The Tabernacle Today

Eight Truths about God the Holy Spirit

Verse 39 is so important to understanding the Bible. It lets us know that after Jesus died and was resurrected from the dead and went back to Heaven, believers from then on would have the Spirit of God residing within them.

As Jesus went from earth back to Heaven, the Holy Spirit became the prominent member of the Trinity working on earth.

References to God the Holy Spirit:

Genesis – Esther (law and history)   36 references

Job – Malachi (poets and prophets)  54 references

Matthew – Acts (gospels and history) 113 references

Romans – Revelation (letters and prophecy) 139 references

Eight Truths about God the Holy Spirit:

1.  The Godhead includes the Holy Spirit

“Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit.”  -Matthew 28:19

2. The Holy Spirit is a Person

“When the Helper comes, whom I shall send to you from the Father, the Spirit of Truth who proceeds from the Father, HE will testify of Me.” -John 15:26

And do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, by whom you were sealed for the day of redemption. -Ephesians 4:30

3. The Holy Spirit indwells believers at the moment of salvation

In Him you also trusted, after you heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation; in whom also, having believed, were sealed with the Holy Spirit of promise, who is our inheritance until the redemption of the purchased possession, to the praise of His glory. -Ephesians 1:13-14

Do you not know that you are the temple of God and that the Spirit of God dwells in you? -1 Corinthians 3:16

4. The Holy Spirit baptizes ALL believers at the moment of salvation

For by one Spirit we were all baptized into one body -whether Jews or Greeks, whether slaves or free – and have all been made to drink of one Spirit.  -1 Corinthians 12:13

5. The Holy Spirit is always available to control believers

Therefore do not be unwise, but understand what the will of the Lord is. And do not be drunk with wine, in which is dissipation, but be filled with the Spirit.   -Ephesians 5:17-18

6.  The Holy Spirit always leads us to glorify Jesus

He will glorify Me, for He will take of what is Mine and declare it to you. All things that the Father has are Mine. Therefore I said that He will take of Mine and declare it to you.  -John 16:14-15

Lighting the darkness 2 Peter 1:16-21

For the time will come when they will not tolerate sound doctrine, but according to their own desires, will accumulate teachers for themselves because they have an itch to hear something new. They will turn away from hearing the truth and turn aside to myths.  -2 Timothy 4:4

Born again Christians have an all-sufficient salvation from an all-sufficient Savior and all-Sufficient Scriptures to _______________ their beliefs and behaviors.

The Bible is strongly ­­­­­­­­­­­­­­__________________________ V. 19a

“Unless you believe that I AM, you will die in your sins.” -John 8:24

The Bible shines in ____________________ places! V. 19b

If you don’t pay attention to the real thing (Scripture), you are going to be gullible when _________________________ teaching emerges. But if you pay attention to studying the Bible, you will not fall victim to cleverly contrived myths.

Psalm 119:105 Matthew 4:16

I am the Root and the Offspring of David, the Bright Morning Star.    –Rev. 22:16

The Bible is Spirit-__________________________! V. 20-21

2 Peter is only 3 chapters, but if we had to give the top 10 Bible passages that help us understand the Scriptures, _______________ would come from 2 Peter.  3:15-16.

Stop…and remember

Since 1776 the United States has been involved in over 79 wars or conflicts, with 1,354,664 fellow Americans dying and 40,031 still counted as missing in action.

Civil War  655,000 deaths

WW 2 405,399 deaths

WW1 116,516 deaths

Vietnam 58,209 deaths

Korea 36,574 deaths

Revolutionary 25,000 deaths

War of 1812 15,000 deaths

Mexican-American  13,283 deaths

Iraq 4,576 deaths

Philippine-American 4,196 deaths

Afghanistan 2,420 deaths

Spanish-American 2,246 deaths

The Holmes-Rahe Stress Inventory assigns points to 43 different life events that could happen to a person over the course of a year.

150 points or less indicates you have a relatively low amount of life change and a low susceptibility to a stress induced health breakdown.

150 to 300 points indicates you have a 50% chance of a major health breakdown in the next 2 years.

300 points or more raises the odds to 80% according to the Holmes-Rahe statistical prediction model.

Jeremiah understood that ultimately Babylon had been God’s instrument to judge Israel because of their many sins. Babylon was not their biggest problem, God was. But God was also their biggest solution, their only eternal solution.

5 Principles for when you are dealing with loss and change:

Remember what you have lost 3:17-20

Inwardly many of their hearts were aligned with the sins of Babylon, so God decided to no longer protect them from the outward threat of Babylon.

Remember what you as a believer can never lose 3:21-24

Wait on and serve the Lord rather than make reckless decisions 3:25-27

“For I know the thoughts that I think toward you,” says the Lord, “thoughts of peace and not of evil, to give you a future and a hope.” -Jeremiah 29:11

Even as Israel longed to be back in Jerusalem, they were to be faithful and fruitful followers of God’s ways in Babylon. Even as we long for the New Earth, we are to be faithful and fruitful followers of Jesus on this old earth!

