2020 HOMECOMING - Part 2 - The Holy Spirit is a Person and the Holy Spirit is God

Class Outline:

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It is the Spirit who testifies, because the Spirit is the truth.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Welcome To 

BARAH MINISTRIES

a Christian Church

 

Rory Clark

Pastor-Teacher

 

Good Morning! 

 

Welcome to Barah Ministries…an intimate, local Christian Church with worldwide impact.  My name is Pastor Rory Clark.  We’re celebrating the Homecoming of our non-resident congregation members this weekend.  And we welcome those of you who consider yourselves family and who value spending intimate personal time with your Pastor and with your Barah Ministries family.  We’re also celebrating Pastor Appreciation Weekend, a chance for you to tell your Pastor what you appreciate about him and the use of his spiritual gift.  Awwwww!

 

TODAY’S BIBLE LESSON

The Holy Spirit is a Person and the Holy Spirit is God

 

LESSON INTRODUCTION

 

At Barah Ministries we worship a Triune Godhead…One God…who expresses His divinity in three separate and distinct Persons…God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit.  They are equals in every respect…they are equally infinite…they are equally eternal…and they are equally God.  Even our Jewish brethren, through the Hebrew language of the Old Testament, declare this to be true in Genesis, Chapter 1, Verse 26…

 

GENESIS 1:26

Then God said, “Let US make man in OUR image…and according to OUR likeness (as spirit beings)…”

 

Who is US?  Who is OUR?  US and OUR is God the Father…God the Son…and God the Holy Spirit!  The US and OUR are plurals in Hebrew.  

Throughout this weekend, I want to introduce you to each member of the Triune Godhead so that you will get the idea that they must each be worshipped equally.  Last night we met our PLANNER, PROVIDER, and our very present PROTECTOR…God the Father.  In today’s lesson, we meet God the Holy Spirit.  If you are watching on video, you see a sign above my head…Jesus Christ is God!  Well make no mistake about it…the Holy Spirit is GOD, too!  And today, we’ll meet Him so that we may worship Him.

 

SONG INTRODUCTION

 

In Galatians, Chapter 5, Verse 16 the apostle Paul reminds us…

 

GALATIANS 5:16

I (Paul) say…walk (have a lifestyle) by means of God the Holy Spirit…and you will not carry out the desire of the flesh.

 

June Murphy talks about the Holy Spirit and the entire Godhead in her beautiful song… HOW GREAT YOU ARE.

 

MUSIC AND REFLECTION

Be Occupied with the Person of the Lord Jesus Christ

Enjoy the Singing of His Praises

 

HOW GREAT YOU ARE

June Murphy

 

OPENING PRAYER

Let us pray...

 

We’re grateful, Heavenly Father, for the privilege of studying Your absolute truth...the Word of God…

 

Father, thank you for giving us the chance to get to know a little bit more about You last night…thanks to You we feel planned for and provided for and protected…thank you also for introducing us today to Your God the Holy Spirit, the member of the Triune Godhead that is in charge of shaping us into the people You want us to become…help us to know Him in the things You have prepared for us to hear today…

…we ask this through the power of God the Holy Spirit…in Christ’s

name...Amen.

 

TODAY’S BIBLE LESSON

The Holy Spirit is a Person and the Holy Spirit is God

 

The 1985 Chicago Bears are considered to be the greatest football team of all time.  I agree with this assessment, and not simply because I’m from Chicago.  The Bears defense gave up 198 points the whole season.  In the playoffs, en route to a victory in Superbowl 20, the Bears defense didn’t give up a single point.  The defense was so dominant that a simple and true fact is often overlooked.  The offense was pretty good, too!

 

The 1985 Chicago Bears offense ranked second in the league.  They were just as dominant as the defense, yet there is rarely a mention of their prowess.  If you hear anything about that 1985 Chicago Bears team, you hear about the smothering, intimidating, and downright frightening defense that is without peer in the history of the game.

 

As a lifelong Bears fan, the offense has always been a source of great consternation and disappointment.  What a rare pleasure it was to have an offense that could score just as well as the Chicago Bears defense could stop people.  All in all, this team was a ferocious grizzly Bear in every sense.

