The Identity of the Holy Spirit – Part 1

Here's Aaron Graham was. Sometimes you just wish Jesus was here and we could see him and we can hold his hand and we could pour out our needs and our fears and our hopes are dreams, and he is here in the person of the Holy Spirit. That's who Jesus is.

That's who the Holy Spirit is he is Jesus in that was an Graham lots with an insight into today's program at Pentecost. Jesus told his disciples that he would soon be leaving, but then he promised that he would send them the Holy Spirit so they would not be left alone. Who is the Holy Spirit was joint and was she gives seven important points to help you understand the identity of the Holy Spirit. Jesus in me is the Holy Spirit. When I was growing up to be honest I don't remember being taught about the Holy Spirit. And maybe I was. I just don't remember. And I know when we went to church and we went to church every Sunday. Heard about the Holy Spirit only like in the benediction God bless your name. The father the son and the Holy Ghost, and then baptisms, I baptize you in the name of the father. This son and the Holy Ghost and weddings I pronounce you man and wife. Name the father son and how he was referred to as a ghost, and his little girl that was offputting for me so I feel like I just ignore them unit wasn't necessary for me to know about the Holy Spirit, and so you not just focus more on God the father in Jesus and the Holy Spirit maybe has been referred to as a ghost because he is invisible and he's mysterious. Jesus said in John chapter 3 the Holy Spirit is like the wind that blows where it pleases you here at sound, but you cannot tell where this comes from or where it's going and I think he was implying there's a mystery to the Holy Spirit. So I wrote a poetic description of the Holy Spirit. And this is poetic. Don't take it literally. But anyway, it's blessed me.

The Holy Spirit is the fire of God that ignites us the breath of God that stirs us the wind of God that shakes us there for spur of God that causes the life of God that quickens us the view of God that refreshes us the lamp of God that God exists, the voice of God that convicts us the force of God that empowers us the heart of God that comforts us the strength of God that carries us the arms of God. The cradle us the hands of God that lift this all of God that heals us the anointing of God that gives us and teaches us and gladdens us in the seal of God that validates us in who is the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit is Jesus in me. So would you turn in your Bibles to the gospel of John chapter 16 and I want to read verses five through 16 and this takes place. By the way in the upstairs room after the Last Supper and Jesus is been there with his disciples remember he washed their feet when he dismissed Judas and he taught his disciples about heaven and he taught them that he was the von. They are the branches. He taught them about persecution and then in chapter 16, he teaches them about the Holy Spirit are beginning to get the idea he's leaving. And so they're sitting there I think they're becoming terrified to think that he's leaving and they're going to be responsible for carrying on his ministry and his visible absence. And so this is what he says them not going to him who sent me. Yet none of you asked me where you going, because I've said these things are filled with grief but I tell you the truth is for your good that I'm going away. I just have to stop there because that's a stunning thing to say that it's a good thing for the visible Jesus to be leaving. And the reason he says that it's a good thing is because the Holy Spirit is coming and he says unless I go away, the counselor will not come to you. It's another name for the Holy Spirit. If I go, I will send them to you. So in other words, it's better to have the Holy Spirit here, then the visible Jesus. That's an amazing thing to say. So when he comes to convict the world of guilt in regard to sin, righteousness, and judgment going on to verse 12.

I have much more to say to you more than you can now bear. But when he, the spirit of truth comes, he will guide you into all truth. He will not speak on his own. He will speak only what he hears and he will tell you what is yet to come.

He will bring glory to me by taking from what is mine and making it known to you all that belongs to the father is man, that is why I said the spirit will take from what is mine and make it known to you in a little while you will see me no more. And then after little while you will see me tucked in that last verse because it's very interesting was Jesus referring to.

After the resurrection.

When he appeared to Mary at the empty tomb, and then he disappeared and he appeared to the disciples on the Emmaus Road and he disappeared and he appeared to the disciples in the upstairs room and then he disappeared. He appeared to the disciples on the shore of Galilee and laid this up in all this coming and going and what was he doing was he teaching them about the Holy Spirit that whether you can see me or not. I'm presence in your life. So who is the Holy Spirit.

The seven things about the Holy Spirit. I want to point out to you in the first is that the Holy Spirit is a person and 10 times in these 11 verses is referred to with the personal pronoun key or him so I just want to put it out there on the table that the Holy Spirit is not a ghost. He is not in it. He is not a flame of fire.

He's not a dive. He's not an emotion. He's on ecstatic experience.

