Charles Stanley - God the Holy Spirit Our Helper
When you trusted the Lord Jesus Christ as your Savior, you probably thought things were going to be rather easy for you. It just may be that things got tougher for you, and as a result, you began to question God, where He was, and why didn't He answer your prayers and why didn't He keep His Word? Well, He has kept His Word. God always keeps His Word. He knows that all of us will face situations and circumstances in life that, it's difficult for us. We don't know which way to turn. This is why He said to His disciples before He left, He was going to send them Someone that He called the Helper. And this Helper would be with them throughout their life. This Helper is called the Holy Spirit. Because you see, God has made an awesome deposit for everyone who is willing to believe Him, willing to trust Him.
The Bible talks about God being God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit: the three Persons of the Trinity, and sometimes people are confused with that. So, I want to show you a brief diagram just to give you an idea that, really, they're all one. And if you'll notice, there is God. There's God the Father who is the Creator and the sovereign Ruler of the universe, God the Son: Savior and our Lord, God the Holy Spirit: our Helper and our Empowerer. All three Persons of the Trinity make up the Godhead. So, in this message, I want us to see what God has done for you, what is at your fingertips, what is deposited in your heavenly account—if you are willing to yield yourself to Him and draw from these awesome reserves that God has placed at your account.
What do you do when you go through difficult times? When you find yourself, maybe your back's to the wall, you don't know what to do, who do you go to? Do you cry out to God? Probably do at some point. But what I want you to see is this. That God has very specifically said, "I have sent you a Helper". A Helper is someone who's going to be there for you when you need Him. In fact, this Helper's going to always be there. So, I want you to turn to the fourteenth chapter of John because Jesus, right before He was crucified, the night before, He told them some of the most awesome things. And He was preparing them because He was going to be crucified, listen, the next day. He was going to the cross the next day. He was going to the tomb. He was going to be resurrected, and then at another point out there He would meet them. But at this point, it looked very dismal. He'd made all these promises and now He's getting ready to die. And in spite of all the things He said, He's going to die, that overshadowed everything else.
So, if you'll look in the fifteenth verse of the fourteenth chapter of John, "If you love Me, you will keep My commandments". And then He said, knowing He's getting ready to leave them, "I will ask the Father," now watch this, here's the whole Trinity in one verse, "I will ask the Father," that's Jesus speaking, "and He will give you another," and capital H the, "Helper," who is the Holy Spirit, "that He may be with you," for how long? "Forever". Not a short period of time, but forever. He says, "I'm leaving you, but I'm going to give you a Helper, capital, that is a Person of the Trinity, the Holy Spirit. He's going to be with you forever". "That is the Spirit of truth, whom the world cannot receive, because it does not see Him or know Him, but you know Him because He abides with you and will be in you. I will not leave you as orphans, I will come to you".
At no point, since the moment you trusted Christ as your personal Savior, have you ever been alone. At no point have you ever been helpless. You may have felt helpless, but when you trusted Jesus as your Savior, God's seal upon you, His absolute assurance to you is the indwelling presence of the Holy Spirit: God the Father, God the Son, God the Holy Spirit, three Persons of the Trinity, your guarantee that you're going to heaven when you die. So, I wonder, in your personal life, what part does the Holy Spirit and what part has the Holy Spirit had in your life? You probably got saved like I did, and they told me at twelve years of age, "Charles, you be a good boy, and one of these days you'll die and go to heaven". Being a good boy was a little tough at twelve years of age. But anyway, that's all they told me, that's it, be good.
Well, oftentimes I wasn't always good. That's all they never told me that I had this awesome Holy Spirit within me to help me to grow up, help me to be what God wanted me to be, help me to do what God wanted me to, didn't tell me any a thing like that. The same God who saved you, saved me, the same Holy Spirit who indwells me, indwells you. And when I think about people who go to church twenty, thirty, forty, fifty years, and that person lived their whole life and never knew the treasure of their life, living within them and they never were told about Him. And I think about whoever you are and wherever you go to church, if you never hear about the Holy Spirit, you need to change churches. Because somebody isn't telling you the whole story. The whole story is God the Father, God the Son, and God our Helper the Holy Spirit.
