Text: John 16:5–15; 1 Corinthians 12:1–14:40; Galatians 5:16–26; Ephesians 1:11–14
Topic: Discovering true freedom in the Spirit

• Illustration: Robert Duvall's The Apostle created a resurgence of interest in the Holy Spirit.
• Illustration: According to a Newsweek magazine survey, 47 percent of Americans claim to have experienced the Holy Spirit in their lives. 

• Today we're going to talk about what Christians believe about the Holy Spirit.
• A tremendous amount of confusion and controversy exists about the Holy Spirit.
  • Illustration: A. W. Tozer once wrote that the average Christian thinks about the Holy Spirit as a "nebulous substance like a wisp of invisible smoke which is said to be present in churches and to hover over good people when they die."
• Part of our problem is that the Holy Spirit seems so mystical.
• When we try to picture the Holy Spirit, our minds go blank. We end up thinking of symbols like a dove or wind or fire.
• Different churches tend to emphasize the Holy Spirit in different ways.
• The Trinity tells us that the Holy Spirit is a divine person—a "he" and not an "it."
• The Holy Spirit is the wellspring of all genuine Christian experience, so it's not surprising that Christians would differ about what the Holy Spirit does!
• We as a church certainly have convictions about these issues, but my purpose is to focus on those key ideas that every genuine Christian—whether Pentecostal, charismatic, evangelical, or Roman Catholic—would agree with.
• The Bible often associates the Holy Spirit with the idea of freedom.
  • 2 Corinthians 3:17
• I want to look at four freedoms that the Holy Spirit produces in our lives.

• The first freedom we'll look at relates to what the Holy Spirit does in the lives of those who don't yet have a relationship with Jesus Christ.
• In John 16:7–8, Jesus speaks of the Spirit as the Counselor.
• The Greek word translated "counselor" doesn't have an exact equivalent in the English language.
• The Greek word that is used is paraclete, which means "one who's called alongside of another person to offer assistance."
• The word could be translated "counselor"—like it is in the NIV—or "comforter, helper, supporter, advocate, ally, friend."
• Jesus tells us that part of what the Holy Spirit does as a paraclete is to convict people of their sin.
• The Spirit does this because apart from supernatural action, none of us could see how we truly stand before God.
• Our confession of Jesus Christ's lordship is tied directly to the activity of God's Holy Spirit in our lives.
• When people take their stand and publicly confess Jesus' lordship in their lives, the only reason they can do that is because the Holy Spirit as a counselor or paraclete is at work in their hearts.
• This is the first freedom that the Holy Spirit produces in our lives.
• As a paraclete or counselor, the Holy Spirit acts as a magnet that draws us toward Christ, and we are free to experience salvation.
• Where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is the freedom of salvation.

• The second freedom the Holy Spirit produces happens at the moment we entrust our lives to Jesus Christ.
• Ephesians 1:13–14 says that the moment when we trust in Christ, God marks us with a seal.
• In ancient times people used a seal to make things secure.
  • Illustration: Gordon Fee writes: "A seal denoted ownership and authenticity; this thereby guaranteed the protection of the owner."
  • Illustration: It's like a college or seminary diploma that has an official school seal on it.
• The Holy Spirit is God's authentication of our Christian faith. 
• The Holy Spirit is also described as a deposit—the first installment or down payment of God's pledge to complete what he started in our lives.
• The idea of a seal and a deposit show us the second freedom that the Holy Spirit produces: security in our relationship with God.
• God's Spirit also authenticates us as genuine children of God.
• The indwelling of God's Spirit is also God's seal of ownership on our lives—that we no longer belong to ourselves, but our lives have been given over to God.
• The only one who can break the seal is God himself, and he's promised not to break it, so we have the freedom of security.
• Where the Spirit of the Lord is there is the freedom of security.

• What does the Holy Spirit do once we've come to know Christ?
• In Galatians 5, Paul introduces the idea of life in the Spirit.
• The spiritual life is a process of walking.
• Commitment to Christ isn't a destination but the beginning of a journey or a pilgrimage.
• This walk is an uphill one, because there's conflict between the leftovers of our old way of life (the sinful nature) and where the Holy Spirit is leading us.
• This image of walking presents the Holy Spirit as a coach.
• Coaching is a hands-on, relational process of helping a person be successful.
• The Holy Spirit offers us hands-on encouragement, resources, and help as we walk up the steep hill of spiritual growth and maturity.
• Here we find the third freedom the Holy Spirit produces: he empowers our lives, and we are free to move forward spiritually.
  • Illustration: The Holy Spirit is like someone who offers water and directions to a hiker climbing a steep trail.
  • The spiritual life of following Jesus Christ is an uphill climb, not an easy stroll through the park.
• No matter what we encounter along this incredible life long trail, our coach is there with us, offering us everything we need to take the next step.
• Where the Spirit of the Lord is there is freedom to move forward spiritually.

• What does the Spirit do as we walk down this spiritual path with God?
• In 1 Corinthians 12:7–11, we learn that the Spirit empowers us with gifts.
• In using these gifts, the invisible presence of the Holy Spirit is manifested or made visible for people to see.
• Each person is given a manifestation of the Spirit to make visible the Holy Spirit's invisible presence.
• The purpose of this manifestation of the Spirit is for the common good—for the Christian community to be built up, strengthened, vibrant, alive, and spiritually healthy.
• If the invisible presence of the Holy Spirit isn't being experienced in a group of Christians, it's not because the Spirit hasn't given these manifestations, but because the individual Christians aren't using these manifestations for the common good.
• Since the Holy Spirit gives us spiritual gifts, we are free to serve God.
  • Illustration: Imagine refusing to share a free exotic cruise with your family; that's what it would be like to rob the Body of your giftedness.
• Illustration: Peck shares how he discovered and then learned to use his spiritual gifts for the sake of the Body.
• The spiritual health of any church is determined by how many individual members are using their spiritual gifts in ministry.
• Where the Spirit of the Lord is there is freedom to serve.

• There are many things Christians believe about the Holy Spirit, but all Christians agree that the Holy Spirit brings freedom to experience salvation, find security with God, move forward spiritually, and serve.