 

If I mention Walter Payton, or Mike Singletary, or even Jim McMahon…and you are a student of the history of the game…your ears will perk up and you'll easily remember and be glad to recall their contribution to this football team.  But if I mention the name Jay Hilgenberg, perhaps the only person whose ears would perk up today would be Deacon Denny Goodall’s, because Jay is an alumnus of the University of Iowa, Denny’s alma mater.  

 

Jay Hilgenberg was the center for the offensive line of the 1985 Chicago Bears.  He was the “quarterback” for an offensive line that dominated the league in rushing the football.  The 1985 Bears had a relentless rushing attack that led the league in rushing attempts, rushing yards, and in rushing touchdowns.  This could not have been achieved without Jay Hilgenberg, but I’ll bet you have never even heard his name.

 

So it is with God the Holy Spirit.  As we study the Bible, we hardly hear His

name.  Yet God the Holy Spirit is God.  He is equal to God the Father and God the Son in every respect…He is a Person…He is NOT an energy force or an influence or an activity…He is equally infinite…He is equally eternal…and He is equally God.  Yet we never really hear much about God the Holy Spirit.  In fact, according to one Pastor who wrote on the subject, “There is no more maligned, no more misunderstood, no more misrepresented, no more insulted, no more dishonored, and no more blasphemed member of the Trinity than God the Holy Spirit.”  I agree completely!

 

God the Holy Spirit is fully God…He has all of God’s attributes…He participates in all of God’s works…He speaks all of God’s words, and He is in perfect harmony with God the Father and God the Son.  He is as holy and as gracious and as powerful and as merciful and as sovereign and as loving as God the Father and God the Son. He is to be worshiped as fully as God the Father and as God the Son.  Yet He is the Rodney Dangerfield of the Godhead…He “don’t get no respect…I’ll tell ya!”

 

On the night before He was crucified, the Lord Jesus Christ spoke of God the Holy Spirit…words that would begin a handoff of sorts.  God the Father had planned for the SALVATION of all mankind by sending His Son to shed blood and to die on a Cross to become the Savior of the whole world.  God the Son became flesh and tabernacled among us and accomplished the task of salvation prepared by the Father.  Then God the Holy Spirit was introduced to take over the task of our SANCTIFICATION.  John, Chapter 14, Verses 16 and 17…

 

JOHN 14:16

“I (the Lord Jesus Christ) will ask God the Father…and He will give you another Helper…that He may be with you forever…”

 

JOHN 14:17 

“…that Helper is THE SPIRIT OF TRUTH…whom the world cannot receive…because it does not see Him or know Him…but you believers in Christ know Him…because He abides with you and He will be indwelling you.”

 

God the Holy Spirit is like a good football referee who is doing His job well.  He is a very real part of the game, yet He is rarely appreciated or respected or noticed.

 

John, Chapter 14, Verses 25 and 26…

 

JOHN 14:25

“These things I (the Lord Jesus Christ) have spoken to you while abiding with you.”

 

JOHN 14:26 

“But the Helper…God the Holy Spirit…whom God the Father will send in My name…He will teach you all things, and bring to your remembrance all that I said to you.”

 

God the Holy Spirit does a brilliant job of reminding us when we forget about the truth of the Word of God.  John, Chapter 15, Verses 26 and 27…

 

JOHN 15:26 

“When the Helper comes…whom I will send to you from God the Father… that is GOD THE HOLY SPIRIT OF TRUTH who proceeds from God the Father…He will testify about Me (the Lord Jesus Christ)…”

 

JOHN 15:27

“…and you will testify about me also, because you have been with Me from the beginning.”

 

God the Holy Spirit reminds us who the Lord Jesus Christ is and the significance of His Person and his Work.  John, Chapter 16, Verses 5 to 15…

 

JOHN 16:5

“But now I (the Lord Jesus Christ) am going (home) to God the Father who sent Me… and none of you apostles ask Me, ‘Where are You going?’”

 

JOHN 16:6 

“But because I have said these things to you (about leaving you), sorrow has filled your heart.”

 

JOHN 16:7 

“But I (the Lord Jesus Christ) 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 do go away, I will send Him to you.”