So, He said to them, "I'm going away and I'm going to send you another". That is, the Holy Spirit will be your Comforter. Now, watch this carefully. What is the work of the Holy Spirit? What does He do in a person's life? What I want you to realize is this. I'm simply going to tell you what's true. I'm going to tell you what's true about you. I'm going to tell you about this awesome asset that God has deposited within you to help you every single moment of your life, as much as you're willing to call upon Him, trust in Him and rely upon Him, believe Him, what He'll do for your life. I'm simply saying you have God, the Holy Spirit, living within you. And notice what He called, Jesus called the Holy Spirit: Helper. How many of you have ever needed help? Every one of us needed help. And we have the great, infinite, awesome, all-powerful Helper, living inside of us, willing to give us direction and guidance and other help when that help is needed. So, let's look at it for a moment.
So, what is one of the first works of the Holy Spirit? When you were saved, how were you saved? The work of the Holy Spirit. "And when the Holy Spirit comes, He will convict the world concerning sin, righteousness, and judgment". That is, one of His first works in our life is to convict us of sin, to make us realize that we're sinning against God, and that we need a Savior. And, He lives within us. Therefore, when you and I daily in our life, when we have a bad thought or say something we shouldn't, treat somebody the way we shouldn't treat them, fail to do what we need to do. That feeling we get is not just a feeling. That is the work of the Holy Spirit, reminding us of who we are: followers of Jesus, and that shouldn't be in our life, this shouldn't be in our life, that's what should be in our life. That's who you should love. In other words, He's at work in our life. Whoever you are, whether you recognize it or not, He's at work in your life. You may think it's just your feeling. The Spirit of God is at work in your life.
A second thing He does is very important, is found in Ephesians one thirteen which says this, "In Him," that is, in Jesus, "you also, after listening to the message of truth, the gospel of your salvation, also believed". He says, "You, having also believed, you were sealed in Him with the Holy Spirit of promise". Now, what does that tell you? Watch this carefully. A seal in those days meant something was authentic, something was authentic. It also spoke of ownership. It also spoke of protection. We have within us an awesome protector. And so, he says, "The Holy Spirit of God has sealed us". Now, what does that mean? To you, for example, who had been taught that you can be saved and lose your salvation, that's not true.
Listen, God doesn't break His own seals. He sealed you, which means, just what we said. You're owned by God. God is living within you. You're under His divine protection. And everything we need He has provided. And so, when we think in terms of the Holy Spirit, we're not talking about some spirit. We're talking about the Person of the Godhead living within you has sealed you. Now, what does that say about people who think you can be saved and be lost? Watch this: who can break a divine seal? The devil can't. You can't. You wouldn't want to. And so, here's what God's saying. When you trusted Him as your personal Savior, He sealed you as one of His children. You are forever a child of God. Now, I know what some people are thinking. Well, that means, well, I can just sin like the devil and I'll be saved. Try it. The Holy Spirit within you, first of all, will convict you and make you miserable. He's going to make you miserable for years if it's necessary, keeping reminding you that you're living an ungodly life, you're living an unholy life. God isn't pleased with that. You're going to miss blessing after blessing after blessing.
And then people wonder, "Well, what's wrong with my life"? What's wrong with your life is sin in your life, you're ignoring the Holy Spirit who's trying to say, "Look, look, look, look what you're doing. That's not necessary". That is God's awesome love. The Holy Spirit has sealed you with a divine heavenly seal. You are His. He's your Helper. Then a third thing He does, and this simple way of saying what we are saying, in Romans eight eleven: He indwells us. That isn't something that the Holy Spirit's up in heaven and we're down here and it's a long ways. I'm not sure and on we go. Listen to this, "But if the Spirit of Him who raised Jesus from the dead dwells in you, He who raised Jesus from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies through His Holy Spirit who indwells you". That is, we have a gift that is an eternal gift and that's the Holy Spirit marked by His ownership. So, when, listen to this, when you and I sin against God, we are violating His principles, violating the very person He sent to seal us to make us one of His own, to be our Helper.
We are His children. We are under His divine leadership. He says He indwells us. I wonder how people would live if they thought every day, "I'm indwelt by Holy God". If you thought in your life every single day, when you wake up in the morning, that you're indwelt by Holy God, because you are, the Holy Spirit. He's there to indwell us, to enable us to do anything and everything that He's required of us. A fourth thing He does is He teaches us. Listen to the fourteenth chapter of John the twenty-sixth verse, "But the Helper, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in My name, He will teach you all things, and bring all things to your remembrance".
