Heavenly Father, lead me today in my words and actions. Let your Holy Spirit guide me in truth and wisdom, so that all I do may glorify You. Amen
You probably know by now that the Holy Spirit and his gifts have become an very essential part of my life. So it should be of no surprise that is what I am going to be talking about this morning.
I will be citing number of scriptures this morning but the main ones will be from John and Acts.
It took me a long time to realize that of course the holy spirit was there at the very beginning, how could he not be.
In Jenisis1:1-2 (It is first mention of the Holy Spirit In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth. Now the earth was formless and empty, darkness was over the surface of the deep, and the Spirit of God was hovering over the waters.
Then we must wait till the book of Joel 2:28–29. God's own Spirit, Joel tells us, is poured out upon all of His people in the last days.
And of course, we all know the passage from Matthew 3:13-17
Then Jesus came from Galilee to the Jordan to be baptized by John. But John tried to deter him, saying, “I need to be baptized by you, and do you come to me?” Jesus replied, “Let it be so now; it is proper for us to do this to fulfill all righteousness.” Then John consented. As soon as Jesus was baptized, he went up out of the water. At that moment heaven was opened, and he saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove and alighting on him. And a voice from heaven said, “This is my Son, whom I love; With him I am well pleased.”
But the two passages I would like to concentrate on this are from
John 3:8 and from Acts 2:1-4, John 3:8.
This verse occurs during the conversation between Jesus and Nicodemus, the ruler of the Jews who came to Jesus by night. When Jesus said, “You must be born again in order to see the kingdom of God,” Nicodemus did not understand the concept. So, Jesus explained that flesh produces flesh (speaking of human birth), but only God’s Spirit could give new birth in the realm of the spirit. Then Jesus added these words of explanation “The wind blows wherever it pleases. You hear its sound, but you cannot tell where it comes from or where it is going. So, it is with everyone born of the Spirit.”
Pay special attention to two words in this verse: “wind” and “Spirit.” Though they are two words in English, in Greek they come from the same word: pneuma. We get the English words pneumatic (an air-powered drill) and pneumonia (a disease of the lungs) from this Greek word. Depending on the context, pneuma can mean breath, wind or spirit. In this case, the same Greek word has two meanings in the same verse. Wind serves as a particularly good symbol of the Holy Spirit.
As Jesus points out to Nicodemus, wind by its very nature is invisible and unpredictable. The wind that blows today from the north may blow from the south tomorrow or from the east or west or not at all. We feel its effect and hear it whistling through the leaves, but the wind itself is totally free from man’s control.
Wind exists everywhere on the earth, and is continually in motion, and may be experienced in varying degrees from a slight breeze to a mighty rushing wind to the destructive force of hurricanes.
n a closed room, the air soon becomes stagnant. But when a window is opened, the incoming wind blows out the stifling air. On a hot summer’s day, a cool breeze refreshes everyone.
Just as the wind is everywhere in the world, even so the Holy Spirit’s work is universal, not limited to one country, region, religion or race of humanity.
Like the unpredictability of the wind, no one can say for certain where the Spirit will blow in great power today or tomorrow.
As the wind is beyond man’s control, in the same way no one can control the work of the Spirit.
As the wind blows from the heavens, so the Holy Spirit is sent from heaven.
According to Dutch theologian Abraham Kuyper, “The Holy Spirit leaves no footprints.” Like the wind he is invisible, unpredictable and uncontrollable.
Have you ever tried to catch the wind in a bottle? When I was a child and we were taking train trips, I would hold a cup outside the window, hoping to somehow catch the wind. But it can’t be done.
The same is true of the Holy Spirit. He is sovereign and will not be taken captive by any person.
Now they call Chicago “the Windy City,” and with good reason. The wind blows there nearly all year round. Sometimes the wind is a gentle breeze rustling through the leaves. In the winter, the cold north wind roars into town as an “Alberta Clipper.” Which can be accompanied by severe thunderstorms with winds so strong, they can knock down trees and take out the power for several hours or days.
It’s all the same wind, but we experience it in different ways. So, it is with the Spirit. He comes as he wills, and he manifests himself in different ways.
And as the story of Nicodemus demonstrates, no one can predict when he will invade a human heart.
