Download - What Jesus Said about the Holy Spirit
What Jesus Said
about the Holy SpiritAdapted from the series,
“Jesus Said” by Michael Wileyhttp://www.sermoncentral.com/sermons/what-jesus-said-about-the-
holy-spirit-michael-wiley-sermon-on-holy-spirit-general-132924.asp
John 3:1 NET Now a certain man, a Pharisee named Nicodemus, who was a member of the Jewish ruling council, 2 came to Jesus at night and said to him,
"Rabbi, we know that you are a teacher who has come from God. For no one could
perform the miraculous signs that you do unless God is with him." 3 Jesus replied, "I tell you the solemn truth, unless a person is
born from above, he cannot see the kingdom of God."
4 Nicodemus said to him, "How can a man be born when he is old? He cannot enter his mother's womb and be born a second
time, can he?" 5 Jesus answered, "I tell you the solemn truth, unless a person is born of
water and spirit, he cannot enter the kingdom of God. 6 What is born of the flesh
is flesh, and what is born of the Spirit is spirit.
7 Do not be amazed that I said to you, 'You must all be born from above.' 8 The wind blows wherever it will, and you hear the
sound it makes, but do not know where it comes from and where it is going. So it is with everyone who is born of the Spirit."
John 16:7 NET But I tell you the truth, it is to your advantage that I am going away. For
if I do not go away, the Advocate will not come to you, but if I go, I will send him to you. 8 And when he comes, he will prove
the world wrong concerning sin and righteousness and judgment — 9
concerning sin, because they do not believe in me; 10 concerning righteousness,
because I am going to the Father and you will see me no longer;
11 and concerning judgment, because the ruler of this world has been condemned. 12 “I have many more things to say to you, but you cannot bear them now. 13 But when he, the Spirit of truth, comes, he will guide you into all truth. For he will not speak on his own authority, but will speak whatever he hears, and will tell you what is to come.
14 He will glorify me, because he will receive from me what is mine and will tell it to you. 15 Everything that the Father has is mine; that is why I said the Spirit will receive from me what is mine and will tell it to you.
16 In a little while you will see me no longer; again after a little while, you will see me."
Matthew 10:19 NET Whenever they hand you over for trial, do not worry about how to speak or what to say, for what you should
say will be given to you at that time. 20 For it is not you speaking, but the Spirit of your
Father speaking through you.
The Holy Spirit is referred to as the third person of the trinity:
Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.
Now some folks have a hard time seeing the Holy Spirit as a person, because they think of a person as a human being. Jesus
was a person, God was given personal attributes in the OT, but the Holy Spirit? When a preacher at a Wednesday night Bible study spoke of the Holy Spirit as a
person, one man questioned him on it, and then got so flabbergasted he left the study.
See, he grew up with the term “Holy Ghost,”
and couldn’t bring himself to see the Holy Spirit as a person.
A person is a human right?
BUT when we say the Holy Spirit is a person we have to look at the philosophical
definition of the word Person. That is, “A self-conscious rational being.”
http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/person
In his book THE COUNSELOR, A. W. Tozer said, “Spell this out in capital letters: THE HOLY SPIRIT IS A PERSON. He is not
enthusiasm. He is not courage. He is not energy. He is not the personification of all
good qualities, like Jack Frost is the personification of cold weather. Actually, the Holy Spirit is not the personification of
anything...
He has individuality. He is one being and not another. He has will and intelligence. He has hearing. He has knowledge and sympathy and ability to love and see and think. He can hear, speak, desire, grieve
and rejoice. He is a Person.”
As we continue our series today we want to see what Jesus said about the Holy Spirit.
To do that we are going to look at four different passages and see four things that
Jesus said about Him.
The Holy Spirit Brings New BirthJohn 3:1 NET Now a certain man, a
Pharisee named Nicodemus, who was a member of the Jewish ruling council, 2 came to Jesus at night and said to him,
"Rabbi, we know that you are a teacher who has come from God. For no one could
perform the miraculous signs that you do unless God is with him." 3 Jesus replied, "I tell you the solemn truth, unless a person is
born from above, he cannot see the kingdom of God."
4 Nicodemus said to him, "How can a man be born when he is old? He cannot enter his mother's womb and be born a second
time, can he?" 5 Jesus answered, "I tell you the solemn truth, unless a person is born of
water and spirit, he cannot enter the kingdom of God. 6 What is born of the flesh
is flesh, and what is born of the Spirit is spirit.