 

JOHN 16:8 

And God the Holy Spirit, when He comes, will convict the world concerning sin and righteousness and judgment…”

 

JOHN 16:9 

“…concerning sin, because the world does not believe in Me…”

 

JOHN 16:10 

“…and concerning Jesus’ righteousness, because I go to the Father and you no longer see Me…”

 

JOHN 16:11 

“…and concerning judgment…because the ruler of this world is already judged.”

 

JOHN 16:12 

“I have many more things to say to you, but you cannot bear them now.”

 

JOHN 16:13 

“But when He, God the Holy Spirit of truth, comes, HE WILL GUIDE YOU INTO ALL THE TRUTH…for He will not speak on His own initiative…but whatever He hears, He will speak…and He will disclose to you what is to come.”

 

JOHN 16:14 

“God the Holy Spirit will glorify Me…for He will take of Mine and will disclose it to you.”

 

JOHN 16:15 

“All things that God the Father has are Mine…therefore I said that He takes of Mine and will disclose it to you.”

 

If the three members of the Triune Godhead are huddling together to discuss something, God the Holy Spirit would be the one who has His arms around the other two.  He is intensely listening to the play being called by the Planner, God the Father…He knows who is carrying the ball, God the Son, the Lord, in His physical manifestation as Jesus Christ…and the Holy Spirit is the Jay Hilgenberg of the Trinity.  He is paving the way for the work of the other two.  He is every bit a Person, and every bit as important as God the Father and God the Son.  I want you to know God the Holy Spirit, I want you to love Him, and I want you to adore Him just as I do.  When we return from our five-minute break we’ll learn a few things about how God the Holy Spirit operates.

 

FIVE MINUTE BREAK

NOBODY

Casting Crowns

 

TODAY’S BIBLE LESSON

The Holy Spirit is a Person and the Holy Spirit is God

 

God the Holy Spirit is called by many functional titles all over the Bible.  He is the “Helper” … John, Chapter 16, Verse 7…

 

JOHN 16:7 

“But I (the Lord Jesus Christ) 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 do go away, I will send Him to you.”

 

Various translations interpret the Greek word parakletos as Helper… Counselor…Comforter…yet this word is a powerful term…when translated to English it is the word Paraclete.  What is a paraclete?

 

PARACLETE

Someone who brings power to the assistance of another.

 

A lawyer is a paraclete.  When you have a legal issue, and no law background, you are in danger of being taken advantage of.  When a lawyer is acting as a paraclete, He informs you concerning your rights and he educates you on the best way to defend yourself.  Then he speaks on your behalf, bringing a powerful offense or defense depending on the need of the moment so that you are fully planned for, provided for, and protected.  Hmmm…that sounds very similar to God the Father’s work doesn’t it?  Maybe God the Father and God the Holy Spirit are on the same page!

God the Holy Spirit is described as the SPIRIT OF TRUTH.  He is also described as the SPIRIT OF LIFE.  John, Chapter 6, Verse 63…

 

JOHN 6:63

It is the Spirit who gives the resurrection life…the flesh profits us nothing… the words that I have spoken to you (through God the Holy Spirit) are spirit and are life.

 

Jesus Christ is responsible for our SALVATION…the move we make as we convert from unbeliever to believer by accepting the Christian Way of Life.  God the Holy Spirit is responsible for our SANCTIFICATION.  He is the Chief Divinity Office of the Christian Way of Living.  This way of living is commonly referred to as out walk.  Ephesians, Chapter 4, Verse 1…

 

EPHESIANS 4:1

Therefore I (Paul)…the prisoner of the Lord…implore you believers in Christ to walk in (the Christian Way of Living…a lifestyle) in a manner worthy of the calling with which you have been called…

 

Galatians, Chapter 5, Verse 16…

 

GALATIANS 5:16

But I (Paul) say…walk by means of God the Holy Spirit, and you will not carry out the desire of the flesh.

 

God the Holy Spirit indwells us.  He lives inside of us, in harmony with the rest of the indwelling Trinity.  God the Holy Spirit leads us.  He ushers us down the narrow road that leads to the resurrection life.  God the Holy Spirit teaches us just as Jesus Christ promises.  All that we know about God has been revealed from within by God the Holy Spirit.  He is a Person who listens to the instructions and the teaching of the other two members of the Godhead, and not speaking from His own initiative, He reveals to us what He has heard. 

