What Jesus Said

about the Holy SpiritAdapted from the series,

“Jesus Said” by Michael Wileyhttp://www.sermoncentral.com/sermons/what-jesus-said-about-the-

holy-spirit-michael-wiley-sermon-on-holy-spirit-general-132924.asp

John 3:1 NET Now a certain man, a Pharisee named Nicodemus, who was a member of the Jewish ruling council, 2 came to Jesus at night and said to him,

"Rabbi, we know that you are a teacher who has come from God. For no one could

perform the miraculous signs that you do unless God is with him." 3 Jesus replied, "I tell you the solemn truth, unless a person is

born from above, he cannot see the kingdom of God."

4 Nicodemus said to him, "How can a man be born when he is old? He cannot enter his mother's womb and be born a second

time, can he?" 5 Jesus answered, "I tell you the solemn truth, unless a person is born of

water and spirit, he cannot enter the kingdom of God. 6 What is born of the flesh

is flesh, and what is born of the Spirit is spirit.

7 Do not be amazed that I said to you, 'You must all be born from above.' 8 The wind blows wherever it will, and you hear the

sound it makes, but do not know where it comes from and where it is going. So it is with everyone who is born of the Spirit."

John 16:7 NET But I tell you the truth, it is to your advantage that I am going away. For

if I do not go away, the Advocate will not come to you, but if I go, I will send him to you. 8 And when he comes, he will prove

the world wrong concerning sin and righteousness and judgment — 9

concerning sin, because they do not believe in me; 10 concerning righteousness,

because I am going to the Father and you will see me no longer;

11 and concerning judgment, because the ruler of this world has been condemned. 12 “I have many more things to say to you, but you cannot bear them now. 13 But when he, the Spirit of truth, comes, he will guide you into all truth. For he will not speak on his own authority, but will speak whatever he hears, and will tell you what is to come.

14 He will glorify me, because he will receive from me what is mine and will tell it to you. 15 Everything that the Father has is mine; that is why I said the Spirit will receive from me what is mine and will tell it to you.

16 In a little while you will see me no longer; again after a little while, you will see me."

Matthew 10:19 NET Whenever they hand you over for trial, do not worry about how to speak or what to say, for what you should

say will be given to you at that time. 20 For it is not you speaking, but the Spirit of your

Father speaking through you.

The Holy Spirit is referred to as the third person of the trinity:

Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.

Now some folks have a hard time seeing the Holy Spirit as a person, because they think of a person as a human being. Jesus

was a person, God was given personal attributes in the OT, but the Holy Spirit? When a preacher at a Wednesday night Bible study spoke of the Holy Spirit as a

person, one man questioned him on it, and then got so flabbergasted he left the study.

See, he grew up with the term “Holy Ghost,”

and couldn’t bring himself to see the Holy Spirit as a person.

A person is a human right?

BUT when we say the Holy Spirit is a person we have to look at the philosophical

definition of the word Person. That is, “A self-conscious rational being.”

http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/person

In his book THE COUNSELOR, A. W. Tozer said, “Spell this out in capital letters: THE HOLY SPIRIT IS A PERSON. He is not

enthusiasm. He is not courage. He is not energy. He is not the personification of all

good qualities, like Jack Frost is the personification of cold weather. Actually, the Holy Spirit is not the personification of

anything...

He has individuality. He is one being and not another. He has will and intelligence. He has hearing. He has knowledge and sympathy and ability to love and see and think. He can hear, speak, desire, grieve

and rejoice. He is a Person.”

As we continue our series today we want to see what Jesus said about the Holy Spirit.

To do that we are going to look at four different passages and see four things that

Jesus said about Him.

The Holy Spirit Brings New BirthJohn 3:1 NET Now a certain man, a

Pharisee named Nicodemus, who was a member of the Jewish ruling council, 2 came to Jesus at night and said to him,

"Rabbi, we know that you are a teacher who has come from God. For no one could

perform the miraculous signs that you do unless God is with him." 3 Jesus replied, "I tell you the solemn truth, unless a person is

born from above, he cannot see the kingdom of God."

4 Nicodemus said to him, "How can a man be born when he is old? He cannot enter his mother's womb and be born a second

time, can he?" 5 Jesus answered, "I tell you the solemn truth, unless a person is born of

water and spirit, he cannot enter the kingdom of God. 6 What is born of the flesh

is flesh, and what is born of the Spirit is spirit.

