The Holy Spirit & You, Part 1 | The Holy Spirit in the Life of the Christian

Hey, everybody. You're listening to A New Beginning, which is a podcast made possible by Harvest Partners. If this program has impacted you, I'd love to hear from you. So just send an email to me at gregatharvest.org. Again, it's gregatharvest.org.

You can learn more about becoming a Harvest Partner by going to harvest.org. It's a little tricky to wrap our mind around God as the Holy Spirit. However, the Bible tells us that the Holy Spirit is going to do a unique work in your life. He's going to seal you. He's going to guide you. He's going to advocate for you. He's going to empower you.

And He's going to fill you again and again. You may encounter the Holy Spirit or His work in your life on a daily basis, but you may not realize it. Yet His work is vital in keeping us spiritually energized and headed in the right direction. Well, today on A New Beginning, Pastor Greg Laurie has insight as he continues his series called Timeless, Unchanging Truths in a Changing Culture.

Invite someone else to hear this at harvest.org and look for the title, The Holy Spirit and You Part One. We're in the Gospel of John, so turn in your Bibles to John 14. John 14. You know, the Bible, of course, tells us that God is a Father in Heaven. That's how our Lord taught us to pray.

In this way, He said, pray our Father who art in Heaven. And for most of us, we can grasp this. Some of us had great fathers.

Some of us not so great. Some of us didn't have a father. But maybe we know a father out there so we can sort of get a picture in our mind of God as a Father.

In fact, in the parable of the prodigal son that Jesus told, He compared God to a father who had two sons and when one of the sons went astray, the father missed the son and was anxious for his return. So God has presented to us as a Father. And then God has also presented to us as the Son. Jesus said, He that has seen Me has seen the Father. So you wonder, what is God like? Look at Jesus. That's what God is like because Jesus was and is God.

So Jesus was walking among us as a human being. He was hungry. He was thirsty.

He was tired. He experienced joy, anger, all the things that we experience as human beings. But of course, He never sinned. And for the most part, we can wrap our mind around the idea of God as the Son, the Son of God, God the Father. Then there's the Holy Spirit. And because God is a triune being, Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, it's a little tricky to wrap our mind around God as the Holy Spirit. It doesn't help that the King James Version calls them the Holy Ghost.

Now it's just getting weird. What the Holy Ghost? I heard about a little five year old girl who didn't quite grasp the concept of God as a Holy Spirit. So she said, praise Father, Son, and Holy toast.

And so she wasn't still trying to figure it out. Or we might think of the Holy Spirit as kind of a force. Sort of like Star Wars. Trust the force, Luke, you know. So we think the Spirit's like a force. There's God the Father. There's God the Son. And there's this kind of force out there called the Holy Spirit.

But that is actually not true. Now maybe we think that because in Scripture the Holy Spirit is compared to wind, fire, and comes on Jesus in the form of a dove. However, the Bible tells us that the Holy Spirit has a distinct personality. And it also tells us that the Holy Spirit is God. In fact there are even specific sins we can commit against the Holy Spirit. Including grieving, quenching, resisting, and most notably blaspheming Him. And in fact, blaspheming the Holy Spirit is the only sin that is actually unforgivable.

And I'll talk about that at the end of the message. But it's interesting, grieving the Holy Spirit. You know, only a close friend can be grieved. You know, if somebody cuts me off on the freeway, it doesn't grieve me. It just ticks me off, right? But if my wife cuts me off, or my son cuts me off, or someone that I love, well that might be more grieving. If a stranger insults me, I'm irritated. But if your best friend or your spouse insults you, you're grieved.

You see, it's different. Because it's a relationship, we can grieve the Holy Spirit. So why did the Holy Spirit come? What is the purpose of the Holy Spirit? What does the Holy Spirit want to do in our lives?

We'll read about that in just a moment, but sort of to set the stage here. We're in John chapter 14. And it's open with these very familiar words of Jesus in verses one to three that Jonathan shared with us last Thursday.

