Bible Study Notes 11/5/2024

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., 28 Oct. & 5 Nov. 2024 Lesson 10, Parts 1 & 2, pp. 141-157

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

Alive and Intentional – Our Biblical faith teaches us that our God is alive. Our relationship with the Lord should be intentional; we should expect to spend time with God, and to enjoy His presence.  There is nothing more isolating and morbid than to be in a place with someone you purport to know, but there is no warmth or genuine communication. Our relationship with the Lord should be an “engaging encounter.” Whether we’re alone with God in silence; or, speaking our needs, we should be transparent and expectant. We should know that in the presence of the Spirit of God, we are safe, and we are heard with empathy and compassion. If a person is unsettled as to whether God is really listening, they should seek the aid of the Holy Spirit to develop more confidence in their faith. Perhaps this is why we’re told in the Book of Hebrews that in coming before the Lord, we must “believe that He exist.” The Scripture reads: “And it is impossible to please God without faith. Anyone who wants to come to Him must believe that God exists and that He rewards those who sincerely seek Him.” (Hebrews 11:6, NLT). The prayers in the Psalms which were recited, and .many set to music, also serve as testimonies of the writers’ intimacy with God.  David, for instance, prayed for continuing closeness with God, and for perpetual familiarity with the Spirit of God. (Read, Psalm 51:10-12, NLT). The Old Testament Hebrew word for “closeness” to God is yada, which also means intimacy in other usages. The term conveys the idea of deeply trusting and longing for the attention of another. David again describes closeness with God, who is always present. David said he could never be in any place, where God was not present.  (Read, Psalm 139:7-10, NLT). Only a God who is alive, is One who is attentive. A God who is attentive is also “intentional.” God is actively involved in the affairs of His children. In the Book of Jeremiah, God says no one can hid from Him, because his presence is everywhere. (Read, Jeremiah 23:24-25, NLT).  In ancient times, people believed their idol gods could cause events to occur. Because people depended on the preservation and produce of crops, they assigned natural forces to their gods. Whatever people depended on to necessitate their needs; a god was chosen.  There were gods of waters; the sun; the moon; fertility; crops; war; etc., but these gods were humanly contrived, and were images, which had no life. A description of them is: “They have mouths but cannot speak, eyes but cannot see. They have ears but cannot hear, but noses but cannot smell. They have hands but cannot feel, and feet but cannot walk, throats but cannot make a sound. And those who make idols are just like them, as are all who trust in them.” (Psalm 115:5-8, NLT). Life is given by the Spirit of God. Each day we should find rest (“peace”) in the Hol y Spirit. Our strength, shelter, and security come from God, and so should our confidence. Our God preexisted all creation and cannot be shaped nor manipulated by human hands or human ingenuity or intelligence. The Spirit of God restores the soul, which then safeguards the mind, body, and spirit of a person. The Psalmist is transparent in describing and praising his relationship with the Spirit of God. A relationship is spoken that provides a place of perpetual safety. (Read, Psalm 62:1-2; 5, NIV). The desire to acknowledge God’s presence is a sure sign of the transparency and aliveness of a true relationship!

