Holy Spirit: The Language (Romans 8:22-27)

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Holy Spirit come.  

This is the final week in a series of messages that focus on the person, and on the work, of the Holy Spirit, and how he moves in us.  

Although this series ends here, I am going to keep on looking for the Holy Spirit in the text and in our lives as a church.  

It's been said (I can never remember by whom—I think it was an ancient Roman person) something along these lines: if you want someone to build a boat, don't give them tools. Don't give them wood. Don't give them instructions and blueprints. If you want someone to build a boat, teach them to yearn for the sea.  

Build in them a desire to be out there on the water. To see what awaits them past the horizon. To see what beauty, what power, what infinity, what amazingness. If you want somebody to build a boat, teach them to yearn for the sea.  

I hope that over the last few weeks we have begun to rediscover our yearning for the sea: for the infinity, the amazingness that is the Holy Spirit. And that we have each started gathering what we need to build our boat so we can be out there, finding what it is that He has for us.  

We have talked through the Holy Spirit's story, starting in Genesis with creation. Then through the Old Testament how the Holy Spirit engaged with individuals in those centuries of human history. Then through the gap between the Old Testament and the New Testament when we don't hear anything on the page from God. Then into the New Testament, seeing how in the Gospels the Holy Spirit engaged with people in a similar way to in the Old Testament. Then at the end of the Gospels, with Jesus’ death, and resurrection, and return to heaven, a new era of Holy Spirit presence in every single believer, in every single heart that has come to follow Jesus. We start to learn more about who Holy Spirit is through the things that He does... because Holy Spirit doesn't talk a lot about Himself.  

It's kind of interesting. We hear in the pages of scripture The Father talking about Himself.  

I am the LORD your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of slavery. You shall have no other gods before Me.  Exodus 20:2 

The Son speaking about Himself.  

I have come that you might have life and have it more abundantly. John 10:10 

We never hear the Holy Spirit speaking about Himself. He speaks to us about Christ. He speaks to God about us. He speaks to us about ourselves, sometimes telling good news, and sometimes things that are hard for us to hear.  

So much of the Holy Spirit's work is messages, information, wisdom, teaching, reminding, and I want to wrap up this series today talking about in particular, the Spiritual gifts that focus on communication and expression. Speaking gifts.  

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I sort these gifts into 3 categories of vocabulary that the Holy Spirit uses as He speaks through us.  

• The vocabulary of hope.  

The gift of knowledge: we're not talking about mind reading or ESP. “The card is the queen of diamonds!” Honestly, why would the Spirit bother? That doesn't make the world a better place. Rather, from time to time you may find that (to the Spirit's purpose and in his timing) you know something and you don't know how you know it. It can be a bit nerve wracking and awkward. It may be even embarrassing, but it’s legitimate. 

The gift of prophecy: not fortune-telling. “Tomorrow will be a good day to buy a lottery ticket.” That's not prophecy. Rather, prophecy is, “God wants you to know something, so you can respond. You have an opportunity.” 

The gift of evangelism is a beautiful, powerful gift that I do not have but I know people who cannot get through the line in the grocery store without ending up talking about Jesus. Literally. 

These gifts may feel awkward when you first start encountering them in yourself but when we speak those words to people—when we lean into the Holy Spirit and we obey that gifting, we are speaking with the vocabulary of hope. We are telling someone, “You are not invisible. You are not forgotten. God loves you enough to be paying attention to your life. There is a point to all of this.” 

• The vocabulary of truth. 

The gift of wisdom: doesn't mean that you're smarter than everybody else, that you've got things figured out, and they ought to do things your way. It might mean seeing beneath the surface of a conversation or situation. Maybe just asking a question without knowing why. But a light goes on and something changes.  

The gift of discernment: that sense, that knowing, in your gut whether something belongs to God or to the enemy, because sometimes we can't tell by looking and listening. Counterfeits can look really good. But you may just know that some other person is in the room, and that other person is not nice.  

Sometimes these gifts can take us into very heavy and dark places. Sometimes we have to deliver really, really bad news to people. Sometimes we can tell them the good news that there is slavery and there is freedom! There is yes, and there is no.  

• The vocabulary of love. 

The gift of teaching: sharing what we've learned, either together in community, or one-on-one in living rooms and coffee shops, with someone that you're journeying with. 