Let not your heart be troubled. You believe in God, believe also in me. In my Father's house are many mansions.

If it were not so, I would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you. And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and receive you unto myself, that where I am, you may be also. These words of Jesus have brought comfort, hope, and perspective to millions and millions of people for over 2,000 years. To people who are grieving, to people who are afraid, to people who are stressed out and are agitated, to people, well, just like us, Jesus says, let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid. And we live in such troubled times right now. You know, recent research has shown that the U.S. is the most stress-ridden nation on the planet.

And guess what? The onslaught of technology has only added to that because now we get everything on demand, right? I mean, the moment a news story is breaking, our phones are blowing up in our pocket, right? Because you're getting the news feed, our friends are texting you, are you watching what's going on?

And we click a link and we're watching live video. These are the days we're living in. This generation, according to experts, is the most stressed out generation in American history.

Some research was done that revealed that college students have the anxiety level of psychiatric patients in World War II. Can you imagine that? These are the days we're living in. So these words of Christ are so relevant. Let not your hearts be troubled, neither let them be afraid. But now Jesus continues on in verse 16 of John 14. And I pray the Father that He will give you another Helper, underline those two words, another Helper, that He may abide with you forever, the Spirit of truth, whom the world cannot receive, because it neither sees Him nor knows Him, but you know Him, for He dwells with you and shall be in you. I will not leave you orphans, I will come to you.

A little while longer and the world will see Him no more, but you will see Me, because I live, you will live also. And at that day you will know that I am in the Father, and you in Me, and I in you. And he who has My commandments and keeps them, it is he who loves Me, and he who loves Me will be loved by My Father, and I will love him and will manifest Myself to him, or reveal Myself to him.

Judas, not as scary yet, said to him, Lord, how is it that you manifest yourself to us and not to the world? Jesus answered and said, If any man loves Me, he'll keep My word, and My Father will love him, and we will come to him and make our home with him. He that does not love Me does not keep My words, and the word which you hear is not Mine, but the Father's who sent Me. These things I have spoken to you while being present with you, but the Helper, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in My name, He will teach you all things and bring to your remembrance all things that I have said to you. Peace I leave with you, My peace I give to you. Not as the world gives do I give you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid.

We'll stop there. So this is the pivotal point in the Gospel of John. Jesus sustained to His disciples, It's true, I'm going away. And where I'm going, you can't come right now.

But I don't want you to be stressed out and agitated and worried. I've gone to prepare a place for you, and I'm going to come back and receive you to Myself. But in the meantime, I'm not going to leave you alone or comfortless. I'm not going to leave you without help or hope. I'm going to send the Holy Spirit. Verse 16, I'll pray the Father who will give you another Helper that He may abide with you forever. Another Helper.

This is interesting. This is from the Greek word parakletos. Parakletos. It's funny, I do spell check on my notes and my spell check kept wanting to spell it as parakeet. No, we're not talking about a parakeet. I used to have a parakeet.

I don't know if you ever had one. Good little bird. No, this is the parakletos. This is the Holy Spirit. And what it means is, parakletos means one who is called alongside to help. And another translation of the word is an advocate. Even another translation puts it this way, another friend for you.

Another friend for you. So when Jesus walked this earth, those disciples had a privilege that we don't have. They could reach out and grab Him by the shoulder. They could ask Him a question. They could look into His eyes. They would hear the timbre of His voice.

They were with Him in person. And there He was. But now He's saying, I'm going to leave you. But I'm going to send the Holy Spirit. And the Holy Spirit is going to do a unique work in your life. He's going to seal you. He's going to guide you. He's going to advocate for you. He's going to empower you.

And He's going to fill you again and again. Pastor Greg Laurie will have the second half of his message in just a moment. We're encouraged to hear when these studies have impacted lives, even through difficult times. Pastor Greg, I truly feel as if I personally know you. I have followed your ministry from the early 90s on one of Billy Graham's radio stations in North Carolina. You will never know how much your messages have touched my life and made me a better Christian. I won't soon forget the day I heard the devastating news of your son Christopher's passing because it happened on my husband's birthday.

