First Work of the Holy Spirit

First Work of the Holy Spirit

 When we meet the Holy Spirit

It feels like we got our hand in the cookie jar.

 

  

Before Jesus went to be with the Father,

He said the Holy Spirit would come after Him.

His words in John 16

give us the purpose for the Spirit’s coming.

Although the three purposes mentioned here

are not conclusive of the Spirit’s purpose.

The Holy Spirit is now in the world to do three things:

Convict the World of Sin

Righteousness

Judgment

This is the first work of the Holy Spirit.

It is the way we get acquainted with the Holy Spirit.

When the Spirit comes knocking on our door,

guilt fills our hearts

because of sin.

The Spirit then reveals two options to our sin:

 Righteousness

through Jesus

or

Judgment

the penalty for sin

If we choose righteousness,

then the Holy Spirit

works to clean us up.

Galatians 5 lists

the fruit of the Spirit’s work

in our lives.

Old things that you used to do

begin to go by the wayside

and everything in your life

becomes new.

As every aspect of your life is changing,

you will discover changes in your life.

Those changes are called

fruits of the Spirit.

Every area of your life will produce…

love, joy, peace, patience,

kindness, goodness,

faithfulness, gentleness

and self-control.

The first working of the Holy Spirit

in our lives

is to work Character.

Scripture Reading

John 16:5-11 NIV

5 "Now I am going to him who sent me,

yet none of you asks me,

'Where are you going?'

6 Because I have said these things, you are filled with grief.

7 But I tell you the truth: It is for your good that I am going away.

Unless I go away, the Counselor will not come to you;

but if I go, I will send him to you.

8 When he comes,

he will convict the world of guilt

in regard to sin and righteousness and judgment:

9 in regard to sin, because men do not believe in me;

10 in regard to righteousness,

because I am going to the Father,

where you can see me no longer;

11 and in regard to judgment,

because the prince of this world now stands condemned.

2 Corinthians 5:16-18 NIV

16 So from now on we regard no one from a worldly point of view.

Though we once regarded Christ in this way, we do so no longer.

17 Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation;

the old has gone, the new has come!

Galatians 5:16-25 NIV

16 So I say, live by the Spirit, and you will not gratify the desires of the sinful nature.

17 For the sinful nature desires what is contrary to the Spirit,

and the Spirit what is contrary to the sinful nature.

They are in conflict with each other, so that you do not do what you want.

18 But if you are led by the Spirit, you are not under law.

19 The acts of the sinful nature are obvious:

sexual immorality, impurity and debauchery; 20 idolatry and witchcraft;

hatred, discord, jealousy, fits of rage, selfish ambition, dissensions,

factions 21 and envy; drunkenness, orgies, and the like.

I warn you, as I did before,

that those who live like this will not inherit the kingdom of God.

22 But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience,

kindness, goodness, faithfulness, 23 gentleness and self-control.

Against such things there is no law.

24 Those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the sinful nature

with its passions and desires.

25 Since we live by the Spirit, let us keep in step with the Spirit.