The Holy Spirit

Archived on June 18th, 2006

The Holy "Ghost" aka The Holy Spirit
We're going to talk about The Holy "Ghost" today. Many call our Father a "Ghost", I choose to call Him a Spirit because we are told that He is a Spirit and the Greek word encountered where "Ghost" is written is closer to The Holy or Sacred Spirit. Our English word "ghost" usually represents some kind of "evil" spirit, not a Holy Spirit that dwells within. Let's look at the Greek words here.

Holy: G40 hagios, hagios , hag'-ee-os
From hagos (an awful thing) compare G53, [H2282]; sacred (physically pure, morally blameless or religious, ceremonially consecrated)

Ghost: G4151 pneumam pneuma pnyoo'-mah
From G4154; a current of air, that is, breath (blast) or a breeze; by analogy or figuratively a spirit, that is, (human) the rational soul, (by implication) vital principle, mental disposition, etc., or (superhuman) an angel, daemon, or (divine) God, Christ's spirit, the Holy spirit

Anytime you encounter the words, Holy and Ghost used together in the New Testament, these are the two Greek words that are used.
There are those who accept Christ and then think they have to wait for the Holy Spirit in the sign of a gift. I know of one man who prayed for 35 years to receive the Holy Spirit, he never spoke in "tongues" according to that church's belief and quit going to church at all, he gave up. This is not good, especially since he already had the Holy Spirit, but didn't understand that fact. I am hoping to show today, that when we accept Christ, the Holy Spirit begins dwelling with us, we don't have to wait on Him, but He is waiting on us to come to Him and accept Him. Let's turn to the Gospel of John, chapter 4 and start at verse 5.

John 4:5-42
(5) Then cometh he to a city of Samaria, which is called Sychar, near to the parcel of ground that Jacob gave to his son Joseph.
First we must realize that this is a Samaritan town, which Jesus has come to. The Samaritan and Jews did not get along most of the time very well. We will discuss this more a little later. Sychar is known today as Nablus. It was called Shechem in olden times. Sychar is located about 35 miles north of Jerusalem.

(6) Now Jacob's well was there. Jesus therefore, being wearied with his journey, sat thus on the well: and it was about the sixth hour.
Jacob probably dug this well on the land that was given to his sons. Jesus rests here on the well around 6 PM.

(7) There cometh a woman of Samaria to draw water: Jesus saith unto her, Give me to drink.
(8) (For his disciples were gone away unto the city to buy meat.)
The woman came to draw some water, Jesus asks her to give him some while He waited for the disciples to return from the city.
(9) Then saith the woman of Samaria unto him, How is it that thou, being a Jew, askest drink of me, which am a woman of Samaria? for the Jews have no dealings with the Samaritans.
Here we are now, and the woman points out that she is a Samaritan. The Samaritans and the Jewish folk had a long history at that time of pretty much a "Keeping up with the Jones" mentality, except this was in the religious department. The Samaritans built a bigger temple on that mount and stood by the Laws more strict. Their entire canon was only the Pentateuch aka The Five Books of Moses. There was some bad blood between these two peoples and a little research will fill you in on that subject. For now let's stick to the subject at hand, I will say point out that God is no respecter of persons concerning salvation and anyone can be saved with the exception of satan who is already condemned. This woman likewise would be saved as she believes on Him.


(10) Jesus answered and said unto her, If thou knewest the gift of God, and who it is that saith to thee, Give me to drink; thou wouldest have asked of him, and he would have given thee living water.
Jesus makes an interesting statement to the woman. "If you knew the gift of God and who is asking you for a drink of water, you would ask Him (for the living water) and he would give it to you"
What is the gift of God?
For the wages of sin is death; but the gift of God> is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord. (Romans 6:23)
There you have it! Eternal life. If she knew that He was bringing Eternal life to the world, she would have asked for that living water, or water of life.

(11) The woman saith unto him, Sir, thou hast nothing to draw with, and the well is deep: from whence then hast thou that living water?
(12) Art thou greater than our father Jacob, which gave us the well, and drank thereof himself, and his children, and his cattle?
She did not quite understand what he was speaking of yet. You see that she speaks of "our father Jacob", though the Samaritans were originally transplanted Assyrians, by that time they had mingled with the Hebrew nation probably more for spite than anything. She will find out next what the water is, that He is about to give her. Not H2O but Pure flowing water from the River of Life.

(13) Jesus answered and said unto her, Whosoever drinketh of this water shall thirst again:
(14) But whosoever drinketh of the water that I shall give him shall never thirst; but the water that I shall give him shall be in him a well of water springing up into everlasting life.
This is one of my favorite analogies. Eternal life fed by the Spirit of God. When you have the living water, the River of Life which flows from God's throne, you know where you're going. You know that He is your Father, and that His Spirit dwells within you.
When we are given that water, through our belief, it wells up in us, cleansing the old creature and making this vessel as white as snow, where the Holy Spirit then rests.
There are people who walk through this life, trying to fill a hole in their life. They drink up money, sex, drugs in trying to quench their thirst. That thirst can never be quenched with worldly things. Only through the living water can our cup be filled forevermore!

