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Works of the Holy Spirit

Ministry of Holy Spirit

On a particularly rough airplane flight, a lady became very airsick. Her shoulders drooped, and her head slumped forward-she was totally wiped out. The stewardess came by to help her. “Come, come now,” she said, “buck up and get control of yourself. Sit up and take courage.” She put her arm under the lady’s arm and helped her sit upright in her seat, gave her gum to chew, and then went get her some water. With the help of the stewardess, the lady finished the trip in far better condition than she began it in.

This is like the ministry of the Holy Spirit in our lives. He comes alongside to help us when we are in hopeless defeat. He admonishes us, encourages us, and restores hope and faith in our lives. ── Michael P. Green《Illustrations for Biblical Preaching》

Illumination

”The Bible without the Holy Spirit is a sun-dial by moonlight.”— D. L. Moody

Holy Spirit

At the close of World War II, two pictures appeared in a magazine showing a soldier in conflict with a tank. The first showed a huge tank bearing down on a tiny soldier, about to crush him. The picture was proportioned to show the odds involved when a footsoldier with a rifle faced a tank. The next picture showed what happened to that soldier’s odds with a bazooka, or rocket launcher, in his hands. This time the tank appeared to be shrunken in size and the soldier at least equal in size, if not a little larger.

Without the power of God released in our lives, when in conflict with sin we are like an infantry soldier in the presence of a tank. We cannot do a thing. But by trust in the power of the living God at work in us, we can say no and make it stick. We can turn and begin to live as God intended us to live. ── Michael P. Green《Illustrations for Biblical Preaching》

HOLY SPIRIT

The Holy Spirit's distinctive role is to fulfill what we may call a floodlight ministry in relation to the Lord Jesus Christ. So far as this role was concerned, the Spirit "was not yet" (John 7:29, literal Greek) while Jesus was on earth; only when the Father had glorified him (John 17:1, 5) could the Spirit's work of making men aware of Jesus' glory begin.

I remember walking to church one winter evening to preach on the words, "He will glorify me" (John 16:14), seeing the building floodlit as I turned a corner, and realizing that this was exactly the illustration my message needed. When floodlighting is well done, the floodlights are placed so that you do not see them; in fact, you are not supposed to see where the light is coming from; what you are meant to see is just the building on which the floodlights are trained. The intended effect is to make it visible when otherwise it would not be seen for the darkness, and to maximize its dignity by throwing all its details into relief so that you can see it properly. This perfectly illustrated the Spirit's new covenant role. He is, so to speak, the hidden floodlight shining on the Savior.

Or think of it this way. It is as if the Spirit stands behind us, throwing light over our shoulder on to Jesus who stands facing us. The Spirit's message to us is never, "Look at me; listen to me; come to me; get to know me", but always, "Look at him, and see his glory; listen to him and hear his word; go to him and have life; get to know him and taste his gift of joy and peace." The Spirit, we might say, is the matchmaker, the celestial marriage broker, whose role it is to bring us and Christ together and ensure that we stay together. ── James Packer, Your Father Loves You, Harold Shaw Publishers, 1986.

 
《The Work Of The Holy Spirit》
 
INTRODUCTION
 
1. Thus far we have examined what the Bible reveals about the nature of
 the Holy Spirit...
 a. The Holy Spirit is a personal being
 b. The Holy Spirit is a divine being
 -- I.e., He is the third Person in the Godhead
 
2. At this point, it may be beneficial to review the work of the Holy
 Spirit...
 a. As manifested throughout the history of mankind
 b. As demonstrated throughout the revelation of God's redemption of
 man
 -- That we might increase our appreciation for the Holy Spirit
 
[We begin by noting...]
 
I. THE SPIRIT'S WORK IN CREATION
 
 A. INVOLVED IN THE CREATION OF THE UNIVERSE...
 1. God used the Spirit in the creation of the world - Gen 1:2; Psa
 104:30
 2. God used the Spirit in the creation of the heavens - Job 26:13;
 Psa 33:6
 -- Clearly in conjunction with the work of the Son - cf. Jn 1:1-3;
 Co 1:16
 
 B. INVOLVED IN THE CREATION OF MAN...
 1. In the creation of the first man - Gen 1:26-27
 2. In the creation of every man (as in the case of Elihu) - Job
 33:4
 
[From the very beginning, the Spirit was at work. His work continued,
especially as God began to slowly reveal His plan of redemption for
mankind...]
 