The gift of speaking in tongues and interpretation. Our best resource for understanding these gifts can be found in 1 Corinthians 14, where Paul lays out the beautiful synergy between tongues, interpretation, and prophecy. 

In our gathered worship, tongues is a ‘sign,’ which in the New Testament, means it's a big flashing arrow, pointing our attention towards Christ. It is not simply an ecstatic experience for the person experiencing it. 

It can also be something very personal, between me and God, praying in my spirit through The Spirit.  

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God gives us gifts through The Spirit for a reason. Every gift—whether it's generosity or teaching, or helps or mercy, or discernment or faith—is given to us for the same purpose. 

Not to feel good, or to show off, or to make a point. The purpose of all of these gifts is to build up people, to advance God's love, to point us towards Jesus. To bind us together. To make us one.  

Many of us are familiar with 1 Corinthians 13: known as ‘The Love Chapter.’  It's all about love. What love looks like, how love behaves. Chapter 13, ends: 

We will always have these three: faith, hope, and love. But the greatest of these is love. 1 Corinthians 13:13

Chapter 14 begins: 

[First] pursue love, [2nd] desire the Spiritual gifts... 1 Corinthians 14:1

These gifts all flow from love.  

Holy Spirit isn’t some spooky-woo-woo force that we're supposed to leverage so we can beat the bad guys.  

Holy Spirit is a person. And He loves you.  

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In talking about the Holy Spirit, I have spent a lot of time quoting from the writings of the apostle Paul. He is our best source for a lot of our understanding of how Holy Spirit works in the church and in our lives today.  

But I think for now you’ve heard enough from him. And from me.  

Let’s wrap up with what Jesus had to say about the Holy Spirit.  

Almost everything that He said about the Holy Spirit, He said during His last human evening, as He prepared His disciples for what was going to happen next.  

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Excerpts from John’s gospel, chapters 14 through 16:  

He said to them, “The message you are hearing isn't mine. It's the message of the Father who sent me. I'm telling you these things while I'm still living with you, and I still have the opportunity to say them. Father is going to send you a friend. A comforter, an advocate, a companion.  

“The Holy Spirit, who the Father will send at my request, will make everything plain to you. He will remind you of all the things that I have told you.  

“When that friend comes to you (the Spirit of truth issuing from the Father) He will confirm everything about me,” Jesus said.  

“I didn't tell you this earlier because I was with you every day, but now... now I'm on my way. Now the door is closing. Now I'm going back to the One who sent me.  

“Not one of you has asked, “Where are you going?” Instead, the longer I've talked, the sadder you've become. So let me say it again: it is better for you that I leave.  

“It is better for you that I go to the Father because if I don't leave, the Spirit won't come. When I go I will send Him to you. And when He comes He will speak to you, saying ‘yes and no.’ He will expose the error of the godless world's view of sin and righteousness and judgment. He will show them that their refusal to believe in me is their greatest sin.  

“I still have so many things I want to tell you. You can't handle them now. But when the friend comes, when the Spirit of truth comes, He will take you by the hand and He will guide you into all the truth that there is.  

“He won't draw attention to himself. He will make sense out of what is about to happen. And out of all that I have done and all that I have said. He will honour me. 

“He will take from me and He will deliver to you.” 

Finally, John writes in the book of Revelation, “Are your ears awake? Listen. Listen to the words of the Spirit blowing through the churches.” 

Again Jesus says, “Listen to the words of the Spirit blowing through the churches.” 

And again He says, “Listen to the words of the Spirit blowing through the churches.”  

Again He says, “Listen to the words of the Spirit blowing through the churches.”  

For a fifth time He says, “Listen to the words of the Spirit blowing through the churches.”  

For a sixth time He says, “Listen to the words of the Spirit blowing through the churches.” 

For a seventh time He says,

“Listen.” 

“Listen to the words.” 

“Listen to the words of the Spirit.” 

“Listen to the words of the Spirit blowing through the churches.” 

Know what? I think He wants us to listen to the Spirit. 

That is our marching orders. That is our Point A.  

We begin our journey with Jesus by listening to the words of the Spirit blowing through the churches. Blowing through our church. Blowing through each of us. 

Holy Spirit, come.  

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