Bible Study Lesson - The Seven Spirits of God

Bible Study Series: Holy Spirit - Roles, Types and Imagery

Bible Study Lesson: The Seven Spirits of God

by I Gordon

Welcome! This is the first message for the new year and in this new series I want to look at the critical role that the Holy Spirit plays in the life of believers and, to a lessor extent, unbelievers. Jesus Himself, especially near the end of His earthly ministry, emphasized the importance of the Holy Spirit. In fact, right before the cross, Jesus said something that at face value seems a little odd (at the time at least):

Joh 16:7 "But I tell you the truth, it is to your advantage that I go away; for if I do not go away, the Helper will not come to you; but if I go, I will send Him to you.

Um... say what? Imagine being a disciple of Jesus in that day... You have sacrificed all to follow Him. Wherever He goes, you go. You listen to His every word (even if you don't understand it all!) You have seen things that have defied the laws of medicine and physics. You have hear things that no one has ever said before. He is your very life. And then He starts saying that He will soon be leaving and where He is going, you can't come... well, not yet anyway. That would be devastating would it not? Imagine the confusion. Imagine the panic arising in your heart. He is going to leave? But He is the King! He is the hope of Israel! But then He tells you that it is to your advantage that He is going away!¹ What? Why? How? How could the Son of God leaving be of any advantage? Well, because there is another that will come and be with you. Not only that, but this One, called the Helper, will be with you for all time. And what's more, He is not limited to being in one place or with one person either. Hmmm... the Helper? Now that is someone we all need! 

So this series will look at this Helper - the Holy Spirit. In this study we will explore the following:

• Why this series is important now, in our day
• A sneak preview of the coming series
• A short quiz on the Holy Spirit to get your brain in gear!
• Explore the 'seven Spirits of God' in the New and Old Testament
• Application - some quick points to take away for our own life

Why this series now? 

Let me say upfront why I have chosen this series for now. I believe we are in the last days of Church history. Big, but fair call I believe. I believe the Lord's coming is very close. But from the prophetic scriptures, I also believe that before the rapture of the Church things are going to be more difficult for believers. There will be more oppression. There will be more government led restrictions. There will be more rebellion against God and the Lord Jesus from the people in power. In short, we are going to need 'the helper' more and more in these days. 

And that is a good thing! Always remember that 'when the enemy comes in like a flood, The Spirit of the Lord will lift up a standard against him.' (Isa 59:19 NKJV) One of the great blessings of difficulties and persecution is the fellowship of the Spirit. We have probably all had different times of difficulty even if persecution (in the West at least) has been minimal. And what normally happens in such times of difficulty? Well, for me, the Lord has been my helper. Whether it is speaking a scripture to my heart, encouraging me through another person, maybe through healing or an unlikely resolution, or supplying the power to endure and overcome... the Spirit responds to trying times. And we will need His fruit, strength and help more than ever should the Lord's coming tarry. That is why He is the helper! We aren't after religion... we are after reality - especially in these trying days! As Major Ian wrote:

"There are a few things quite so boring as being religious, but there is nothing quite so exciting as being a Christian! Most folks have never discovered the difference between the one and the other, so that there are those who sincerely try to live a life they do not have, substituting religion for God, Christianity for Christ, and their own noble endeavors for the energy, joy, and power of the Holy Spirit. In the absence of reality, they can only grasp at ritual, stubbornly defending the latter in the absence of the former, lest they be found with neither! They are lamps without oil, cars without gas, and pens without ink, baffled at their own impotence in the absence of all that alone can make man functional; for man was so engineered by God that the presence of the Creator within the creature is indispensable to his humanity. Christ gave Himself for us to give Himself to us! His presence puts God back into the man! He came that we might have life – God’s life!
Major Ian Thomas

So how about a sneak preview of this series?

Mmmm ok then. Just because you asked. While it is likely to be a short series, we'll explore themes and imagery from both the Old and New Testaments. I have always loved how 'The Old is in the New Revealed, the New is in the Old Concealed'. In other words, what God reveals to us normally in New Testament doctrine, is hidden already in the stories and pictures of the Old Testament. We'll pick up on a few of these Old Testament stories that help illuminate the truth surrounding the work of the Holy Spirit in this series. And there are quite a few types, symbols and metaphors used to describe different aspects of the Holy Spirit in scripture. The Lord knows all too well that we are often slow to learn and struggle with heavenly and divine concepts. Therefore He often describes things in natural terms that we can grasp. For example, if our minds struggle with concepts concerning the Godhead, how could He describe the Holy Spirit, whom we cannot see, to us? Well, He uses those things we can relate to as a comparison - Wind, Water, the Dove, Fire, Oil… things that most people know something about and can grasp. This series will glean from both the Old and New Testaments. In this way it will be like what Jesus said concerning the Kingdom of Heaven:

Mat 13:52 "Therefore every scribe who has become a disciple of the kingdom of heaven is like a head of a household, who brings out of his treasure things new and old."

