Dial In with Jonny Ardavanis - The Holy Spirit: His Nature and His Work In Your Life

Episode Date: August 24, 2022

In this final episode of the short series “Living for Christ in a Hostile World,” Jonny Ardavanis teaches on the nature and work of the Holy Spirit. In this episode, Jonny breaks down 10 truths regarding the work of the Holy Spirit in the life of the believer. 1. The Holy Spirit is the Author of Scripture 2. The Holy Spirit Illumines the Scripture 3. The Holy Spirit is the Agent of Salvation 4. The Holy Spirit Mediates the Presence of God in our Life 5. The Holy Spirit Assures us we are Children of God 6. The Holy Spirit Transforms us into the Image of Christ 7. The Holy Spirit Guides us into God’s Will 8. The Holy Spirit Intercedes for Believers 9. The Holy Spirit Equips and Enables us to Serve 10.The Holy Spirit Unites us to other Believers. Watch VideosVisit the Website Follow on InstagramFollow on Twitter

Hey guys, my name is Johnny Artivanis and this is Dial In. In this episode, we'll be looking at our third installment in our short series, Living for Christ in a Hostile World. And in this episode, we'll look at the work and nature of the Holy Spirit. Let's dial in. The world's two most recognizable paintings are painted by the same man, engineer, scientist, architect, and painter, Leonardo da Vinci. Likely his most recognizable painting, the Mona Lisa, has hung in the Louvre Museum since 1797. His second most famous work of art is the mural painting

that covers the dining hall wall at the Monastery of Santa Maria della Grazia in Milan, Italy. This mural painting is entitled The Last Supper. Far and away the most recognizable religious piece of art in history, this famous painting covers the emotions of shock, fear, grief, and concern at a specific moment in Jesus's earthly ministry. The specific scene that Da Vinci aims to capture is during Jesus's final meal with his disciples the night before his crucifixion. And the expression and the emotion Da Vinci paints

is the moment after Jesus had told his disciples that he was going to be killed and that one of his own disciples was going to betray him. The painting portrays various responses from four huddled groups containing three disciples each. Some of the groupings appear to whisper, some look to be yelling, some look confused, but with the exception of Judas, all look to be afraid, distressed, and discouraged. And at the center of this famous painting is the one the disciples had followed,

the one they had served, the one they had loved. And the ironic reality expressed in scripture and in this painting is that the one who should have been comforted by his disciples is rather the one offering words of profound comfort to them. It's during this very night that Jesus says the following words in John 14. Do not let your hearts be troubled. Believe in God. Believe also in me.

In my Father's house there are many dwelling places. If it were not so, I would have told you. For I go to prepare a place for you. And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and receive you to myself that where I am, there you may be also. Jesus comforts his disciples by providing them with profound truths about what's in store for them. And the words that he offers here are not just facts to memorize or merely doctrines to affirm.

They are wondrous promises that buoy their hearts, lift their spirits, and embolden them with zeal after his resurrection. The first of these promises that Jesus gives, as we looked at in our previous episode, is the promise of heaven. Jesus tells his disciples that he is going to prepare a glorious place for them in his father's house. But not only that, Jesus is going to give them another promise. And it's important to note at this juncture that Jesus, listen here, has never said a single word in his life that was random in its timing, meaning he's always saying the right thing at the right time.

Jesus continues to comfort his disciples on the night of his final meal with them by providing them with another precious promise. In John 14, 16, Jesus says, I will ask the Father, and he will give you another helper so that he may be with you forever. In the midst of their despair about his looming death, and in the midst of their fear from the religious leaders, Jesus promises to send another helper, namely the Holy Spirit. In the midst of the same discourse Jesus gives his disciples, he will later on say in John 16, 7, and I want you to think about this. It is to their advantage, to your advantage, if you're a Christian, that Jesus leaves and goes to the Father because if he does not leave, Jesus says the Holy Spirit would not come. I want you to pause and think about that before we proceed. Jesus says it is better for you to have the Holy Spirit in you than for Jesus, the Son of

