince or the Governor or whatever it might be. And what the Bible says is that when you get saved, God seals you with the Holy Spirit of Promise taking ownership of you. This is why he says that you are to glorify God in your body and in your Spirit which belong to God. Because when you got saved, the Holy Spirit moved in and you now belong to God.
Notice what he says in verse 14. He continues this idea of eternal security. “14 Which is the earnest” What is the earnest? The Holy Spirit. You were sealed with that Holy Spirit of promise “Which is the earnest of our inheritance until the redemption of the purchased possession, unto the praise of his glory.” I want you to notice in verse 14, the terminology changes to a financial type of terminology now. He says the Holy Spirit is the earnest of our inheritance until the redemption of the purchased possession. He says there was a purchase that was made, right? Because he purchased you. He redeemed you in salvation. And the Holy Spirit is the earnest of that purchase.
Go to Ephesians 4:30. Ephesians 4:30 “30 And grieve not the holy Spirit of God,” Notice. “whereby ye are sealed unto the day of redemption.” He said that he is the earnest of our inheritance until the redemption of the purchased possession. Here he says that we are sealed “whereby ye are sealed unto the day of redemption.”. Go back to 2 Corinthians. 2 Corinthians 1:21-22 “21 Now he which stablisheth us with you in Christ, and hath anointed us, is God;” Notice. “22 Who hath also sealed us,” Notice how these terms are used together. “and given the earnest of the Spirit in our hearts.”. He says that the Holy Spirit seals us and he became the earnest of our salvation. He became the earnest of the purchased possession. You say well what does that mean? The idea that the Apostle Paul is trying to convey here and that term earnest is a financial term. Even today we talk about earnest money.
Let me give you the definition of earnest money. Earnest money is a deposit to the seller showing the buyer’s intent to purchase. Often used in real estate today, earnest may be lost if the buyer backs out of the transaction. And what earnest money is is that when you are going to make some sort of major purchase when there is a lot of money being exchanged back and forth. Then when you walk up and say that I want to buy this property or buy this house or building, then the seller will say that I need to know that you are serious about actually purchasing this property. I don’t need you to have all of the money. I will in faith believe that you will come back to make the redemption of the purchased possession but I need you to put down some earnest money. I need you to put down some money to show that you are serious about making this purchase. And when you come back, you can get your earnest money back. Or it will go in to the sale. But if you don’t come back and you leave and walk away and decide that you have changed your mind and no longer want to buy that property or house. Then we’re going to take that earnest money and it’s going to be the way that you show us that you are serious.
And here is what God says, he takes that analogy and says that I have given you the Holy Spirit of God as the earnest of the purchased redemption of your salvation. You say, “I don’t know. Can we lose our salvation?”. Look, if God allowed you to lose your salvation then he would have to be willing to walk away from the Holy Spirit. The idea there is that God says the purchased possession, the coming back of my Son to redeem you, not just in soul and spirit but physically. The fact that I’m coming back for you is so sure that I’m willing to put the 3rd member of the Godhead, the Holy Spirit, at risk. In fact, I will put him as a down payment. I will put him as an earnest. And God says that if I back out of the deal then I will lose the Holy Spirit. And here is the point I’m making to you, God is not losing the Holy Spirit. So the sealing of the Spirit, the indwelling of the Spirit, the earnest of the Spirit is just one more assurance of the eternal security of the believer. We’re talking about the works of the Holy Spirit. So far we’ve learned that the Holy Spirit will indwell you and he becomes the earnest of our salvation.
But I’d like you to notice thirdly – The Holy Spirit will teach you.
#1 – He indwells
#2 – He seals
#3 – He teaches
1 John 2:27 “27 But the anointing” And the term here anointing is a reference to the Holy Spirit. And I’m not going to go in to it tonight but we will have a sermon in this series where we talk about all of the things the Holy Spirit is pictured as throughout scripture. And one thing he is pictured as is oil used to anoint. And this is what 1 John is talking about. He’s using that illustration to speak about the Holy Spirit. He says “But the anointing which ye have received of him” Notice “abideth in you,” Why? Because the Holy Spirit indwells you “and ye need not that any man teach you: but as the same anointing teacheth you of all things, and is truth, and is no lie, and even as it hath taught you, ye shall abide in him.” The Bible says that there is an anointing that is in you and that same anointing teacheth you of all things.