Now, think about this. The moment you and I were saved, we have the Teacher, the Teacher above all teachers within us. He's the One who helps us understand the truth. He's the One who helps us convey truth to other people. He's the Teacher. For example, when you find yourself in a difficult situation and you're looking for a passage of Scripture, Lord, what should I read? He's the One who will show you where to go. He's the One who will interpret the Word of God. He's the One who will encourage you. He says He's our Helper. He encourages us, bringing us to the right passage, helping us to see what God thinks about our situation, what the circumstances are. We have this awesome asset that many people ignore in their life. And they'll say, "Well, I don't read the Bible much because I don't understand it". How do you learn to understand the Word of God? By reading it and by trusting the Holy Spirit.
Think how many times you've faced a difficult situation in your life and what did you do? You turned to a passage of Scripture or you were just flipping through the Bible and this particular verse hit you. And you think, "God, You know I needed that". Yes, He does. That's why He led you there. Watch what He says. He says, "I'm sending you another capital H, Helper". We have a divine, supernatural, godly Helper within us to help us in every circumstance of our life. And then of course, He will guide us, "When He, the Spirit of truth, comes, He will guide you into all truth". So, somebody says, "Well, you know, I'm trying to make a decision in my life, and I've evaluated this and that and the other and I've talked to thus and so". Have you talked to God? The Holy Spirit who lives within you is willing to give you guidance in every single decision you face.
When you're making a decision in your business, making a decision in your personal life, relationship to others, financial, whatever it might be, do you ask Him to give you direction? He will give us, He will show us the truth. "When He comes, He will guide us into all truth". That is, you can't think of a question about your life in which you need something that He won't show you what to do. He's there to show you, to give you divine guidance and direction. What about your children, for example? You want your children when they get into a situation, they don't know what to do, they want you to come to them as parents and ask and trust you to help them. And so, we get into situations and circumstances we don't know what to do, what do we do? We run to ask somebody else. It's okay to ask somebody else, but you should ask God first. If you will ask the Lord first, Lord, give me wisdom and direction. He says He will guide us into all truth. Whatever I need in direction, He's more than willing to show us if we're willing to take the time to ask Him and believe what He says.
Now, sometimes, if you ask Him about something, what He tells you is not going to be as easy as what your friends tell you. First of all, they don't know anything about it anyway. They just know partly. But the Holy Spirit of God is willing to teach you and to show you exactly what to do in every single situation. Then I think about what He says that He does in and through us in Galatians chapter five twenty-two, here's what he says. He says, "The fruit of the Spirit," that is, this is what He produces in us. See if it's in you. "The fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control". You see any of those you need? I need them all. And the truth is we all need them all.
Well look, look at this. Somebody's giving you a hard time and you feel very impatient, but you can't really afford to do that, you can't be impatient. You have the Holy Spirit to give you His patience. Sometimes, for example, somebody that you just don't love, in fact, they're just obnoxious and you think, you sit in church and listen to sermons and you stand up and sing and you pray, but deep down in your heart you can't stand them. So, what happens? You ask the Holy Spirit, let me tell you something. It will be amazing at how God can change your attitude towards somebody that you don't want anything to do with. Now, you don't tell Him how to do it. You just say, "Lord, You know I don't love them, this is a reason I don't. Here's what You said. God, You've just got to love them through me". You will be amazed what God'll do in your life. That'll change your attitude and you'll think, "Well, Lord, I didn't know I was that obnoxious myself".
And so, everything begins to change. Why? And listen, patience, joy, peace, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control, all of us need self-control. Where do we get it? We trust the Holy Spirit to exercise self-control through us. That's what you tell Him. "Holy Spirit, I want You to exercise self-control. What I see, what I do, what I hear, I want Your control in my life, not mine". He will exercise that through us. And so, as you and I yield to the Holy Spirit, here's what happens. All nine gifts of the Spirit, the Spirit of God begins to work them into our life. And so, what happens? Our life changes. And then, He also has, as one of His responsibilities, to remind us. Look in John 14 the twenty-sixth verse for a moment. And He says to them, "But the Helper," capital H, the Holy Spirit, "the Helper, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in My name, He will teach you all things, and bring to your remembrance all that I said to you".