God, to be with you. If you're a Christian, you have the Holy Spirit. So the question is, do you believe that? Now in this episode, I want to cover the foundation of the Holy Spirit's nature and his work in the life of a believer. It is so important that you understand this. I want to cover the foundation of the Holy Spirit's nature and his work in the life of a believer. It is so important that you understand this. I want to look first with you at his identity as revealed by Jesus in this same passage. Now, remember the scene with me, Jesus at the end of John 13, he tells his disciples that he's going to die. Fear, uncertainty, and anxiety has filled their hearts. And in the midst of the shock and flabbergastation, Jesus says in John 14, 16, I will ask the father and he will give you another helper that he may be with you forever. Now you may know that this word helper is parakletos in the Greek

and in its technical form, a paraclete was a title given to a defense attorney that was hired by a family on a permanent retainer basis. It was someone they could call upon at any time to stand alongside them in the midst of crisis. And this attorney, this advocate was someone who would comfort them, protect them, counsel them, and guide them in the midst of chaos. In many translations, it may not say helper in your Bible. It may say that Jesus says the father will send another comforter. Now in our modern context, we read comforter and think of nurturing pats on the back from a sympathetic or empathetic person, but that's not really the idea that Jesus has in mind. The reason older translations use the word

comforter is because its Latin root is strongly tied to the main idea that Jesus is articulating to his disciples. The comforter is not someone who is going to merely come and pat them on the shoulder while they endure the beatings and bruisings of the world. The word comfort in Latin comes from a compound word, cum, which means with, and forte, which if you're a musician, you know means with strength. That's why people say things like, that's not my forte. So putting those two words together, the comforter is someone who comes with strength. The Holy Spirit comes with the necessary strength to guide, protect, encourage, and lead Jesus'

followers. Now the question is, why does Jesus do this? Why does he offer the Holy Spirit in the midst of their despair? I remember R.C. Sproul noting that the most common negative prohibition in all of the scripture isn't do not steal or do not commit adultery or do not murder, but what? Do not be afraid. Well, why is this exhortation so common? Well, because our Lord understands the frailty of our human nature and he knows the paralysis that comes from being frightened. Jesus knew that his disciples couldn't possibly muster up the courage necessary within themselves to go boldly into a hostile world. No, they needed someone alongside them.

They needed a helper, but not just anyone, someone exactly like Jesus, but now someone who can never be taken away. Jesus says in John 14, 16, I will ask the Father and he will give you another helper. Now watch this, that he may be with you forever. It's important to know that there is a word that precedes helper in your Bible.

And it's not the word the helper, as in Jesus is saying the helper will come. It's the word another helper. Jesus says, I will ask the father and he will give you another helper. Jesus knows that the father has already sent someone to come and be with and amongst his people, but now he is going to send another helper. And the word translated as another here is alos,

meaning of the same essence, not heteros, meaning different or other. Jesus promises a helper of the same kind. Jesus then continues in John 14, 17, that is the spirit of truth whom the world cannot receive because it does not see him or know him. But watch this. Jesus says, but you know him because he abides with you and will be in you. Now the question for you is this, how would the disciples know the spirit of God if the spirit of God had not yet come, Jesus just told his disciples that the world doesn't know him. That is the helper. But he says, but you know him because he abides with you and will be what? In you. What Jesus is saying is this, the spirit of God that you have seen in my life, that is the spirit that will live in you. That is a staggering

idea. The father has already sent his son, but now both the father and the son will send the spirit. The Holy Spirit then in regards to his nature is not a lesser God that comes and takes up residence within the life of a believer. But on the contrary, the Holy Spirit is the eternal co-creator, co-equal with the Father and the Son. This means that the Spirit of God that is promised to all believers is not a force. The Spirit of God is not impersonal, not abstract. The Spirit of God is of the same likeness of Jesus Christ. The spirit of God is a person. And because the spirit of God is a person and is personal, we read in scripture that he may be grieved

in Ephesians 4.30, he may be quenched in 1 Thessalonians 5, and he may be resisted in Acts chapter seven. The disciples are still processing the reality that Jesus had just told them he is going to die. And Jesus will in chapter seven, the disciples are still processing the reality that Jesus had just told them he is going to die. And Jesus will, in chapter 15, tell them that they will be hated on account of his name. They will face persecution, rejection, and hostility because of the one they love, follow, and obey. But here, Jesus promises them, they will not be, you will not be alone. You will have the Holy Spirit.

