Welcome to the InTouch podcast with Charles Stanley for Tuesday, September 15th. The moment of salvation is an awesome event. But it's meant to be the beginning of a lifelong pursuit of holiness, empowered by the Holy Spirit. Today we'll learn more about the mission of the Spirit.
Now this is the second message in our series. living in the power of the Holy Spirit. And just to catch you up for a moment, the first message, the promise of the Father, we identified who He is. Who is this Holy Spirit? Promise of the Father.
A person of the Trinity. the seal of the child of God, our helper, our teacher, our guide. many areas of our life in which he is personally involved every single day. And yet many people don't have any idea who he is. And the question may be, well, Okay, so that's who he is.
Why did he come? Why is he here? Why is he working in our lives? You've got God the Father and God the Son. Why do you need anybody else?
God the Father seated on his throne in the heavens. Jesus seated at the Father's right hand. The Holy Spirit in this life on earth working in his children. Why did God send him? That's the theme of this message, and the title is simply this: The Mission of the Spirit.
And I want you to turn, if you will, to John chapter 16. And I want you to notice in this 16th chapter. Beginning in verse 5, what Jesus says. He says, but now I'm going to him who sent me. and none of you ask me where are you going.
But because I have said these things to you, sorrow has filled your heart. But I tell you the truth. It is to your advantage that I go away. For if I do not go away the helper, speaking of the Holy Spirit, will not come to you, but if I go, I will send him to you. And he, when he comes, will convict the world.
concerning sin and righteousness and judgment. That is, he says, This is the reason I'm sending him, very specifically why I'm sending him.
So If someone were to ask you today, Well, do you Christians believe in the Holy Spirit? Who is He anyway? Could you answer that question? Could you say to them, Well, he's the promise of the Father, and he's our seal unto the day of redemption. He's our guide.
Our teacher. He's our helper. He is the divine energy and authority by which we carry out the work that God has called us to do. And if they said to you, then exactly tell me why he's here. We want to answer that question.
Because you see, he didn't just show up. And so the first thing I would say is simply this. The ministry, listen, he came because the ministry of the Holy Spirit. is essential to our salvation. And somebody says, no, wait a minute, I got saved a long time ago.
I didn't know anything about the Holy Spirit.
So did I. When I was the age of 12, the Lord Jesus Christ spoke to my heart one Sunday morning. I went to the altar, knelt down, asked the Lord Jesus Christ to forgive me of my sins. How much did I know? Very little, except that I was a sinner, Jesus died for my sins, and that if I asked him to forgive me of my sins, that he would and he would save me.
And that is exactly what happened. If you just said to me now, Well, tell us about the Holy Spirit. I'd have probably said who? Because I didn't know. Here's what I want you to remember.
You do not have to understand. what I want to share this morning in order to be saved. But once you are saved, it is very important that you and I understand what is the ministry of the Holy Spirit in the life of the believer and also what part is it that he plays and does he work in a person's salvation. Because he has a vital part. And somebody says, I'll tell you what, I'm going to get saved when I get good and ready.
And the answer is, no, you're not. You say, well, doesn't the Bible say whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved? That's exactly what it says. But first of all, who creates the desire in your heart to be saved? And if you recall what Jesus said in the sixth chapter of John, here's what he said.
He said, no one, in verse 44, no one can come to me unless the Father who sent me draws him and I will raise him up on the last day.
Well, who is it that draws him? It is the work of the Holy Spirit in this life that draws a person to, listen, to even desire to be saved. It is his work. It is the work of the Holy Spirit.
Now, let me show you why that's true. In Ephesians chapter 2, for example, if you turn there for a moment and look at a couple of verses here, because here Paul describes the condition of the unbeliever. And he puts it this way. He says, for example, in this second chapter, He says, you were dead in your trespasses and sins, in which you formerly walked according to the course of this world, according to the prince of the power of the air, the spirit that's now working in the sons of disobedience. How can a dead person who's dead to spiritual things have any desire for spiritual things?
You cannot, apart from the Holy Spirit. Because you see, when a person says, I'm going to get saved when I get ready, yes, you get saved when you get ready to answer the call of the Holy Spirit in your life, then you'll be saved. Jesus said, you know what? No one can unless the Father draws them. Unless he draws them.
That is the work of the Spirit. For example, not only does He say we are dead in trespasses and sins, but in Romans chapter 3, he describes. God's view of a person who's lost. And I won't read it all, except to look, if you will, in the 10th verse. And he says, There is none righteous, no, not one.
There's none who understands. There's none who seeks after God. Then a list of other things. He says, and the path of peace they have not known, and there's no fear of God before their eyes. How can a person who has no desire for God, isn't seeking God, who's dead in their trespasses and sins, how can that person be saved?
Not apart from the drawing of the Holy Spirit of God.
So if you, my friend, you once in a while have this feeling in your heart. And you have this sudden interest in your heart of, well, what about the salvation? What about Jesus? What about the cross? What about the resurrection?