Now, think about this. These twelve disciples had walked with Jesus for three years. They had seen a lot, they'd heard a lot, from walking on water to feeding five thousand to healing Bartimaeus to raising Lazarus. They'd seen a lot. Now, watch this. So, their life was consumed with this miraculous life, but all of a sudden, He's gone. And they're over here, watch this, they had no notes. They didn't have a note pad. They didn't have a computer. They didn't have a Bible. Think about where that left them. All they had is what they remembered. How much did they remember? Imagine walking with Him three years and seeing this and that and never knowing what was going to happen and doubting Him here and there and so forth, and all of a sudden, He's gone. This is the reason He said to them, "Sit down in the city of Jerusalem until you be filled, endued with the Holy Spirit, who will bring all things to your remembrance".
Think about how much you remember when you have read the Word of God. We are gifted with a treasure called the Bible. And the Holy Spirit, our Teacher, our Guide, the One who helps us to interpret it. You can read it, you can hear it, but most of all, you apply it. God didn't leave us empty. So, when you trust Jesus as your Savior, you receive this awesome treasure of the Holy Spirit. So, when you think about that, think about how sufficient He is. And then of course, He says He will equip us with spiritual gifts in the twelfth chapter of First Corinthians. What are spiritual gifts? Well, for example, there are probably seven major spiritual gifts. There's the gift of prophecy, of teaching, of mercy, encouragement, of service, of giving, of administration. All gifts probably fall into those seven. And so, the truth is, watch this, you have a spiritual gift. And so, He gives us the gifts and exercises those gifts in our life according to what He wants us to do, what He's called us to do.
Somebody says, "Well, I don't have any gifts". Yes, you do. You do have gifts. It's a question of asking God to show you. And thinking about what you do, what you need to do, what you need help in, and He'll show you what that is. Then of course, He empowers us. In that first chapter of Acts verse eight, He said, "You will receive power, after that, the Holy Spirit comes upon you, and you shall be my witness". That is, He will release within us the energy and the strength and the authority to do whatever He wants us to do. That's the promise of Almighty God. When you think you just can't go another step, what do you do? You ask the Holy Spirit to help you, to give you guidance, to give you strength and energy.
Watch this, the Holy Spirit is practical. The Holy Spirit does for us what we cannot do for ourselves. He has equipped us in every single area of our life. Then I'll just mention one other, and that is He says in Ephesians chapter five eighteen, "Be filled with the Spirit," which simply means this: continually allow the Holy Spirit to live in your life, give you guidance, give you direction, fill those needs, whatever those needs may be. To be filled with the Holy Spirit means we're to live in the conscious presence of the Holy Spirit living within us in order to help us and enable us. So that no believer has a legitimate excuse for not obeying God. He has equipped you to do whatever He wants you to do. He has equipped you to have enough of what He wants you to have, to understand what He wants you to understand, to be the person He wants you to be. You have not only the promise, but when He sealed you as a child of God, you are equipped to do and to become whatever God had in mind when He brought you into this world. Now, think about the people who've never heard that. They're just living out their life the best they can.
Haven't you heard people say, "Well, how you're doing"? "Just doing the best I can". That's no way to live. The best I can is not very good. The best He can is awesome, absolutely awesome, the best He can do. So, the Holy Spirit is our Helper, our friend, our sustainer, our provider. He's everything. Jesus said, "I'm going away, but I'll send you the Helper. And when He comes, here's what He'll do". So, let's go back, for a second, to this chapter. Fourteenth chapter. "I will ask the Father, and He will give you another Helper," capital H, "that He may be with you forever," not partially. "That is, the Spirit of truth, whom the world can't receive, they don't understand it because the world doesn't see Him or know Him, but you know Him because He abides with you and will be in you". "I will not leave you as orphans, I will come to you". Now, where do you get any more encouraging than that, amen? You should praising the Lord, thanking God for who He is in you, that He hasn't left you to do it yourself. Whatever you do in life, it's not you to just do it yourself. Four times He called the Holy Spirit the Helper to enable us, and to help us do His will. Amen?
Father, how grateful we are, we could never than You enough. We praise You for it, for giving us the Holy Spirit in our life every single day, to enable us to do and to be what You've called of us. I pray the Holy Spirit has spoken to every person here today. That every person will walk away encouraged in their heart, reminded in their heart, challenged in their heart, or convicted in their heart that You have something for them to do that fits Your will for their life, and I pray that they'll surrender to that. We love You and we praise You, and we bless Your holy name. And we pray this in Your wonderful, blessed name, Jesus. Amen.