Seventh Sunday After Pentecost
Seventh Sunday After Pentecost
Light of Christ Anglican Church
The Rev. Michael Moffitt July 27th, 2025
The Person and Work of the Holy Spirit
Fourth in a series
As most of you know for many years I was an over-the-road truck driver. For part of that time I trained new drivers for M.S. Carriers out of Memphis. The men that I trained had recently graduated from a truck driving school. As a rule the schools lasted for six weeks. That consisted of two weeks classroom time preparing the students to take the DOT (U. S. Department of Transportation) written exam for their CDL (Commercial Drivers License). Then there would be practicing in town driving, learning to back up a trailer, and then back road and interstate driving.
My job was to actually teach them how to be a truck driver. They would be with me for eight weeks before I turned them loose on the unsuspecting world or failed them. Most of them assumed that they already knew what it meant to be a truck driver, which meant they were dangerous. The truth is that if given enough time you could probably train a monkey to drive a truck, the mechanics are not that difficult. But the biggest obstacle is training the newbie’s how to live the life of a truck driver. Many, if not most had this view of truck drivers as the “Last American Cowboy.” The trucking industry has a very high turnover rate. A few years ago NPR did a story on trucker shortages within the industry. They reported that 450,000 CDLs are issued every year, but 300,000 drivers leave the industry (retire or quit altogether) every year.
I would ask the trainee why he wanted to drive a truck for a living. Usually they loved the idea of having the freedom from being in an office or warehouse, or they wanted to see the country. However, many found they couldn’t stand the loneliness, the paperwork, dangerous conditions of snow, ice, heavy rain, traffic jams, or “4-wheelers” all around you like bees, or finding yourself on a two-lane road with an unforeseen low bridge in front of you and nowhere to turn around.
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I could go on concerning the difficulties. You get the point.
I decided to introduce my sermon in this way because I have found that many who make the decision to become Christ followers don’t remain faithful when life becomes difficult. I’ve had quite a few people tell me, “Yeah, I used to be a
Christian, I know all about that.” I knew that what they were actually telling me was they used to be a professing Christian but not anymore. It wasn’t worth it.
When I meet someone who has had that experience I’m curious as to what they assumed it meant to follow Jesus Christ. Sometimes they were told that life would be so sweet once they encountered Jesus Christ as Savior and Lord. In many ways I suppose that’s true. Knowing Jesus Christ as Savior and Lord and being filled with the word of God and the Holy Spirit is extraordinary.
For many when trials came their way, and they always will, they felt mislead and even lied to. For many there were stories of how God allowed something to happen to them or a loved one or didn’t answer their prayer the way He should have, if He was really God. Usually, it boiled down to their opinion that He didn’t act in the way He should have if He was really a loving God. In other words God had not lived up to His end of the bargain. It’s surprising how many feel they have the right and the understanding to explain to the all-powerful, all knowing, eternal God how He should act.
There was clearly a misunderstanding on their part of the condition that they were in apart from Christ. Like how their sin had separated them from God who was pure and Holy and Jesus would be their only hope when they were standing before God, the judge at the end of their days. I often wondered if they were told the modern version of the Gospel where God wants them to be happy and fulfilled. The sin problem was probably extraneous, not a big deal.
There’s a really great reason why the Apostles were willing to live and die for the glory of God and His Son Jesus Christ and it wasn’t because life was so sweet. If you remember Jesus didn’t end up living according to their assumptions. Most who were following Him left in disappointment because Jesus wasn’t the type of Messiah they were looking for. However, Jesus’ disciples saw their own wickedness in comparison to the purity and sinlessness of God. They knew first hand that Jesus died, was buried and then resurrected from the dead. They were there when the Holy Spirit was poured out upon them and many who were with them. They were so grateful for God’s love and forgiveness through the blood of
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Christ and the indwelling presence of the Holy Spirit. The rest of their lives were filled with joy and peace through the presence of the Spirit. While at the same time they were persecuted continually and were no longer able to live their lives in peace and prosperity. Was this worth it? Oh yeah.
Church history tells us that of the original 11 disciples, all but John were martyred. They didn’t feel that God let them down. They were so grateful that he loved them so much in spite of who they had been. They understood that the day would come when they once again beheld their Lord face to face. Serving Him in this life was a great honor. There was no threat that anyone could make against them. Jesus was all they needed, and the Holy Spirit gave them wisdom beyond measure and the clarity to face any obstacle.
The longer I live as a disciple of Jesus Christ the more I am drawn to him and away from the things of this world. I have grown in awareness of the love of the Lord and the Holy Spirits presence within me that many other things that I once longed for have for the most part lost their luster.
Today is the fourth week of our series on “The Person and Work Of the Holy Spirit.” Last week I introduced an important principle that we must keep in mind during this series. I want to remind you again.
