The Spirit of Truth
Set Free: A Pentecost Series • Sermon • Submitted • Presented
0 ratings
· 1 viewYou don’t have to have a doctorate in theology to effectively explain the Scriptures to someone. Because of Pentecost, the Holy Spirit teaches and confirms God's truth.
Notes
Transcript
Intro
Intro
Last week we talked about the Great Commision and how Pentecost, or the pouring out of God’s Holy Spirit on his people both on that day, and ever since is what made it possible for use to actually fulfill it.
The process of making disciples is one that in our own strength and abilities will fall flat or come up short every time.
We are not equipped to complete this monumental task apart from God’s Spirit because it takes God’s power to convict hearts and change lives.
The pre-pentecost disciples were fearful, argumentative, and at times quite selfish.
They had a tendancy to pre-judge people without really knowing them or their circumstances.
They sometimes treated their relationship with Jesus as an opportunity for power and position rather than one of servitude and humility.
In fact they sound a lot like us at times.
But the post-pentecost disciples were completely transformed. They were bold, selfless, and committed to the spreading of the gospel, even to the point of death.
The Holy Spirit did something in them that fundamentally changed their perspective.
It wasn’t that they no longer experienced fear, frustration, or selfish tendancies. Rather, they learned to trust in God’s truth more than their feelings and present realities.
A great example of this is the Apostle Peter.
Power in the Text
Power in the Text
I know that we have talked about him a little over the last couple of weeks, but today I want to focus in on him and how the baptism in the Holy Spirit changed him.
Remember, Peter prior to Pentecost was brash, loud, good at talking the talk. But when it came time to stand up for Jesus, he flat out reject even knowing who he was.
By all accounts, he failed is master because his fear overruled what he knew to be true; that Jesus was the Son of God and the long awaited messiah.
But then Pentecost happened and Peter was fundamentally tranformed.
The Holy Spirit falls on him and there is this visible sign that something was happening in the form of a language or tongue being spoken that he had never been taught.
And then Immediately the Bible says...
Acts 2:14 NLT 14 Then Peter stepped forward...
These 4 words indicated something radical and transformative had just taken place. This same scared failure who by all acounts was a nobody in the eyes of society steps forward along with the other apostles and begins to preach.
Acts 2:22-23 NLT 22 “People of Israel, listen! God publicly endorsed Jesus the Nazarene by doing powerful miracles, wonders, and signs through him, as you well know. 23 But God knew what would happen, and his prearranged plan was carried out when Jesus was betrayed. With the help of lawless Gentiles, you nailed him to a cross and killed him.
He gets straight to the point. He says listen, you want to understand what just happened here. What you just witnessed. You need to start with understanding who you just killed.
However, your efforts to get rid of him were in vain.
Acts 2:24 NLT 24 But God released him from the horrors of death and raised him back to life, for death could not keep him in its grip.
Acts 2:32-33 NLT 32 “God raised Jesus from the dead, and we are all witnesses of this. 33 Now he is exalted to the place of highest honor in heaven, at God’s right hand. And the Father, as he had promised, gave him the Holy Spirit to pour out upon us, just as you see and hear today.
He makes it clear that Jesus was resurrected, that the apostles are witnesses of this fact, and that what the crowd just witnessed was done by this very same Jesus as he is the one who poured out the Holy Spirit upon them.
This is an important distinction that I have mentioned before, but is worth revisiting. Jesus is the one who baptizes people in the Holy Spirit.
None of us should be seeking an experience. We should be seeking more of Jesus.
The Bible says that Peter’s words pierced their hearts. In other words, they felt conviction and so they asked what they should do about it.
Acts 2:38 NLT 38 Peter replied, “Each of you must repent of your sins and turn to God, and be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins. Then you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.
You know what, they did exactly what Peter said. At least 3,000 of them did anyway.
Acts 2:41 NLT 41 Those who believed what Peter said were baptized and added to the church that day—about 3,000 in all.
Big Idea/Why it Matters
Big Idea/Why it Matters
Listen, Peter was a fisherman and not known for being great with words. He wasn’t overly educated, and he certainly wasn’t trained to do what he just did.
yet when the opportunity presented itself, he gave one of the most effective sermons in the history of the church! How was that possible? By God’s Holy Spirit.
Peter was experiencing the fulfillment of a promise Jesus had made to the disciples when he was walking on this earth.
