Last night was a very powerful night worship here at Joy Fellowship. The Loft, a group of young adults meets the last Saturday evening of each month to worship the Lord. One of the songs they sang included this phrase: Holy Spirit fall like rain, Holy Spirit fall like rain….Let your glory fall down, let your glory fall down. 

I went to sleep last night with this song in my heart and it continued throughout the night. When I woke up this morning I was still singing this phrase in my heart and began to search God’s word for scriptures where the Holy Spirit was compared to rain and looked to see what God would share with us this morning about his precious Holy Spirit. 

I loved the song the Children’s choir sang last week about the Holy Spirit. Can we pray together now. 

Lord teach us this morning about your Holy Spirit. Show us your glory and your presence……..

***The first thing I want to start with is an answer to a very important question:

What or Who is the Holy Spirit and what importance does it have in my life?

Turn with me in your bibles to John Chapter 14. If you have ever been to a funeral service you will have heard this passage of scripture. Jesus is preparing his disciples for his transition to the cross and then to return to his father and he introduces the disciples and the world to the person of the Holy Spirit. 

John 14

1 Let not your heart be troubled: ye believe in God, believe also in me.

2 In my Father's house are many mansions: if it were not so, I would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you.

3 And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again, and receive you unto myself; that where I am, there ye may be also.

4 And whither I go ye know, and the way ye know.

5 Thomas saith unto him, Lord, we know not whither thou goest; and how can we know the way?

6 Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me.

7 If ye had known me, ye should have known my Father also: and from henceforth ye know him, and have seen him.

8 Philip saith unto him, Lord, show us the Father, and it sufficeth us.

9 Jesus saith unto him, Have I been so long time with you, and yet hast thou not known me, Philip? he that hath seen me hath seen the Father; and how sayest thou then, Show us the Father?

10 Believest thou not that I am in the Father, and the Father in me? the words that I speak unto you I speak not of myself: but the Father that dwelleth in me, he doeth the works.

11 Believe me that I am in the Father, and the Father in me: or else believe me for the very works' sake.

12 Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that believeth on me, the works that I do shall he do also; and greater works than these shall he do; because I go unto my Father.

13 And whatsoever ye shall ask in my name, that will I do, that the Father may be glorified in the Son.

14 If ye shall ask any thing in my name, I will do it.

15 If ye love me, keep my commandments.

****And here is the introduction by Jesus..

16 And I will pray the Father, and he shall give you another Comforter, that he may abide with you for ever;

***I want to pause here because we need to really understand the impact of how Jesus is describing the character of the Holy Spirit. 

***Point #1 of the Message today: God wants you to fully know and be in relationship with his Holy Spirit. 

Lets dig in together in the words of Jesus and how he begins his introduce of the Holy Spirit to us. Jesus says I will give you another Comforter. What do you mean another? I assume here Jesus is saying that He is currently their Comforter but that when he returns to his father he will be sending the Holy Spirit to take his place in that role and ministry. I want to show you what this word Comforter really means in the Greek:

Transliteration

paraklētos (Key)

Pronunciation

par-ak'-lay-tos

1. summoned, called to one's side, esp. called to one's aid
1. one who pleads another's cause before a judge, a pleader, counsel for defense, legal assistant, an advocate
2. one who pleads another's cause with one, an intercessor

1. of Christ in his exaltation at God's right hand, pleading with God the Father for the pardon of our sins

1. in the widest sense, a helper, succourer, aider, assistant

1. of the Holy Spirit destined to take the place of Christ with the apostles (after his ascension to the Father), to lead them to a deeper knowledge of the gospel truth, and give them divine strength needed to enable them to undergo trials and persecutions on behalf of the divine kingdom

Tools

Jhn 14:16

And I will pray the Father, and he shall give you another Comforter, G3875 that he may abide with you for ever;

Tools

Jhn 14:26

But the Comforter, G3875 which is the Holy Ghost, whom the Father will send in my name, he shall teach you all things, and bring all things to your remembrance, whatsoever I have said unto you.

Tools

Jhn 15:26

But when the Comforter G3875 is come, whom I will send unto you from the Father, even the Spirit of truth, which proceedeth from the Father, he shall testify of me:

Tools

Jhn 16:7

Nevertheless I tell you the truth; It is expedient for you that I go away: for if I go not away, the Comforter G3875 will not come unto you; but if I depart, I will send him unto you.

Tools

1Jo 2:1

My little children, these things write I unto you, that ye sin not. And if any man sin, we have an advocate G3875 with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous:

****Point #2 of the Message today: The Holy Spirit is our comforter, advocate, legal assistance, intercessor.

John 14

17 Even the Spirit of truth; whom the world cannot receive, because it seeth him not, neither knoweth him: but ye know him; for he dwelleth with you, and shall be in you.

18 I will not leave you comfortless: I will come to you.

19 Yet a little while, and the world seeth me no more; but ye see me: because I live, ye shall live also.

20 At that day ye shall know that I am in my Father, and ye in me, and I in you.

21 He that hath my commandments, and keepeth them, he it is that loveth me: and he that loveth me shall be loved of my Father, and I will love him, and will manifest myself to him.

