Pt. 8, The Dynamic Work of the Holy Spirit

 
Beliefs of the Biblical Christian, Part 8
Pt. 33, The Biblical Story
“The Dynamic Work of the Holy Spirit”

By Pastor Dan Kennedy
© May 3, 2015
www.pastorkennedy.com

The Work of the Holy Spirit is Profound and Dynamic.  The Holy Spirit’s work is found throughout the Scripture, from the first chapter of Genesis to the final chapter of Revelation!

Genesis 1:2 – In the First Chapter in the Bible
2 Now the earth was formless and empty, darkness was over the surface of the deep, and the Spirit of God was hovering over the waters.  

Revelation 22:17 – In the Final Chapter in the Bible
17 The Spirit and the Bride say, “Come”…. 

A symbol of the Holy Spirit’s Heavenly Presence was prominently displayed in the ancient Jewish temples – in which the specific articles of furniture were earthly “copies” of the heavenly originals (Heb. 8:1-8; 9:1-5).  Of particular interest for this study on the Holy Spirit, is the Golden Lampstand – the Seven-stemmed Lampstand standing in the Holy Place, before the Holy of Holies.

The Golden Lampstand – “The Heavenly Menorah”  (Exodus 25:31-40; Rev. 1:12; 20; 2:1)

This “Seven-fold Menorah” fashioned from one piece of gold was featured as key furnishings in the Jewish Temples as an earthly representation of the seven-fold Heavenly Person – God, the Holy Spirit.

The Seven Spirits of God (Rev. 1:4; 3:1; 4:5; 5:6)

Revelation 4:5 
5 From the throne came flashes of lightning, and rumblings and peals of thunder, and before the throne were burning seven torches of fire (seven blazing lamps NIV), which are the seven spirits of God….

       Revelation 1:4 
…Grace to you and peace from him who is and who was and who is to come, and from the seven spirits who are before his throne…

A Heavenly Perspective of the Multiple Dimensions of the Holy Spirit

Isaiah 11:2  	
     2 And the Spirit of the Lord shall rest upon him, the Spirit of wisdom and understanding, the Spirit of counsel and might, the Spirit of knowledge and the fear of the Lord. 

Today we explore the thirteenth point of our doctrinal statement:

13.  We believe in the present ministry of the Holy Spirit by whose indwelling does empower the Christian to live a Godly life. 
Acts 1:8; 1 Corinthians 6:19-20; John 14:16-23; John 16:12-15

The Work of the Holy Spirit is seen from the Beginning of Time
Obviously the Spirit of God was at work from the beginning of time and throughout the Old Testament.  Why then was Jesus so insistent that the Holy Spirit needed to “come” and that He could not come until Jesus ascended to His Father and was glorified?  

Why did the Holy Spirit need to “come” when He was seen to be already “here”?

In the Old Testament God’s Spirit is recorded to have come on Specific People for Specific Purposes
In the Old Testament – before Jesus Christ came as mankind’s Redeemer and Savior, the Holy Spirit’s work was evidenced in empowering special individuals with unique power and specific ministries for God.

Joseph, Moses, Joshua, Sampson, God’s prophets and various kings, etc., all were “anointed” by the Holy Spirit to fulfill key roles in service for God and His People.  Some were appointed from the time they were in the womb; others had special anointing at critical times in the life of the nation of Israel.  There was no “New Testament New Birth” or “Living Water”, until Pentecost (John 3:3-8; 4:13-14; 7:38-39), so the Holy Spirit had not come in the same way in the Old Testament, as He would following Christ’s death and resurrection at “the coming of the Holy Spirit” on Pentecost.  

God withdrew His Spirit from the disobedient in the Old Testament
Remember Saul was anointed the first king of Israel and was given the opportunity to be transformed to be the leader God wished for him to be by the Spirit of God (1 Samuel 10:1,6; 9-11; 11:5-6).  But Saul sinned against the Lord and God’s Spirit was withdrawn from him (1 Samuel 16:14).

