Watch or listen to the sermon:

Subscribe to the podcast:

---------------------------------------------------------

More Than a Whisper: The Real Work of the Holy Spirit

I had planned to start this sermon differently. But Friday morning changed that.

I came into the sanctuary early, like I often do, hoping to spend some time in prayer. That’s a grounding rhythm for me — to sit in the stillness of the church and pray the Lord’s Prayer slowly, pausing under each petition to bring names, situations, burdens before God. But that morning, I was tired. More than tired — weary. I sat in the pew, and I just wasn’t there. My heart wasn’t ready. My mind was scattered. My body felt like it was already a few hours into the day. And even though I started to reach for my usual rhythm of prayer, I knew I didn’t have it in me.

I almost gave up. I almost stood up and said, “Maybe later.” But then I remembered the very message I was preparing to preach — the gift of the Holy Spirit. The seventh gift of the resurrection we’re exploring in this series. And I remembered these words from Romans 8:

“The Spirit helps us in our weakness… the Spirit himself intercedes for us with groanings too deep for words.” (Romans 8:26)

So I stayed. And I prayed the Lord’s Prayer — simply, without filling in all the gaps. And I trusted that the Holy Spirit was doing what He does: helping, interceding, filling in what I couldn’t.

That’s one of the gifts of the Holy Spirit. Translator. Companion. Intercessor. When we can’t pray, when words fail us, when even sitting still before God feels like too much — the Spirit comes alongside us and says, “Let’s go to the Father. You don’t have to speak. I’ll carry this for you.”

That moment — quiet, unremarkable on the outside — became a doorway into something deeper. A reminder that the Spirit is not just an idea or a doctrine. He is a real presence. A real gift.

And He brings many.

A Mysterious Gift

As we’ve moved through the Eight Gifts of the Resurrection, we’ve looked at some clear, tangible gifts: peace, pardon, purpose, people to live with, power to love generously, a pathway to unity. These are concrete, visible things. But when we come to the Holy Spirit, we’re stepping into mystery.

Jesus says in John 14, “We will come to him and make our home with him… the Helper, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name…” (John 14:23, 26). Already, the language gets layered. Who is coming to make a home in us? The Father? The Son? The Spirit? All of the above?

And in verse 17, Jesus says that the Spirit “already dwells with you and will be in you.” That’s not a contradiction — it’s just more than we can map out. The Holy Spirit doesn’t fit into a system or a timeline. He’s not mechanical. He’s personal. Present. Moving.

The Father we know through creation. The Son we know through the Gospels. But the Spirit? The Spirit moves like wind, speaks like whisper, works like breath. Sometimes we sense Him strongly. Sometimes not at all. Sometimes we wonder: “Was that the Spirit, or just me?” “Why don’t I hear from God like other people say they do?”

Here’s the good news: The Spirit doesn’t require your certainty. He isn’t waiting for you to feel spiritual. He is given. Poured out. Sent. He is already at work — even when we don’t know what to do with Him.

Gifts Within the Gift

If the Holy Spirit is a gift of the resurrection, He’s a bit like a nesting doll — a gift that contains more gifts. Or maybe He’s like an Easter basket that keeps giving. (And if my wife had packed it, you can bet it would be overflowing.)

Let me name just a few of those inner gifts.

1. Comfort

Jesus calls the Spirit the “Helper” — in Greek, Paraklētos — the one who comes alongside. And He does. Life can be hard (cue The Princess Bride: “Life is pain.”). But when it is, the Spirit brings comfort. Not always by changing our circumstances — but by being near.

Sometimes He brings Scripture to mind. Sometimes He sends a friend to reach out. Sometimes He just settles into our hearts with that deep-down assurance: “You’re not alone.”

2. Conviction

This one’s harder to embrace, but it’s still a gift. Conviction doesn’t feel good. But it’s a gift if you’re on the wrong path. The Holy Spirit gives you that restless inner ache, that emotional discomfort that says, “Something needs to change.” That’s not cruelty. That’s mercy.

As Paul says, “Godly sorrow brings repentance that leads to salvation and leaves no regret…” (2 Corinthians 7:10). The Spirit gives us sorrow not to condemn us — but to turn us.

3. Intercession

This was where the sermon started, and it bears repeating. When we don’t have words, the Spirit prays for us. When we are weak, He steps in. When our hearts are heavy, He carries them.

We are not left to flounder. We are not expected to always know what to say. The Spirit fills the silence with prayer.

4. Peace

Jesus says, “Peace I leave with you; my peace I give to you. Not as the world gives do I give to you.” (John 14:27). The world gives peace through control — calm the storm, fix the chaos. But Jesus gives peace in the storm. His peace doesn’t depend on circumstances.

5. Growth Over Time

And finally, the Spirit produces fruit. Slowly. Faithfully. Often invisibly. Galatians 5 gives the list: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control.

These are the signs of the Spirit’s work — not emotional highs, not dramatic experiences, but quiet transformation. The Spirit grows us from the inside out.

 

The Spirit Is More Than a Whisper

So often we treat the Spirit like a feeling — or a fleeting whisper we’re afraid we missed. But He’s more than that. He is the presence of Jesus with you, because of the resurrection.

And even if you don’t understand Him, even if you don’t feel Him — He is still working.

You don’t have to pray perfectly. You don’t have to speak fluently. You don’t have to feel deeply.

You just have to be present.

And trust that the Spirit already is.