Bible Study Notes 6/11/2024

Concord Baptist Church of Boston in Milton

Conley Hughes, Jr., Senior Pastor

Tues., 3 & 10 June, 2024 - Lesson 3, Parts 1 & 2. pp. 43-55

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

Where The Human Meets The Divine – One way to understand the presence and purpose of the Holy Spirit, is to understand the differences between our human selves, and our spiritual birth. While the Holy Spirit indwells and empowers us for service; there are some tasks we cannot accomplish in the flesh alone. As humans we have extraordinary abilities to think, act, and create; but these are pale when compared to what can be done through the agency of the Holy Spirit. For example, our human minds can conceive much knowledge and produce many thoughts; but it is the Holy Spirit who understands our capabilities, limits; and propensity toward failure or success. It I the wisdom of the Spirit that is able t keep us moving in the right direction; and helping us discern what is truth, and what is false. The Apostle Paul reminded the Christians in Corinth, “The human mind cannot understand spiritual things, except through the Spirit.” Jesus who was born of a woman who was a mortal, and He came to us in human flesh; brought delight and joy to the Heavenly Father when, upon His baptism, the Holy Spirit descended upon Him. This union of Father, Son. and Spirit was a sign of their inseparable unity. (Read, Luke 3:21-23, NLT). As with all believers, the Spirit would endow our Lord with power and authority to bring healing to a broken world; and to transform broken lives. Isaiah’s prophecy bears witness to the role of the Spirit, and the ministry of Jesus .(Read, Isaiah 42:1-4, NLT). God created the human family with intelligence and the ability to reason. Yet, in spite of our best efforts as mortals, we are not deity. God has given us stewardship over our lives; the environment, and many eco-systems. But all that we do as mortals, is temporary and fleeting. (Read, Psalm 8:4-7, NLT). This is why we seek a new birth, which only can come through the Spirit. Life in the Spirit, points us toward an eternal destiny – and a present life, which pleases God. This is why Jesus told Nicodemus, a religious leader: “I assure you, no one can enter the Kingdom of God without being born of water and the Spirit. Humans can reproduce only human life, but the Holy Spirit gives birth to spiritual life.” (See, John 3: 5-6, NLT). Jesus promised the disciples that when the Spirit of truth would come, they would be led into the truth. Any truth that is the result of human imagination, is voided by the Holy Spirit. We note also in the Scriptures, the Holy Spirit communicates what Christ has taught. In reading the scriptures, we gain deeper insight into the relationship of the Holy Spirit and Jesus. (Read, John 16:13-15, NLT). The mission of Jesus continues though the agency of the Holy Spirit! Jesus came in the flesh of mortals, and took on His mission, with all of the challenges faced by living in the human flesh. (Read, Philippians 2:3-5, NLT). In their helpful book, “Experiencing the Holy Spirit,” authors Henry and Melvin Blackaby makes this observation: “When Jesus took on human flesh, he chose to live under the limitations that come with a physical body. That doesn’t mean he ceased to be divine…being limited by His physical condition, He was forced to rely upon the Holy Spirit as His source of wisdom and power.” We also know the Spirit worked with Jesus, to communicate His truth and teachings to all who would hear and believe!