The Holy Spirit is a living invisible person and he has a mind to think and emotions to feel and will do acts and we refer to them as 1/3 person of the Trinity, and I don't know if you're like me, but make you thought of him as sort of a PS you know we have the grand glorious God the father and then the beloved son and then PS by the way, there's the Holy Spirit, but he is referred to as 1/3 person of the Trinity. Not because he's the least are an afterthought, because he's the third to be more fully revealed in Scripture to the Old Testament you have, God the son God the Holy Spirit are present, God the father is the one is primarily revealed in the Old Testament in the Gospels, God the father and God the Holy Spirit are also present but as God the son is primarily revealed in acts and the epistles God the father and got the center also present, but as God the Holy Spirit was primarily revealed through is referred to as 1/3 person of the Trinity and in the Bible names reveal character. Think we mentioned that repeater was named Simon because it means wishy-washy, impulsive, compulsive, and the Jesus I want to change your name to Peter because you're going to be so strong you'll strengthen your the other disciples and strengthen people in their faith. Jesus's name means Savior rescue or deliver. And so the names given to the Holy Spirit reveal something of his character and who he is not going to go through all of his names, but I want to touch on one in chapter 14 verse 16 Jesus said I'm going to ask the father to give you another counselor and meaning he's a counselor and he's going to ask the father give you another counselor and the word another means exactly the same as so that's why have a title for the book and have it he is Jesus in me.

He is exactly the same as Jesus, but without the physical body without the skin and bones and he is Jesus in us. He's another Jesus, so to speak. So the Holy Spirit is available to come into us and Jesus said that he is in us in the person of the Holy Spirit. I was up in the cabin on sitting on the porch and I just pulled the two rockers I pulled up one rocker and just invited Jesus in the person of the Holy Spirit to sit and at other rocker not just talk through this weekend and some of the things that were concerning me and just talk it out with him and sometimes you just wish Jesus was here and we could see him and we can hold his hand and we could pour out our needs and our fears and our hopes and our dreams, and he is here in the person of the Holy Spirit. That's who Jesus is, that to the Holy Spirit is he is Jesus in me so not only his person, but his presence. Jesus said in verse seven. I will send them to you.

So when did that take place that took place at Pentecost. After Jesus ascended into heaven, there were 10 days when the disciples met the upstairs room and they met for prayer and you know one of the things they were praying is Jesus.

Keep your promise asked the father to send down the spirit and 10 days later, on the feast of Pentecost. I'm assuming there in the temple area because of what happened and they hear the sound of rushing wind. The wind wasn't blowing the leaves were scurrying, but there was a sound of a tornado moving through and then John looked at Peter and has a flame of fire on his head and Peter looks at Matthew has a flame of fire in his head and the they all have a flame of fire on their heads and their filled with this intense awareness of the presence of Jesus in their field of praise and worship and they open their mouths in a symphony of praise and everyone in Jerusalem hears the gospel in his own language and the disciples knew the Holy Spirit and that was a pivotal points in human history will never be another Pentecost. By the way, just as there was Bethlehem and will never be another Bethlehem, the crossing of being of the cross and resurrection never be another of the coming of the Holy Spirit was a unique historical event.

We can pray for another Pentecost about that. We want to revolve one outpouring of the Holy Spirit to change the hearts of people. But there never be another Pentecost, because I wanted to explain to the difference before and after. In the Old Testament saints placed their faith in Jesus, but by faith. They did know his name. They didn't understand the details but every time they send and they came to the temple and they took a little spotless lamb and this was in obedience to God's word that told him this is how you have your sin atoned for their grass. The lamb with both hands is as though the guilt of their sin traveled along their arm was conveyed to the Lamb.

The sinner took the knife and killed the lamb and the priest at the blood and sprinkle it on the altar to make atonement for the sin of that person. And so every time in the Old Testament somebody sinned, and they took the little lamb and they went through that ritual and they sacrificed it then it was as though God was saying I owe you forgiveness owe you forgiveness because the people knew according to Hebrews the blood of lambs and bulls and goats can't take away sin, to wonder every time they did that they walked to Emma really forgiven as my sin really been atone for, but they did it by faith, because that's what God said to do and so they were looking forward to the cross.

Okay. And they were made right with God when they kept those ceremonies, their sacrifices, according to what God said it ended up from their heart and then came the day when John the Baptist pointed out the man walking beside the Jordan River and he says there goes the Lamb of God will take away the sin of the world. And when Jesus died on the cross.

He was the Lamb of God sacrifice for the sin of the world and through his blood and death.

God paid up all of those you notes.

I you in on this side of the cross were saved in the same way were saved by fate were made right with God, like the saints in the Old Testament were they brought the Lamb, but they were obeying God's word coming and sacrificing and claiming the blood of the land to make atonement for their send you and we look back to the cross and am so thankful we don't have to go to a temple will have to kill a lamb will have to have blood spurting everywhere.

We just come to the cross and we grasp the Lamb of God with our hands of faith and we confess our sin and is as though the guilt of our sin is transferred to the Lamb of God, and it's our sin that's cause the death of Jesus, not the Romans that the Jews, God used them of course but it's my sin that nailed him to the cross and then God takes the blood covers me with it.

