Alpha | Session 9 | Who Is The Holy Spirit?

For a long time in the church the person and work of the Holy Spirit has been:

• Ignored
  • Sometimes a greater concentration on the Father and the Son, but the Holy Spirit is biblical and is the third person of the trinity
• Misunderstood
  • ‘Holy Ghost’ sounds like an impersonal force. But the Holy Spirit is a person, not an ‘it’
• Resisted
  • Fear of what might happen, but the Holy Spirit is gentle

1. HE WAS INVOLVED IN CREATION

• Bringing order out of chaos (Genesis 1:1–2)
• The Creator Spirit – giving life to mankind (Genesis 2:7)

2. HE CAME UPON PARTICULAR PEOPLE AT PARTICULAR TIMES FOR PARTICULAR TASKS

• Bezalel – for artistic work (Exodus 31:1–5)
• Gideon – for leadership (Judges 6:14–15,34)
• Samson – for strength and power (Judges 15:14) • Isaiah – for prophecy (Isaiah 61:1–3)

3. HE WAS PROMISED BY THE FATHER

• The promise of a ‘new thing’
• ‘I will put my Spirit in you’ (Ezekiel 36:26–27)
• ‘I will remove your heart of stone and give you a heart of flesh’ (Ezekiel 36:26–27)
• ‘I will pour out my Spirit on all people’ (Joel 2:28–29)However, the prophecies remained unfulfilled for at least 300 years.With the coming of Jesus there is a great activity of the Spirit – not just for particular people at particular times but for everyone.
• Everyone surrounding the birth of Jesus is filled with the Holy Spirit:
  • Mary (Luke 1:35)
  • Elizabeth (Luke 1:41)
  • John the Baptist (Luke 1:15)

4. JOHN THE BAPTIST LINKS HIM WITH JESUS

‘John answered them all, “I baptize you with water. But one more powerful than I will come, the thongs of whose sandals I am not worthy to untie. He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and with fire.”’ (Luke 3:16)

• Jesus was filled with the Spirit
  • Jesus received power through the anointing of the Holy Spirit at his baptism (Luke 3:22; Luke 4:1,14,18)

5. JESUS PREDICTS HIS PRESENCE

(John 7:37–39 )

However, he tells them to wait for the gift promised by the Father (Acts 1:4–5,8; Luke 24:49).

• At Pentecost the disciples were filled with the Spirit and received:
  • New languages (Acts 2:4–12)
  • New boldness (Acts 2:14)
  • New power (Acts 2:37–41)

We live in the age of the Spirit. God has promised to give his Spirit to every Christian (Acts 2:37–39)

‘Whoever believes in me, as the Scripture has said, will have streams of living water flowing from within’
(JOHN 7:37–38)