The
Power of the Holy Spirit
Screen 1
«Whatever you ask the Father in My name He will give
you.» (John 16:23)
Our Father,
It is a privilege to ask for Your assistance during our study of Your Word.
Open our eyes, Lord, that we may see and understand the work Your Holy Spirit can
accomplish within each one of us.
We pray in His name.
Amen.
Screen 2
John 14:16-18
[Jesus said,]
«And I will pray the Father, and He will give you another Helper, that He may abide with
you forever, even the Spirit of truth; (...) He dwells with you and will be in you.
I will not leave you orphans; I will come to you.»
----------------------------------------------------
Before leaving His disciples, Jesus promised them that He would return.
He also promised that meanwhile He would send them a Helper as His successor.
This Helper is the Holy Spirit.
Now, who is the Holy Spirit, how can we receive Him, and what can He do for us? The Bible
will give us clear answers to all our questions.
Screen 3
John 10:30
[Jesus said,]
«I and My Father are one.»
----------------------------------------------------
First of all, the Bible presents God as being ONE, having been revealed to us
as the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit.
Therefore God communicates with us at three different levels which are:
- The Father, in the creation, who is God FOR us.
- The Son, in the redemption, who is God WITH us.
- The Holy Spirit, in the sanctification, who is God WITHIN us.
Screen 4
Matthew 28:19
[Jesus said,]
«Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the
Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit.»
---------------------
2 Corinthians 13:14
The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, and the love of God,
and the communion of the Holy Spirit be with you all. Amen.
----------------------------------------------------
The Bible suggests the idea of the Trinity, that is, one God revealed in three
persons:
- the Father;
- the Son;
- the Holy Spirit.
Screen 5
Luke 1:35
And the angel answered and said to [Mary],
«The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Highest will overshadow you.»
----------------------------------------------------
The verse above, and a few others, has been interpreted by some theologians as
demonstrating that the Holy Spirit is first and foremost a force, a power emanating from
God.
However all these verses can also be understood from a different point of view, the Holy
Spirit being, instead, a person.
The following verses demonstrate the Holy Spirit's traits of personality, such as His
intelligence, His emotions, and His will.
Screen 6
The Holy Spirit is a person. First, let us note His intelligence:
He searches:
«The Spirit searches all things.» (1 CORINTHIANS 2:10)
He hears:
«Whatever [the Spirit] hears He will speak.» (JOHN 16:13)
He speaks:
«The Spirit of your Father who speaks in you.» (MATTHEW 10:20)
«The Holy Spirit said, "Separate to Me Barnabas and Saul for the work to which I
have called them."» (ACTS 13:2)
He teaches:
«For the Holy Spirit will teach you...» (LUKE 12:12)
He testifies:
«[The Spirit of truth] will testify of Me.» (JOHN 15:26)
He foretells:
«[The Spirit] will tell you things to come.» (JOHN 16:13)
Screen 7
Now, let's take a look at the emotions of the Holy Spirit:
He loves:
«(...) through the love of the Spirit.» (ROMANS 15:30)
He comforts:
«And walking in the fear of the Lord and in the comfort of the
Holy Spirit, [the churches] were multiplied.» (ACTS 9:31)
He helps:
«But the Helper, the Holy Spirit (...)» (JOHN 14:26)
«The Spirit also helps in our weaknesses.» (ROMANS 8:26)
He intercedes:
«He makes intercession for the saints.» (ROMANS 8:27)
He invites to repentance and salvation:
«And the Spirit and the bride say, "Come!" (...) And
let him who thirsts come. And whoever desires, let him take the water of life freely.»
(REVELATION 22:17)
Screen 8
Finally, let us note the will of the Holy Spirit:
He acts as He wants:
«One and the same Spirit works all these things, distributing
to each one individually as He wills.» (1 CORINTHIANS 12:11)
He leads:
«For as many as are led by the Spirit of God, these are sons of
God.» (ROMANS 8:14)
He prevents:
«They were forbidden by the Holy Spirit (...)» (ACTS 16:6)
«They tried to go into Bithynia, but the Spirit did not permit them.» (ACTS 16:7)
He witnesses:
«The Holy Spirit also witnesses to us.» (HEBREWS 10:15)
He convicts:
«[The Spirit] will convict the world.» (JOHN 16:8)
Screen 9
The Holy Spirit is a person. Let us note how it is possible to:
Resist Him:
«You always resist the Holy Spirit.» (ACTS 7:51)
Lie to Him:
«(...) to lie to the Holy Spirit.» (ACTS 5:3)
Test Him:
«How is is that you have agreed together to test the Spirit of
the Lord?» (ACTS 5:9)
Grieve Him:
«Do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God.» (EPHESIANS 4:30)
Insult Him:
«(...) and insulted the Spirit of grace.» (HEBREWS 10:29)
Blaspheme against Him:
«Whoever speaks against the Holy Spirit (...).» (MATTHEW
12:32)
«He who blasphemes against the Holy Spirit (...).» (MARK 3:29)
Screen 10
Genesis 1:2
The earth was without form, and void; and darkness was on the
face of the deep.
