A great preacher of days gone by once said that there are three kinds of Christians in the world. First, there are “Third Chapter of John” Christians. These are Christians who have experienced a spiritual rebirth. They have been born physically of the flesh, but they have also been born again of “The Holy Spirit.” The Christian life must begin with a new birth, but it’s a tragedy when Christians never go beyond the experience of regeneration.
Second, there are “Fourth Chapter of John” Christians. These are Christians who have gone a little further in their spiritual life. Jesus said, “Whosoever drinketh of this water shall thirst again: But whosoever drinketh of the water that I shall give him shall never thirst; but the water that I shall give him shall be in him a well of water springing up into everlasting life.” (John 4:13-14) They have discovered the fact that Jesus really satisfies. They never thirst, for a well of water springs up in them to everlasting life.
Finally, there are “Seventh Chapter of John” Christians. Jesus said, “If any man thirst, let him come unto me, and drink. He that believeth on me, as the scripture hath said, out of his belly shall flow rivers of living water. But this spake he of the Spirit, which they that believe on him should receive.”
(John 7:37-39) It is possible for a Christian to live his life where, not only is there a well of water springing up to eternal life, but there is a river of living water flowing out to others. Now, which would you rather have, a well or river? The secret of the rivers of living water is “The Holy Spirit.”
The day that you received the Lord Jesus Christ as your personal Savior, “The Holy Spirit” of God took up permanent residency inside your body. As the third person of the Trinity, He is perhaps the most misunderstood and ignored part of a Christian’s relationship with God. The purpose of this lesson is to give you a basic understanding of just what it is that “The Holy Spirit” does in your life.
I. THE MAJESTY OF THE HOLY SPIRIT.
A. His Personality.
1. The Bible teaches that the Holy Spirit is a person, and not some impersonal force or influence.
a. The Lord Jesus Himself referred to the Holy Spirit as a person, and He often used personal pronouns when speaking of Him.
b. How many times, in the following verses, does Jesus use the personal pronoun “He” when referring to the Holy Spirit? (John 16:13-15)
2. The work of the Holy Spirit demands His personality.
a. What two things did Jesus tell His disciples the Holy Spirit would do for them? (John 14:26)
b. Name at least three things Jesus said the Holy Spirit would do when He was come? (John 16:13-14)
B. His Deity.
1. The Holy Spirit is called God. (Acts 5:3-4)
a. Who did Ananias lie to? (v. 3)
b. Peter said that by doing so, Ananias had not lied unto men, but unto whom? (v. 4)
2. The Holy Spirit is clearly identified with God.
a. “Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the_____, and of the_____, and of the_____.” (Matthew 28:19)
b. “For there are three that bear record in heaven, the_____, the _____, and the _____: and these three are one.” (1 John 5:7)
II. THE MINISTRY OF THE HOLY SPIRIT.
A. His Ministry In The Past.
1. He is the Author of the Word of God.
a. How was the prophecy of God’s Word given to man? (II Peter 1:21)
b. An example of this is found in the Life of King David. Who spoke through David and whose word was in his tongue? (II Samuel 23:1-2)
2. He took part in creation.
a. The Bible teaches that the whole Trinity was involved in the act of creation. In the beginning, when the world was created, what did the Spirit do? (Genesis 1:1-2)
b. Complete the following verse: “The Spirit of God hath _____me, and the_____of the Almighty hath given me_____.” (Job 33:4)
3. He was active in the ministry of Jesus Christ.
a. Jesus was_____by the Spirit. (Matthew 1:18-20)
b. Jesus was_____by the Spirit. (Luke 4:1)
c. Jesus was_____by the Spirit. (Luke 4:18)
B. His Ministry In The Present.
1. He brings conviction (reproof) to the heart of man.
a. The Holy Spirit convicts the unsaved world to bring them to salvation. What three things does He convict the world of? (John 16:7-8)
b. He also convicts the believer of sin in his life. The Holy Spirit knows that sin will affect our fellowship with God, as well as our testimony before men. Has the Holy Spirit of God ever convicted you of sin since you have been saved?