John 16:12–15 NLT 12 “There is so much more I want to tell you, but you can’t bear it now. 13 When the Spirit of truth comes, he will guide you into all truth. He will not speak on his own but will tell you what he has heard. He will tell you about the future. 14 He will bring me glory by telling you whatever he receives from me. 15 All that belongs to the Father is mine; this is why I said, ‘The Spirit will tell you whatever he receives from me.’
Jesus promised us that the Holy Spirit would guide us into all truth. This is the same Greek word that is used for “explain.”
The Holy Spirit has explained to Peter what is happening at Pentecost so that he is able to teach others the truth as well.
Listen, You don’t have to have a doctorate in theology to effectively explain the Scriptures to someone.
Yet so often one of the excuses we use for not witnessing to people is that we don’t know the Bible well enough or we are afraid we won’t know how to answer their questions.
Don’t get me wrong, there is no substitute for reading your Bible and learning it, but if you think your effectiveness in evangelism is dependent on your ability to defend your theological postion, then you are giving yourself way too much credit.
The Holy Spirit we guide you in understanding and explaining the truth, if you trust him to do so.
A conductor is the leader of an orchestra or choir. Everyone follows the conductor to know what to do and when.
The conductor provides guidance to everyone, and as a result, the various parts come together to form a whole. In John 16:13 Jesus tells us the Spirit will “guide” us.
The Greek word for “guide” is similar to a conductor.
Do you trust God’s Spirit will take guide your conversations and help you explain God’s truth to those that need to hear it?
Jesus told us that truth was real and promised to send us the Holy Spirit, who would teach us the truth.
But today, truth is a matter of great public debate. Relativism teaches that all truth is subjective, and that there is no such thing as absolute truth.
Widespread acceptance of this has led to a puzzling situation in society, which the Christian satire site Babylon Bee poked fun at in their article “Culture in Which All Truth Is Relative Suddenly Concerned about Fake News”.
I find it funny that in a society so committed to the idea that we must all find our own truth that they attempt to squash any other truth that runs contrary to their own.
It’s easy to poke fun at unbelievers for being inconsistent about truth, but it’s far more troubling to realize that as Christians we often exhibit a poor witness by also treating truth as relative, refusing to accept warranted criticism, and only listening to people—such as news outlets—who tell us what we want to hear.
The Holy Spirit leads us into a worldview that is true and consistent.
The Holy Spirit also will teach us and remind us of all that Jesus said...
John 14:25-26 NLT 25 I am telling you these things now while I am still with you. 26 But when the Father sends the Advocate as my representative—that is, the Holy Spirit—he will teach you everything and will remind you of everything I have told you.
Notice how Peter, filled with the Spirit, proves this to be true. He is able to teach a crowd about Jesus.
Peter hits the essentials of the story of the Savior: the life of Jesus (v. 22), the crucifixion of Jesus (v. 23), the resurrection of Jesus (v. 24), and the exaltation of Jesus (v. 33).
Peter focuses on the basic facts about Jesus, and when he did so, this truth “cut to the heart” of those who heard it. (v. 37).
I think we overcomplicate things. We think we need to have all this scripture memorized to be able to witness to people.
Again, don’t get me wrong. We need to be reading our Bibles but if you think your effectiveness in evangelism is dependent on your ability to memorize scripture, then you are giving yourself way too much credit.
The Holy Spirit will bring to your memory the things you have read.
Application/Closing
Application/Closing
Human nature and the hope of the gospel are matters of truth. Jesus promised that the Spirit will guide us “into all truth” (John 16:13), which also includes the truth about us and our need for a Savior.
Do you believe that this morning? The greatest defense against falling prey to lies and falsehoods is the baptism in the Holy Spirit coupled with intentional and consistent study of the scriptures.
When the crowds heard the good news about Jesus, they realize a response was required. This is why Peter tells them they need to repent (Acts 2:38).
He speaks the truth to them, telling them it is necessary that they turn their lives around, be forgiven of their sins, and experience the gift of the Holy Spirit.
If you and I could learn to trust in the Holy Spirit to guide our converstations and keep it simple. We would be amazed at how our witnessing efforts would become less scary and difficult.
Rather, we would say just what we needed to, how we needed to say it, and to who we need to say it to.
If Pentecost made it possible to do what it did for Peter, it can certainly do the same thing for you and I.
We just have to be willing to be filled and then be used.
There are many today who want a pentecost experience, who at the end of the day have no real desire to build relationships with people, relationships that lead to making discples.
Why then would they receive this gift if they never plan to use it?
Check your heart, for it might be the thing that has been holding you back from receiving the gift the Father has promised.