The Holy Spirit in the World - Part A

Certain parts of God we understand, for instance, the father part. We get father is a leader is a provider God as a father, God is the provider make sense the sun not too much problem with that. Some of us are sons grew up trying to please dad, our fathers on earth, but the idea of spirit as you do, what is he up to.

What's all that about. There are many misconceptions when it comes to the Holy Spirit. She's not simply a wave of energy or mystical force in today on connect with height Skip helps you grasp with the Holy Spirit really is in the vital role he plays in your life. But first want to invite you to see the very places Jesus walked performed miracles even promised to send his Holy Spirit to this is pastor Skip my next toward Israel is right around the corner. Israel has just lifted the culvert 19 vaccine requirements for international travel that's important to some of you to some of you have been back or indecisive about going to Israel not going Israel. So this is the perfect time to say yes to that. Also, seats on flights to Israel are getting scared so if you think about it, let me just say this I been traveling out Israel for 40+ years I've been Israel. 41 times.

I'm just as excited this time because I want to show you what, you've never seen your Bible come alive and you'll never read it the same again. I hope you'll join me this make a check out this itinerary will be in Galilee were going to be in Jerusalem to cease in the old and the New Testament only write about but you'll never forget.

Here's more information Tory agenda and registration details that connect.com/Israel. Or, inspiration, pre-existing tours, 1-800-247-1899, 20 Army fourth through the 15th. 12 days over 40 iconic pre-tour excursion turnaround there's still time to join in. Lenny, I think for an epic tour Israel registration is open now connect with.com/Israel okay John chapter 16 as we join skip-for today's some of us who grew up with the apostles Creed siding editors is that those of us who did you remember as kids. You remember the old form of that. How awkward it was when they came to a certain part of the Creed. As you know goes.

I believe in God the father Almighty, the maker of heaven and earth and in Jesus Christ his only son, our Lord, who was conceived by the holy ghost when a kid hears that he was in the goes on to say, crucified, died and was buried, and then it says I believe in the holy ghost. Now when I was a kid. The only ghost I was familiar with was a guy by the name of Casper and he was a friendly ghost, and other than that my parents basically said stay away from ghosts. So as a kid hearing in church that she was conceived by the holy ghost. I can't. Thanks. How can a ghost get Mary pregnant women that that in the mind of a child was so disconnecting. I also think that for people today. The idea of the Holy Spirit himself is disconnecting that is for certain parts of God we understand, for instance, the father part.

We get father is a leader is a provider God as a father, God is a provider make sense the sun we don't have too much problem with that. Some of us are sons we grew up trying to please dad, our fathers on earth, but the idea of the Holy Spirit.

So what is he do what is he up to.

What's all that about where to cover the whole message on the Trinity some weeks ago and we want to look specifically at Holy Spirit speaking of the apostles Creed. Though there was a Sunday school class and the assignment was to memorize the apostles Creed. So the way they did. It is they assigned each student in the class a phrase and they would come one Sunday and get the recitation. So, on that Sunday, the first child stood up and said I believe in God the father Almighty, maker of heaven and earth, and he sat down next little girl stood up and said I believe in Jesus Christ his only son our Lord. She said down then there was a long silence, a long pause. Finally, a little girl in the back of the room said I'm sorry sir, but the boy who believes in the Holy Ghost is absent today and I wonder if that couldn't be set up the church today. Those who believe in the Holy Spirit are absent today. I wonder if it couldn't be that our experience with the Holy Spirit, our knowledge of what he does what he's about is sort of like what Paul encountered when he went to Ephesus in the 19th chapter of the book of acts. He went to that church and ask them a question, have you received the Holy Spirit since you believed in their responses. We haven't even heard whether there is a Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit is fuzzy to a lot of people, elusive to a lot of people over they grew up reciting the creeds hearing the sermons hearing preachers speak about him, yet he seems elusive while the New Testament refers to the Holy Spirit. Just the New Testament refers to the Holy Spirit 260×260 times by a number of different names. The most common name is the name we know the Holy Spirit.

So if he is mentioned 260 times. He certainly someone we cannot neglect and that's just the New Testament but he's all over the Scripture from the first book to the last book from Genesis to Revelation. From cover to cover. Genesis chapter 1 verse two, the spirit of God was hovering over the waters.

Revelation 22 verse 17 and the spirit and the bride say, so we have the Holy Spirit represented throughout the Scripture and in the next few weeks were going to look at the Holy Spirit who is what he does in the world what he does in the church for us how we are to respond to him.

The problem is where you begin when you have 260 choices 260 different scriptures in the New Testament were you begin talking about the Holy Spirit. I've chosen to begin with the words of Jesus himself. It's as if we have the second person of the Trinity introducing to us the third person of the Trinity. We are in John chapter 16 what I want you to know is John chapter 13, 14, 15 and 16 all four chapters happen at one time it is enough in a setting called the Last Supper.