Sprinkle citizens and forgiven my sin, is atone for so before the cross. They look towards Jesus after the cross we look back to Jesus, but you and I have something added that the Old Testament saints knew nothing about.

In the Old Testament, the Holy Spirit would come upon somebody to equip them to working with golden linen in the temple. For instance, all of Kish was the first king of Israel and the Holy Spirit came upon him to anoint him to be a king. He was a keeper of donkeys and the anointing of the Holy Spirit transformed him into a leader of a nation and then when Saul sinned, God remove the Holy Spirit from him. So then David was anointed king the second king of Israel and the Holy Spirit came upon him to anoint him to lead Israel and he did and then when he sin with Bathsheba and remember what he prayed.

Don't take your Holy Spirit from me because he knew the Holy Spirit could be given, and the Holy Spirit could be taken away in the New Testament after Pentecost.

When you and I come to the cross, we confess our sin. Guilt is transferred to the Lamb of God. Our sin is atone for more forgiven.

We claim Jesus as our Savior and we open up our heart we receive the Holy Spirit to come into us. He comes in. There was never to leave us never to forsake us. That is a permanent indwelling of the Holy Spirit. Praise God. So when I was a little girl love referred to a but I was across the valley in the parent's home in my upstairs bedroom and watch the picture about Jesus on television and when it came to the scene of the cross.

I knew that he had died from a net which is the Holy Spirit stirring in the hardened got down on my knees beside my bed not told Don I was sorry for my sin. I asked him to forgive me and I wanted the death of Jesus to count, even if it was just for me and asked for forgiveness invited him to come into my heart so I asked Jesus to come into my heart. I did not understand as a little girl about the Holy Spirit. But Jesus you what I was talking about. Okay so when I asked Jesus to come into my heart. He came into me in the person of the Holy Spirit.

Jesus couldn't possibly come and anybody he's living in a man's body up in heaven getting ready to come back and rule the world. When he comes into us is in the person of the Holy Spirit. I use the illustration of the Virgin Mary. Remember when the angel told her she was going to conceive and she is and how can that be an angel said the Holy Spirit going to come upon you, and you're going to conceive the life of the son of God, and Mary said beat on to me according to your will, and she conceived the physical life of Jesus on the inside of her was a miracle in this same thing happens to you and me when we confess our sin we repent and wait till God was sorry and we claim Jesus as our Savior and we open up our hearts and we receive him into us. He comes into us and we conceive the spiritual life of Jesus and that's a miracle to, and it's the person of the Holy Spirit who comes in. He is Jesus in you and in me so I'm going to ask you again maybe somebody who's watching online, who wasn't here the other night but when have you received the Holy Spirit and don't misunderstand me if you have received Jesus. That's the same thing. All right, we're not gonna get caught up in semantics, I just want you to understand that when you invite Jesus to come in your heart. He comes in and the person of the Holy Spirit. We understand from that message. Unless you have the new creation. Unless you've been born again, you cannot possibly see God. You cannot possibly go to heaven.

There's nothing in that old nature that can stand before God that your flesh is going to drop off so you must be born again.

Jesus said when were you born again. I can remember the day it was a good Friday when I watch that program. I can't remember if I was seven, eight or nine years of age, but somewhere along there and maybe you can't remember the specific template you know there was a time when you confessed your sin and asked Jesus to come in your heart if you don't remember a specific time. How do you know there was so that's what I'm challenging you don't leave this mountain don't stop watching the seminar don't turn off your computer or whatever until you make sure that Jesus is been on the outside of you. Now comes inside of you in the person of the Holy Spirit. So the Holy Spirit his presence.

He indwells us. But there's something else. Also that he is available to fill us and Ephesians 518 says to be filled with the Holy Spirit and this is something I think is logical when we invite the Holy Spirit to come into us. We get all of the Holy Spirit were ever going to get you know that because he's a person and you don't get a person in pieces so when a little girl and I invited Jesus to come into my heart. He came into me and I had all of the Holy Spirit at that point in time that was ever going to have the difference comes as he gets more of us in those circles. You know, as we add to our new nature. He has more capacity. If we can put it that way within us to fill us until other people can see Jesus in us and so he's available to fill us best definition for feeling that I have heard is, moment by moment surrender to his moment by moment control and that has to do with those choices one after another, just moment by moment, day by day, week by week, year by year, making the choices to yield our lives to him and when we sin, we quickly confess that we know would been forgiven. Praise God we don't have to come back for forgiveness. All of our sin is forgiven, but we come back to confess it, that we might be cleansed, that we might be filled and refilled and refilled and refill because sin on about you but I'm a sinner and so I still sin. And when I sin I have to confess it until got I'm sorry and asking the clansmen that ask him to fill me a fresh so it's important that you are filled with the Holy Spirit, one because it's a command be filled less on option. So if I can use this illustration across the valley where my parents home is there's a mountain road or driveway that goes up to their home and you come around one band and it's a sharp bend and right at the band there's a spring that bubbles up beside the road and the spring used to bubble up and cover the road with the spring water and in the wintertime when it was freezing cold.

