TEXT: John 6:63

SUBJECT: Doctrine of the Holy Spirit #8: The Holy Spirit in the Christian

This morning brings us to the final sermon in our study of the Holy Spirit. We have taken the historical approach in this series, viewing the Spirit as He has shown Himself: first as Creator and Sustainer, then in the nation of Israel, in the life of Christ, on the Day of Pentecost, in the Apostolate, and finally, in the church.

But this leaves one crucial area untouched: the Holy Spirit in the life of the individual Christian. Does He deal with us "one-on-one"? The Psalmist thought so: "Where shall I go from your Spirit? or where shall I flee from your presence?" And so did Paul. "If any man have not the Spirit of Christ, he is none of His". Dietrich Bonhoeffer put it well: "Alone you stood before God when He called you; alone you had to answer that call; alone you had to struggle and pray; and alone you will die and give an account to God. You cannot escape from youself; for God has singled you out".

Thus, the Spirit works--not only in the world or in the church--but in every believer personally.

But what does He do in the Christian? In a word: everything. Everything God wanted you to have; everything Christ died to provide, the Holy Spirit gives you. You earn nothing. You take nothing. You contribute nothing. You only have what He furnishes. And so the words of Christ: "It is the Spirit that quickens, the flesh profits nothing".

The Spirit's ministry in the believer can be looked at in different ways and divided into various categories. In my library, one author finds seven distinct works; another counts nine; a third finds twenty-three; and fourth can't rest till he splits it up into thirty separate works. I'll be a bit more modest in my undertaking, and try to detail His work under three main heads: conviction, conversion, and sanctification.

The Holy Spirit, then, begins His work by convincing you of your sin and misery. Jesus said, "When He is come, He will reprove the world of sin, of righteousness, and of judgment". The careless sinner is suddenly confronted with the issues of life. God's Law stands before him in all its unrelenting demands. The memory is stirred up to recall the many violations of that law. Not only has the sinner broken its "letter", but its "spirit" as well. Outwardly, he is guilty. And inside, he is guiltier still. A feeling of impotence then follows. He has not only broken the law, but keeps on breaking it. He finds no power to stop. The harder he tries, the less he succeeds. He begins to feel his "carnal mind (at) enmity against God; it is not subject to His law, and cannot be". This leads to despair. "A leopard cannot change its spots; nor an Ethiopian his skin". Finally, a sense of judgment begins to loom. It hangs over him like a thundercloud, ready to burst at any moment. "The wrath of God is (already) being revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness in men who hold down the truth in unrighteousness". But worse yet, the Day of Judgment becomes a gnawing and daily dread: "The great day of His wrath is come; and who shall be able to stand?"

He feels unable to live; and unready to die. Men in the Bible were found in this condition. Those rulers at Pentecost, for example, were "cut to the heart" when they learned of their frightful sin. Felix "trembled" at the words of Paul, hoping to find a "convenient season" to hear him again. Pilate's wife suffered "nightmares on account of this Man". And David confessed, "My vitality was turned into the drought of summer".

And so, conviction is the Spirit's first work. It is an unpleasant thing, but most necessary. No one was ever "saved" who didn't first feel himself "lost". If Jesus is anointed to "preach the Gospel to the poor"--then only the spiritually deprived will lend Him their ears. If He is sent to "heal the brokenhearted"--then only the sick will seek His services. If He comes to "preach deliverance to the captives"--then only the convicts will ask for a pardon. If He "recovers sight for the blind"--then only the benighted will beg His cure. If He "sets at liberty those who are oppressed"--then only the persecuted will take His freedom. By convicting you of your sin, therefore, the Spirit is not "being mean or hateful". He is only preparing you to want and take the mercies of God in Jesus Christ.

"You shall call Him `Jesus', for He shall save His people from their sins". So ordered the angel. But who wants a "Jesus", but one who is first convinced of his sins? And who convinces a man of his sins? Not another man. The prophets pleaded with Israel--but to no avail. Their best arguments fell to the ground and the nation continued in its downward spiral to judgment. Was there anything wrong with the prophets? With their message? With their delivery? With the hearing of their audience? No! Yet they could not convict of sin. Neither can one's culture. Israel, at the time of Solomon, was comparatively moral and religious. Yet it could still produce this person: "Such is the way of the adulterous woman; she eats, and wipes her mouth, and says, `I have done no wickedness'". Religion, law, tradition, and community standards were arraigned against her. Yet she could shrug them off without remorse. Why? Because "culture" cannot show one his sin and misery.

Only the Spirit can do this effectively. And, thank God, He does. But how does He do it? Normally, in one of two ways:

And so, as our Lord Jesus said about the Holy Spirit, "When He is come, He will convict the world of sin..."

But this is not all He does. If it were, His would be a ministry of death--suicide and despair. Happily, though, "it is the Spirit that quickens (i.e., gives life). Thus, he doesn't leave His people in the state of sin and misery, He also produces conversion.

"Conversion" consists of two parts: a turning from sin and a turning to Christ. Or, a better (and more Scriptural) way of putting it is this: repentance and faith.

To "repent" means "to change your mind" about sin. To turn from what once delighted you, with abhorrence. Paul described the penitent like this: "Do you not know that the unrighteous shall not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived. Neither fornicators, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor homosexuals, nor sodomites, nor thieves, nor covetous, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor extortioners will inherit the kingdom of God. And such were some of you. 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".

And this "repentance" cannot be self-manufactured. If it were, there would have to be something "good" in the sinner. But the Bible says, "There is none who does good, no not one". It is a gift of the Spirit.

But "repentance"--in and of itself--converts no one. To turn from sin means that one also turns to Christ. This we call "faith". The Spirit gives this, too, by, in the words of the Shorter Catechism:

"...enlightening our minds in the knowledge of Christ,

and renewing our wills, He doth persuade and enable

us, to embrace Jesus Christ, freely offered to us

in the Gospel".

By giving repentance and faith, the Holy Spirit performs His second work, and converts the sinner from a state of sin and misery into a state of salvation.

But He's still not finished. He must now complete the work and make that raw convert into the image of Jesus Christ. This we call sanctification. About it, we ought to say the following:

And so, the Spirit's work in the Christian's life. But this leads to a serious question: "Is He working in your life?" Not, "Is He doing miraculous things?...or...Is He causing you to grow by leaps and bounds?" But "Is He working in your life?" Not "has He worked" Or "Do you hope He will work?" But "Is He?"

If He is, you have ample reason to give thanks and look to the future with hope.

But if not, you are in a bad way...a very bad way. "If any man has not the Spirit of Christ, he is none of His". "None of His!" Can you imagine a worse condition? "None of His!" "Depart from Me, you workers of iniquity, I never knew you!"

But there is hope. You can have the Spirit if you repent of your sins and believe in Christ. "The promise is to you, and to your children, and to those who are afar off, as many as the Lord our God shall call".

So "Call on the name of the Lord", receive the Holy Spirit, and live to God's glory from this day forth. And don't be afraid of falling short. For "It is the Spirit that quickens, the flesh profits nothing".