Pentecost Celebrates Indwelling Holy Spirit

Pentecost Celebrates Indwelling Holy Spirit

Today is Pentecost which celebrates the giving of the Holy Spirit who is to dwell within us and change our lives.

Pentecost Celebrates Indwelling Holy Spirit

Pentecost Celebrates Indwelling Holy Spirit

A Sermon Delivered to
The Compassion Internet Church

8 June 2014

Frank L. Hoffman, Pastor

Scripture References:

Psalm 104:1-35
John 7:37–39
Acts 2:1-4

Today is Pentecost which celebrates the giving of the Holy Spirit who is to dwell within us and change our lives.

However, like with all gifts, we must receive it, or in this case Him, if we are going to have any benefit from the gift giver.

Thus, no matter what people may claim, if their lives are not changed from the worldly ways of their former lifestyle into peacemaking children of God who actively seek to free creation from its present corruption, then in our opinion, it is doubtful that they have really received the Holy Spirit.

But before we go on, let’s take a look at what Jesus tells us in John 7:37-39, which was a prophecy of the future giving of the Holy Spirit on the day of Pentecost, and to us, today, who are truly willing to receive Him.

37. Now on the last day, the great day of the feast, Jesus stood and cried out, saying, “If any man is thirsty, let him come to Me and drink.

38. “He who believes in Me, as the Scripture said, ‘From his innermost being shall flow rivers of living water.’ ”

We pray that we all see the active part that comes with the receiving of the Holy Spirit; for all who receive Him will have His heavenly will flow forth from them as rivers of living water.

Yes, living waters, not rivers of blood, suffering, and death which flow forth from most people in the world today, which is most evident by the dead animals they eat with no true remorse for the suffering of the animals.

39. But this He spoke of the Spirit, whom those who believed in Him were to receive; for the Spirit was not yet given, because Jesus was not yet glorified.
NASB

And remember: Jesus is talking about true believers who believe in Him and follow His teachings.

The same thing applies to the actual giving of the Holy Spirit as we are told about in Acts 2:1-4…

1. And when the day of Pentecost had come, they were all together in one place.

2. And suddenly there came from heaven a noise like a violent, rushing wind, and it filled the whole house where they were sitting.

3. And there appeared to them tongues as of fire distributing themselves, and they rested on each one of them.

4. And they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak with other tongues, as the Spirit was giving them utterance.
NASB

We need to remember that those who received the Holy Spirit were true believers.

And, speaking in tongues is the easiest of the heavenly gifts to fake; thus, it is best to look for the person’s changed lifestyle to verify if they truly have the indwelling of the Holy Spirit.

We believe that these are the only ones who really have had this Pentecost experience.

With these things in mind, let’s take a look at Psalm 104:1-35, and meditate upon how our changed lifestyle conforms to God’s heavenly will for His creation.

1. Bless the LORD, O my soul! O LORD my God, Thou art very great; Thou art clothed with splendor and majesty,

After praising God for who the Lord is, the psalmist poetically writes about how God created the heavens and the earth.

2. Covering Thyself with light as with a cloak, Stretching out heaven like a tent curtain.

3. He lays the beams of His upper chambers in the waters; He makes the clouds His chariot; He walks upon the wings of the wind;

4. He makes the winds His messengers, Flaming fire His ministers.

5. He established the earth upon its foundations, So that it will not totter forever and ever.

6. Thou didst cover it with the deep as with a garment; The waters were standing above the mountains.

The psalmist continues with how God created the dry land.

7. At Thy rebuke they fled; At the sound of Thy thunder they hurried away.

8. The mountains rose; the valleys sank down To the place which Thou didst establish for them.

9. Thou didst set a boundary that they may not pass over; That they may not return to cover the earth.

Then the psalmist speaks of the way God cares for the earth as we know it today.