And then in December of 2021, I experienced my own crushing loss with the death of my husband. Through it all, I am thankful you continue to let your light so shine before man that we glorify the Father. God bless you and your family. How have these daily studies ministered to you and your family? Would you let us know? Tell us your story by calling 1-866-871-1144.

That's a special number, 866-871-1144. Well, we're learning today about the parakletos, about the Helper, the Holy Spirit, and His work in our lives. Pastor Greg continues now. You know, another way the word parakletos is used is one who pleads a cause before a judge, like a legal assistant or an advocate, or for lack of a better word, an attorney or a lawyer. The Holy Spirit comes to our side, studies our case, and helps us to plead this to someone else, and that is the judge. By the way, the same word, parakletos, is used to describe what Jesus does as our advocate. In 1 John 2-1, we read, my dear children, I'm writing this to you so you will not sin. If anyone does sin, we have an advocate with the Father who pleads our case before the Father. He's Jesus Christ, and He's truly righteous. So wait, you're thinking, wait, wait. So wait, who's my advocate? Is it Jesus Christ, or is it the Holy Spirit? Okay, you ready for this? Both. You have two advocates.

You want to talk about a dream team? Here's how it works. You're in a court of law. God the Father is the judge. At the right side of God the Father is God the Son, who is your advocate. He's your attorney. He's talking to the judge. Meanwhile, your other advocate, the Holy Spirit, is standing by your side and helping you, directing you, so you can plead your case. And here's one other great thing to know. By the way, the judge, his son, is your attorney.

Okay, so that works out really well in your favor. Because when things start falling apart, the son turns to the father and says, hey, Dad, we know that Greg is guilty of the things he's charged with, but we all know what I did for him at the cross of Calvary. You say, oh, I'm not worthy to approach God. That's right, you're not worthy, and you never were, and you never will be.

Can we just get that out of the way once and for all? Because I hear people say, I'm just not worthy. You never were worthy. On your best day ever, you weren't even close to being worthy. You know that day when you got up at five in the morning and read the Bible for an hour, and then you prayed for people all around the world, and you shared the gospel 18 times, and you went to church that night?

Remember that day, that really awesome day? You weren't even worthy on that day. And then you weren't worthy on the next day when you slept in and forgot to read your Bible. You didn't tell anyone about Jesus. In fact, a few people were offended by your behavior.

And then you missed the service that night. No, you weren't worthy on that day, and you weren't worthy on your best day. It's never been about your worthiness.

It's always been about your advocate. Jesus Christ, who paid the price for your sin. And the Holy Spirit, who helps you to plead your case. Now, there's a lot of misunderstanding concerning the role and working of the Holy Spirit in the lives of both believers and unbelievers. Remember, I said the Holy Spirit is not an it. It's a him. It's a personality. Because later in John 16, 8, Jesus says of the Holy Spirit, when he has come, he will convict the world of sin, of righteousness, and of judgment. So again, the Holy Spirit is not an it.

He's a him. For a being to be considered a person, he or she must possess certain characteristics. First among those is intelligence, then there is will, then there is emotion.

So to be a person, or to be a personality, you must have intelligence, you must have will, and you must have emotion. Trees don't have emotion, rocks don't have emotion, cars don't have emotions. Sometimes we may think of a car as someone we talk to. I've talked to cars before.

Usually old cars that don't start because old cars are cool to look at, but they always are breaking down. And you're going, really? Are you serious? Are you going to do this to me right now?

You're like talking to the car, right? But we know that's not a real personality. Now, animals have personalities.

They have will. They have emotion. And you always know he is down with the dog, right? Dogs are so expressive. And sometimes it even looks like they're smiling, you know? They're just, tongue's hanging out, tail's wagging, everything's good, you know? They lick you. Cats, no one can figure them out.