What about all of these things? That's the Spirit of God beginning to do His work in your life. And apart from the Holy Spirit, there's no such thing as a dead person becoming a live person and filled with new life and a new Spirit and eternal life sealed with the Spirit of God apart from the work of the Holy Spirit. Who is it that illumines the mind of a man or a woman, a young person? For example, How can a child Let's just say six or seven years of age, understand enough.
Genuinely understand enough about their sin, their guilt at that age to want to receive Jesus Christ as their Savior and place their trust in Him at a young age and all their lives. Attempt to live for him. That is the work of God. And you see, it is the work of the Holy Spirit that illumines your mind. Listen, the reason you even understand John 3, 16 is the Holy Spirit.
That the reason you understand the scripture is the Holy Spirit. He's the teaching, as I've said before. I'm not the teacher. It is the Spirit of God who must teach you the truth. The Spirit of God who must open your mind and heart to help you realize what is the truth.
Apart from the ministry of the Holy Spirit, there is no understanding of the things of God.
So First of all, there's illumination. And secondly, there's conviction. And this is what he says in the 16th chapter and the 8th verse. He said, it's for your good that I depart. When I depart, I'm going to send the Holy Spirit.
Here's what he's going to do: he's going to convict you of sin, of the righteousness of Christ, and of the judgment to come. Conviction is the work of the Holy Spirit.
Now listen, how does that work? When a person has the illumination of truth, you don't need a whole lot of truth. Illumination of truth. and that person rejects the little light they have. What happens?
No conviction. They began the terrible process of doing what? Hardening their heart to the wooing of the Spirit of God. When that person is willing to open their heart by their choice, what happens is they begin to feel guilty. They began to understand.
That they're living against God, they're in opposition to God, they're rebelling against God, they're out of the path, and will and purpose and plan of God in their life. There's great conviction. And so what happens now? They have something new going on inside of them. Because you see, another one of the works of the Holy Spirit is what?
Listen, granting them. Granting them new life.
Now, the simplest and the best, the most popular verses to turn to would be John chapter 3. We all know John 3, 16. But I want you to look at these first passages. Jesus is talking to Nicodemus, the Pharisee, and he says to Jesus, now. He says, we know that you're a man come from God because these miracles that we see.
Jesus went straight to the point. He says, Except a man be born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God, nor can he enter the kingdom of God. Then he makes this statement. He says, That which is born of the flesh. is flesh.
That which is born of the spirit is spirit. That is what happens. The Spirit of God brings regeneration. That is, the Spirit of God gives new life to that person.
Now they have a new spirit. They have the life of God living inside of them. And that's when Jesus said, I'm abiding in you and you in me. What happens when your person receives Jesus Christ as their Savior? What does the Holy Spirit do?
He absolutely regenerates, that is, he gives new life so that every single believer is dwelt by the life of God. And what happens is the Holy Spirit comes into indwellers. And he makes it very clear in many scriptures that every single believer is indwelled by the Spirit and sealed by the Spirit of God until the moment God takes them home. The work of the Holy Spirit in salvation.
So You take the Holy Spirit out of salvation, you can't get saved. What did he say? He said twice here. He said, You can't understand the truth apart from the Holy Spirit.
Now, is the Holy Spirit withholding truth? No. Jesus said this way. He says, unless my father calls you, you're not coming. And what I want you to say is this: you can't be saved apart from the ministry of the Holy Spirit, no matter who you are.
Listen, it doesn't make any difference if you've preached, if you've preached in a pulpit, in churches for years and years and years. You can't be saved until the Spirit of God draws you, listen, by His awesome power and love to understand the truth, be convicted of your sin, accept the gift of repentance in faith, and what? You have a brand new life. And apart from the Holy Spirit? You cannot.
Now that's the first reason he sent him. First reason he sent the Holy Spirit? The ministry of the Holy Spirit in our salvation. The second reason He sent him is the ministry of the Holy Spirit in our sanctification.
Somebody says, Well, don't give me any big words. I'm going to cut it down to just a very small little word. Sanctification means holy. You say, Well, I can't be holy. Hold it.
Watch this. The word holy means something has been separated unto for another purpose beyond the normal thing. The moment you trusted Jesus Christ as your personal Savior, God. Listen, God set you apart. As a child of God, and sealed you with the Holy Spirit of promise, in Ephesians chapter 1, verse 13, 14.
He sealed you as a child of God.
So every single believer is sanctified positionally. That's our position. What's your position? Sanctified. But there's another aspect of sanctification, and that's listen, the progressive work of the Holy Spirit.
Holy Spirit set you aside as a child of God. And then what happens? That begins his progressive work in your life. You say, well, what's his progressive work?
Well Romans 8, verse 29: He predestined you and me to be conformed to the likeness of his Son, which means what? That the Holy Spirit is working in your life, in my life. In order to do what? To bring us into such a relationship of intimacy with Him. that our character begins to reflect the character of Jesus.