(15) The woman saith unto him, Sir, give me this water, that I thirst not, neither come hither to draw.
Jesus has her attention now! She wants some of this water. Though she still doesn't quite get his Spiritual analogy, she will soon understand it.

(16) Jesus saith unto her, Go, call thy husband, and come hither.
(17) The woman answered and said, I have no husband. Jesus said unto her, Thou hast well said, I have no husband:
(18) For thou hast had five husbands; and he whom thou now hast is not thy husband: in that saidst thou truly.
(19) The woman saith unto him, Sir, I perceive that thou art a prophet.
Her eyes are beginning to see now. Jesus is telling her all about herself without ever meeting her…in the flesh.

(20) Our fathers worshipped in this mountain; and ye say, that in Jerusalem is the place where men ought to worship.
The Samaritans had that temple built and worshipped God, but they also had idols and other things set up. The whole point is that, the Jews strictly worshipped at the temple in Jerusalem, so religious, so traditional. Too bad they didn't understand the Holy Spirit at the time.

(21) Jesus saith unto her, Woman, believe me, the hour cometh, when ye shall neither in this mountain, nor yet at Jerusalem, worship the Father.
Jesus is laying down a very important teaching here. There is coming a time when you would not go to a mountain or a temple to worship

(22) Ye worship ye know not what: we know what we worship: for salvation is of the Jews.
Once again, they didn't know Who they were worshipping; it was just another God to them. The "God of the Jews". This is why Jesus would say "salvation is of the Jews". It is through God and now His Son.

(23) But the hour cometh, and now is, when the true worshippers shall worship the Father in spirit and in truth: for the Father seeketh such to worship him.
(24) God is a Spirit: and they that worship him must worship him in spirit and in truth.
Here you go, this is true church right here. That hour that moment is now come that true worshippers, true lovers of God should worship Him in Spirit and in truth. Jesus explains that God is a Spirit. Those who worship Him must worship Him in Spirit, the Spirit dwelling in them. There is no other way to truly worship our Father but through the Spirit.
This word "Spirit" is that same Greek word mentioned above, pneuma. The living water was given. A free gift. The woman's eyes were opening wide.

(25) The woman saith unto him, I know that Messias cometh, which is called Christ: when he is come, he will tell us all things.
She was seeing who Jesus was and this statement was more of a "hmm" statement. "hmm, the guy just told me everything about my life, my 'husbands" and all, and now he is telling me this." Any doubt she may have had was dispersed with what Jesus said next.

(26) Jesus saith unto her, I that speak unto thee am he.
Whoa! Blow me down. You know the Hallelujah bumps jumped up on that woman.

(27) And upon this came his disciples, and marvelled that he talked with the woman: yet no man said, What seekest thou? or, Why talkest thou with her?
(28) The woman then left her waterpot, and went her way into the city, and saith to the men,
(29) Come, see a man, which told me all things that ever I did: is not this the Christ?
The disciples, seeing that the woman was a Samaritan, were kind of wondering. Jesus was bringing salvation even to the Samaritans. The woman's mouth probably dropped open, she dropped her pot and runs into the city to tell all the men who she just met!
The spirit was dwelling within her, she could confess: "Is not this the Christ?"
Hereby know ye the Spirit of God: Every spirit that confesseth that Jesus Christ is come in the flesh is of God: (1 John 4:2)

The Holy Spirit dwelled within her as she believed. As the scripture continues, many people believed that He was Christ simply from her testimony of how He knew her. Many of the townsfolk came back with her to see Him and believed on Him there. Jesus told the disciples, "The fields are white for the harvest", speaking of those people coming and being "wheat" that He would gather into the barn.

Act 1:5 For John truly baptized with water; but ye shall be baptized with the Holy Ghost not many days hence

Jesus told them this after he had appeared to them for forty days after His resurrection and was to ascend. It would have been 10 days later when they received the Holy Spirit, the comforter, God dwelling within.

Act 2:38 Then Peter said unto them, Repent, and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins, and ye shall receive the gift of the Holy Ghost.
Act 2:39 For the promise is unto you, and to your children, and to all that are afar off, even as many as the Lord our God shall call.
This promise of the Holy Spirit was given to all who would receive Jesus, upon accepting Jesus, through Confession. The word "for" here actually means in or into. So be baptized into Christ and the freedom from sin. To receive the Holy Spirit.
In doing this, God begins dwelling within us.

Joh 15:5 I am the vine, ye are the branches: He that abideth in me, and I in him, the same bringeth forth much fruit: for without me ye can do nothing.
Live within the Vine and He will live within you. Upon belief, we are given that gift of God, eternal life. The woman received that gift of eternal life as her eyes were opened and she realized that Jesus was the Christ, the anointed of the Father. She received that living water and it sprung up within her bringing true life, eternal life and living water to the whole town.
The woman went to the well to draw water to quench the thirst of the flesh which continually comes back and more water needed. She took a water pot full of living water back to the townsfolk instead, a vessel full of the Spirit of God and let them drink, so that their Spiritual thirst, the thirst that matters, would be quenched forevermore.

God bless you, I hope this message has made your load lighter. I hope that you have drunk of the River of life and accepted Jesus as your savior. Spiritual water will never leave you thirsty for another way of life.
Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me. (John 14:6)

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