Roald Amundsen was a Norwegian explorer of polar regions and a key figure of the Heroic Age of Antarctic Exploration. He was the first person to traverse Canada’s Northwest Passage in 1906 and he led the first expedition to the South Pole in 1911. He also led the first expedition proven to have reached the North Pole in 1926, where he discovered the magnetic meridian of the North Pole.
On one of his trips, Amundsen took a homing pigeon with him. When he had finally reached the top of the world, he opened the bird’s cage and set it free. Imagine the delight of Amundsen’s wife, back in Norway, when she looked up from the doorway of her home and saw the pigeon circling in the sky above. No doubt she exclaimed, “He’s alive! My husband is still alive!”
So it was when Jesus ascended into heaven. After forty days of post-resurrection encounters, the disciples watched Jesus rise through the air and return to his father, but the they clung to his promise to send them the Holy Spirit. What joy, then, when the dovelike Holy Spirit descended on the Day of Pentecost. The disciples had with them the continual reminder that Jesus was alive and victorious at the right of the Father.
In Acts 2, Luke tells us that, after Jesus ascended, the disciples were all gathered in one house in Jerusalem. As they tried to come to grips with Jesus being gone, suddenly there came from heaven a sound like a mighty wind, rushing through the entire room where they were sitting. When they looked up, they saw what appeared to be tongues of fire dancing over each of their heads. The Holy Spirit filled them in such a way that they began to speak in languages that they had never learned.
As this supernatural phenomenon was happening inside the house, there was a group of devout Jews from every nation under heaven standing outside, and they were bewildered because they could hear the disciples speaking in their own languages. Perplexed by this proceeding, others concluded that the disciples must be drunk. But the Apostle Peter stood up and addressed the crowd with mindboggling boldness and incredible clarity. He preached a provocative sermon from Joel 2 in the Old Testament and showed how the prophet’s words were fulfilled by the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ. Peter’s proclamation of the gospel was so powerful that day that 3000 people repented from their sins and became followers of Jesus Christ.
This same Holy Spirt, the third person of the Holy Trinity, who (as the Nicene Creed proclaims) proceeded from the Father and the Son, took center stage on the Day of Pentecost and has been performing the primary role in divine drama for the past two-thousand years of history. Whereas God the Father played the lead role in history from Creation to the Incarnation, and God the Son played the lead role from the Incarnation to the Ascension, God the Holy Spirit stepped into the lead role after Jesus’ ascension and he will continue to do so until the consummation of the Kingdom when Jesus returns.
Last Sunday, Dr. Bayard taught us about the personality and divinity of the Holy Spirit—that the Holy Spirit is a true person and fully God at the same time. Today, I will highlight the work of the Holy Spirit—that is, what the Holy Spirit actually does. And I will focus on two categories: the Holy Spirit purifies and empowers!
Since the third person of the Trinity is named “The Holy Spirit,” it is not surprising to find that one of his primary activities is to cleanse us from sin and to sanctify us by making us more holy in the way we live. Even in the lives of unbelievers there is some restraining influence of the Holy Spirit as he convicts the world of sin. (Grudem 639) Jesus himself speaks of the Holy Spirit’s role in purifying the world in John 16:7-11:
But I tell you the truth: It is for your good that I am going away. Unless I go away, the Counselor will not come to you; but if I go, I will send him to you. When he comes, he will convict the world of guilt in regard to sin and righteousness and judgment: in regard to sin, because men do not believe in me; in regard to righteousness, because I am going to the Father, where you can see me no longer; and in regard to judgment, because the prince of this world now stands condemned.
There is a profound irony in the Holy Spirit’s ministry to the world. In essence, John has been recording how the world has put Jesus on trial and found him guilty and declares that he deserves death. But, in fact, Jesus is innocent, and the world stands accused of sin. The Holy Spirit’s (legal counselor) work is to reveal the true nature of the world and convict it in regard to sin, righteousness, and judgment. The Holy Spirit exposes the world’s guilt from committing sin against God, trusting in its own righteousness, and refusing to take God’s judgment seriously. The world has been deceived by Satan and has unwittingly followed him. The world chose Satan over God’s only son—and it will face condemnation.
This purifying role of the Holy Spirit sounds negative, but it is actually positive in light of the gospel. If the Holy Spirit didn’t convict us of our sin and self-centeredness or inform us about God’s judgment, we would never understand our need for a Savior. And if we didn’t understand our need for a Savior, we would never repent from our sin or put our faith in the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ. We would still be spiritually lost, and our souls would be bound for hell!
Do you remember when the Holy Spirit caused you to realize the sinfulness of your sin and that you deserve to burn in the eternal flames of hell? Do you recall how the Holy Spirit showed you that Jesus is the only one who can offer you forgiveness for your sins and rescue you from God’s wrath and judgment? Do you remember how the Holy Spirit filled you with joy when you put your faith in Jesus Christ and gave you the hope of heaven? Praise God for the Holy Spirit’s work of purification that leads to our salvation!
After the Holy Spirit convicts people of sin which leads to repentance and redemption, he takes up residence in the bodies of believers and continues to purify them from the sinful nature they inherited from their forefathers going all the way back to Adam and Eve. The Holy Spirit actively enables people to get rid of the sinful habits that led to their spiritual death in the first place. The Apostle Paul explains this is Romans 8:11-14:
And if the Spirit of him who raised Jesus from the dead is living in you, he who raised Christ from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies through his Spirit, who lives in you. Therefore, brothers, we have an obligation—but it is not to the sinful nature, to live according to it. For if you live according to the sinful nature, you will die; but if by the Spirit you put to death the misdeeds of the body, you will live, because those who are led by the Spirit of God are sons of God.