Now go back to 1 Corinthians 2. And here’s the point. God gave you the Holy Spirit and if you’re saved, if you’ve got the Holy Spirit indwelling you, the Holy Spirit will teach you. The Bible even says “ye need not that any man teach you but the Holy Ghost.” But the anointing, the Holy Spirit of God will teach you. Because one of his works that he does is to be inside of believers. To help you understand scripture. This is one of the reasons why I, and I would encourage you to do the same if you can, but one thing I try to do whenever I sit down to study the Bible, either I’m reading the Bible in my person devotion time or I’m going to study or whatever it might be. I pray this Psalm and I pray to the Holy Spirit, Open thou mine eyes that I may behold wondrous things out of thy law. You say why do you pray that? I pray that because it is the Holy Spirit’s job to teach me what the Bible says. It’s the Holy Spirit’s job to guide me and to teach me.
1 Corinthians 2:7 “7 But we speak the wisdom of God in a mystery,” I want to slow down here because the wording is a little difficult but I want you to notice what he’s saying. He’s saying that we as believers when we stand up and preach the wisdom of God, but it’s a mystery. To the world it doesn’t quite make sense. “Even the hidden wisdom, which God ordained before the world unto our glory:”. Look at verse 8, “8 Which none of the princes of this world knew:” He says that God gave his wisdom in the Word of God. But it was a mystery. It was hidden. And none of the princes or leaders or rulers knew. “for had they known it, they would not have crucified the Lord of glory.”. Here’s what he’s saying. If they would have known what Moses wrote. If they would have understood what Isaiah wrote. If they would have understood what Ezekiel wrote. And here we’re talking specifically about the Jews. If they would have understood what the Old Testament actually said. They would not have crucified the Lord of glory.
Look at verse 9 “9 But as it is written, Eye hath not seen, nor ear heard, neither have entered into the heart of man, the things which God hath prepared for them that love him.” Now let me say this, usually when you see 1 Corinthians 2:9, people will apply that to heaven. And they’ll say, Eye hath not seen, nor ear heard, neither have entered into the heart of man, the things which God hath prepared for them that love him. And they’ll say, you can’t see or comprehend the things that God has prepared in heaven. And here’s the thing, that’s fine and I don’t have an issue at people saying that. I’m sure I might have done that before also. But when you look at this verse in its proper context, it’s not talking about heaven. It’s talking about the Word of God. It’s saying the hidden wisdom in God’s Word, it’s not understood by man. Eye hath not seen, nor ear heard, neither have entered into the heart of man, the things which God hath prepared for them that love him.
Verse 10 “10 But God hath revealed them” God hath revealed what? His word “unto us by his Spirit: for the Spirit searcheth all things, yea, the deep things of God. 11 For what man knoweth the things of a man, save the spirit of man which is in him? even so the things of God knoweth no man, but the Spirit of God.”. Here’s what he’s saying, human beings cannot understand the Word of God. The Bible is a spiritual book. And fleshly, carnal man cannot understand the Bible. The only way that you can understand the Bible. The only way that I can understand the Bible is when we have the Holy Spirit of God inside of us leading us. He says “11 For what man knoweth the things of a man, save the spirit of man which is in him? even so the things of God knoweth no man, but the Spirit of God. 12 Now we have received, not the spirit of the world, but the spirit which is of God; that we might know the things that are freely given to us of God. 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.”.
That’s why we have so many cross references. That’s why we say go over here or go over there. Compare these things. Why? Because this is how we learn the Bible. The Holy Spirit will teach us comparing spiritual things with spiritual. Notice, we’re not comparing spiritual things with man’s wisdom. We’re not bringing psychology and man’s thinking up here. We just open up the Word of God and let the Word of God teach us through the Holy Spirit. Notice verse 14 “14 But the natural man receiveth not the things of the Spirit of God:” Look, unbelievers cannot understand the Bible. Unbelievers, unregenerate man, the natural man, the non-spiritual man cannot understand. Receiveth not the things of the Spirit of God. You say, what’s the proof of that?
