The Spirit Lord

by

To be Precise

  • Isaiah 5:12–13 12 The harp and the strings, The tambourine and flute, And wine are in their feasts; But they do not regard the work of the Lord, Nor consider the operation of His hands. 13 Therefore my people have gone into captivity, Because they have no knowledge; Their honorable men are famished, And their multitude dried up with thirst.
  • 2 Timothy 3:7 always learning and never able to come to the knowledge of the truth.
  • Does more Bible and theological knowledge, increased Bible reading, church attendance, witnessing, mean that we are growing spiritually?
  • Is spiritual growth more religious feelings or more “spiritual” experiences?

All of these things may be evidences of growth, but these are external actions and can be done without the Holy Spirit, without faith (fear?).

  • Daniel 12:4-“knowledge shall increase.”
  • How do we know if we are really growing in the Holy Spirit by faith?
  • Luke 18:8-the Son of Man returns, will He really find faith on the earth?”
  • Acts 18:24–26 24 Now a certain Jew named Apollos, born at Alexandria, an eloquent man and mighty in the Scriptures, came to 25 This man had been instructed in the way of the Lord; and being fervent in spirit, he spoke and taught accurately the things of the Lord, though he knew only the baptism of John. 26 So he began to speak boldly in the synagogue. When Aquila and Priscilla heard him, they took him aside and explained to him the way of God more accurately.

Explained to him the way of God more accurately/precisely.

  • Apollos was fervent in spirit, small “s”
  • He spoke and taught accurately the things of the Lord
  • But Apollos knew only the baptism of John.
  • Acts 19:1–6 1 And it happened, while Apollos was at Corinth, that Paul, having passed through the upper regions, came to And finding some disciples 2 he said to them, “Did you receive the Holy Spirit when you believed?” So they said to him, “We have not so much as heard whether there is a Holy Spirit.” 3 And he said to them, “Into what then were you baptized?” So they said, “Into John’s baptism.” 4 Then Paul said, “John indeed baptized with a baptism of repentance, saying to the people that they should believe on Him who would come after him, that is, on Christ Jesus.” 5 When they heard this, they were baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus. 6 And when Paul had laid hands on them, the Holy Spirit came upon them, and they spoke with tongues and prophesied.
  • Their relationship with God (tongues, prophesied) started after the Holy Spirit came upon them. Till then, they were “disciples” who knew about the true God.
  • Baptism in the name of the Lord Jesus was a baptism in The Father, The Son and The Holy Spirit; from the knowledge of the true God to the New Covenant.
  • They received the promise of the Spirit through faith in Jesus Christ, when the Apostle Paul laid hands.
  • So, the Holy Spirit by faith in Christ is the key to Spiritual growth.

Declaration

Dear Heavenly Father, please give me a revelation of the power of the Gospel today. From this day forward, may Your grace be the foundation of my daily relationship with You.

I declare that I will be free from guilt, condemnation, and a performance mentality. I declare that I abide in faith, abound in hope, I keep myself in the love of God. I will overcome all trials, I will persevere, and develop Christ-like character by His power.

Open my heart to see the hope of my calling, to know the inheritance that I have in the saints, and to understand the depth of Your power at work in my life. Release upon me a Spirit of wisdom, revelation, and enlightenment today.

Lead me into an encounter with You that forever changes me and deepens my love for Jesus. Illuminate the truth of Your Word as You prepare my heart to receive it.

Amen.

  • We need a God who is there with us.
  • We need it to be real, not just in a book.
  • That reality only exists because of the promise of the Spirit through faith in Jesus.

The Power of the Holy Spirit.

Our natural human life manifests itself in thoughts, feelings, and actions.

Our spiritual life is also evident in thoughts, feelings, and actions that are according to the pattern of God’s life as we renew our mind.

  • Instead of confused thoughts, feelings, and desires that are corrupted by the patterns of this world and complicated by the burden of guilt and depression,
  • We think and manifest Christ’s thoughts, feel his emotions, and live our life as it was designed by our Creator, walk with Him.
  • 2 Peter 1:3–4 3 as His divine power has given to us all things that pertain to life and godliness, through the knowledge of Him who called us by glory and virtue, 4 by which have been given to us exceedingly great and precious promises, that through these you may be partakers of the divine nature, having escaped the corruption that is in the world through lust.
  • Hebrews 3:14 For we have become partakers of Christ if we hold the beginning of our confidence steadfast to the end,
  • According to the Scripture, Christ has made it possible for us to “become partakers of the divine nature”
  • That Divine power is the power of the Holy Spirit.
  • The Lord is the Spirit.
  • 2 Corinthians 3:17-18 Now the Lord is the Spirit; and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is liberty. [18] But we all, with unveiled face, beholding as in a mirror the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image from glory to glory, just as by the Spirit of the Lord.
  • Galatians 5:1 Stand fast therefore in the liberty by which Christ has made us free, and do not be entangled again with a yoke of bondage.
  • Freedom, liberty, Holy Spirit, the Lord is the Spirit

Remember there might be harp, strings, and wine in our feasts;

  • But if we do not regard the work of the Lord,
  • Nor consider the operation of His hands.
  • Then, no real knowledge leads God’s people into captivity
  • Galatians 3:14 that the blessing of Abraham might come upon the Gentiles in Christ Jesus, that we might receive the promise of the Spirit through faith.
  • This promise is God’s ultimate plan for the Gentiles.
  • Acts 5:32 And we are His witnesses to these things, and so also is the Holy Spirit whom God has given to those who obey Him.”
  • The promise of the Spirit through faith in Christ Jesus.
  • John 7:38-39 He who believes in Me, as the Scripture has said, out of his heart will flow rivers of living water.” [39]But this He spoke concerning the Spirit, whom those believing in Him would receive; for the Holy Spirit was not yet given, because Jesus was not yet glorified.