7 Do not be amazed that I said to you, 'You must all be born from above.' 8 The wind blows wherever it will, and you hear the
sound it makes, but do not know where it comes from and where it is going. So it is with everyone who is born of the Spirit."
Nicodemus was a Pharisee, a member of the Jewish ruling council so that tells me he
was a member of the Sanhedrin, the highest ruling body and court of justice among the Jewish people in the time of
Jesus. (Nelson’s) 5 Jesus answered, "I tell you the solemn
truth, unless a person is born of water and spirit, he cannot enter the kingdom of God.He emphasizes, you better listen to what
I’m saying, this is important!
Jesus uses the term, “water and spirit.” There is a little bit of debate over this term
water. What is He talking about?Some have tried to sell the idea this water is the amniotic fluid of the mother’s womb?
This cannot be correct. 4 Nicodemus said to him, "How can a man be born when he is old? He cannot enter his mother's womb and be born a second time, can he?" It
must be a different birth!
Why mention water at all if it is amniotic fluid? We all experienced human birth.
Wouldn’t He instead focus on being born of the Spirit?
He contrast born of the flesh (human birth in sinful flesh) and
born of the Spirit (God’s image).6 What is born of the flesh is flesh, and
what is born of the Spirit is spirit.
We know from the story of creation we were created spiritual beings, just as God is
Spirit, and were placed in a shell, a body, made from earth’s dirt.
Genesis 1:27 NIV So God created man in his own image, in the image of God he
created him; male and female he created them.
Genesis 2:7 NIV the LORD God formed the man from the dust of the ground and
breathed into his nostrils the breath of life, and the man became a living being.
The Apostle Paul contrast flesh & spirit.Romans 8:1 NET There is therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ
Jesus. 2 For the law of the life-giving Spirit in Christ Jesus has set you free from the law of sin and death. 3 For God achieved what the law could not do because it was
weakened through the flesh. By sending his own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh and concerning sin, he condemned sin in the
flesh,
4 so that the righteous requirement of the law may be fulfilled in us, who do not walk according to the flesh but according to the
Spirit. 5 For those who live according to the flesh have their outlook shaped by the things of the flesh, but those who live
according to the Spirit have their outlook shaped by the things of the Spirit. 6 For the outlook of the flesh is death, but the outlook
of the Spirit is life and peace,
7 because the outlook of the flesh is hostile to God, for it does not submit to the law of God, nor is it able to do so. 8 Those who
are in the flesh cannot please God. 9 You, however, are not in the flesh but in the
Spirit, if indeed the Spirit of God lives in you. Now if anyone does not have the Spirit
of Christ, this person does not belong to him. 10 But if Christ is in you, your body is dead because of sin, but the Spirit is your
life because of righteousness.
Where do we find water and spirit mentioned together? It is in water baptism?
Acts 2:38 puts baptism and the spirit together.
Peter said to them, "Repent, and each one of you be baptized in the name of Jesus
Christ for the forgiveness of your sins, and you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.
NET
Is the water John’s baptism?We only see the Spirit of God coming at John’s baptism once, and then with good
reason. John said, Mark 1:8 NET I baptize you with water, but he will baptize you with the Holy Spirit." 9 Now in those days Jesus
came from Nazareth in Galilee and was baptized by John in the Jordan River.
10 And just as Jesus was coming up out of the water, he saw the heavens
splitting apart and the Spirit descending on him like a dove. 11 And a voice came from heaven: "You are my one dear Son;
in you I take great delight."
Remember John’s baptism was not a spiritual baptism, it was a baptism of
repentance. Acts 19:1 NET While Apollos was in Corinth, Paul went through the inland
regions and came to Ephesus. He found some disciples there 2 and said to them, "Did you receive the Holy Spirit when you believed?" They replied, "No, we have not
even heard that there is a Holy Spirit."
3 So Paul said, "Into what then were you baptized?" "Into John's baptism," they
replied. 4 Paul said, "John baptized with a baptism of repentance, telling the people to believe in the one who was to come after him, that is, in Jesus." 5 When they heard this, they were baptized in the name of the
Lord Jesus, 6 and when Paul placed his hands on them, the Holy Spirit came upon them, and they began to speak in tongues
and to prophesy.