And even when they lick you, their tongue is like sandpaper. But they do still have a personality. A bad one, but a personality. Reptiles are beings that have will, very limited intelligence, and not much of a personality. I used to collect reptiles. I don't know why now, in retrospect.

But I had turtles and snakes and lizards and you name it, I had it. And not a lot of personality. But in contrast, God is a person. He has a personality. So the Holy Spirit has a personality and the Holy Spirit has intelligence.

He has intelligence. 1 Corinthians 2, 10 says, God has revealed these things to us by His Spirit. The Spirit searches all things, even the deep things of God. No one knows the thoughts of God except the Spirit of God. So the Holy Spirit knows the thoughts of God. Objects don't know things. Fires don't know things.

Plants don't know things. But the Holy Spirit knows things. Also, the Holy Spirit has a will.

He has a will. Because we read in 1 Corinthians 12, speaking of the gifts of the Spirit that God's Holy Spirit distributes, it says He gives to each one these gifts as He wills. It's the Holy Spirit who decides what kind of spiritual gifts each believer will receive. In Acts 15, 28, the apostles were talking about different issues and they said it seemed good to the Holy Spirit and to us. So the Holy Spirit had a will and the Holy Spirit expressed His will.

Listen to this. The Holy Spirit has emotion. I mentioned He can be grieved, quenched, resisted, even lied to.

A little bit more on that in a moment. But the Holy Spirit in the life of the believer seeks to convict them of their sin or a better translation would be convince them. There's nothing I can do to convince you that you're a sinner in need of a Savior. No clever analogy.

No illustration is going to do it. Only the Holy Spirit can do that and I trust in the work of the Spirit when I present God's Word that He will touch a person's heart and show them their need for Christ. That's why we need to pray for people as we share the Gospel. And once a person believes and is convinced of their need for Christ and asks Christ to come into their life, it's the Holy Spirit that gives them the inner assurance that they're a believer. Romans 8.18 says, His Spirit bears witness with our spirit that we're the children of God. How many of you are children of God?

Raise your hand up. Now I would just dare to say the reason you know you're a children of God is you have that inner witness. It's not just that the Bible says you are. You believe the Bible and what it says. But there's something deep inside of you that says, yes, I am a child of God. And I know I am a child of God.

And where that came from? From the Holy Spirit. His Spirit is bearing witness with your spirit that you are a child of God. And not only can I sense that I'm a child of God, but I know it when I meet another child of God. Maybe we've only known each other for five minutes, but boy, there's an immediate connection because they're a fellow believer and the same Holy Spirit that lives in me lives in them as well. Those are things that the Holy Spirit does. Pastor Greg Laurie with insights on what the Spirit does in our lives.

And there's so much more to come here on A New Beginning. But Pastor Greg, maybe there's somebody listening who isn't sure they're a child of God. Or they don't know how to become a believer, a child of God.

What would you say to them? What I would say is, he's only a prayer away. Which means if you will call upon the name of the Lord right now through prayer, he will hear your prayer and answer your prayer. Listen, if you want Jesus Christ to come into your life, if you want him to forgive you of your sin, if you want to know that you'll go to heaven when you die, just pray this prayer right now after me.

Just pray, Lord Jesus, I know that I'm a sinner, but I know that you're the Savior who died on the cross for my sin and rose again from the dead. I turn from my sin now and I choose to follow you from this moment forward as my Savior and Lord, as my God and my friend. In Jesus' name I pray. Amen.

Amen. And listen, if you have just prayed that prayer with Pastor Greg and meant those words sincerely, we want to welcome you into the family of God. And let us help you get started walking each day with the Lord. Pastor Greg wants to send you his New Believers Bible, absolutely free, along with some other helpful resources. Let us know you prayed with Pastor Greg and you want the New Believers Bible when you call 1-800-821-3300.

We can take your call anytime at 1-800-821-3300 or just go online if you'd like to harvest.org and click the words Know God. Well, Pastor Greg, our listeners will be happy to hear about your new film called Fame. In it you point out the dangers of pursuing fame and fortune, how it can lead people away from the Lord and lead them down a very destructive path.

