“I Believe – The Holy Spirit, II”

Due to my being out of the country on a mission trip to Mexico a week ago, I haven't preached for the past two Sundays. But now we're back on track with our study of the Nicene Creed. Blessings. Pastor Bill.

Scripture: Romans 5:1-5; Romans 8:1-8

We believe in the Holy Spirit, the Lord, the giver of life, who proceeds from the Father and the Son, who with the Father and the Son is worshiped and glorified, who has spoken through the prophets.

“We believe in the Holy Spirit, the Lord,… who proceeds from the Father and the Son.” Within the 3 Persons of the Trinity, the Spirit is as much of God as the Father and Son are. He is Lord, and as such, the Spirit is of the entirety of God, and the way of God, the purpose of God, the call of God, the commands of God are one and the same for each of the Holy Persons. And just as Jesus taught those things that came from the Father, the Spirit reminds us of all that has come to us from the Son. None of them will ever, nor can ever, give us anything that is not consistent with the complete truth that is in the others. (John 16:13-15)

When Jesus returned to his glorious home, the Spirit could then begin his work in the lives of humanity – not a new work, but a fulfillment of Christ’s work for each of us. But the power of the Spirit’s work is fulfilled in only those who have placed their faith in Jesus Christ – in his life, his teaching, his way. (John 14:17)

Read Romans 5:1-5

By faith in Jesus, and through the working of the Holy Spirit, we not only have the Lord’s divine peace, but we receive God’s grace. His peace isn’t necessarily that which comes as security or safety, at least not in a worldly sense – it is a confidence that all that God has given, and all that Christ has taught, is true and trustworthy, including the salvation that comes by faith in him. And in this confidence, grace comes to reassure us, to assist us, as we grow in our faith and trust of Christ.

Neither divine peace nor Godly grace are normally seen as power, but that is exactly what they are. They come through the Lord’s spiritual anointing, and by the Spirit’s power, they enable us to not only do “all that Jesus did”, but to do even greater things. (John 14:12-14) That’s the power of the Spirit at work in us - it comes simply by faith.

Paul also writes that the Spirit will bring us hope in the glory of God. And rejoicing in that hope will be the least of it! After all, hope in anything that comes from faith in the Lord isn’t just a desire – it’s a certainty! Think about it – God does it all, from his encouraging and calling us to faith, to our accepting the salvation that he won for us through the shedding of his blood, to his resurrection to eternal life, to the sending of his Spirit to help us to stay on track with his teaching!

Have you ever had the feeling that you are supposed to do something without ever knowing why? But you go and do it just the same, and when you do, you discover that it was the Spirit’s urging within the Lord God’s plan, and in your following his urging, the joy of God comes over you in a powerful and wonderful way. It wasn’t a random opportunity to serve Almighty God – it was for a specific purpose and in someone else’s specific need. You had, without actually knowing it, become a servant of our Most High God, you had seen and felt the Lord’s pleasure, glory filled your heart and you knew that you had been walking in the Lord’s way and will, and that is the greatest reason for rejoicing that will ever be.

By the Spirit’s leading, we will be rejoicing in God’s glory by his holy grace.

But Paul doesn’t stop there – he wants us to understand the difference between God’s peace, and the brand that the world wants us to work toward. He wants us to know that a life in the Lord isn’t all roses and sunshine, and he challenges us to appreciate what rejoicing in the hope of God is all about. He begins with explaining how Godly hope can grow, even in adversity. We rejoice, he says, even when we are suffering for the gospel. The world doesn’t want the gospel to succeed, but if we never let our faith weaken, never let our struggle bring a halt to our walk with the Lord, not only can the Spirit continue to work his heavenly plan through us, but we will grow in our relationship with God. His hope will never let us down, and hope will be emboldened, hope will be empowered – by our becoming stronger in faith and trust in the life that Jesus has called us to.

When we follow his leading, God’s hope, his promise for our life, will become a blessing beyond all that we can ever know. For by faith, God’s hope, his peace, his grace, his love will be poured out “into our hearts by the Holy Spirit”.

Read Romans 8:1-4

But is hope, and love, and grace, and peace all that the Spirit brings to our life? Paul certainly believes that there is much more!

He writes that the Holy Spirit is the power that leads us to Christ, so that we might know his salvation. The condemnation that sin produces in our lives has been defeated by the cross of Jesus Christ. He wants us to know that it is the “Spirit of life” who brings a new way and a new truth to us, and that it is based in Christ Jesus.
But how would we know of Jesus’ love if it wasn’t for the inspiration of the Holy Spirit? How would we know that the old law, the law that required perfection on our part, the law that spelled out every step, every action, every thought that we must have if we wanted God to be pleased with us – that this law is nothing more than a deception that the world has put together?
Paul writes that this second “law” is one that only brings sin and death, while the one that the Spirit produces in us is one of righteousness and life.

Jesus came to earth in the image of sinful man – not to be our condemnation, but to condemn the sin that lives within us. “There is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus”! But are we truly prepared to accept the freedom and forgiveness that Jesus offers? That freedom doesn’t just rest on everyone – we have to believe that Christ truly matters to us, and that he is the source of all righteousness for earth, and that he is who he says he is – Lord and Savior!
Without him, there is no hope or peace, without him, condemnation wins.

Read Romans 8:5-8

We’re being reminded that wherever our heart’s focus is, that is where our life is centered. But even when the Spirit calls us to focus our lives on Jesus, we still get to make the final decision – if we are set on the glitter and neon of earth, that is where we will be. But when we come to the realization that earth’s ways just aren’t working out for us, our hearts begin to soften, allowing the Spirit to begin working Godly ways for us.

And Paul again speaks about who and what we allow to control our lives. And just in case any of us thinks that nothing controls our lives except our own mind, think about that day when Paul was on his way to Damascus to continue his efforts in persecution of the church. He was under the impression that he was in control, while the truth of the matter is that he had allowed the “law of sin and death” to control his life, until the Spirit took hold of him, and Jesus began to speak to and through him. (Acts 9:1-22)
Or in the opposite situation, when Peter and the others were out on the lake, and Jesus came toward them, walking through the night, safely on the surface of the stormy water. Peter began to go to Jesus, also stepping securely on the waters, focused on his Lord, when suddenly, and for some unknown reason, he let the wind and storms redirect his focus, and he began to sink into the dark waters. (Matthew 14:22-33) Peter had focus on Jesus, but then the storms of earth distracted him, and he sank.

It’s all about where we put our hope and life – on earth, which can only give us sin, condemnation, and death, or on Christ, who brings righteousness, freedom, and life? The Spirit wants us to know truth and life, the world would have us submit to sin and death.

This Holy Spirit works in so many ways – he teaches us the ways of God, he reveals the love and power of Christ in ways we seldom understand, he enables us to become servants of God, and to serve and proclaim him throughout the world, he encourages us in faith, to grow and thrive and live in Christ, to reach out to the lost and lonely, and to love them as only the love of Jesus can.

How does all of this work? I haven’t got a clue, but I know that the Spirit has worked in my life any number of times, and I know that he has worked in each of you. But we will never recognize those times if we aren’t open and prepared to see him work.

Let him work within you today, and know his grace, and peace, and hope, and life. Never doubt, and never look back, because only the world would love us if we did.