King David felt the pain of his sin against Uriah and Bathsheba, and after having seen God’s Spirit withdrawn from Saul, who preceded him as king, David wrote a plea in Psalm 51, for forgiveness of his sin, and a cry for mercy from God.  He did not want God’s Spirit to be withdrawn from him because of his sin, as it had happened to King Saul.

Psalm 51:9–11 
	9 Hide your face from my sins, 
and blot out all my iniquities. 
	10 Create in me a clean heart, O God, 
and renew a right spirit within me. 
	11 Cast me not away from your presence, 
and take not your Holy Spirit from me. 

We sing about this Old Testament concept in one of our worship choruses today, 

        “Create in Me a Clean Heart”.

Create in me a clean heart, Oh God,
And renew a right spirit within me. (2x)

Cast me not away from Your Presence Oh Lord,
And take not Your Holy Spirit from me!

Restore unto me, the Joy of my Salvation,
And renew a right spirit with in me.

Why then was Jesus so insistent that the Holy Spirit needed to “come” and that the Holy Spirit could not come until Jesus ascended to His Father and was glorified?

Why then, did the Holy Spirit come?

We can look at the Feast of Pentecost (the time when God gave us the Holy Spirit) from at least three perspectives.  

a.)  Experiential or Theological:  We can understand the coming of the Holy Spirit at Pentecost from the perspective of our denominational backgrounds: experiential, or theological.

b.)  Personal Study:  We can continue to read and meditate in the Scripture to understand as much as possible about the work of the Holy Spirit, from our personal study of God’s Word.  

c.)  From a modern-day Jewish, non-Christian perspective.  The outpouring of the Holy Spirit at Pentecost has become such a highly identifiable and notable Christian event associated with the Jewish Festival of Weeks, fifty days following Passover.  An Orthodox Jewish, non-Christian perspective has been to artificially associate Pentecost with the giving of the Law, by Moses, on Mt. Sinai.  There is no recorded Scriptural or historical record associating the giving of the Law with Pentecost.  

                    See explanations:
The Feast of Weeks 
Offerings
 http://www3.telus.net/public/kstam/en/temple/details/pentecost.htm

See explanations:
Shavuot (the current Jewish term for Pentecost)   http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shavuot

The Holy Spirit’s Coming was Essential.  Why was it so necessary?

The Holy Spirit would be sent only when Jesus returned to Heaven – the disciples had been told not to go anywhere until the Holy Spirit came.

John 16:7 
7 Nevertheless, I tell you the truth: it is to your advantage that I go away, for if I do not go away, the Helper will not come to you. But if I go, I will send him to you. 

•	A Primary Purpose for the Holy Spirit’s Coming is to Indwell and Transform the Child Of God 
We often forget that a primary part of Salvation is the transforming work of the Holy Spirit.  Without His work, we would not be “Born Again”, or have “Living Water” (see John 7:38-39)!  

Salvation is not Complete without Rebirth through the Power of the Holy Spirit

1.	 The Foundation of Salvation is the Sacrificial Substitutionary Work of Jesus Christ on the Cross, and His Resurrection from the Dead.  Christ’s death, burial and resurrection is “The Gospel” and is Essential to Break the Power of Sin, to Conquer Death, and to give a sinful person the “legal” pardon for his or her sins before a Holy God.  But, Jesus would not let His disciples go anywhere until “the Holy Spirit came”.

2.	 The Transformational Work of New Birth by the Power of the Holy Spirit is Essential before one can be “Born Again” to be a Child of the Living God, and be empowered to serve Him.

Jesus shared this dynamic, transforming work of the Holy Spirit using “New Birth” analogy, with Nicodemus – a religious leader…in this He was depicting the transformational, life-giving work of the Holy Spirit in which a sinful human being can become a Child of God, by being “Born Again!”

