Video Transcript: Lesson 6 The Holy Spirit

Hi, welcome to Lesson Six of Christian basics on the Holy Spirit. The writer of this material is  Dr. Ed Roels. And I'm David Feddes. I'll be presenting Dr. Roels as writing as well as offering  some comments of my own introduction. Before Jesus left His disciples, He promised that he  would send the Holy Spirit to them when he returned to heaven, the Holy Spirit would come to 

them, live within them, and help them to live the kind of life Jesus wanted them to live. He  would also serve as their counselor and guide, bringing to their minds everything Jesus had  taught them while He was on earth. Through the Holy Spirit, the disciples and all other  believers would be able to produce spiritual fruit that would glorify God. The Spirit would purify their motives, fill them with joy, and help them to be all that Christ taught them to be. The Holy Spirit would also enable them to witness to others with such power, that many people would  be attracted to Christ and to the fellowship of believers. Question one who is the Holy Spirit?  The Holy Spirit is God, just as the Father is God and the son is God. Both the Old Testament  and the New Testament make frequent references to the Holy Spirit. In the Old Testament, He is usually referred to simply as the Spirit of God. While in the New Testament, He is often  referred to as the Holy Spirit or sometimes the Spirit of Christ. Christians refer to the Holy  Spirit as the third person of the Holy Trinity, Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. In Scripture  references, the Spirit searches everything, even the depths of God. No one comprehends the  thoughts of God except the Spirit of God. Do you not know that you are God's temple and that God's Spirit dwells in you? I Corinthians 3:16. Galatians 4:6 says, God has sent the Spirit of  his Son into our hearts. And there are many other similar passages about the Holy Spirit  showing that he's God along with the Father and the Son and that He lives and works in our  hearts. Question two, does this mean that there are three separate Gods called the Father  and the Son and the Holy Spirit? No, the Bible repeatedly emphasizes that there is only one  true God. However, the Bible also teaches that the Father is God, the Son is God and the  Holy Spirit is God. Believers therefore refer to the one true God as the Holy Trinity. And Trinity is tri-unity or three in one. Though we cannot fully understand this teaching, we accept it as a  truth which God has made known to us in the Bible. When we honor and worship the Father,  and the Son and the Holy Spirit, we are worshiping the one true God. Scripture references,  Matthew 28:19, Jesus Great Commission, he said, Go therefore and make disciples of all  nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit, were baptized into the name of the one true God, and this true God is father, and Son, and Holy  Spirit, and not only are we baptized into the name of the one true God, but we are blessed in  the name of the Trinity. II Corinthians 13:14 says, the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, and the  love of God, and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit, be with you all see, again, Father, Son, and  Holy Spirit, blessed in the name of the Trinity, one of the clearest passages where we see  Father, Son, and Holy Spirit together as at the baptism of Jesus Himself. When Jesus is  baptized, the spirit comes down in the form of a dove, and a voice from heaven says, This is  my Son, whom I love. Listen to him. So that voice from Heaven is God the Father speaking,  the Spirit coming down in the form of a dove, comes down on Jesus, the Son, and you see,  the three persons of the Trinity and yet United still, is as one God not as a whole bunch of  different gods to be worshipped separately, or gods who are squabbling and fighting with  each other, and sometimes occurred in pagan myths of the gods but one true god united in  mind, united in beings from all eternity so that their purpose and Will are always one and one  in very being. Three is the Holy Spirit a divine person or simply As a spiritual influence, the  Holy Spirit is a divine person, as the Father and the Son are. The Holy Spirit thinks, loves,  feels, and acts, he also comforts us, prays for us, hears our prayers, teaches and guides us,  purifies us, and lives within us. Here are some scripture references showing that the spirit is a person and not just a power. Jesus said, The Helper, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will  send in My name, He will teach you all things and bring to your remembrance, all that I have 

said to you. In that same passage, Jesus said, that I will send you another Comforter to be  with you forever, another Helper, the spirit of truth. So Jesus identifies himself as the helper  who is with them at that time, and then he says, I'll send you another one. So he's speaking  