7 Do not be amazed that I said to you, 'You must all be born from above.' 8 The wind blows wherever it will, and you hear the

sound it makes, but do not know where it comes from and where it is going. So it is with everyone who is born of the Spirit."

Nicodemus was a Pharisee, a member of the Jewish ruling council so that tells me he

was a member of the Sanhedrin, the highest ruling body and court of justice among the Jewish people in the time of

Jesus. (Nelson’s) 5 Jesus answered, "I tell you the solemn

truth, unless a person is born of water and spirit, he cannot enter the kingdom of God.He emphasizes, you better listen to what

I’m saying, this is important!

Jesus uses the term, “water and spirit.” There is a little bit of debate over this term

water. What is He talking about?Some have tried to sell the idea this water is the amniotic fluid of the mother’s womb?

This cannot be correct. 4 Nicodemus said to him, "How can a man be born when he is old? He cannot enter his mother's womb and be born a second time, can he?" It

must be a different birth!

Why mention water at all if it is amniotic fluid? We all experienced human birth.

Wouldn’t He instead focus on being born of the Spirit?

He contrast born of the flesh (human birth in sinful flesh) and

born of the Spirit (God’s image).6 What is born of the flesh is flesh, and

what is born of the Spirit is spirit.

We know from the story of creation we were created spiritual beings, just as God is

Spirit, and were placed in a shell, a body, made from earth’s dirt.

Genesis 1:27 NIV So God created man in his own image, in the image of God he

created him; male and female he created them.

Genesis 2:7 NIV the LORD God formed the man from the dust of the ground and

breathed into his nostrils the breath of life, and the man became a living being.

The Apostle Paul contrast flesh & spirit.Romans 8:1 NET There is therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ

Jesus. 2 For the law of the life-giving Spirit in Christ Jesus has set you free from the law of sin and death. 3 For God achieved what the law could not do because it was

weakened through the flesh. By sending his own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh and concerning sin, he condemned sin in the

flesh,

4 so that the righteous requirement of the law may be fulfilled in us, who do not walk according to the flesh but according to the

Spirit. 5 For those who live according to the flesh have their outlook shaped by the things of the flesh, but those who live

according to the Spirit have their outlook shaped by the things of the Spirit. 6 For the outlook of the flesh is death, but the outlook

of the Spirit is life and peace,

7 because the outlook of the flesh is hostile to God, for it does not submit to the law of God, nor is it able to do so. 8 Those who

are in the flesh cannot please God. 9 You, however, are not in the flesh but in the

Spirit, if indeed the Spirit of God lives in you. Now if anyone does not have the Spirit

of Christ, this person does not belong to him. 10 But if Christ is in you, your body is dead because of sin, but the Spirit is your

life because of righteousness.

Where do we find water and spirit mentioned together? It is in water baptism?

Acts 2:38 puts baptism and the spirit together.

Peter said to them, "Repent, and each one of you be baptized in the name of Jesus

Christ for the forgiveness of your sins, and you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.

NET

Is the water John’s baptism?We only see the Spirit of God coming at John’s baptism once, and then with good

reason. John said, Mark 1:8 NET I baptize you with water, but he will baptize you with the Holy Spirit." 9 Now in those days Jesus

came from Nazareth in Galilee and was baptized by John in the Jordan River.

10 And just as Jesus was coming up out of the water, he saw the heavens

splitting apart and the Spirit descending on him like a dove. 11 And a voice came from heaven: "You are my one dear Son;

in you I take great delight."

Remember John’s baptism was not a spiritual baptism, it was a baptism of

repentance. Acts 19:1 NET While Apollos was in Corinth, Paul went through the inland

regions and came to Ephesus. He found some disciples there 2 and said to them, "Did you receive the Holy Spirit when you believed?" They replied, "No, we have not

even heard that there is a Holy Spirit."

3 So Paul said, "Into what then were you baptized?" "Into John's baptism," they

replied. 4 Paul said, "John baptized with a baptism of repentance, telling the people to believe in the one who was to come after him, that is, in Jesus." 5 When they heard this, they were baptized in the name of the

Lord Jesus, 6 and when Paul placed his hands on them, the Holy Spirit came upon them, and they began to speak in tongues

and to prophesy.

