The Holy Spirit

Filling

1. The Holy Spirit INDWELLS for the purpose of glorifying the Lord Jesus Christ; this indwelling teams up with the filling of the Holy Spirit to glorify however. Indwelling alone does not guarantee glorification of Christ.

2. In indwelling of the Holy Spirit is permanent — John 14:16.

3. The command in Ephesians 5:18 is: Be habitually refilled with the Holy Spirit.

4. Sin grieves the Holy Spirit (Ephesians 4:30) and human good quenches His power in us (1 Thessalonians 5:19).

6. Therefore it follows that the hindrance to the filling of the Holy Spirit is unconfessed sin in the life, and thus to be filled with the Holy Spirit sin must be confessed (1 John 1:9) which results in the Holy Spirit filling the life, motivating and producing divine good.

7. Result: Christ is glorified in the believer’s life because the Holy Spirit produces the fruit of the Spirit in the believer, which is the character of Christ.

8. Nothing good is produced in the Christian life apart from the filling of the Holy Spirit — Romans 8:8; Galatians 3:3.

9. Imitation is the great issue in spirituality.

a) The believer in fellowship imitates God: Ephesians 5:1, the Greek says, “Keep on becoming an imitator of God, beloved children.” Ephesians 1:6, “accepted in the beloved.”

b) The believer out of fellowship imitates the unbeliever — 1 John 1:6; 2 Corinthians 3:3.

10. Results of the filling of the Spirit:

a) Imitation of Christ — John 16:14; 2 Corinthians 3:3; Philippians 1:20; Galatians 4:19.

b) Perception of the Word — John 14:26; 16:12-14; 1 Corinthians 2:9-16.

c) Witnessing — Acts 1:8; 2 Corinthians 3-5.

d) Guidance — Romans 8:14; Ephesians 5:16-18.

e) Assurance — Romans 8:14-16; Galatians 4:5,6 (Knowing eternal security is true)

f) Worship — Philippians 3:3; John 4:24.

g) Prayer — Ephesians 6:18 with Psalm 66:18.

h) Helping other Christians to rebound (1 John 1:9) — Galatians 6:1.

Fruit of the Spirit — Galatians 5:22,23

I. Definition: The fruit of the Spirit is the character of Christ being formed in the believer while being filled with the Spirit.

II. Types of Production of the Fruit of the Spirit:

A. Inward or selfward:

1. Love: Mental attitude — what you think. 1 Corinthians 13:4-7. Mental attitude which describes the divine attitude of love. A relaxed mental attitude toward the human race, free from envy, jealousy, hatred, implacability, etc.

2. Joy: Stimulated mental attitude of inner happiness. This comes from knowing doctrine.

3. Peace: Mental attitude stability. a) First: Peace with God (Reconciliation) Romans 5:1; b) Next: Peace of God (filling of the Holy Spirit).

B. Outward or Neighbourward:

4. Long-suffering: Relaxed overt attitude toward the human race. Result of having love, joy, peace. This is faith-rest under pressure from people and circumstances. Ephesians 4:1-3 “ … walk worthy … in love” (in the filling of the Spirit).

5. Gentleness: Mental attitude kindness and grace toward others (give others the benefit of the doubt). 2 Timothy 2:24, “strive” bully others — wrong. Speaks of good manners.

6. Goodness: Overt expression of grace. If you think gentleness, you will act goodness. Ephesians 4:32; 1 Thessalonians 5:15; Colossians 3:13.

C. Upward or Godward:

7. Faith: Using faith as the sole means of perception in transferring gnwsij to e)pignwsij, not operating on rationalism and empiricism.

8. Meekness: Humility. The mental attitude of grace with regard to divine provision. An attitude of grace orientation — not who and what we are, it is who and what He is. Passive — we receive humility.

9. Temperance: Self-control. Self-discipline. Controlling your tongue, thoughts, actions. When it is time to study, you do it. 1 Corinthians 9:27.

When you are in fellowship (filled with the Spirit) you do not necessarily manifest all of the fruit of the Spirit, but various situations bring out various manifestations.

Indwelling (Church Age)

1. The Holy Spirit INDWELLS every regenerate person — Romans 5:5; 8:8,9.

2. The Holy Spirit indwells at the MOMENT of SALVATION — Galatians 3:2; 4:6.

3. In the Old Testament times, the Holy Spirit empowered certain believers TEMPORARILY for specific purposes — 1 Samuel 16:13 with Psalm 51:11.

