Oh how we need you, Lord! Breath of God, Spirit of the Living God, would you move in this place, fill each one of us, make us a living temple in which your Spirit dwells!
Lord, you have so beautified this church with the presence of your Spirit!
Thank you, for the diverse body you’ve made us - folks from all over the world gather here each week! And many of my friends who call Grace church home are from Venezuela. And right now, Lord, our hearts join with their hearts, with our Venezuelan brothers and sisters, in an ongoing prayer for healing! We pray for the healing of the nation of Venezuela! We pray for Restoration. For Justice. And for peace.
Come! Holy Spirit! We need you!
And this morning, Lord, would you use me as your instrument? I echo the prayer of St. Francis, Lord, make me an instrument of your peace! Speak a word to those gathered here today and to those watching online. We need your Spirit, Lord! Oh, how we need you! It’s in the precious name of Jesus we pray, Amen!
Good morning. We’ve got a lot of ground to cover today, so let’s get right to it! Grab a Bible and turn to Isaiah chapter 59; that’s on page 614 if you’re using a house Bible. Then flip over to John chapter 14, which is on page 896 of the house Bible. This morning, we’ll be all over the Bible but we’ll key in on Isaiah 59 and John 14. And while you’re turning there, allow me to wish you all a Happy New Year!!
We’re just 4 days in to 2026, and I trust you’ve all got your New Year's resolutions on lock! I, like many of you, I’m sure, have big plans to eat healthier in the new year, take better care of myself - but first I have to finish the all Christmas candy that I put in the center console of my car, so that it would be easier to eat while I’m driving.
Studies show that only 46% of people who make resolutions actually keep them. That means that for the remaining 54% of us, our resolve sort of tapers off over time, and that has certainly been true for me when it comes to New Year’s resolutions. I’ve made all kinds of resolutions over my lifetime from self-improvement goals to spiritual ones, like:
“I’m gonna read the Bible every day this year!! One chapter. Every day.”
- I did this alot as a teenager and would usually taper off right around Leviticus.
Or, “I’m going to wake up early and start each day with prayer! Early in the morning, Lord! My song shall rise to thee!”
- I think I actually made the Lord laugh with that one. He knows I’m not a morning person.
And don’t get me wrong, it’s great to have resolutions like these! It’s just that resolutions on their own are empty and meaningless without the empowering presence of the Holy Spirit!
And so, with that in mind, we wanted to spend the first 4 weeks of the new year centering ourselves around the person of the Holy Spirit!
We believe that the Holy Spirit is God’s indwelling presence: the source of power, guidance, comfort, and conviction in the life of a follower of Christ.
This year, instead of focusing on self-improvement, what might be possible if we pursued spirit-empowerment? Spirit-enlivenment!
What if we doubled down on seeking to experience more of God’s transforming and empowering presence in our lives?
Throughout the month of January, we’ll be exploring four key ways in which the Spirit operates within the life of a believer:
The Spirit guides.
The Spirit empowers.
The Spirit unifies.
The Spirit gives life.
Now, I understand that this is by no means an exhaustive list of what the Spirit does! In fact, there’s an entire branch of Christian theology dedicated to the study of the Holy Spirit - it’s called pneumatology! You heard the word ‘Pneuma’ a few minutes ago in the video; it's a Greek word meaning ‘spirit,’ or ‘wind,’ or ‘breath.’
And this might be why the Holy Spirit can often seem so intangible, so ethereal, and nebulous to many of us! In fact, some of us grew up in churches where the Holy Spirit was the Holy Ghost! And if you read the King James Bible, that’s what it says! Holy Ghost! A Ghost! No wonder it’s hard for us to get a grip on the person of the Holy Spirit! Like grasping at a wisp of air.
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As I was writing this message, I had a small humidifier, like this one, going in my office. I could see the mist coming up from it, and that’s, honestly, how I’ve viewed the Holy Spirit at times, like an elusive mist. Something I’ll never be able to grasp.
And it doesn’t help that I grew up around a lot of questionable activity regarding the mysterious 3rd person of the Trinity. I was raised in a Pentecostal denomination, in an era that included various “Holy Ghost revivals.” As a kid, I’d hear reports of these revivals breaking out all over the country, and the various manifestations that were being attributed to the Spirit. Everything from laughing in the Spirit to rolling around on the floor. Some folks even took to barking like a dog! They called it “barking in the spirit.” I’m serious. Look it up, the 90’s were a crazy time.