As we proceed I want to establish a hard and fast rule that we will allow to govern our focus on the Bible’s revelation of the Holy Spirit.
The Holy Spirit will never move in a way that is not consistent with Scripture. The Holy Spirit is God and will never lead believers to act or believe in ways that contradict the teachings and principles found in the Bible, the word of God.
Today we’ll consider what God’s word teaches us about the Holy Spirit as Revealer and some of the different ways that He does so.
One of the great mysteries within the Scriptures is that it reveals the complexity, the ultimate power and glory of God, especially when compared to His creation. As we discuss God’s revelation we will narrow it down to how God works to make himself known to human beings and how amazing it is that He would want to.
Today we’ll consider a few ways that God reveals himself to us. We’ll actually be continuing that next week as well.
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It’s comforting to know that God is never making things up as He goes along. Everything God does, He intends to do.
I love how Eugene Peterson paraphrased Ephesians 1: 11–12 in the The Message,
It’s in Christ that we find out who we are and what we are living for. Long before we first heard of Christ and got our hopes up, he had his eye on us, had designs on us for glorious living, part of the overall purpose he is working out in everything and everyone.
Revelation is really a subcategory of providence because it’s part of the way the Holy Spirit governs creation in general, and human beings in particular. God does all this, and everyone can learn about God by observing all that He has made.
Psalm 19:1 begins with this truth; “The heavens declare the glory of God and the sky above proclaims His handiwork.”
In Psalm 19:1–6 , God has revealed Himself and His glory through all that He has made. It’s plain for all to see. Theologians have referred to this as God’s General revelation where everything that God has created is on display.
I feel confident in saying that never before in the history of man has God revealed himself in creation more powerfully. With possibly the exception of when God revealed Himself to Moses and enabled him to see God’s glory up close and personal. We are able to gaze deep into the universe in awe and wonder. Its beauty and grandeur reveals the power, glory, majesty, and creative genius of God. How could anyone miss it?
Well last week I pointed out Romans 1:18–21,
For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men, who by their unrighteousness suppress the truth. For what can be known about God is plain to them, because God has shown it to them. For his invisible attributes, namely, his eternal power and divine nature, have been clearly perceived, ever since the creation of the world, in the things that have been made. So they are without excuse. For although they knew God, they did not honor Him as God or give thanks to Him, but they became foolish in their thinking, and their foolish hearts were darkened.
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The Apostle Paul under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit made it clear that God has placed within everyone a knowledge of what can be known about Him, but they suppress that truth to the point that often they become angry if they are reminded about their responsibility to honor God and follow His clear leading.
In contrast we read in Psalm 19: 7–8:
The law of the Lord is perfect, reviving the soul; the testimony
of the Lord is sure, making wise the simple; the precepts of
the Lord are right, rejoicing the heart; the commandment of
the Lord is pure, enlightening the eyes; the fear of the Lord is clean, enduring forever; the rules of the Lord are true, and righteous altogether.
This is God’s Word often referred to as God’s Special revelation. In this we can see his characteristics reflected in ourselves and in other people who reflect His glory through the indwelling of the Holy Spirit. Genesis 1:27 reminds us of who we are as human beings. “So God created man in his own image, in the image of God he created him; male and female he created them.”
God intentionally created mankind- male and female in His image. Humans possess a unique dignity and are endowed with certain qualities that reflect God’s nature. Not physically but spiritually in that we have the capacity for
reason, creativity and love. We are able to live in relationships with others and with God. We are able to make moral choices and to understand good and bad right and wrong. The image of God in us has been terribly marred by sin and corruption. Christ alone through His atoning work on the cross is the only way that the image of God in us can be restored to its former glory. The Holy Spirit is the one who moves in us to make that restoration possible. We have seen so many people who are image bearers give themselves over to insane reasoning and beliefs that defy the word of God and even the knowledge that God placed within them seems no longer a part of who they are. They demand their right to do and teach such things that are reprehensible.
In the simplest of terms: General and Special revelation reveal the difference between those who know God through Christ death and resurrection and receive the indwelling of the Holy Spirit—and those who don’t. Those who reject the truth that is so clearly seen have suppressed that truth through unrighteousness.
Another way that the Holy Spirit serves as revealer of truth is by speaking to us and teaching us through dreams and visions which if from Him will always match up with God’s Word.
The prophet Joel wrote in chapter 2:28–29,
And it shall come to pass afterward, that I will pour out my Spirit on all flesh; your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, your old men shall dream dreams, and your young men shall see visions. Even on the male and female servants in those days I will pour out my Spirit.