4. In the New Testament (Church Age) from the Day of Pentecost to the Rapture of the Church, the Holy Spirit indwells every believer at the moment of salvation — 1 Corinthians 12:13b.

5. The indwelling of the Holy Spirit cannot be lost; it is permanent as is salvation — John 14:16,17.

6. The indwelling of the Holy Spirit is the potential power resident IN the believer, the use of which depends upon the filling of the Holy Spirit — 1 John 1:9.

7. New Testament: The indwelling of the Holy Spirit makes the body of the believer the sanctuary (temple of God). 1 Corinthians 3:16,17; 6:19.

Old Testament: Sanctuary was the tabernacle (tent in the desert).

8. Because we are INDWELT we should stay FILLED — 1 Corinthians 6:20.

9. Sin will NOT remove the indwelling Holy Spirit in the Church Age — John 14:16.

10. Provision has been made for sin in 1 John 1:9.

11. The purpose of the INDWELLING of the Holy Spirit is to:

a) Understand spiritual truth — John 16:13; 1 Corinthians 2:12.

b) Glorify Christ by living a supernatural life — John 16:14; 1 Corinthians 6:20; Galatians 5:22.

c) Witness for Christ — Acts 1:8.

The Holy Spirit: “I will pour out of my Spirit.” (Joel 2:28-32 as quoted in Acts 2)

.1. A quotation does not always interpret, a quotation sometimes illustrates, as in Acts 2:17.

2. Peter quotes Joel 2:28-32 in Acts 2:16-21.

3. This is NOT the fulfillment of Joel 2:28-32 but is an illustration to refute the accusation of drunkenness.

4. These believers are actually using the gift of tongues under the power of the Holy Spirit and can no more be charged with drunkenness than the believers in the Joel passage.

5. These people are familiar with the book of Joel. They knew that the activities of Joel reflected spirituality in the Millennium.

6. The Joel 2 passage by interpretation is the Millennium. The phenomenon which they observed is in the first 38 years of the Church Age.

7. Peter does not say that the Joel passage is fulfilled. He is merely establishing a parallel between the phenomenon which is described in Joel 2 and the phenomenon which is occurring at that moment.

8. The Joel passage could not be fulfilled at this point because of the doctrine of the mystery. Doctrine of the mystery: Ephesians 3:1-6; Colossians 1:25,26; Romans 16:25,26.

9. The book of Joel is in the Old Testament and NO Church Age doctrine is given in the Old Testament, therefore Joel is not talking about the Church Age.

10. The Joel passage refers to the Spirit-filled believer in the Millennium only (interpretation). Therefore, what is being said here, is that the Joel passage merely illustrates, but does not fulfill.

11. The charge of drunkenness is going to be refuted by Peter by saying that what they see is not drunkenness, it is a spiritual phenomenon. They are no more drunken than the Millennial saints as depicted in Joel 2:28-32.

12. Acts 2:16: “this is that”: THIS IS THE SAME KIND OF THING AS THAT. The Day of Pentecost occurrence parallels the Millennium.

The Holy Spirit in the Millennium

1. Believers of all ages will be in resurrection bodies in the Millennium with the exception of (see point 2).

2. Tribulational believers who are alive at the second advent will go into the Millennium in their physical bodies.

3. Those believers in physical bodies will be indwelt by the Holy Spirit.

4. All believers in physical bodies (non-resurrection bodies) will have old sin natures:

a) Physical birth from these believers who are indwelt by the Holy Spirit will produce unbelievers with old sin natures. Therefore they must personally believe in Christ for salvation.

b) The old sin nature is restrained in the Millennium because:

1. The Lord Jesus will be present and visible. (Omniscient)

2. believers in resurrection bodies will be present and observing.

3. Angels will be observing.

4. Universal indwelling of the Holy Spirit.

5. Maximum knowledge of doctrine.

5. When Jesus Christ returns to the earth at the 2nd advent, Operation Footstool is completed: All demons are removed from the earth, including Satan, therefore no religion.

6. Because Christ is on the earth and it is not necessary to produce the character of Christ, spirituality becomes a matter of ecstatics — an appreciation of the person of Christ as he lives and reigns on the earth.

7. There will be great spirituality in the Millennium. The Lord Jesus Christ will be present, and there will be perfect environment. Joel 2:28,29.

a) Verse 28: “afterward”: After the second advent.

“my spirit”: Holy Spirit.

“upon all flesh”: Tribulational believers alive at the second advent in physical bodies.

“prophesy”: Old Testament manifestation of the Spirit’s control.

b) Verse 29: “upon the servants and upon the handmaids”: All believers in the Millennium will be indwelt by the Holy Spirit.