One time, a travelling evangelist came to our church, and in the middle of the worship service, he cried out, “THE SPIRIT OF THE LORD IS ON THIS SIDE OF THE ROOM!” I had witnessed plenty of nonsense by then that had turned me into a very skeptical, very cynical person, and it just so happened that I was sitting on the side of the room where the Spirit of the Lord had supposedly chosen to rest. What luck! I just remember looking across the aisle at those poor souls on other side of the room… what a shame… They should’ve all run over to the Lord’s side…
Yes, sadly, I’ve witnessed some crazy things when it comes to how the Church sometimes interprets the work of the Spirit. And because of this, I’ve really had to wrestle with my own understanding of who the Holy Spirit is.
I share this because you might be like me. Maybe you’ve struggled to understand the Spirit like I have. Maybe God and Jesus are easier to grasp because we can shape a human picture around relational descriptors like “God the Father” and “Christ the Son.” We have a mental category for “Father” and “Son.”
But the Bible describes God’s Spirit as an animating force: as air, breath, wind, or a cloud. As fire, or a dove in flight. And yet, the Spirit of God is a person, the 3rd person of the Trinity - God in 3 persons. So I think it would help us to go back to the beginning. To walk through the Bible together and witness the Holy Spirit at work.
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Genesis chapter 1! The Spirit was present from the very beginning hovering over the waters of the deep before the Earth had taken form. The Holy Spirit is depicted in Genesis as an active agent of creation. God speaks, and the earth comes into being!
In Genesis 3, Adam and Eve hear God walking through the garden in the ‘breeze’ of the day - the ‘ruach’ of the day. Ruach the Hebrew word for breath, wind, or spirit.
The story of the Bible begins with God’s presence as he lived among his people, walking in their midst. Wherever he is, his presence, his Ruach, his Spirit, is felt, seen, and heard.
But as Adam and Eve hear God approaching, they hide from his presence, ashamed of their sin.
Disobedience had entered our world through Adam and Eve’s sin, and ultimately, the consequence of their rebellion is banishment from God’s presence in the Garden. Sin put distance between God and humankind.
But still, God desires to dwell among his people. And so, He makes a way to reconcile his children to Himself by establishing a covenant.
He chooses Moses to be His agent of liberation, freeing His people from Egyptian captivity and leading them across the Red Sea. And once they arrive at freedom, God's presence shows up as FIRE on Mt. Sinai, with thunder and lightning and thick black smoke! This is no whispy mist! This is the powerful, electrifying presence of God!
God says:
“If you will obey me and keep my covenant, you will be my own special treasure from among the peoples on earth; for all the earth belongs to me. And you will be my kingdom of priests, my holy nation.” Exodus 19:5-6
God issues the 10 commandments and begins to lay out plans for how his presence will physically dwell among the people. He tells Moses to construct a ‘tabernacle,’ a sacred tent where God’s presence would permanently reside.
This sacred tent was portable and would travel with Israel on their journey through the wilderness toward the promised land. When God’s people were on the move, His presence would lead them, appearing as a cloud by day and a pillar of fire by night, until they arrived at a place where they could set up camp. Then, God’s presence would reside within the innermost chamber of the tabernacle, in the ‘holy of holies.’ A place so sacred, it could only be accessed by a priest, and only ONCE A YEAR!
So that’s what it looked like, under the Old Covenant. God’s presence would dwell among his people, but at a distance, housed within the tabernacle.
And occasionally, the Spirit of God would “rest on” or empower specific individuals. In Judges, the Spirit of the Lord clothed Gideon with power. In 1 Samuel, the Spirit of the Lord, God’s ‘ruach’, left King Saul and filled David instead. The Spirit would anoint specific individuals, like David’s son Solomon, who would build the most lavish temple - a fixed, permanent place for the Spirit of God to dwell in.
And when the temple was completed:
“...Fire flashed down from heaven… and the glorious presence of the Lord filled the Temple… When all the people of Israel saw the fire coming down and the glorious presence of the Lord filling the Temple, they fell face down on the ground and worshiped and praised the Lord, saying, “He is good! His faithful love endures forever!” 2 Chronicles 7:1
But even with the glorious presence of God filling the temple, Israel refused to remain faithful to God and keep his commandments. They kept chasing after false gods, perverting the Lord’s justice, and breaking the covenant again and again.
And just as it was in the Garden of Eden, their sin separated them from the presence of God, and Israel was exiled from the promised land! They became captives of a foreign nation. God’s presence left the temple, and his people were scattered. The glorious temple was destroyed. And it seemed all hope was lost.