 

God the Holy Spirit purifies us.  What it means to be "sanctified" is to be set apart for a series of privileges that if they could be fully comprehended and held in our consciousness simultaneously literally would blow our minds.  The truth of our privileges would stagger our imagination.  God the Holy Spirit removes the impurities from us bit by bit by renewing our minds with the Word of God so that we are conformed to the image of God the Son.  Without God the Holy Spirit, we could never understand anything about the Lord Jesus Christ.  Ask the unbeliever!  First Corinthians, Chapter 2, Verse 14…

 

FIRST CORINTHIANS 2:14

But a natural man does not accept the things of the Holy Spirit of God…for they are foolishness to him…and he cannot understand them, because they are spiritually appraised (through the enabling power and the convicting ministry of God the Holy Spirit).

 

The human race, even believers in Christ, are often spiritually asleep.  God the Holy Spirit is the one who wakes us up.  Ephesians, Chapter 5, Verses 11 to 21…

 

EPHESIANS 5:11

Do not participate in the unfruitful deeds of darkness, but instead expose them…

 

EPHESIANS 5:12 

…for it is disgraceful even to speak of the things which are done by them in secret.

 

EPHESIANS 5:13 

But all things become visible when they are exposed by the light, for everything that becomes visible is light.

 

EPHESIANS 5:14 

For this reason, scripture says, “Awake, sleeper, and arise from among the dead ones, and Christ will shine on you.”

 

EPHESIANS 5:15 

Therefore, (believers in Christ) be careful how you walk (in lifestyle)…not as unwise men but as wise…

 

EPHESIANS 5:16

…making the most of your time, because the days are evil.

 

EPHESIANS 5:17 

So then do not be foolish…instead understand what the will of the Lord is.

 

EPHESIANS 5:18 

And do not get drunk with wine, for that is dissipation, but keep on being filled with the Spirit…

 

What does it mean to be filled with the Spirit?  It means to let your very person reflect the character and nature of the Lord Jesus Christ through the enabling power of God the Holy Spirit so the world sees the Lord as you do!

 

EPHESIANS 5:19 

…(and when you are filled with the Spirit you will be) speaking to one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs…singing and making melody with your heart to the Lord…

 

EPHESIANS 5:20 

…always giving thanks for all things in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ to the God who is the Father…

 

EPHESIANS 5:21

…and be subject to one another in the respect of Christ.

 

It is God the Holy Spirit who ensures that we give the other two members of Godhead the respect each deserves.  It is my fervent wish that you give God the Holy Spirit the worship and the respect He deserves as well.

 

SONG INTRODUCTION

 

In Second Peter, Chapter 1, Verses 20 and 21 the apostle Peter says…

 

SECOND PETER 1:20

…know this first of all…that no prophecy of Scripture is a matter of one’s own private interpretation…

 

SECOND PETER 1:21 

…for no prophecy was ever made by an act of human will…but men carried along (guided) by God the Holy Spirit spoke directly from the EXACT thinking of THE God…the Lord Jesus Christ.

 

One of the great things about getting together with a group of like-minded people who are believers in Christ is a chance to hear the Word of God… because as June Murphy sings, O God, YOUR WORD TAKES ME…filling us up to all the fullness of God.

 

CLOSING SONG

YOUR WORD TAKES ME

June Murphy

 

CLOSING VERSES

 

         A Doxology of Praise to Our God

 

PHILIPPIANS 4:6

Stop worrying about anything…instead, in everything by prayer and petition with an attitude of thanksgiving…let your requests be made known to God the Father. 

 

PHILIPPIANS 4:7 

And the peace of God the Father, which surpasses all comprehension, will guard your hearts and your minds (flooding your souls with peace)…you who are in union with Christ Jesus.

 

JUDE 1:24

Now to Jesus Christ…the One who is able to keep you from stumbling…and the One who is able to make you stand in the presence of His glory blameless with great joy…

 

JUDE 1:25 

…to the only God…our Savior…through our union with Jesus Christ our Lord…be glory…majesty…dominion…and authority…before all time…and now…and forever. Amen.

 

 

CLOSING PRAYER

Let us pray...

 

Thanks for coming!

Thanks for watching!

Thanks for listening!

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