Here are some themes that we will cover in this series:

• The Seven Spirits of God - we will look at this today giving an example from both the Old and New Testaments. What does this actually mean? It will be used as an introduction and overview to the Spirit's work and help in our life.  
• The Helper - Comfort and counsel from the One with us, alongside us, and in us.
• The Hound of Heaven - The convicting and chasing work of the Holy Spirit in the life of unbelievers and believers.
• The Dove - The first way the Holy Spirit is pictured in the New Testament has some interesting personal and prophetic implications when contrasted with this imagery in the Old!
• The Water - Cleansing and living water from on high
• The Anointing Oil - Divine enabling and gifting from on high! 
• The Lamp - The Spirit illuminating our path through God's word
• The End - The Holy Spirit in the last days

The Holy Spirit extremely-short quiz

Alright... so before getting into it, before you get too settled or warmed up, let's begin with a short seven question quiz on the Holy Spirit to see what you know... or don't know. (*Drum roll please*):

1. What is the first mention of the Holy Spirit in both the Old and New Testaments?
2. Is there any connection between these two 'first mentions' of the Holy Spirit in each Testament? 
3. What verses in the Bible could you point to to prove that the Spirit is a person and not just a force?
4. What verses in the Bible could you point to show that the Spirit is divine and part of the God-head?
5. Do all believers have the Holy Spirit and is there a difference between how the Holy Spirit is with believers in the Old and New Testaments?
6. What types and pictures are used to illustrate the Holy Spirit in scripture? What can you think of?
7. How many of the gifts and fruits of the Holy Spirit can you remember?²

John's vision of the Seven Spirits of God

Time to delve a little deeper and I'd like to start with a description of the Holy Spirit given in the book of Revelation. In it John writes:

Rev 1:4 John, To the seven churches in the province of Asia: Grace and peace to you from him who is, and who was, and who is to come, and from the seven spirits before his throne,

Rev 4:5 From the throne came flashes of lightning, rumblings and peals of thunder. Before the throne, seven lamps were blazing. These are the seven spirits of God.

We see from these two verses that before the throne are the seven spirits of God, visually seen as seven burning lamps. Now that is interesting. The Holy Spirit is obviously one Spirit, but also seen here as seven. Why is that? We know from the book of Revelation that the number seven is prominent and critical. In Bible numerology seven speaks of completeness or divine perfection. It is God's perfect number.³ Man, whose number is six (Rev 13:18), falls short of that perfection. But the Holy Spirit is seen in all His perfection, as shown by the number seven. We should also note from Rev 4:5 that John saw the Spirit as seven lamps that were blazing before the throne. This is a clear reference to what God was illustrating way back in the tabernacle built by Moses. In it lay the golden lampstand in the Holy Place with its seven lamps:

Exo 25:31,37 Make a lampstand of pure gold and hammer it out, base and shaft; its flowerlike cups, buds and blossoms shall be of one piece with it... Then make its seven lamps and set them up on it so that they light the space in front of it.

As we read on in Revelation we note something else. Not only are the seven Spirits of God before the throne in Heaven but they are upon someone... and they are also sent out into all the earth: 

Rev 3:1 To the angel of the church in Sardis write: These are the words of him who holds the seven spirits of God and the seven stars...

Rev 5:6 Then I saw a Lamb, looking as if it had been slain, standing in the center of the throne, encircled by the four living creatures and the elders. He had seven horns and seven eyes, which are the seven spirits of God sent out into all the earth.

Yes! The Lamb that looked as if it had been slain was standing in the midst of the throne and He (Jesus) has the seven Spirits of God. Not only that, but these seven Spirits have been sent out into all the earth. 

"The Lamb had seven horns (omnipotence) and seven eyes (omniscience). His possession of the seven Spirits of God reminds us that the Lord Jesus was endued with the full measure of the Holy Spirit (Joh 3:34). The seven Spirits of God sent out into all the earth suggest omnipresence."
William MacDonald - The Believers Bible Commentary

So if the Lord Jesus has and had the seven Spirits of God upon Him, is this shown anywhere in the Bible? Maybe in a prophecy concerning the coming Messiah from the Old Testament? Ring any bells? Let's have a look.

What are the seven Spirits of God in the Old Testament?

Isa 11:1-5 A shoot will come up from the stump of Jesse; from his roots a Branch will bear fruit. (2) The Spirit of the LORD will rest on him-- the Spirit of wisdom and of understanding, the Spirit of counsel and of power, the Spirit of knowledge and of the fear of the LORD-- (3) and he will delight in the fear of the LORD. He will not judge by what he sees with his eyes, or decide by what he hears with his ears; (4) but with righteousness he will judge the needy, with justice he will give decisions for the poor of the earth. He will strike the earth with the rod of his mouth; with the breath of his lips he will slay the wicked. (5) Righteousness will be his belt and faithfulness the sash around his waist.