8. Isaiah 65:24 — Prayer system of the Millennium. All will be controlled by the Holy Spirit.

9. System of worship in the Millennium — Zechariah 14:16,17.

The Holy Spirit in the Old Testament

I. . God the Holy Spirit is eternal life — Hebrews 9:14.

II. God the Holy Spirit has helped mankind and influenced the world from the beginning — Genesis 1:2b.

III. In Creation:

a) The Father planned or designed — 1 Corinthians 8:6a; Psalm 102:25.

b) The Son did the creating — Ephesians 3:9; Colossians 1:16

c) The Holy Spirit restored original creation after it was destroyed — Psalm 104:30; Genesis 1:2b.

IV. After creation the Holy Spirit did not leave the world but continued to:

a) Reveal God’s will to me.

b) Inspire the prophets to write scripture: 2 Peter 1:21.

c) Work miracles through the prophets and preachers.

V. Purpose of the Holy Spirit in the Old Testament:

a) God is sovereign: Psalm 135:6, “Whatsoever the Lord pleased, that did He ...”

b) The Holy Spirit empowered some believers in the Old Testament, but not all.

c) It was not God’s purpose to fill or live in every believer in the Old Testament.

d) God CHOSE to give certain believers the Holy Spirit for His purpose; it was not their qualification, but was God’s SOVEREIGN decision.

e) It is not who and what they were but who and what God is.

f) The Holy Spirit was WITH all believers (omnipresent) but the Holy Spirit was not IN (empowering) all believers.

g) In Old Testament times one could ask for the Holy Spirit and receive Him under special conditions. Elisha’s request was granted — 2 Kings 2:9, 15.

h) The Father is the one who sends the Holy Spirit on these special missions. Matthew 10:20 — “Spirit of your Father.”

i) Empowering of the Holy Spirit could be lost. David prayed: “Take not thy Holy Spirit from me” — Psalm 51:11, this prayer was the result of sin in his life.

j) Empowering of the Holy Spirit was removed when the work was finished..

John 14:17b “with you”: para plus the accusative = alongside of.

“shall be”: future from then.

“in you”: en plus the dative case = “in.”

VI. Three occasions in the Old Testament where the Holy Spirit had a ministry with a carnal believer:

a) Balaam — Numbers 24:2

b) Samson — Judges 13:25; 14:6; 15:14.

c) King Saul — 1 Samuel 19:23,24. (Today, sin in the life hinders the Holy Spirit’s power but not His indwelling)

VII. Those empowered in the Old Testament:

a) Joseph was the first believer mentioned as being empowered — Genesis 41:38: Empowered with the Holy Spirit to preserve a nation from starvation during a famine.

b) Bezaleel, Aholiab: Workers on the tabernacle were given special wisdom and ability through power of the Holy Spirit — Exodus 35:30-35.

c) Workers on Aaron’s garments — Exodus 28:3.

d) Moses and the elders (70) who helped him were empowered by the Holy Spirit to lead the children of Israel out of Egypt — Numbers 11:16,17.

e) King David was empowered — 1 Samuel 16:13.

f) King Saul was empowered — 1 Samuel 10:6. Perhaps Saul could have been Israel’s greatest king but through sin and continued disobedience, the Holy Spirit left Saul — 1 Samuel 16:14.

g) The prophets were empowered. Elijah, Elisha, 1 & 2 Kings (Isaiah, Daniel, 2 Peter 1:21)

h) Samson, a judge, was empowered — Judges 13:25; 14:6; 15:14.

VIII. Summary:

a) The Holy Spirit empowered SPECIFIC PEOPLE for SPECIFIC JOBS.

b) The Holy Spirit gave some people special understanding and wisdom:

1. Became great leaders of God’s people, such as some of the judges.

2. Reveal God’s Word (Writers of the Old Testament)

c) The Holy Spirit gave some special skills, or unusual physical strength for use in God’s service, such as:

1. Workers in the tabernacle.

2. Samson.

d) The Holy Spirit was removed because:

1. Word was finished, or

2. Because of sin.

Sealing Ministry

I. The sealing work of the Holy Spirit is the basis of our ETERNAL SECURITY — Ephesians 4:30.

II. Three phases to salvation is given in Ephesians 1:13:

a) You must hear the Word of truth — “after that (when) ye heard the Word of Truth.”

b) You must be a believer. “ … in whom also after that ye believed.”

c) “Ye were sealed with that Holy Spirit of promise.”

