THE HOLY SPIRIT – HIS PERSON
& PURPOSE
Session 6 – Pentecost Acts 2: 1- 41
1
Intro:
·
The disciples
feel bereft when Jesus tells them He is going to die: John 13:33
·
Jesus teaches
them about the Holy Spirit whom He will send to be with them: John 14:18, John
14:1, John 14:12, John 14:15 - 17, John 16:7, Acts 1:4 & 8
2
The Day
of Pentecost – Acts 2: 1- 41
·
120 believers
meet indoors, looking inward, not effective.
3 good things: obedience, prayer, unity
·
At Pentecost the
Spirit is poured out on all 120. They
are transformed in their worship & witness, becoming miraculously equipped
to speak of Jesus; 3000 are added to the church as Peter speaks about
recognising Jesus as Lord, repentance, being baptised and receiving the gift of
the Holy Spirit – the church is born
3
Who is
the Holy Spirit?
·
Third person of
the trinity – one God in three persons
·
Intimate
connection between the three persons: The Father (Joel
·
His attributes
(eternal Heb
·
His character is
the character of God (holiness Rom 1:4, grace He
·
He inspired
scripture: Acts 1:16; 1 Tim 3:16
·
He was active
(though in a different way) throughout the Old Testament
·
With the Father
and the Son He is equally God. In words
of Nicene Creed, He is, with the Father & the Son, to be worshipped and glorified
M.O.T.
Check Point 18 - What is your view
of the Holy Spirit? Have you realised
that He is God and as worthy of your honour, praise, obedience & love as
the Father and the Son?
b The Holy Spirit is a Person
·
Spirit, not
flesh, unseen, but still a person not an impersonal force
·
Jesus (&
John) call Him ‘He’ against rules of Greek grammar
·
Holy Spirit has
characteristics of personhood (He speaks Acts 1:16, calls Himself ‘me’ Acts
13:2, has a will 1 Cor 12:11, emotions Eph 4:30, can be lied to Acts 5:3,
rebelled against Ps 106:33, resisted Acts 7:51, intimately known in fellowship
2Cor 13:14
M.O.T Check Point 19
- Do you think of the Holy
Spirit as a person? Have you experienced
intimate fellowship with Him? If not,
why do you think that is? What might you do to seek deeper fellowship
with Him?
c What (or
Who) is He like?
·
‘Counsellor’
translates Greek ‘parakletos’ meaning one who comes alongside, who comes
to the rescue, who defends & pleads for me when I go wrong, a helper
·
Jesus said ‘I
will come to you’, ‘you will see me’, ‘I am in you’, John
4
What does
The Holy Spirit do?
a Convicts
of sin (Jn 16:8), brings people to new
birth in Jesus (Jn 3:5), motivates the cry ‘Jesus is Lord’ (1 Cor 12:3), makes
us His temple (1 Cor 6:19), pours the love of God into us (Rom 5:5), inspires
worship (Jn 4:23), teaches us how to pray (Rom 8:26), points to Jesus (Jn
15:26), leads into all truth (Jn 16:13), reminds us what Jesus said (Jn 14:26),
enables us to know God as father (Gal 4:6), strengthens and encourages (Acts
9:31), teaches (Jn 14:26), reveals to us the deep things of God (1 Cor 2:10),
guides (Gal 5:18), develops holiness in us (2 Thes 2:13), brings wisdom &
revelation (Is 11:2), admonishes (Neh 9:30), has fellowship with us (2 Cor
13:14), enables us to see God’s glory (Acts 7:55), produces Jesus’ character in
us (Gal 5:21), gives gifts ( Cor 12 –14).
In short, it is impossible to be a Christian without Him.
b Presence
of Holy Spirit is or should be visible: we are marked with Him as a seal as a
sign we are accepted by God (Acts
15:8). The Holy Spirit is our seal,
deposit, guarantee of everything it means to be ‘in Christ’. (Eph 1:13)
5
Jesus
came to baptise us with the Holy Spirit and fire (Matt
·
To be baptised
is to be thoroughly immersed – are we completely surrendered to Him?
MOT
Check Point 20 - In fellowship
groups, share testimonies with one another about your experiences of the Holy
Spirit.
To ponder during the week: Is His presence truly visible in your
life? Have you ever surrendered
yourself so completely to the Holy Spirit that you could say you have been
immersed?