The Holy Spirit Comes

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AStudying God’s Word

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Introduction

In the last unit, we studied Jesus’ final week leading up to his crucifixion, his resurrection, and his ascension.

• Why was it necessary for Jesus to be crucified? Jesus had to die in order to satisfy the wrath of God. God is just, so sin must be punished. Jesus died to pay that penalty.
• Why is the resurrection significant? The resurrection of Jesus is central to Christianity. Jesus was raised because he was able to satisfy the wrath of God and defeat death. It is because Jesus is alive that we can be reconciled to God, that he can serve as our mediator and high priest. The resurrection also serves as a promise of our future resurrection. Our hope is dependent on the resurrected Jesus.
• Why did Jesus not ascend immediately after his resurrection? He remained on earth in his resurrected body to show himself alive to more than 500 disciples. He showed grace to Peter, reassured Thomas, explained the Scriptures to Cleopas, and gave some final instructions to his disciples. We can also look to this time to find some hints about his glorified physical body.
• Why could Jesus return to the Father to sit at his right hand? Jesus had accomplished his work on earth. He had risen victorious over death, and the Father exalted him, giving him the name above all names.

  The Gospels conclude with accounts of the risen Jesus appearing to many of his disciples and then being taken up into heaven. This lesson marks our transition from the Gospels and the earthly ministry of Jesus to the book of Acts. Many people refer to this book as the Acts of the Apostles. While that is true, it is also about the acts of the Holy Spirit who was the one empowering the apostles in the work they were doing. As Jesus left the earth, he promised to send the Holy Spirit.

• Who is the Holy Spirit? The Holy Spirit is the third member of the Trinity. He is God just as much as the Father or the Son.

  Acts is a historical narrative following the journeys of several of the apostles, especially Peter and Paul. This is the last of the historical narratives in the Bible. The rest of the New Testament books (except for Revelation, which is primarily eschatological prophecy) are epistles written to the early church during the time of Acts and shortly thereafter.

• Look at the beginning of the book (Acts 1:1–3). Who is the author of Acts? While Acts does not explicitly list the name of its author, we recognize the opening as tying the book to the Gospel of Luke. Luke addressed his Gospel to Theophilus, indicating that his purpose was to compile an orderly account of Jesus’ life so that Theophilus could be certain about the things he had been taught. Luke began Acts by reminding Theophilus of the first book (i.e., the Gospel of Luke), in which he described Jesus’ earthly life up until his ascension. Luke overlapped his Gospel by recounting the ascension again, this time in more detail, and then continued on, relating the events following Jesus’ ascension.

  As we move from the ministry of Jesus on the earth, we are not moving into a period where God is absent, but one where God is still present on the earth and constantly at work. So our goal today is to get a little glimpse of the role of the Holy Spirit in the lives of believers.

The Spirit Is Promised

I know I said we were going to be in the book of Acts, but we need to get our bearings by stepping back to the night of the arrest of Jesus. In John chapters 13–17, we have an intimate and detailed account of the last few hours Jesus spent with his disciples before the crucifixion.

Let’s read John 16:5–15 together and look at the promise Jesus gave to his disciples. Have someone read the passage aloud.

• Where was Jesus going? To be with the Father who sent him.
• How did the disciples feel knowing this? They were filled with sorrow.
• How did Jesus try to allay their feelings of sorrow? He told them it was to their advantage that he would go.
• Why would his absence bring an advantage? When Jesus left, he would send the Helper to them.
• Would the Helper come if Jesus did not go to the Father? No.
• Who is the Helper? Looking back to 14:15–17 and 14:26, Jesus is talking about the Holy Spirit.
• How is the Spirit described in 14:17, 15:26, and 16:13? He is the Spirit of truth.
• What will the Spirit do at his coming based on verse 8? He will convict the world of sin, righteousness, and judgment.
• What specific sin is described in verse 9? The sin of not believing in Jesus as Lord and Savior.
• How does the Spirit’s presence convicting men of righteousness relate to the absence of Jesus? When Jesus was present, people were able to see righteousness personified. In his absence, the Spirit would now bring conviction of self-righteous ideas and attitudes.
• Who is “the ruler of this world” in verse 11? Satan.
• What judgment is in view in verse 11? While there is some disagreement, it is likely that this verse refers to the final judgment that is to come where Satan is to be cast into hell along with those who have not been found in Christ. Some understand this to mean their ability to rightly judge (discern) truth.
• Were these the final things Jesus wanted to teach his disciples? No. He had more to teach them.
• When would Jesus teach them more things? They would be taught more things after the Spirit had come.
• What would the Spirit do for them according to verse 13? He would guide them into all truth.
• In whose authority would he speak these truths? In the authority of the Son, which is from the Father. Here we have a clear teaching on the roles within the Trinity.
• What types of things will the Holy Spirit tell of? He will reveal things that are to come. This is a reference to the prophetic words that would be recorded in Scripture in the future. We see this sprinkled through the New Testament epistles and especially in Revelation.
• How does the Spirit relate to the Son? The Spirit glorifies the Son by declaring or revealing truth about the Son as the Son has done those things given to him by the Father.
• When would the Holy Spirit come? This passage does not tell us, but we know it must be after the ascension, when Jesus would go to the Father.