And the Spirit of God was hovering over the face of the waters.
---------------------
Exodus 31:1-4
Then the Lord spoke to Moses, saying:
«I have called by name Bezaleel, the son of Uri, the son of Hur, of the tribe of Judah.
And I have filled him with the Spirit of God, in wisdom, in understanding, in knowledge,
and in all manner of workmanship, to design artistic works.»
----------------------------------------------------
The Old Testament tells us about the Holy Spirit.
From the first chapter of the Bible, we see Him at work in the creation of the world.
He also makes people capable of carrying out the works commanded by God.
Screen 11
2 Peter 1:21
For prophecy never came by the will of man, but holy men of God
spoke as they were moved by the Holy Spirit.
----------------------------------------------------
The divine inspiration of the Scriptures comes from the Holy Spirit.
Screen 12
Matthew 3:16
Then Jesus, when He had been baptized, came up immediately from
the water.
And behold, the heavens were opened to Him, and He saw the Spirit of God descending like a
dove and alighting upon Him.
----------------------------------------------------
Before beginning His ministry on earth, Jesus was filled with the presence of
the Holy Spirit.
Screen 13
John 14:16,17
[Jesus said,]
«And I will pray the Father, and He will give you another Helper, that He may abide with
you forever, even the Spirit of truth.»
---------------------
Acts 1:5
[Jesus said,]
«You shall be baptized with the Holy Spirit not many days from now.»
----------------------------------------------------
Before leaving them, Jesus reminded His disciples of the promise that they
would soon receive the Holy Spirit.
As Jesus had recommended, they gathered in the upper room where they «all
continued with one accord in prayer and supplication» (Acts 1:14).
Screen 14
Acts 2:2-4
And suddenly there came a sound from heaven, as of a rushing
mighty wind, and it filled the whole house where they were sitting.
Then there appeared to them divided tongues, as of fire, and one sat upon each of them.
And they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak with other tongues, as
the Spirit gave them utterance.
----------------------------------------------------
Filled with the Holy Spirit, the disciples preached the Good News of salvation
in Jesus Christ with such power as had never been seen before!
Screen 15
John 16:8
And when [the Helper] has come, He will convict the world of sin,
and of righteousness, and of judgment.
----------------------------------------------------
Now let's look at the Holy Spirit's role in our conversion.
First of all, the Spirit speaks to each one of us, in different ways, in order to make us
realize our hopeless condition as sinners and our need of a Savior.
Screen 16
1 Corinthians 12:3
No one can say that Jesus is Lord except by the Holy Spirit.
----------------------------------------------------
When we don't harden our hearts to the influence of the Holy Spirit, He brings
us to recognize that Jesus Christ is the only One who can save us.
Screen 17
John 3:5
Jesus answered,
«Most assuredly, I say to you, unless one is born of water and the Spirit, he cannot
enter the kingdom of God.»
---------------------
Titus 3:5
Not by works of righteousness which we have done, but
according to His mercy He saved us, through the washing of regeneration and renewing of
the Holy Spirit.
----------------------------------------------------
The Holy Spirit leads the sinner along the path of repentance, and from there
He leads him to new birth, as we saw in our previous lessons.
Screen 18
Acts 2:38
Then Peter said to them,
«Repent, and let every one of you be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the
remission of sins; and you shall receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.»
----------------------------------------------------
The Holy Spirit accompanies and guides us in our spiritual progress.
Screen 19
John 16:13
[The Spirit of truth] will guide you into all truth.
---------------------
John 14:26
[The Holy Spirit] will teach you all things, and bring to
your remembrance all things that I said to you.
---------------------
Isaiah 30:21
Your ears shall hear a word behind you, saying,
«This is the way, walk in it» whenever you turn to the right hand or whenever you turn
to the left.
----------------------------------------------------
For the repentant man, the Holy Spirit becomes a sure and precious Guide.
Screen 20
1 Corinthians 6:11
But you were washed, but you were sanctified, but you were
justified in the name of the Lord Jesus and by the Spirit of our God.
---------------------
2 Thessalonians 2:13
God from the beginning chose you for salvation through
sanctification by the Spirit and belief in the truth.
----------------------------------------------------
The Holy Spirit does not take part only in our justification, but also in our
sanctification (our lesson «A Transformed Life»
explains these two words).
Screen 21
1 Samuel 10:6
Then the Spirit of the Lord will come upon you, and you will
(...) be turned into another man.
---------------------
John 14:17
[The Spirit of truth] dwells with you and will be in you.
---------------------
Galatians 2:20
It is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me.
----------------------------------------------------
New birth can happen only through the Holy Spirit's power.
