Understanding the Person and Work of the Holy Spirit Sunday -- Nov. 11, 2018 Part 6 -- The Holy Spirit Reveals Pastor Theone Maupin, Jr. 1 Corinthians 12:1-11; 5:9; 7:1,25; 8:1; 16:1,12 Background of the Person of the Holy Spirit: Many people don't realize that the Holy Spirit is a person. He thinks, feels and has desires. What's more, the Holy Spirit is present to help each of us live the Christian life. He is continually present to give comfort, help and friendship. Jesus wants us to understand who the Holy Spirit is and how the Spirit wants to work in and through us. By knowing who He is, we can learn to discern God's voice speaking to us through the Holy Spirit and encounter the dynamic power of His presence in our lives! The Holy Spirit is God. God is His Name and "Holy Spirit" is His description. The Bible always refers to the Holy Spirit as a person and not as an "It," or as a "Thing." You can't have a relationship with an "It" or a "Thing." When you have a relationship, it is always with a person, or with people. What is a person? A person has a personality! And, a person has a soul! A person has a mind, will and emotion! Likewise, the Holy Spirit has a mind, will and emotion! The Holy Spirit is a Person and He can think. He will have emotions, desires, thoughts and feelings. The Holy Spirit desires for us to think the way that God thinks, to feel what God feels, and to desire what God desires. The Holy Spirit wants to affect my mind, my decisions and my emotions. That's where the battle for my life is waged and either won or lost! Ultimately, the battle is in my soul! The Holy Spirit, the Promise of the Father, was sent by Jesus so that we would know God's answers to our questions. We need to be guided into truth. Just as with Jesus' first disciples, we too need to be reminded all of the things that Jesus has spoken to us. It is the presence of the Holy Spirit in my life that will guide me into all truth. Background of the Work of the Holy Spirit: The Apostle Paul actually wrote three letters to the church in Corinth. Evidently the first of his letters was lost. He refers to the first letter in 1 Cor. 5:9. Since his first letter wasn't preserved, the second letter is referred to as 1 Corinthians and his third letter as 2 Corinthians. It is in 1 Corinthians 12:1-11 that Paul identifies nine gifts of the Holy Spirit. 1 Corinthians 12:1-11 (1) Now concerning spiritual gifts, brethren, I do not want you to be ignorant: (2) You know that you were Gentiles, carried away to these dumb idols, however you were led. (3) Therefore I make known to you that no one speaking by the Spirit of God calls Jesus accursed, and no one can say that Jesus is Lord except by the Holy Spirit. (4) There are diversities of gifts, but the same Spirit. (5) There are differences of ministries, but the same Lord. (6) And there are diversities of activities, but it is the same God who works all in all. (7) But the manifestation of the Spirit is given to each one for the profit of all: (8) for to one is given the word of wisdom through the Spirit, to another the word of knowledge through the same Spirit, (9) to another faith by the same Spirit, to another gifts of healings by the same Spirit,
P a g e 2 (10) to another the working of miracles, to another prophecy, to another discerning of spirits, to another different kinds of tongues, to another the interpretation of tongues. (11) But one and the same Spirit works all these things, distributing to each oneindividually as He wills. History Point: As previously mentioned, the book of 1 Corinthians is actually Paul's second letter to the church at Corinth. The first letter wasn't preserved. The epistle of 2 Corinthians is Paul's third letter to the Corinthian church. Corinth was known as a very wealthy and sinful city. Because of its geographic location Corinth prospered in trade. It was also a city known for its dedication to the worship of several of the gods of the Greek pantheon; especially Aphrodite, the goddess of love. The temple of Aphrodite on the acropolis of Corinth employed as many as 1,000 temple prostitutes. Men with money could satisfy virtually every fleshly desire. It was said of Corinth: "Not every man is (capable of ) the journey to Corinth." The inference was that many men would enter Corinth with money, but leave without it. 1 Corinthians 5:9 -- I wrote you in my [previous] letter (epistle) not to associate with [sexually] immoral people (AMP - emphasis and clarity added) 1 Corinthians 12:2 -- For you know full well that when you were unbelievers (Gentiles, pagans) you were often led astray in one way or another by your worship of idols, which are incapable of talking with you. (TPT - emphasis and clarity added) 2 Corinthians 12:14 -- Now for the third time I am ready to come to you. 1 Corinthians 12:4-6 (NKJV - emphasis and clarity added) (4) There are diversities of gifts (Greek: charisma), but the same Spirit. (5) There are differences of ministries, but the same Lord. (6) And there are diversities of activities, but it is the same God who works all in all. Everyone has one of the seven motivational gifts that are listed in Romans 12. We should desire to have all of them operative in our lives. Some will certainly be stronger than others. Those that are weaker need to be strengthened by the Holy Spirit's work in our lives. 1 Corinthians 12:11 -- But one and the same Spirit works all these things, distributing to each one individually as He wills. You can have any of these gifts of the Spirit., but you don't possess any of them! They are owned by the Holy Spirit! You have the Holy Spirit and He can manifest them in you as He chooses! The gifts are supernatural abilities for natural people! They aren't just for super stars! There are three categories of gifts that the Holy Spirit gives based on 1 Corinthians 12:1-11. They can be grouped in three categories as follows:
