Number 5 – God The
Holy Spirit
Frank is a successful publishing executive. He accepted Christ as his Savior when he was nine years old. He was raised in a Christian home, was in church whenever the doors were open, and was always “the good kid.”
But his life was not what he hoped. “Frequently, I would experience discouragement and defeat,” he says. He had examples of mature Christians in his life, but he found himself giving in to lustful thoughts, cynical attitudes and spiritual mediocrity. “I would feel guilty and spiritually dead for weeks and months until the next alter call at church – when I would go forward for the nth time and recommit my life to Christ. But soon the emotional high of those moments of recommitment would give way to more compromise and the cycle would start all over again. It was an up and down roller coaster ride – mostly down. I just didn’t have the happiness and victory Christians are supposed to have.”
JoAnn received Christ at 12, and decided she was going to “be a good Christian if it kills me.” But after nine years of struggle, she decided that something was wrong. “I concluded I must not be a Christian. After all, if I were a Christian, why couldn’t I act like one?”[1]
Can you relate? There are a lot of people who come to Christ feeling that their life will be an idyllic, peaceful, wonderful existence, without problem, discouragement or disappointment. But they soon discover that it’s a struggle. The fire that burned so bright and hot has dimmed and cooled. They find themselves embroiled in a constant battle with sin and self. They feel no closeness in their relationship with Christ. What’s the deal? Were they deceived when they came to Christ? Did they somehow miss a piece of the puzzle?
Well, yes and no. No, they probably weren’t deceived. Yes, they may be missing a piece of the puzzle. A piece of the Christian life that is perhaps the most misunderstood and the most misrepresented. A piece of the Christian life that is absolutely vital to our living the type of life that Christ promised. That piece is actually a person, the Holy Spirit, the best friend you will ever have. And they aren’t really missing Him, He’s missing part of them.
Confused? Let’s go to the Word of God for some clarification.
The Holy Spirit is called by many names in the Bible. The “Spirit of Truth,” “The Spirit of God,” “The Holy Ghost,” “Comforter,” “Teacher,” “Guide” and others. My favorite, and the name that Jesus chose to use when He told them He was about to leave, is the name “Helper.”
Last week we talked about the last meal that Jesus had with His disciples. It is described in John, chapter 14 (page 726). That chapter opens up with Jesus and his disciples gathered around the dinner table. Jesus has just told them that one of them is going to betray Him, and that He will die. They are shocked and can’t believe it. They ask Him where He’s going. They cry out that they don’t know how to get there. They are stunned by this sudden change of events. What will they do without their Lord? How can they go on without Him?
In verse 15 we read these words of comfort from Jesus:
John 14:15-18
"If you love Me, keep My commandments. [16] And I will pray the Father, and He will give you another Helper, that He may abide with you forever-- [17] 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. [18] I will not leave you orphans; I will come to you.
Jesus promises that He is not abandoning His followers. He will have the Father send “another Helper.” The original Greek words used to define the Holy Spirit this way are so meaningful. First the word “another.” It is allon, which means, “another of the same type.” For example, if went out for fish fry on Friday, and got a piece of Cod that was cold, and asked for another piece of fish, you would not be satisfied if they brought you a piece of carp. You want “another of the same type.” That is the word that is used here. There was a Greek word that meant “another” that also implied “different,” but Jesus did not use it. The meaning is clear: Jesus was promising to send a Helper just like Himself to the disciples.
But that is not all. He also chose a word for Helper that is really great. It is “paraklatos”, which comes from two Greek words, para, which means to the side of, and kalew, which means “to summon.” The picture is of one who is unable to make it themselves, and needs to call someone to come along side and help them make it. It was a word that was used in the Greek legal system to refer to an advocate, or a person who gave consolation. I think it is a great picture of what the Holy Spirit does for us. He helps us when we can’t make it ourselves.
If you go a little further into Jesus talk with His disciples that night, you will find a rather surprising statement from Him. In chapter 16, verse 5, we read these words:
John 16:5-7
"But now I go away to Him who sent Me, and none of you asks Me, 'Where are You going?' [6] But because I have said these things to you, sorrow has filled your heart. [7] 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.
Do you hear what Jesus said to them? “It is to your advantage that I go…” Have you ever thought about that seriously before? We actually have it better than those who walked with Christ! For while they had Jesus with them, and were able to talk with Him, and see Him, they had a disadvantage that He was limited by His physical body. He couldn’t be with them all the time. He was limited by time and space. Look back to the original verses we read - verse 17:
for He dwells with you and will be in you
We have a great advantage, as they did when Jesus left, because this Helper that He had the Father send was not only with them, but now is in us! The Spirit of God now dwells within each believer, just as Jesus said. A couple of weeks ago we looked at John chapter 3, where Jesus told a Pharisee named Nicodemous that he had to be “born of the Spirit.” The Holy Spirit gives us that new birth when we receive Christ as our Savior. Paul tells us that the Holy Spirit also “seals” every believer – Ephesians 1:13 says “Having also believed, you were sealed in Him with the Holy Spirit of promise.” The Holy Spirit is the seal of God on the heart of every believer. Paul also tells us that the Holy Spirit baptizes us into the body of Christ. In I Corinthians 12:13, we read, “For by one Spirit we are all baptized into one body.” Our physical baptism tells the world of our decision to follow Christ. We are burying our old life, and are being raised up into a new life in Christ. That physical, outward baptism is a picture of what the Holy Spirit has done inside us when we came to Christ and received Him as our Savior.