In regards to the Holy Spirit's identity, we have already concluded that the one who comes is God himself. This means that the Holy Spirit, like the Father and the Son, is to be worshiped and to be honored. But now that we have briefly covered his identity, in the remainder of this episode, I want to provide with you or for you a primer on the work of the Holy Spirit. You may call it Holy Spirit 101, if you will, on what the Holy Spirit has done, what the Holy Spirit is doing in the life of believers, and how we as Christians can be filled with the Holy Spirit. And in doing so, I want to provide for you 10 truths about the Holy Spirit's work.

And this is by no means an exhaustive list, but hopefully helpful enough to whet your appetite for further study. A couple of things to note before we begin, and I already mentioned this one. If you're a Christian, you possess the Holy Spirit. There is no such thing as a Christian who doesn't have the Spirit of God living within them. Romans 8 and 9 says, but if anyone does not have the Spirit of Christ, he does not belong to him. And inversely, if anyone does belong to Christ, he possesses the Holy Spirit. It's not something you acquire over time. The Spirit is someone you receive at the moment of salvation.

Okay, 10 truths about the Holy Spirit. Number one, the Holy Spirit is the author of Scripture. Jesus says in John 14, 26, But the Helper, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, he will teach you all things and bring to your remembrance all that I have said to you. One of the primary functions of the Spirit of God was to bring to the disciples' memory the events and teachings of Jesus in order that they might write and record the scripture. The disciples were not relying on their own memory.

They were being led to remember through the power of the Holy Spirit. This is why 2 Timothy 3.16 says, all scripture is breathed out by God. Now I want you to think with me in that same way that the Spirit of God who hovers over creation in the opening verses of Genesis, and he was the one that provided the energy that

created all things. We see that same reality here in the recording of scripture. It is breathed out by God. When we say that the scriptures are the inspired word of God, we testify to the reality that scripture is not just words on a page written by men. We affirm that they are divine words breathed out by the divine God. Peter affirms this reality in 2 Peter 1, 16 when he relates that the writing of scripture is not cleverly devised tales. The Bible isn't just full of stories and epics.

It's the truth. And we can know it's the truth because of what Peter says in 2 Peter 1, 20 and 21. But know this first of all, that no prophecy of scripture is a matter of one's own interpretation. For no prophecy was ever made by an act of human will, but men moved by the Holy Spirit spoke from God. The men who wrote the biblical books were not inventing things. Neither were they automatons, meaning that the writing of the Bible was not just these

people writing stripped of their personality and experience. No, the 40 different authors of scripture who wrote the 66 books that compose our Bible, they were real individuals in real history with real DNA, yet they were carried along by the Holy Spirit. This is one of the main reasons we have such unrivaled continuity in the scripture, because our eternal God was conveying his eternal message as the author of scripture. Jesus says in John 16, 13, that the Holy Spirit will guide his followers into the truth. And the way he does so is by guiding and leading them towards his word. Question for you.

Do you desire to know God's truth? Well, then devote your life to the scripture that has God's spirit as its author. There's much more that could be said on this subject, but let's move on to number two. So first of all, God's spirit is the author of scripture. And secondly, the Holy Spirit is the one who illumines the scripture. The inspiration of scripture, as we just covered, gives us the message on the pages of scripture. But the illumination of scripture, as we will talk about now, opens our eyes to the Bible's truth and inscribes its message upon our hearts.