22 Judas saith unto him, not Iscariot, Lord, how is it that thou wilt manifest thyself unto us, and not unto the world?

23 Jesus answered and said unto him, If a man love me, he will keep my words: and my Father will love him, and we will come unto him, and make our abode with him.

***Point #3 When you are filled with the Holy Spirit it is the fullness of God living in you. 

***Look at verse 23 again. 

24 He that loveth me not keepeth not my sayings: and the word which ye hear is not mine, but the Father's which sent me.

25 These things have I spoken unto you, being yet present with you.

26 But the Comforter, which is the Holy Ghost, whom the Father will send in my name, he shall teach you all things, and bring all things to your remembrance, whatsoever I have said unto you.

***Here in verse 26 Jesus Confirms the Comforter is the Holy Ghost. 

***You see now Jesus has confirmed the Comforter, helper, advocate, teacher guide that the father is going to send is in fact the Holy Ghost. They have heard of him before. Here are just a few places:

Mat 1:20

But while he thought on these things, behold, the angel of the Lord appeared unto him in a dream, saying, Joseph, thou son of David, fear not to take unto thee Mary thy wife: for that which is conceived in her is of the Holy G40 Ghost.

 

John the Baptist preaches the coming of the Christ who will Baptist in the Holy Ghost and not just with water. 

Mat 3:11

I indeed baptize you with water unto repentance: but he that cometh after me is mightier than I, whose shoes I am not worthy to bear: he shall baptize you with the Holy G40 Ghost, and with fire:

***Listen to what the bible says about John the Baptist Mother when she was carrying John in her womb:

Luk 1:41

And it came to pass, that, when Elisabeth heard the salutation of Mary, the babe leaped in her womb; and Elisabeth was filled with the Holy G40 Ghost:

And also John’s father after John the Baptist is Born is filled with the Holy Ghost and prophesies:

Luke 1:67-69

67 And his father Zacharias was filled with the Holy Ghost, and prophesied, saying,

68 Blessed be the Lord God of Israel; for he hath visited and redeemed his people,

69 And hath raised up an horn of salvation for us in the house of his servant David;

***Point #1 of the Message today: God wants you to fully know and be in relationship with his Holy Spirit. 

****Point #2 of the Message today: The Holy Spirit is our comforter, advocate, legal assistance, intercessor.

***Point #3 When you are filled with the Holy Spirit it is the fullness of God living in you. 

***Point #4 of the Message today: God protects and defends the Holy Spirit’s reputation even above Jesus. 

I do not want you to be confused here. The Bible is clear in Philippians 2 that the Name of Jesus is higher than any other name.  

Philippians 2:9-11

9 Wherefore God also hath highly exalted him, and given him a name which is above every name:

10 That at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of things in heaven, and things in earth, and things under the earth;

11 And that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.

***But I want you to see what Jesus himself says regarding the Holy Spirit and blaspheming the Holy Spirit: What does it mean to Blasphem?

1. slander, detraction, speech injurious, to another's good name

1. impious and reproachful speech injurious to divine majesty

 

Matthew 12:30-33

***Jesus is responding to the false accusations by the religious leaders of the day that he is casting out devils with the power of the devil. Listen to what he says here specifically about the Holy Spirit. 

30 He that is not with me is against me; and he that gathereth not with me scattereth abroad.

31 Wherefore I say unto you, All manner of sin and blasphemy shall be forgiven unto men: but the blasphemy against the Holy Ghost shall not be forgiven unto men.

32 And whosoever speaketh a word against the Son of man, it shall be forgiven him: but whosoever speaketh against the Holy Ghost, it shall not be forgiven him, neither in this world, neither in the world to come.

33 Either make the tree good, and his fruit good; or else make the tree corrupt, and his fruit corrupt: for the tree is known by his fruit.

***In Matthew 28 Jesus is giving the Disciples the great Commission and tells the clearly to baptize in the name of the Father, Son and the Holy Spirit. 

Mat 28:19

Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy G40 Ghost:

 

John 14

27 Peace I leave with you, my peace I give unto you: not as the world giveth, give I unto you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid.

28 Ye have heard how I said unto you, I go away, and come again unto you. If ye loved me, ye would rejoice, because I said, I go unto the Father: for my Father is greater than I.

29 And now I have told you before it come to pass, that, when it is come to pass, ye might believe.

*** I want you to turn with me a few chapters to John 16:5. Jesus here is bringing his final words to his disciples before the cross to a close. Listen to what he says:

John 16:5-11

5 But now I go my way to him that sent me; and none of you asketh me, Whither goest thou?

6 But because I have said these things unto you, sorrow hath filled your heart.

7 Nevertheless I tell you the truth; It is expedient for you that I go away: for if I go not away, the Comforter will not come unto you; but if I depart, I will send him unto you.

8 And when he is come, he will reprove the world of sin, and of righteousness, and of judgment:

9 Of sin, because they believe not on me;

10 Of righteousness, because I go to my Father, and ye see me no more;

11 Of judgment, because the prince of this world is judged.

***What is happening here? Jesus is telling his disciples of the work the Holy Spirit is going to be doing when he comes. We tend to think about the Holy Spirit as being this passive Ghost like a dove. So gentle and so quiet but that is not what Jesus said. 