Let’s turn to Acts 1:3–8. We read these verses a couple lessons ago, but let’s review briefly. Have someone read the passage aloud.

• When did this take place (verse 3)? Forty days after the resurrection.
• What instruction did Jesus give the disciples? To remain in Jerusalem until they received the promise of the Father.
• How is the baptism they were to receive described? Rather than with water at John’s baptism, they would be baptized with the Holy Spirit.
• How long would they have to wait? Not many days.
• What would they receive when the Holy Spirit came upon them? Power.
• What was the purpose of this power? To be witnesses of Jesus as they spread his message across the earth.

Discover the Truth

It might strike you as a bit odd, but Jesus said that it was better for the disciples—and for us as disciples—if he went away rather than staying with them because he would send the Helper, the Holy Spirit. So, how can it be better for us that Jesus is gone? Wouldn’t it be better if Jesus were still there to answer more questions and give more instruction? Well, we might think that is the case, but Jesus tells us otherwise. The Helper would come to guide them into truth, to empower them as witnesses of the gospel, and to live within all of those who are in Christ.

• What attribute of God is demonstrated by the fact that the Holy Spirit can indwell believers all over the earth at one time? Refer to the Attributes of God poster. This is an aspect of the omnipresent nature of God since he is present in all of these places at once. Jesus, having been raised with a glorified body, is now present in heaven and not on the earth.
• Jesus promised that the Holy Spirit would come to empower the believers. What attribute of God is displayed in the fulfillment of this promise? This demonstrates God’s faithfulness to do what he says.

  In some Christian circles, the work of the Holy Spirit gets downplayed to the point that he is rarely mentioned. We need to be mindful that he IS the third person in the Trinity and that he IS indwelling each one of us who has turned from sin and trusted in Christ. The same Spirit who empowered the disciples who walked with Jesus is the same Spirit who lives to empower us and guide us into all truth.

The Spirit Comes

Now that we have looked at the promise of the coming of the Spirit, let’s look at the fulfillment of that promise.

Turn to Acts 2 and let’s read verses 1 through 24. Have someone read the passage aloud.