It is the upper room discourse. It is called in a few hours, Jesus will be arrested a few hours after that he will be crucified, so he has a a few hours left with his friends with his men and so he wants to prepare them and instruct them about very important events that are going to be on their radar screen in the coming hours, days, weeks, months and years. Today would get a look at what the Holy Spirit does in the world with unbelievers and I mentioned our text is Chapter 16 of John, but I'd like to do just to get the whole context is have you go back and see with me how Jesus introduces this Holy Spirit to his disciples back in chapter 14 John chapter 14 beginning in verse 15 is where he Jesus begins the threat of that thought is that if you love me, keep my commandments and I will pray the father and he will give you another helper, that he may abide with you forever. The spirit of truth, whom the world cannot receive, because it neither sees him nor knows him.

But you know him, for he dwells with you and will be in you. I will not leave you orphans, I will come to you good under the 25th verse. These things I have spoken to you while being present with you but the helper, the Holy Spirit whom the father will send in my name, he will teach you all things, and bring into your remembrance all things that I said to you. That's how we account for the New Testament I go to chapter 15 toward the very end. Verse 26 when the helper comes, whom I shall send to you from the father, the spirit of truth who proceeds from the father. He will testify of me. And you also will bear witness because you have been with me from the beginning I go down in verse five of chapter 16, but now I go away to him who sent me, but none of you asked me where you going, but because I've said these things to you, sorrow has filled your heart, nevertheless I 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 depart, I will send him to you when he has come, he will convict the world of sin and of righteousness and of judgment of sin, because they do not believe in me of righteousness, because I go to my father and you see me no more of judgment, because the ruler of this world is judged. I still of many things to say to you, but you cannot bear them now.

However, when he the spirit of truth, is come, he will guide you into all truth for he will not speak on his own authority, but whatever he hears he will speak and he will tell you things to come, he will glorify me, for he will take of what is mine and declare it to you and Anna confine my thoughts to the 16th chapter of John, verses five through 11. I want to show you three aspects of the relationship the Holy Spirit has to the world three aspects they are his presence, his pressure and his people, his presence, his pressure and his people in each case, I want to make a simple statement. The first is his presence is needful now in verse five where we began.

I really should began in verse one, but I'll just explain to you what went before that to get to this point in verse five Jesus says now I go away to him who sent me. I'm going back to the father. I'm going to ascend back to heaven and none of you asked me where are you going, but because I have said these things to you, sorrow has filled your heart, nevertheless I 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 depart, I will send them to you now at this moment in the upper room discourse in the Last Supper, the disciples are shocked they're disappointed to say the least. Jesus has been able to watch their body language and as they went from excited at the beginning to very very depressed at this moment, and here's why.

What Jesus has told them is not what they expected what they have expected all along is a kingdom to be established on the earth.

If this is the Messiah. He's been to establish a kingdom. 2000 years ago the Jews in Israel. The Jews in Judea had a pretty simple straightforward eschatology that is belief in the end time events of the Messiah number one there is to be a time of turmoil national turmoil and that's going to get us all ready for desiring the Messiah to come. It's going to fuel an expectation so check that is happened. The Romans of come and occupy the land. Everybody's oppressed everybody wants the Messiah to come there crying for their yearning for their looking for phase 2. After that national expectation because of oppression. Elijah is going to come, or any Elijah -like forerunner is going to come and say, ladies and gentlemen, here's the Messiah check. John the Baptist came on the scene and said to Jesus, or about Jesus. Behold the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world follow him.

That's why people were so interested in John the Baptist, are you Elijah are you that prophet who exactly are you because they knew that the third phase that they expected is the Messiah will set up his kingdom. So the disciples at this point are thinking one and two have already happened. Number three is going to happen at any moment. The only problem is the Last Supper, Jesus brings in her room and beginning in chapter 13, he tells them the news.

I'm leaving your wife. I'm leaving. And as the discourse goes on. Chapter 1314 1516 the news goes from bad to worse.

I'm leaving I'm dying and I'm gonna suffer greatly before I die. That is not what they expected. Now sorrow is growing in their hearts because of but that's not all. It actually gets worse. In chapter 16, beginning in verse one we haven't even read that part.

