The Spirit of God

~ The Holy Spirit of God ~


Today we are going to look at the Holy Spirit as a living, breathing part of God. Not a mist, not a vapor, not a ghost but a very real, very distinct individual.




The Holy Spirit is a Person:


The Holy Spirit is included in the Trinity, which is made up of 3 distinct persons: The Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. The following verses give a beautiful picture of the Trinity in the Bible:

Matthew 3:16-17 NIV
"As soon as Jesus (the Son) was baptized, he went up out of the water. At that moment heaven was opened, and he saw the Spirit of God (the Holy Spirit) descending like a dove and lighting on him. And a voice from heaven (the Father) said, “This is my Son, whom I love; with him I am well pleased.”

Matthew 28:19 NIV
"Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit",

John 14:16-17 NIV
"And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another Counselor to be with you forever– the Spirit of truth. The world cannot accept him, because it neither sees him nor knows him. But you know him, for he lives with you and will be in you".

2 Corinthians 13:14 NIV
"May the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, and the love of God, and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit be with you all".

Acts 2:32-33 NIV
"God has raised this Jesus to life, and we are all witnesses of the fact. Exalted to the right hand of God, he has received from the Father the promised Holy Spirit and has poured out what you now see and hear".




The Holy Spirit has a Name:


Parakletos
The original New Testament Greek word Parakletos (pronounced in Greek as par-ak-lay-tos), which literally means "called to one's side", was used to describe someone who pleaded another's cause, or who helped others by defending or comforting them. In English-language versions of The Bible, parakletos is usually translated as Counselor, Comforter or Helper when referring to the Holy Spirit.

Depending upon the translation, parakletos is translated variously as Counselor (RSV, NIV), Comforter (KJV, ASV) or Helper (NASB, NKJV) in regard to the Holy Spirit of God. When the Holy Spirit is referred to as "he" in translating from the original Greek, it's the result of the use of linguistic masculine "genders" in Greek nouns.

John 14:12-17 RSV
"Truly, truly, I say to you, he who believes in Me will also do the works that I do; and greater works than these will he do, because I go to the Father. Whatever you ask in My Name, I will do it, that the Father may be glorified in the Son; if you ask anything in My Name, I will do it. If you love Me, you will keep My Commandments. And I will pray the Father, and He will give you another Counselor [parakletos], to be with you for ever, even the Spirit of Truth, whom the world cannot receive, because it neither sees him nor knows him; you know him, for he dwells with you, and will be in you."

John 15:26-27 RSV
"But when the Counselor [parakletos] comes, whom I shall send to you from the Father, even the Spirit of Truth, who proceeds from the Father, he will bear witness to me; and you also are witnesses"

John 16:7-8 RSV
"Nevertheless I tell you the truth: it is to your advantage that I go away, for if I do not go away, the Counselor [parakletos] will not come to you; but if I go, I will send him to you. And when he comes, he will convince the world concerning sin and righteousness and judgment"





The Holy Spirit has a Mind:


Romans 8:27 NIV
"And he who searches our hearts knows the mind of the Spirit, because the Spirit intercedes for the saints in accordance with God’s will".




The Holy Spirit has a Will:


1 Corinthians 12:11 NASB
"But one and the same Spirit works all these things, distributing to each one individually just as He wills".




The Holy Spirit has Emotions:


Ephesians 4:30 NIV
"And do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, with whom you were sealed for the day of redemption".

Isaiah 63:10 NIV
"Yet they rebelled and grieved his Holy Spirit. So he turned and became their enemy and he himself fought against them".




The Holy Spirit gives joy:


Luke 10:21 NIV
"At that time Jesus, full of joy through the Holy Spirit, said, “I praise you, Father, Lord of heaven and earth, because you have hidden these things from the wise and learned, and revealed them to little children. Yes, Father, for this was your good pleasure.”

