Sermon Tone Analysis

There is a lot of confusion about the Holy Spirit today.

Charismatic abuse

Waving jackets and knocking down crowds of people

Fake healings

Sticking pennies to the wall

Fake prophecy and words of knowledge

Practice

Feeling the HS on your hands

Wrong thinking about the HS:

Not a force or a power, but a person

Not a feeling or experience, but a presence

The Holy Spirit is not less divine than Jesus or the Father

What does the Holy Spirit do?

Gives life

Gives help

Gives revelation

What does the Holy Spirit do?

Gives life (Jn 6:63-65, 1 Cor 2:12-14)

Gives help (Jn 14:15-17, Jn 14:26, Jn 16:7, Rom 8:26-27)

Gives revelation (Jn 15:26-27, Lk 12:11-12)

Convict the world concerning sin, righteousness, and judgement (Jn 16:7-11, 1 Tim 4:1-2)

Guides into all truth, declares things that are to come, glorifies Jesus (Jn 16:12-15, 2 Pet 1.21)

The Holy Spirit gives life

Story about Brandon Roth

Ten years ago, Becket Cook was a gay man in Hollywood who had achieved great success as a set designer in the fashion industry.

He worked with stars and supermodels, from Natalie Portman to Claudia Schiffer, traveling the world to design photo shoots for the likes of Vogue and Harper’s Bazaar.

He attended award shows and parties at the homes of Paris Hilton and Prince.

He spent summers swimming in Drew Barrymore’s pool.

A decade later, Cook has moved on from that life—and he doesn’t miss it.

What changed for Cook?

He met Jesus.

On a momentous day in September 2009, while drinking coffee with a friend in L.A.’s Silver Lake neighborhood, Cook started chatting with a group of young people sitting at a nearby table—physical Bibles opened in front of them (remember, this was 2009).

They were from a church called Reality L.A., and they invited Cook to visit the church.

Cook took them up on the invitation and visited Reality L.A. the next Sunday, where he heard the gospel and gave his life to Jesus.

He never looked back, trading his gay identity for a new identity in Christ.

In the years since, Cook completed a degree at Talbot School of Theology and wrote a memoir of his conversion, A Change of Affection: A Gay Man’s Incredible Story of Redemption, which just released.

You can talk to others in our church, that have amazing Holy Spirit conversion stories.

Talk to Alex Blackwell

Talk to Mike Reynolds

Both saved as adults, but listen to their stories and you’ll be blown away by how the Holy Spirit opened their eyes...

I was 3 or so when...

My son, Levin, was 7, just this last year...

One day in second grade, my teacher asked me the catechism question, “What is our only hope in life and death.”

I raised my hand and wanted to answer the question, “That we are not our own, but belong body and soul, both in life and death to God and to our Savior Jesus Christ.”

It was when I answered that question that I got the reason I wanted to be baptized.

I wanted to live life close to God.

The Holy Spirit gives help

This is the first time the Holy Spirit is referred to has the “Helper” and is referred to this way 3 more times in the book of John...

Some churches teach a separate “baptism of the Holy Spirit.”

I do not believe this is Biblical.

If you are in Christ, you have the Holy Spirit dwelling in you.

There is not a separate filling; every church I’m aware of that teaches the separate filling doctrine ends up cheapening the power of the Holy Spirit to parlor tricks and gimmicks.

The Holy Spirit gives revelation

Looking at John 15:26-16:15, there are at least 3 ways the Holy Spirit gives revelation, and it may not be what you’re thinking.

There is a very real sense in which a Christian knows Jesus is alive because the Holy Spirit has illuminated their heart.

Is this a strong apologetic argument?

Not for the world, but you can rest knowing that the Holy Spirit is making Jesus real to you.

And just as the Holy Spirit makes Jesus real to you, that is, bears witness to you, you bear witness to others.

This is the first thing I mean when I say that the Spirit gives revelation.

Without the Holy Spirit, there would be no revelation of Jesus Christ.

The second way the Holy Spirit gives revelation is concerning sin, righteousness, and judgement.

1 Timothy 4 speaks of some who “sear” their conscious.

In our rebellion against God, we become hardened against the truth of God and the testimony of the Holy Spirit.

I am coming to believe more and more this is why sin is not only tolerated in our culture, but in many cases celebrated.

And we are invited to join in the celebration.

This celebration of sin is directly combating the revelation of the Holy Spirit.

The Holy Spirit is the Spirit of Truth.

This is not the only place that the Bible talks about the Spirit bearing witness to the truth, and with the Spirit living inside believers, I certainly believe that He is leading us in truth.

That is revelation.

The truth is most clearly revealed to us in the word of God.

Jesus said he came to bear witness to this same truth...

More than this, I believe this is referencing the revelation of scripture to the Church.

The church was built on the authority of the Apostles.

The Apostles were given special authority by Jesus himself

This is not happening today.

Peter was in a special position to be able to say this.

So the third way I mean that the Holy Spirit gives revelation is through the word of God and its preservation.

The Holy Spirit gives revelation

Revelation of Jesus Christ

Revelation concerning sin, righteousness, and judgement

Revelation of scripture

WHAT I DON’T MEAN:

Modern day “thus says the Lord”

New scripture

Direct words from God

And Peter quotes the prophet Joel, that the Holy Spirit will be poured out on all flesh.

We are living in the days were the Spirit of God is given freely to those who are in Christ

And the Holy Spirit...

Gives us life

Gives us help

Gives us revelation