These are all things the Holy Spirit does for us as believers in Jesus Christ. But why are so many of us like Frank and JoAnn? Why do we struggle so much if we have this Helper inside us? “If the Holy Spirit of God lives within me, why do I fail so often?”
The answer is not that we need more of the Holy Spirit, it’s that the Holy Spirit needs more of us.
In the book of Ephesians, chapter 5, and verse 18, (pg 789) we have a command from God to each of us. It reads: “And do not be drunk with wine, in which is dissipation, but be filled with the Spirit.”
But didn’t I just say that the Spirit already is within us? Yes, He is within us, but is He “filling us?” Look again at that verse. Do you notice that Paul has contrasted being drunk with wine and being filled with the Holy Spirit? Isn’t that interesting? Why would he do that?
Well, when a person is drunk, the alcohol is in control of them. They do things they otherwise would not do. They may be loud and obnoxious, or violent, or careless and loose in their behavior. Whatever the behavior, it is the booze that is in control. It’s called “under the influence” by our courts.
Paul says that we should not be under the influence of wine, or anything else but the Holy Spirit. It is one thing to have the Holy Spirit in us – Jesus has promised that He is in all believers – but it is quite another thing to be “under the influence” of the Holy Spirit.
Once again let me share with you a little Greek grammar. The word that is used for “filled” is written in a tense implies a continual action. In other words, that phrase “be filled,” literally means to be constantly and continually filled, controlled and empowered by the Holy Spirit every moment of the day.[2]
That means that when we wake up in the morning, part of our morning routine needs to be to ask for and be filled with the Holy Spirit. As the day goes on, we need to keep being filled.
But what happens when we fail? What happens when that temptation comes, and we yield? Well, we’re being controlled by something other than the Holy Spirit, aren’t we? We may not be “drunk with wine,” but we are “under the influence” of something other then the Spirit of God.
Before we come to Christ, we live in what the Bible calls “the flesh.” It is a state where we are ruling our own lives and we are out for Number One. I am in the driver’s seat of my existence. But then we realize that on our own, we mess up our lives. We sin, we hurt ourselves and others, we know that we are separated from God. When we come to Christ, and ask Him to forgive us, the Word of God tells us that He comes in to us and dwells within us in the person of the Holy Spirit – the best friend we’ve ever had. We put God in the driver’s seat – we allow Him to direct us, and it is exciting and wonderful. That’s why so many new Christians have that dynamic joy and thrill in their lives. Ever wonder why that seems to fade? It’s not because the Spirit has left us, it’s because we’ve taken him off the throne of our lives, and climbed back in the driver’s seat. The Bible refers to this kind of person as “Carnal.” It comes form the Latin word “carne,” which means “flesh.” The Spirit of God still abides within us, but He’s not in control.
God will not force Himself on anyone. He did not force us to come to Him for salvation, and He won’t force us to walk in the Spirit. If we choose to walk in the flesh, we will live a defeated, lukewarm, depressed existence. He’s still there, waiting to give us a victorious, full, Spirit-filled life, but it is up to us to allow it.
So how do we go about it? Colossians 2:6 says, As you therefore have received Christ Jesus the Lord, so walk in Him.” Question: How did we receive Christ Jesus as Lord? Answer: by faith. How do we walk in Him? By faith.
We must confess that we have not given Him control of our lives. We must confess that we have walked in the way of the world. And then we by faith ask Him to take His rightful place in the driver’s seat of our lives. We do that in faith. We believe that He will do what he promised to do. We walk in that faith. We go into our day believing that God Himself is in the driver’s seat of our lives.
Then when those times of temptation come, and I find myself pushing my way behind the wheel, I need to do what Bill Bright in his book, “The Secret” calls. “Spiritual Breathing.” I expel out the poisons of sin and flesh by confessing it to Him immediately, and I breath in the newness of the Holy Spirit by replacing Him in the driver’s seat where He belongs.
Our days become filled with “Spiritual Breathing.” Moment by moment, walking by faith, with the Holy Spirit in control of our lives. If we fail, we confess it, put Him back in control, and walk in the Spirit. When this is happening day by day, moment by moment, an amazing thing begins to happen. We become more aware of those hazards that make us fall. We become more aware of the Holy Spirit’s direction in our lives, and we find ourselves living the type of Christian life we always knew was out there, but couldn’t quite do on our own.
But we can’t get there without first placing God in the driver’s seat. If you have never done that, today is the day. In just a few seconds, you can hand Him the keys to your life, and begin the greatest adventure of your life, with the best friend you’ll ever have at the wheel.
Let’s pray.
If you’d like to do that today, I invite you to repeat this simple prayer after me in the silence of your own heart. If you’re a Christian, and you’ve been behind the wheel, or if you’ve never come to Christ, you can share this same prayer with me.
Dear Father,
I need you. I confess that I have been in control of my
life, and I have made a mess of it.
Please forgive me. Thank you for
forgiving me of my sins through Jesus’ death on the cross.
At this moment, I want to give you the keys to my
life. I want you to be in the driver’s
seat. Fill me with your Holy Spirit as
you commanded me to be filled, and as you promised in your word you would do if
I asked in faith.
Help me to walk in the Spirit. To resist the urge to climb back in the driver’s seat. Help me to do the work of staying faithful
to you, and forgive me by your grace when I fail.
I pray this in Jesus’ name. I believe by faith that you have answered this prayer, and I thank you for filling me with your Holy Spirit.
Amen.