The holy spirit and endless possiblities

The following notes are from Pastor Peggy's message on Sunday, July 6, 2025

Scripture Reading: John 16:5-15

The past couple weeks we have been looking at various aspects of the Holy Spirit. Today I want to take a few minutes to look at some various portions of Scripture that lay out for us some things that are important for us to keep in the forefront of our hearts as we walk and trust the Spirit of God to lead us.

In John 16 Jesus is continuing his teaching with the disciples before He is arrested and eventually led to the cross. Jesus wanted to assure the disciples that He was not going to leave them alone but that the Holy Spirit would be sent to be with them. Jesus went so far as to say that “it would be to their benefit if he went away because the Holy Spirit could not be sent in fullness until that happened.”

The Holy Spirit will be revealed in the lives of believer and in the world. The Spirit will convict of sin, will reveal the truth of righteousness, and about the ruler of this world, i.e. Satan, being judged in the end.

A critical part of this teaching is that Jesus called the Holy Spirit—Counselor and Truth! How vital that is in our lives to know that He will guide us into all truth and be there to guide us through this life. He will make Jesus clearly known to us and the end goal is for the Lord to be glorified in our lives.

One of the things that I feel is important in studying God’s Word is to always ask the questions of who, what, where, why, and how. It seems simple enough but what this does is help to discover that there are principles we can learn from the stories of Scripture that can then be related to our own lives in one way or another. Not every story is because the person was holier than another or whatever but because God chose to use this person and to place the Spirit of God upon them at a specific time and purpose. Yet, we can gain wisdom, understanding, and principles in life from these various stories. Again, it is the Spirit of God that opens our hearts and minds to understand and apply these various principles in our own lives. Let us look at a few of them that I have discovered:

1.     Exodus 31:1-4  “Then the Lord said to Moses, ² “See, I have chosen Bezalel son of Uri, the son of Hur, of the tribe of Judah, ³ and I have filled him with the Spirit of God, with skill, ability and knowledge in all kinds of crafts to make artistic designs for work in gold, silver, and bronze, to cut and set stones, to work in wood, and to engage in all kinds of craftmanship.”

a.      In the chapters in Exodus preceding these verses God has been giving very specific instructions to Moses in regard to the building of the Tabernacle and everything that was to be within it for worship.  From the aspects of curtains to altars for incense etc. Such finite detail and here the people are wandering in the wilderness and on their way to entering into the Promised Land. It could be overwhelming if you go in and read all the precise details the Lord was giving. Yet, in this God had a plan and he had people chosen to do the work.

b.     Principle: The Holy Spirit can give ability and knowledge to be creative, to be artistic, and to be excellent in areas of craftmanship.

                                                             i.      These aspects can be manifested in our lives in so many different and delightful ways. We can often get frustrated when we don’t understand something but if we can just take a breath and ask the Lord to show us—He will. The clarity that the Spirit can bring into our thought patterns can be enormous!

2.     1 Corinthians 2:9-12 “However, as it is written: “What no eye has seen,    what no ear has heard, and what no human mind has conceived” the things God has prepared for those who love him— ¹⁰ these are the things God has revealed to us by his Spirit. The Spirit searches all things, even the deep things of God. ¹¹ For who knows a person’s thoughts except their own spirit within them? In the same way no one knows the thoughts of God except the Spirit of God. ¹² What we have received is not the spirit of the world, but the Spirit who is from God, so that we may understand what God has freely given us.

a.      It goes on to say in verse 16 that we have the mind of Christ.

b.     Principle: The Holy Spirit brings to us the wisdom and understanding of what we have received already from God. The Spirit of God enables our minds to understand God’s Word and His Ways. If we understand that God knows all things then this principle helps us to know that whatever is happening in your life, the Holy Spirit can provide to you the wisdom needed.

                                                             i.      We all know that things can often take time and understanding may not always be right at our fingertips. Sometimes, in the midst of discovery, the Lord is patient with us and wants us to learn to wait on His timing and not our own.

                                                           ii.      There are portions of the Bible that I come to over and over again and question and think about. Often asking myself, what does this mean and is the Lord speaking to me from this today, if so, help me to listen and to learn.

3.     Judges 15:13-15  “Agreed, they answered, “we will only tie you up and hand you over to them. We will not kill you. So, they bound him with two new ropes and led him up from the rock. As he approached Lehi, the Philistines came toward him shouting. The Spirit of the Lord came upon him in power. The ropes on his arms became like charred flax, and the bindings dropped from his hands. Finding a fresh jawbone of a donkey, he grabbed it and struck down a thousand men.”

a.      The story of Samson is quite a story. It reads like a soap opera! Prior to these verses Samson had taken revenge on the Philistines for giving his wife to another man and now the Philistines were coming after him.

b.     Two times before this verse we read how the Spirit of God came upon Samson to kill a lion and another time to strip 30 men of their clothes to give to others to whom he lost a riddle bet! But these men had tricked him by putting pressure on his then Philistine wife and she cried for a week until he gave her the answer to a riddle!

c.      Principle: The Spirit of God can give us strength to fight life’s biggest challenges.

4.     Matthew 1:18 “This is how the birth of Jesus Christ came about: His mother Mary was pledged to be married to Joseph, but before they came together, she was found to be with child through the Holy Spirit.

a.      John 14:12 “I tell you the truth, anyone who had faith in me will do what I have been doing. He will even do greater things that these because I am going to the Father.”

b.     Principle: The Spirit of God can birth the supernatural.

5.     1 Corinthians 2:10—But God has revealed it to us by His Spirit.

a.     Revelation 1:10-11a “I was in the Spirit on the Lord’s Day, and I heard behind me a loud voice, like a trumpet saying, ‘Write what you see in a book and send it to the seven churches…”

b.     Principle: the Spirit of God can give us divine revelation. Direction that we otherwise would not have had on our own. The Holy Spirit can clarify what could otherwise have been confusing or unknown at the time.

6.     Acts 4:31 “And when they had prayed, the place in which they were gathered together was shaken and they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and continued to speak the word of God with boldness.”

a.     Principle: The Holy Spirit helps us to not be timid in our faith but to speak boldly when necessary and needed.

All of these various principles are only a portion of how the Spirit of God works in our lives. The Holy Spirit is our moment by moment, 24/7, 365 helper and sustainer of our faith. We would do very well to recognize His work in and through us more and more.