The proof is all of the false religions out there. They’re all doing the exact opposite. I mean they are all doing the exact opposite of what the Bible tells you to do. They’re all believing the exact opposite of what the Bible is telling you to believe. They’re all following the exact opposite of what God says. You say what’s the reason for that? Here’s the reason for that, when you give an unsaved man the Bible and ask him to teach it to you, he’s not going to get it. He’s going to look at verses that say not of works lest any man should boast. “See, you’ve gotta live a good life. Better make sure that you’re living right and doing right.”. I mean, they are going to look at verses that say all sorts of things and they won’t get it. Why? “14 But the natural man receiveth not the things of the Spirit of God: for they are foolishness unto him: neither can he know them, because they are spiritually discerned.”. And the only reason that you know the Bible and the only reason why I get to know the Bible is because the Holy Spirit indwells us.
And by the way, let me just say this, when you get around someone who says they are saved and they can’t understand just the most basic scriptural doctrines. I’m not talking about Daniel’s 70th week. I’m not talking about the book of Ezekiel. “You never knew there was a prophecy of Alexander the Great in Ezekiel”. We’re not talking about that. That’s Verity Baptist Church Level. I’m just talking about basic doctrines from the Word of God and you’re talking to them and it’s just like they don’t get it. Just yesterday my wife and my sister were out soulwinning and they were talking to this guy who said he was a Christian. Total works salvation. You know, he goes to a verse where the Bible says that if we walk in the light as he is in the light, we have fellowship one with another. And talks about having fellowship with God. And he says “See, you have to walk in the light to be saved”. It’s like, it’s talking about having fellowship with God. It’s not talking about salvation. It’s saying look, ya, once you’re saved you better walk in the light, if you want to have a good relationship with God. And they’re using the illustration of how my son is my son and if he doesn’t obey me then we won’t have a good relationship but he’s still my son. And they’re like “No, you gotta live a good life”. You say why is that? Because the natural man understandeth not the things of the Spirit of God. They can’t understand them. We have to preach the gospel to them in that the Holy Spirit works with them to be able to understand the things of God.
Ephesians 1:17 “17 That the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, may give unto you the spirit of wisdom and revelation in the knowledge of him: 18 The eyes of your understanding being enlightened; that ye may know what is the hope of his calling, and what the riches of the glory of his inheritance in the saints,” The Holy Spirit teaches you.
Go back to John 14. John 14:26 “26 But the Comforter, which is the Holy Ghost, whom the Father will send in my name,” Notice what it says. “he shall teach you all things,” Who is going to teach you? The Holy Ghost. The anointing in you. But I want you to notice what it says “and bring all things to your remembrance, whatsoever I have said unto you.”. Now who is speaking? It’s Jesus. And what is Jesus? Jesus is the Word. And here’s what I want you to understand. The Holy Spirit, we saw this I think last week or the week before that. But we’re talking about the fact that the Holy Spirit will not speak of himself. And we talked about the fact that the word “of” there is not talking about the subject but the source. It’s not that the Holy Spirit is not going to speak of himself like he’s never going to talk about the Holy Spirit but he’s not going to speak from himself. Meaning, he will not be the source of what he speaks of.
Here’s what he’s saying. The Holy Spirit is only here to glorify the Lord Jesus Christ as the 3rd person of the Godhead. He submitted himself under the authority of the 2nd person of the Godhead. The Holy Spirit is here to glorify Christ. And he’s not going to take of his own. He’s only going to give of what Jesus the Word has already given. Here’s the point. The Holy Spirit is only going to teach you from what you’ve already read in the word of God. There’s no such thing as “The Holy Spirit spoke to me and gave me a revelation”. No, no, no, no, no. The Holy Spirit does not speak of himself. He only speaks of the Bible. So people say, “Oh I got a word of faith. The Holy Spirit told me that you should…”. No, I don’t know what voices you’re hearing in your head but it wasn’t the Holy Spirit. It might have been another spirit. But it’s not the Holy Spirit. Because the Holy Spirit shall teach you all things and bring all things to your remembrance whatsoever I have said unto you. What the Word has said which you’ve read from the Word, that’s what the Holy Spirit is going to bring to your remembrance.