Acts 19:5b They were baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus Acts 2:38b for the
forgiveness of sins, and the gift of the Holy Spirit.
Notice the Spiritual gifts of speaking in tongues & prophesy came only after the
Apostle laid hands on them.
Paul laid hands on them. This was the means used by the apostles to distribute
the spiritual gifts for Christians in the early church. Proof of this is their ability to speak languages they had not learned or studied.
(Luscombe)
It seemed proper that these men should enjoy, not only the ordinary influence of the Spirit, but that some spiritual gifts should be imparted, such as were given by the laying
on of apostolic hands. Compare Acts 8:17; Rom 1:11. (PNT)
The meaning of “water and spirit” are important .
Another key issue in this passage is that Jesus is telling a member of the Sanhedrin, the most legalistic class of Jesus’ day, that entrance into God’s kingdom would not be achieved by legalism, following a bunch of
rules.In order to enter God’s kingdom, You must
be born again by the water and spirit!
How? Remember this is John 3. Entrance into God’s kingdom must begin with & revolves around the
most well known verse in the world. We find it at the tail-end of Jesus’
discussion with Nic. John 3:16 NET For this is the way God loved the
world: He gave his one and only Son, so that everyone who believes in him will not perish but have eternal life.Belief leads to love, love is shown
through obedience. John 14:15 NET "If you love me, you will obey my
commandments.
Luke 13:3 NET No, I tell you! But unless you repent, you will all perish as well!Matthew 10:32 NET "Whoever, then,
acknowledges me before people, I will acknowledge before my Father in heaven.Mark 16:15 NET He said to them, "Go into
all the world and preach the gospel to every creature. 16 The one who believes and is baptized will be saved, but the one who
does not believe will be condemned.
You must believe in Him to have eternal life!
The second thing Jesus says about the Holy Spirit is:
The Holy Spirit Convicts and Guides John 16:7 NET But I tell you the truth, it is
to your advantage that I am going away. For if I do not go away, the Advocate will not come to you, but if I go, I will send him to you. 8 And when he comes, he will prove
the world wrong concerning sin and righteousness and judgment — 9
concerning sin, because they do not believe in me; 10 concerning righteousness,
because I am going to the Father and you will see me no longer;
11 and concerning judgment, because the ruler of this world has been condemned. 12 “I have many more things to say to you, but you cannot bear them now. 13 But when he, the Spirit of truth, comes, he will guide you into all truth. For he will not speak on his own authority, but will speak whatever he hears, and will tell you what is to come.
14 He will glorify me, because he will receive from me what is mine and will tell it to you. 15 Everything that the Father has is mine; that is why I said the Spirit will receive from me what is mine and will tell it to you.
16 In a little while you will see me no longer; again after a little while, you will see me."
Whatever you think of Mel Gibson as a man or actor, he did say a profound thing about his movie “The Passion of the Christ.” “I’m
not a preacher, and I’m not a pastor.” Gibson said, “But I really feel my career was leading me to make this. The Holy
Ghost was working through me on this film, and I was just directing traffic. I hope the
film has the power to evangelize." (http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/
937891/posts)
THREE major aspects of the Holy Spirit’s ministry in this passage.
1. Prove the world wrong concerning Sin, Righteousness, and Judgment.2. Guide you into all truth3. Reveal Jesus more perfectly to His followers.
With Jesus present His ministry was localized. The coming of the Advocate, the
Spirit of truth, will equip them more fully and be with them always.
The Holy Spirit Speaks Through You Matthew 10:16 NET "I am sending you out
like sheep surrounded by wolves, so be wise as serpents and innocent as doves. 17 Beware of people, because they will hand you over to councils and flog you in their synagogues. 18 And you will be brought
before governors and kings because of me, as a witness to them and the Gentiles.
19 Whenever they hand you over for trial, do not worry about how to speak or what to say, for what you should say will be given to
you at that time. 20 For it is not you speaking, but the Spirit of your Father
speaking through you.Jesus tells His disciples they will face terrible persecution. Because of this
suffering they would become a witness to governors, kings and the Gentiles with the Spirit of your Father speaking through you.
