The Person And Power Of The Holy Spirit Part 1 by Pastor Philip Olubakin: MP3 Download & Sermon Notes

The Holy Spirit Is Not a New Testament Phenomenon

The Holy Spirit is not a Pentecostal or charismatic phenomenon — He did not begin in Acts 2. He has been present from the beginning, and He is not a force; He is a person, with many names throughout scripture.

1. The Spirit of Creation

Genesis 1:1-2 — "In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth. And the earth was without form, and void; and darkness was upon the face of the deep. And the Spirit of God moved upon the face of the waters." When the earth He had made became void and empty, the Spirit of God moved — He didn't leave it in that state, and He will not leave your life void either, no matter how empty of testimony or glory it currently looks. Matthew 4:16 — "the people which sat in darkness saw a great light." He can see in the dark, and He does not leave you there.

2. The Spirit of Empowerment

Scripture calls Him "the hand of the Lord" — He came upon Samson to tear a lion apart, and upon Saul and David to win wars they could not have won by natural strength alone. Peter said, "We have toiled all night and caught nothing... but at thy word we will let down the net." That thing you have tried in your own strength without success — this is the season it becomes possible, not by your effort but by His empowerment.

3. The Spirit of Skill and Craftsmanship

Exodus 31:2-5 — "I have called by name Bezalel, the son of Uri... and I have filled him with the spirit of God, in wisdom, and in understanding, and in knowledge, and in all manner of workmanship... to work in gold, and in silver, and in brass, and in cutting of stones... and in carving of timber." Bezalel wasn't merely skilled in one craft — he was a master across many, by the Spirit of God resting on him. Skill, expertise, and innovation can be an inspiration of the Spirit, not merely a product of natural talent or training.

A Word for This Season

Romans 9:28 — "he will finish the work, and cut it short in righteousness: because a short work will the Lord make upon the earth." There is such a thing as a righteous shortcut — a work that would ordinarily take years compressed into days, the way the entire heaven and earth was created in six days. Psalm 40:1-3 — "I waited patiently for the Lord; and he inclined unto me, and heard my cry. He brought me up also out of an horrible pit, out of the miry clay, and set my feet upon a rock... and he hath put a new song in my mouth." He hears; He is not deaf, and He is not blind to where you currently stand.