The Comforter (The Holy Spirit - Part 3)

Thank you for listening to this message from the ministry of Morse Corner Church in Leverett, Massachusetts. Morse Corner is a non-denominational church that is committed to the preaching and teaching of the gospel of Jesus Christ.

Our church was founded in 1896 by two students of the famous evangelist D .L. Moody. We seek to encourage and edify the body of Christ through the proclamation of God's word through the ministries of the local church.

If you'd like more information, visit our website, morsecornerchurch .com. We hope you enjoy the message. And these things they will do to you, Jesus says, why? Because they have not known the Father, nor me.

Christ’s Foreknowledge of Persecution and the Promise of His Presence

A lot of people say, I know God, I believe in God, and here's what I'm doing for God, and they're actually doing the work of the devil. Paul was. That's a biblical example. But these things I have told you, Jesus says, that when the time comes, you may remember that I told you of them.

So don't miss this. This is so important that by preaching and predicting the future, Jesus strengthened their faith. That when all these things took place, they say, yep, it's just more proof. God is sovereign.

It's happening just like he said. Also, knowing that the Lord is with us right here and right now. Do you know that the Lord is with us right here and right now? What did he say? Where two or three are gathered together?

There I am in the midst. How is he? It's not just the Holy Spirit with us right now. And that's true. The Holy Spirit is with us right now. Jesus is with us right now. Colossians 1 .27, Christ in you, the hope of glory.

The Holy Spirit dwells within you. If you're saved, the Holy Spirit's within you. And if the Spirit's within you, Christ is in you. Again, Christ in you, the hope of glory. Colossians 1 .27. Now that's not true with everyone.

The Spirit’s Indwelling in Believers Alone

And now we're getting into more of the work of the Spirit. Convict the world of sin, righteousness, and of judgment. It's only true that believers have the Spirit within. Only believers can have the Spirit as their source of strength.

So not everybody has the Holy Spirit. Well, you say, well, that's obvious. We already knew that. Just look around. Not everybody has the Holy Spirit. Not everybody is a child of God. You take it for granted.

We know this. We've been taught this. I was reading an article the other day. And in the article, a woman who has held the office of pastor of a local church, she said that, you know, she said everybody's a child of God.

Everybody is a child of God. Every human being, Christian or not, no matter who you are, no matter what you believe, everybody is a child of God. Well, the Holy Spirit-inspired scriptures say something different.

In John chapter 1, verses 11 and 12, says that Jesus, he came unto his own, but his own received him not. But as many as received him, to them he gave the right to become children of God, to those who believe in his name.

So only believers in Jesus have the Holy Spirit. Only believers in Jesus are children of God. So while everyone is made in God's image, don't get the two confused. Yes, every human being is made in God's image, but not every human being is a child of God.

Jesus said what? You must be born again. That is how you become a child of God, and this is the greatest work of the Holy Spirit, that the Spirit regenerates our dead spirit. When we were born into this world, our spirit was dead, D-O-A, dead on arrival.

You were not awakened, you were not alive to the things of God. Then at some point in your life, and some people remember the day, the moment, their eyes were open, some people remember the general time period.

But at some point in your life, you started feeling convicted. Not guilty, because you can feel guilty without God. You started feeling convicted about the person and work of Christ. That was the Holy Spirit that did that.

You started feeling convicted. God was in you, he was convincing you of the truth of the gospel. So we are only made right with God, we only receive his spirit when his Holy Spirit comes and regenerates us.

The Day of Pentecost and the Outpouring of the Spirit

Now on Acts chapter 2, in Acts chapter 2, that's when the spirit comes on the day of Pentecost. Let's just turn there for a moment. Here's the difference between then and now. Acts chapter 2, this is the giving of the Holy Spirit.

Jesus predicted it, this is when it happens. Starting in verse 1, when the day of Pentecost had fully come, they were all with one accord in one place. And suddenly there came a sound from heaven as of a rushing wind, and it filled the whole house where they were sitting.

Then there appeared to them divided tongues as of fire, and they were all what? Filled with the Holy Spirit, and began to speak with other tongues as the spirit gave them utterance. And there were dwelling in Jerusalem Jews, devout men from every nation under heaven.

And when this sound occurred, the multitude came together and were confused because everyone heard them speak in his own language. Then they were all amazed and marveled, saying to one another, look, are these not all who speak Galileans, and how is it that we hear each in our own language in which we were born?

So this is what the speaking with other tongues is. The disciples, they were Jews, they only knew Aramaic and maybe a little Hebrew and Greek. And now they're able to speak the wonderful works of God, and these people from all these other areas who speak other languages could hear them each in his own language.