The road would freeze over and it created a hazard for cars that were driving on the road.

The mother went to that spring and she put a wooden bucket at the spring and then she ran a pipe into the spring so the water from the spring ran through the pipe into the wooden bucket when it overflowed. Went beside the road and the ice hazard was removed from time to time would come down and the water was back over the road and something had clogged up that pipe so she would take a stick and she would run it through the pipe and out would come a little slippery salamander or rotted leaf or a hard little pebble and should remove it and then the water would flow freely again Philip the bucket and then the hazard was removed. So don't take the illustration too far, but about his fist say it this way. That's the Holy Spirit wants to fill us and the conduits you know the vessel into our lives, we need to keep clean and sin can block the flow of the Holy Spirit. In fact, it can block the flow of the Holy Spirit. The point that you think you don't have them anymore. You'll think he's been removed and that's what quenching the Holy Spirit is so you take the stick it out. I don't mean to be superficial at all but you take the cross and you run it through that pipe of your life and maybe there is a slippery salamander something nasty. It could be a habit. It could be the way you talk.

It could be something you indulge in an end and you bring it to the cross. Maybe it's a rotted leaf from memory and unforgiveness. Maybe that would be the pebble something hard like bitterness or anger, unforgiveness, and you just bring it to the cross and you give it to the Lord and ask him to remove it and cleanse you so that you can be filled with the Holy Spirit, whatever that thing is it's blocking the flow of the Holy Spirit is not worth clinging to, when it keeps you from being filled because to be filled with the Holy Spirit.

That's where the blessing is that's where the joy as it is a matter your circumstances.

That's where the peace of God rule be filled with the Holy Spirit and one of the appendix of the new book. I put in their steps, how to be filled and how to maintain the feeling of the Holy Spirit. Very practical with all the Scriptures and everything but basically it's moment by moment surrender to the moment by moment control of the Holy Spirit and we think of those circles and all the choices that we make. This is all this is leads us to the next point I want to share with you about the power of the Holy Spirit because the Holy Spirit will empower you to make those choices you choose.

So in other words, you know that were to forgive each other, you apply that to the person is wounded you and then you follow through in obedience to forgive that person reach out and bless that person is the Holy Spirit who will give you the power to do that.

So all the different examples we used yesterday as the Holy Spirit. We know what the Bible says and we put off the old man we put on the new man and then we live it out is the Holy Spirit that empowers us to live it. Praise God the Holy Spirit sets us free from this body of death one choice at a time. But make no mistake about can't do it on her own, which is where the frustration is for the Holy Spirit as we yield our lives to him. He will do it in and through us so we make the choice and then we follow through in obedience, but he gives us the power to do it. The Holy Spirit is God and I just want to encourage somebody sitting here and you looked at those two circles and you saw yourself as one who's lived most of your life in your old nature and your desperate because now you've wasted your life and you don't know how much time you have left and you want something to show for the life and you can have it. Listen to me. I believe the largest Swiss bituminous morning that that he can blossom you as you yield your life to him and you start making choices according to what you know God's word says and you obey God's word and the Holy Spirit would help you to live it out and redeem the time that you have left. According to Joel restore the years of the locus of Eden. So don't think that you've wasted your life and now it's too late. You might as well just feel sorry for yourself and bury yourself in your old nature don't do that the Holy Spirit will give you the power you make the choices you know it. Can you apply it's and he will give you the strength and the power to obey to follow through in obedience. Yes he will and unknowing will I know okay is done it for me. So he has the power to change me and to change you. And one of the best examples is Peter himself Peter before Pentecost.

Remember that the trials of Jesus after he had bragged and said he did know what those other disciples would do but he would never deny as Lord and then three times at night when the little servant girl people standing beside the fire. We think you're one of us know will not we hear the Galilean accent. We think you know I'm not in any Kirsten said he never knew Jesus. He was so afraid of the opinions of other people and then 50 days later, 10 days after the ascension of Jesus on that day of Pentecost in the Holy Spirit is coming to Peter and he stands up in front of the very people he shouted crucifying Chris about in front of the very people that had condemned him to death on the Sanhedrin in front of the very soldiers would lavender the cross needs at this Jesus whom you crucified the Lord and cry and they shouted they were so convicted must we do to be saved, and Peter told them repent and be baptized, and you'll be saved and they did and they were in using the difference in Peter that the Holy Spirit you been listening to living in the light with and Graham wants if you'd like to share today's message go to Engram wants.org where you'll find much to assist you in getting into the word of God and praying and sharing Christ with others join us again here next week for living in the light