The Holy Spirit helps us live a life that increasingly reflects “the image of God” that we were created to embody as human beings.

  • Zechariah 4:6 6 So he answered and said to me: “This is the word of the Lord to Zerubbabel: ‘Not by might nor by power, but by My Spirit,’ Says the Lord of hosts.
  • God through his Spirit is continually working to form us into Christlikeness.
  • John 16:13 However, when He, the Spirit of truth, has come, He will guide you into all truth; for He will not speak on His own authority, but whatever He hears He will speak; and He will tell you things to come.

Like an embryo, we grow into this new life as we walk with God, planted by God.

  • We walk with Him by faith.
  • He plants us, His body, the Church.
  • Only then we grow spiritually, otherwise may end up storing knowledge.
  • We are in the process of becoming like God in “life and godliness,”
  • Imbibing a divine quality of life that exhibits a godly moral walk,

All of this does not mean that growing spiritually is becoming “a divine being”.

  • No, God will always be God and we will always be human.

What this new spiritual life looks like is shown by the human earthly life of Christ.

  • as opposed to the “corruption of the flesh” or destructive decay of the world.
  • It is also seen in the biblical examples of the lives of many godly men and women.
  • Law of the Spirit in Romans 8:2 that sets us free.

Fruit

Real spiritual growth is internal.

  • when we think Christ’s thoughts,
  • feel his emotions, and
  • live our life as it was designed by our Creator.

The Bible describes this life as the “fruit of the Spirit”

  • God Himself is “the Spirit of life” of whom, we bear fruit, as we conform to His image of His Son.
  • Romans 8:29 For whom He foreknew, He also predestined to be conformed to the image of His Son, that He might be the firstborn among many brethren.
  • Galatians 5:22–23 22 But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, 23 gentleness, self-control. Against such there is no law.

These are rightly termed “fruit,”

  • for they are the produce or product of the “Life-Giver,”
  • rather than human manufacture.

The understanding of this Spirit-produced life is enhanced when we consider its opposite described as “the deeds of the flesh,”

  • the dysfunctional outcome of living apart from a walk with God, the life of God.
  • Galatians 5:19–21 19 Now the works of the flesh are evident, which are: adultery, fornication, uncleanness, lewdness, 20 idolatry, sorcery, hatred, contentions, jealousies, outbursts of wrath, selfish ambitions, dissensions, heresies, 21 envy, murders, drunkenness, revelries, and the like; of which I tell you beforehand, just as I also told you in time past, that those who practice such things will not inherit the kingdom of God.

As Christians, we are not totally free from these old “works of the flesh”,

  • Things I don’t want to do.

But at the core of our being, our heart, the life of God through His Holy Spirit is implanted and designed to grow the fruit of the Spirit.

Joy and Happiness

It is sometimes wrongly said, “God wants us to be holy, not happy,” suggesting that God is not really interested in our happiness.

  • That while happiness may come at times as a side benefit, God’s real goal for us is obedience to his commands.

To be sure God desires that we walk in obedience with him, but does that exclude joy also as His goal?

No, because included in the Spirit’s fruit life is not only love and peace, but joy.

  • Galatians 5:22 But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace…
  • Ecclesiastes 5:20 For he will not dwell unduly on the days of his life, because God keeps him busy with the joy of his heart.

Joy is “that spiritual gladness which

  • Our acceptance with God and
  • The change in/of our heart produces.
  • It is opposed to dullness, gloom, indifference, and all the distractions and remorse which are formed by the works of the flesh.
  • Nehemiah 8:10 …Do not sorrow, for the joy of the LORD is your strength.

In fact, Joy is more noticeable in Christianity than in any other ‘religion’ and

  • in the Bible more than any other literature.

There is no disconnection between holiness and an abundant, joyful life.

  • “There is no life, worthy to be called life, entirely separate from joy and gladness.”

Summary

So, increased faithfulness in Christian practices—Bible reading, church attendance, witnessing, good behavior, loving actions or more religious feelings in worship, or more “spiritual” experiences, while they may be evidences of growth,

  • These are external actions and can be done without the Holy Spirit

Real spiritual growth is evident when we think Christ’s thoughts, feel his emotions, and live our life as it was designed by our Creator.

  • The Holy Spirit helps us live that life; a life increasingly reflects “the image of God” that we were created to embody as human beings.
  • The many instructions and commands for our life as stated in the Bible.
  • The Lord is the Spirit-2 Corinthians 3:17-18

All of this does not mean that growing spiritually is becoming “a divine being”.

Included in the Spirit’s fruit life is not only love, peace and joy.

  • This joy is the spring of energy, and praise wells out of the joyful heart.
  • Where the heart is glad, the result is song.
  • John 10:10 The thief does not come except to steal, and to kill, and to destroy. I have come that they may have life, and that they may have it more abundantly.
  • It is only when we live with Christ that life becomes really worthy of living,
  • that we begin to live at all in the real sense of the word.

At the core of our being, our heart, the life of God through His Holy Spirit is implanted and designed to grow the fruit of the Spirit.

00:00:00 – Start
00:00:12 – To be Precise
00:19:48 – The Power of the Holy Spirit
00:41:19 – Fruit
00:46:38 – Joy and Happiness
00:51:06 – Summary

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