The Apostle Paul is a good example of this.Acts 26:27 NET Do you believe the
prophets, King Agrippa? I know that you believe." 28 Agrippa said to Paul, "In such a
short time are you persuading me to become a Christian?" 29 Paul replied, "I pray to God that whether in a short or a long time not only you but also all those
who are listening to me today could become such as I am, except for these chains."
Paul and Silas give another example with life changing, eternal, results.
Acts 16:25 NET About midnight Paul and Silas were praying and singing hymns to God, and the rest of the prisoners were listening to them. 26 Suddenly a great
earthquake occurred, so that the foundations of the prison were shaken.
Immediately all the doors flew open, and the bonds of all the prisoners came loose.
27 When the jailer woke up and saw the doors of the prison standing open, he drew
his sword and was about to kill himself, because he assumed the prisoners had
escaped. 28 But Paul called out loudly, "Do not harm yourself, for we are all here!" 29
Calling for lights, the jailer rushed in and fell down trembling at the feet of Paul and
Silas.
30 Then he brought them outside and asked, "Sirs, what must I do to be saved?" 31 They replied, "Believe in the Lord Jesus
and you will be saved, you and your household." 32 Then they spoke the word of
the Lord to him, along with all those who were in his house. 33 At that hour of the
night he took them and washed their wounds; then he and all his family were
baptized right away.
Many a Christian is frozen in fear at the thought of speaking to a non-believer about their faith, forgetting these words of Christ. The Holy Spirit is there and He will give you
the words to say.Note: The text doesn’t say, “He will give you the words to convert everyone.” He will give you the words to say… what you should say
will be given to you at that time
NOW, the Spirit of your Father speaking through you does not take away your
responsibility to study and know God’s word. In Jesus’ last discourse He tells the disciples that the Holy Spirit will help them
recall what he has told them.
He causes you to rememberwhat you’ve read, heard & studied
John 14:25 NET "I have spoken these things while staying with you. 26 But the
Advocate, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, will teach you
everything, and will cause you to remember everything I said to you.
He works through youJohn 7:37 NET On the last day of the feast,
the greatest day, Jesus stood up and shouted out, "If anyone is thirsty, let him
come to me, and 38 let the one who believes in me drink. Just as the scripture
says, 'From within him will flow rivers of living water.' " 39 (Now he said this about the Spirit, whom those who believed in him were going to receive, for the Spirit had not yet been given, because Jesus was not yet
glorified.)
The water of the Holy Spirit not only goes in, it also comes out. Not only does the
believer receive blessing, but he becomes a blessing to others. This is the contrast between two contemporary religious
movements of Jesus' day. The Qumran sect had no outflow, becoming stagnant and
dead. But Christianity emphasizes outflow, extending life and blessing to others. (Guzik)
The believer, having received Jesus, becomes himself a fountain of eternal life--rather is he a channel through which the grace of God flows to bless other hearts. This is the effect of the regenerating and sanctifying work of the Holy Spirit. This
Spirit is secured for the sinful world by the atonement of Jesus Christ.
(Biblical Illustrator)
Major Ian Thomas, the British evangelist, speaks of the powerlessness of a glove. If
your glove is lying on the table, you can command it to do things all day, and it’s
helpless to obey. It just lies there uselessly. But when you fill the glove with your hand, that glove can do anything you can do. It can grasp a hammer, steer a car, shake a
hand, or hold a Bible.
As David Jeremiah observes, “Christ doesn’t want us to do something for Him; He wants to do something through us. To be effective in His service, we need to be
filled with Him. The book of Acts repeatedly describes the early Christians as being filled with the Spirit. When the apostle Paul gave reports about his missionary activities, he
always talked about what the Lord had done through Him.
When we labor in our own strength, we’re just jousting with windmills. When we’re filled with the Holy Spirit, it’s as though
Christ himself were ministering through us -- which He is. We are His gloves, and we
must let His hands fill us every day.”
My thinking goes back to the story of Nicodemus in John 3. Jesus tells
Nicodemus he must “be born again” of the water and spirit to enter the kingdom of heaven. But it does not say Nicodemus
accepted it. Nic was definitely a sympathizer. He stands up for Jesus in
John 7.
In John 19 he along with Joseph of Arimathea took Jesus’ body to the tomb
after He was crucified. In that same passage it says that Joseph was a disciple,
but what about Nic? We don’t know…
Don’t let that be said of you.Make your stand clear.
Jesus said, “You must be born again!”