Pentecost

Pentecost

24 May 2015

John 15:26-27; 16:4b-15

Come Holy Spirit Come

O God, on this day You once taught the hearts of Your faithful people by sending them the light of Your Holy Spirit. Grant us in our day by the same Spirit to have a right understanding in all things and evermore to rejoice in His holy consolation.

Luke reminds us in the opening lines of his Acts of the Apostles the following event - On one occasion, while he was eating with them, he gave them this command: "Do not leave Jerusalem, but wait for the gift my Father promised, which you have heard me speak about. – Acts 1:4

Today is Pentecost Sunday. Jesus’ words are now complete. His prediction is now fulfilled. This is the day when we celebrate the Father’s out pouring of the Spirit and the birth of missions. We find Christ at the center of the Spirit’s work and activity. But how does the Spirit work? And where is His work centered?

The Savior came to seek and save the lost. The Spirit works to bring individuals into Christ’s kingdom. The kingdom always involves people. The kingdom grows one soul at a time. What can be said concerning the work of the Holy Spirit? Recall again verses 26: When the Counselor comes, the One I will send to you from the Father--the Spirit of truth who proceeds from the Father--He will testify about Me.

1.       He is the helper

2.       He is the promised one

3.       He will bear witness

He is the helper.

He was promised. In the Old Testament. Christ is the center of everything that was written in the Scriptures. Not only in the New Testament. But clearly and plainly, Christ is seen in the pages of the Old Testament.

He is the one predicted by the prophets of Old. He is the One by whom salvation would be won for the entire world. He was the One of whom the Father spoke in the garden when He said, “I will put enmity between you and the woman, between your seed and her seed. He will crust your head and you will nip at his heel.” Genesis 3:16

He is the spirit of truth. Predicted in the Old Testament through the prophet Isaiah -  The Spirit of the LORD will rest on him-- the Spirit of wisdom and of understanding, the Spirit of counsel and of might, the Spirit of the knowledge and fear of the LORD—Isaiah 11:2  

Clearly, Jesus predicted that the Spirit would come. When the Spirit of truth comes, he will guide you into all the truth, for he will not speak on his own authority, but whatever he hears he will speak, and he will declare to you the things that are to come. - John 16:13

He is the promised one.

The Spirit is sent. From the Father. The Spirit speaks not of its own authority. All is brought into a complete order. The Father sends the Holy Spirit. To testify concerning Christ and His righteousness.

Thus, the Spirit is sent to bear witness concerning Christ. All that we know about Jesus Christ we know from the Holy Spirit. The Spirit bears witness through the testimony of the Scriptures. The Holy Spirit bears a complete and total witness concerning the validity of Jesus Christ.

Jesus promises that he will send the Spirit from the Father. He proceeds from both the Father and the Son. The Spirit proceeds from the Father and the Son. Because the Father has given all things to the Son, including the procession of the Holy Spirit.

He will bear witness.

Concerning Jesus. For the Spirit knows nothing but Christ. He is the spirit of truth.  Therefore, His testimony will bear out the faithful witness concerning Christ. All that we know of Christ is a true and faithful witness. That witness is proven to faithful and true. For it is a trustworthy and worthy witness.

Therefore, He bears witness to the truth. “What is truth?”  Pilate asked that question. The truth, is all that is found in Jesus Christ of which the Spirit bears witness. Jesus said, “I am the way, the truth and the life, no one comes to the Father except through Me”. When we come to such knowledge of the truth, it is the Spirit, which bears witness to this faithful saying.

And through the testimony of the disciples. Who had been with Jesus from the beginning.

 As The Spirit bears and testifies of Christ so do we. As the Spirit knows nothing but Christ, so you know nothing save Jesus Christ and Him crucified.

The Christian testifies about Christ. You are sent. From the Father – Pentecost is the birthday of missions. Where the Spirit said, “Go!” And God’s people went. You are sent. To bear witness – concerning the truth of the Gospel – the truth concerning Jesus Christ. Each believer is a witness to the truth.

For we know nothing but Christ. We bear witness to the truth – Every time we share Christ, we are bearing witness to the truth. Every time we mention His most holy name, we are being a faithful witness. Every time we confess our faith in the words of the creed, in our own witness, we are bearing witness to the truth concerning Jesus Christ.

For the Spirit speaks – No one can say, “Jesus is Lord” except by the Holy Spirit. When you are speaking and confessing the Lordship of Christ, you are speaking by the power of the Holy Spirit.

This is how we impact the world.  And others living around.  By living out your faith. You demonstrated your faith each day. A little at a time -You make obvious the compassion of Christ. By expressing the fruit of the Spirit in your life your neighbors are invited to behold Christ. By living out your faith, the world is won for Christ - one soul, one person at a time.

The source of the Spirit always centers on Jesus Christ. Christ who won salvation for this world is the source of all life and the center of the Spirit’s work. Yet, as He dwells in you individually, He touches one life at a time. “Out of his heart shall flow rivers of water.” From Himself - to you - to the ends of the earth - the Spirit flows.

Word-1,075

Passive Sentences – 10%

Readability-81%

Reading level –4.1