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Battle Creek Tabernacle SDA Church

These Things We Know

Chris Holland

These Things We Know: God is Faithful

These Things We Know: God is Sovereign

These Things We Know: God is Good

These Things We Know: God Is the Relentless Redeemer

God Still Speaks Part 1

God Still Speaks Part 2

These Things We Know: God Wins

These Things We Know: God is the Deliverer

These Things We Know: God is the Great Teacher

These Things We Know: God is a Friend

These Things We Know: God Knows the End From the Beginning

These Things We Know: God is the Author

These Things We Know: God is the Finisher

These Things We Know: God is the Promise Keeper Part 1

These Things We Know: God is the Promise Keeper Part 2

These Things We Know: God Fights For Us Part 1

These Things We Know: God Fights For Us Part 2

These Things We Know: God Stands for Us

Christ became a man, acquainted with our grief and acquainted with our sorrow, but God exalted him.

Lord of Lord, King of Kings, and yet while the ministry of Jesus is in the heavenly sanctuary, he has not left us alone.

He sent another, the Comforter, the Holy Spirit, that we might not be alone.

Heavenly Father we are grateful that your son Jesus came.

He became acquainted with our grief, he became acquainted with our sorrows, he died for our sin, but was raised on the third day, ascended to heaven, and now sits at your right hand.

And Father, we are thankful that Jesus did not leave us alone, But he sent another, the Holy Spirit, the Comforter.

Today as we study your word, Lord, enlighten our minds, convict our hearts, and transform our lives.

This week, as many other weeks in the preceding months, has been filled with headlines about that election.

Many questions have been swirling in the news.

Will there be a debate between the 2 candidates?

The new polls that are being released, what do they tell us about what's happening?

Many have wondered if the vice president will do her first interview in almost a month and others were left bewildered while wondering how the interview could be live and pre-recorded at the same time.

Out of that interview came pressing questions that have been peppering the news and not just on any 1 network, but across the network, CBS, CNN, Newsweek, PBS.

How is it possible that the candidates can seemingly change their position on a variety of issues to adjust themselves to the most popular position?

And I want to be clear that my intention is not to single anyone candidate out because the reality is in the world of politics on both sides of the political spectrum, Many individuals seemingly have a difficult time taking 1 side or the other.

It is a ride-the-fence mentality or maybe just a let's see which way the wind blows.

There is a seeming lack of conviction, a lack of ability to take a stand 1 way or the other.

And this has brought us to the place we are right now.

We have been studying through the book of Daniel, our series, These Things We Know, and Last week I spoke about how God still speaks.

Because I am afraid that I unintentionally left out a vital piece of how God still speaks today.

Yes, God speaks through his word, just as we studied last week, just as we saw Belshazzar confronted with the Word of God.

God still speaks through prophecy, just as Belshazzar was confronted with the prophecy of his kingdom coming to an end.

But when we compare and contrast the lives of Nebuchadnezzar and Belshazzar, the results are vastly different.

If you have your Bibles, I want to invite you to open to Daniel, the fourth chapter.

And I want to say something about opening our Bibles.

While the words will be on the screen, there's something about opening the Bible, reading from the pages of God's word, and I want to encourage you, not just today, but from this moment forward, I will do my best because I know sometimes I move rather quickly to maybe slow down just a little bit so we can open the Bible.

But I want to encourage you from this point forward to take your Bible, have a Bible.

If you don't have a Bible, please come talk to me, come talk to 1 of the elders.

Open the Bible and let's read God's Word and be in His Word.

This is what the Bible says, But at the end of that period, I Nebuchadnezzar raised my eyes toward heaven and my reason returned to me and I blessed the Most High and praised and honored him who lives forever for his dominion is an everlasting dominion and his kingdom endures from generation to generation.

Then skipping down to verse 37, now I Nebuchadnezzar praise, exalt, and honor the King of heaven for all his works are true and his ways are just and he is able to humble those who walk in pride." A life completely transformed But just 1 chapter later Nebuchadnezzar's grandson in Daniel chapter 5 verses 22 and 23 give us a Very different picture and very different story.

Beginning in verse 22 of Daniel chapter 5, yet you, his son Belshazzar, have not humbled your heart even though you knew all this.

But you have exalted yourself against the Lord of heaven and have brought the vessels of his house before you and you and your nobles, your wives, and your concubines have been drinking wine from them and you have praised the gods of silver and gold, of bronze, iron, wood, and stone, which do not see, hear, or understand.

