[00:00:00] Hello everyone, this is Ian McCormack. Welcome back to The Gates of Heaven. Today we're starting a new chapter together, The Holy Spirit. And I want to keep it simple but firmly rooted in Scripture, because the Holy Spirit is not an idea. He is God present with us. First, let's speak about the Trinity. The Bible teaches that there is one God manifested in three persons, the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit.
[00:00:26] 1 Timothy 3.16 points us to this reality in the way Scripture reveals God. The Father is God, Jesus is God, and the Holy Spirit is God. And some people use the word triunity, meaning three in one, because it helps us remember it's not three gods, it's one God, known in three distinct persons.
[00:00:49] 1 Timothy 3.16 points us to this reality in the Bible. Now here's the next important point. The Holy Spirit is a person. Some people think the Holy Spirit is only an essence or a power, like God's energy or force. Because the word for spirit can mean breath or wind, but Scripture never treats the Holy Spirit like a thing. The Holy Spirit is treated like someone.
[00:01:12] Let me show you. Let me show you what I mean. Using the word of God, he searches and has knowledge. In 1 Corinthians 2.10-11, the Spirit searches the deep things of God. That's not impersonal power. That's personal knowledge. He gives gifts.
[00:01:28] In 1 Corinthians 12.11, it says the Spirit distributes gifts as he wills. Again, will, choosing, directing. He has a mind. Romans 8.27 speaks of the Spirit's mind, his purpose, his intercession. He loves.
[00:01:44] Romans 15.30 says the love of the Spirit is real and personal. And Jesus makes it even clearer when he talks about the Spirit. In John 14.16-17, Jesus calls him the helper. And Scripture uses personal language about the Spirit.
[00:02:03] And in John 16.13, it says the Spirit guides you into truth, testifies and speaks what is on God's heart. Now, not only do we see the Holy Spirit described as personal, we see personal actions attributed to him.
[00:02:18] For example, in Acts 13.2, the Holy Spirit speaks. In Romans 8.26, he intercedes for us. In John 14.26 and 1 John 2.20-27, he teaches and reminds. In Acts 16.6-7, it says the Spirit guides, even forbidding Paul from going certain places.
[00:02:41] And in Genesis 6.3, it says God's Spirit strives with mankind. So if the Holy Spirit speaks, teaches, guides, intercedes and can forbid, how could he be merely a force? And one more thing. You can grieve the Holy Spirit. The Bible says in Ephesians 4.30 to not grieve him. That means he's not distant like a machine. He is present and relationship matters.
[00:03:07] So what does all this mean for you today? It means you don't just believe in the Holy Spirit as doctrine. You depend on him as a person. If you've been trying to live the Christian life by willpower alone, you'll burn out. But if you walk with the Spirit, ask him for help, yield to his guidance, listen for his truth, you'll find God's power working in your life.
[00:03:28] Before we close, let me encourage you. In prayer, don't speak to an energy. Speak to the Holy Spirit, the helper Jesus promised. Next time we'll go deeper into what the Holy Spirit does, how he guides believers and how to recognize his work in everyday life. Thanks for listening to The Gates of Heaven. This is Ian McCormack. Keep choosing Jesus and keep learning to walk with the Spirit of God.