Our behavior begins to reflect the behavior of Jesus, our conduct, our conversation. He says, listen, he predestined us to be conformed to the likeness of his Son.
So, what does he do?
Well, he continues some of the work that he was in when you and I were saved. Listen, it is the Holy Spirit who gives you understanding when you read the Word of God. Without the Holy Spirit, you can't understand it. And this is why some people say, my goodness, you know what? I read that over and over and over.
I didn't get that. The Spirit of God. This is why you and I can read a passage many, many times, come back the 500th time and think, you know, I never saw that before. That's the work of the Holy Spirit. For example, when you step out of His will, what's the Holy Spirit doing?
He's doing His job. What is that to convict us of sin even after we're saved? To show us the truth of God's Word, show us His path, show us His way, show us His will. That's His work. Does he not say, trust in the Lord with all your heart.
Lean not to your own understanding, in all your ways acknowledge him. He'll direct your path. Who is it that's directing our path? It is the Spirit of the living God who indwells us to guide us, teach us, and help us. He's just doing his work.
That's who he is, so that. He not only came for our salvation, he came for our sanctification. And so, listen, positionally, one act. Progressively, a lifetime, and ultimately, When we die, we are glorified into absolute perfection. Why did he come?
He came to sanctify us, to make us like his son. There's a third reason he came, the minister of the Holy Spirit. Listen. And that's service. Because every single one of us is called to serve the Lord.
You say, Well, now God hasn't called me. Yes, He has. We make the mistake of saying, well, you know, servants of God are those who stand on platforms and sing and play and do these things. You know who a servant of God is? Every single person who's ever been saved is a called servant of God.
Now, let me ask you a question. Would you not agree that being a godly mother or a godly father in this day and time, raising godly children who have to go to school and be taught things that you do not believe, Live in a society where there's awesome peer pressure, where there's immorality all around them, and all kind of pornography, and all kind of drinking, drugs, raising godly children in this society is probably one of the most difficult jobs that exists. You don't think that takes the Holy Spirit? Then, one of the reasons our kids are in such a mess is because too many parents don't realize God will teach you how to raise your children. God will show you how to raise them up.
God will work His awesome work in your life if you let Him do it. And so, godly mothers, godly fathers, listen, that is an awesome sense of service. That's just one. Teachers, for example? You may teach in a secular school.
You don't need the Holy Spirit.
Well, they don't let us talk about Jesus. Listen, you may not be able to talk about Him, but you can live it out. And there are ways to say and live it out with kindness and love that somebody says, you know, there's something different about her, something different about them. There are all kinds of ways for God to work out His works in our life. What I want you to say is this: you've been called to do something.
Now think about it. There are times when somebody walks up to you, asks you a question, it's an awesome opportunity to witness for Christ, and here you are, just sort of like you got marbles in your mouth. When somebody opens the door, here's what you do immediately: Holy Spirit, speak through me. Do you think he's going to say nothing doing? No, he's not.
He's going to, listen, he will say things through you you hadn't even thought about. He's going to bring scriptures to your mind that you thought you'd forgotten. The engines begin to churn up in you. When God opens the door of opportunity, he intends for you to step through it. And this is why many people who are not pastors and teachers and all the rest who live out in the secular world, they're awesome witnesses.
Absolutely. Have the most awesome effect on other people because God has equipped them because they wanted to be equipped. They wanted to do it. They maybe fumbled and made some mistakes to begin with, but they knew that God had called them to share their faith. And so they keep doing it until it becomes not polished, listen, but powerful.
And you think about this. Salvation. Listen, is an act of faith. Sanctification is the walk of faith. And service What is that?
That's the work of faith. Faith in the power of the Holy Spirit to enable you to do what God wants you to do. And here's what happens. When the Holy Spirit is working through your life. Here's what you can expect.
You tire at times. But you won't burn out. You face obstacles. But you won't give up. You'll find yourself Oftentimes having to wait But you won't manipulate circumstances.
You'll find yourself sometimes in stress. But what happens? You find yourself stressful and you think, oh God, how can I do this? But what happens is you won't get desperate and do something foolish. You'll find yourself at times feeling helpless.
but never hopeless. Why? Because you have the Holy Spirit. living inside of you. He came to save you.
He came to sanctify you. And he came to equip you to do what God called you to do. Father, how grateful we are. When I think about what you're willing to forgive us for, Put it behind us. What you're willing to teach us?
ingrained in our thinking. The opportunities that lay before us because you placed them there. And when we think about what you're willing to do in the life of any individual, if we're willing. We are awed by that father. humbled by it all.
And I pray that the Holy Spirit will sink the truth of this message so deep. It's inescapable. Thank you that we can watch your work and know in our heart. Your work is the best work. And we thank you in Jesus' name.
Amen. Uh Thank you for listening to The Mission of the Spirit. If you'd like to know more about Charles Stanley or In Touch Ministries, stop by intouch.org. This podcast is a presentation of In Touch Ministries, Atlanta, Georgia.