II. THE SPIRIT'S WORK IN REVELATION
 
 A. IN OLD TESTAMENT TIMES...
 1. The prophets of old spoke as they were moved by the Spirit 
 - 2 Pe 1:20-21; e.g., 2 Sam 23:2
 2. The Spirit was in them, testifying of things to come - 1 Pe
 1:10-11; e.g., Isa 53:4-6
 
 B. IN THE NEW TESTAMENT TIMES...
 1. The Spirit was to guide the apostles into all the truth - Jn
 16:12-13; cf. 14:26
 2. This the Spirit did - 1 Co 2:10-13; e.g., 1 Ti 4:1-3
 
[Thus the Spirit's role in the redemption of man included His work of
revealing the will of God. In conjunction with the Spirit's work of
revelation, we also read of...]
 
III. THE SPIRIT'S WORK IN CONFIRMATION
 
 A. CONFIRMING JESUS AS THE CHRIST...
 1. Jesus was attested by God through the miracles He performed 
 - Ac 2:22
 2. The Spirit worked with Christ to confirm His work - Ac 10:38;
 cf. Mt 12:28; Lk 4:18-21
 
 B. CONFIRMING THE APOSTLES OF CHRIST...
 1. Confirming their message, through gifts given by the Spirit 
 - He 2:3-4
 2. As they traveled about proclaiming the gospel of God - e.g., Ro
 15:19
 
[As the Word of God was being revealed and confirmed, it was the Spirit
of God at work! But as the Word was being preached, the Spirit was also
at work on those who listened with good and honest hearts...]
 
IV. THE SPIRIT'S WORK IN REGENERATION
 
 A. AS THE WORD WAS PREACHED...
 1. The Spirit was doing His work of convicting the world - cf. Jn
 16:8
 2. For example, consider the events on the day of Pentecost
 a. The Spirit gave the apostles utterance - Ac 2:4
 b. Peter preached Christ to them - Ac 2:22-24,36
 c. People in the audience were convicted of their sins - Ac
 2:37
 d. They were encouraged to repent and be baptized - Ac 2:38-39
 e. Those willing to do so, did so gladly - Ac 2:40-41
 -- Thus the Spirit convicts the world through His revealed and
 confirmed Word whenever it is preached; those with good and
 honest hearts will bear the proper fruit - cf. Lk 8:15
 
 B. AS THE WORD WAS OBEYED...
 1. Those who obeyed the Spirit's Word were baptized - cf. Ac 2:
 38-41
 2. In their baptism, they experienced a "washing of regeneration
 and renewing of the Holy Spirit' - cf. Ti 3:5-7; 1 Co 6:11
 -- Thus they were being born again (regenerated) not of water
 only, but of water and the Spirit - cf. Jn 3:5
 
[This work of regeneration by the Spirit in response to the preaching of
the Word does not end the work of the Spirit in the life of the
Christian. For we also read in the Bible of...]
 
V. THE SPIRIT'S WORK IN SANCTIFICATION
 
 A. IN OUR INITIAL SANCTIFICATION...
 1. Sanctification involves the idea of being "set apart",
 "consecrated"
 2. Sanctification began in conjunction with our washing and
 justification - 1 Co 6:11
 3. This washing, sanctification, and justification occurred "by
 the Spirit of our God" 
 -- In obedience to the Word of God, we are "sanctified" by the
 Spirit - cf. 2 Th 2:13
 
 B. IN OUR ONGOING SANCTIFICATION...
 1. Sanctification is an ongoing work - cf. He 2:11; 10:14
 a. Not in the sense of needing redemption - cf. He 10:10
 b. But in the sense of living holy lives - cf. 1 Th 4:3-4; 5:23
 2. The Spirit plays an important role in living holy lives
 a. God strengthens us by His Spirit in our inner man - Ep 3:16;
 cf. 3:20
 b. It is with aid of the Spirit that we put to death the deeds
 of the body - Ro 8:11-13; cf. Co 3:5-9
 -- Thus the need to "walk in the Spirit" and be "led by the
 Spirit" - cf. Ga 5:16-18
 
CONCLUSION
 
1. In this brief survey we have seen the work of the Holy Spirit in
 regards to...
 a. Creation
 b. Revelation
 c. Confirmation
 d. Regeneration
 e. Sanctification
 
2. My purpose has not been to provide an exhaustive survey...
 a. The Lord willing, future lessons will expand on some of the themes
 mentioned in this study
 b. My goal is to remind ourselves how blessed we are through the
 Spirit's work in our lives
 
3. How important is the work of the Spirit...?
 a. Our very being (physical creation) is the result of the Spirit's
 work
 b. Our eternal destiny (spiritual regeneration) is dependent upon the
 Spirit's work
 
Sadly, many people resist the work of the Spirit in their lives. This
occurs whenever one refuses to obey the Word of God revealed and
confirmed by the Spirit (cf. Ac 7:51-53).
 
How much better to obey the truth, and be born again by the Spirit
working through that "incorruptible seed", the Word of God! - cf. 1 Pe
1:22-23

－－《Executable Outlines》