He says in verse 8 And when he is come, he will reprove the world of sin, and of righteousness, and of judgment:

Let me read this to you from the Amplified Bible translation:

8 And He, when He comes, will convict the world about [the guilt of] sin [and the need for a Savior], and about righteousness, and about judgment: 9 about sin [and the true nature of it], because they do not believe in Me [and My message]; 10 about righteousness [personal integrity and godly character], because I am going to My Father and you will no longer see Me; 11 about judgment [the certainty of it], because the ruler of this world (Satan) has been judged and condemned.

***Point #5 of the Message: The Holy Spirit is active in the world doing the work of the Father God.

***In Closing I want to shift our attention to the words of the Prophet Joel who is writing 800 years before the outpouring of the Holy Spirit on the Day of Pentecost in the book of Act. 

1. Judgment and Repentance (Chapters 1–2)

• The Past Judgment: The book opens with a severe plague of locusts and a drought that has devastated Judah’s agriculture and economy. Joel describes this as a historical "Day of the Lord", a wake-up call to recognize the consequences of sin. 
• The Call to Repentance: Joel urges the priests and the people to gather, fast, and pray. He famously commands them to "rend your hearts and not your garments"—meaning God desires genuine, internal repentance over mere outward displays of grief. 
• God’s Compassion: Because God is "gracious and compassionate, slow to anger and abounding in love", He promises to relent, forgive, and restore "the years the locusts have eaten". 

***And then towards the end of Chapter 2 of the Book of Joel we see the word of a Lord with the promise of something the world has never seen. This is a widespread outpouring of the presence and power of God that is not exclusive to one race, gender, age, social economic status. The prophet says it an outpouring of the Spirit of God on all flesh.

Joel 2:26 

26 And ye shall eat in plenty, and be satisfied, and praise the name of the Lord your God, that hath dealt wondrously with you: and my people shall never be ashamed.

27 And ye shall know that I am in the midst of Israel, and that I am the Lord your God, and none else: and my people shall never be ashamed.

28 And it shall come to pass afterward, that I will pour out my spirit upon all flesh; and your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, your old men shall dream dreams, your young men shall see visions:

29 And also upon the servants and upon the handmaids in those days will I pour out my spirit.

Acts 2

1 And when the day of Pentecost was fully come, they were all with one accord in one place.

2 And suddenly there came a sound from heaven as of a rushing mighty wind, and it filled all the house where they were sitting.

3 And there appeared unto them cloven tongues like as of fire, and it sat upon each of them.

4 And they were all filled with the Holy Ghost, and began to speak with other tongues, as the Spirit gave them utterance.

5 And there were dwelling at Jerusalem Jews, devout men, out of every nation under heaven.

6 Now when this was noised abroad, the multitude came together, and were confounded, because that every man heard them speak in his own language.

7 And they were all amazed and marvelled, saying one to another, Behold, are not all these which speak Galilaeans?

8 And how hear we every man in our own tongue, wherein we were born?

9 Parthians, and Medes, and Elamites, and the dwellers in Mesopotamia, and in Judaea, and Cappadocia, in Pontus, and Asia,

10 Phrygia, and Pamphylia, in Egypt, and in the parts of Libya about Cyrene, and strangers of Rome, Jews and proselytes,

11 Cretes and Arabians, we do hear them speak in our tongues the wonderful works of God.

12 And they were all amazed, and were in doubt, saying one to another, What meaneth this?

13 Others mocking said, These men are full of new wine.

14 But Peter, standing up with the eleven, lifted up his voice, and said unto them, Ye men of Judaea, and all ye that dwell at Jerusalem, be this known unto you, and hearken to my words:

15 For these are not drunken, as ye suppose, seeing it is but the third hour of the day.

16 But this is that which was spoken by the prophet Joel;

17 And it shall come to pass in the last days, saith God, I will pour out of my Spirit upon all flesh: and your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, and your young men shall see visions, and your old men shall dream dreams:

18 And on my servants and on my handmaidens I will pour out in those days of my Spirit; and they shall prophesy:

19 And I will shew wonders in heaven above, and signs in the earth beneath; blood, and fire, and vapour of smoke:

20 The sun shall be turned into darkness, and the moon into blood, before the great and notable day of the Lord come:

21 And it shall come to pass, that whosoever shall call on the name of the Lord shall be saved.

 

***Point #1 of the Message today: God wants you to fully know and be in relationship with his Holy Spirit. 

****Point #2 of the Message today: The Holy Spirit is our comforter, advocate, legal assistance, intercessor.

***Point #3 When you are filled with the Holy Spirit it is the fullness of God living in you. 

***Point #4 of the Message today: God protects and defends the Holy Spirit’s reputation even above Jesus. 

***Point #5 of the Message: The Holy Spirit is active in the world doing the work of the Father God.

***Point #6 of the Message: The Day of Pentecost was God’s outpouring of his Holy Spirit like rain on all flesh and it continues today.