Acts 19:5b They were baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus Acts 2:38b for the

forgiveness of sins, and the gift of the Holy Spirit.

Notice the Spiritual gifts of speaking in tongues & prophesy came only after the

Apostle laid hands on them.

Paul laid hands on them. This was the means used by the apostles to distribute

the spiritual gifts for Christians in the early church. Proof of this is their ability to speak languages they had not learned or studied.

(Luscombe)

It seemed proper that these men should enjoy, not only the ordinary influence of the Spirit, but that some spiritual gifts should be imparted, such as were given by the laying

on of apostolic hands. Compare Acts 8:17; Rom 1:11. (PNT)

The meaning of “water and spirit” are important .

Another key issue in this passage is that Jesus is telling a member of the Sanhedrin, the most legalistic class of Jesus’ day, that entrance into God’s kingdom would not be achieved by legalism, following a bunch of

rules.In order to enter God’s kingdom, You must

be born again by the water and spirit!

How? Remember this is John 3. Entrance into God’s kingdom must begin with & revolves around the

most well known verse in the world. We find it at the tail-end of Jesus’

discussion with Nic. John 3:16 NET For this is the way God loved the

world: He gave his one and only Son, so that everyone who believes in him will not perish but have eternal life.Belief leads to love, love is shown

through obedience. John 14:15 NET "If you love me, you will obey my

commandments.

Luke 13:3 NET No, I tell you! But unless you repent, you will all perish as well!Matthew 10:32 NET "Whoever, then,

acknowledges me before people, I will acknowledge before my Father in heaven.Mark 16:15 NET He said to them, "Go into

all the world and preach the gospel to every creature. 16 The one who believes and is baptized will be saved, but the one who

does not believe will be condemned.

You must believe in Him to have eternal life!

The second thing Jesus says about the Holy Spirit is:

The Holy Spirit Convicts and Guides John 16:7 NET But I tell you the truth, it is

to your advantage that I am going away. For if I do not go away, the Advocate will not come to you, but if I go, I will send him to you. 8 And when he comes, he will prove

the world wrong concerning sin and righteousness and judgment — 9

concerning sin, because they do not believe in me; 10 concerning righteousness,

because I am going to the Father and you will see me no longer;

11 and concerning judgment, because the ruler of this world has been condemned. 12 “I have many more things to say to you, but you cannot bear them now. 13 But when he, the Spirit of truth, comes, he will guide you into all truth. For he will not speak on his own authority, but will speak whatever he hears, and will tell you what is to come.

14 He will glorify me, because he will receive from me what is mine and will tell it to you. 15 Everything that the Father has is mine; that is why I said the Spirit will receive from me what is mine and will tell it to you.

16 In a little while you will see me no longer; again after a little while, you will see me."

Whatever you think of Mel Gibson as a man or actor, he did say a profound thing about his movie “The Passion of the Christ.” “I’m

not a preacher, and I’m not a pastor.” Gibson said, “But I really feel my career was leading me to make this. The Holy

Ghost was working through me on this film, and I was just directing traffic. I hope the

film has the power to evangelize." (http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/

937891/posts)

THREE major aspects of the Holy Spirit’s ministry in this passage.

1. Prove the world wrong concerning Sin, Righteousness, and Judgment.2. Guide you into all truth3. Reveal Jesus more perfectly to His followers.

With Jesus present His ministry was localized. The coming of the Advocate, the

Spirit of truth, will equip them more fully and be with them always.

The Holy Spirit Speaks Through You Matthew 10:16 NET "I am sending you out

like sheep surrounded by wolves, so be wise as serpents and innocent as doves. 17 Beware of people, because they will hand you over to councils and flog you in their synagogues. 18 And you will be brought

before governors and kings because of me, as a witness to them and the Gentiles.

19 Whenever they hand you over for trial, do not worry about how to speak or what to say, for what you should say will be given to

you at that time. 20 For it is not you speaking, but the Spirit of your Father

speaking through you.Jesus tells His disciples they will face terrible persecution. Because of this

suffering they would become a witness to governors, kings and the Gentiles with the Spirit of your Father speaking through you.