But God is good. And his faithful love endures forever.
For even in exile, God did not abandon his people. His Spirit rested on the prophets, empowering them to speak messages of truth. Yes, judgment had fallen, but God would still keep his covenant because he is good, and His faithful love endures forever!
And that brings us to Isaiah 59! The temple was in ruins, a condition which symbolized the spiritual condition of God’s people! In Isaiah 59, God speaks through his messenger, his prophet. Listen to the passion in the prophet’s voice as we read together, Isaiah 59, starting at verse 1:
ISAIAH 59:1-4
Listen! The LORD’s arm is not too weak to save you,
nor is his ear too deaf to hear you call.
It’s your sins that have cut you off from God.
Because of your sins, he has turned away
and will not listen anymore.
Your hands are the hands of murderers,
and your fingers are filthy with sin.
Your lips are full of lies,
and your mouth spews corruption.
Skipping down to verses 9:
So there is no justice among us,
and we know nothing about right living.
We look for light but find only darkness.
We look for bright skies but walk in gloom.
Drop down to verse 14:
Our courts oppose the righteous,
and justice is nowhere to be found.
Truth stumbles in the streets,
and honesty has been outlawed.
Yes, truth is gone,
and anyone who renounces evil is attacked.
What a bleak picture the prophet paints. Truth is gone. The Temple in ruins. The Spirit of God had left it long ago, and now God’s children stumble in the darkness. Truth is gone.
And yet a glimmer of hope remains.
Verse 19:
…For he will come like a raging flood tide
driven by the breath of the LORD.
20
“The Redeemer will come to Jerusalem
to buy back those in Israel
who have turned from their sins,”
says the LORD.
21 “And this is my covenant with them,” says the LORD. “My Spirit will not leave them, and neither will these words I have given you. They will be on your lips and on the lips of your children and your children’s children forever. I, the LORD, have spoken!
The Redeemer will come to Jerusalem, driven by the breath, the ‘ruach,’ the Spirit of the Lord.
Now, we fast-forward to the New Testament and the book of John. John opens his gospel by announcing that the Light has come! The Light shines in the darkness. The same darkness that the prophet in Isaiah described, when he said, ‘we look for light but find only darkness.’
That light, of course, was Jesus. A few verses later, John is baptizing Jesus when all of a sudden the Holy Spirit comes down and rests on Jesus, in the form of a dove; a bird in flight! This is how John knew that Jesus was the chosen one; God had told him, “The one on whom you see the Spirit descend and rest is the one who will baptize with the Holy Spirit.’
Which brings us, finally, to John chapter 14 and Jesus’ farewell address to his disciples. By this time, the disciples had witnessed Jesus perform many miracles. They’d seen him dazzle the crowds with his teachings. But lately, Jesus had begun to warn them that he must suffer and die.
John chapters 13-17 are known as Jesus’ ‘farewell discourse’ - his final words to his disciples, right before he is arrested and crucified. He gives this long speech, informing his friends of what lies ahead, and doing his best to comfort them before he goes.
In John 14 the mood was somber. Jesus had just told his disciples that he must go, and that where he is going, they can’t come.
But he tells them not to worry, “don’t let your hearts be troubled,” he says. He comforts his disciples, insisting that it is better for them that he goes, because he goes to prepare a dwelling place for them, that where he is, they may also be! “In my Father’s house there are many rooms,” he tells them. And then he leaves them with a promise:
Read along with me in John 14:15, Jesus says to his disciples:
JOHN 14:
15 “If you love me, obey my commandments. 16 And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another Advocate, who will never leave you. 17 He is the Holy Spirit, who leads into all truth. The world cannot receive him, because it isn’t looking for him and doesn’t recognize him. But you know him, because he lives with you now and later will be in you.
He is the Holy Spirit. The Holy Ghost. The Advocate - that word Advocate is the Greek word “Parakletos” - from Para, meaning ‘close beside, and Kaleo, which means ‘to call.’ When Jesus says “I will ask the Father, and he will give you another Parakletos,” another advocate, he’s telling the disciples that another agent will come to their side when he leaves. God will send another agent who will be as near to them as Jesus is now! Another Parakletos: Another Helper. Another Comforter. In his farewell address, Jesus consoles his disciples with these words in verse 18:
John 14:18 No, I will not abandon you as orphans—I will come to you. 19 Soon the world will no longer see me, but you will see me. Since I live, you also will live.
