Discerning the Holy Spirit's True Manifestation

 

Summary

In today's reflection, we delve into the profound doctrine of the baptism of the Holy Spirit, a topic of utmost urgency for the church today. John the Baptist's declaration that Jesus would baptize with the Holy Spirit sets the stage for understanding the gifts of the Spirit, as outlined by the Apostle Paul in 1 Corinthians 12. The church is called to discern and test all spiritual manifestations, as the Bible warns of false spirits and the devil's attempts to counterfeit God's work. This discernment requires the use of reason and understanding, enlightened by the Holy Spirit, and a deep engagement with Scripture and church history.

The primary test of any spiritual claim is its alignment with the truth of Jesus Christ. The Holy Spirit's work is to glorify Christ, and any true manifestation of the Spirit will point to Jesus as Lord. This involves acknowledging His divine nature, His incarnation, and His redemptive work on the cross. The confession that "Jesus is Lord" is not merely a verbal declaration but a profound commitment to His lordship, often at great personal cost.

However, even this confession is not sufficient on its own. The New Testament warns of false prophets and teachers who may perform signs and wonders in Jesus' name yet lack true allegiance to Him. The church must be vigilant, testing all things against the truth of Christ's person and work. Historical examples, such as the Quakers' doctrinal drift, illustrate the dangers of neglecting this balance.

The Apostle Paul, in addressing the Corinthian church, emphasizes the need for order and balance in the exercise of spiritual gifts. His concern is not merely academic but deeply pastoral, aiming to preserve the church's integrity and witness. The ultimate goal is a revival of true religion, marked by the power of the Holy Spirit authenticating the gospel message.

Key Takeaways:

- The baptism of the Holy Spirit is a crucial doctrine for the church, emphasizing the need for discernment in spiritual matters. The Holy Spirit's role is to glorify Christ, and any true spiritual manifestation will point to Jesus as Lord. [01:11]

- The confession that "Jesus is Lord" is a profound commitment, not just a verbal declaration. It involves acknowledging His divine nature, incarnation, and redemptive work, often at great personal cost. [12:07]

- Even genuine spiritual experiences must be tested against the truth of Christ's person and work. False prophets and teachers may perform signs and wonders in Jesus' name, yet lack true allegiance to Him. [25:20]

- Historical examples, such as the Quakers' doctrinal drift, illustrate the dangers of neglecting the balance between spiritual experience and doctrinal truth. The church must remain vigilant in testing all things. [19:27]

- The Apostle Paul's concern for the Corinthian church emphasizes the need for order and balance in the exercise of spiritual gifts. The ultimate goal is a revival of true religion, marked by the power of the Holy Spirit authenticating the gospel message. [42:01]

Youtube Chapters:

- [00:00] - Welcome
- [00:12] - Introduction to the Baptism of the Holy Spirit
- [01:11] - The Urgency of Understanding Spiritual Gifts
- [02:33] - Testing the Spirits
- [03:36] - The Devil's Counterfeits
- [04:37] - Using Reason and Understanding
- [06:32] - The Supreme Test: Glorifying Christ
- [09:15] - The Holy Spirit's Role
- [12:07] - Confession of Jesus as Lord
- [15:10] - Understanding Christ's Work
- [17:30] - Surrendering to Christ
- [21:00] - The Excluding Test
- [24:28] - The Subtlety of Spiritual Deception
- [29:18] - False Prophets and True Allegiance
- [34:09] - Historical Lessons and Modern Implications
- [42:01] - Order and Balance in Spiritual Gifts

Study Guide

Bible Study Discussion Guide

Bible Reading:
1. John 1:26, 33
2. 1 Corinthians 12:3
3. 1 John 4:1-3

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Observation Questions:

1. What does John the Baptist say about the one who will baptize with the Holy Spirit in John 1:33? How does this set the stage for understanding the gifts of the Spirit? [00:32]

2. According to 1 Corinthians 12:3, what is the significance of the confession "Jesus is Lord"? How does this relate to the work of the Holy Spirit? [06:50]

