The HELP of the Father

Transcription

1 The HELP of the Father PR began the message with a clip of Rev. Billy Graham. Do you have any memories of Billy Graham that you could share with the group? PR explained what it was about Billy Grahams ministry that made it so effective. Do you recall what that was? The message spoke of the difference between the Baptism of the Holy Spirit and the Filling of the holy Spirit. Can you explain the difference? Take a moment to dissect the following verse from our passage., the Spirit of truth, whom the world cannot receive, because it neither sees Him nor knows Him; but you know Him, for He dwells with you and will be in you John 14:17. - what does the Spirit of truth mean? - Reading from this verse, Is the holy Spirit an it or does the Holy Spirit have a personality? - how do you become filled with the Holy Spirit? Can you list several key elements that must be involved? Prayer: Father in heaven, I thank You that You sent the Holy Spirit to the earth to first of all baptize me at the point of my salvation and then fill me daily as I seek Him. Thank You that I do not have to drum up the strength on my own in order to live for You, but that I can rely on the Holy Spirit that is the source of the power within me. Amen.

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3 John 14:15-18 If you love Me, keep My commandments. And I will pray the Father, and He will give you another Helper, that He may abide with you forever, the Spirit of truth, whom the world cannot receive, because it neither sees Him nor knows Him; but you know Him, for He dwells with you and will be in you. I will not leave you orphans; I will come to you. (NKJV)

4 and will be in you.

5 Baptism Vs Filling:

6 The baptism of the Holy Spirit is a historic event in that it happens once in the believer, at the point of salvation. The filling of the Holy Spirit on the other hand, is an ongoing occurrence in the life of the obedient Child of God.

7 Ephesians 5:18 And do not be drunk with wine, in which is dissipation; but be filled with the Spirit,

8 It is improper to think that we need more of the Holy Spirit, (for we get all of the Holy Spirit at conversion and He never leaves,) the truth is that the Holy Spirit needs more of us.

9 To be filled with the Spirit implies freedom for Him to occupy every part of our lives, guiding and controlling us

10 It is not praying for the filling of the Holy Spirit that accomplishes the filling. Only our obedience to God's commands allows the Spirit freedom to work within us. Galatians 5:24-25 And those who are Christ's have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires. If we live in the Spirit, let us also walk in the Spirit..

11 The indwelling Spirit comes to a soul dead in sin and creates new life Titus 3:5 he saved us, not because of the righteous things we had done, but because of his mercy. He washed away our sins, giving us a new birth and new life through the Holy Spirit. (NLT)

12 2) The indwelling Spirit confirms to the believer that he belongs to the Lord and is an heir of God and fellow-heir with Christ Romans 8:16-17 For his Spirit joins with our spirit to affirm that we are God s children. And since we are his children, we are his heirs. In fact, together with Christ we are heirs of God s glory. But if we are to share his glory, we must also share his suffering. (NLT)

13 3) The indwelling Spirit installs the new believer as a member of Christ s universal church. This is the baptism of the Spirit, according to 1 Corinthians 12:13. Some of us are Jews, some are Gentiles, some are slaves, and some are free. But we have all been baptized into one body by one Spirit, and we all share the same Spirit. (NLT)

14 4) The indwelling Spirit gives spiritual gifts (God-given abilities for service) to the believer to edify the church and serve the Lord effectively for His glory 1 Corinthians 12:11 It is the one and only Spirit who distributes all these gifts. He alone decides which gift each person should have. (NLT)

15 5) The indwelling Spirit helps the believer understand and apply the Scripture to his daily life 1 Corinthians 2:12 And we have received God s Spirit (not the world s spirit), so we can know the wonderful things God has freely given us. (NLT)

16 The indwelling Spirit enriches the believer s prayer life and intercedes for him in prayer Romans 8:26-27 And the Holy Spirit helps us in our weakness. For example, we don t know what God wants us to pray for. But the Holy Spirit prays for us with groanings that cannot be expressed in words. And the Father who knows all hearts knows what the Spirit is saying, for the Spirit pleads for us believers in harmony with God s own will. (NLT)

17 7) The indwelling Holy Spirit empowers the yielded believer to live for Christ to do His will Galatians 5:16 So I say, let the Holy Spirit guide your lives. Then you won t be doing what your sinful nature craves. (NLT) The Spirit also leads the believer in paths of righteousness Romans 8:14 For all who are led by the Spirit of God are children of God. (NLT)

18 8) The indwelling Spirit gives evidence of new life by producing the fruit of the Spirit in the believer s life Galatians 5:22-23 But the Holy Spirit produces this kind of fruit in our lives: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. There is no law against these things! (NLT)

19 9) The indwelling Spirit is grieved when the believer sins Ephesians 4:30 And do not bring sorrow to God s Holy Spirit by the way you live. Remember, he has identified you as his own, guaranteeing that you will be saved on the day of redemption. (NLT)

20 10) The indwelling Spirit seals the believer unto the day of redemption so that the believer s arrival in the Lord s presence is guaranteed after this life Ephesians 1:13-14 And now you Gentiles have also heard the truth, the Good News that God saves you. And when you believed in Christ, he identified you as his own by giving you the Holy Spirit, whom he promised long ago. The Spirit is God s guarantee that he will give us the inheritance he promised and that he has purchased us to be his own people. He did this so we would praise and glorify him. (NLT)