“Our Triune God – the Holy Spirit”

Scripture: John 14:15-17, 25-26; Romans 12:4-8

This is the third week of our examination into God’s triune nature. The point of these messages is to see how each of the three Persons works, and how their efforts are united in one work, and in one grace, and in one purpose.

Starting with the second Person of the Trinity – Jesus – we discovered that he depended on his constant connection with the Father, to keep the plan for creation ever present in his life. In John 5:19, we read that “the Son can do nothing by himself; he can do only what he sees his Father doing, because whatever the Father does, the Son also does.”
And the glory that we always attribute to Christ is actually deserved by the Father. In John 17:4-5 – “I have brought you glory on earth by finishing the work you gave me to do. And now, Father, glorify me in your presence with the glory that I had with you before the world began.” These words were spoken just before the Lord was arrested, falsely accused, convicted, and condemned to die on the cross. Jesus has always given all glory to the Father, and not until this final act of obedience does he ask that glory might come to him from the Father.
The first Person – the Father – is the source of all that Jesus does and receives.

Today, we look to the third Person – the Holy Spirit – to see how this aspect of God connects with the other two.

Read John 14:15-17; 25-26

These two passages may be a bit complex, so bear with me. We’re told that the Father will send the Holy Spirit, but only when Jesus asks him to. And when did that occur? We aren’t sure when the request was made, but the Holy Spirit immerged in the lives of the faithful on Pentecost, in those days after Jesus ascended. First, Jesus came into the world, and now the Holy Spirit comes, but not before the Lord Jesus had returned to heaven.

Jesus refers to this third Person as the “Spirit of truth”.
In John 1:14, God tells us, through John, that “The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us. We have seen his glory, the glory of the one and only Son, who came from the Father, full of grace and truth.” Full of grace and truth.
And three verses later in John 1: 17, we learn that “… the law was given through Moses; grace and truth came through Jesus Christ”. Truth comes to us by faith in Christ.
And in Acts 2:38, we read these words - “Peter replied, ‘Repent and be baptized, every one of you, in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins. And you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.’” Truth came to earth, first, in the Person Jesus, and now it comes to us by the Person Holy Spirit. And what truth are we experiencing? It is the Father’s truth, and none other.

But who receives that truth? Apparently, only those who have given their lives to Jesus! The world can’t know the Lord’s truth because they don’t know the Truth Bearer! Interestingly, God doesn’t withhold his truth from anyone – it’s just that unless we know the source of truth, unless we know the bearer of truth, unless we can accept his truth, we can never receive it. Without the Holy Spirit, without faith in Jesus, we are totally on our own, and the Father’s truth can never be in us.

But verses 25 & 26 begin to explain the connection between Jesus and the Spirit. The Father’s Spirit will take up the teaching of Jesus, and will base all of his explanations – all of them - in the things that the Lord Jesus Christ first taught.
The Father sent the Spirit, not as an adjunct to Jesus, not as an assistant to the Lord, but as a continuation of the Father’s presence in the lives of believers. But the question still needs to be asked – why is the Spirit’s work, the Spirit’s presence, the Spirit’s truth kept from nonbelievers? Scripture doesn’t actually address this question, but my personal opinion is that if we don’t love the Teacher of God’s truth, if we don’t accept the explanations that Christ gave us regarding God’s truth for our lives, and if we are only willing to believe in and follow the ways of earth, we will never be open to receiving the full truth of heaven. It isn’t that the Lord doesn’t want us to know his truth, he just wants us to know Jesus first, and then the Spirit, and from them (not ourselves), the truth of God.

Read Romans 12:4-6a

Of course there are several passages in the New Testament that speak of the gifts that come from the Holy Spirit, in addition to Romans 12. (e.g. 1 Corinthians 12:1-11; Ephesians 4:11-13) These verses show us what can come from acceptance of the Spirit of Truth. But it also speaks of how we are to use those spiritual gifts – we are to use them with the family of believers, with the Body of Christ. And if it is in the way of Christ, it must be within the truth of God. Even the gifts of the Spirit are dependent on faith in Jesus!

It also depends on our relationship in Christ’s Church. Just as the Trinity are one in each other, we must be one with all who call Jesus Christ Lord. But if we are obedient to this command, why is the United Methodist Church in such a turmoil today? The truth of the matter is that we aren’t obedient, we are not of one mind in Christ, we have not given our trust to the word of God, we have yet to accept the teachings of Jesus as the basis for our living, and until we do, there will be no unifying Spirit at work in United Methodism. Even Jesus, in Mark 6:1-6, was severely limited to doing only a few minor miracles in his hometown of Nazareth, because the people’s faith was so shallow.

With true faith in Jesus, we will be filled with Godly truth, and spiritual power will enable us in service - but without a firm faith in Jesus, none of this can be forthcoming.

Read Romans 12:6b-8

Gifts of the Spirit are unique, in that they could never be obtained, or developed, on our own. Some are, without question, divine in their very nature – gifts like faith, healing, prophecy, speaking and interpreting other tongues. But others seem very natural to us, such as wisdom and knowledge, preaching and teaching, administration, and serving. But even in those that appear to be very natural, there is still a powerful spiritual component at work.

And why should the Holy Spirit bless us with such marvelous abilities? To bring glory to the Father! Jesus never demanded, or even expected to be praised and glorified for all that he did and taught. He gave all glory and honor for the things he did to the Father, for that is the source of all that he knew, and shared, and blessed. The Holy Spirit brings the gifts to our lives, because the Father knew that we would need him, and the Spirit comes because Jesus asked that he be sent, and his gifts are enabled by faith in Jesus.

Whew! I hope that this all makes some sense to you – the trinity is a highly complex concept, and the amount that I have tried to put into context is so miniscule that it barely scratches the surface of what God is all about. But in faith, we have to start somewhere, and as we grow in knowledge of the Lord, we also grow in faith and in spiritual power.

Jesus is our entry point to serving our Almighty God, but he isn’t the end. God, the “Three and One”, has been working on our behalf since before the creation was brought into being, and now, it is the Holy Spirit who is working within us and for us. He inspires us, he enables us, he qualifies us and leads us in our service.

And our sole purpose in following the leading of the Spirit, is to bring glory to the Father, just as Jesus did. Father, Son, and Holy Spirit – our God, our truth, and our life, for there is no other.