He says not only am I dying not only am I gonna suffer you because you believe in me will suffer and die. Also a great that's not at all what they expected. So he says now I go to work away to him who sent me. And then of you asked me were you going, but because I have said these things to you, sorrow has dominated your heart, that's the idea of the word filled. It's the Greek word play rocksolid means to fill something up so completely that there's room for nothing else so emotionally they are filled to the brim with anxiety. That's what this means, sorrow has filled your heart because I said I'm leaving, sorrow has filled your heart is interesting because Jesus says none of you asked me where I'm going. As you know you are so focused on what you're losing your not even looking at this from my side I get to go back home to my father, which are so consumed about what you're losing your not thinking about what I'm gaining. Look at verse seven. Here's really the crux of this.

Nevertheless, I'm telling you the truth it is to your advantage that I go away while why you're a disciple and you hear that your thinking. I don't believe that is not to my advantage that you go away. There's a better translation. It's actually better for you that I go away, or the best thing that could happen to you is that I leave you.

That's a disconnect for them. There her here that they go. Why would that be good.

You're the guy who calms storms on lakes. You're the guy who heals our relatives. You the guy who gives lunch to a whole crowd at the Sea of Galilee. You're the one who turns water into wine, and you're the guy who reached into a fish's mouth on tax day and got enough tax for all of us to pay you are pretty handy to have around and now you're saying it's better if you go you see they are so focused on what their about to lose their not even thinking about what they're about to gain their about to gain is the Holy Spirit's presence and and here's why they don't know how much they're going to need the Holy Spirit in days ahead.

So nothing could be better than having Jesus around so they don't know what's coming to dinner know how much sugar need the Holy Spirit what is coming.

Why do they need him so much. In a word, because of the task you know what the task is the great commission. You know the great commission right go into all the world and preach the gospel to every creature will that's a pretty big task. In fact, that's an impossible task to do alone to face persecution in Judea are going to face persecution and grace there to face persecution in Asia minor negative face persecution in Rome and then all of them except for John will die a martyr's death because they believe in Jesus Christ.

What sounds pretty impossible to me to do alone. Here's my segue. The task is still the same and it is still as impossible today for these present disciples as it was for those disciples and here's his wife as most people do not believe most people are unsaved. The large majority of people in the world do not believe in Jesus Christ is the only means of salvation. This might help it help me visually.

If you are line up all the unsaved people in the world. Roughly it willful and input them shoulder to shoulder line them up shoulder to shoulder, no social distance you could form a line that would go all the way around the earth. 30 times and the line is growing 20 miles longer every single day to pretty big task. But Jesus never said go a lot of boys do your best.

You're on your own. Hope you don't get beat up. Too bad.

What he did tell them is go but don't go on until you are filled with power from on high.

It's a gospel of Luke chapter 24 we get to ask chapter 1 and Jesus said when the Holy Spirit has come, you will receive power and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, Judea, Samaria, and the uttermost parts of yourself. So go but don't go on your own don't go without the power of the Holy Spirit, DM Dawson wrote this without the power of the Holy Spirit. All human efforts. Methods and plans are as futile as attempting to propel the boat by puffing at the sales with our own breath to get picture you're in a sailboat in Newport Beach, California. You want to get to Catalina Island 25 miles away would be due. That's kinda stupid right you do need a wind much more powerful than and so to go into all the world and share the gospel with every creature on your own is so his presence is needful it is to your advantage that I go away, because when I go I'm going to send the Holy Spirit and boys. You're going to need that. Let's look at his pressure now number two. The second aspect is his pressure. His pressure is unmistakable.

Verse eight when he he who he who the Holy Spirit when he, the Holy Spirit has come, he, the Holy Spirit will convict the world of sin and righteousness and judgment of sin, because they do not believe in me of righteousness, because I go to my father and you see me no more of judgment because the ruler of this world is judged. In short, it's the Holy Spirit that pursues people that chases people that comes after people we have vision statement in our church that says we pursue the God who passionately pursues a lost world. You know how God passionately pursues loss world Holy Spirit by sending his holy Thanksgiving with a message from the series 2020. Now we want to tell you about a resource that will include you to live boldly for Jesus in a culture in truth and light is normal basic human instinct, which he believed the children as young as three years old already want to follow the crowd and fit in with the group of researchers counted at Duke University study the Bible we learn that some of the most impact self defining normal here. Skip, I think. I think the Bible calls us to a holy defiance of the status quo.

Paul the apostle said, do not be conformed to this world but be trans by the renewing of your mind to go from formed to transform*expect to find normal thanks to you when you get $35 or more to help explain this type of ministry today for direct line copies of these bold resources copies hundred 98 Ford get online securely connectwithskip.com/author today and tomorrow is Skip Heitzig six years how the Holy Spirit works through you to reach the world with the gospel, God has chosen the foolish things of this world to found the wise so open about his toolbox not brilliant, not oppressive us filled with the Holy Spirit empowered by the holders.

Used by the Holy Spirit's instruments of the Holy Spirit,