But who gave them the power to do that? The Holy Spirit. Look at verse 14. But Peter, standing up with the 11, raised his voice and said to them, Men of Judea and all who dwell in Jerusalem, let this be known to you and heed my words, for these are not drunk, as you suppose, since it is only the third hour of the day, but this is what was spoken by the prophet Joel, and it shall come to pass in the last days, says God, that I will pour out my spirit on all flesh, and your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, your young men shall see visions, your old men shall dream dreams, and on my menservants and on my maidservants, I will pour out my spirit in those days, and they shall prophesy.

So this is the outpouring of the Holy Spirit on the day of Pentecost. And a lot of people would assume, okay, the Spirit comes then, that means he wasn't around before, is that true? No, again, the Holy Spirit is the Spirit of God, and God is omnipresent.

So the Holy Spirit has always been present, but now things are changing, because God is pouring out his Holy Spirit upon all flesh, everybody. Back in the Old Testament, you had certain men that were filled with the Spirit and did great exploits for the Lord, right?

Men like Samson, men like David. Now God is pouring out his Spirit on everybody. Every believer now has gifting from the Holy Spirit. So this is the change. And if you take notes, write this down. Before, he gave temporary strength.

In this age, the Holy Spirit gives permanent strength. Anyone who has ever studied the Bible or just attends a good Bible-believing church and pays attention, you know that the ministry of the Holy Spirit has changed from Old Testament to New Testament.

In the Old Testament, the Spirit would come upon someone, and then he might depart from someone. Case in point, I think of King David and King Saul, two men that were empowered by the Holy Spirit. Holy Spirit came upon both men, didn't he?

He left one, he didn't leave the other. The Holy Spirit departed from Saul, and then Saul became possessed or at least afflicted by an evil spirit. Even David, a man who fell into great sin when David committed his adultery with Bathsheba and had her husband murdered.

You remember what he prayed in Psalm 51? Take not thy Holy Spirit from me. God didn't take the Holy Spirit from David, but David knew that the Lord might. That's not the way it is in this age. You can grieve the Spirit, but the Spirit will never leave you.

How do we know? Jesus promised, I will never leave you nor forsake you. Now the Lord might discipline you, he might chasten you, he's never going to leave you nor forsake you. So that's the way it was back then.

The Spirit would come, the Spirit would depart. He would strengthen, but it might be temporary. Starting in the New Testament, the Holy Spirit comes to permanently gift, to permanently assist, and to permanently indwell.

If you want further study, I think the best sermon I've ever heard on this subject is about the Spirit's change of ministry or I would say the Holy Spirit's ministry has evolved. As evangelical Christians, we don't really like the word evolve too much.

Honestly though, the Holy Spirit's ministry did evolve. Well, God doesn't change. He's the same yesterday, today, and forever. Right, yeah, God doesn't change, but what he does changes from time to time.

So the Holy Spirit's ministry evolved. If you want more on this, a great sermon you can find online. I know it's on YouTube. It's by Dr. R .C. Sproul. It's titled Undervaluing Pentecost. So I would highly recommend you listen to this.

Undervaluing Pentecost by Dr. R .C. Sproul because this is a subject that's worthy of deeper study, but there has been a change. There's been an evolution from Old Testament to New Testament. Here in John chapter 16, there's a change going on.

There's a transitioning happening right now, a transition happening. Jesus had been with the disciples for three and a half years. Now over the next two months, everything is going to change. Jesus continues.

He says, in these things I did not say to you at the beginning because I was with you, verse five, but now I go away to him who sent me and none of you ask me where are you going, but because I have said these things to you, sorrow has filled your heart.

Nevertheless, 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 depart, I will send him to you. So Jesus did not need to say these things earlier.

Why?

Because he was right there.

He was with them,.

But that time is now coming to an end. After he is crucified and risen, Jesus remains on earth for how many days? 40 days. So 50 days after his resurrection is the day of Pentecost. Pentecost means 50.

So 10 days after his ascension is the day of Pentecost when the Holy Spirit is poured out, but as of this moment, the disciples hear the persecution that Jesus is going away. They're shaken to their core.

They don't know what to do, and you know there might be some of you this morning that you're going through something. You found yourself in a situation you never thought you would be in. Maybe you're facing health problems, marital problems, emotional problems, whatever it is.

If you believe in the Lord, just as the disciples faced things they couldn't even fathom. They couldn't even imagine having to deal with this. How are we going to get through this? God gave them the power.

He gave them the strength. He's promised to do that to all who call upon his name through the assistance, through the power of the Holy Ghost. Thanks for listening. I'm Pastor Michael Grant from Morris Cornick Church.

If you'd like to listen to the complete message or if you'd like more information about the ministry, visit our website, morriscornickchurch .com. And we'd love to have you join us some Sunday morning here in Leverett.

Until next time, with the grace of God be with you.