III. Sealing indicates:

a) A seal is used on invoices to authenticate them — to establish them as genuine.

b) A seal involves ownership. We are in the plan of God. We belong to God.

c) A seal ratifies (approves) treaties and documents. The Holy Spirit ratifies the New Covenant (salvation).

d) A seal is used to guarantee, preserve, and protect. The Holy Spirit is the guarantee of eternal security.

IV. A portion of our inheritance — Ephesians 1:14.

a) The Holy Spirit is the “earnest” (down-payment) of our inheritance until the “redemption of the purchased possession.” (Resurrection of the believer’s body at the Rapture) 1 Thessalonians 4:16-18.

b) “Earnest” in the Greek means a dot with a circle around it. The Lord has a circle around us. We are His possession. Our POSITION in Christ.

c) “Who hath sealed us, and given the earnest of the Spirit in our hearts” — 2 Corinthians 1:22.

The Holy Spirit: Five Sins Against

I. By Unbelievers Only:

A. Resistance of the Holy Spirit — Acts 7:51. Rejection of the Lord Jesus Christ in the Church Age. Pre-salvation ministry of the Holy Spirit is the convicting ministry (John 16:7-11) of:

1. Sin of unbelief.

2. The righteousness of God, the minus righteousness of man.

3. Judgement.

Rejecting Jesus Christ is resisting this ministry of the Holy Spirit.

B. Blasphemy against the Holy Spirit — Matthew 12:31-32.

Rejection of Jesus Christ while Jesus Christ was ministering on earth (previous dispensation: Jewish Age). Jesus Christ was filled with the Holy Spirit during His earthly ministry and to reject Him was blasphemy against the Holy Spirit.

II. By believers: (All are a result of being controlled by the old sin nature)

A. Lying to the Holy Spirit — Acts 5:3.

False motivation — Approbation lust sin.

B. Grieving the Holy Spirit — Ephesians 4:30.

Producing sins from the area of weakness in the old sin nature: Moral issues (immorality), sins of the tongue , mental attitude sins. Any sin in the life of the believer which involves moral or ethical issues.

C. Quenching the Holy Spirit — 1 Thessalonians 5:19

Producing human good from the area of strength in the old sin nature, such as witnessing, giving money, etc., to gain approbation. Human good soothes the conscience and keeps the believer from using rebound (1 John 1:9).

Do it as unto the Lord, or don’t do it!

Disobedience to God’s Word that doesn’t involve an ethical or moral issue.

Sustaining Ministry to Jesus Christ

1. Prophecy of the sustaining ministry in the life of Jesus Christ was given over 700 years before He came. Isaiah 11:2-3; 42:1-4; 61:1-2. Isaiah prophesied that when Messiah would come, the Holy Spirit would sustain, empower and fill Him so that the Father’s perfect will would be accomplished in His life.

2. The Holy Spirit sustained the humanity of Jesus Christ at His birth — Matthew 1:18-21; Luke 1:35.

3. Jesus Christ was sustained by the Holy Spirit only in His humanity because Jesus Christ is co-equal with the Holy Spirit in His deity.

4. As the God-Man He revealed the essence box — Hebrews 1:3.

5. As humanity he relied on the sustaining ministry of the Holy Spirit, and was led and guided by the Holy Spirit — Matthew 4:1; Mark 1:12.

6. He didn’t depend upon His divine attributes to perform functions — Hebrews 2:14,15; Philippians 2:6-8, Greek says “He emptied Himself.”

7. Jesus Christ subordinated His deity to the will of the Father. He did not use the characteristics of His deity independently of the Father’s plan.

8. Therefore, Jesus Christ, during His incarnation, depended entirely upon the sustaining ministry of the Holy Spirit.

9. He did not give up His divine essence. (Deity was always present: omnipresent) but He walked as a man, and as true humanity (indwelt by the Holy Spirit).

a) He was never commanded to be filled with the Holy Spirit.

b) He was always filled with the Holy Spirit.

c) The Holy Spirit was given without measure to Him — John 3:34.

10. The Holy Spirit was present in a special way at the baptism of Jesus Christ to guarantee that He would sustain Jesus Christ during His ministry — Matthew 3:16.

11. The Holy Spirit empowered the humanity of Jesus Christ during His ministry, in His preaching and performing miracles in the power of the Spirit — Luke 4:14, 15, 18; Matthew 12:18, 28. “if”: 1st class condition, “and I do.”

