How can we be certain that the Holy Spirit is at work here? It’s important that we recognize when the Holy Spirit is at work in our own lives to not be deceived? But how can we know who and what the Holy Spirit is? Watch and listen as Chris Holland presents a sermon about the Holy Spirit.

<p>How can we be certain that the Holy Spirit is at work here? It’s important that we recognize when the Holy Spirit is at work in our own lives to not be deceived? But how can we know who and what the Holy Spirit is? Watch and listen as Chris Holland presents a sermon about the Holy Spirit.</p>

<p>Free sharing permitted under the Creative Commons <a rel="license" href="http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/3.0/us/">BY-NC-ND 3.0 (US)</a> license.</p>

HopeLives365

Chris Holland

The Marvelous Work of the Holy Spirit

Because the Bible is clear in Revelation chapter 13 that there is a revival coming to this earth that will sweep across the world, that will deceive many, and Matthew 24 says, will deceive, if possible, the very elect of God.

On the morning of February the 8th, in a small town of 6, 000 people in Kentucky, Wilmore, Kentucky, an ordinary chapel prayer service turned into something extraordinary.

It was like every other chapel service, and the chaplain in particular, after giving his devotional, felt like it was 1 of those sermons that had bombed.

In baseball, we would count it as a swing and a miss.

But something unusual happened because at the end of the service, students while being dismissed to go to their classes, some of them lingered for a few moments.

They sensed that they should continue to pray, continue to sing, to continue to study.

And what began as a handful of students filled the chapel.

And last Sunday night at Asbury University in The town of Wilmore, Kentucky, a town of 6, 000 people, 20, 000 people came, 5 overflow buildings, the lawn filled, and a 2 and a half mile long line of cars waiting to come in to the city.

While the purpose of this sermon is not to evaluate what has happened at Asbury and has spread to other campuses, I would rather like to spend some time focused, focusing rather, on outlining principles from the Bible to help each of us evaluate what happened at Asbury, but more importantly to evaluate what's happening in our own personal life and revival in our own life, and equally as important, to know and understand future occurrences of revival and whether they are genuine.

Because people attribute these revivals to the power of the Holy Spirit.

How can we really know if it is the work of the Holy Spirit?

How can we know if the Holy Spirit is working in our own life?

How can we be aware and discerning so we don't get caught up in false revival?

Because the Bible is clear in Revelation 13 that there is a revival coming to this earth that will sweep across the world, that will deceive many, and Matthew 24 says, will deceive if possible the very elect of God.

Heavenly Father, as we open Your Word, we know that we cannot understand on our own.

And so, Lord, we are tired of running and losing the race.

Change our hearts that we might live in accordance with Your Word.

As you're opening to John 14, let us understand the context in which John 14 comes.

It goes without saying that the context of John chapter 14 is John chapter 13.

You'll remember it was the Passover supper.

And there at the Passover supper, the ordinance of humility had taken place where Jesus washed the feet of all of His disciples.

At the end of John 13, Peter made a declaration that he in fact would follow Jesus.

Where Jesus then told Peter, I'm telling you that tonight you will deny Me 3 times.

The very next words of Jesus were, let not your heart be troubled.

Jesus begins to preach over the course of John 14, 15, and 16 as preparation for the disciples in what they were about to encounter with Jesus going to be arrested, going to be tried, and then eventually crucified, and He would die.

But it is interesting In John 14, the disciples ask 3 different questions that Jesus, I believe, is attempting to answer over the course of John 14-17.

And John 14 and verse 5, it says, Lord, Thomas asking the question, Lord, we do not know where You are going.

After Jesus answered, I am the way, the truth, and the life.

Then Philip asks Jesus a question in verse 8, and he says, Lord, show us the Father, and it is sufficient for us.

And I know that's made more as a statement in the English, but in the original, it's a question, who's the father?

And then in verse 22, Judas, not Judas Iscariot, asks the third question, Lord, how is it that you will manifest yourself to us and not to the world.

And then Jesus spoke words of encouragement and instruction for his disciples to face a future that would be without him.

While they had followed Him for 3 and a half years, He was going to depart.

So let us have in our mind that as Jesus spoke and as we study these words, Jesus was attempting to answer 3 questions at once.

How can we know the way to where you're going?

And how will you manifest yourself to us?

You know, the disciples were so good at asking multiple questions at once.

In 5 sections of Jesus' discourse in John 14-16, He answers, He answered that question through providing hope while articulating and assuring the disciples that even though He was going, they would not be alone.

How is Jesus able to assure them that they would not be alone?

What is it that He could possibly promise them.

In verses 16-18, Jesus begins the answer.

And I will pray the Father and He will give you another Helper, that He may abide with you forever, the Spirit of truth, whom the world cannot receive because it neither sees Him nor knows Him.

But you know Him, for He dwells with you and will be with you.

I will come to you." As Jesus answered those 3 questions, the 1 prominent theme and reality throughout John 14, 15, and 16 is in the answer of the reality and the personage of the Holy Spirit.

The Holy Spirit is 1 of the most confusing topics in the Scripture.

It has been made confusing by the doctrines of men.

A simple YouTube search will yield what the Holy Spirit is and how it is manifest according to different people.

The first being that the Holy Spirit is a psalm.

Second being that the Holy Spirit is merely the breath or the Spirit of God.

Others is that the Holy Spirit is manifest through tongues.

Others that the Holy Spirit is this electrical current that takes ahold of you and controls you.

And most recently in the evangelical world and even within the Seventh-day Adventist church, the doctrine or teaching of the Holy Spirit has come under attack and great scrutiny.

There has been a movement of anti-Trinitarianism that has swept many away into apostasy.

Over the course of the few moments that we have here together, it is my hope to help each of us understand number 1, the nature of the Holy Spirit.

And number 3, the results of the Holy Spirit.

We will begin right here in John chapter 14, verses 16 to 18, where the Bible says that there will come another helper.

The word helper in the Greek is the word parakletos.

Depending on your Greek teacher, you may pronounce it parakletos.

The word is only used 5 times in the entirety of the Bible.

The definitions of this word range from helper, comforter, intercessor, mediator, and advocate.

4 of the 5 usages of parakletos occur in John 14-16.

Parakletos was used outside of the Bible in secular Greek, and it was described as someone who was called in to help, or someone to give assistance.

Sometimes it was used in the legal field as someone to provide legal assistance.

In the rabbinic literature, it was used to describe someone who was advocating before God.

Philo used it to describe those who speak before rulers on behalf of the accused.

The implication of another is that there is an other.

So if there is a another helper, who is the first?

1st John chapter 2 and verse 1 answers that question.

But 1 John 2, many of you may know this verse by heart, answers the question of who the first Pericletos is.

1 John 2 and verse 1 says, My little children, these things I write to you so that you may not sin.

And If anyone sins, we have an advocate, Perikletos, with the Father, Jesus Christ, the righteous.

So I will ask you the question, who is the first Perikletos?

As I said, my dear friends, If Jesus Christ was the first Perikletos, let me ask you a question.

The Holy Spirit is another Perikletos, which means then the Holy Spirit is another person.

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The Marvelous Work of the Holy Spirit

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