John 3:5–8 
5 Jesus answered, “Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born of water and the Spirit, he cannot enter the kingdom of God. 6 That which is born of the flesh is flesh, and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit. 7 Do not marvel that I said to you, ‘You must be born again.’ 8 The wind blows where it wishes, and you hear its sound, but you do not know where it comes from or where it goes. So it is with everyone who is born of the Spirit.” 

Jesus shared this dynamic transformation using “the Water of Life” illustration with the woman at the well…in this He was referring to the life-giving work of the Holy Spirit.

John 4:13–14 
13 Jesus said to her, “Everyone who drinks of this water will be thirsty again, 14 but whoever drinks of the water that I will give him will never be thirsty again. The water that I will give him will become in him a spring of water welling up to eternal life.” 

Jesus shared the same “Living Water” illustration at the last great day of the Jewish celebration of the Feast of Booths.   

And, there is a clarifying sentence following Christ’s “Living Water” declaration about when this would take place…after He was glorified and when the Holy Spirit came at Pentecost! 

“Living Water” and the Indwelling power of the Holy Spirit would be available when Jesus returned to His Father and sent the Holy Spirit, at Pentecost!

John 7:37–39 
37 On the last day of the feast, the great day, Jesus stood up and cried out, “If anyone thirsts, let him come to me and drink. 38 Whoever believes in me, as the Scripture has said, ‘Out of his heart will flow rivers of living water.’ ” 39 Now this he said about the Spirit, whom those who believed in him were to receive, for as yet the Spirit had not been given, because Jesus was not yet glorified. 

The Holy Spirit did not indwell, give New Birth, or transform those prior to Pentecost as He would, following Pentecost.  The Holy Spirit was “with Old Testament saints”, but He was not “in them” as He would be after His Coming.  This is a primary reason why Jesus commanded His disciples to wait in Jerusalem for the Holy Spirit’s coming.  

John 14:16–17 
16 And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another Helper, to be with you forever, 17 even the Spirit of truth, whom the world cannot receive, because it neither sees him nor knows him. You know him, for he dwells with you and will be in you. 

The Redeemer Preceded the Transformer
The coming of the Holy Spirit at Pentecost could not happen until Jesus Christ had fully become mankind’s Sacrificial Redeemer on the Cross, had broken the power of sin and death by rising again; and, had ascended to be glorified with His Father.  But transformation by the Holy Spirit is essential to Salvation!

No Spirit of Christ?  No Salvation.
The Apostle Paul minces no words about those who do not have the Holy Spirit indwelling them transforming them and giving them New Birth…they do not belong to Christ.

Romans 8:9 
9 You, however, are not in the flesh but in the Spirit, if in fact the Spirit of God dwells in you. Anyone who does not have the Spirit of Christ does not belong to him. 

All of us have observed those who have “prayed the prayer of salvation” with their lips, but whose spirit and lives have no fruit bearing witness to their being “transformed” by the Gospel of Christ.  That transformation is through the power of the Holy Spirit.  This, along with many other reasons, is why it was necessary for the Holy Spirit to “come” as He did at Pentecost.

1 Corinthians 6:9-11 
9 Or do you not know that the unrighteous will not inherit the kingdom of God? 

11 And such were some of you. But you were washed, you were sanctified, you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and by the Spirit of our God. 

Titus 3:5–6 
5 he saved us, not because of works done by us in righteousness, but according to his own mercy, by the washing of regeneration and renewal of the Holy Spirit, 6 whom he poured out on us richly through Jesus Christ our Savior….

Romans 8:11
11  And if the Spirit of him who raised Jesus from the dead is living in you, he who raised Christ from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies through his Spirit, who lives in you. 


Jesus Christ came so mankind could be Redeemed and The Holy Spirit came at Pentecost so we could be Transformed!  Born Again!

