HOLY SPIRIT | P1 | IS THE HOLY SPIRIT A FORCE OR A PERSON? MISCONCEPTIONS THAT LIMIT HIS POWER IN YOUR LIFE

     Is the Holy Spirit a force to be wielded or is He a Person to be encountered?  Our misconceptions about the Holy Spirit can actually limit His power in our lives.  Scripture teaches that we can quench the Holy Spirit or even grieve Him.  Join us as we unpack the 3rd member of the Trinity.

• The Holy Spirit is a person
• Evidences
• He thinks (Romans 8:27)
• He decides (1 Corinthians 12:11)
• He prays (Romans 8:26)
• Implications
• He can be mistreated
• We can grieve the Holy Spirit (Ephesians 4:30)
• We can quench the Holy Spirit (1 Thessalonians 5:19)
• He can be known
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• The Holy Spirit is God (Acts 5:3-4)
• He is everywhere present (Psalm 139:7-8)
• He is all-knowing (Isaiah 40:13-14)
• He is all-powerful
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• Summary: 1 John 4:4

John 14:16-17 (NIV2011)
16 And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another advocate to help you and be with you forever— 17 the Spirit of truth. The world cannot accept him, because it neither sees him nor knows him. But you know him, for he lives with you and will be in you.

The Holy Spirit is a person
Evidences of the Holy Spirit’s personhood:

He thinks (has a mind)

Romans 8:27 (NIV2011)
27  And he who searches our hearts knows the mind of the Spirit, because the Spirit intercedes for God’s people in accordance with the will of God.

He decides (has a will)

1Corinthians 12:11 (NIV2011)
11  All these are the work of one and the same Spirit, and he distributes them to each one, just as he determines.

He prays

Romans 8:26 (NIV2011)
26  In the same way, the Spirit helps us in our weakness. We do not know what we ought to pray for, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us through wordless groans.

Implications of the Holy Spirit’s personhood:
He can be mistreated

Ephesians 4:30 (NIV2011)
30  And do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, with whom you were sealed for the day of redemption.
 
We can grieve the Holy Spirit
Example: Parent
1 Thessalonians 5:19 (NIV2011)
19  Do not quench the Spirit.
 
We can quench the Holy Spirit
He can be mistreated
He can be known

The Holy Spirit is God
Example: Story of Ananias and Sapphira

Acts 5:3-4 (NIV2011)
3  Then Peter said, “Ananias, how is it that Satan has so filled your heart that you have lied to the Holy Spirit and have kept for yourself some of the money you received for the land?
4  Didn’t it belong to you before it was sold? And after it was sold, wasn’t the money at your disposal? What made you think of doing such a thing? You have not lied just to human beings but to God.”

He is everywhere present

Psalm 139:7-8 (NIV2011)
7  Where can I go from your Spirit? Where can I flee from your presence?
8  If I go up to the heavens, you are there; if I make my bed in the depths, you are there.

Application: There’s never a time when no one’s around

He is all-knowing

Isaiah 40:13-14 (NIV2011)
13  Who can fathom the Spirit of the LORD, or instruct the LORD as his counselor?
14  Whom did the LORD consult to enlighten him, and who taught him the right way? Who was it that taught him knowledge, or showed him the path of understanding?

Application: We are fully known and unconditionally loved

He is all-powerful
Illustration: Quiz bowl in Middle School

1 John 4:4
You, dear children, are from God and have overcome them, because the One who is in you is greater than the One who is in the world.