Sing before the service: Psalm 139:3
Our help is in the Name of the Lord, who made heaven and earth.
Beloved, grace and peace be to you from God our Father, and the Lord
Jesus Christ, through the mighty working of God the Holy Spirit.
Amen.
Psalm of praise 33:3
Prayer
Psalm 31:4, 15
Scripture reading: Luke 2
Scripture
text:
Luke 2:25, 26; The Belgic Confession, Article 11
Now there was a man in Jerusalem called Simeon, who was righteous and
devout. He was waiting for the consolation of Israel, and the Holy
Spirit was upon him. It had been revealed to him by the Holy Spirit
that he would not the before he had seen the Lord’s Christ.
(Luke 2:25-26 NIV)
How do we get to know the Holy Spirit?
The first time we learn about the almighty God in his Word is where it
says that the Spirit of God was hovering over the waters.
Now the earth was formless and empty, darkness was over the surface of
the deep, and the Spirit of God was hovering over the waters. (Genesis
1:2 NIV)
The Holy Spirit and God the Father who created everything are of one
and the same essence. Job confirms it. Listen to what he said:
The Spirit of God has made me; the breath of the Almighty gives me life. (Job 33:4 NIV)
In the Old Testament we often read about the Spirit of God who came
upon the prophets in power. Listen to a few pronouncements that were
made and written down directed by God the Holy Spirit. These
pronouncements all confirm the working of God the Holy Spirit:
Do not cast me from your presence or take your Holy Spirit from me. (Psalms 51:11 NIV)
Yet they rebelled and grieved his Holy Spirit. So he turned and became
their enemy and he himself fought against them. (Isaiah 63:10 NIV)
Then his people recalled the days of old, the days of Moses and his
people— where is he who brought them through the sea, with
the shepherd of his flock? Where is he who set his Holy Spirit among
them, (Isaiah 63:11 NIV)
This same Holy Spirit descended in bodily form as a dove on the Lord
Jesus in the Jordan River just after He was baptised. John the Baptist
had been telling the people that the Lord had revealed to him that the
man on whom the Spirit would come down and remain is the Son of God.
I would not have known him, except that the one who sent me to baptize
with water told me, ‘The man on whom you see the Spirit come
down and remain is he who will baptize with the Holy Spirit.’
(John 1:33 NIV)
Later Luke made some enquiries when he was writing the gospel and the
following was told to him:
and the Holy Spirit descended on him in bodily form like a dove. And a
voice came from heaven: “You are my Son, whom I love; with
you I am well pleased.” (Luke 3:22 NIV)
After the ascension of the Lord the Holy Spirit was poured out.
- The sound of the blowing of a violent wind was heard and what seemed to
be tongues of fire came to rest on the apostles.
- By this – so we believe – the Lord reveals that the
Holy Spirit has come to dwell in die church of the Lord.
And now we are faced with the fact that, although it is true that the
Holy Spirit lives in the church, we know so little about Him!
- We hardly ever speak to the Holy Spirit directly!
- Why? Is it because we do not know the Scriptures well enough and hence
this lack of knowledge?
Let us take a walk through the Bible tonight to learn who the Holy
Spirit is.
The Bible reveals that the Holy Spirit is God Himself who lives in us.
- He uses our bodies as his temple to live in so that we can serve and
glorify Him.
Don’t you know that you yourselves are God’s temple
and that God’s Spirit lives in you? (1 Corinthians 3:16 NIV)
And also verse 17:
If anyone destroys God’s temple, God will destroy him; for
God’s temple is sacred, and you are that temple. (1
Corinthians 3:17 NIV)
We believe and confess that the Holy Spirit proceeds from God the
Father and God the Son. Regarding order, He is the third Person of the
Trinity.
The apostle John remembered what the Lord Jesus had said about the
relationship between the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit. He wrote
it down in chapter 14:
But the Counselor, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my
name, will teach you all things and will remind you of everything I
have said to you.
(John 14:26 NIV)
Hence the Holy Spirit is God Himself.
- He is the Father and the Son (because God is one in essence) who guides
us and governs us.
- He enables us to remember and to understand what the Bible says.
In Acts 1 we read the same.
- Through the Holy Spirit the Lord Jesus instructed the apostles what
they should do.
- Hence the Holy Spirit is also of one and the same essence with the Lord
Jesus.
until the day he was taken up to heaven, after giving instructions
through the Holy Spirit to the apostles he had chosen. (Acts 1:2 NIV)
But the Lord did not start with instructions and revelations through
the Holy Spirit only in the time of the New Testament.
- It already happened in the time of the Old Testament.