The Apostle Paul is a good example of this.Acts 26:27 NET Do you believe the

prophets, King Agrippa? I know that you believe." 28 Agrippa said to Paul, "In such a

short time are you persuading me to become a Christian?" 29 Paul replied, "I pray to God that whether in a short or a long time not only you but also all those

who are listening to me today could become such as I am, except for these chains."

Paul and Silas give another example with life changing, eternal, results.

Acts 16:25 NET About midnight Paul and Silas were praying and singing hymns to God, and the rest of the prisoners were listening to them. 26 Suddenly a great

earthquake occurred, so that the foundations of the prison were shaken.

Immediately all the doors flew open, and the bonds of all the prisoners came loose.

27 When the jailer woke up and saw the doors of the prison standing open, he drew

his sword and was about to kill himself, because he assumed the prisoners had

escaped. 28 But Paul called out loudly, "Do not harm yourself, for we are all here!" 29

Calling for lights, the jailer rushed in and fell down trembling at the feet of Paul and

Silas.

30 Then he brought them outside and asked, "Sirs, what must I do to be saved?" 31 They replied, "Believe in the Lord Jesus

and you will be saved, you and your household." 32 Then they spoke the word of

the Lord to him, along with all those who were in his house. 33 At that hour of the

night he took them and washed their wounds; then he and all his family were

baptized right away.

Many a Christian is frozen in fear at the thought of speaking to a non-believer about their faith, forgetting these words of Christ. The Holy Spirit is there and He will give you

the words to say.Note: The text doesn’t say, “He will give you the words to convert everyone.” He will give you the words to say… what you should say

will be given to you at that time

NOW, the Spirit of your Father speaking through you does not take away your

responsibility to study and know God’s word. In Jesus’ last discourse He tells the disciples that the Holy Spirit will help them

recall what he has told them.

He causes you to rememberwhat you’ve read, heard & studied

John 14:25 NET "I have spoken these things while staying with you. 26 But the

Advocate, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, will teach you

everything, and will cause you to remember everything I said to you.

He works through youJohn 7:37 NET On the last day of the feast,

the greatest day, Jesus stood up and shouted out, "If anyone is thirsty, let him

come to me, and 38 let the one who believes in me drink. Just as the scripture

says, 'From within him will flow rivers of living water.' " 39 (Now he said this about the Spirit, whom those who believed in him were going to receive, for the Spirit had not yet been given, because Jesus was not yet

glorified.)

The water of the Holy Spirit not only goes in, it also comes out. Not only does the

believer receive blessing, but he becomes a blessing to others. This is the contrast between two contemporary religious

movements of Jesus' day. The Qumran sect had no outflow, becoming stagnant and

dead. But Christianity emphasizes outflow, extending life and blessing to others. (Guzik)

The believer, having received Jesus, becomes himself a fountain of eternal life--rather is he a channel through which the grace of God flows to bless other hearts. This is the effect of the regenerating and sanctifying work of the Holy Spirit. This

Spirit is secured for the sinful world by the atonement of Jesus Christ.

(Biblical Illustrator)

Major Ian Thomas, the British evangelist, speaks of the powerlessness of a glove. If

your glove is lying on the table, you can command it to do things all day, and it’s

helpless to obey. It just lies there uselessly. But when you fill the glove with your hand, that glove can do anything you can do. It can grasp a hammer, steer a car, shake a

hand, or hold a Bible.

As David Jeremiah observes, “Christ doesn’t want us to do something for Him; He wants to do something through us. To be effective in His service, we need to be

filled with Him. The book of Acts repeatedly describes the early Christians as being filled with the Spirit. When the apostle Paul gave reports about his missionary activities, he

always talked about what the Lord had done through Him.

When we labor in our own strength, we’re just jousting with windmills. When we’re filled with the Holy Spirit, it’s as though

Christ himself were ministering through us -- which He is. We are His gloves, and we

must let His hands fill us every day.”

My thinking goes back to the story of Nicodemus in John 3. Jesus tells

Nicodemus he must “be born again” of the water and spirit to enter the kingdom of heaven. But it does not say Nicodemus

accepted it. Nic was definitely a sympathizer. He stands up for Jesus in

John 7.

In John 19 he along with Joseph of Arimathea took Jesus’ body to the tomb

after He was crucified. In that same passage it says that Joseph was a disciple,

but what about Nic? We don’t know…

Don’t let that be said of you.Make your stand clear.

Jesus said, “You must be born again!”