Without the Holy Spirit we are Spiritually Dead!
This is not unique to the believers in Christ.
Spiritual Dynamics are Alive in All Religions
Every religion in the world experiences a “transformation” and reinforcement of belief through the spirit involved with that religion.  

o	Those accepting the spirit of Buddhism are prompted by that spirit to accept the teachings of the Eightfold Path and reincarnation into “nothingness”. 

o	Those accepting the spirit of Hinduism are pressed by that spirit to potentially accept the legitimate worship of thousands of gods and innumerable rebirths in their desire to achieve Nirvana.  

o	Those accepting the spirit of the Muslims, by their spirit’s zeal follow with great devotion the five pillars of Islam.  The most zealous long to be martyrs by the same spirit.

o	The spirit of Shintoism teaches those who accept it, among other rituals, to worship the spirit of their ancestors.  

o	The spirit of Atheism and Agnosticism emanates from the spirit of antichrist in the world, that those so deceived, have chosen to accept.

1 John 2:22 
22 Who is the liar but he who denies that Jesus is the Christ? This is the antichrist, he who denies the Father and the Son. 

1 John 4:1–3 
4 Beloved, do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits to see whether they are from God, for many false prophets have gone out into the world. 2 By this you know the Spirit of God: every spirit that confesses that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh is from God, 3 and every spirit that does not confess Jesus is not from God. This is the spirit of the antichrist, which you heard was coming and now is in the world already. 

2 John 7 
7 For many deceivers have gone out into the world, those who do not confess the coming of Jesus Christ in the flesh. Such a one is the deceiver and the antichrist. 

•	There are hosts of other spirits seeking to teach deceptive spiritual doctrines to those not willing to repent of their sin and turn to Christ. 

o	 What gives Mormons the “burning in the bosom” and the belief in the books teaching Mormonism?  
The acceptance of the spirit of Mormonism.

o	 What causes the Jehovah Witness’ the tenacious belief in their false Watchtower system of teaching?  
The spirit enabling the JW’s.

•	Those who accept Jesus Christ as their personal Savior and Lord are “Born Again” by the Spirit of the Living God who comes to live in them.
1 Corinthians 6:19–20 
19 Or do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit within you, whom you have from God? You are not your own, 20 for you were bought with a price. So glorify God in your body. 

Colossians 1:27 
27 To them God chose to make known how great among the Gentiles are the riches of the glory of this mystery, which is Christ in you, the hope of glory. 

Why did Jesus send the Holy Spirit at Pentecost?  So those who would believe in Jesus as Savior and Lord could be enlivened by His Sprit and become Children of the Most High God!

•	Jesus also sent the Holy Spirit as our Heavenly “Down payment” –  guaranteeing the fullness of God’s Eternal Blessing that is to come!
1 Corinthians 13:12 
12 For now we see in a mirror dimly, but then face to face. Now I know in part; then I shall know fully, even as I have been fully known. 

Ephesians 1:13–14 
13 In him you also, when you heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation, and believed in him, were sealed with the promised Holy Spirit, 14 who is the guarantee of our inheritance until we acquire possession of it, to the praise of his glory. 

2 Corinthians 1:21–22 
21 And it is God who establishes us with you in Christ, and has anointed us, 22 and who has also put his seal on us and given us his Spirit in our hearts as a guarantee. 

2 Corinthians 5:4–5  
4 For while we are still in this tent, we groan, being burdened—not that we would be unclothed, but that we would be further clothed, so that what is mortal may be swallowed up by life. 5 He who has prepared us for this very thing is God, who has given us the Spirit as a guarantee. 

•	Jesus sent the Holy Spirit to Illumine our hearts to Understand Spiritual Truth…while the Natural Man cannot perceive the Truth of God’s Word
1 Corinthians 2:6–14 
Wisdom from the Spirit 
6 Yet among the mature we do impart wisdom, although it is not a wisdom of this age or of the rulers of this age, who are doomed to pass away. 7 But we impart a secret and hidden wisdom of God, which God decreed before the ages for our glory. 8 None of the rulers of this age understood this, for if they had, they would not have crucified the Lord of glory. 9 But, as it is written, 
“What no eye has seen, nor ear heard, nor the heart of man imagined, what God has prepared for those who love him”— 
10 these things God has revealed to us through the Spirit. For the Spirit searches everything, even the depths of God. 11 For who knows a person’s thoughts except the spirit of that person, which is in him? So also no one comprehends the thoughts of God except the Spirit of God. 12 Now we have received not the spirit of the world, but the Spirit who is from God, that we might understand the things freely given us by God. 13 And we impart this in words not taught by human wisdom but taught by the Spirit, interpreting spiritual truths to those who are spiritual. 
14 The natural person does not accept the things of the Spirit of God, for they are folly to him, and he is not able to understand them because they are spiritually discerned. 