1 Thessalonians 1:6 NIV
"You became imitators of us and of the Lord; in spite of severe suffering, you welcomed the message with the joy given by the Holy Spirit".




He Teaches:


John 14:26 NIV
"But the Counselor, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, will teach you all things and will remind you of everything I have said to you".




He Testifies of Christ:


John 15:26 NIV
"When the Counselor comes, whom I will send to you from the Father, the Spirit of truth who goes out from the Father, he will testify about me".




He Convicts:


John 16:8 NIV
"When he comes, he will convict the world of guilt [Or will expose the guilt of the world] in regard to sin and righteousness and judgment"




He Leads:


Romans 8:14 NIV
"Because those who are led by the Spirit of God are sons of God".




He Reveals Truth:


John 16:13 NIV
"But when he, the Spirit of truth, comes, he will guide you into all truth. He will not speak on his own; he will speak only what he hears, and he will tell you what is yet to come".




He Strengthens and Encourages:


Acts 9:31 NIV
"Then the church throughout Judea, Galilee and Samaria enjoyed a time of peace. It was strengthened; and encouraged by the Holy Spirit, it grew in numbers, living in the fear of the Lord".




He Comforts:


John 14:16 KJV
"And I will pray the Father, and he shall give you another Comforter, that he may abide with you for ever"




He Helps Us in our Weakness:


Romans 8:26 NIV
"In the same way, the Spirit helps us in our weakness. We do not know what we ought to pray for, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us with groans that words cannot express".




He Intercedes:


Romans 8:26 NIV
"In the same way, the Spirit helps us in our weakness. We do not know what we ought to pray for, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us with groans that words cannot express".




He Searches the Deep Things of God:


1 Corinthians 2:11 NIV
"The Spirit searches all things, even the deep things of God. For who among men knows the thoughts of a man except the man’s spirit within him? In the same way no one knows the thoughts of God except the Spirit of God".




He Sanctifies:


Romans 15:16 NIV
"To be a minister of Christ Jesus to the Gentiles with the priestly duty of proclaiming the gospel of God, so that the Gentiles might become an offering acceptable to God, sanctified by the Holy Spirit".




He Bears Witness or Testifies:


Romans 8:16 KJV
"The Spirit itself beareth witness with our spirit, that we are the children of God"

Romans 8:16 NIV
"The Spirit himself testifies with our spirit that we are God’s children".




He Forbids:


Acts 16:6-7 NIV
"Paul and his companions traveled throughout the region of Phrygia and Galatia, having been kept by the Holy Spirit from preaching the word in the province of Asia. When they came to the border of Mysia, they tried to enter Bithynia, but the Spirit of Jesus would not allow them to".




He Can be Lied to:


Acts 5:3 NIV
"Then Peter said, “Ananias, how is it that Satan has so filled your heart that you have lied to the Holy Spirit and have kept for yourself some of the money you received for the land"?




He Can be Resisted:


Acts 7:51 NIV
“You stiff-necked people, with uncircumcised hearts and ears! You are just like your fathers: You always resist the Holy Spirit!”




He Can be Blasphemed:


Blasphamy
1. impious utterance or action concerning God or sacred things.
2. an act of reviling God.
3. the crime of assuming to oneself the rights or qualities of God.
4. irreverent behavior toward anything held sacred, priceless.
5. profanity, cursing, swearing; sacrilege, impiety against God.


Matthew 12:31-32 NIV
"And so I tell you, every sin and blasphemy will be forgiven men, but the blasphemy against the Spirit will not be forgiven. Anyone who speaks a word against the Son of Man will be forgiven, but anyone who speaks against the Holy Spirit will not be forgiven, either in this age or in the age to come".






He Can be Quenched (squelched):


1 Thessalonians 5:19 NKJV
"Quench not the Spirit".






He can be jealous & envious:

James 4:5 KJV
"Do ye think that the Scripture saith in vain, The spirit that dwelleth in us lusteth to envy"?


