Pentecost

 John 14:26-27

9 June 2019

Eyes and ears can see and hear. But only so much.  Eyes see the tongues of fire. Ears hear the sound of a mighty, rushing wind. Eyes see a crowd gather.  And ears hear people speaking in various languages.  Yet God has given you eyes to see the wonder of the word of God and ears to hear the message of the Gospel, and a heart, which receives this good news as a gift. 

The real miracle of Pentecost is not the amazing sounds and sights. The true Pentecost miracle is what can only be believed by faith. That glorious good news. That Jesus Christ, the Son of God, died and rose again for you.

Listen to those who believed and were saved. For they marveled not in what their senses took in but in the message proclaimed:  “We hear them telling in our own language the mighty works of God.” Acts 2:11 

On Easter, Jesus' grave was opened to reveal He had risen in victory. On Pentecost, dead mouths, and empty caverns came to life, praising the living God, as the disciples preached the good news found in Jesus' name for all to hear.

Jesus said, “But the Helper, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, he will teach you all things and bring to your remembrance all that I have said to you. – V.26

There are perfect pairs in life that belong together: peanut butter and jelly, Romeo and Juliet, salt and pepper, Tom and Jerry. The Word of God and the Holy Spirit is a perfect pair. We know, believe, and proclaim God’s truth in His Word only because the Spirit is at work in the Scriptures.

Jesus says that the Father will send the Holy Spirit in His name. It was always His plan to send us His Spirit to guide us. This isn’t a new idea. God has been revealing His truth by the Spirit since the beginning of time. From creation, where the Spirit hovered over the waters as God spoke the earth into existence. (Gen. 1:1-3) And the prophets, who received a word of the Lord by the Spirit (2 Pet. 1:21), God’s Spirit has always worked hand in hand with God’s Word. You simply cannot separate the two.

In our search for truth, the Spirit and the Word guide us. The Spirit of the living God will not lead you astray. All that He teaches will be in harmony with the Word of God.

The Spirit teaches all things. Jesus said, "'I am the way, and the truth, and the life; no one comes to the Father, but through Me.” (John 14:6) The Spirit exalts Christ and His teachings. He teaches all things that the disciples need to know.

Knowing God’s truth however is different from believing it. It is here where the Spirit works again in bringing about faith in your heart. Only the Spirit makes the Scriptures real to you. There is no need to look beyond the Bible for God’s truth because there the Spirit is at work. 

Jesus promised His disciples that the Spirit would teach them all things and bring the truth to their remembrance.

The Holy Spirit would lead the disciples to remember what Jesus had said. As the Spirit of Truth, the Helper, "'will guide you into all the truth.” (John 16:13) The canon of Scripture is closed. But the Spirit still guides us into all truth today. Our challenge is to proclaim this truth to the world.

The Spirit was given for the very purpose of proclaiming God’s truth to the world. A revival of the Spirit in our hearts and our cities only happens when we plant ourselves in God’s Word, trusting Him to keep His Word. The commission is clear. “Go into all the world and proclaim the gospel to the whole creation.” (Mark 16:15) May God use you as you gossip the gospel to all you meet. 

Words-675

Passive Sentences – 8%

Readability – 82.7%

Reading Level – 5.0