Bible Study Notes 5/7/2024

Word Alive! Bible Study ©2024

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

Concord Baptist Church of Boston in Milton

Conley Hughes, Jr., Senior Pastor

Tues., 7 May, 2024 - Lesson 1, Part 1

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

Coming To Know The Holy Spirit – One of the glaring elements missing in the lives of some Christians, is the knowledge and awareness of the Holy Spirit. For some, the Holy Spirit is an after-thought, when it comes to understanding a life of faith in Jesus Christ. This often is due to a lack of teaching; and to the approach a person has to their faith. Unfortunately, some Christian faith orientations, do not emphasize fellowship with the Holy Spirit. In Experiencing the Holy Spirit, father and son authors, Henry and Melvin Blackaby, says our knowledge of the Holy Spirit’s work in us, is crucial. They offer this observation: “Apart from the Holy Spirit, God’s great salvation is no relevance to us. Apart from the active work of the Spirit in our lives, we would neither know God, nor have the ability to respond to Him. Divine truth is not something we discover; it is revealed by the Holy Spirit.” Nicodemus was told that to enter the Kingdom of God, he had to be born of the “water and the Spirit.” (John 3:5, NIV) A new birth in Christ occurs through the Spirit’s work, which is far removed from (or above) any human ability. In addressing the Christians in Corinth, the Apostle Paul taught the Christian believers to understand, their knowledge and fellowship with God comes only through their acknowledgement of the Holy Spirit. (Read, 1 Corinthians 2:9-12, NLT). The Holy Spirit is far greater than any human engineering search engine. It is the Spirit who searches our hearts and knows our thoughts (Read, Jn 16:13-15). The Spirit knows “everything” and knows the deep thoughts of God the Father. When God created the human family, he did not leave us alone, to navigate our world. As some early theologians would maintain, “God is not an absentee landlord, who places people in a house; but never comes to their aid, when repairs are needed.” God sent His only Son to redeem and rescue us from eternal destruction. The Holy Spirit was sent after the earthly departure of Jesus, to “lead and guide us into all truth.” John tells the Christian, the world can’t recognize the holy Spirit, because many in the world don’t have a relationship with Him. It is possible, some who say they are believers, do not genuinely know the Spirit, because they have not experienced a new birth. Jesus said, “Not everyone who calls out to me, Lord! Lord! will enter the kingdom of heaven. Only those who actually do the will of my Father in heaven will enter.” (See, Matthew 7:21, NLT). It is the Holy Spirit who directs us to do the will of God, and to live according to His truth. We cannot possibly conceive nor understand God’s purpose for our lives; unless, we have been made alive through the Spirit. Jesus told the disciples their knowledge of the Holy Spirit would occur because of their belief in Him. It is the Holy Spirit who enters our hearts, and teaches us what we need to know about Christ, and God’s great plan and work for people in the world. (Read, John 14:15-17; 26, NLT). Early Christians confronted with false teachings that had circulated among believers, were told the Holy Spirit had directed them into the truth; as a result, they did not have to concede to false doctrines. When we acknowledge the Holy Spirit’s presence, we will grow deeper in our faith, and we will be able to discern the truth from what is in error. (Read, I Jn. 2:20-23, NLT).

Key Idea:

What We Believe!

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

Key Verses: I Corinthians 2:9-12, NLT

“This is what the Scriptures mean when they say, “No eye has seen, nor ear has heard, and no mind has imagined what God has prepared for those who love Him.” But it was to us that God has revealed these things by His Spirit. For His Spirit searches out everything and shows us God’s deep secrets. No one can know a person’s thoughts except that person’s own spirit, and no one can know God’s thoughts except God’s own Spirit. And we have received God’s Spirit (not the world’s spirit), so we can know the wonderful things God has freely given us.”

John 16:13-15, NLT

“When the Spirit of truth comes, He will guide you into all truth. He will not speak on His own but will tell you about the future. He will bring me glory by telling you whatever He receives from me. All that belongs to the Father is mine; this is why I said, “The Spirit will tell you whatever He receives from me.”

John 14:15-17; 26, NLT

“If you love me, obey my commandments. And I will ask the Father, and He will give you another Advocate, who will never leave you. He is the Holy Spirit, who leads into all truth. The world cannot receive Him, because it isn’t looking for Him and doesn’t recognize Him. But you know Him, because He lives with you now and later will be in you… But when the Father sends the Advocate as my representative – that is, the Holy Spirit – He will teach you everything and will remind you of everything I have told you.”

I John 2:20-23, NLT

“But you are not like that, for the Holy One has given you His Spirit, and all of you know the truth. So I am writing to you not because you don’t know the truth but because you know the difference between truth and lies. And who is a liar? Anyone who says that Jesus is not the Christ. Anyone who denies the Father and the Son is an antichrist. Anyone who denies the Son doesn’t have the Father, either. But anyone who acknowledges the Son has the father also.”