You say well how can I get the Holy Spirit to teach me. Here’s how you do it. You read and read and read and read the Bible. And as you read and read and read and read the Bible, sometimes you’ll be out there soulwinning and you’ll be giving the gospel to someone and they’ll ask a question and all of the sudden this verse will pop in your head. And it will just be the perfect verse. But here is the thing, the Holy Spirit did not just speak that in to your ear. You’ve read that and he brought it to your remembrance. Sometimes you guys will be preaching and sometimes a verse will come in to your mind or heart that isn’t even in your notes. Then you’ll quote it or refer back to it and then after the sermon someone will say that man that sermon was great. But that one part where you brought up that verse was really helpful. And I think, that wasn’t even in my notes. That was the Holy Spirit of God bringing that up to my thoughts. Bringing that to my remembrance to help and teach you. But here’s the thing, he doesn’t do that without me reading the Bible. He’s only going to teach me and bring up things to your remembrance.
So if the Holy Spirit is speaking to you, it better sound like Matthew, Mark, Luke, John, Ezekiel, Isaiah. It better sound like 1st and 2nd Samuel. It better sound like Alexander Scourby on your Ipod. Because he’s only going to speak of you from his Word. But the Bible says this, that ye need not that any man teach you. And here is the honest truth and I’m afraid to say this as some of you will say that you don’t need to go to church. But you don’t need anyone to teach you. The Holy Spirit will teach you. You say, “I don’t need you Pastor”. Here’s the thing. If you’re willing to put in the work. Because here is the honest truth. Many of you haven’t read the Bible much. And those of us who preach have read the Bible scores of times, many times.
And sometimes people come to me and say, Man it’s crazy how you can connect the dots with this and that. But honestly that didn’t happen last week. Ok, that happened after years and years and years of preaching the Bible over and over and over and over and over. And sometimes you’re studying some odd passage in Ezekiel and you’re like “This kind of sounds to me like Revelation. This kind of sounds like…”. Then you go back and say, Woah. It’s connected. Why does that happen? Because you’ve read the Bible. You’ve studied the Bible and the Holy Spirit of God will teach you. Here’s the thing. God has ordained Church. God has given you a Pastor in order to teach you. But there’s nothing that I preach here that you can’t get on your own with the Bible and Spirit of God. But here’s the point, those of us who have been given the opportunity to lead and teach spiritually. Our job is to help you grow further faster. Our job is to help you connect some of those dots and get some of that teaching further. But then your job is to go home like the Bereans and search the scriptures daily whether those things are so.
So what does the Holy Spirit do?
#1 – He indwells you
#2 – He seals you
#3 – He teaches you
#4 – The Holy Spirit Bears Witness
John 15:26 “26 But when the Comforter is come, whom I will send unto you from the Father, even the Spirit of truth, which proceedeth from the Father,” Notice “he shall testify of me:” Jesus says that the Holy Spirit will testify of me. “27 And ye also shall bear witness, because ye have been with me from the beginning.”
Growing up in a Baptist Church, I heard a lot about this and honestly I’ll confess my faults. I don’t talk a lot about this. And I probably should. But the Bible teaches and I don’t talk a lot about this so it may be new to a lot of you. But it’s in the Bible. But the Bible teaches the Holy Spirit of God actually helps with the assurance of a believer. Sometimes people go through life like “I don’t know if I’m saved.”. And the Bible teaches and I’m not trying to turn this in to a feeling thing which is why I avoid it sometimes. And we want to be careful with our feelings as sometimes we confuse are feelings with God. And we confuse our heart with God. And the problem with your heart and my heart is that the heart is desperately wicked above all things, who can know it. So you want to be careful about that. But this is what the Bible says in Romans 8:15 “15 For ye have not received the spirit of bondage again to fear; but ye have received the Spirit of adoption, whereby we cry, Abba, Father. 16 The Spirit itself beareth witness with our spirit, that we are the children of God:”
And we understand that the way that we know whether someone is saved is by judging what comes out of their mouth. Their testimony. The Bible says let the redeemed of the Lord say so. This is why we teach our soulwinners to go out and knock on doors. We don’t ask are you a Christian? Why don’t we ask that? Because Mormons will say that they are a Christian. We don’t even ask if they are saved. That’s a good word. There is nothing wrong with it. But it is too vague. We ask “If you died today are you 100% sure that you are on your way to heaven”. You say why do you ask that? Because the answer to that question will tell us what they are trusting. “No”. Then can we show you how you can know. “Yes”. Well what are you trusting in to get you to heaven? What gives you that confidence? Remember, “13 In whom ye also trusted, after that ye heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation: in whom also after that ye believed,”. What are you trusting in to get you to heaven? “Well I got baptized”. Wrong answer. “My Grandmother is a Baptist Minister”. I’m thinking goodnight I’m not even sure where to start with that. The answer to the question will tell you what they are trusting. Which is why we ask that.