Simply stated, while an unbeliever can read the Bible and know that it is the most accurate depiction of history and science, its central message, though, could never be understood apart from the power of the Holy Spirit. The most famous Puritan writer, John Owen, on this subject said a line that may seem staggering, yet is entirely true. He said, without the Holy Spirit, we may as well burn our Bibles. Why? Because there is no effectiveness in our personal study and no power in our preaching or service apart from the Holy Spirit. The most eloquent sermon void of the Spirit's power does nothing, and the most simple message delivered in the power of the Spirit can utterly transform hearts of stone into hearts of

flesh. 2 Corinthians 4.6 relates that the same spirit who's shown light into the darkness of creation is the same spirit who shines the light into the darkness of your heart and mind. And he shines the light as you come to his word so that you might see that the Bible is more than just words, but rather the revelation of God, which reveals the glory of Jesus Christ. The Holy Spirit is the one who helps readers know, grasp, and apply the Bible. And this is why we pray as we read the scripture, like the psalmist in Psalm 119, 118, that God would, through his spirit, open our eyes in order

that we might see the wonderful things within his word. Do you want to hear from God? Then love his word and ask his spirit to shine and impress its truth upon your heart. It may seem more spiritual, exciting, and authoritative to say, God told me, instead of the Bible says, but it is not more accurate, biblical, or reliable. There is no sure, more thrilling, more authoritative voice than the voice of God in his living word. Number three, the Holy Spirit is the agent of salvation. In one of the most well-known conversations in history, Jesus sits

down under the cloak of night with a man named Nicodemus. And this was no ordinary man. He was the most religious man in Israel, the most respected amongst scholastic elites. Yet he didn't understand the first rung of the ladder as it relates to how man can be made right with God. Jesus in John 3 tells Nicodemus truly, truly meaning dial in here. Nicodemus, he says, truly, truly. I say to you, unless one is born of water and the spirit, he cannot enter the kingdom of God. That which is born of the flesh is flesh. And that which is born of the spirit is spirit. These words might sound heady or complicated to you, but listen, if Jesus says no one will enter the kingdom of heaven without this, don't you think it's important that we understand

what he means? I cover this in greater detail in my series on John, but the main thrust of what Jesus is saying is that unbelievers don't just need their hearts cleansed. They need to have their hearts renewed. And the renewing, regenerating work is accomplished by the Holy Spirit. Titus 3.5 says that he saved us, not because of righteous things we have done, but because of his mercy. And he saved us through the washing of rebirth, and watch this,

and renewal by the Holy Spirit. Anyone can memorize facts, listen to sermons and gain some level of intellectual understanding about the basic points of biblical doctrine, but devoid of the spirit's power, God's word will never penetrate their sinful soul. And the Holy Spirit comes and he convicts us of sin and he causes us to see our need for the righteousness of Christ. And then he renews us and makes us one of God's own children. As unbelievers come into contact with the inspired word of God, the Spirit illuminates their hearts to the message of the gospel and he cultivates within them an understanding of their need for a savior. People might read of the love of God, but it is the Spirit of God, and only the

Spirit of God, who pours out the love of God into our hearts, as we read in Romans 5, and testifies to our hearts that the love of God is real and it's personal. Number four, the Holy Spirit mediates the presence of our Lord Jesus Christ. I want to revisit John 14, 17 with you. Jesus says of the Holy Spirit, but you know him because he abides with you and will be in you. God's aim from the beginning of creation was always to dwell with his image bearers. He did not create the world so that he could distance himself from it and observe. He created the world and his creatures to dwell. The fall of man disrupted and fractured this intimacy that God had intended. But we see that same desire for communion and intimacy with his people throughout the rest of scripture.

Think with me, the story of the Exodus from Egypt is not primarily about the plagues or the deliverance of the people. The majority of the book of Exodus is about the tabernacle that God had delivered his people to dwell with them. And his presence was mediated in the temple or the tabernacle in the old Testament. But in the incarnation, when Jesus became man, John 1 14 says that the word became flesh and the word there, it says in tabernacled amongst us. God's presence in the incarnation was no longer in a temple or a tabernacle, but in a person, the person of Jesus Christ. The disciples knew this. They knew that

God was with them. He ate with them. He walked with them. He lived with them. And now he is telling them he is going to leave. So the question is, how would the presence of God be mediated now that Jesus was leaving? How can we experience the presence of God in our life? Jesus says, through the Holy Spirit. He won't just be with you. He will be in you. Meaning that there is no cave so dark, no valley so deep, and no mountain so high that you are not with God because God lives inside of every single Christian. Jesus had already told his disciples that he was going to heaven to prepare a home for them.