But are there exceptions? Can you think of anyone who became better or stronger or more spiritual as a result of their fame? Yeah, I think Johnny Cash would be a good illustration. You know, Cash had huge success in the beginning of his career and he had a huge career slump. And then he had a comeback of comebacks and a whole new generation discovered him of young people and people saw the legendary character he was. But, you know, when Johnny was really experiencing the first aspects of his fame, he had a TV show that was very successful.

Immediately he wanted to get the gospel in there. He even invited his longtime friend Billy Graham to appear with him and even had Billy quote scriptures and they did gospel songs. So I think this is a man that took his fame and used it for God's glory. And speaking of fame, Billy Graham himself was one of the most famous men who ever lived. And I spent a lot of time with Billy.

I wrote a book about him called Billy Graham, The Man I Knew. We had a lot of meals together. I was out in public with him and just saw how people would react when they met him. One time we were sitting at the Red Lobster restaurant. He really liked Red Lobster. And we're having a meal and there's a little wall right next to our table and then there's kind of an area people can walk by so people were recognizing him and they would come up and interrupt his meal.

He would stop, chat with them, very friendly, very accessible. So I think, you know, fame is neutral. It can be good, it can be bad. For many it's bad because they think fame itself is the answer and it isn't. But fame can be a tool and you can have great success and use it for God's glory. It's sort of like fire.

You know, fire can do good, it can warm us, it can cook our meals and it can burn our house down and burn forests down. So it just depends on what you do with the fire and the same is true of fame. So I examined the lives of people who looked at fame in and of itself to satisfy the hole in their heart and how it did not give them the answers they were looking for.

And then I talked about some who found the answers like Alice Cooper, Daryl Strawberry, and others who are walking with God and have fame but use it for his glory. Well, not only is the movie out now called Fame but we actually have a book that goes along with it and it's also called Fame, is that right? Yeah, I just ran out of creative titles so I used the same title twice, Fame. You know, it's funny. You can get two for the price of one, I think.

Yeah, that's right. It's funny, we started out and I said working title fame meaning I planned on changing the title later but as we worked on it, we just thought, well, that kind of sums it up, fame. You know, because some might watch it going, yeah, fame, I love fame, I want fame. And then they'll see, oh wow, famous people are not generally very happy people and maybe that's not what I want so we talk about people who've had all this fame and had all of this success and so forth but have seen the emptiness of it and we show how ultimately it's not fame that we're looking for deep down inside.

I think it's significance, I think it's meaning. We want to know that our life matters and we all should want that. We're here to have a relationship with God and to bring him glory. That's why we exist. The quicker we figure that out, the better our life will be. You're not gonna find what you're looking for in fame or in money or in success or in degrees hanging on your wall or in a house or in a car or in anything.

It's as someone you're looking for, not as something and that someone has a name and his name is Jesus. Yeah, that's right and that's such an important message and a message that gets drowned out by the lure of fame and that's why we're so excited about this new movie, Fame. You can watch the movie right now at our new Harvest Media platform at harvest.org and also other streaming platforms such as Roku, Apple TV, Samsung, Amazon Fire and Google Play.

It's free to watch. And contact us for the companion book, also called Fame. We'll be glad to send this book your way to thank you for partnering with us so we can continue to bring the gospel through this radio program, through books and film and so many other innovative forms of outreach. It's such an important time for that investment so please get in touch with your donation today by calling 1-800-821-3300.

Call anytime 24-7, 1-800-821-3300 or go online to harvest.org. Well, next time we'll continue to dig deep into the role of the Holy Spirit in our lives. Join us here on A New Beginning with pastor and Bible teacher, Greg Laurie. This is the day, the day when life begins Thanks for listening to A New Beginning with Greg Laurie, a podcast made possible by Harvest Partners. Helping people everywhere know God. Sign up for daily devotions and learn how to become a Harvest Partner at harvest.org.