But the Bible tells us that if you’re saved, the Holy Spirit itself beareth witness with yourself that you are the children of God. And there is an assurance there. Galatians 4:4 “4 But when the fulness of the time was come, God sent forth his Son, made of a woman, made under the law, 5 To redeem them that were under the law, that we might receive the adoption of sons.” Notice verse 6 “6 And because ye are sons, God hath sent forth the Spirit of his Son into your hearts, crying, Abba, Father.”. So the Holy Spirit also bears witness. That’s why I like that song “He Lives”. He lives, he lives, Christ Jesus lives within me. He walks with me and talks with me along life’s narrow way. He lives, he lives, salvation to impart. You ask me how I know he lives. He lives within my heart. That is a very scriptural song. Because the Holy Spirit, because the Bible says that since you are sons, God hath sent forth the Spirit of his Son in to your hearts crying Abba, Father. And honestly, the Holy Spirit of God, the Holy Spirit of God ought to bear witness with your Spirit that you are a Son of God. That you are a child of God.
And by the way, this is why you want to be very careful with trying to put words in people’s mouths. And often this is done by parents with their children. You’re talking to a kid and he is clearly not saved but his dad is like “You got saved. Don’t you remember. You were 2.5 years old and I led you through that prayer”. You know if they can’t communicate to you what salvation is then they aren’t saved. It’s ok. Don’t force that. If they’ve got the Holy Spirit, the Holy Spirit of God will say yes that God is my Father. The Holy Spirit, God will produce that in to them to cry Abba, Father. You know with kids, sometimes just give them the gospel and pray with them and give them the gospel and pray with them…..Here’s the advice I give to parents: Give the gospel to your kids as soon as you are able to and if they get it then pray with them. 2 weeks later if you ask them about it and they’re clueless, don’t say “Don’t you remember”. Just give them the gospel again and pray with them. 2 weeks later, 3 weeks later, they are clueless. Just give them the gospel again and pray with them. You say how long do I do that. You do that until they of their own accord, not with you feeding them the words.
“Son, I don’t want to tell you the answer but I’m looking for where the word rhymes with relief. Remember we talked about eternal _____. Eternal ______”. You’re doing them a disservice. The Bible says let the redeemed of the Lord say so. If the Holy Spirit of God is within their hearts then they should be communicating. They should be able to express it. They should be able to testify about it. And look, sometimes people don’t get it. Give them time. Worst thing you could do is “Every time I see them I’m just going to get them and get them and get them”. Look, once you plant that seed, just let the Holy Spirit do his work. That’s why Paul said that some have planted. He said I’ve planted, Apollos watered but God gave the increase. So the Holy Spirit will bear witness.
We’re talking about the works of the Holy Spirit
#1 – He indwells you
#2 – He seals you
#3 – He teaches you
#4 – He bears witness
#5 – The Holy Spirit reproves
John 16:7
“7 Nevertheless I tell you the truth; It is expedient for you that I go away: for if I go not away, the Comforter will not come unto you; but if I depart, I will send him unto you. 8 And when he is come, he will reprove” You see that word reprove. The word reprove means to express disapproval, to reprimand or rebuke. “He will reprove the world of sin, and of righteousness, and of judgment: 9 Of sin, because they believe not on me; 10 Of righteousness, because I go to my Father, and ye see me no more; 11 Of judgment, because the prince of this world is judged.” The Bible says that the Holy Spirit is going to reprove. By the way, this is why the Bible says in 1 Thessalonians 5:17 “Quench not the Spirit”.