up of another person. Acts 1:16, says the Scripture had to be fulfilled which the Holy Spirit  spoke beforehand, the Holy Spirit is speaking as a person speaks. John 16:13, when the  Spirit of truth comes, He will guide you into all truth. He's not just a power, or some sort of  vague whatever. He's a person who speaks and communicates truth. Acts 2:4 says that the  disciples were all filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in other tongues as the Spirit  gave them utterance. They're speaking, what God's Spirit is putting in their mouths. In Acts 5  we find an interesting and sad story, which also shows that the Holy Spirit is personal, and is  God the apostle Peter said to Ananias, Ananias why has Satan filled your heart, to lie to the  Holy Spirit, you have not lied to men, but to God. So when you lie to the Holy Spirit, you're  lying to God Himself. Ephesians 4:30, says, And do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, by  whom you were sealed for the day of redemption. You can't grieve a power or a something,  but you can grieve a person. And so there are many passages which show the personality of  the Holy Spirit, the third person of the Trinity. For when do we first read about the Holy Spirit  in the Bible, we first read about the Holy Spirit in the second verse of the Bible. Genesis 1:2,  the Holy Spirit was involved in the creation of the world, and continues to be involved in the  creation of all new life in the world. Scripture references Genesis 1:2 says the earth was  without form and void, and darkness was over the face of the deep and the Spirit of God was  hovering over the face of the waters. So you don't need to read very long in the Bible, to meet up with God's Holy Spirit. And that spirit who was there at the beginning of creation is the one  who continues to give life as Psalm 104:30 says, When you send forth your spirit, they are  created and you renew the face of the ground. Question five, what is the role of the Holy Spirit in our spiritual life? Holy Spirit is the Creator and Source of spiritual life just as He is the  source of natural life. He produces spiritual fruit in us, leads us into truth gives us victory over  temptation comforts us in times of sadness and sorrow, encourages us in times of weakness  assures us of forgiveness, when we sincerely confess our sins, empowers us to be faithful  witnesses to Jesus, and helps us to become more like our Savior, Jesus. So the Holy Spirit  does tremendous things and it's in fact nothing wonderful happens in our lives apart from the  work of God's Holy Spirit. Scripture references Jesus says in John 3:5-6, unless one is born of water and the Spirit, he cannot enter the kingdom of God, that which is born of the flesh is  flesh, and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit. Titus 3:5 says he saved us not because of  works done by us in righteousness, but according to his own mercy by the washing of  regeneration, and renewal of the Holy Spirit. Jesus said in Acts 1:8, you will receive power  when the Holy Spirit has come upon you, and you will be my witnesses. Acts 4:31, speaks of  this power, they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and continue to speak the word of God with  boldness. So the spirit is equipping them to be bold and to speak the word. Romans 8:9 says  very simply, anyone who does not have the Spirit of Christ does not belong to Him. does not  belong to Christ. So the Spirit is the one who gives us the very life of Christ. And all the  transformation that Christ brings into our life comes through the life and work and personality  of the Holy Spirit living within us. Question six, how can we receive the Holy Spirit into our  own hearts and lives? What an important question we must repent of our sins, trust in Jesus  for forgiveness, and ask our Father in heaven to give us the gift of the Holy Spirit. Scripture  references, Peter preached in Acts 2:38, Repent and be baptized every one of you in the  name of Jesus Christ, for the forgiveness of your sins, and you will receive the gift of the Holy  Spirit, the promise is for you, and for your children and for all who are far off for everyone.  From the Lord, our God calls to him for everyone who calls him the name of the Lord will be  saved. That's what Peter says. So, if you call in the name of Jesus, and ask Him to forgive 

