This month at Redeemer by the Sea we are focusing on the Holy Spirit during our Sunday morning message series. Who is the Holy Spirit? The Holy Spirit is the third person of the Trinity. That means that He is true God with the Father and the Son; He is not merely the power of energy of God. He is a “person” of the Godhead. We see this in the Scripture as we see the Holy Spirit both referred to as God and manifesting the divine attributes of God. The Holy Spirit was “lied to” by Ananias in Acts 4, showing his personhood. Psalm 139 says that there is nowhere that we can go to flee from the presence of the Holy Spirit, thus assigning to Him the attribute of omnipresence – an attribute that only God possesses – that of being everywhere present. 1 Corinthians 2 tells us that the Spirit searches all things – even the deep things of God – meaning that the Holy Spirit knows things that only God knows. And in Hebrews 9 we see that the Spirit is referred to as “eternal.” So with the ancient Christian Church, we believe in the Holy Spirit as God!
But what does that really mean? You may have always believed that the Holy Spirit is God, or it may be a new concept for you. Either way, what do you now do with this information? How do you apply this to your life so that it’s not just information, but leads to transformation? To get to that, let’s examine what the work of the Holy Spirit is. In the Church we have referred to the Holy Spirit as the “Sanctifier.” What does it mean to be “sanctified?” It means to be made holy. We learn in the Word that the Holy Spirit makes us holy by bringing us to faith in Christ and directing and empowering us to lead a godly life (1 Cor. 6:11). You and I need the Holy Spirit to bring us to faith in Christ because we confess that this is something that we cannot do on our own. We were dead in our transgressions and sins (Ephesians 2:1). If it weren’t for the Holy Spirit, we could not confess Jesus as our Lord (1 Cor. 12:3). Once we are converted to Christ, the Holy Spirit continues His work in us by “enlightening” us – that is, bringing the light of Christ to us where there once was darkness (1 Peter 2:9) and enabling us to have hope, joy and peace (Romans 15:13). These are just a few components of the fruit of the Spirit that we will examine in this month’s message series.
How then do you and I receive or obtain this fruit of the Spirit? I think the answer to that can be expressed in one word – “surrender.” As Christians, we receive the Holy Spirit in our baptisms (Acts 2:38)but that is not where it ends. The Holy Spirit continues to work in our lives to make us more like Jesus Christ. The Holy Spirit, however, allows Himself to be resisted. This is not unlike the Gospel of Jesus Christ – it is something that is offered to us, but we are free to reject. This is a mystery of God: Why does an all powerful God allow us to reject and resist His work? We may not be able to answer that “why,” but we know from Scripture the “what” – He does. The challenge for us today, and every day, is to surrender our lives and our will to the Holy Spirit’s work, rather than to resist and object to the work that He is doing.
The Spirit continues to patiently and consistently work in our lives. He is there to comfort us when we’re burdened, to encourage us when we’re discouraged, to equip us for the work He’s called us to, and to forgive us whenever we fail. How great is God’s mercy and provision to us through His Holy Spirit! But still, you and I resist the work of the Spirit. We do this when we let the cares and worries of this world choke out the joy that the Spirit gives. We do this when we selfishly strive after the things of this earth rather than the things of heaven. And we do this when we shrink back from the call and charge of God’s Spirit in our lives. Again, the answer is “surrender.”
How to surrender? Let me give you a little thought that was shared with me a while ago: When you asked Jesus to forgive you your sins, did He? Yes! Will He always do that? Yes! – It’s just like that with the Holy Spirit. When you ask the Holy Spirit to take control of your life, He does… every time! You and I merely need to develop the habit of asking the Holy Spirit to take control. Let’s learn to do that sooner, rather than later. Just like Jesus does not force Himself on a person, so the Holy Spirit does not force His control over the believer. When we surrender our life to the control and will of the Holy Spirit, He takes control. What parts of your life will the Holy Spirit control? Every part that you surrender to Him! Are there any parts of your life and will that you have not surrendered control of to the Holy Spirit? Why or why not?
Each day you and I surrender control of our life to the Spirit by being emptied of self, and then filled with the Spirit in that space that’s created. It’s like spiritual breathing! As we daily confess our sins to the Father, it’s like we exhale and empty our lives of the unproductive “waste” that has filled up. That then makes room for the Holy Spirit to fill us with fresh, life-giving air! May that become as natural to us as breathing!
Come Holy Spirit – we surrender to You!