Note: We need to understand the difference between conviction and guilt. Conviction is God pointing out to us that something is wrong so that we can make it right. Guilt is the devil accusing us of being unworthy to receive God’s blessing.
2. The Holy Spirit regenerates the one who believes on Jesus Christ.
a. The word “regeneration” means “new birth.” Jesus referred to the new birth as being what? (John 3:7)
b. If a man is not born of the Spirit what can he not do? (John 3:5)
3. The Holy Spirit indwells the body of the believer.
a. What does the Bible say the body of the believer is? (I Corinthians 6:19-20)
b. The Holy Spirit came to indwell us at the moment of salvation. How long did Jesus say the Holy Spirit would abide with us? (John 14:16)
4. The Holy Spirit seals the believer once he is saved.
a. Name two things that must take place before a person is sealed with the Holy Spirit? (Ephesians 1:13)
b. How long has the believer been sealed? (Ephesians 4:30)
5. The Holy Spirit bears witness to us of our salvation.
a. He bears witness with our spirit that we are what? (Romans 8:16)
b. How do we know that we dwell in God, and that God dwells in us? (I John 4:13)
6. The Holy Spirit helps the believer to understand the Word of God.
a. What two things did Jesus say the Holy Spirit would do for us? (John 16:13-14)
b. The believer is not only given a “road map” in the Bible, but he is given a “personal guide” to assist him day by day. What did Jesus say the Holy Spirit guides the Believer into? (John 16:13)
7. The Holy Spirit produces godly fruit in the life of the yielded believer. (Galatians 5:22-23)
a. The fruit of the Spirit is singular because all these qualities are produced at the same time by a close relationship with the Spirit.
b. List the Fruit of the Spirit.
8. The Holy Spirit comforts the believer in time of need.
a. Jesus said “I will not leave you ____________: I will come to you.” (John 14:18)
b. What other name did Jesus give to the Holy Spirit? (John 14:26)
9. The Holy Spirit empowers the believer to serve God.
a. What did Jesus say His disciples would receive after the Spirit came upon them? (Acts 1:8)
b. Complete the following verse: “That he would grant you, according to the riches of his glory, to be__________with__________by his__________in the inner man.” (Ephesians 3:16)
III. THE MASTERY OF THE HOLY SPIRIT.
A. For The Believer To Know And Experience The Full Ministry Of The Holy Spirit, He Must Allow The Holy Spirit To Master Him.
1. This is done by being filled with the Spirit. (Ephesians 5:18)
a. To be filled with the Spirit simply means to be dominated or controlled by the Spirit.
b. The tense of the verb indicates that this filling is to be continual, and not a one time thing.
2. There are two ways this filling can be hindered.
a. By grieving the Holy Spirit which takes place when we do the things that we should not do.
b. By quenching the Holy Spirit which takes place when we do not do the things that we should do.
3. The believer should never grieve or quench the Spirit.
a. “And _____not the holy Spirit of God, whereby ye are sealed unto the day of redemption.” (Ephesians 4:30)
b. “_____not the Spirit.” (I Thessalonians 5:19)
B. What Must The Believer Do In Order To Be Filled With The Holy Spirit?
1. The believer must surrender his life to God.
a. The filling of the Holy Spirit is not us receiving more of the Spirit, but the Spirit receiving more of us.
b. We receive all of Him there is at the time of Salvation.
2. The believer must saturate himself with God’s Word.
a. Comparing Ephesians 5:18-19 and Colossians 3:16-17 reveals that investing our life in the Word of God and letting it dwell in our hearts will produce the same results in our life as being filled with the Spirit.
b. Since these two things go hand in hand, we discover that the more we saturate our mind with God’s Word, the closer our relationship to the Holy Spirit will be.
Conclusion: The Bible commands ever believer to be filled with the Spirit. Are you willing to let the Holy Spirit fill you? (Memorize: Ephesians 5:18)