• When did this event take place? On the day of Pentecost, which is the Feast of Weeks described in Exodus 34:22–23.
• How many days after the Passover was this feast? It would have been 50 days, hence the name Pentecost, as described in Leviticus 23:15–16. This would also place it nine days after the ascension, subtracting the full day Jesus was in the tomb.
• Why were there so many people dwelling in Jerusalem at this time? This was one of the three times each year that the Jewish men were to gather as a holy congregation to worship God. This was a celebration of the harvest where the firstfruits of the harvest and other sacrifices were offered (Numbers 28:26–31).
• Where were the disciples? They were in a house together. We can likely connect this back to Acts 1:12–13 as a house with an upper room where they were staying together.
• Who was present? In 2:1, we have a pronoun identifying the group in general as “they.” Looking back in the text, 1:12–15 identifies the apostles by name, several women who were with them, and the disciples, numbering about 120 people. It seems clear that there were both men and women present, especially in light of 2:4, which describes the Spirit filling all present.
• What signs accompanied the coming of the Spirit? There was a sound like the rushing of wind that filled the entire house. This may be the sound referred to in verse 6 that got the attention of those in the area who then heard the praises of God. The Spirit is often compared to the wind (John 3:8; Ezekiel 37:9–10). There were tongues of fire resting on each of the believers. This is similar to his appearance as a dove at the baptism of Jesus.
• Who received the Spirit? All who were present in the house.
• What was the result of this filling of the Spirit? All of them began to speak in other tongues.
• Did each person pick the language? No, the Spirit “gave them utterance” as he saw fit.
• Based on the context of the passage, how could we describe these “tongues” (verse 6)? They were understood by those of different countries as their own languages, so they were known languages, not indiscernible noises.
• What were the disciples saying in other tongues (verse 11)? They were speaking of “the mighty works of God.”
• How did the people around them respond? They were amazed and perplexed.
• Why did the people find it amazing that they spoke so many languages? They identified the group as Galileans, so to hear them speaking in so many languages was amazing.
• What did some ascribe the miracle to? They suggested they were drunk with new wine.
• Who addressed the crowd? Peter stood up with the other 11 standing around him (with Matthias replacing Judas).
• What prophecy did Peter reference to validate this as a miracle of God? He pointed the crowd to the prophecy announced in Joel 2:28–32 to show them that God’s Spirit would be poured out so that men and women, young and old, would be empowered to do certain miracles, testifying of God’s works and the coming judgment.
• Whom did Peter tell the crowd about? He spoke to them about Jesus of Nazareth.
• How did Peter point to Jesus as the Messiah? He used the works, wonders, and signs Jesus had performed as the basis. He also went on, in the portion from verses 25–36, to show other scriptural proofs.
• How did Peter relate these acts to the will of God? He clearly stated that all of this happened according to God’s definite plan.
• Whom did Peter blame for Jesus’ death? He said, “This Jesus . . . you crucified and killed by the hands of lawless men,” indicating those Jews and others in the crowd were responsible.
• How did Peter connect his message to the resurrection? He told the crowd that God raised Jesus from the dead as it was not possible, in God’s plan, for Jesus to remain dead. He then went on to demonstrate this from other Old Testament passages.
• Looking ahead to verse 37, how did the crowd, in general, respond? They were convicted of the truth of Peter’s message and asked how they should respond.

Discover the Truth

Jesus had promised to send the Spirit in power, and that is exactly what happened. That power was evident as the mighty wind came, the tongues of flame danced, and the voices were raised in praise to God to be heard by all the peoples gathered in Jerusalem. And not only was this a miracle, but also Peter was able to show the crowd how it connected to God’s prophecies about the Messiah and the coming judgment.

In our modern context, Peter didn’t exactly preach a “seeker sensitive” message to the crowd. He basically stood up and explained to the crowd that they were responsible for the death of the Messiah. After Peter made his case from the Old Testament, many of the people recognized their sin, were convicted by the very Spirit that empowered the miracle, and asked what they needed to do to be saved. Peter’s response was a command to repent of their sins and to be baptized in the name of Jesus with the promise of receiving forgiveness and the gift of the Holy Spirit. Peter faithfully obeyed the command of his Lord delivered nine days prior. As we read at the end of Acts 2, the apostles taught these new disciples doctrine as they gathered at the temple and went from house to house.

Work of the Spirit Activity

If you are in Christ, you have received the gift of the Holy Spirit. The Spirit empowers us to do many things, but we might not recognize all the things that Scripture teaches about the Spirit’s work in our lives.

In your Student Guides you will find the Work of the Spirit activity. Take a few minutes and examine each of the passages there, noting some of the different roles of the Spirit in the life of believers. Have the students work in small groups to examine the passages. If time is short, assign passages to different groups and then share the results together.

Connect to the Truth

Let’s summarize these passages to see what the role of the Holy Spirit is in the life of believers.

As time allows, consider additional passages: 1 Corinthians 12; Acts 7:51, 13:2–4, 15:28, 20:28; 2 Timothy 1:14; John 3:5–8, 14:26; Ephesians 3:16, 4:3–4, 4:30, 5:18; Romans 8:9–11, 8:26–27, 15:16.

This is just a sample of all the Spirit does. God the Holy Spirit is dwelling in us, empowering us to do all that God has called us to do. I would encourage you to spend some more time this week looking through the additional passages at the bottom of your activity to develop a deeper understanding of the Spirit’s work.