Ok, because here’s what happens and here’s what you need to understand. When you guys stand up to preach the Word of God, it doesn’t matter how eloquent you are. It doesn’t matter how dynamic you are. It doesn’t matter how great of a speaker you are. If the Holy Spirit doesn’t show up, you’re going to fail. This is a spiritual work when you’re preaching the gospel. Men and women. When you’re out there preaching the gospel, work on your presentation, work on the illustrations, work on those things. But you better have the Holy Spirit of God there. You better pray for the Holy Spirit to help you before you start. Because when we preach the truth of God’s Word, it is the Holy Spirit that reproves.
It does no good to me to stand up on a Sunday Morning or Sunday Night or Wednesday Night to have a whole sermon outlined. What I need is to preach God’s Word and while I’m preaching the Holy Spirit comes along beside me and says “That’s true. Are you listening? That’s true.”. You say well I feel that conviction. Good job. You’re saved. I feel guilty. Good. You’re a believer. You’ve got the Holy Spirit of God because the Holy Spirit reproves. And the worse thing you can do as a Christian is to quench the Holy Spirit. Stay sensitive to the Holy Spirit as he reproves. As he expresses his disapproval. He reprimands. He rebukes. As he teaches you. And he’ll do that through the preaching of God’s Word. He’ll do that as you read the Bible. Things will jump out at you. “Oh wow. Man, I didn’t know the Bible said that. That applies to me.”. And the Holy Spirit will work in your heart and in your life. Go to John 16:13.
#6 – The Holy Spirit Guides
John 16:13 “13 Howbeit when he, the Spirit of truth, is come, he will guide you into all truth:” That kind of goes with the teaching but the point is that he not only teaches you but guides you in all truth. This is the verse I was talking about earlier “for he shall not speak of himself;” Referring to the source not the subject. “but whatsoever he shall hear, that shall he speak: and he will shew you things to come.” So, as you read the Bible out loud or in your mind, the Holy Spirit that is indwelling you hears you reading the Bible. And the more you read, it’s like good, now I can use that. Oh good now I can bring that to remembrance. Now I can use that in his life.
And this is going to be an entirely different sermon later on. Where we’re going to be talking about being filled with the Spirit or walking in the Spirit. But let’s just look at a couple of verses about that real quickly. Romans 8:14 “14 For as many as are led by the Spirit of God, they are the sons of God.”. So notice that you can be led by the Spirit. Galatians 5:18 “18 But if ye be led of the Spirit, ye are not under the law.”. You say what does that mean? Here’s what that means. If you allow the Holy Spirit to lead you, you don’t know need anybody to tell you. If the Holy Spirit of God is leading you, and the Fruit of the Spirit of love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, meekness, temperance, for such there is no law.
Look, if you’re loving your neighbor as yourself, if you’re loving your wife like Christ loved the Church and gave himself for it, if you’re being conscious with how you are dealing with others or communicating with others, if you’re reminding yourself before you speak “Is it true. Is it kind. Is it necessary”. If you’re being led by the Word of God and the Holy Spirit of God, you don’t need anyone to tell you don’t do that. Don’t go there. You’re not going to need any laws telling you don’t kill. You’re not going to kill. You don’t need anyone telling you don’t commit adultery. You’re not going to commit adultery if you’re led by the Spirit. If you allow the Holy Spirit to lead you. The Holy Spirit guides. The Holy Spirit leads us.
Let me show you an interesting application to this. We need to allow the Holy Spirit to lead us. And we could have gone to a lot of verses and I don’t have time tonight. But all throughout the Book of Acts you find the Apostle Paul being led of the Spirit. He’s being told go there, don’t go there. He’s being forbidden to go certain places and he’s allowed to go certain places. You say how does that work? And honestly, I don’t know necessarily in the sense that I can’t tell you here is how to identify when the Holy Spirit of God leads you. Here’s what I can tell you, he’s not going to audibly speak to you. But I do believe and I can prove this from the Bible, but God will lay things on your heart. I do believe that God will open doors and close doors. He will allow things to happen and other things not to happen. And we have to be cognizant and realize, “I feel like the Lord is leading me in that direction”. And that is God. That’s the Holy Spirit leading you. And there might be times where we think “I thought I wanted to do that”. But that door is closed and that door is closed and that door is closed. And we have to realize that maybe the Holy Spirit of God is not leading us in that direction. And it’s not a spooky Pentecostal “God told me to. God told me to play the lottery”. But the Holy Spirit will guide you. He will lead you. But we have to be sensitive to him to allow him to take control.