3. In 1 John 4:1-3, what criteria are given for testing the spirits? How does this passage warn against false prophets? [07:47]

4. How does the sermon describe the role of the Holy Spirit in glorifying Christ, and why is this considered the supreme test of spiritual manifestations? [09:15]

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Interpretation Questions:

1. How does the sermon explain the importance of discernment in spiritual matters, especially in the context of false prophets and teachers? What historical examples are used to illustrate this point? [19:27]

2. What does the sermon suggest about the relationship between spiritual experiences and doctrinal truth? How can neglecting this balance lead to doctrinal drift? [19:59]

3. How does the Apostle Paul's concern for order and balance in the exercise of spiritual gifts reflect a pastoral aim to preserve the church's integrity and witness? [42:01]

4. What does the sermon imply about the personal cost of confessing "Jesus is Lord"? How does this confession go beyond a mere verbal declaration? [18:20]

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Application Questions:

1. Reflect on a time when you encountered a spiritual experience or teaching that seemed genuine. How did you test its alignment with the truth of Christ's person and work? [21:56]

2. The sermon emphasizes the need for discernment in spiritual matters. What practical steps can you take to ensure you are discerning and testing spiritual claims in your life? [02:33]

3. Consider the balance between spiritual experience and doctrinal truth in your own faith journey. How can you ensure that you are not neglecting one for the other? [19:59]

4. The confession "Jesus is Lord" involves a profound commitment. What personal sacrifices or changes might this confession require in your life? [18:20]

5. How can you actively participate in preserving the order and balance in your church's exercise of spiritual gifts, as emphasized by the Apostle Paul? [42:01]

6. Reflect on the role of the Holy Spirit in your life. How can you ensure that your spiritual experiences are glorifying Christ and not just emotional responses? [09:15]

7. Identify a specific area in your life where you need to apply the test of glorifying Christ. How can you make changes to ensure that Christ is central in that area? [10:29]

Devotional

Day 1: The Holy Spirit's Role in Glorifying Christ
The baptism of the Holy Spirit is a crucial doctrine for the church, emphasizing the need for discernment in spiritual matters. The Holy Spirit's role is to glorify Christ, and any true spiritual manifestation will point to Jesus as Lord. This understanding is vital as it helps believers to discern between genuine and counterfeit spiritual experiences. The church is called to test all spiritual manifestations, ensuring they align with the truth of Jesus Christ. This discernment requires a deep engagement with Scripture and a reliance on the Holy Spirit to illuminate the truth. [01:11]

"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 15:26, ESV)

Reflection: In what ways can you seek the Holy Spirit's guidance to discern the authenticity of spiritual experiences in your life today?


Day 2: The Cost of Confessing Jesus as Lord
The confession that "Jesus is Lord" is a profound commitment, not just a verbal declaration. It involves acknowledging His divine nature, incarnation, and redemptive work, often at great personal cost. This confession is a call to surrender one's life to Christ, recognizing His authority and lordship over all aspects of life. It is a commitment that may require sacrifices and challenges, but it is also a source of profound spiritual strength and transformation. [12:07]

"Therefore God has highly exalted him and bestowed on him the name that is above every name, so that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth." (Philippians 2:9-10, ESV)

Reflection: What is one area of your life where you find yourself holding back from surrendering to Jesus? What would surrendering this area to Him actually look like in terms of daily habits?


Day 3: Testing Spiritual Experiences Against Christ's Truth
Even genuine spiritual experiences must be tested against the truth of Christ's person and work. False prophets and teachers may perform signs and wonders in Jesus' name, yet lack true allegiance to Him. The church must remain vigilant, testing all things against the truth of Christ's person and work. This vigilance is essential to maintaining the integrity of the faith and ensuring that believers are not led astray by deceptive teachings or practices. [25:20]

"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." (1 John 4:1, ESV)

Reflection: How can you actively test the spiritual teachings and experiences you encounter to ensure they align with the truth of Christ?