• Ephesians 1:13–14—The Spirit seals us as the guarantee that God will raise us to new life in heaven to his glory.
• Galatians 5:22–26—The Spirit produces the fruit of righteousness (love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control) in us, allowing us to walk in his power so that we do not fulfill the passions of our flesh.
• John 14:15–18—The Spirit abides in us to help us obey Christ and be in fellowship with God.
• 1 Corinthians 2:10–16—The Spirit enlightens our minds to the spiritual truths that we were formerly dead to, helping us discern truth from error.
• 1 Corinthians 12:4–11—The Spirit gives gifts to each believer that he or she uses in serving the body.
• Romans 8:12–17—The Spirit empowers and leads us to avoid the sins of the flesh and assures us of our adoption as children of God.

Application

As we think about the Holy Spirit, there is so much for us to consider. First, we have to remember that he is God dwelling in us, just as Jesus promised. He is sent by the Father and the Son to work in our lives by conforming our wills to be more like Christ and empowering us to do all that we are commanded. And that has been the case for all believers since the day of Pentecost when he came with power and signs for those gathered in Jerusalem. The Holy Spirit testifies with our own spirits that we have been adopted by God, and he provides us with assurance of our salvation, having been sealed by him. As we strive to live lives of holiness worthy of the calling God has given us, he empowers us to display the fruits of righteousness and overcome the temptations of the flesh, the world, and the devil.

Our God is faithful to keep his promises. Jesus promised to send the Helper. The Spirit promises to seal us for the day of redemption. And the Father promises to raise us up to eternal life so that we may live with our triune God in an eternity filled with joyful worship and communion.

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  As you consider the work of the Holy Spirit, how has your thinking changed from the time that you were first saved (or even before your salvation)? Discuss various answers.
• How has your understanding of the work of the Spirit changed as a result of what we have discussed today? Discuss various answers, listening for any misconceptions you may need to correct.
• How are the events at Pentecost a reversal of the events of Babel? God confused the languages and made divisions between people groups at Babel. But at Pentecost, God removed this barrier and clearly communicated the wonderful works of God through all of the languages that were present there so that the gospel could be proclaimed.
• Peter stood before the crowd in Jerusalem and immediately jumped to an Old Testament prophet to explain the events they were seeing. Would the same type of proclamation be understood if we stood up on a bench in a park in our city? While we should never shy away from proclaiming the truth of Scripture and even quoting from it, we need to make sure that our audience understands what we are saying. The crowd there in Jerusalem was made up of devout Jews and proselytes who would have understood who the prophet Joel was and his message. We need to be mindful that many in our culture have no real knowledge of the Bible and what it teaches, so we must explain things carefully and clearly, avoiding language that will not be understood.
• Peter preached in power before the crowd, boldly proclaiming truth rather than denying Christ. What changed between the night of Jesus’ arrest, when Peter denied knowing Christ, and his preaching at Pentecost? Most people will point to two major factors. First, Peter had seen the risen Savior and had been restored by him. Second, Peter had also been empowered by the Holy Spirit. The indwelling of the Spirit is the major reason that Peter could boldly proclaim those truths and continue to spread the truth of the gospel in the face of much persecution.
• As you consider your own life and the fact that if you are in Christ then the Spirit of God is living in you, how are your own thoughts and actions out of sync with that truth? What can you do to change your thoughts and actions in this area? We should be evaluating our own hearts and sharing our own struggles with others who can exhort and encourage us to grow in our dependence on the Spirit. Studying and meditating on a passage like Romans 8 could be a great place to start.
• Gandhi is often held up as a wonderful example of a peaceful man. Was he demonstrating the Spirit’s fruit of peace? Should Christians be seeking to emulate Gandhi? Why or why not? Since Gandhi was not a Christian, believing in elements of Hinduism and Buddhism, we must say that he was not exhibiting fruit of the Holy Spirit. Only those who are in Christ have the Helper in them. Romans 7:5 and 8:8 remind us that those who walk in the flesh and not in the Spirit cannot please God, and the fruit of the flesh is death (see also Galatians 5:16–26). Christians should not hold Gandhi up as an example to follow. (Although it is not often reported, Gandhi was a vile man who practiced many things as part of his Hindu beliefs that Christians should have nothing to do with.)

Group Prayer

Be sure to pray with your class before you dismiss them.

• Praise God for his display of power and wisdom in empowering his children by the Spirit.
• Ask God for boldness and wisdom to be walking in the Spirit and not in the flesh.
• Thank God for sending the Spirit to dwell in us.