your sins and ask him, then you will receive this wonderful gift of the Holy Spirit. Jesus himself said in Luke 11:13, if you then who are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children. How much more will the heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit? To those who asking? All you need  to do is ask, ask to be forgiven of your sins and ask for Jesus sake, to be made new, and to  have the Holy Spirit of God, and God promises he will give the Holy Spirit to those who asked  him. Question seven. What kind of spiritual fruit does the Holy Spirit produce in the lives of  believers? The Holy Spirit enables us to produce spiritual fruit that glorifies God and blesses  others. So it has a god where direction in honoring him and a direction towards other people,  which gives them joy and blessing to the fruit we're bearing in our lives. Without the work of  the Holy Spirit in our hearts and lives, we would never be able to become the kind of people  God wants us to be. Scripture references Galatians 5:22-23 says, the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self control. Romans 8:5-6 says those who live according to the Spirit set their minds on the things of the Spirit, to set the mind on the Spirit is life and peace. Galatians 5:25, says if we live by the Spirit, let us also  walk by the Spirit. So each of us who is a believer in Jesus Christ has the Spirit of God in us.  And that spirit is working to bear this kind of wonderful character of Jesus Christ in us. That's  really what all those fruits of the Spirit are. It's really one fruit, the character of Jesus more and more being formed in us by the Holy Spirit at work in us. Question Eight how does the Holy  Spirit help us to resist and overcome temptation. When we humbly follow the leading of the  Holy Spirit, we're able to be victorious over temptations of every kind. The Holy Spirit actually  lives within us, helping us to focus on things that are pleasing to God and enabling us to resist the temptations of our flesh, our sinful nature. The Holy Spirit may also bring to our minds  truths that we have forgotten. He helps us to remember that we belong to God, that we are  not our own masters. And he creates a renewed desire in our hearts, to live for the Savior  who died for us. So he keeps reminding us of truths, and he works in our hearts to give us a  desire to live by those truths and to relate to the Savior who died and rose again, that we  might become like him. Scripture references Galatians 5:16, says, walk by the Spirit and you  will not gratify the desires of the flesh. That's the key to overcoming temptation, walking by the Spirit, Romans 8:9, you are not in the flesh, but in the spirit if the Spirit of God dwells in you.  Romans 8:5 says, Those who live according to the flesh set their minds on the things of the  flesh, but those who live according to the Spirit, set their minds on things of the Spirit.  Temptation is very powerful. Sin is very powerful, and the evil powers the evil spirits, Satan  and his demons are very powerful, but we can overcome temptation, because the one who is  in us is more powerful than the one who is in the world. That's what the Bible says. And that's  how we overcome temptation by the power of the Holy Spirit. Question Nine is it possible for  believers to disobey the Holy Spirit and lose the blessing and joy of living for Christ. Yes, at  least temporarily. When we deliberately choose to sin, we grieve the Holy Spirit, and lose the  peace and joy he gives us when we obey Him. But if we've been truly born again, the spirit  will bring us back to the way of life after we've wandered away from it. So yes, we can lose  some of the blessings and the joys and the sense of well being that comes with walking by  the Spirit, because we braved the spirit, but the spirit does not let go completely of a true  believer, he brings us back again, even after we've wandered. Scripture references do not  grieve the Holy Spirit of God, but whom you were sealed for the day of redemption.  Ephesians 4:30. And I Thessalonians 5:19 says, Do not quench the Spirit. Now grieving the  spirit is often a part of sinning and making him sad quenching the spirit is maybe sinful in a  certain way, but quenching the spirit in that context, is referring to not using the gifts of the  Spirit that God has given you or stifling the gifts and abilities that the Holy Spirit has given to  others. And so we don't want to grieve the spirit by sending nor do we want to quench the  Spirit by pushing down the gifts and the special leadings that the Holy Spirit gives in our lives. 

Question 10 How does the Holy Spirit help us in our prayer life? The Holy Spirit not only helps us to pray, but he also prays for us what a blessing. He helps us in our own prayer life, giving  us thoughts and prayers to speak to the Father. And then he himself also prays on our behalf  scripture references, Romans 8:26-27. The Holy Spirit helps us in our weakness, for we do  

not know what to pray for as we ought, but the Spirit Himself intercedes for us. And He who  searches hearts knows what is the mind of the Spirit because the Spirit intercedes for the  saints, according to the will of God, what a blessing Jesus is that the right hand of God  praying for us, but the Spirit of God is also right within our own hearts, interceding praying on  our behalf. Ephesians 6:18, the passage about the armor of God, after speaking about putting on all that armor says, praying at all times in the spirit with all prayer, and supplication. So  we're praying in the Spirit when we're wearing God's armor, and we have the Spirit living in us then our prayers, our prayers that the Holy Spirit is prompting within us. Question 11 What are some of the spiritual gifts which the Holy Spirit gives the believers? The Holy Spirit gives a  wonderful variety of gifts to believers. He distributes these gifts to believers in a way and at a  time that he himself chooses. Here's some scripture references about the various gifts of the  Spirit. And even these lists don't cover everything. They're samples of what the Spirit gives  Romans 12:6-8 says, having gifts that differ according to the grace given to us, let us use  them, if prophesy in proportion to our faith, if service in our serving, the one who teaches in  his teaching, the one who exhorts, in his exhortation, the one who contributes in generosity,  the one who leads with zeal, the one who does acts of mercy, with cheerfulness. So there are  people who are especially good at doing acts of mercy and kindness, others who have talents for leadership, others for teaching other just for helping out and serving and so on. And these  are maybe seem to be kind of ordinary human gifts, but they are really from the Holy Spirit,  especially when they're lit on fire by him in the life of a reborn person. Now, there's another list of gifts which speaks of more supernaturally obvious gifts. There are varieties of gifts, but the  same Spirit it says in I Corinthians 12, to one is given through the Spirit, the utterance of  wisdom, and to another the utterance of knowledge to another faith, to another gifts of  healing, to another, the working of miracles, to another prophecy to another, the ability to  distinguish between spirits, to another various kinds of tongues to another, the interpretation  of tongues, all these are empowered by one in the same spirit, who portions to each one  individually as He wills. So there's a whole wide variety of gifts that God gives to build up the  total body of Christ, and no one person has all of these gifts, and the spirit does not  automatically give any one of these gifts to every person. Some have said, Oh, if you ever  receive the Holy Spirit and fullness then you'll for sure be able to speak in tongues. That's not  what the Bible says. The Spirit gives different gifts to differ Have people as he so chooses.  And the greatest sign of the presence of the Spirit is not any one gift to the spirit, any ability  for service button, fruit of the Spirit, the character of Jesus love, joy, peace, patience,  kindness, goodness, gentleness, faithfulness, and self control. Those are the shore marks of  the character and presence of the Holy Spirit. And then he gives various gifts, as he so  chooses for building other people up and for strengthening the body of Christ and for  advancing God's mission in the world. Question 12 is the Holy Spirit concerned about the  unity of believers? Very much, the unity of the church is of great importance for the spiritual  growth of believers, and also for their witness to the unbelieving world. And might, we could  also add for simply showing the unity of God Himself, just as Father, Son and Spirit are one.  God wants His people to be one and to express that one that's for the glory of God, as well as their own spiritual growth, and their witness to the world. Ephesians 4, says, be eager to  maintain the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace until we all attain to the unity of the faith  and mature manhood. Jesus prayed the night before he died. And we see in that prayer, how  much Jesus cared about unity, and therefore how much his Spirit also cares about unity, 