P a g e 3 A. The Holy Spirit Reveals (Discerning Gifts) 1. Word of Wisdom 2. Word of Knowledge 3. Discerning of Spirits B. The Holy Spirit Speaks (Declarative Gifts) 1. Prophecy 2. Tongues 3. Interpretation of Tongues C. The Holy Spirit Empowers (Dynamic Gifts) 1. Faith 2. Healing 3. Miracles THERE ARE THREE SPIRITUAL GIFTS THAT THE HOLY SPIRIT USES TO REVEAL HIS DISCERNMENT: I. The Word of Knowledge - To know something specific without having learned it by natural means. John 4:16-19 (16) Jesus said to her, Go, call your husband, and come here. (17) The woman answered and said, I have no husband. Jesus said to her, You have well said, I have no husband, (18) for you have had five husbands, and the one whom you now have is not your husband; in that you spoke truly. (19) The woman said to Him, Sir, I perceive that You are a prophet." II. Discerning of Spirits - To be made aware of the presence of a demonic spirit. 1 Corinthians 12:10 -- to another the working of miracles, to another prophecy, to another discerning of spirits, to another different kinds of tongues, to another the interpretation of tongues. Acts 16:16-18 (16) Now it happened, as we went to prayer, that a certain slave girl possessed with a spirit of divination met us, who brought her masters much profit by fortune-telling. (17) This girl followed Paul and us, and cried out, saying, These men are the servants of the Most High God, who proclaim to us the way of salvation. (18) And this she did for many days. But Paul, greatly annoyed, turned and said to the spirit, I command you in the name of Jesus Christ to come out of her. And he came out that very hour.
P a g e 4 What the girl possessed with a spirit of divination said about Paul and Silas was true! The only way that you could tell that the source was a spirit of divination was by the gift of discerning of spirits. III. Word of Wisdom - A divine answer or solution for a particular situation. John 9:1-34 (1) Now as Jesus passed by, He saw a man who was blind from birth. (2) And His disciples asked Him, saying, Rabbi, who sinned, this man or his parents, that he was born blind? (3) Jesus answered, Neither this man nor his parents sinned, but that the works of God should be revealed in him. (4) I must work the works of Him who sent Me while it is day; the night is coming when no one can work. (5) As long as I am in the world, I am the light of the world. (6) When He had said these things, He spat on the ground and made clay with the saliva; and He anointed the eyes of the blind man with the clay. (7) And He said to him, Go, wash in the pool of Siloam (which is translated, Sent). So he went and washed, and came back seeing. (8) Therefore the neighbors and those who previously had seen that he was blind said, Is not this he who sat and begged? (9) Some said, This is he. Others said, He is like him. He said, I am he. (10) Therefore they said to him, How were your eyes opened? (11) He answered and said, A Man called Jesus made clay and anointed my eyes and said to me, Go to the pool of Siloam and wash. So I went and washed, and I received sight. (12) Then they said to him, Where is He? He said, I do not know. (13) They brought him who formerly was blind to the Pharisees. (14) Now it was a Sabbath when Jesus made the clay and opened his eyes. (15) Then the Pharisees also asked him again how he had received his sight. He said to them, He put clay on my eyes, and I washed, and I see. (16) Therefore some of the Pharisees said, This Man is not from God, because He does not keep the Sabbath. Others said, How can a man who is a sinner do such signs? And there was a division among them. (17) They said to the blind man again, What do you say about Him because He opened your eyes? He said, He is a prophet. (18) But the Jews did not believe concerning him, that he had been blind and received his sight, until they called the parents of him who had received his sight. (19) And they asked them, saying, Is this your son, who you say was born blind? How then does he now see? (20) His parents answered them and said, We know that this is our son, and that he was born blind; (21) but by what means he now sees we do not know, or who opened his eyes we do not know. He is of age; ask him. He will speak for himself. (22) His parents said these things because they feared the Jews, for the Jews had agreed already that if anyone confessed that He was Christ, he would be put out of the synagogue. (23) Therefore his parents said, He is of age; ask him.
P a g e 5 (24) So they again called the man who was blind, and said to him, Give God the glory! We know that this Man is a sinner. (25) He answered and said, Whether He is a sinner or not I do not know. One thing I know: that though I was blind, now I see. (26) Then they said to him again, What did He do to you? How did He open your eyes? (27) He answered them, I told you already, and you did not listen. Why do you want to hear it again? Do you also want to become His disciples? (28) Then they reviled him and said, You are His disciple, but we are Moses' disciples. (29) We know that God spoke to Moses; as for this fellow, we do not know where He is from. (30) The man answered and said to them, Why, this is a marvelous thing, that you do not know where He is from; yet He has opened my eyes! (31) Now we know that God does not hear sinners; but if anyone is a worshiper of God and does His will, He hears him. (32) Since the world began it has been unheard of that anyone opened the eyes of one who was born blind. (33) If this Man were not from God, He could do nothing. (34) They answered and said to him, You were completely born in sins, and are you teaching us? And they cast him out.