Identify and repent of any sins contributing to your loss 3:40-42

If My people who are called by My name will humble themselves, and pray and seek My face, and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from Heaven, and will forgive their sin and heal their land. -2 Chronicles 7:14

The Majestic Glory 2 Peter 1:12-18

V. Raymond Edman

Growing Christians live to _________________pass along the faith to others   V. 12-15

From this we gather that great preaching is preaching that goes over the __________________ truths about salvation and Christian living. It evangelizes, it edifies, it equips!

“I write to you, not because you do not know the truth, but because you know it.”  -I John 2:21

Jude 5

Peter was aware his time was short. He was probably age ________ by this point. He was being persecuted in a Roman prison, and Christians were being killed.

Peter has a wonderful way of describing his death, not as the end but as a putting off of this earthly tent, because going to be with the Lord is like coming home from a journey and exchanging the tent for the comforts of home. The only home a believer has is in Heaven.  -The Venerable Bede, Ancient Christian Commentary, 138

John 21:18-19.

Peter had lived his life knowing his time was coming – and he made the most of his ______________________ with others for Jesus.

2 Timothy 4:6-8

Luke 9:31

In what ways are you intentionally reminding people of God’s truth?

Carry On

This is the last of eight messages in the “one another’s” of the New Testament. We have seen over and over again that the antidote for obsession with self for the Christian is to focus on loving God and one another.

One Another’s we are to do:

One Another’s we don’t do:

Today’s passage shows that often the difference between whether we look out for one another is whether we are walking in the Spirit or walking in the flesh.

The Spirit of Christ carries us as we love one another! 5:16-26

That does not mean there is not still a battle between flesh and Spirit, of course there is and there will be until we get to Heaven. But I have learned that when I walk in the flesh I feel deflated, but when I walk in the Spirit I feel fulfilled.

I can’t, but God never said I could!

The Spirit of Christ in me can, and He promised that He would!

One Another is a way of life that is only made possible by walking in the Spirit.

GROW UP:

Godliness Ruling Over Worldliness  Under Pressure!

The Spirit carries us, and we are to carry one another’s burdens! 6:1-10

The apostle Paul saw no conflict between Christians helping themselves and accepting help from other Christians.

Application points from Galatians 6:1-10.

1. Don’t give up on people, but try to restore them  6:1

2. Don’t forget any sin could happen to you  6:1

3.  Don’t expect others to do for you what you can do for yourself 6:4-5

4. Don’t neglect taking care of responsibilities closer to home in the name of helping others   6:10

5. If God has blessed you and you are in a position to help others, don’t acquire more stuff, invest in people  6:9

6. If you are already ‘all about’ one another, don’t grow weary! 6:9

7. When you need help from the church, ask for it!

A Fruitful Faith         2 Peter 1:5-11

Faith Pursuits:

By faith, pursue ___________________________!

By faith, pursue ____________________________

By faith, pursue self-control

By faith, grow in ___________________________

Focusing on Eternal Things

In an age when many are declaring their independence from church, the “one another’s” remind us of how indispensable we are to one another’s growth in Christ, that we are meant to be interdependent in Christ!

“IN ESSENTIALS UNITY; IN NON-ESSENTIALS LIBERTY; IN ALL THINGS CHARITY.”  -Saint Augustine (354-430)

DON’T judge fellow Christians over non-essential matters

DO think through your convictions on non-essential matters

DON’T make weaker Christians stumble by exercising your Christian liberty

DO live to edify (build up) weaker brothers

“When it came to his own glory, Liddell would surrender it all rather than run on Sunday. But when it came to the good of children in a prison camp, he would referee on Sunday. Liddell would sacrifice a gold medal for himself in the name of truth but would bend over backward for others in the name of grace.”  -Randy Alcorn, page 79, The Grace and Truth Paradox

Hold your convictions dearly – But recognize the difference between essentials and non-essentials. Stop criticizing your brothers and sisters in Christ. And be willing to set aside non-essentials for the sake of kingdom growth.

Provision, Power and Promises 2 Peter 1:1-4

Every generation has a choice: to go out like Saul or to go out like Paul.   -Russell Moore in Onward, page 211

I will also give him (the overcomer) a white stone, and on the stone a new name is inscribed that no one knows except the one who receives it. –Rev. 2:17b

Three things true believers possess:

P________________ righteousness V. 1-2

P__________________ for living V. 3

P__________________ for victory V. 4

This sermon was preached on Mother's Day - May 9, 2021, and was preached by  Executive Pastor Joey Bray.

Restoration Guaranteed I Peter 5:8-14

“I am sure of this, that He who started a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Jesus Christ.” -Phil. 1:6

Three Promises the Believer has amidst suffering:

1. You are not the ____________ one suffering   V. 9

2. Jesus promises full _______________ for suffering believers   V. 10

3. All believers are called to ___________________ ministry  V. 12-13

All this is from God, who through Christ reconciled us to Himself and gave us the ministry of reconciliation. -2 Cor. 5:18