David Diga Hernandez - Don't Hurt Your Friend, the Precious Holy Spirit

I want to talk to you about the personal nature of the Holy Spirit and how He can actually be grieved. The Holy Spirit is a person; by that, I don’t mean that He’s a human being; I mean that there’s a personal nature to Him. The Holy Spirit is more than a force or a feeling; He’s a friend you can know. You can know the Holy Spirit as a friend, but you must learn to walk in obedience and surrender to the person of the Holy Spirit, because, as I’m going to show you, He can be grieved by the way we behave. John chapter 15, verse 26 says, «But I will send you the Advocate, the Spirit of Truth. He will come to you from the Father and will testify all about Me.» Here, the scripture calls Him «He.» John 16:13 and 14 says, «But when He, the Spirit of Truth, comes, He will guide you into all truth, for He will not speak of His own initiative, but whatever He hears, He will speak, and He will disclose to you what is to come. He will glorify Me and He will take of Mine and will disclose it to you.» The Bible refers to the Holy Spirit as a «who» and not a «what.» First John chapter 5, verses 6 through 8 says this: «And Jesus Christ was revealed as God’s Son by His baptism in water and by shedding His blood on the cross, not by water only, but by water and blood; and the Spirit who is truth confirms it with His testimony. So we have these three witnesses: the Spirit, the water, and the blood; all three agree.» Now, at this point, someone might be wondering, «Well, if the Holy Spirit is a person, then why do we call Him the Holy Spirit?» Well, that’s His title. We also say «the Father» and «the Son, ” but the Father we understand is still a person, and the Son we understand is still a person. So the Holy Spirit— that’s His title; He’s still a person. Furthermore, the scripture shows us that the Holy Spirit has a will. First Corinthians chapter 12, verse 11 says, „But all these works are that one and the same Spirit, dividing to every man severally as He will.“ I used to imagine that the Holy Spirit was just a mist floating in the air or something about the atmosphere—perhaps just a power or an influence. But the Holy Spirit is a person; He can be known, and in fact, He desires a friendship with you. Friends of the Holy Spirit walk in boldness when they evangelize; they pray sincerely; they worship with depth; they read the scripture with understanding because the Holy Spirit is right there aiding them in their understanding of the scripture. They overcome sin; they love others; they demonstrate the fruits of the Holy Spirit. I don’t know about you, but I want to be a friend of the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit can speak. Acts chapter 8, verse 29 says, „The Holy Spirit said to Philip, ‘Go over and walk along beside the carriage.’“ The Holy Spirit is referred to as the Lord. Second Corinthians chapter 3, verse 17 says, „Now the Lord is that Spirit, and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is liberty.“ So, He’s a personal being, a third member of the Trinity. He is God, and He can be known by you. God the Father is seated upon the throne; God the Son sits at His right hand, and the Holy Spirit dwells in you. The Holy Spirit can be known on a personal basis while you’re here upon the Earth. He has a will; He has a mind; He is a person that can be known, and He walks with you 24/7, day by day. He’ll guide you; He’ll protect you; He’ll correct you; and think about this: what greater advantage is there in life than having the presence of the Holy Spirit abide with you? He sustains you, and He empowers you unto holy living. Now, Ephesians 4:30 says something quite powerful: „And do not bring sorrow to God’s Holy Spirit by the way you live.“ Remember, the scripture says He has identified you as His own, guaranteeing that you will be saved on the day of redemption. Let me read that again, and I want you to really listen. I know I just read it, but please, we must learn to meditate on the Word, and meditation is simply repetition in thought—not in the New Age sense, which says empty your mind—but in a biblical sense, which says fill your mind with God’s Word. Ephesians 4:30, „And do not bring sorrow to God’s Holy Spirit.“ So, He has feelings, and „grieve not the Spirit, ” some translations say. By the way you live, your actions can grieve Him. The way you behave can either please Him or hurt Him. Remember, He has identified you as His own, guaranteeing that you will be saved on the day of redemption. Now, this is different, again, than the everywhere-ness of the Holy Spirit, the omnipresence of the Holy Spirit. Yes, we understand in a greater sense the Holy Spirit is everywhere at all times; He is omnipresent. But the way He dwells with the believer is not the way that He dwells with the unbeliever. The way He dwells with the believer is a special localized influence that He has over body, soul, and spirit. He that is joined to the Lord is one spirit with Him, the Bible says. Many have asked, „Well, how can the Holy Spirit, who is holy, dwell with sinful man? How can He dwell with the believer, say, who’s struggling with sin?“ Well, that’s the power of the atonement; that’s the power of justification; that’s what it means to be redeemed. He’s redeeming you. It’s because of…