Day 4: The Balance Between Spiritual Experience and Doctrinal Truth
Historical examples, such as the Quakers' doctrinal drift, illustrate the dangers of neglecting the balance between spiritual experience and doctrinal truth. The church must remain vigilant in testing all things. This balance is crucial for maintaining a healthy and vibrant faith community that is grounded in the truth of Scripture while open to the work of the Holy Spirit. It requires a commitment to both sound doctrine and a genuine openness to the Spirit's leading. [19:27]

"For the time is coming when people will not endure sound teaching, but having itching ears they will accumulate for themselves teachers to suit their own passions." (2 Timothy 4:3, ESV)

Reflection: What steps can you take to ensure that your spiritual experiences are grounded in sound doctrine and aligned with biblical truth?


Day 5: Order and Balance in the Exercise of Spiritual Gifts
The Apostle Paul's concern for the Corinthian church emphasizes the need for order and balance in the exercise of spiritual gifts. The ultimate goal is a revival of true religion, marked by the power of the Holy Spirit authenticating the gospel message. This order and balance are essential for preserving the church's integrity and witness, ensuring that spiritual gifts are used to edify the body of Christ and glorify God. [42:01]

"So with yourselves, since you are eager for manifestations of the Spirit, strive to excel in building up the church." (1 Corinthians 14:12, ESV)

Reflection: How can you use your spiritual gifts to build up the church and contribute to a balanced and orderly expression of faith in your community?

Quotes


The position we are in is this that we see that it is very important that we should test everything that purports or presents itself to us as being gifts or manifestations of the spirit. The scriptures themselves tell us to do that. They urge us to prove all things. [00:02:17]

The devil always tries to ruin the work of God. He ruined the first creation; he tries to do the same with the new creation so that all who become Christians are immediately special targets of the evil one, the adversary of the Brethren. [00:03:07]

We are told so constantly to prove and to try and to test the spirits, and we have seen that the way to do that is to use our reason and understanding. They've been given to us by God, and the Holy Spirit enlightens them, sharpens their faculties. [00:03:42]

The first and the greatest test of which we must always imply is the test that is suggested to us by the third verse in the 12th chapter of Paul's first epistle to the Corinthians. Here it is: wherefore I give you to understand that no man speaking by the spirit of God calleth Jesus accursed. [00:06:26]

The Holy Spirit, when he comes, he says, he shall glorify me. This is the Supreme test of anything that claims to be the Holy Spirit and his indeed. Our Lord had already said much the same thing earlier on in that same chapter. [00:09:19]

The confession that Jesus is Lord is not just getting up and repeating a phrase. Anybody can do that, but that doesn't mean that a man is guided and led and moved and indwelt by the Holy Spirit. This is the profoundest statement of all. [00:18:30]

The Quakers increasingly, by putting their emphasis upon the inner light and discounting the teaching of the word, they began to go astray in their doctrine. And I'm not being at all critical of them or unfair to them when I assert that by today the vast majority of them are Unitarians. [00:19:59]

The question we want to know is this: what do they say about this Jesus? What is their confession with respect to him? Is he just the great teacher, just the Supreme Mystic, if you like, the Supreme Quaker, or is he the Son of God incarnate? [00:20:35]

There shall arise false christs and false prophets and shall show great signs and wonders, in so much that if it were possible, they shall deceive the very elect. What a statement! False christs, people will say, here is Christ, or there is Christ. Don't believe them. [00:25:23]

The moment we get away from this Central Simplicity that is in Christ, we are already doing something that is extremely dangerous. But now in the same chapter later on in verses 13 to 15, he puts it like this: he's talking about these other teachers who went around the churches. [00:27:59]

The need of a baptism of the Spirit by the Christian church to lift her out of her formality or lethargy or deadness. Nothing is more urgent than a great Revival of religion. You see the moral declension; it's no use just condemning it. [00:38:49]

The Apostle Paul was a very busy man, a traveler, an evangelist. He didn't have time just to sit down in a study and write letters to churches. No, no, he never wrote a letter except he had to write it, and he was concerned and troubled about this church at Corinth. [00:40:07]

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