But the God in whose hand are your life breath and all your ways you have not glorified." Nebuchadnezzar was transformed.

Belshazzar knew and he didn't do anything.

What is the difference between these 2 kings?

These 2 kings of the mightiest nation in the Middle East?

I believe it can be boiled down to 1 word, and that 1 word is conviction.

Conviction is God's way of helping each person, each sinner, to know and be made aware of their true condition.

And how is conviction brought about in each of our lives?

John chapter 16 tells us how conviction is brought into each and every 1 of our lives.

John chapter 16 beginning in verse Beginning in verse 8, And he, when he comes, will convict the world concerning sin and righteousness and judgment.

That he that Jesus was referring to is the Holy Spirit.

In the great controversy, in the introduction to the great controversy on page 6 and 7 of that introduction it says this, God has been pleased to communicate his truth to the world by human agencies and he himself by his Holy Spirit qualified men and enabled them to do this work.

He guided the mind in the selection of what to speak and what to write.

The treasure was entrusted to earthen vessels, yet it is nonetheless from heaven.

The testimony is conveyed through the imperfect expression of human language, yet it is the testimony of God.

Excuse me, yet it is the testimony of God and the obedient, believing child of God beholds it in the glory of a divine power full of grace and truth.

In his word, God is committed to men the knowledge necessary for salvation.

The holy scriptures are to be accepted as an authoritative, infallible revelation of his will.

They are the standard of character, the revealer of doctrines and the test of experience.

Every scripture inspired of God is also profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, for instruction, which is in righteousness, that the man of God may be complete." God speaks through His Word.

We studied this last week, But how did his word come to be?

Through the power of the Holy Spirit working in the lives of men who wrote those words for our benefit.

The Bible is quite clear that God speaks through prophets and through prophecy.

But know this first of all, that no prophecy of Scripture is a matter of one's own interpretation for no prophecy was ever made by an act of human will, but men moved by the Holy Spirit spoke from God." The Holy Spirit is the active agent in which the scriptures came to be.

The Holy Spirit is the 1 who speaks through prophets who then speak prophecy.

And the Holy Spirit still speaks today through the convicting power that He has.

How do I know if I'm coming under conviction?

There is no doubt the difference between Nebuchadnezzar and Belshazzar was that Nebuchadnezzar yielded to the promptings of the Holy Spirit while Belshazzar did not.

And so it leads us to ask the question today, how can I know if I am yielding to the power of the Holy Spirit in my life?

In order for us to understand the power and the work of the Holy Spirit, we need to turn our attention to the New Testament.

There, Jesus, as he was speaking to his disciples in John chapter 14, said these words beginning in verse 5, John chapter 14 and verse 5.

As Thomas asked Jesus a question, Lord we do not know where you are going and how we can know the way.

And of course we know well that Jesus answered, I am the way, the truth and the life.

Then Philip asked in verse 8, Lord show us the Father and it is sufficient for us.

Then in verse 22 of John 14, Judas, not Iscariot, asked a third question, Lord how is it that you will manifest yourself to us and not to the world?

And it is in that context that Jesus spoke a word of encouragement and instruction to his disciples who were clearly concerned about a future without him.

In verses 16 to 18, Jesus spoke these words to let his disciples know that they would not be alone.

I will Ask the Father and He will give you another helper, that He may be with you forever.

That is the Spirit of truth, whom the world cannot receive because it does not see Him or know Him, but you know him because he abides with you and will be in you.

I will come to you." The promise given to the disciples was the promise of the Holy Spirit.

Recently in the evangelical world and even within the Seventh-day Adventist Church, the doctrine or the teaching of the Holy Spirit has come under scrutiny.

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

And it has left many wondering, what is the nature of the Holy Spirit?

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Series

These Things We Know

God Still Speaks Part 2

Transcript

Parent Series

Sponsor

Recorded

The Greatest Christmas Gift

59m

A Wonderful Promise

51m

Is Creation Important to SDA Doctrine

55m

Mindful of God

36m

Certainty in Uncertain Times

10. Where Do I Find Power to Overcome?

59m

Testimony

1h 5m

The Grace of Christ and the New Covenant

1h 1m

The Plan of Salvation

05 God’s Part Our Part

1h 1m

Faith and Works

Faith and Works - Part 3

32m

Which Way, America?

20 The Unpardonable Sin

58m

Fresh Manna by Moise Ratsara

When God Meets You

47m

There is Hope

Called Out to Stand Out

1h

Sound Doctrine