The ministry of the Holy Spirit and the believer’s responsibility.

Class Outline:

Sunday February 5, 2023

 

Is this how the Holy Spirit leads us? Is this how the Holy Spirit makes us know what to do? Is this how we will know what to say?

 

If this were true, our lives would always be spiritual. We would live life in a perfect video. Would you prefer this?

 

There several movies (and I’m sure science fiction books) where perfect androids long to be human.

 

In Star Trek, Spock always tried to suppress his human side and live by logic only (to which the almost too human and emotional Dr. McCoy would get very irritated). Data in Star Trek Next Generation was a perfect android, but who was eventually implanted with an emotion chip so he could be more human. The androids in the stories could never be human (nor will any current attempts at AI). They would have to be able to make their own decisions based on thousands of factors and be imperfect, not programmable.

 

Another idea comes from this as well, sort of a sub-point to our topic, and that is the creation of a utopia. The Star Trek shows attempt to indicate that their societies have created something like a utopia.

 

The utopian idea has been with mankind since the Tower of Babel, and probably before. Every person has a desire for God and heaven and in pride, a lot of us think we can fill the need ourselves. This falsehood has infiltrated the church also.

 

In the church it has been falsely taught, in some places, that the church can make the world peaceful and good in preparation for the return of Christ (postmillennialism). The world wars knocked postmillennialism out of favor, but what is also taught falsely is that the spiritual life will make your own life a utopia. The prosperity gospel is another attempt to promise believers a life of no suffering or problems due to God’s tremendous blessings in this age.

 

The Holy Spirit, the Word of God, and the faithful believer do not make a video game utopia. The believer is still going to face many challenges, perplexing situations in which he won’t know what to do but pray and make the best decision he can, suffering, and persecution. His life will be wonderful but always challenging for the tempter always prowls about.

 

The Holy Spirit doesn’t press x. He lets you press the buttons, and if you press the ones that are of His will, trust and obedience, He’s going to bring the truth you’ve learned to life and give you the power to accomplish the task. In the OT some people were given the filling of the Spirit or the Spirit upon them to do a certain task; in this age, the Spirit is in you to enable you to do every task that is in accordance with His will.

 

In this age, the age of the church, believers are blessed with some of the promises that were made to Israel.

 

EZE 36:22-27

Therefore say to the house of Israel, 'Thus says the Lord God, "It is not for your sake, O house of Israel, that I am about to act, but for My holy name, which you have profaned among the nations where you went. 23 "I will vindicate the holiness of My great name which has been profaned among the nations, which you have profaned in their midst. Then the nations will know that I am the Lord," declares the Lord God, "when I prove Myself holy among you in their sight. 24 "For I will take you from the nations, gather you from all the lands and bring you into your own land. 25 "Then I will sprinkle clean water on you, and you will be clean; I will cleanse you from all your filthiness and from all your idols. 26 "Moreover, I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit within you; and I will remove the heart of stone from your flesh and give you a heart of flesh. 27 "I will put My Spirit within you and cause you to walk in My statutes, and you will be careful to observe My ordinances.”

 

This prophecy was fulfilled in this age (which does not mean that it will not be fulfilled for the nation of Israel in the future). And it still holds true, no matter the age, that blessing is showered on man from God for God’s sake and not ours. We must always remember that we have never merited or deserved the blessings we possess; nor that God has blessed us out of pity or sentiment, but for His own glory has He blessed us. This truth will help to keep your weakness in mind so that you can stand in God’s strength and know that the divinely good things you produce are a product of the Holy Spirit.

 

 

To me, the rich root of the olive tree are the blessings that come with being in Christ - His life, His truth, His way, and God the Holy Spirit. What is not a part of this is the Mosaic Law, which Christ fulfilled.

 

Why were some Jews broken off from the tree?

 

Paul makes clear that it was unbelief that caused some Jews to be broken off and it was faith in Christ that got any Gentile grafted in. One of the blessings promised to Israel was the indwelling of the Holy Spirit, and in this age, all believers, Jew or Gentile, receive the Holy Spirit at the moment of salvation.

 

 

JOH 14:16-17

"I will ask the Father, and He will give you another Helper, that He may be with you forever;  17 that is the Spirit of truth, whom the world cannot receive, because it does not see Him or know Him, but you know Him because He abides with you and will be in you.”

 

JOH 16:13-15

"But when He, the Spirit of truth, comes, He will guide you into all the truth; for He will not speak on His own initiative, but whatever He hears, He will speak; and He will disclose to you what is to come. 14 He will glorify Me, for He will take of Mine and will disclose it to you. 15 "All things that the Father has are Mine; therefore I said that He takes of Mine and will disclose it to you.”

 

Guide doesn’t mean control in the sense that you and I have lost control. A guide can be followed if the guided choose to follow him.