Johnny Warren, “Dody Dodst” in the church basement.

This morning we’re gonna talk about the Dody Dodst!

Holy Spirit 101

A. He’s Third in Order, not Importance

In many churches, you would think it was Father, Son, and Holy Bible. We’re so afraid of being called Pentecostal that we’re willing to sacrifice what He could do in us.

“I’d rather people call me a Pentecostal and be wrong than a dead Baptist and be right!”

Is it really true that that which the early church so depended on for success—the leadership of the Spirit—has become irrelevant to us today?

John Newton

Do we think we are that far advanced now? And that’s from a man who lived in the 1700s. He’s not some modern TV evangelist with perfectly coiffed hair. Here’s a picture of him… okay, so maybe he did have the coiffed hair, but you get the point.

He was sounding the alarm bells about our

B. He’s Both Glorious and Mysterious.

Because He’s spirit, He’s hard for us to describe, so the Bible uses a lot of metaphors to describe Him. The most common are wind, water, and fire. All things that are powerful, essential, and unpredictable.

“The wind blows where it pleases, and you hear its sound, but you don’t know where it comes from or where it is going. So it is with everyone born of the Spirit.”

John 3:8

I’m part of the SkyWarn Weather Spotter program for the NWS. It’s an program where ordinary citizens volunteer and train to be able to understand and accurately report what’s happening on the ground during severe weather outbreaks.

One of the things I’ve learned about meteorologists since I’ve been in the progam (besides the fact that they’re generally the nerdiest of all categories of nerds I’ve ever been around!) They’re incredibly humble about how much we don’t know about the weather. That’s why they work on percentages. We try our best, but you don’t know for sure where the wind is gonna blow.

And the same thing is true of the Spirit.

He’s like a fire, He wants to intensify the heat of His presence in our own hearts and among us.

C. He’s a Person.

D. He’s absolutely essential to living the Christian life.

That’s what Jesus said.

But in fact, it is best for you that I go away, because if I don’t, the Advocate won’t come. If I do go away, then I will send him to you.

John 16:7, NLT

Jesus knew he was so essential, He said we’d be better off this way.

Counselor, Teacher, Reminder

But the Counselor, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, will teach you all things and remind you of everything I have told you.

John 14:26

I love the promise that He’ll remind me… encouragement for ADHD minds.

Guide

When the Spirit of truth comes, he will guide you into all the truth.

John 16:13

He’s our guide into truth and away from temptation

Assurance

So you have not received a spirit that makes you fearful slaves. Instead, you received God’s Spirit when he adopted you as his own children. Now we call him, “Abba, Father.” For his Spirit joins with our spirit to affirm that we are God’s children.

Romans 8:15–16, NLT

So Jesus claimed that having the Spirit in them would be better than having himself beside them.

Now, be honest: is your experience with the Holy Spirit like that? It ought to be. I so desperately want it to be true in your life and in mine.

Because he’s a Person, it means that He can be grieved.

What’s it mean to quench/grieve the spirit?

And don’t grieve God’s Holy Spirit. You were sealed by him for the day of redemption.

Ephesians 4:30

When you love someone, you want to know them even more.

It means that while still maintaining His sovereignty, we’re in a relationship, and this is the way all of our relationships are.

This is serious business.

1. Despising prophecy.

More next week, but we should be walking through life expecting him to speak, to us directly and through others. That has the potential for abuse, we’ve all seen it. It’s easy to be jaded, despise it all.

2. Neglecting your gifts.

Do not neglect the spiritual gift you received through the prophecy spoken over you when the elders of the church laid their hands on you.

1 Timothy 4:14, NLT

This is why I remind you to fan into flames the spiritual gift God gave you when I laid my hands on you.

2 Timothy 1:6, NLT

If you remember back to the messages on Spiritual Gifts from 1 Peter, it’s not this arbirtrary thing that He gives you and then steps aside, like “It’s yours now, do with it what you want.” No, it’s actually more of a unique, special way that He works through you.

So to neglect that is to neglect Him.

3. Suppressing emotion in worship.

This is probably what most people think of when they think of quenching the Spirit.

“I don’t like to cry in front of people.” You care way too much about what people think, and not nearly enough about going where the Spirit’s leading you.

And heaven forbid you try to squelch the emotions of others because you’re uncomfortable with your own. We don’t need any members of the Third Baptist Bucket Brigade.

How do I avoid quenching the Spirit?

1. Expect Him to speak.

Remember, two weeks ago: God wants to be close to me.

Our text today is connected to the section about prophecy that comes after it… and connects to the verses that came before it, what we talked about two weeks ago.

Rejoice always, pray constantly, give thanks in everything; for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.

1 Thessalonians 5:16–18

2. Fan the Flame

This is why I remind you to fan into flames the spiritual gift God gave you when I laid my hands on you.

2 Timothy 1:6, NLT

Be aware of what fuels your fire, and what douses it.

Do whatever you can to intensify the heat of his presence. Pour some godly gasoline on that fire.

3. Default to Yes.

4. Develop an awareness of His presence.

Wherever you go, there you are. And there He is.

“I’m just so busy.” Yeah, I know, we all are. Probably too much. But don’t forget: He’s with you through all that busyness.

We need a desperation for the Spirit.

Now, Lord, I would be Yours alone
And live so all might see
The strength to follow Your commands
Could never come from me

All I Have Is Christ

That’s what the Christian life should be.

I don’t want my life to be explainable without the Holy Spirit. I want people to look at my life and know that I couldn’t be doing this by my own power.

Francis Chan, The Forgotten God

O God, I have tasted Thy goodness, and it has both satisfied me and made me thirsty for more. I am painfully conscious of my need of further grace. I am ashamed of my lack of desire. O God, the Triune God, I want to want Thee; I long to be filled with longing; I thirst to be made more thirsty still.

Show me Thy glory, I pray, so I may know Thee indeed. Begin in mercy a new work of love within me. Say to my soul, “Rise up, my love, my fair one, and come away.” Then give me grace to rise and follow Thee up from this misty lowland where I have wandered so long.

A.W. Tozer, The Pursuit of God

Conclusion

(every head bowed, every eye closed)

I wonder if this morning, the Spirit, in yet another act of mercy and grace toward you, may have revealed to you some very specific ways you have been grieving Him?

Maybe here in the stillness—possibly the first purposeful stillness in way too long, you hear Him simply say, “I miss you.” Maybe that’s you, and you need to say it back to Him. “I’m sorry for ignoring you for so long.”

The Spirit will not reveal to you what He won’t empower you step out into. How cruel would He be if He did that?

No, He’s shown you this as an invitation into something better. To walk closer, cleaner. Shame is from the enemy, but conviction is from the Spirit. He’s your Comforter, not your Condemner. And the confrontation of your sin is an invitation to forgiveness, to new life, and to a relationship restored.

Couple weeks ago, ended with this verse from Isaiah.

a bruised reed he will not break, and a faintly burning wick he will not quench; he will faithfully bring forth justice.

Isaiah 42:3, ESV

He’s promised to not quench you; now you don’t quench Him.