January 26, 2014 AD, by Pastor Ben Willis

Acts 2:1-12 [NLTse]

On the day of Pentecost all the believers were meeting together in one place. 2 Suddenly, there was a sound from Heaven like the roaring of a mighty windstorm, and it filled the house where they were sitting. 3 Then, what looked like flames or tongues of fire appeared and settled on each of them. 4 And everyone present was filled with the Holy Spirit and began speaking in other languages, as the Holy Spirit gave them this ability.

5 At that time there were devout Jews from every nation living in Jerusalem. 6 When they heard the loud noise, everyone came running, and they were bewildered to hear their own languages being spoken by the believers.

7 They were completely amazed. “How can this be?” they exclaimed. “These people are all from Galilee, 8 and yet we hear them speaking in our own native languages! 9 Here we are—Parthians, Medes, Elamites, people from Mesopotamia, Judea, Cappadocia, Pontus, the province of Asia, 10 Phrygia, Pamphylia, Egypt, and the areas of Libya around Cyrene, visitors from Rome 11 (both Jews and converts to Judaism), Cretans, and Arabs. And we all hear these people speaking in our own languages about the wonderful things God has done!” 12 They stood there amazed and perplexed. “What can this mean?” they asked each other.

I would like to introduce all of you to a very special friend of mine: The Holy Spirit. I know that some of you know Him and know Him very well. But I know that others of you don’t know Him, and I know that still others of you think you know Him, but don’t know Him as well as you think you do or have been deceived to think Him to be very different than He is.

I think the most accepted deception about my Friend the Holy Spirit is the idea of Him being some very powerful (though fairly impersonal) “force” that is at God’s command, that was at the Lord Jesus’ command, and that has been at the command of a handful of mystics and extraordinarily faithful folks over the centuries. I think His very name, the Holy Spirit has perpetuated that deception as we tend to think of spirits as powers and forces and things to be manipulated and controlled and to protect ourselves from. So I wanted to introduce you to my Friend the Holy Spirit today in the hopes of dispelling and disproving such things.

First, I want to make clear that I’m not speaking on my own behalf in introducing the Holy Spirit to you this way: He asked me to. So, for the most part I’m just trying to be a good friend back by doing what He’s asked me to. Because the first part of those lies about Him that the Holy Spirit wants me to dispel and disprove today is that malicious idea that only a few “mystics and extraordinarily faithful ones over the centuries” are the only ones who get to know Him. He’s asked me to speak about these things today because He wants you to get to know Him.

As proof of this the Holy Spirit has asked me to have you look at Luke 11:13 with me… After teaching a bit on prayer the Lord Jesus, comparing God the Father to earthly fathers, says, “So if you sinful people know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to those who ask Him.”

Raise your hand if you have ever asked God for anything… (You can put your hands down.) Now raise your hands if you’ve never asked God for anything… (If some raise their hands then ask them, “Are you able to talk with God and ask for His help and for things but you’ve just chosen not to?” …) So we all could ask the Father for things, [even if we never have], and many of us have asked of Him, is that right?

So, according to Jesus’ words here in Luke 11:13, who will God the Father give the Holy Spirit to? [Answer: “Those who ask Him.”] Who here could ask Him, if you chose to? … So, according to Jesus’ words here in Luke 11:13, who among us would receive the Holy Spirit if they asked?

J Hooray! That was one of the things the Holy Spirit wanted me to help you know today: Yes! He wants you to know Him, and wants you to know that, if you haven’t already, that the Father is ready and willing to give Him to you if you’d just ask! (You can see more about that in the “Holy Spirit” Insert in today’s Bulletins.)

And with that in mind, something else about those lies the Holy Spirit wanted me to talk with you about is that He’s not some “force” out there. He wants you to know that He’s a Person.

You may be thinking, “If the Holy Spirit was a Person then why isn’t His name ‘the Holy Person’? But a spirit can be a person. Any entity that thinks and feels and wills is a person. Because when I say that the Holy Spirit is a Person I’m not saying He has hands and feet and eyes and ears and mouth and so on. These are not the characteristics of personality but of corporality. Corporality means He would have a body or a material or physical existence, and I’m not saying that. I’m telling you He is a Person, that the Holy Spirit has a set of emotional qualities and ways of behaving and interacting with others around Him that makes Him different and unique among other people, other persons.

And the Bible tells us the Holy Spirit has knowledge, and searches out the deep things of God, and reveals those things to Christians. (1 Corinthians 2:10-11) The Bible tells us the Holy Spirit makes choices, using us according to His will. (1 Corinthians 12:11) (Which, of course, is where so many go astray, trying to get the mysterious and mighty power of the Holy Spirit to empower them for the works they want to accomplish, instead of being useful to Him for the works He wants to accomplish in and through us.)

The Bible speaks of the Holy Spirit as having thoughts and feelings and purposes (Romans 8:27), and of loving (Romans 15:30). (We Christians spend much time praising and celebrating and rejoiding in the love of God the Father and the love of God the Son, Jesus Christ. But how often do we even consider the wondrous love of God the Holy Spirit?)

The Bible credits the Holy Spirit with goodness, intelligence, and the ability to teach and instruct people (Nehemiah 9:20), and speaks of the Holy Spirit being grieved (Ephesians 4:30)… (A mere influence or power cannot be grieved…)

If the Holy Spirit were merely some mysterious, wonderful power then you and I in our weakness and ignorance would try to somehow to get hold of and use Him. But if the Holy Spirit is a real Person – infinitely holy, infinitely wise, infinitely mighty, infinitely tender – then the real truth is that we need Him to get hold of and use us! If we think of the Holy Spirit (as so many do) as merely a power source or a godly influence then our constant thought will be, “How can I get more of the Holy Spirit?” But if we think of the Holy Spirit the way the Bible speaks of Him, as a divine Person, then our thoughts will become, “How can the Holy Spirit have more of me?”

The deception that the Holy Spirit is merely some divine influence or power that we can get hold of and use only leads to pride and us strutting about as though belonging to some superior order of Christianity. But when we truly understand that the Holy Spirit is a divine Person – as real a Person as Jesus Christ Himself, an ever-present, loving Friend and mighty Helper, Who is not only always by our side but at the same time dwells in our hearts every day and every hour and Who is ready to take us through every joy, emergency, and calling of life – Who desires to take possession of our lives and make eternal use of us! well, it will put us on our faces in wonder and worship and keep us on our faces in wonder and worship. I can think of no thought more humbling or overwhelming than the thought that a Person of divine majesty, glory, and eternity dwells in my heart and is ready to use even me…

I’m going to be sharing more with you about my Friend, the Holy Spirit, on and off over the upcoming weeks. But let me end by saying that if the Holy Spirit has not yet come into your life to empower and make you more effective for building up and expanding Christ’s Kingdom here in Milford and beyond, please come talk with me or one of the elders whom you will find up front here after the Service.