Alive and Intentional, Part 2 –  Because the Spirit of God is alive and intentional, we have an obligation to live in such a  manner that we bring joy to His divine presence. Taking advantage of every opportunity  to grow and mature spiritually is essential and most important. Evidence of the Holy Spirit’s presence and work in us, is revealed foremost through the maturity of our Christian character. A person may have spiritual gifts, but if they’re lacking in spiritual character, their gifts will not be effective before God. The Apostle Paul acknowledged the Christians in Corinth had many spiritual gifts, but they needed to divest themselves of childish ways. Paul admonished his fellow Christians to do this, by using his own spiritual maturing process as an example. He said, “When I was a child, I spoke and thought and reasoned  as a child. But when I grew up, I put away childish things.” (I Corinthians 13:11, NLT).  One of the ways we fail to grow is by “frustrating” or “grieving the Holy Spirit.” We could never control or defeat the Holy Spirit in any way. The Holy Spirit is a living part of the three-fold nature of God,  imbued with care and emotions for our spiritual well-being. Paul warned the Churches in the Asian minor region, “Do not bring sorrow to God’s Holy Spirit by the way you live.” (Read, Ephesians 4:30-32, NLT). In Experiencing the Holy Spirit, Henry & Melvin Blackaby comments: “Simply put, sin in our lives grieves the Holy Spirit. When we allow attitudes and actions to be controlled by the flesh instead of the Spirit, we offend the Spirit within us. When those actions cause a break in fellowship with another believer, it also causes a break in fellowship with Him.”  A Christian’s casual attitude about behavior, and a callous disposition about devotion to God, offends the Spirit; and places an unrepentant offender in danger. (Read, Hebrews 10:28-29, NLT). When we’re in a genuine and mature relationship with the Holy Spirit, we would never willfully offend the Holy Spirit. As we mature in our Christian faith, we develop a desire to work hard to live according to the teachings of our Lord, the precepts, and standards of our Biblical faith. This was the admonition the Apostle Paul gave the Christians in Phillipi. (Read, Philippians 2:12-13, NLT).  The Blackabys say, “When we fully realize that God, through the Holy Spirit is actively at work  in our lives, we ought to respond with holy awe.” We also must avoid “resisting” the Holy Spirit. This occurs when we seek no wisdom in our endeavors, and brazenly assume we know and can do everything on our own. Before Stephen was martyred by an angry crowd who professed to be God-fearing, but rejected Jesus as Savior and Lord, the missionary-deacon warned the crowd: “…You always resist the Holy Spirit as your fathers did, so do you.” (See, Acts 7:51b, NIV). We should avoid “disrespecting” the Holy Spirit. Ananias, and  his wife, Sapphira, were complicit in “lying” to the Holy Spirit; by deliberately misrepresenting the amount of the proceeds they received from a land sale. They submitted a false report to the apostles, which grossly underrepresented their profits. The amount of money given to the church was predicated on false reporting. (Read, Acts 5:3-4, NIV).  The Spirit of God is alive and has a living purpose in our lives. We bring spiritual harm to ourselves, when through our behavior, the Holy Spirit is grieved, resisted, and disrespected. Jesus said, “Anyone who welcomes my messenger is welcoming me, and anyone who welcomes me, is welcoming the Father who sent me.” (See, John 13:20, NLT).

Key Idea:

What We Believe!

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

Key Verses:

Psalm 51:10-12, NLT

“Create in me a clean heart, O God. Renew a loyal spirit within me. Do not banish me from your presence, and don’t take your Holy Spirit from me. Restore to me the joy of your salvation, and make me willing to obey you

Psalm 139:7-10, NLT

“I can never escape from your Spirit. I can never get away from your presence! If I go up to heaven, you are there; if I go down in the grave you are there. If I ride the wings of the morning, if I dwell by the farthest oceans, even there your hand will guide me, and your strength will support me.”

Jeremiah 23:24-25, NLT

“Can anyone hide from me in a secret place? Am I not everywhere in all heavens and earth? Says the Lord.”

Psalm 42:1-5, NKJV

“As the deer pants for the water books,  so pants my soul for you, O God. My soul thirsts for God, for the living God. When shall I come and appear before God?  My tears have become my food day and night, while they continually say to me, “Where is your God?” When I remember these things, I pour out my soul within me. For I used to go with the multitude; I went with them to the house of God, with the voice of joy and praise with a multitude that kept a pilgrim feast. Hope in God, for I shall yet praise Him for the help of His countenance.”

Psalm 62:1-2; 5, NIV

“Truly my soul finds rest in God; my salvation comes from Him. Truly He is my rock and my salvation, He is my fortress. I will never be shaken… Yes, my soul finds rest in God; my hope comes from Him. Truly He is my rock and salvation; He is my fortress; I will not be shaken. My salvation and my honor depend on God; He is my mighty rock, my refuge.”

Ephesians 4:30-32, NLT

“And do not bring sorrow to God’s Holy Spirit by the way you live. Remember He has identified you as His own, guaranteeing that you will be saved on the day of redemption. Get rid of all bitterness, rage, harsh words, and slander, as well as all types of evil behavior. Instead, be kind to each other, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, just as God through Christ has forgiven you.”

Hebrews 10:28-29, NLT

“For anyone who refused

to obey the law of Moses was put to death without mercy on the testimony of two or three witnesses. Just think how much worse the punishment will be for those who have trampled on the Son of God, and have treated the blood of the covenant, which made us holy , as if it were common and unholy, and have insulted and disdained the Holy Spirit who brings God’s mercy to us.”   

Philippians 2:12-13, NLT

“Dear friends, you always followed my instructions when I was with you. And now that I am away, it is even more important . Work hard to show the results of your salvation, obeying God with deep reverence and fear. For God is working in you, giving you the desire to do what pleases Him.”

Acts 5:3-4, NIV

“Now a man named Ananias, together with his wife, Sapphira, also sold a piece of property. With his wife’s full knowledge, he kept back part of the money for himself but brought the rest and put it at the apostles’ feet. Then Peter said, “Ananias how is it that Satan has so filled your heart that you have lied  to the Holy Spirit and have kept for yourself  some of the money  you received for the land? Didn’t it belong to you before it was sold?  And after it was sold, wasn’t the money at your disposal. What made you think of doing such a thing? You have not lied just to His human beings but to God.”