Jesus praise may they all be one, just as you father are in Me and I in you, that they also may be in us so that the world may believe that You have sent me, I am them and you and me that they may become perfectly one, so that the world may know that you sent me and love them,  even as you loved me. Our oneness is to be a testimony to the world, and a reflection of the  

unity within the being of God. Question 13 Why should we always follow the leading of the  Holy Spirit and use our bodies to honor and glorify God? Our bodies are temples of the Holy  Spirit who lives within us. We are not our own masters, we belong to God. That's why we  should follow his leading. He owns us he lives in us he rules within us. Scripture references I  Corinthians 3:16, do you not know that you are God's temple, and that God's Spirit dwells in  you? II Corinthians 6:16, we are the temple of the living God. In I Corinthians 6:19-20 speaks  especially about the body, do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit within  you, whom you have from God, you are not your own, for you are bought with a price. So  glorify God in your body. There have been people who in the name of spirituality said you  know, what matters really is the spiritual the soul, the spirit of what you do with your body is  really no big deal spiritually. That's not what the Bible says. It says that the Holy Spirit indwells your body and claims your body as his temple. And so you're to treat your body as a temple of the Spirit and do with your body as God calls you to do. Question 14 What promise is given to believers concerning the future resurrection of their bodies. When Jesus returns to earth  again, our earthly bodies will be raised as New Glorious bodies that will never die. Scripture  references Romans 8:11, shows that the spirit is involved in the resurrection of Jesus and in  the future resurrection of believers and if the Spirit of Him who raised Jesus from the dead  dwells in you, He who raised Christ from the dead, will also give life to your mortal bodies  through His Spirit who dwells in you. I Corinthians 15:54, says, When the perishable puts on  the imperishable, and the mortal puts on immortality, then shall come to pass the saying that  is written, Death is swallowed up in victory. What this is saying is that if the Holy Spirit of God  lives in you, as a born again, believer, then you have in you the very life that brought Jesus  from the dead, and that will bring you up from the dead into new and eternal resurrection  glory. If you do not have that life now, then you will not have that life in eternity. Your body may come back to life in a certain form of existence, but it will not be the glorious, spirit filled,  eternal life of joy and peace and blessing. You need that light now. Just as right now, a seed  may appear to be kind of dead but you put it in the ground and it springs up into a plant  because it has light He's hidden in it. If you just put a speck of dead stuff in the ground, it will  not spring up to life. And so we can look forward to future resurrection like because already  now, the Spirit who raised Jesus and promises to raise us, lives within us. Question 15 can  we be sure that we are truly saved, truly destined for that resurrection and eternal life and  already forgiven now? Yes. When we trust in Jesus as our Savior, and seek to follow the  leading of the Holy Spirit, the Spirit assures us that we are children of God. And God wants us to know that right now, Scripture references Romans 8, all who are led by the Spirit of God  are sons of God. The Spirit himself bears witness with our spirit, that we are children of God,  he moves us call out Abba, Father. And when we cry out to God as our Father, because of the Spirit living in us, then we know that we're children of God. I John 4:13, says, By this, we  know that we abide in Him, and He in us, because He has given us of His Spirit when the  spirits living in you, you hope that you belong to God, you know that you have eternal life. And God doesn't want us to just live in uncertainty. God doesn't want us to just chew our nails and  hope for the best. I John 5:13, says, I write these things to you. Believe in the name of the  Son of God so that you may know that you have eternal life. The Holy Spirit reveals Jesus to  us. He softens our hearts and draws our hearts to faith in Jesus. He moves us to call God our  Father. And as he does that, he wants us to be confident, to be certain that we have eternal  life, what a blessing it is to have the Holy Spirit. He shows us our sin or need for a Savior. 

Then he shows us that we have that salvation and all that we have. And all the fruit that we  bear is the blessing result of the very God Himself the third person of the Holy Trinity, living  and working within us. Thank God for the Holy Spirit.