•	Jesus sent the Holy Spirit to Empower His Children
No one can be “Born Again” without the Presence and Work of the Holy Spirit.  Those seeking to bring the Gospel of Christ to others are powerless to do so without the Presence and Work of the Holy Spirit.  We must be empowered by the Holy Spirit to accomplish God’s Work as we “take the Gospel with us” to the ends of the earth (Matt. 28:19-20).  That is why Jesus did not want His disciples to leave Jerusalem without being empowered by the Holy Spirit.

Acts 1:8
8  “But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you; and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.” 

Peter preached a powerful message at Pentecost, after the Holy Spirit’s Coming.  Those listening were strongly convicted of their sins and asked Peter what they should do.  This is what the Apostle told them:

Acts 2:37–38 
37 Now when they heard this they were cut to the heart, and said to Peter and the rest of the apostles, “Brothers, what shall we do?” 38 And Peter said to them, “Repent and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins, and you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. 

•	Jesus sent the Holy Spirit at Pentecost to Point us To Christ.  To Teach Us About and Remind Us what Jesus had Taught
John 14:26 
26 But the Helper, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, he will teach you all things and bring to your remembrance all that I have said to you. 

John 15:26 
26 “But when the Helper comes, whom I will send to you from the Father, the Spirit of truth, who proceeds from the Father, he will bear witness about me. 

John 16:7–15 
7 Nevertheless, I tell you the truth: it is to your advantage that I go away, for if I do not go away, the Helper will not come to you. But if I go, I will send him to you. 8 And when he comes, he will convict the world concerning sin and righteousness and judgment: 9 concerning sin, because they do not believe in me; 10 concerning righteousness, because I go to the Father, and you will see me no longer; 11 concerning judgment, because the ruler of this world is judged. 
12 “I still have many things to say to you, but you cannot bear them now. 13 When the Spirit of truth comes, he will guide you into all the truth, for he will not speak on his own authority, but whatever he hears he will speak, and he will declare to you the things that are to come. 14 He will glorify me, for he will take what is mine and declare it to you. 15 All that the Father has is mine; therefore I said that he will take what is mine and declare it to you. 

The Holy Spirit will convict the world regarding:

a.	 Sin – because they do not believe in Christ
b.	 Righteousness – because Christ is with His Father (and will no longer teach His disciples in the world – the Holy Spirit will now do this)
c.	J udgment – because the ruler of this world is judged.

The Holy Spirit will guide God’s Children into all the truth and declare to us “Things to Come”

•	Jesus sent the Holy Spirit at Pentecost to Lead Us in our Daily Lives and to give us Victory over Sin
Romans 8:13-16
13  For if you live according to the sinful nature, you will die; but if by the Spirit you put to death the misdeeds of the body, you will live, 14  because those who are led by the Spirit of God are sons of God. 15  For you did not receive a spirit that makes you a slave again to fear, but you received the Spirit of sonship. And by him we cry, ["Abba,] Father." 16  The Spirit himself testifies with our spirit that we are God's children. 

•	The Holy Spirit came to Comfort Us
Acts 9:31 
31 So the church throughout all Judea and Galilee and Samaria had peace and was being built up. And walking in the fear of the Lord and in the comfort of the Holy Spirit, it multiplied. 