And then he tells his disciples that the spirit of God will come to make a home in them for the father and the son. And as we look into the mirror of our own soul, we often see the remnants of our flesh and, we often see the remnants of our flesh and we groan at the reality of sin. Yet we are reminded through the scriptures in 1 Corinthians 6 that God is not ashamed to make our hearts the home for his Holy Spirit.

So that's number four. Number five, the Holy Spirit assures us that we are children of God. I want to ask you something. How many good fathers do you know want their children to be unsure of whether or not they are actually his child? Maybe you've seen photos of my daughter, Lily. She's precious to me. Do you think it would bring me joy for her to grow up unsure as to whether or not she is mine?

No, on the contrary, that would grieve me. And because our father is kind and full of love for his children, he assures his children that we are his by giving us the Holy Spirit who testifies within our own soul that we are indeed children of God. Romans 8.15 says, For you have not received a spirit of slavery leading to fear again, but you have received a spirit of adoption as sons by which we cry out, Abba, Father.

The Spirit himself testifies with our spirit that we are children of God. And if children, heirs also. There isn't a more tender word to describe our relationship with our Father as the one provided by the Apostle Paul. That's why it's left untranslated. He says that we cry out as sons, Abba. Babies cry out when there are no words, and yet their fathers hear their cry.

The deepest instinct of the genuine believer in the midst of distress is to cry out to their father. And for this reason, Jesus, when he was dying for our sins, he cried out, My God, my God, why have you forsaken me? This is the one instance in Scripture where he did not call God his father because Jesus went to the darkness and alienation of the cross so that in the darkest moments of your life, you would be able to cry out Abba, Father, and know that he is there and that you are his child. And because you know that you are God's child, the Holy Spirit, it says in Ephesians 1.13, is the pledge or the guarantee that heaven is your home. When you believe, it says, you are marked in him with a seal, the promised Holy Spirit, who is a deposit guaranteeing our inheritance

until the redemption of those who are God's possession to the praise of his glory. God's spirit is given to you so that you might know God is my father and heaven is my home. Number six, the Holy Spirit transforms us into the image of Christ. If you were to ask, what does God's spirit do in my life as a Christian? It doesn't get more simple than this. He enables you to become more like Jesus. If you're a Christian, you have come to believe that you cannot earn your way to God, that there is nothing you can do in your own strength to curry his favor.

Yet even though we affirm this, after we're saved, Martin Luther used to note that religion is the default position of the human heart. We sing songs like Jesus paid it all and can foolishly believe that now that he has paid it all, we will do the rest by ourselves. Paul highlights the foolishness of this thinking in Galatians 3 when he asks the Galatian church in verse 3, Are you so foolish, having begun by the Spirit, are you now being perfected in the flesh? It would be folly to think

that it is a miracle that saves us and then to think that it is anything short of a miracle that enables us to become more like Christ. With that being said, the ministry of the Holy Spirit in transforming us into the image of Christ isn't one where the Spirit just takes over, but he enables us as we

seek Christ to be transformed into the image of Christ. John Owen used to give the analogy of how the Spirit works in our life by giving us the picture of a large tree laying in a forest. It's too large to lift yourself, and a friend comes around and says, I'll take the heavy end. You take the light end. The Holy Spirit does not come into your life so that you do nothing. He comes and says, you can't do this on your own. Let me give you the power you need. You can't do anything apart from me.

But it's not as if you do no labor on your own to see Christ. So the question is, how does the Spirit of God transform us into the image of Christ? Well, I think the most profound yet simple verse on this is 2 Corinthians 3, 18. But we all with unveiled faces, looking as in a mirror at the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image from glory to glory, just as from the Lord, the Spirit. The Spirit transforms you into the image of Jesus as you behold Jesus in his word and amongst his people. And the more you behold who Jesus is, the more light the Spirit shines into your heart

and the more like Christ you become. There's no 10-step method for becoming more like Christ. It's in a sense, one step. Beholding Christ, knowing Christ, loving Christ. And as you seek to know him and obey him, the spirit of God transforms you, it says, from one degree into another. This means that our transformation

