The Holy Spirit || Part 8 (The Day of Pentecost)
The Holy Spirit || Part 8, Day 4
The Day of Pentecost
John 14:15-29 NKJV
“If you love Me, keep My commandments. And I will pray the Father, and He will give you another Helper, that He may abide with you forever— the Spirit of truth, whom the world cannot receive, because it neither sees Him nor knows Him; but you know Him, for He dwells with you and will be in you. I will not leave you orphans; I will come to you. “A little while longer and the world will see Me no more, but you will see Me. Because I live, you will live also. At that day you will know that I am in My Father, and you in Me, and I in you. He who has My commandments and keeps them, it is he who loves Me. And he who loves Me will be loved by My Father, and I will love him and manifest Myself to him.” Judas (not Iscariot) said to Him, “Lord, how is it that You will manifest Yourself to us, and not to the world?” Jesus answered and said to him, “If anyone loves Me, he will keep My word; and My Father will love him, and We will come to him and make Our home with him. He who does not love Me does not keep My words; and the word which you hear is not Mine but the Father’s who sent Me. “These things I have spoken to you while being present with you. 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 things that I 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 heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid. You have heard Me say to you, ‘I am going away and coming back to you.’ If you loved Me, you would rejoice because I said, ‘I am going to the Father,’ for My Father is greater than I. “And now I have told you before it comes, that when it does come to pass, you may believe.”
Acts 2:1-4 NKJV
When the Day of Pentecost had fully come, they were all with one accord in one place. And suddenly there came a sound from heaven, as of a rushing mighty wind, and it filled the whole house where they were sitting. Then there appeared to them divided tongues, as of fire, and one sat upon each of them. And they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak with other tongues, as the Spirit gave them utterance.
THE SUDDENLY
Beloved, the Bible tells us that suddenly there was a sound from heaven. And suddenly the whole place where they were assembled was filled with that sound. And suddenly there appeared to them tongues as of fire. And suddenly they were filled with the Spirit. And suddenly they began to speak with other tongues as the Spirit gave them the utterance.
Church, one thing I have found in my years of living for the Lord is He likes to do things suddenly. It’s kind of like a man preaching for 120 years that a flood is coming. The people would mock him and continue living their lives as if nothing would ever happen. And then one day SUDDENLY water started falling from the sky. And everyone was destroyed except that preacher of righteousness and his family.
It’s kind of like a man who had been done wrong time and time again. He had suffered rejection from his own family. They sold him into slavery and told his father that he died. He was lied about and sent to prison because he refused to sleep with his master’s wife. He was in prison and helped a man out and that man forgot to return the favor. But after a while, things turned around and SUDDENLY, in one day he goes from the prison to the palace.
It’s kind of like the widow of a prophet. Her husband spent all they had keeping the prophets of God alive during a great famine. Then the famine ends, and he dies. She has to borrow money to try to keep the bills paid. Now it’s time to pay the creditors and she has no money. So, they are coming to take her sons instead. This woman goes to the prophet Elisha. He tells her to go get a lot of empty vessels and pour the little bit of oil she has left into those vessels. And SUDDENLY she goes from nothing to being rich the rest of her life.
Church, this is what they experienced that day in the upper room. SUDDENLY everything changed for them. Today you may be in a tough position, you may be in a hard spot, but I’ve come to tell you don’t quit believing. We serve a God who likes to do things SUDDENLY.
Let’s pray together...