•	The Holy Spirit came to Intercede before God on behalf of His Children
Romans 8:26,27
26  In the same way, the Spirit helps us in our weakness. We do not know what we ought to pray for, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us with groans that words cannot express. 27  And he who searches our hearts knows the mind of the Spirit, because the Spirit intercedes for the saints in accordance with God's will. 

•	The Holy Spirit was sent by Jesus to Build Christ’s Church into a Unified Body
Ephesians 4:3–7; 11-14
3 eager to maintain the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace. 4 There is one body and one Spirit—just as you were called to the one hope that belongs to your call— 5 one Lord, one faith, one baptism, 6 one God and Father of all, who is over all and through all and in all. 7 But grace was given to each one of us according to the measure of Christ’s gift. 
11 And he gave the apostles, the prophets, the evangelists, the shepherds and teachers, 12 to equip the saints for the work of ministry, for building up the body of Christ, 13 until we all attain to the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to mature manhood, to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ, 14 so that we may no longer be children, tossed to and fro by the waves and carried about by every wind of doctrine, by human cunning, by craftiness in deceitful schemes. 

•	The Holy Spirit was sent by Jesus to Give us the Power to Endure
Hope is Given by the Holy Spirit
Romans 15:13
13  May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in him, so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit.

Unfortunately…we do not always listen to the Voice of God’s Holy Spirit!

We complain, we question God, we struggle with our faith…

And we WORRY.


WORRY

By Dan Kennedy

God created the world with the Word of His Power.
He caused all things to move, breathe and re-create 
after their own kind.

He holds all things together by the Supernatural Strength of His Being!
He knows the thoughts we think before we speak them.
He knew the finest detail of our Being 
before we were even born...
He knows exactly when and where we will take our final breath.

He delights in having formed us after His Image, in His Likeness:
A creative, thinking, reasoning, loving and caring soul.

He knows every scar, which has hurt us 
physically, emotionally or spiritually.  
He knows who will come into our lives, 
How they will affect us, and how we will respond to them.
He is aware of every event in the most mundane 
or the busiest schedule.  
He has full knowledge of the number of hairs on our head and 
Comprehends every motive behind each action we take.

He knows exactly what we have experienced in life.
He knows those who will be influential in our life, 
and the seemingly insurmountable difficulties 
we will face.

He knows just what our unique gifts and abilities are - 
precisely what we enjoy and what we particularly dislike.
He knows our favorite color, our favorite sweater, 
the things we think are secret 
and the dreams we hope will come true.
He knows every sin to which we have ever yielded...
Every hateful word, every dark thought 
– each nuance of impurity, deception, cover-up, lie or resentment.  
Nothing is hidden.

He also knows our joy of private and personal purity. 
He knows each time we cry out to God in a meaningful way.  
He knows every occasion where 
we have made, by His grace, 
The Scripture our Resource,
Reliance on His Spirit our Empowerment, 
and 
His Name our Refuge.

He knows each gracious deed.

We think some things are hidden from God - even the good, 
but we cannot hide the smallest, 
most insignificant gesture from His observation.
He knows, because, if He were not so close to every living thing, 
nothing could continue to live and breathe.  
He holds all things together with the Word of His Dynamic Power!

Then we face a crisis, which He has allowed to enter our lives…
A personal dilemma in our own private world.

When He does not immediately “fix” the situation to our liking, 
We begin to wonder if He really does know what is going on.  
We question, “Does God care?  Is God there?”
He waits…looking for us to have a glimmer of faith 
in His Almighty Hand.

We, though, in our “great wisdom,” begin the process of worry.  
We worry if our circumstance will ever get better.  
We worry that God really does not see…does not fully hear, 
And that He may actually be powerless to do anything to help us.

We really worry.  
We loose sleep over the circumstance.  
We cry over the issue.  
We are angry with God for allowing the pain.  
We begin to accuse Him of cruelty, 
when we are affected in such an adverse and suffering way.