In this wonderful passage, Isaiah spoke of One who was coming that would totally possess without measure the seven-fold Spirit. This One, the Messiah, would come from the line of Jesse (David's father). Though it looked like that royal line had been cut off, a shoot would spring forth from its stump and bear great fruit! This is obviously speaking of Jesus, the Messiah. He will rule in righteousness (we need that!) and judge, making decisions for the poor of the whole earth. But note the description of the seven-fold Spirit that rested upon Him:

1. The Spirit of the LORD - LORD here is YHWH, commonly pronounced as Yahweh. It was the Spirit of Yahweh that rested upon Jesus. He was conceived by the Holy Spirit (Matt 1:18,20) and was empowered to live as the perfect human man through that same Spirit (Luke 3:22, Luke 4:1, 14, 18). This is the central part of the Jewish Menorah candlestick out of which all else proceeds.  
2. The Spirit of wisdom⁴ - Even from a child Jesus was filled with the Spirit's wisdom - Luk 2:40 And the child grew and became strong; he was filled with wisdom, and the grace of God was upon him. His wisdom was greater than that of Solomon (Matt 12:42) and often left people asking where He got such wisdom from (Matt 13:54) while others were simply left speechless at His answers! (Matt 22:22, 33, 46) Truly, as Paul expressed in Col 2:2-3, in Christ 'are hidden all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge.'  
3. The Spirit of understanding - Jesus, through the Spirit upon Him, understood all things. He understood all men. He even knew and understood their thoughts before they were expressed (Mark 2:8, John 2:24) As Hebrews tells us 'Nothing in all creation is hidden from God's sight. Everything is uncovered and laid bare before the eyes of him to whom we must give account.' (Heb 4:13)
4. The Spirit of counsel - Having the Spirit of wisdom and the Spirit of understanding made Jesus the perfect counselor! Pro 19:21 Many plans are in a man's heart, But the counsel of the LORD will stand. Thus, there was never a time when Jesus was left speechless or unable to answer. Even the attempts of men to confound Him fell laughably short! Isa 50:4 'The Lord GOD has given Me the tongue of disciples, That I may know how to sustain the weary one with a word. He awakens Me morning by morning, He awakens My ear to listen as a disciple.' The only time Jesus asked people questions was to test what they knew or get them to think. It was never because He needed to be instructed or counseled! 
5. The Spirit of power - The Spirit's power was upon Jesus mightily. Power to heal, power to raise the dead. It was the power to resist all Satanic temptations and the power to always do the will of God. Imagine the power that was upon Him, though dying on the cross at the hands of wicked men, that enabled Him to say 'Father forgive them for they know not what they do!' 'While being reviled, He did not revile in return; while suffering, He uttered no threats, but kept entrusting Himself to Him who judges righteously' - That is power!   
6. The Spirit of knowledge - This is not just just general knowledge but the specific knowledge of God. Jesus often said to the Jews that He knew the Father and knew Him not. Joh 8:54-55 Jesus replied, "If I glorify myself, my glory means nothing. My Father, whom you claim as your God, is the one who glorifies me. (55) Though you do not know him, I know him. If I said I did not, I would be a liar like you, but I do know him and keep his word.' And this is the essence Jesus said of eternal life - Joh 17:3 Now this is eternal life: that they may know you, the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom you have sent.' This is what life is all about. Not just knowing things, but knowing Him! And the Spirit of the Lord has been given so that we may know Him! (1 Cor 2:10-16)
7. The Spirit of the fear of the LORD - This is tied in with the previous Spirit of Knowledge. It is to know Him but also to place Him in His rightful first position in your life. That is what the fear of the Lord is. It was upon Jesus for He always desired to put the will of God first. He held no fear of man but always honored His Father.  

What are the Seven Spirits of God in the New Testament?

So we have looked at Revelation and seen that the Holy Spirit is pictured as the seven Spirits of God. We've seen how that seven-fold Spirit was upon Jesus as prophesied in Isaiah 2. Well this got me thinking about how the Holy Spirit is presented in the New Testament. 'I wonder' I thought to myself, 'how many references there are in the New Testament to 'the Spirit of...' Specifically I was interested in verses that describe an attribute of the Spirit⁶. How many could I find? Seven! : ) So what are the 7 Spirits of God in the New Testament? Here they are, in order of how they are found in the New Testament:

1. The Spirit of Truth - Joh 16:13 But when he, the Spirit of truth, comes, he will guide you into all truth. He will not speak on his own; he will speak only what he hears, and he will tell you what is yet to come.
2. The Spirit of Holiness - Rom 1:4 and who through the Spirit of holiness was declared with power to be the Son of God by his resurrection from the dead: Jesus Christ our Lord.
3. The Spirit of Life - Rom 8:2 because through Christ Jesus the law of the Spirit of life set me free from the law of sin and death.
4. The Spirit of Sonship - Rom 8:15 For you did not receive a spirit that makes you a slave again to fear, but you received the Spirit of sonship. And by him we cry, "Abba, Father."
5. The Spirit of Wisdom - Eph 1:17 I keep asking that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the glorious Father, may give you the Spirit of wisdom and revelation, so that you may know him better.
6. The Spirit of Grace - Heb 10:29 How much more severely do you think a man deserves to be punished who has trampled the Son of God under foot... who has insulted the Spirit of grace? 
7. The Spirit of Glory - 1Pe 4:14 If you are insulted because of the name of Christ, you are blessed, for the Spirit of glory and of God rests on you.

You will note in the progression above that it begins with truth and ends with glory. And so does the journey of the believer with the same Spirit guiding each step of the way. The Spirit of truth comes to guide us into truth, That begins with the truth of who you are, who Jesus is, and your need for Him. Once believed and accepted, this leads to sonship, life and holiness. Along the journey you will also continually learn about wisdom and grace (both probably through mistakes and dealings!) - all from the same Spirit. But note again how it ends. It ends in glory. For every believer it ends in glory. In fact those last two of the Spirit of grace and glory are inseparably linked:

Psalm 84:11: ...The Lord will give grace and glory.

Glory never comes without grace coming first, but grace never comes without glory coming last; the two are bound together, and “what God hath joined together, let not man put asunder.”
Charles Spurgeon

Time for a little application...

So here are some simple points/questions to consider and take away based on what we have seen so far concerning the Holy Spirit. They are connected to need, our response, our blockages and our hope.

Our need: If the Lord Jesus needed the seven-fold Spirit how much more do we? Even though Jesus was born without a sinful nature, He still had to rely completely upon the Holy Spirit and His Father in His ministry and life. Again, how much more do we, those born with a fallen nature in a fallen world, need this Helper? Why is it that we fail? Is it related to the fact that we think that we can manage by ourselves?

“Without the Spirit of God, we can do nothing. We are as ships without the wind, branches without sap, and like coals without fire, we are useless.”
Charles Spurgeon

Our response: Have you learned to thank the Lord, in whatever situation arrives, for giving you His Spirit who is able in all things?
Have you learned to thank the Lord for the Spirit of truth who desires to bring you into all truth? Have you thanked Him for the Spirit of Life or wisdom... or grace... all the essentials that the Spirit is? Often we think and act like we are down here, God is in Heaven and we have to ask for a dose of strength or courage or whatever it is we need. We forget to thank the Lord for the gift of the Helper - the One who is with us till the end of the age and beyond. If we truly see what God has given us there would be less pleading and more thanking.

Our blockages: Take a bit of time to consider if there is anything currently hindering you from experiencing the work of the Spirit in your life more? As we move forward in this series we shall see that the Holy Spirit is gentle, likened to a dove, and can be grieved by our actions. The fire of the Holy Spirit can be quenched by our actions or lack thereof. So be mindful of potential blockages, taking time to listen to the small still voice of God.

Our hope: According to Eph 1:13-14 we have been sealed with the Holy Spirit who is a deposit, guaranteeing our inheritance and the full redemption of God's possession. If you have experienced something of His grace, life & holiness already... remember that this is but a deposit. There is a full inheritance still to come! Have you considered how wonderful it will be on that day when you are with Him and there is no restriction to the fullness of the presence of the Holy Spirit?  

Conclusion

So what have we seen in this introduction to our series on the Holy Spirit? Well we've seen that the Holy Spirit is pictured as a 7-fold Spirit. John in the book of Revelation saw the Spirit as seven lamps that were burning before the throne. They were also upon the Lamb of God and have been sent out throughout the earth. We've seen that this was also pictured in the Jewish Menorah, the seven-fold candlestick that was in the tabernacle and temple of God. This same seven-fold Spirit was prophesied about in the book of Isaiah as being upon the coming Messiah. Finally, we have seen that there are seven descriptions of the Spirit's attribute in the New Testament. We first encounter the Spirit as the Spirit of truth. But as we move through our journey we experience Him as the Spirit of holiness, sonship, wisdom, life and grace. And it ends well! It ends when we stand in glory and fully experience Him as the Spirit of glory. And that is where all things are heading!

But also remember the application for the here and now too. Do you see your need of the helper? Do you see anything that might be blocking this One from helping you? Are you taking time to develop your relationship with the Helper? 

We'll carry on next time looking at what it means that the Holy Spirit is the Helper, looking at some examples in both Jesus' teaching and Old Testament types.  

 

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