James 4:5 AMP
"Or do you suppose that the Scripture is speaking to no purpose that says, The Spirit Whom He has caused to dwell in us yearns over us and He yearns for the Spirit to be welcome with a jealous love"? 

Moving On ....



I know you want to please the Spirit of God with your life, so today I want to tell you about something that is guaranteed Not to please Him.  By knowing this, you can avoid grieving Him and can concentrate your attention on doing those things that are sure to bring Him pleasure.



I want to draw your attention to the word "envy" in James 4:5. But first I want to back up and speak to you about the "lust" that the Holy Spirit feels for you and me. The word "lust" is the Greek word "epipotheo", a word that portrays an intense desire; a craving; a hunger; an ache; a yearning for something; a longing or pining for something. Usually this word is used to indicate an intense yearning for something that is morally wrong and sinful.



But in James 4:5, this Greek word describes the intense yearning that the Holy Spirit possesses to have us entirely for Himself. Because the word "epipotheo" is used to depict the Spirit's longing to have us, it expresses the deep love and affection that the Spirit of God has for every believer.



However, James goes on to tell us that in addition into this intense yearning for us, the Holy Spirit also experiences "envy" regarding you and me.  The word "envy" in James 4:5 is the Greek word "phthnos", a word that describes a person who is jealous about something; a person who feels rivalry or envy; or a person who hold a grudge because of someone else's behavior. It also carries the idea of ill will and malice.



This word "phthnos" is the very word that would have been used to illustrate the emotions of young man experiences when he discovers his spouse is being romantically pursued by someone else. Because James uses this word to depict the Holy Spirit, we need to stop and think about what it means for a few moments.



Anger, resentment, rage, envy, jealousy; these are the emotions a "man" feels in such a situation.  He takes this threat to his marital relationship very personally and holds a grudge against the pursuer. Every time the husband thinks about what that romantic bandit is trying to do, feelings of malice and ill will toward the violator rise up in his soul.



Even more significantly, a "man" who really loves his wife is not going to sit by and watch his wife be stolen! The envy and jealousy he feels will move him to action; to do everything in his power to win back his wife and permanently eliminate his competitor. Because the husband is envious, he does all he can to see his relationship with his wife restored.
 


All of these ideas are conveyed by the Greek word "phthnos" used in James 4:5 when the Bibles tells us about the "envy" of the Holy Spirit.



The Greek word "phthnos" could be understood this way: The Spirit takes it very personally when we share our lives with the world. He wants us so entirely for Himself that if the world tries to take us away, it infuriates Him. You need to know that in these cases, the Holy Spirit will not idly sit by and watch it happen. He'll do something to change the situation! Not only does it infuriate the Holy Spirit when believers turn their devotion to the world but it drive Him to intense jealousy. At this point, He will release His full rage against that unholy relationship, moving on the scene like a Divine Lover who has come to defend and rescue the relationship He holds so dear!



This is something you can be sure of: If you commit more of your heart, soul, and attention to worldly things than you give to the Spirit of God, He will not take it lightly.



Never forget that the Holy Spirit is a Divine Lover. He is preoccupied with you. He wants to possess you totally, and He desires that your affection be set wholly on Him. That's why the Holy Spirit feels like a
lover who has been robbed if you walk and talk like an unbeliever or give your life to the things of this world.
He jealously desires His relationship with you to be restored. He has divine malice toward the worldliness that has usurped His role in your life.



The Holy Spirit is not a passive Partner.  He aggressively and actively pursues you. He fiercely wants more of you. When you give part of yourself to something or someone else's control, the Holy Spirit wants to seize that part of your life and bring it back under His divine control. He even has malice toward your preoccupation with things in this natural realm.



So make your relationship with the Holy Spirit your top priority. Don't give Him a reason to feel betrayed by or envious of other things in your life that have taken His place. Get to know the Holy Spirit's voice in your spirit so He can help you set your life in order. Make sure every area of your life is under His loving control!