Through our worry, we deny His awesome power. 
We somehow expect our worrying 
to magically fix the problem 
because we worried…when in reality, 
our anxiety has led us far from the only strength 
with which we can be supernaturally provided.
Through worry’s systematic unbelief 
and carnal permeation leaching into our soul,
the sweet fellowship, communion and faith 
which we once had in our All-Powerful God 
and Heavenly Father,
becomes tainted and skewed -
sometimes even bitterly broken.  

Instead, through worrying we are led… 
To the wilderness of doubt and despair,  
To the prison-house of unbelief,  
To the powerlessness of a faithless life!

We might even die in our worry because of 
the paralyzing constriction of our anxiousness -
never experiencing
freedom from the bondage of cruel anxiety 
through the blessed releasing power of our Risen Savior.

Christ Jesus instead, has meant every fiery trial to be... 
The testing and growing of our faith, 
A fuller reliance on His power, 
A deep inexplicable leaning on and resting in 
the unexplainable Comfort and Joy of His Presence.
Experiencing with Him part of the depth of His own suffering.

God means all of this 
to be a fuller revelation and deepening of 
the genuineness of the priceless, glorious jewel 
cultivated around the testing of our own faith!

This trial of our faith can be to us, 
of much, much more value...
than having the wealth of an earthly mine full of the 
“most precious purified gold!”

God’s reward for genuine fire-tested faith 
will be without comparison...
and it will be eternal.

Worry, on the other hand, robs us of true joy,  
Drives us to despair,  
Afflicts us with anxiety and
Rewards us with nothing more than the bitterness of a 
defeated spiritual relationship with God.  
Let us turn away from worry and choose not 
to solace ourselves with 
its seducing powerlessness, bitterness, separation and gall. 

Instead, may we turn to the God of the Universe and remember 
God’s Promises and He Who always fulfills His Word!
May we remember His Faithfulness to us in the past!  
May we recall His Love, His Provision, 
and His Peace which passes understanding.  

May we find freedom from worry 
and a Refuge in the Strength and Comfort of 
Our Redeemer, our Resource and our Refuge -
The Great “I AM”,
Who Is…our Eternal God!

~~~~~~~

Jesus Christ sent the Holy Spirit to give His Children Hope in testing, Peace in trial, and Assurance that He is with us, in a world filled with turmoil, suffering and death.


“But the Helper, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send 
in my Name, 
He will teach you all things and bring to your remembrance 
all that I have said to you.  

Peace I leave with you; my peace I give to you. 
Not as the world gives do I give to you. 
Let not your hearts be troubled, neither let them be afraid.”
John 14:26–27
 

See also other message notes on the Holy Spirit:

  God, The Holy Spirit, Part 1

  The Presence of the Holy Spirit in Our Daily Life, Part 2

  The Holy Spirit and Our Eternal Inheritance, Part 3

  The Conviction of the Holy Spirit, Part 4

  The Comfort of the Holy Spirit, Part 5

  Power from God - The Holy Spirit





http://www.pastorkennedy.comhttp://www3.telus.net/public/kstam/en/temple/details/pentecost.htmhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shavuothttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shavuothttp://www.pastorkennedy.com/Doctrine/God,_The_Holy_Spirit.htmlhttp://www.pastorkennedy.com/Doctrine/The_Presence_of_the_Holy_Spirit.htmlhttp://www.pastorkennedy.com/Doctrine/The_Holy_Spirit_and_Our_Eternal_Inheritance.htmlhttp://www.pastorkennedy.com/Doctrine/The_Conviction_of_the_Holy_Spirit.htmlhttp://www.pastorkennedy.com/Doctrine/The_Comfort_of_the_Holy_Spirit.htmlhttp://www.pastorkennedy.com/Doctrine/Power_from_God_-_the_Holy_Spirit.htmlshapeimage_1_link_0shapeimage_1_link_1shapeimage_1_link_2shapeimage_1_link_3shapeimage_1_link_4shapeimage_1_link_5shapeimage_1_link_6shapeimage_1_link_7shapeimage_1_link_8shapeimage_1_link_9