The Holy Spirit

1. 0:00Heidelberg Catechism, Lord’s Day 20.
2. 0:12What do you believe concerning the Holy Spirit?
3. 0:16First, that the Spirit with the Father and the Son eternal God. Second, that he is given also to me, so that through true faith he makes me share in Christ and all his benefits, comforts me, and will remain
4. 0:32with me forever. With Lord’s Day 20, we confess the person and the work of the Holy Spirit. The confession of his person is simple, short, but majestic. That the Spirit's with the Father and the Son is eternal God.
5. 0:53He's not an impersonal force. He's not a created being. He is God.
6. 1:00Matthew 28:19, "Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit."
7. 1:10So one name, three persons.
8. 1:12The Holy Spirit with the Father and the Son, one eternal God.
9. 1:172 Corinthians 13:14, "The good of the Lord is the Lord, and the Lord is the Lord, and grace of the Lord Jesus Christ and the love of God and the communion of the Holy
10. 1:25Spirit be with you all. Amen. We first meet the Holy Spirit in Genesis 1:2. When at creation there he is hovering over the waters. And then we meet him at the very end when he's welcoming us together with the
11. 1:39the bride to come and drink from the water of life.
12. 1:43And in between, in places like Psalm 104, we hear about how he is the spirit who renews the face of the earth, who makes life to abound.
13. 1:53He is the giver of life, not only in creation, but then also in redemption.
14. 1:59And one of the first things we focus on in the catechism is that he is given also to me, so that through true faith, he makes me share in Christ and all his benefits.
15. 2:16So it's the Holy Spirit who brings me to the Lord.
16. 2:19breathes life, who communicates life, who creates faith, who leads us to the Lord Jesus Christ, who unites us to Christ.
17. 2:28So that we can say with the apostle Paul in Galatians 2:20, "It's no longer I who live, but Christ who lives in me."
18. 2:36The Son accomplishes our salvation.
19. 2:39It's the Holy Spirit then who applies that salvation.
20. 2:45If we are in no way connected, if we are not united to Christ, neither can we share in his salvation.
21. 2:54We can think of it like an electrical grid.
22. 2:58It's not until we are connected to that grid that we can benefit from its power.
23. 3:04So it is with the finished work of the Lord Jesus Christ.
24. 3:08Furthermore, the Holy Spirit, we confess with Lord’s Day 20, comforts me and will remain with me forever.
25. 3:16The Lord Jesus told his disciples before he ascended that When he goes away, he will send the helper or the comforter.
26. 3:24And that word help or comfort is not a fluffy word, but it's a term of strength.
27. 3:31In Galatians 4 verses 5 and 6, the Apostle Paul speaks of how Christ came to redeem those who were under the law so that we might receive adoption as sons.
28. 3:44And then we read about the Holy Spirit, a comforting ministry to us.
29. 3:50The Apostle Paul says in verse 6, "And because you are sons, God has sent the Spirit of his Son into our hearts, crying, "Abba, Father."
30. 4:02And that cry, "Abba, Father," is a scream of terror.
31. 4:06The word for cry there is not simply a few tears rolling down our cheeks.
32. 4:11It's a time of severe crisis.
33. 4:14It communicates severe anxiety.
34. 4:17We might say it's the dark night of the soul We might say it's the cry of frustration over our sins.
35. 4:23It's the time when we are at the lowest points in our lives.
36. 4:27Maybe when our faith is almost completely extinguished.
37. 4:31And the Holy Spirit, he comforts us precisely at that point.
38. 4:34Though it's our lips uttering the words, it's his ministry in us that when we cry out, Abba, Father, in that moment, he is testifying to our spirits that we are sons.
39. 4:46There's another place where we read about the comforting ministry of the Holy Spirit.
40. 4:51That's in Romans 8:26.
41. 4:54Likewise, the Spirit also helps us in our weaknesses, for we do not know what we should pray for as we ought, but the Spirit himself makes intercession for us with
42. 5:05groanings which cannot be uttered." So here again in our weakness, it's in those times when the Spirit knows our hearts and he can be our witness, he can be our intercessor to the
43. 5:19throne of grace. This is our personal confession. Again, the catechism emphasizing what is your only comfort in life and in death. Part of that comfort,
44. 5:30an essential part, that the Holy Spirit has been given to me personally. I have a constant companion who has made his dwelling place
45. 5:39me, the Holy Spirit, Almighty, eternal God. Yet he's come to live with this weak and this lowly vessel, this guy who struggles with sin, this guy who is weak and filled with fears and doubts. Still, he lives with me.
46. 5:59always.

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