Working within us, He will transform us day after day into the image of Jesus Christ.
Screen 22
Galatians 5:16,17
Walk in the Spirit, and you shall not fulfill the lust of the
flesh.
For the flesh lusts against the Spirit, and the Spirit against the flesh; and these are
contrary to one another, so that you do not do the things that you wish.
---------------------
Galatians 5:25
If we live in the Spirit, let us also walk in the Spirit.
----------------------------------------------------
The sinner has a natural tendency to go against God's will.
Only the Holy Spirit can give the power to obey God.
Screen 23
Galatians 5:19-23
Now the works of the flesh are evident, which are: adultery,
fornication, uncleanness, licentiousness, idolatry, sorcery, hatred, contentions,
jealousies, outbursts of wrath, selfish ambitions, dissensions, heresies, envy, murders,
drunkenness, revelries, and the like; of which I tell you beforehand, just as I also told
you in time past, that those who practice such things will not inherit the kingdom of God.
But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, kindness, goodness,
faithfulness, gentleness, self-control.
----------------------------------------------------
What a transformation the Spirit can bring about in a penitent heart!
Screen 24
Matthew 12:32
[Jesus said,]
«Whoever speaks against the Holy Spirit, it will not be forgiven him, either in this age
or in the age to come.»
----------------------------------------------------
Since this lesson deals with the subject of the Holy Spirit, let us take a
moment to define what is the sin against the Holy Spirit.
According to the Bible, this sin is unpardonable.
What does it consist of?
Screen 25
Proverbs 28:13
He who covers his sins will not prosper, but whoever confesses
and forsakes them will have mercy.
---------------------
1 John 1:9
If we confess our sins, [God] is faithful and just to
forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.
----------------------------------------------------
We have seen that the Holy Spirit speaks to each person's heart, to make him
realize his sinful condition.
Whoever favorably answers to this call is led to repentance.
Screen 26
2 Thessalonians 2:10
(...) among those who perish, because they did not receive the
love of the truth, that they might be saved.
---------------------
Hebrews 2:3
How shall we escape if we neglect so great a salvation?
----------------------------------------------------
Unfortunately, many will reject the invitation of the Holy Spirit, and will
harden their hearts. Since God always respects our freedom of choice, there is no other
way to save the one who refuses this salvation.
This attitude of constant rejection is the sin against the Holy Spirit.
Screen 27
Hebrews 3:7,8,13
Therefore, as the Holy Spirit says:
«Today, if you will hear His voice, do not harden your hearts» (...) lest any of you be
hardened through the deceitfulness of sin.
----------------------------------------------------
A sinner who unceasingly rejects the call of the Holy Spirit ends up hardening
his heart.
God has no other way to bring him to repent, ask forgiveness for his sins, and accept
Jesus Christ as his personal Savior.
Such a man therefore commits the sin against the Holy Spirit, unpardonable since it
consists of the rejection of God's forgiveness.
Screen 28
Romans 8:9
Now if anyone does not have the Spirit of Christ, he is not His.
---------------------
Ephesians 5:18
Be filled with the Spirit.
----------------------------------------------------
God ardently desires that we be filled with the Holy Spirit.
What must we do to receive the Holy Spirit?
Screen 29
Luke 11:13
[Jesus said,]
«If you then, being evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more
will your heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to those who ask Him!»
----------------------------------------------------
If we sincerely desire that the Holy Spirit come into our hearts to transform
us, and if we are willing to let Him work within us, the promise is certain: God will fill
us with the Holy Spirit.
Screen 30
John 14:15,16
[Jesus said,]
«If you love Me, keep My commandments.
And I will pray the Father, and He will give you another Helper, that He may abide with
you forever.»
---------------------
Acts 5:32
And we are His witnesses to these things, and so also is
the Holy Spirit whom God has given to those who obey Him.
----------------------------------------------------
If we are willing to obey God's will as He reveals more and more of it each
day, then He will fill us with more and more of His Spirit each day.
Screen 31
John 7:38,39
[Jesus said,] «He who believes in Me, as the Scripture has said,
out of his heart will flow rivers of living water.»
But this He spoke concerning the Spirit, whom those believing in Him would receive.
---------------------
Matthew 3:11
[Jesus] will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and fire.
----------------------------------------------------
Let's not harden our heart to the unceasing call of the Holy Spirit, but let's
invite Him to come within us, that He may implant the life of Jesus in each one of us, and
transform us into His image day after day.
Screen 32
Let us thank God for His wonderful promise:
Almighty Lord,
We thank You for having shown us the important part the Holy Spirit plays in our
conversion.
We humbly ask You, Lord, to fill each one of us with the Holy Spirit, so that He may
transform our hearts, guide us every day in the truth, and above all help us to put this
truth into practice as soon as He has revealed it to us through Your Word.
In Jesus Christ we pray.
Amen.
The test of Lesson 11 is waiting for you!