The Holy Spirit in the Gospels
IN THE STUDY:
In the first three Gospels there are few references to the Holy Spirit. There are four broad sections of teaching in the first three Gospels.
1. The inference of the Holy Spirit concerning the birth of Jesus. The Holy Spirit revealed the truth of the coming of Christ to Simeon (Lk 2:25-26). It was the Holy Spirit who gave birth to Jesus (Lk 1:35) and equipped him for his ministry at the time of baptism (Matt. 3:16; Mk 1:10; Lk 3:22).
2. It was the Holy Spirit who filled Jesus (Lk 4:1), who guided him at the time of his temptations (Matt. 4:1), and who empowered Jesus in his ministry (Matt. 12:28).
3. The Holy Spirit came into the lives of the followers of Jesus. He was to baptize them with the Spirit (Matt. 3:11). The Holy Spirit would give gifts to the believers (Lk 11:13), and would be with the Christian in time of danger ( Matt. 10:20).
4. In the first three Gospels there is mention also of the sin against the Holy Spirit. Many people have misunderstood this teaching. It will be referred to in this series later.
In John’s Gospel we have the highest teaching on the Holy Spirit of the New Testament. John has his own unique title for the Holy Spirit – the Paraclete (Jn 14:16; 14:26; 15:26; 16:7). This word is often translated as helper, counsellor, advocate, or friend.
The Holy Spirit is God’s gift (14:15). He is in the abiding presence of the risen Lord (16:7; 14:16). Jesus had to return to the Father but the Holy Spirit would dwell with the believer in his place. The same is the Spirit of Truth (14:17; 15:26; 16:13). The Holy Spirit will guide us into all truth. He will unfold to the new Christian truth of the faith, he will bring to our memory the teaching of Jesus (14:26). He will guide us in our future path (16:13). It is the Holy Spirit who will both witness to Jesus, convict men of their sin, and convince them of their need of righteousness (16:8-11).
FROM THE PULPIT:
Ralph Amos in a brilliant sermon once described the spiritual tragedy of the Church at Ephesus, where they had not even heard of the Holy Spirit, as “a tragedy that keeps on repeating itself”. There are many churches where the Holy Spirit is not liberated. Our Lord teaches in John’s Gospel that the Holy Spirit is given to live within the life of the Christian. In four great chapters (Jn 3, 14, 15 and 16) Jesus outlined the reasons for the gift of the Holy Spirit.
1. The Holy Spirit is to be our living companion. Five times in three chapters Jesus repeats that the Holy Spirit is to be our companion no matter where we are in his work. The comforter would abide with us forever. The Holy Spirit is not an influence or a feeling but a person.
2. The Holy Spirit is our living teacher. He was to bring to our remembrance the teachings of Jesus. The Holy Spirit guides us through the reading of the scriptures, through the memorisation of the teachings of Jesus, through the advice of a Christian friend, and through the seekings of the individual believer to keep on being filled with the Spirit of God.
3. The Holy Spirit comes to us as a living authority. He was to convict the world of sin to convert the world to righteousness and to convince the world of the coming judgement. His role was to be the authority for the individual Christian.
4. The Holy Spirit comes to us as a living helper. The Paraclete was the word used of a witness to help in a law case, an advocate who argued your position, an expert who gave advice, a soldier who provided reinforcement and an encourager in a time of discouragement. The Holy Spirit is the helper of the distressed, the doubting and the discouraged. Jesus promised the Holy Spirit for the benefit of all Christians. What a tragedy that some Churches do not even know that He exists.
AMONG THE PEOPLE:
The sailor in a small craft, does not spend all of his time concentrating on the wind, but on getting to his destination. The wind in the scriptures referred to the breath of God, or the Spirit of God.
When the Christian opens his life up to the indwelling presence of the Holy Spirit the motive power propels him to his God-directed destiny.
Commenting about a recent tragedy one of my dear friends said “If it wasn’t for the assurance of the companionship of the Holy Spirit, I don’t know how we would have coped”.