Luke 12:11-12 “11 And when they bring you unto the synagogues,” This is talking about when you’re getting persecuted as believers. “and unto magistrates, and powers, take ye no thought how or what thing ye shall answer, or what ye shall say:” He says don’t sit there and premeditate what am I going to say when they are going to take me in front of these people that are persecuting me. Why? “12 For the Holy Ghost shall teach you in the same hour what ye ought to say.”. The Holy Spirit is going to lead you. He is going to guide you. He is going to empower you.
Now honestly again I’m not trying to get spooky on you. But there are times when I’m preaching the Word of God, and I believe that the Holy Spirit, and I’m not saying the Holy Spirit is always on me. But there are times I am preaching God’s Word and I believe the Holy Spirit is working in me and through me. And I will make statements and think where did that even come from? That wasn’t even in my notes. I started talking about this but it turns out 3 months later or 4 months later, someone will say that they made a major decision in their life to get rid of something or do something or take a step but I’ll go back and think “That wasn’t even in my notes.”. That’s the Holy Spirit of God and sometimes he will lead you and guide you and we need to be sensitive to the Holy Spirit.
#1 – He indwells
#2 – He seals
#3 – He teaches
#4 – He witnesses
#5 – He reproves
#6 – He guides
#7 – He intercedes
The Holy Spirit of God intercedes on behalf of believers. 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 the mind of the Spirit, because he maketh intercession for the saints according to the will of God.”. The Bible says there very quickly that the Spirit itself maketh intercession for us. Romans 8:26. Romans 8:27 “He maketh intercession for the saints”.
Now let me just get off on a little Catholic rant for a second. Whenever I think of this verse, I think of a major bash on the Roman Catholic Church. Here’s why. They say, oh we’re not the saints. The saints are these special people somewhere. And not everyone is a saint. But here the Spirit itself says “but the Spirit itself maketh intercession for us” Then he says “he maketh intercession for the saints”. So who are the saints? Us. What’s funny is that the Roman Catholic Church has the wrong teaching about the saints. And then they pray to those wrong saints to intercede for them. And here God bashes their saints and says, and by the way it’s the Holy Spirit who intercedes. It’s the Holy Spirit who intercedes on our behalf. You say, I thought it was Jesus. Isn’t he the intercessor? Doesn’t the Bible say “5 For there is one God, and one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus;” Here it’s saying it’s the Holy Spirit. Well remember, we believe in the Trinity which is 1 God that exists in 3 persons. And each person is all God and all of God. So you say, well he is the intercessor. The Holy Spirit is the intercessor. It’s God. It’s the Holy Spirit of God who intercedes on our behalf.
Go to Jude. Jude 1:20 “20 But ye, beloved, building up yourselves on your most holy faith,” Notice. “praying in the Holy Ghost,”. You say what does it mean to pray in the Holy Ghost? It’s not spooky. It’s not weird. The Pentecostals have ruined a lot of these passages. To pray in the Holy Ghost simply means that you are praying that the Spirit itself will make intercessions when you don’t know what to say. And this is why often, and you’ll hear me say this that I will try to teach you to pray this way, for what we believe God wants. But then we should say “God, in case I’m wrong on that. In case I don’t really understand. I don’t have everything or all the pieces. I don’t understand all of it. Let your will be done”.
“And God I’m praying for this. And this is what I believe you want us to do. But I’m asking the Holy Spirit to intercede on my behalf. And I’m asking the Holy Spirit that he would make sure that the prayer gets up there the way it should.”. For we know not what we should pray as we ought but the Spirit of God, the Spirit itself maketh intercessions for us. And that’s what it means to pray in the Holy Ghost. To say, here’s what I would like. Here’s what I think you would like. Here’s what I’m praying for. But Holy Spirit, you fix that. You know what I need. You know what needs to be done. Let your will be done. And help me to be ok with that. Help me to be able to acknowledge that. Help me to be able to understand that. And this is the work that the Holy Spirit does. Let me give it to you one more times for those taking notes.
He indwells, he seals, he teaches, he witnesses, he reproves, he guides and he intercedes.
Let’s pray.