A little while ago I spoke with a person who rejoiced that a friend had responded to the gospel after just one invitation. But there again sometimes you must talk to a person again and again, and even then, they may not respond. Do you know what I mean? We have all been there.
And yes, I do know because I used to be one of those doubters.
So why does one person respond immediately while others take much more persuasion? While there are many explanations, one part of the answer is the Holy Spirit. Like the wind, he blows where he wants, and no one can control his movements.
In Acts 2 It describes the descent of the Spirit on the day of Pentecost, as the small band of disciples waited and prayed in Jerusalem.
And according to Acts 2:1-4, four things happened in this order:
A. The sound of a violent, rushing wind filled the house.
B. Tongues of fire rested on each of them.
C. They were filled with the Holy Spirit.
D. They began to speak in other languages.
Wind … Fire … Holy Spirit … Languages.
Then in Acts2:38-41 Peter says, “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 your children and for all who are far off for all whom the Lord our God will call.” With many other words he warned them; and he pleaded with them, “Save yourselves from this corrupt generation.” Those who accepted his message were baptized, and about three thousand were added to their number that day. and the Christian church was born. Note the sequence again: Wind … Fire … Holy Spirit … Languages … Preaching … Conversion.
So why does the wind come first? Because the Holy Spirit begins his work by blowing through each heart, preparing them for further work to come. So, it is with us today. We need the wind of the Spirit to blow through our hearts,
Replacing fear with faith,
Replacing anger with forgiveness,
Replacing doubt with hope,
Replacing resentment with love,
Replacing judgment with grace,
Replacing bitterness with trust,
Replacing pride with humility,
Replacing envy with kindness,
Replacing cowardice with courage,
Replacing impatience with perseverance,
Replacing harshness with compassion,
Replacing selfishness with generosity.
And we need the wind of the Holy Spirit to blow through our midst today.
All our work will come to nothing without the Holy Spirit blessing our efforts.
We may plan and organize and strategize and publicize to our heart’s content.
We may meet and write papers all night and all day.
We may discuss and ponder and consider all the alternatives.
We may use all the wisdom we can muster, but unless we are changed on the inside by the Holy Spirit, nothing will change, and our work will mean nothing for the sake of the Kingdom.
We need the Holy Spirit to come in a new way because there is always more of God to experience.
In Ephesians 3:19 Paul prayed that his readers might be “filled with all the fullness of God.” This is the whole goal of the Christian life. Don’t water it down.
The word “filled” has the idea of being dominated by something.
If you are filled with rage, then rage will dominate your life.
If you are filled with love, then love dominates your life.
If you are filled with joy, then joy dominates your life.
When you are filled with God, then God himself will dominate your life.
It pictures the total transformation of the human personality by virtue of the presence of God in your life. Isn’t that an amazing thought—to be filled up with all the fullness of God. Don’t shy away from the implications of this truth as I believe many do.
As believers we have been created to be the containers of God. He desires to pour his life into ours and to fill us until we’re full. But this will never be completely answered in this life. And in eternity we will continue to experience more and more of the “fullness of God,” and we will never (not even in eternity) come to the end of who he is.
No one will ever come to the end of the Holy Spirit.
No one will ever come to the end of the Lord Jesus Christ.
No one will ever come to the end of God the Father.
It is the work of the Holy Spirit to bring us continually into a deeper, more profound experience of who God is.
The Holy Spirit brings more of God to us as we bring more of us to him.
Jesus applied the image of the wind of the Spirit in this sentence “So it is with everyone born of the Spirit.”
Nicodemus did not come that night intending to be converted. But that is what happened. The Spirit drew him to Jesus, and he came. The same is true for everyone who comes to Christ.
In John 6:44 Jesus declares that “no one can come to me unless the Father who sent me draws him.” The Father draws sinners to the Son by means of the Holy Spirit.
And in I John 6:37. And all those who are drawn will in fact come to Jesus, and those who come will never be turned away.
And so, we must change and only God can change us. Because we are sinners, we cannot come to God bearing our own sins. If we come with our own sins, he will turn us away for sinners will gain no admittance to heaven.
This is the testimony of the entire Bible.
Amen