And again, in verse 23:
23 Jesus replied, “All who love me will do what I say. My Father will love them, and we will come and make our home with each of them.
From the beginning of time, God has desired to make His home among his people! He walked with them in the Garden. He dwelt among them, in the tabernacle, and then in the temple. And now, he makes his home with us - with those of us who love him and obey his teachings.
Once again, God has made a way to dwell among his people! First, in the person of Jesus, “the word became flesh and made his home among us.” But soon, Jesus says, he will make his home among us in the person of the Holy Spirit.
Jesus says in John 14:26:
26 But when the Father sends the Advocate as my representative—that is, the Holy Spirit—he will teach you everything and will remind you of everything I have told you.
27 “I am leaving you with a gift—peace of mind and heart. And the peace I give is a gift the world cannot give. So don’t be troubled or afraid. 28 Remember what I told you: I am going away, but I will come back to you again.
Can’t you just hear the voice of a loving parent in Jesus’ words: “Remember what I told you: I am going away, but I will come back to you again.”
Jesus is comforting his friends, because they were devastated! They followed him everywhere, and now he’s telling them that he’s leaving?! After all they’d been through? After everything they’d witnessed? They’d given up everything to follow him! And now he’s telling them that they can’t go with him?
A chapter later, in John 15:26, Jesus repeats his promise to send the Advocate when He says:
John 15:26 “...I will send you the Advocate—the Spirit of truth. He will come to you from the Father and will testify all about me. 27 And you must also testify about me because you have been with me from the beginning of my ministry.
And a chapter after that, he says it again:
John 16:5 “But now I am going away to the one who sent me… You grieve because of what I’ve told you. 7 But in fact, it is best for you that I go away, because if I don’t, the Advocate won’t come. If I do go away, then I will send him to you. 8 And when he comes, he will convict the world of its sin, and of God’s righteousness, and of the coming judgment. 9 The world’s sin is that it refuses to believe in me.
It is best for you that I go away, because if I don’t, the advocate won’t come… Jesus had been present with his disciples in physical form. But a physical form can not be everywhere at once. But a Spirit can! That’s why Jesus said in John 14:17: “He is the Holy Spirit, who leads into all truth… He lives with you now and later will be in you.
Jesus, our Immanuel, is God with us! God with us now!
The Holy Spirit is God within us! God within us now!
John records in chapter 20:22 that after Jesus had risen from the dead, he appeared to his disciples, and breathed on them, saying: “Receive the Holy Spirit.”
And not long after that was the day of Pentecost, when all the believers were gathered together in one place and suddenly they heard a noise from heaven that sounded like a mighty windstorm! It filled the house where they were sitting! Suddenly, flames of fire appeared above their heads, and they began to speak in other languages, empowered by the Spirit! And Peter, cowardly Peter who not long ago had denied knowing Jesus 3 times - this same Peter began to preach the Gospel, tying together the words of the Old Testament prophets with the words of King David in a way that told one compelling and unified story that all pointed to Jesus!
Jesus said that when the Advocate arrived:
“…He will teach you everything and will remind you of everything I have told you.” John 14:26
That’s exactly what the Spirit did as he rested on Peter that day! The Spirit reminded Peter of all that Jesus had told him, showing him how all the pieces fit together! The Spirit endowed Peter with a supernatural ability that was beyond himself: the power to communicate the truth of the Gospel with boldness - and so effectively, that 3,000 people believed and were baptized into the faith that day!
This is what the Spirit does! The Holy Spirit, the Holy Ghost, call him what you will, he gives us abilities that are beyond ourselves! He gives us boldness, power, wisdom, and clarity. He opens our eyes to see the truth of who Jesus is! In our dark world, where truth stumbles in the streets!
The Holy Spirit points us to Jesus, who is the way, the TRUTH, and the life! Jesus promised that Holy Spirit would guide us into truth! Jesus is truth. And the Spirit guides us to Jesus.
The Spirit opens our eyes to our own sin.
The Spirit convicts us when we want to do wrong, and helps us do right!
The Spirit comforts us in our sorrows.
The Spirit endows us with gifts that are beyond ourselves, and cultivates godly characteristics within us! We know the fruits of the Spirit: love. Joy. Peace. Patience. Goodness. Gentleness. Kindness. Self-control!