12. Jesus Christ gave Himself for crucifixion in the power of the Holy Spirit — Hebrews 9:14.

13. The ministry of the Holy Spirit ceased when Jesus was on the cross — Psalm 22:1; 3; Matthew 27:46. The first “my God” refers to God the Father, the second “my God” refers to the Holy Spirit.

14. The Holy Spirit had a part in the resurrection of Jesus Christ — Romans 8:11; 1 Peter 3:8; Romans 1:4.

15. The present ministry of the Holy Spirit to Jesus Christ is to glorify Jesus Christ in the life of the believer — John 16:14; 7:39.

a) The believer in fellowship is set to glorify Christ.

b) Glorifying Jesus Christ is a result of soul breathing and the edification complex. The manifestation of the new nature.

16. Jesus Christ set the pattern of the Church Age.

The doctrine of the sins against the Holy Spirit

There are five sins which are committed against the Holy Spirit but they fall into two categories. Two of these are committed by the unbeliever and three of them by the believer.

1. The sins committed by the unbeliever.

a) The first of these is called blaspheming against the Holy Spirit — Matthew 12:14-32. It is tantamount to rejection of the Lord Jesus Christ as saviour — actually, rejection of Christ during the earthly ministry of the Son of God in that context. When the unbeliever says no to the gospel this in effect is blasphemy against the Holy Spirit because the unbeliever is minus a human spirit, therefore there is no way for him to take in the gospel or spiritual phenomena so that he can act upon it one way of the other with his volition. So God the Holy Spirit and makes the gospel a reality and then the individual takes a good look at it. He now understands it because God the Holy Spirit has made it clear. The individual now understands it and has the right to say yes or no to the gospel message. If he says no this is called blasphemy against the Holy Spirit.

b) The second sin of the unbeliever in this connection is called “resistance of the Holy Spirit” — Acts 7:51. Rejection of Christ as saviour during the Church Age is resisting the Spirit. This emphasises the ministry of God the Holy Spirit in making the gospel clear — 1 Corinthians 1:18; 2:14; John 16:7-11; Genesis 6:3. Resistance is also described in terms of 2 Corinthians 4:3,4.

Basically these two phrases, blasphemy and resistance against the Holy Spirit, are sins committed by the unbeliever. In effect, it is the only sin that he can actually commit and go to hell. It is simply rejection of the Lord Jesus Christ. The last three sins which follow are committed by the believer.

3. Lying to the Holy Spirit is the first — Acts 5:3. This is the function of a believer in reversionism, in this case the function of a believer in monetary reversionism. We have in this case a combination of approbation lust plus false motivation under conditions of blackout of the soul. It is the sin of false motivation, doing something for personal glory rather than for the honour of the Lord.

4. Grieving the Holy Spirit is the function of the believer in reversionism whereby he produces extensive carnality in one of three categories: mental attitude sins, sins of the tongue, or overt sins. Grieving the Holy Spirit can occur under the following phases of reversionism. The first is the reaction phase, the one in which the sin accompanies disillusion. For example, if you are disillusioned about something and get bitter that would be grieving the Holy Spirit. In phase two of reversionism there is a frantic search for happiness and the sins here can run the gamut. These are grieving the Holy Spirit in phase two of reversionism. In phase three of reversionism we have emotional revolt of the soul. This is when the emotion of the soul takes over everything. The heart or the right lobe which usually dominates the soul is now dominated by the emotion. Example; the “gift” of tongues and the holy-rollers. This actually becomes a blasphemy, a faking out of the gift of tongues. The fourth phase of reversionism is the negative volition phase. It may be apathy or antagonism which is grieving the Holy Spirit. The fifth phase is the blackout of the soul which means you are now under Satanic influence. Now you have become a bleeding heart, a hippy, and have got into some activity of socialism or welfare, etc. In this phase blackout of the soul leads to pride, bitterness, jealousy, vindictiveness, implacability. This is also the stage at which criminal activity becomes quite extensive. Phase six is the scar tissue phase and in this phase it is anything goes. When you grieve the Holy Spirit in the scar tissue phase there is no sin that the worst unbeliever in the world has committed that you as a believer cannot commit. You are not going to lose your salvation, you are going to be under divine discipline and will die the sin unto death. Phase seven is reverse process reversionism in which we have the same principle.

The principle should be obvious. Grieving the Holy Spirit is something the believer does in one of the seven phases of reversionism.

5. Quenching the Holy Spirit — 1 Thessalonians 5:19 is the function of the believer in reversionism by which he produces human good. This is the basic difference from grieving the Holy Spirit which is sin.