into the image of Christ doesn't come in a moment. It comes over time. The spirit of God will continue to change us This means that our transformation into the image of Christ doesn't come in a moment. It comes over time. The Spirit of God will continue to change us until the day we meet our Savior face to face. Believers are to pursue Christ in His Word. And the fruit that flows from this pursuit is called the fruit of the Spirit. Meaning we don't pursue the fruit of love, joy, peace, and patience, etc. We pursue Christ and ask the Spirit to make us more like Him. And the spontaneous fruit that grows in our life are those attitudes described, love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness,

gentleness, and self-control. And because the Spirit sanctifies, which means He transforms you over time into the image of Jesus Christ, it is the Spirit of God, number seven, who guides you into God's will. God's will is not a mystery to be discerned, nor a cosmic Easter egg hunt to be found, nor a riddle to be solved. It is revealed to us in God's word. This means that God's will for your life doesn't need to be found. It needs to be pursued. You can't get any more straight up than 1 Thessalonians 4.3. This is the will of God, your sanctification. Maybe you know this, maybe you don't, but regardless of whether you know it or not, we lose sight of what is right in front of us. God's will for your life is that you would become more like God's son.

What job to choose? What college to attend? Who should I marry? All those questions funnel underneath the overarching umbrella of God's revealed will for your life. And that is your conformity to Jesus Christ. Number eight, the Holy Spirit intercedes for us.

Have you ever been discouraged that you don't really know how to pray? How do I approach God? How can I come to him with all my failures and faults and ask him for wisdom and guidance and strength? Well, one of the main roles of the Spirit of God is to intercede to God on your behalf. Think about this. There is not a moment where the Spirit of God is not representing your prayers to God the Father, and he doesn't do so with passivity. He does so, as it says in Romans 8 26, with groanings too deep for words. Prayer is an expression to God

that we are acknowledging to him we can't live the Christian life on our own. But the scripture in my own experience testifies to my own soul. I can't even pray on my own. I need the spirit of God to intercede on my behalf and represent my fumbling, lisping prayers to God. When a child is young,

there are words that are indiscernible to everyone except that child's father. It seems like gibberish to those who hear, but only the father knows what his son is asking for and gives him all he needs. Our good father has given us his spirit to intercede for us. And as he does so, he leads us into the will of God, as it says in Romans 8, 27. Number nine, the Holy Spirit equips us to serve the body of

Christ. Every single Christian listening to this podcast has been given a spiritual gift by God's spirit that the believer is responsible for stewarding and employing within the body of Christ. Now, there is much more that could be said around this idea, but the predominant thought I want you to have is that if the Spirit of God has been given to you in order that you would be conformed into the image of Christ, the Spirit of God has also been given to you so that you might help others grow more into the image of Christ by employing your gift in the church your Savior loves. Gifts are never given to promote individuals. They were given by God to promote the Savior so that believers who behold the Savior can be transformed into the image of the Savior. A true church is not a place you attend.

It is a people that you serve. Maybe one of the reasons you've been disengaged from the church is because you are neglecting one of the primary functions of the Spirit of God, and that is to equip and enable you to serve the church. Well, tenth and finally, the Spirit of God unites us to each other because we are all united in Christ. Unity in the church is not accomplished when we pursue unity itself. Unity occurs when we all pursue the same object, and the objective for all believers is Jesus Christ. And when we are focused on this, all of our various gifts,

perspectives, and cultures come together in unified fashion because we all want the same thing, or better said, we all want the same Savior. We want to be like Jesus Christ. And because we all want to be like Jesus, we practice the one another's. We exhort one another. We encourage one another. We pray for one another. We love one another. We rebuke one another. We reprove one another. We restore one another. We bear one another's burdens. And on and on the list could go. The gifts you have been given by the Spirit, it's not for you. It's for others. And when you extend and give yourself to others, we push each other towards Christ. And in the process, we are unified together. As I said, this was merely a primer.

Much more could be said here and has been said on this wonderful subject of the nature and work of the blessed Holy Spirit. Well, till next time, stay dialed in.