Do you remember watching cartoons when were a child? A character would struggle with a moral dilemma or temptation to do something wrong, and a little devil would appear on their shoulder and instigate, “Go ahead! It’s not that bad! Nobody will get hurt!” Then a little angel would pop on one shoulder and say, “Don’t do it! It is wrong! You’ll regret it later!” Sometimes cartoons teach good theology! We’ve all lived this very situation! Our sinful nature is like a little devil who is always trying to lure us back to our old way of life which leads to death.
Sin leads to death! We have seen this over and over again right here in our own community. Drug overdoses, DWI fatalities, and suicides have ravaged us. But no one just wakes up one morning and says, “I think I’m going overdose on heroin today,” or “I think I’m going to kill myself tonight.” Sin compounds upon sin until the it weighs so heavy on the soul that the darkness closes in people see no way out. But it doesn’t have to be this way! The Holy Spirit offers us a better way! He offers us a better life!
When the Holy Spirit lives within us, he constantly leads us to what is right! And when we yield our souls to the Holy Spirit and put away the misdeeds of the body, it leads to a better life! If you are born of the Spirit, know that the same Holy Spirit who raised Jesus from the dead is actively working to purify your soul and conform your character to the character of our Lord Jesus Christ!
Speaking of the character of Christ, as the Holy Spirit helps us put to death those old sinful habits, he begins to fill us with the fruit of the Spirit—those virtues that are exhibited in the life of Christ. The Apostle Paul explains this in Galatians 5:22-25:
But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. Against such things there is no law. Those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the sinful nature with its passions and desires. Since we live by the Spirit, let us keep in step with the Spirit.
Again, for those who have been born of the Spirit, the Holy Spirt not only strips away our impure passions and imperfect desires, but he also offers us the character of Christ. Who doesn’t need more love, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, gentleness, and self-control? When we keep in step with the Holy Spirit, our lives are purified, and they improve in every way!
Now that we have seen how the Holy Spirit purifies us, let’s shift our focus to how he empowers us. Let’s jump back to the Book of Acts for a moment. Right before the resurrected Christ bid his disciples farewell and returned to his father in heaven, he left them with this promise in Acts 1:8: “But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you; and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.” Jesus told his disciples that the Holy Spirit would grant them supernatural power to be his witnesses all over the world. By this, Jesus meant that the Spirit would give them power to preach and proclaim the gospel and expand the kingdom all over the earth. As we read about the Day of Pentecost in Acts 2, we see how the Holy Spirit did in fact empower Peter to boldly proclaim the gospel and 3,000 were saved that day. The rest of Acts shows us how the Holy Spirit continued to empower the formation and mission of the church.
The same Holy Spirit who empowered the early church is still empowering the church today. We cannot do ministry in our own power, wisdom, or strength! When we try to do this, our words fall flat, and our efforts fail! But when the Holy Spirit works through us, it is an amazing experience! If the Spirit has ever used you to lead someone to faith in Jesus Christ, you know what I mean. It’s like an out of body experience—you know that it is you speaking the words, but you can also feel a power that is beyond you! As a corporate church and individual Christians, may the Spirit empower our proclamation of the gospel!
Just as the Holy Spirit empowers our proclamation of the gospel, he also empowers our prayer life. We see this in Romans 8:26, where Paul says: “In the same way, the Spirit helps us in our weakness. We do not know what we ought to pray for, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us with groans that words cannot express.”
How many times have you been at a loss for words when it comes to prayer? How often do you face difficult situations when you don’t know how to pray or what to pray for? Take comfort, the Holy Spirit is with us and he helps us during times of weakness and confusion. He knows what we need, and he intercedes on our behalf!
And finally, when we experience the new birth and truly become Christians, the Holy Spirit endows us with certain spiritual gifts for service in the church and to pursue the common good. Look at Paul’s teaching in I Corinthians 12:4-11:
There are different kinds of gifts, but the same Spirit. There are different kinds of service, but the same Lord. There are different kinds of working, but the same God works all of them in all men. Now to each one the manifestation of the Spirit is given for the common good. To one there is given through the Spirit the message of wisdom, to another the message of knowledge by means of the same Spirit, to another faith by the same Spirit, to another gifts of healing by that one Spirit, to another miraculous powers, to another prophecy, to another distinguishing between spirits, to another speaking in different kinds of tongues, and to still another the interpretation of tongues. All these are the work of one and the same Spirit, and he gives them to each one, just as he determines.
Every Christian has at least one spiritual gift, and some Christians have more than one gift. The Holy Spirit is the one who determines which gifts and the amount of giftedness we receive. Sometimes spiritual gifts complement our natural gifts, and sometimes they don’t. Whether it is the gift of wisdom, faith, healing, prophecy, speaking in tongues, or the gift of leadership, preaching, or teaching (that he lists elsewhere), all of these gifts are meant to build up the church and benefit the world around us.
Do you know what your spiritual gifts are? How are you using them in the church? How are you using them to bless the world around you? Conclusion
When the Norwegian explorer Roald Amundsen released his homing pigeon in the article, it returned home to his wife and confirmed that her husband was still alive. When the Holy Spirit blew in on the Day of Pentecost, he confirmed that Jesus is still alive. And for the past 2000 years, he has been doing the work of purifying our souls and empowering us to expand the kingdom of God. Let us praise God for the presence of the Holy Spirit and his ongoing work in each of our lives! May we constantly yield our souls to be purified and empowered by God the Holy Spirit!