Scripture says you will know a tree by its fruit, and a tree that is born of the Spirit will exemplify these fruits! Not just to exist as a pretty looking tree, but for the flourishing of all creation! Spreading love. Joy. peace. Patience. Gentleness, kindness, faith and self-control! That’s what our world needs more of! We need more of the Spirit!!!
And it starts by cultivating the Spirit of God in our lives! Let this be the year! In 2026, I’m not making another inward-focused resolution. Forget self-improvement, I want Spirit-empowerment! I want what Peter had! I desire more of God’s empowering presence to fill every corner of my life. I want peace! And I want to be an instrument of peace!
I came across this quote the other day, from an early 20th Century theologian by the name of R.A. Torrey. He said:
“...If we once grasp the thought that the Holy Spirit is a Divine Person of infinite majesty, glory, and holiness and power, who in marvelous condescension has come into our hearts to make his abode there and take possession of our lives and make use of them… I can think of no thought more humbling or more overwhelming than the thought that a person of Divine majesty and glory dwells in my heart and is ready to use even me.” - Ruben A. Torrey.
Even me, Lord? You would choose to make my heart your dwelling place and use even me?! Lord, make me an instrument of your peace!
So what does this look like, practically, for the Holy Spirit to take up residence within us? To fill you and me?
Well, that’s what we’ll be talking about over the next 3 weeks, how the Spirit guides, empowers, unifies and enlivens the heart of a believer. But before I pray to close us out, I want to share a personal story of what this looks like in real life. And as I share this story, I want you to think about your own life. Is there a moment in your life when the Holy Spirit reminded you of truth - made the pieces fit together, and pointed you back to Jesus?
My mother grew up in the church. Her parents did what they could to raise her with a firm foundation, but as a teenager, she decided she didn’t want anything to do with Jesus. She was going to go her own way and do her own thing, and boy did she.
I won’t go into detail, but her life spun out of control. She made a lot of bad decisions and did things that caused her a lot of shame, emotional and physical trauma, and deep regret.
She came back to Christ when she was pregnant with me, and she did her best to raise me with a firm foundation. But even as she tried to rebuild her life and follow Jesus, those mistakes, the sins from her past, those regrets kept haunting her.
Over and over again, she would weep, from the depths of her soul, asking God to forgive her for those past sins - over and over - to the point where it was almost compulsive: “God forgive me for what I did. For all the ways I disobeyed you. I’m so sorry. I’m so sorry. I’m so sorry.” It’s like her past had become her identity, no matter how hard she tried to shed it.
She said one day, as she was asking God to forgive her for the umpteenth time, she felt the Spirit of God bring these words to her mind: “Why do you keep reminding me? Stop reminding me.” Just then, she remembered - the Holy Spirit recalled to her mind this scripture from Jeremiah that says:
“For I will forgive their wickedness
and will remember their sins no more.” Jeremiah 31:34
Why do you keep reminding me? Stop reminding me! I forgave your sins and I remember them no more!
God is good. And his faithful love endures forever! My mom was set free that day, and that my dear friends, is the work of the Holy Spirit. That’s what the Spirit does! Leads us to the truth of who God is! The truth that sets us free! Paul said it in 2 Corinthians 3:17:
2 Corinthians 3:17 Now the Lord is the Spirit, and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom.
The Spirit was alive and working in my mom to gain more and more ground, sweeping away the cobwebs that hid in the dark corners of her heart and mind. That the glorious Ruach, Pneuma, presence of the Lord could fill her so completely and dispel all the lies! The Advocate! The advocate was her guide to truth, and the truth set her free!
Am I making sense?
Listen, if you follow Christ, you already have the Spirit of God within you! Where might the Spirit desire to gain more ground in your life? Are there cobwebs that need to be swept away?
What might the Spirit be saying to you?! The Spirit, whose job is to lead you and guide you into all truth?! Do you need freedom this morning? Are there any lies lingering in the dark corners of your heart? The Spirit, already at work in you, has come to set you free! To live IN you. And promises to never leave you.
You are the new temple, where God’s spirit lives!
And for those of you who have not yet decided to follow Christ, for those who are still stumbling in the darkness, freedom has come for you. This is your year to know the life that is truly life. Knowing Jesus is life! He is the way, the truth and the life. I pray that this is the year that the Spirit so illuminates your heart, soul, and mind that you will discover the truth of God’s love for you and the freedom that His Spirit brings!
Grace Church, this is our year to grow ever more sensitive to the Spirit's leading and attentive to his voice as he guides us to the truth, the truth that is Jesus, and may that truth set us free. For where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom.