Bible Study Notes 9/17/2024

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

Tue., 10 & 17, Sept. 2024 Lesson 7, Parts 1 & 2, pp. 98-111

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

God’s Best In Me - It is not always our best that makes a difference in the outcome of endeavors. The Scripture shows us, the work of the Holy Spirit is to create the best in us, which brings glory to God. This does not mean our talents and natural abilities are not important. What it does mean, is the outcomes God intends only can be achieved through the Spirit working in and through us. We might recall in the era before the Holy Spirit remained permanent in the lives of believers, there was a recognition for the need of His perpetual presence. In his moment of anguish, David prayed: “Create in me a clean heart, O God; And renew a right spirit within me. Cast me not away from thy presence; And take not thy holy Spirit from me.” (Psalm 51:10-11, ASV). What the Holy Spirit does in us, is the best God seeks from us. While our abilities and natural talents are important to God, they are pale in comparison to what the Spirit enables us to do. In their book, Experiencing the Holy Spirit, Henry and Melvin Blackaby offers this helpful insight: “But if we function according to the power of the Spirit, God gets the glory as others around us see Him at work. And God’s goal is to reveal Himself to a watching world, not to showcase our achievements.” This point is quite evident in the Scriptures, when the Holy Spirit worked through people, who were considered marginal by the world’s standards. Peter and John displayed great boldness and performed miraculous work after they were filled with the Holy Spirit’s presence. As the Holy Spirit worked through the apostles, God was glorified, and lives were transformed. (Read, Acts 4:13-14, NLT). An observation is made that if we could accomplish the work of God through our innate abilities and talents alone, there would not have been a need to send the Holy Spirit to endow us with spiritual entablements. The Scripture is clear: God has given every believer and follower of Christ a spiritual gift. These gifts came after the Resurrection and ascension of Christ to glory. Each spiritual enablement is necessary for God to do His best work through us. (Read, Ephesians 4:7-8, NLT). The spiritual gift (s) given to us is not merely for our personal benefit; but each gift is given to assist other believers as well. (Read, 1 Corinthians 12:7, NLT). In the great message given after Pentecost, Peter emphasizes the Holy Spirit has come to us. This is the fulfillment of the prophecy of Joel. The presence and power of the Spirit includes and transcends all human categories. All who are filled with the Holy Spirit are a part of the divine mission to transform the world. (Read, Acts 2:18-19a, NLT). We Christians are promised what is best when we acknowledge the presence of the Holy Spirit in us. We also must daily seek a relationship with the Spirit through a devotional time/moments of prayer; listening; and seeking His guidance as we read the Scriptures. God’s best in us should be the source of our faith and devotion to Jesus Christ. Faith lays the groundwork for the Spirit’s life in us. When Jesus met the decorated Roman soldier who desperately needed healing for his critically ill child, Jesus was most moved by the officer’s faith. It was that man’s faith in the ability of Jesus to heal his child, even remotely, that moved the heart of Jesus. (Read, Matthew 8:5-8, NLT). Our spiritual gifts, and other remarkable abilities must be grounded in the sure faith that is directed to God. We’re reminded: “But without faith it is impossible to please Him; for all who come to God must believe He is, and that all who diligently seek Him will be rewarded.” (Hebrews 11: 6, NKJV).

God’s Best In Me, Part 2 – The world we live in mostly assumes that native talents and acquired skill-sets are the primary qualities a person needs to be successful. While these qualities are important and even necessary to accomplish goals, there remains another asset that inevitably makes a difference in our pursuits. Namely, our spiritual character formation “matters.” It is important that whatever we do we have the endorsement of and support of God. A closer examination of the warning Jesus gave us about putting material wealth before spiritual maturity, has implications for everything we do in life. Jesus asked, “And what do you benefit if you gain the whole world but lose your own soul? Is anything worth more than your soul?” (See, Mark 8:36-37, NLT). Jesus answers His questions by the inflection of His voice. Nothing has any benefit or worth that’s of greater value than a person’s soul! This is why and how the Holy Spirit works through persons who may not meet the world’s standards in terms of qualifications; but, become vessels God operates through. (Read, 1 Corinthains 1:26-29, NLT). Saul was a striking, handsome young man who stood “a shoulder above” his peers and was the public’s choice for a king. David was the youngest of his brothers, with a rough boyish appearance, whom no one thought would ever be a king. Yet, Saul disobeyed God and was rejected as king. David obeyed the Spirit of God; became Israel’s greatest sovereign and united a divided kingdom. Peter’s final reminder to the early Christians was, all that is needed to do God’s will has already been given to us. The more we obey God, the more we see evidence of sharing in His divine (spiritual) nature. (Read, 2 Peter 1:3, NLT). It is the Spirit of God in us, who releases the promises God has given us. Peter says to live a godly life we “must come to know Him.” Cultivating fellowship with the Spirit of God is essential for all believers. This requires taking time to have a period of quiet, reverence in the Lord’s presence each day. We must listen to the voice of God by canceling the distractions around us. We must, as the late Dr. Howard Thurman advised, “Settle down and allow our spirits to simmer in the presence of God.” Our laxity in finding time with God displeases Him. The prophet Isaiah records: “This is what the Sovereign Lord, the Holy One of Israel, says: “In repentance and rest is your salvation, in quietness and trust is your strength, but you would have none of this.” (See, Isaiah 30:15, NIV). We must be careful to listen to the Spirit as we read the Scriptures, because the instructions we need from God are not silent. The Word will inform us what we need to do for the Holy Spirit to perform God’s best in us! We must avoid looking outward at the world for how life should be lived, because everything in this temporal world is fading. What is alluring and influential according to the world’s standards are not from God. (Read, John 2: 15-17, NLT). Trends, influences, styles, and secular ideas will soon vanish, but the principles God gives us to live by will last. As Christians, we have received the Holy Spirit who lives in us. (Read, 1 John 2:27, NLT).  Life’s circumstances can be navigated as the Spirit leads us in every aspect of life. We must acknowledge the Spirit’s presence in our lives each day. Seek His wisdom in all things. Trust Him to speak to you!

Key Idea:

What We Believe!

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

Key Verses:

Acts 4:13-14, NLT “The members of the council were amazed when they saw the boldness of Peter and John, for they could see that they were ordinary men with no special training in the scriptures. They also recognized them as men who had been with Jesus. But since they saw the man, they had healed standing right there among them, there was nothing the council could say.”

Ephesians 4:7-8 NLT

“However, he has given each of us a special gift through the generosity of Christ. This is why the Scriptures say, “When He ascended to the height, He led a crowd of captives and gave gifts to His people.”

1 Corinthians 12:7, NLT

“A special gift is given to each of us so we can help each other.”

Acts 2:16-19a, NLT

“No, what you see was predicted long ago by the prophet Joel: ‘In the last days, God says, I will pour out my Spirit on all people. Your sons and daughters will prophesy. Your young men will see visions, and your old men will dream dreams. In those days I will pour out my Spirit even on my servants -men and women alike – and they will prophesy. And I will cause wonders in the heaven above and signs on the earth below…”

Matthew 8:5-8; 10, NLT

“When Jesus returned to Capernaum, a Roman officer came and pleaded with Him, “Lord, my young servant lies in bed, paralyzed and in terrible pain.” Jesus said, “I will come and heal him.” But the officer said, “Lord I am not worthy to have you come into my home. Just say the word from where you are, and my servant will be healed. When Jesus heard this, He was amazed…He said, “I haven’t seen faith like this in all Israel.”

1 Corinthians 1:26-29, NLT

“But remember dear brothers and sisters, that few of you were wise in the world’s eyes or powerful or wealthy when God called you. Instead, God chose things the world considered foolish in order to shame those who think they are wise. And He chose things that are powerless to shame those who are powerful. God chose things despised by the world, counted as nothing at all, and used them to bring to nothing what the world considers important.”

2 Peter 1:3, NLT

“By His divine power God has given us everything we need for living a godly life. We have received this by coming to know Him, the One who called us to Himself by means of

His marvelous glory and excellence. And because of His glory and excellence, He has given us great and precious promises. These are the promises that enable you to share His divine nature and escape the world’s corruption caused by human desires.”

1 John 2:15-17, NLT

“Do not love this world nor the things it offers you. For when you love the world, you do not have the love of the Father in you. For the world offers only a craving for physical pleasure, a craving for everything we see, and pride in our achievements and possessions. These are not from the Father but are from this world. And this world is fading away, along with everything that people crave. But anyone who does what pleases God will live forever.”

1 John 2:27, NLT

“But you have received the Holy Spirit and He lives within you, so you don’t need anyone to teach you what is truth. For the Spirit teaches you everything you need to know, and what He teaches is true – it is not a lie. So just as He has taught you, remain in fellowship with Christ.”