10. He sends forth springs in the valleys; They flow between the mountains;

11. They give drink to every beast of the field; The wild donkeys quench their thirst.

12. Beside them the birds of the heavens dwell; They lift up their voices among the branches.

13. He waters the mountains from His upper chambers; The earth is satisfied with the fruit of His works.

14. He causes the grass to grow for the cattle, And vegetation for the labor of man, So that he may bring forth food from the earth,

15. And wine which makes man’s heart glad, So that he may make his face glisten with oil, And food which sustains man’s heart.

Most human beings want these things for themselves, but don’t care about how they deprive the animals of these God given gifts.

In fact, they confine and kill the animals and pollute the earth because of their greed.

The Pentecost experience is to change us into loving, compassionate, and peacemaking children who protect creation according to God’s heavenly will.

We are not given the Holy Spirit so that we would have bragging rights, as all too many people seem to believe.

We are to be humble servants of the Lord our God by following the peacemaking teachings of Jesus.

16. The trees of the LORD drink their fill, The cedars of Lebanon which He planted,

17. Where the birds build their nests, And the stork, whose home is the fir trees.

This includes the rain forests that human beings are destroying more and more of every day, which in our opinion proves that these people are only filled with the unholy spirit of the devil.

They show no sign of ever having had the Pentecost experience.

18. The high mountains are for the wild goats; The cliffs are a refuge for the rock badgers.

19. He made the moon for the seasons; The sun knows the place of its setting.

20. Thou dost appoint darkness and it becomes night, In which all the beasts of the forest prowl about. 21. The young lions roar after their prey, And seek their food from God.

22. When the sun rises they withdraw, And lie down in their dens.

Even this is part of our fallen world, and against God’s creation and heavenly will; for such things never occurred until after the Fall, and they do not exist in heaven where there is no pain or death.

23. Man goes forth to his work And to his labor until evening.

In all our endeavors we need to ask ourselves, “Am I helping to protect creation in the heavenly will of God?”

And, if we are not, and we are still contributing to the corruption of creation, we need to call upon the Lord to help us to change into the peacemaking children of God who will help protect God’s creation and free it from its present corruption.

24. O LORD, how many are Thy works! In wisdom Thou hast made them all; The earth is full of Thy possessions.

25. There is the sea, great and broad, In which are swarms without number, Animals both small and great.

This is the way God created the seas and all the sea animals to be.

This may have been true at one time, but in our present time humans have been killing billions of sea animals every year for their selfish lifestyles, and most churches have supported these destructive practices.

We need to repent and stop corrupting creation, and help free creation from its present corruption.

26. There the ships move along, And Leviathan, which Thou hast formed to sport in it.

27. They all wait for Thee, To give them their food in due season.

28. Thou dost give to them, they gather it up; Thou dost open Thy hand, they are satisfied with good.

We all too often forget about who is really in control.

29. Thou dost hide Thy face, they are dismayed; Thou dost take away their spirit, they expire, And return to their dust.

30. Thou dost send forth Thy Spirit, they are created; And Thou dost renew the face of the ground.

We all should be helping to restore creation instead of working against God and His heavenly will.

31. Let the glory of the LORD endure forever; Let the LORD be glad in His works;

32. He looks at the earth, and it trembles; He touches the mountains, and they smoke.

33. I will sing to the LORD as long as I live; I will sing praise to my God while I have my being.

34. Let my meditation be pleasing to Him; As for me, I shall be glad in the LORD.

35. Let sinners be consumed from the earth, And let the wicked be no more. Bless the LORD, O my soul. Praise the LORD!
NASB

We have heard many of the people who continue to corrupt creation praise the Lord in words, but this is not what the psalmist is writing about.

We need to praise the Lord in the spirit of truth, which comes from our living in the heavenly will of God, where there is no pain or suffering or death.

Thus, no part of our lifestyle: what we say, or what we do, or what we spend our money on, should in any way contribute to the suffering or death of any living beings.

We are to be peacemaking children of God for the benefit of the whole of creation.

We are to truly have the Pentecost experience, and show the world around us the indwelling of the Holy Spirit through our changed lifestyle.

Amen.

See a listing of all our other sermons: http://all-creatures.org/sermons.html


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