Bible Study Notes 11/19/2024

Word Alive! Bible Study ©2024

Fall Series: Experiencing The Holy Spirit In & With Us © 2024

Concord Baptist Church of Boston in Milton

Conley Hughes, Jr., Senior Pastor

Tue., 12 Nov., & 19 Nov. 2024 Lesson 11, Parts 1 & 2, pp. 158-170

Quiet Time: H&M Blackaby, Experiencing the Holy Spirit

Continuously Filled – The presence and work of the Holy Spirit in us is both settled and continuously evolving.  While the Holy Spirit enters our lives because of receiving Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior, the effect of the Spirit’s presence in us is revealed by our behavior and actions.  Jesus said when a person receives salvation (welcome into the family of God), it is the Spirit whose presence enters and “gives eternal life.” The word “gives” is from a Greek term which means “to spurn or create life.” The Spirit is not dormant, but alive in us! (Read, John 6:63; and, Jn. 7:37-39, NLT). Our lives become blessed with the eternal presence of Christ our Savior, who gives us a life of fulfillment, purpose, and completion. Jesus said our human lives alone, as important as they are, cannot fulfill the ultimate purpose for which we have been created. Jesus said the Holy Spirit given to us, can satisfy the deepest yearning of the spirit, and hunger of our hearts. (Read, John 4:13-14, NLT).   Some of the Jewish religious leaders believed the Commandments as interpreted by the ancient rabbis, could suffice them spiritually. Jesus reminded these leaders that even the mana God sent their ancestors in the wilderness, and the water they drank, which was drawn from the tap of a rock by Moses; could only satisfy them for a while. The Spirit’s refreshment is continuous and brings eternal life.  We’re tempted to seek solutions  through human effort alone.  The Holy Spirit  directs us in paths that will bring resolve to our worries. The environment we Christians operate in is the Kingdom of God. In this realm, it is what our  lives produce through the Spirit that brings real change. (Read, Romans 14:17, NLT). The  life we live in the Spirit shapes our character in a spiritual, effective, and purposeful way. It is possible to live such a life in this world. This is why the Apostle Paul warned early Christians: “Don’t copy the behavior and customs of this world but let God transform you into a new person by changing the way you think. Then you will learn to know God’s will for you. Which is good and pleasing and perfect.” (See, Romans 12:2, NLT). Paul’s admonition also is written to us. People often say, “I can’t change. This is just the way I am.” But the Scripture says, “Let God…change the way you think.”  It’s one thing to acknowledge what we can’t do: but it’s better to ask God to change the part of us, we’ve given up on. As we accept the necessary changes, we will experience the qualities  the Spirit can produce in our lives. (Read, Galatians 5:22-26, NLT). There are no human laws that can repeal the work of the Holy Spirit in us. In their book, Experiencing the Holy Spirit, Henry and Melvin Blackaby comments: “You can easily spot a person who has come near the Kingdom of God and is under the conviction of the Holy Spirit. That person’s mouth is stopped – no more excuses, no more explaining away sinful behavior. He or she humbly kneels at the cross and says, “God, forgive me a sinner.” This person is growing daily toward Christlikeness.”  As we desire, so does the Holy Spirit deposit in our hearts what we need to mature in faith. We will become more like the Christ who gave His life for us. The Spirit reminds us we are no longer bound by exacting laws, but a new covenant binds us to the love of Jesus Christ, our Lord and Savior. (Read, 2 Cor. 3:6b, NLT).

