Come Holy Spirit
Pastor Russell Benson
March 6th, 2022
Before you consider who the Holy Spirit is, have you ever considered who He isn’t? He is not power, nor is He a mystic force. He is not tongues, prophecy or miracles, healings, or gifts. The Holy Spirit is the Lord. He is the third person of the Holy Trinity. You eternally believe in one God who eternally exists as three persons; the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.
The Holy Spirit is not weird. The Holy Spirit is not an unwelcomed, optional force in the church. The Holy Spirit is God and is the one who empowers the believer and the church toward victory.
WHO IS THE HOLY SPIRIT?
The Holy Spirit is the giver of life who proceeds from the Father and the Son. He is worshipped and He is glorified. As much as the Father and Son are God, the Holy Spirit is also God and should be glorified and worshipped by the church.
The Holy Spirit is not just a force or influence; He is a person. He has all the components of a person.
He has a mind and intellect. Romans 8:27 says, “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”
He has a will. 1 Corinthians 12:11 says, “All these are empowered by one and the same Spirit, who apportions to each one individually as he wills.”
He has emotions. Romans 15:30 says, “I appeal to you, brothers, by our Lord Jesus Christ and by the love of the Spirit, to strive together with me in your prayers to God on my behalf.”
The Holy Spirit has feelings. He can be welcomed and He can be rejected. He can also be grieved. Ephesians 4:30 says, “And do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, by whom you were sealed for the day of redemption.”
THE COMING OF THE HOLY SPIRIT
In Luke chapter one, we learn that Elizabeth, the mother of John the Baptist, is filled with the Holy Spirit while pregnant with him.
In the book of Matthew, we learn that the Holy Spirit descends during Jesus’ baptism. Matthew 3:16-17 says, “And when Jesus was baptized, immediately he went up from the water, and behold, the heavens were opened to him, and he saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove and coming to rest on him; and behold, a voice from heaven said, “This is my beloved Son, with whom I am well pleased.” This scenario is a perfect display of the Holy Trinity. The heavens are open, the Father is speaking, Jesus is being baptized, and the Holy Spirit descends upon Jesus.
Jesus spoke extensively about the coming of the Holy Spirit to the church. John 16:7 says, “Nevertheless, I tell you the truth: it is to your advantage that I go away, for if I do not go away, the Helper will not come to you. But if I go, I will send him to you.” The coming of the Holy Spirit is so important that Jesus said He has to go. He acknowledges the significance of ascending to heaven and how the coming of the Holy Spirit would benefit the believer.
Luke 24:48-49 says, “You are witnesses of these things. And behold, I am sending the promise of my Father upon you. But stay in the city until you are clothed with power from on high.” Jesus is getting very clear instructions. He is sending the Holy Spirit until the power comes upon you.
The coming of the Holy Spirit was not an afterthought. It was and is imperative to the body of Christ. The birth of the church is when the Holy Spirit came to the church. In Acts 1, Jesus speaks some of His last words before He ascends to heaven. And because these are His last words, we know that they hold significance. Acts 1:4 says, “But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you, and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth.” Jesus is giving His disciples the power to go but He doesn’t want them to go yet. He wants them to wait for the coming of the Holy Spirit so they can be empowered.
THE HOLY SPIRIT IN THE LIFE OF THE BELIEVER
Why do you need the Holy Spirit in your life? AW Tozer said, “When we have the Holy Spirit, we have all that is needed to be all that God desires us to be.” Charles Spurgeon said, “Without the Holy Spirit, we can do nothing. We are ships without wind and we are useless.” You need the Holy Spirit. You have no other option or choice. One second of the Holy Spirit’s presence changes everything.
As the church, if we are going to be all that God calls us to be then we have to be a people of the Holy Spirit. We need power and we cannot do it without the Holy Spirit’s power. If we want the life of the Holy Spirit in us, then we have to bear fruit. Galatians 5:22-23 says, “But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control; against such things there is no law.” Embodying these fruits only come through the Holy Spirit.
THE NEED FOR THE HOLY SPIRIT IN THE CHURCH TODAY
Reinhard Bonnke said, “The less Holy Spirit we have, the more cake and coffee we need to keep the church going.” In essence, he is saying that if we do not have the Holy Spirit in the church, then we need to supplement it with all kinds of fun and entertaining things to get people to come to church. But when we have the Holy Ghost, we have everything we need, to be all that God has called us to be.
Without a life full of the Holy Spirit, it’s impossible to build a church. A gospel with no emphasis on the Holy Spirit is flat. There is no doubt that in the church a life filled with the Holy Spirit must be the norm. Acts 6:3 says, “Therefore, brothers, pick out from among you seven men of good repute, full of the Spirit and of wisdom, whom we will appoint to this duty.” It was an absolute requirement to have a life filled with the Holy Spirit even to serve the tables.
Peter went from being a doubter and a denier to preaching one of the most powerful messages to be preached on the day of Pentecost. The church grew from one hundred and twenty people that were in the upper room to about five thousand people.
The church is born of the Holy Spirit, empowered by the Holy Spirit, and is only propelled forward by the Holy Spirit. Come, Holy Spirit, and have your way in our lives.
APPLICATION QUESTIONS
How do you view the Holy Spirit after reading this? Do you understand the power of the Holy Spirit in your life?
Do you have the Holy Spirit in your life? Do you need a fresh filling of the Holy Spirit?
How can you make more room for the Holy Spirit in your life? Do you need to give Him more authority? Remember, The Holy Spirit empowers us and leads us into victory.
