Part 14 Fellowship of the Holy Spirit

P.M. Sermon

Spring Hill, TN

5/6/07 p.m.

Series: “Discovering the Holy Spirit” (Pt. 14)

Text(s): 2 Corinthians 13:14

Summary: In PART 14, we explore the fellowship of the Holy Spirit within the Christian and how that the Spirit is a fire within us that must be kindled and never quenched.

“Fellowship of the Holy Spirit”

Introduction:

A. The Holy Spirit Within Us

1. We have already discovered in this series that the Holy Spirit personal indwells the Christian in a non-miraculous, non-leading way.

2. The physical body of the Christian is a “temple” in which the Holy Spirit dwells (1 Cor. 6:19).

3. Because the Holy Spirit lives within the Christian, we must strive to maintain our physical bodies as a “fit dwelling place” for the Spirit.

4. It is for this reason, that Paul argues that the Christian must flee from immorality, because it frustrates the presence of the Spirit within us (1 Cor. 6:18).

B. Fellowship with the Spirit

1. Paul concludes his second letter to the Corinthians by saying, “The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, and the love of God, and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit, be with you all” (2 Cor. 13:14).

2. The word translated “fellowship” here means “communion, partnership, participation, or intercourse.”

3. Christians have a close fellowship with the Holy Spirit dwelling within.

4. But we must work to maintain this fellowship, because it is possible for us to frustrate the Spirit’s presence within our lives.

I. Resisting the Spirit (Acts 7:51)

A. Stephen rebuked his audience because they were refusing God’s message of salvation: “You men who are stiff-necked and uncircumcised in heart and ears are always resisting the Holy Spirit; you are doing just as your fathers did” (Acts 7:51).

B. When we refuse to listen to the message of the Spirit in the Bible or reject its present application in our lives, we are resisting the Spirit.

C. At times we choose to do things we know God disapproves despite knowing that it is contrary to the Spirit, when we violate our conscious we are resisting the Spirit.

D. Just as Stephen said, Israel’s forefathers had been guilty of this very thing: “But they rebelled and grieved His Holy Spirit; therefore He turned Himself to become their enemy, He fought against them” (Isaiah 63:10).

E. The Holy Spirit gives comfort to those that suffer even when they are obeying God (John 14:16, KJV), but the same Spirit will afflict us and try to convict us when we resist God’s will (cf. John 16:8).

F. This is what seems to have happened to King Saul: “Now the Spirit of the LORD departed from Saul, and an evil spirit from the LORD terrorized him” (1 Sam. 16:14).

II. Grieving the Spirit (Eph. 4:30)

A. When we choose to violate our conscious and disobey God’s word, the Spirit within us is grieved.

B. Paul instructs that when we put on the new self we must leave worldly behavior like telling lies, having outbursts of anger, stealing, and vulgar language behind (Eph. 4:25-29).

C. Christians who are striving to be in the likeness of God (4:24), and have the Holy Spirit dwelling within must refrain from such behaviors because it is an inner spiritual contradiction.

D. To engage in unholy behavior grieves the Holy Spirit that is within us (4:30).

E. When we engage in impure behavior it wounds the Holy Spirit that is within, because it is contradictory to have that which is unholy in the same body with the Holy Spirit (cf. 1 Thes. 4:8).

III. Quenching the Spirit (1 Thes. 5:19)

A. The Spirit is often pictured in the Bible in terms of flame or fire (Luke 3:16).

B. The visible presence of the Holy Spirit on Pentecost appeared like flames of fire (Acts 2:3).

C. The miraculous abilities that individuals had by the Spirit in the first century are also described in terms of being like flames of fire. Paul told Timothy to “kindle afresh the gift of God which is in you through the laying on of my hands” (2 Tim. 1:6).

D. Paul instructs Christians of the first century to “desire” these spiritual gifts (1 Cor. 14:1) and not to “despise” those who have gifts like prophecy (1 Thes. 5:20).

E. To despise those who had such gifts would be to try and “quench the Spirit” (1 Thes. 5:19).

F. Ultimately, spiritual gifts were given in the early church to “edify” and “spiritually uplift” the church (cf. 1 Cor. 14:26). To deemphasize the importance of the Spirit would be to “quench” its importance.

G. While we do not have the miraculous measure of the Holy Spirit today, it is still possible for us to discourage one another and “quench the Spirit.”

H. Example: An elder in the church once told me early in my preaching career, that I would probably want to eventually think about doing something else.

I. Scripture is clear that we can resist the Spirit and grieve the Holy Spirit within us; and if we grieve the Spirit long enough he will eventually leave (cf. King Saul).

J. If we give ourselves over to immorality over and again, eventually God will “give us over to our depraved minds” so that we will be filled with all unrighteousness (Rom. 1:28-32).

IV. Filled with the Spirit (Eph. 5:19)

A. Rather than being filled with wickedness and immorality, we should be filled with the Spirit.

B. Rather than grieving the Spirit within us, we must encourage the Spirit’s vibrancy and activity within us.

C. When King Saul resisted God’s Spirit within his life and grieved the Spirit by his actions, the Spirit of God turned on Saul.

D. Rather than comforting him and helping him, it began to terrorize him and convict him—doubtless in an attempt to get him to repent.

E. When Saul did not repent, he began to spiritually self destruct as he was fighting against himself and what he knew was right.

F. While God’s Spirit was terrorizing Saul, when David would sing praise and play the harp, the Spirit of God would become calm (1 Sam. 16:23).

G. The Spirit of God is calmed with singing and praise!

H. It is along these lines that the Apostle Paul says that we must not be “filled with wine” but we should be “filled with the Spirit” (Eph. 5:18).

I. How can we be filled with the Spirit? By singing! “speaking to one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody in your heart to the LORD” (Eph. 5:19).

J. The Spirit of God within us is fanned into flame with our singing!

K. Heartfelt singing has a profound impact upon our spirituality; the Spirit of God within us directly responds to our singing and he is pleased by it!

Conclusion:

A. During the times of Old Testament worship, a perpetual flame was kept burning in the temple on the altar and was never to go out (Lev. 6:13).

B. The fire was to be kindled and protected so that it would never be extinguished.

C. In the Christian age, the body of the individual Christian is the temple of God and the Holy Spirit is the flame that burns within.

D. We must take care not to do anything to quench the flame, but rather we must kindle it and be filled with the Spirit’s fire that burns within, enlightens our lives, and glows outward into the world!