Continuously Filled , Part 2 –  The work of the holy Spirit in us is called sanctification. This is derived in the Greek New Testament Bible from the term hagiazo, which means “to be set apart.”  Sanctification is evidence of the work of the Holy Spirit in us, setting a Christian apart from worldly obsessions to focus more on God’s plan for our lives. We can recall that for His disciples, Jesus prayed: “They do not belong to this world any more than I do. Make them holy by your truth; teach them your word, which is truth.” (John 17:16-17, NLT). In praying Jesus knew He was sending the Holy Spirit to lead the disciples and all believers into the truth. It is through our faith in Jesus Christ that we have been placed into a right relationship with God, and that we receive the Holy Spirit who lives in us. The knowledge of this world, however helpful, is limited. Human values and ideas have a definite life span. They will change with the advent of new generations.  What God teaches us is eternal, and they are divine principles;  inerrant and immutable. Jesus assured His followers: “When the Spirit of truth comes, He will guide you into all truth, for He will not speak on His own but will tell you what He has heard. He will tell you about the future.” (John 16:13, NLT). The Holy Spirit reveals, teaches, and explains what is taught by the heavenly Father and the Son. It is the Holy Spirit who alive in us to transform each person’s character to become more like Christ. The Spirit helps us rid ourselves of sins and habits which are counter to God’s purpose for our lives. We must work to improve ourselves. The Spirit is beside us to direct us, only when we initiate the effort to change. (Read, Colossians 3:8-11, NLT). In their book, Experiencing The Holy Spirit, Melvin and Henry Blackaby have made this observation: “Satisfaction with Christ leads to dissatisfaction with self, another distinctive mark of those who walk in the Spirit. You will discover that the Holy Spirit will always be urging you to put aside anything that will hinder your progress as you run the race set before you. When we seek the Spirit, He’ll always seek to make us holy  and acceptable to God…Someone who’s born of the Spirit will be putting off sin and putting on righteousness…”  When the Scripture says we have been chosen as God’s people, it means all who come to God in faith, have been “set apart” to participate in His great work in the world. This requires effort on our part, of yielding to the lead and guidance of the Holy Spirit each day. It is not just our effort alone as individuals; but collectively, we join other Christians who also are maturing into Christlikeness. (Read, Colossians 3:12-15, NLT). While each of us is accountable for our standing with God, as members of the body of Christ, His Church, we are a part of an interdependent fellowship of believers. This is the explicit meaning of the Apostle’s warning to Christians in the Epistle to the Hebrews: “And let us not neglect our meeting together, as some people do, but encourage one another, especially now  that the day of His return is drawing near.” (Hebrews 10:25, NLT). The emerging unity of all believers is the sign of the Spirit’s gifts, that Jesus directed to  His followers. These special gifts of leadership are to equip God’s people. They are to build up the Church. And, to initiate and bring spiritual maturity to the body of believers. The result of the Spirit’s work in and with those who bear the great responsibility of these gifts, will bring unity to the body of Christ; and transform many lives! (Read, Ephesians 4: 11-16, NLT). “It is the Spirit who gives life!”  (Jn. 6:63).

Key Idea:

What We Believe!

1. “The Holy Spirit is in you and accompanies you!”

Key Verses:

John 6:63, NLT

“The Spirit alone gives eternal life. Human effort accomplishes nothing. And the very words I have spoken to you are spirit and life.”

John 4:13-14, NLT

“Jesus replied, “Anyone who drinks this water will soon become thirsty again. But those who drink the water I give will  never be thirsty again. It becomes a fresh, bubbling stream within them, giving them eternal life.”

Romans 14:17, NLT

“For the Kingdom of God is not a matter of what we eat or drink, but of living  a life of goodness and peace and joy in the Holy Spirit.”

Galatians 5:22-26, NLT

“But the Holy Spirit produces this kind of faith in ourselves: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. There is no law against these things! Those who belong to Christ Jesus have nailed the passions and desires of their sinful nature to His cross and crucified them there.  Since we are living by the Spirit, let us follow the Spirit’s leading in every part of our lives. Let us not become conceited, or provoke one another, or be jealous of one another.”

John 7:37-39, NLT

“On the last day, the climax of the festival, Jesus stood and shouted to the crowd, “Anyone who is thirsty may come to me! Anyone who believes in me may come and drink. For the Scriptures declare, “Rivers of living water will flow  from his heart.” (When He said, “living water,” He was speaking of the Spirit, who would be given to everyone believing in Him. But the Spirit had not yet been given, because Jesus had not yet entered His glory.).”

2 Corinthians 3:6b, NLT

“…under the new covenant, the Spirit gives life.”

Colossians 3:8-11, NLT

“But now is the time to get rid of anger, rage, malicious behavior, slander, and dirty language. Don’t lie to each other, for you have stripped off your old sinful nature, and all its wicked deeds. Put on your new nature and be renewed as you learn to know your Creator and become like Him. In this new life, it doesn’t matter if you are a Jew or Gentile, circumcised or uncircumcised, barbaric , uncivilized, slave or free. Christ is all that matters, and He lives in all of us.”      

Colossians 3:12-15, NLT

“Since God chose you to be the holy people He loves, you must clothe yourselves with tenderhearted mercy, kindness, humility, gentleness, and patience. Make allowance for each other’s faults and forgive anyone who offends you. Remember, the Lord forgave you so you must forgive others.  Above all clothe yourselves with love, which binds us all together in perfect harmony. And let the peace that comes from Christ rule  in your heart. For as members of one body you are called to live in peace. And always be thankful.”

Ephesians 4:11-16, NLT

“Now these are the gifts Christ gave to the Church: the apostles, the prophets, the evangelists, and the pastors and teachers. Their responsibility is to equip God’s people to do His work and build up the church, the body of Christ. Then we will no longer be immature like children. We won’t be tossed and blown about by every wind of new teaching. We will not be influenced  when people  try to trick us with lies so clever they sound like the truth. Instead, we will speak the truth in love, growing in every way more and more like Christ, who is head of His body, the church. He makes the whole body fit together perfectly… Each part does its own special work [and] helps the other parts grow healthy and in full love.”