At Pentecost the Apostle Peter explained that the outpouring of the Holy Spirit upon those who had been waiting for power from on high was a fulfillment of the prophecy in Joel 2: 28–29. This was to be a sign that the Last Days had begun, and Peter now filled with the Spirit was able to correctly identify the prophecy of Joel as what was beginning to be fulfilled. I think it important to note that we realize that the days referred to by Joel and Peter are ongoing until the return of the Lord Jesus. It should not seem strange if the Holy Spirit speaks to us in dreams or visions, but possible more concerning if He doesn’t.
Through the prophets God has given us his word in Scripture. In 2 Timothy 3:16,
All Scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching and reproof, for correction and training in righteousness, that the man of God may be complete and equipped for every good work.
Another way the Spirit reveals God’s will for those who are in Christ is that he can even speak to our hearts directly through inward leading and illumination to help us interpret and apply Scripture. In the scriptures often the different writers attribute their understanding and inspiration to the Holy Spirit.
For instance in Acts 1:16 Peter speaking about the need to replace Judas Iscariot quotes Psalms 69 and 109 where King David speaking through the Holy Spirit foretold the one who would betray the Lord,
“Brothers, the Scripture had to be fulfilled, which the Holy Spirit spoke beforehand by the mouth of David concerning Judas, who became a guide to those who arrested Jesus” (also see Acts 4:25; 28:25; Hebrews 9:8)
In John 14:26 Jesus told His disciples that the Holy Spirit would speak to them and through them all that Jesus taught them, “But the Helper, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, he will teach you all things
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and bring to your remembrance all that I have said to you.”
This would not only be seen in the ministry of the original disciples (Apostles) but the Apostle Paul also wrote that this prophetic gift would be seen in the spiritual gift of prophecy mentioned in 1 Corinthians 14:1, “Pursue love, and earnestly desire the spiritual gifts, especially that you may prophesy.” It’s important to note that the word for prophecy is fairly broad in that it can mean teaching the word of God, revealing the application from scripture or foretelling a future event. Either way it is subject to the authority of God’s word and will never direct anyone to act independently of the Word of God or the leading of the Holy Spirit.
As just one example, remember what Peter wrote in 2 Peter 1:20–21:
No prophecy of Scripture came about by the prophet’s own
interpretation. For prophecy never had its origin in the will of man, but men spoke from God as they were carried along by the Holy Spirit.
Another way the Holy Spirit reveals to us God’s will is directly associated with illumination and inward leading. While these gifts aren’t always distinct from one another in Scripture, we can still distinguish between them. “Illumination” is a divine gift of knowledge or understanding that’s primarily cognitive. It can encompass a wide range of thinking, reasoning, problem-solving, and memory.
And “inward leading” is a divine gift of knowledge or understanding that’s primarily emotive or intuitive. In 1 Corinthians 2:9–16, Paul described the Spirit’s illumination and inward leading as a revelation of God’s mind and thoughts to his people. Paul said that because the Spirit is God himself, he knows the mind and thoughts of God. And he reveals these to believers so that we can understand God’s benevolent gifts to us.
Of course, as I just pointed out we can also learn about God through various other means, such as creation and Scripture. But in 1 Corinthians 2, Paul pointed out that the Holy Spirit directly grants wisdom and insight to believers, which enable us to interpret the Spirit’s other revelation accurately. This doesn’t mean that we have the same authority to speak or interpret God’s words as the apostles had. On the contrary, passages like John 14:26, and Ephesians 3:3–5, demonstrate that the apostles and prophets had unique authority and insight. Nevertheless, through inward leading and illumination, the Spirit still grants us cognitive and emotive knowledge of his revelation. We see something similar in Ephesians
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1:17–18, where Paul wrote:
I keep asking that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the glorious
Father, may give you the Spirit of wisdom and revelation, so that you may know him better. I pray also that the eyes of your heart may be enlightened.
In this passage, Paul indicated that the Holy Spirit grants illumination to help us know God better, and inward leading to enlighten our hearts. We also find this idea in Colossians 1:9; and 1 John 2:27.
In closing we need to be able to understand the reasons that God is so willing to lavish His love upon His people, equipping us for every good work and what our response should be.
I love the Heidelberg Catechism approved by a Synod of Heidelberg, January 1563
QUESTION: 1
What is your only comfort in life and death?
ANSWER:
“That I am not my own, but belong with body and soul, both in life and in death, to my faithful Savior Jesus Christ. He has fully paid for all my sins with his precious blood and has set me free from all the power of the devil. He also preserves me in such a way that without the will of my heavenly Father not a hair can fall from my head; indeed, all things must work together for my salvation. Therefore, by his Holy Spirit he also assures me of eternal life and makes me heartily willing and ready from now on to live for him.
The truth is that everything that God reveals to us through His word, and Holy Spirit is designed for us to continue the work that Jesus left for His disciples both them and now. If you are in Christ you have been set free from the bondage of sin and death and free to pursue those who haven’t met the Lord. That is the mission of the Church and one of the reasons the Holy Spirit has been given to us.
Let’s pray.
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