What is the chief work of the Holy Spirit?
To enable this book to give us life.
Everything that the Holy Spirit does
is attached to the word of God.
It is incredible to me
as I've studied my way through the
first 12 or 13 verses of 1 Peter,
how it seems that Peter is intent on laying
this just strong foundation for these people.
I mean, there are so many fundamental elements
of the Christian faith that Peter is just throwing out
one right after another,
as if he's laying bricks on a foundation
that these people need to understand.
Now, remember,
these are people who are suffering.
They're suffering because what they've given their life to
is misunderstood and mocked.
They're suffering mistreatment
because of their faith
and it's like Peter wants to get at
this is what it means
to live in this culture as a believer
but he first wants to lay down this foundation
that they'll get.
And I want to look at another element of that foundation.
I want to ask the question,
who in the world is the Holy Spirit?
Peter throws out this phrase:
"Who preached the good news
to you by the Holy Spirit sent from heaven."
While I'm reading along I'm thinking,
why?
Why was the Holy Spirit sent from heaven?
I think that many believers
understand who God is, understand who the Son is
but are confused about this Holy Spirit person,
the third member of the Trinity.
The Holy Spirit sent from heaven.
If I arrived at your door
and I said, "Jefferson Hospital sent me to you,"
what would your next question be?
For what?
So why was it necessary in God's plan
for the Holy Spirit to be sent?
What is the work of the Holy Spirit?
What was he sent in heaven for?
Let me name some things.
Well, clearly, here we're told he's sent
to be a guide so that God's word
would be properly laid down and preserved for us.
Scripture says holy men of God spoke
as they were moved by the Holy Spirit.
He was sent to empower the preaching and teaching
of God's word.
No human being is able to,
capable of representing God's will
well apart from the Spirit's work.
The Spirit is sent to illumine our understanding
of God's word.
I need help if I'm ever going to understand the word.
Jesus said, as he was leaving,
that he would send another teacher
who would guide his disciples into truth.
The Holy Spirit is given to convict us of sin.
It's the Spirit who's able
to break through our spiritual blindness
and to help us to see ourselves
with accuracy through the word of God.
The Holy Spirit is sent to empower us to obey God's word.
Now, notice a theme here.
To guide the writing of God's word,
to empower the teaching of God's word,
to illumine our understanding of God's word,
to convict us of sin through God's word,
to empower us to obey God's word.
What is the chief work of the Holy Spirit?
To enable this book to give us life.
Everything that the Holy Spirit does
is attached to the word of God.
Why is this necessary?
Well, although my sins have been forgiven,
I'm not yet sin-free.
And between the already and the not yet,
I don't just need forgiving grace.
I need illumining, convicting,
transforming, empowering grace.
So God sent his Spirit.
So between the already of my conversion
and the not yet of my homegoing,
this dear book
would bear obvious
and continual fruit in my life.
Be thankful that the Holy Spirit
was sent from heaven for us.