The Ever-Present Spirit, Part 2 – We should not think the Holy Spirit is only a part of our spiritual nature. The Holy Spirit permeates every aspect of our being. The physical, emotional, thinking, and spiritual parts of the self, become inhabited by the Holy Spirit, once we have received Christ in our hearts. We are warned in the Scripture, not to “extinguish” or “inhibit” the work of the Spirit in us. Our failure to daily acknowledge the Holy Spirit, and to maintain fellowship with the divine person of God, will greatly hinder both our witness to the faith; and, how we live. (Read, I Thessalonians 5:19-21, NIV). As with the first century Christians, we are living in a period of competing spirit realities. The Apostle John warned believer of false prophecies and errant teachings. John instructed Christians that if a teaching acknowledged Jesus as incarnate, becoming human; that person has not departed from the true faith. For those prophets or teachers who denied Jesus having come to earth as prophesied in the Scripture, and corroborated by witnesses; such teachers were false, and not of the faith. Those false prophets and teachers also would have denied the resurrection of Jesus. (Read, I John 4:1-6, NLT). The Spirit who lives in us, is greater than the spirit of the antichrist, that is in the world. The Holy Spirit leads us into the true faith. It is of the Spirit of God who gives us victory over any and all elements of a counter spirit-world. John further explains, when a person is not in fellowship with the Holy Spirit, it is difficult, if not impossible, for them to understand the will of God. A person who fails to remain in fellowship with the Holy Spirit is a prime target for false teachings and deception. Our life in the Spirit also should be noticeable in our use of spiritual gifts among other believers. The work of the Spirit among Christians is to encourage, strengthen, and unify the entire Body of believers. The Apostle Paul warned the Christians in Corinth, that any gift a Christian is endowed with; is for the benefit of the entire fellowship. No gift, is for the self-enrichment of the person who possesses the same. (Read, I Corinthians 14:12, NLT). If a special ability is not used properly and reverently, the church cannot be edified. Growth and change will become stymied. Evidence of God working within the human family. Is the operation of the holy Spirit in the lives of believers. The daily life of the Christian, should be manifested in the workings of the Spirit through character qualities. Our actions (as James says) demonstrate our beliefs. It is the Holy Spirit, who “produces” aspects of a person’s character that affects the lives of others in a wholesome manner (Read, Galatians 5:22, NLT). The sphere or environment the Christians lives in is the Kingdom of God. It is no palatial place as can be imagined in a human sense. But the Scripture teaches us that God’s environment also, is revealed in the way we live. The Holy Spirit builds our character; while an atmosphere in which we live for Christ, is created. (Read, Romans 14:17, NLT).

Key Idea:

What We Believe!

“The Holy Spirit is in you and accompanies you!

Key Verses:

Luke 3:21-22, NLT

“One day when the crowds were being baptized, Jesus Himself was baptized. As He was praying, the heavens opened, and the Holy Spirit, in bodily form descended on Him like a dove. And a voice from heaven said, “You are my dearly loved Son, and you bring me great joy.”.”

Isaiah 42:1-4, NLT

“Look at my servant, whom I strengthen. He is my chosen one, who pleases me. I have put my Spirit upon him. He will bring justice to the nations. He will not shout or raise His voice in public. He will not crush the weakest reed or put out a flickering candle. He will bring justice to all who have been wronged. He will not falter or lose heart until justice prevails throughout the earth.”

Psalm 8:4-7, NLT

“What are mere mortals that you should think about them, human beings that you should care for them? Yet you made them only a little lower than God and crowned them with glory and honor. You gave them charge of everything you made, putting all things under their authority – the flocks and the herds and all the wild animals.”.”

John 16:13-15, NLT

“When the Spirit of truth comes, He will guide you into all truth. He will not speak of His own but will tell you what He heard. He will tell you about the future. He will bring me glory by telling you whatever 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.”

Philippians 2:5-7, NLT

“You must have the same attitude that Christ had. Though he was God, he did not think of equality with God as something to cling on to. Instead, He gave up His divine privileges; He took the humble position as a servant and was born as a human being.”

I Thessalonians 5:19-24, NIV

“Do not quench the Spirit. Do not treat prophecies with contempt but test them all; hold on to what is good, reject every kind of evil. May God Himself, the God of peace, sanctify you through and through. May your whole spirit, soul, and body be kept blameless at the coming of the Lord Jesus Christ. The one who calls you is faithful, and He will do it.”

I John 4:1-6, NLT

“Dear friends, do not believe everyone who claims to speak by the Spirit. You must test them to see if the spirit they have comes from God. For there are many false prophets in the world. This is how we know if they have the Spirit of God: If a person claiming to be a prophet acknowledges that Jesus Christ came in a real body, that person has the Spirit of God. But if someone claims to be a prophet and does not acknowledge the truth about Jesus , that person is not from God. Such a person has the spirit of the Antichrist, which you heard is coming into the world and indeed is already here. But you belong to God, my dear children. You have already won a victory over those people. Because the Spirit who lives in you is greater than the spirit who lives in the world. Those people belong to this world, so they speak from the world’s viewpoint, and the world listens to them. But we belong to God and those who know God listen to us. If they do not belong to God, they do not listen to us. That is how we know if someone has the Spirit of truth or the spirit of deception.”

I Corinthians 14:12, NLT

“Since you are eager to have the special abilities the Spirit gives, seek those that will strengthen the whole church.”

Galatians 5:22, NLT

“But the Holy Spirit produces this kind of fruit in our lives: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, and self-control…”

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.”

Bible Study Notes 6/11/2024

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