- Through the Holy Spirit God revealed to David that Judas would betray
the Lord Jesus!
and said, “Brothers, the Scripture had to be fulfilled which
the Holy Spirit spoke long ago through the mouth of David concerning
Judas, who served as guide for those who arrested Jesus—
(Acts 1:16 NIV)
The Bible teaches us that God was not born and He was not created. He
is from eternity and is eternal – and unchangeable. The Bible
contains many pronouncements that God is from eternity:
I was appointed from eternity, from the beginning, before the world
began (Proverbs 8:23 NIV)
Before the mountains were born or you brought forth the earth and the
world, from everlasting to everlasting you are God. (Psalms 90:2 NIV)
Your throne was established long ago; you are from all eternity.
(Psalms 93:2 NIV)
We believe the Holy Spirit is also from eternity and of one and the
same essence as God.
- Similarly, He was not made or created or born.
- The Holy Spirit is of one and the same essence, and majesty, and glory,
with the Father and the Son.
- He is indeed the true and eternal God, according to the Scriptures.
The Lord forgives us when we sin against the Father or the Son. But the
Lord is absolutely inexorable when we sin against God the Holy Spirit.
Listen what is said in Matthew 12:32:
Anyone who speaks a word against the Son of Man will be forgiven, but
anyone who speaks against the Holy Spirit will not be forgiven, either
in this age or in the age to come. (Matthew 12:32 NIV)
Through the Spirit God is very close to us.
- The Holy Spirit is indeed God Himself – it’s not
just a power proceeding from God according to certain religious groups.
- Through the Holy Spirit we are thus also guided by God, and therefore
in all things such as God’s guidance with regard to his
church.
- We read about this in Ephesians 1:17:
keep asking that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the glorious Father,
may give you the Spirit of wisdom and revelation, so that you may know
him better. (Ephesians 1:17 NIV)
In This text it is clear that the Holy Spirit teaches us.
- He teaches us Who God is,
- And also what God expects of us.
He has a specific object in view, namely that we should use and apply
this knowledge when we worship Him in order to truly glorify Him.
Here we also learn to know the Holy Spirit as the Spirit of Wisdom.
- This means that we can only get to know the knowledge and wisdom of God
through Him (the Holy Spirit).
- Wisdom is much more than knowledge.
- Wisdom is the knowledge only found with God – knowledge so
perfect and without the slightest defect.
The application of this fact of what we believe is simple:
- We don’t live under our own power.
- We also do not fight against the devil in vain.
- God fights for us and conquers for us.
- In a certain sense we are taken along on the road of victory.
The Holy Spirit works faith in our hearts, and also trust in
God’s promises.
- He teaches us that it is not life beyond the grave and in the hereafter
that is meaningful.
- He makes us realise that we live by the grace of God every day.
Of course the work of the Holy Spirit is also about comfort.
- Every believer reaches a time when he realises how sinful his life is.
- At times like this he grieves about his sins and also experiences fear
of God – and often doubts whether God would still accept him.
- This is
when the Holy Spirit works true repentance,
- but also
the true realisation that Christ had died for my sins.
- He does
it so that we can get up and turn away from the taint of sin and return
to God.
Usually it never rains but it pours – one disaster after
another.
- And when this happens we find it very hard to deal with, and impossible
to cope with! – Just think about poverty and illness and such
things.
- But there are also other things some of us experience that make us feel
as if the powers of hell are tearing us apart, for example
- a fellow
believer who has to deal with the grief of his loneliness on his own ,
- or an
alcoholic who realises his condition and has to fight against
temptations to find his way back into the light.
This is where the Holy Spirit works.
- Here He gives strength.
- Here He brings change of heart, encourages and heals our faith until we
can worship again whole-heartedly.
But it’s also true that the Holy Spirit opens our eyes to see
beyond this life.
- He opens our eyes for the eternity.
- So that we can see, thanks to the atoning sacrifice of our Lord Jesus,
how we will pass God’s judgment and enter the bright
hereafter on the new earth.
In order to bring together time and eternity and also to understand the
meaning of our lives, we need prayer.
- Nobody can pray without the help of the Holy Spirit.
- He also restores our faith through our fellowship with God –
fellowship through prayer.
Through the Holy Spirit’s work and presence God fills us with
joy because it makes us realise that we are connected to his almighty
power and wonderful presence for eternity.
Let’s read together our confession about this in The Belgic
Confession, article 11.
Article 11: The Deity of the Holy Spirit
We believe and confess also that the Holy Spirit proceeds eternally
from the Father and the Son – neither made, nor created, nor
begotten, but only proceeding from the two of them. In regard to order,
he is the third person of the Trinity – of one and the same
essence, and majesty, and glory, with the Father and the Son.
He is true and eternal God, as the Holy Scriptures teach us.
Amen
Closing prayer
Closing hymn: Psalm 51:5
The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, and the love of God and the
fellowship of the Holy Spirit be with you all.
Amen.
Dr MJ du Plessis
Reformed Church Bellville
Date: 4 June 2006
(evening)