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Series: Holy Spirit
The Work of The Holy Spirit - Part
2
The Holy Spirit's work is not
limited solely to the believer; He is also very much at work in the world, and
His ministry is fulfilled in five ways:
"We are witnesses of these
things and so is the Holy Spirit, whom God has given to those who obey him''
Acts 5:32 (see also 1 John 5:6-12).
It was through God's Spirit
that Jesus was baptised with power to fulfil His ministry (Luke 3:21-22;
4:14,17-21), and it was through the Holy Spirit that Jesus was raised from the
dead (Romans 1:4). From the beginning to the end, the Holy Spirit was involved
in the work of Jesus, and He has now been given to the believer to bear witness
to the fact that Jesus is indeed the Son of God and is alive today !
"When the Counsellor comes . . . he will testify about me,
but you also must testify, for you have been with me from the beginning" John
15:26-27.
"When he comes, he will
convict the world of guilt in regard to SIN and RIGHTEOUSNESS
and JUDGMENT" John 16:8.
Because the world has rejected God, the Holy Spirit's aim in
people's lives is to bring conviction in three areas:
SIN
The world has rejected God and sinned against Him. People
try to cover up their sin and justify themselves, but the Holy Spirit's work
is to expose sin for what it is and show the need for God's help (see Acts
24:25).
RIGHTEOUSNESS
Jesus was the only true standard of the righteousness of
God. Without Him, people would only have themselves to measure by (2
Corinthians 10:12; Romans 2:23). When Jesus returned to the Throne, He sent
the Holy Spirit to indwell the believer- and now the Holy Spirit reveals the
standard of God's righteousness, desiring that that standard would be
clearly demonstrated in the believer for all the world to see.
JUDGMENT
People's lives around us are bound by spiritual powers,
but the Holy Spirit is present to reveal the marvellous truth of the Gospel
- that they can be free because of the work of Jesus, for He judged our sin
on the Cross and completely destroyed the legal right that the enemy has
over people's lives (Colossians 2:13-15).
"For the secret power of
lawlessness is already at work; but the one who now holds it back will
continue to do so till he is taken out of the way'' 2 Thessalonians 2:7.
The Holy Spirit is the one force in the world today that is
restraining the world from plunging headlong into the darkest expression of its
sin and rebellion. But there will come a time in the future when the Holy Spirit
will withdraw and believers will be snatched away (Luke 17:34-36; 1
Thessalonians 4:16-18) - and then the full expression of sin will be revealed in
time for the outpouring of God's judgment. As vessels of the Holy Spirit, we too
are encouraged to be instruments of His restraint (see Matthew 5:13; 1 Timothy
2:1-2).
"My message and my preaching
were not with wise and persuasive words, but with a demonstration of the
Spirit's power" 1 Corinthians 2:4 (see also 1 Thessalonians 1:5).
The early Church was birthed in the power of the Holy Spirit,
and it was that power that gave evidence of the reality of what they had
experienced. One of the Holy Spirit's functions is to testify to the truth of
the Gospel by performing miracles and wonders.
''Then the disciples went out and preached everywhere, and
the Lord worked with them and confirmed his word by the signs that accompanied
it'' Mark 16:20 (see also Acts 2:43; 5:12,15-16; 6:8; 8:6-8,12-13;14:3).
''In the last days, God
says, l will pour out my Spirit on all people . . . I will pour out my Spirit
in those days, and they will prophesy . . . And everyone who calls on the name
of the Lord will be saved" Acts 2:17-18,21.
It is God's greatest desire that His Spirit would fall on all
mankind in great glory and in a revelation of the nature of God. The day is
coming when this will finally happen, and through God's Spirit, the whole earth
will be full of His glory.
''Every valley shall be raised up, every mountain and hill
made low; the rough ground shall become level, the rugged places a plain. And
the glory of the Lord will be revealed, and all mankind together will see it.
For the mouth of the Lord has spoken" Isaiah 40:4-5.
The Holy Spirit's desire in the world is to draw people to
Himself. This work is one of the major parts the Holy Spirit plays in God's
total scheme of salvation.
''This is good, and pleases God our Saviour, who wants all
men to be saved and to come to a knowledge of the truth" 1 Timothy 2:3-4.
But when people continually reject the Holy Spirit's
encouragement, He also has a ministry of judgment - though even this ministry is
so that people might yet turn back to Him.
"Yet they rebelled and grieved his Holy Spirit. So he
turned and became their enemy and he himself fought against them" Isaiah 63:10
(see also Hebrews 10:29).
''When the Counsellor comes,
whom I will send to you from the Father, the Spirit of truth who goes out from
the Father, he will testify about me... HE WILL BRING GLORY TO ME by
taking from what is mine and making it known to you" John 15:26;16:14.
The Holy Spirit's continual aim in everything He does is to
bring glory to Jesus. His desire is that ''in everything (Jesus) might have the
supremacy'' (Colossians 1:18), and that:
'' . . . at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in
heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue confess that Jesus
Christ is Lord . . . '' Philippians 2:10-11.
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