Lesson 8 Desired Change Scope and Sequence Doctrinal Truth: Holy Spirit Lesson Objective Students will understand how yielding to the Holy Spirit each day will provide power that will allow them to see real and lasting change in their lives. Sticky Statement The Spirit within means change can begin. Key Verse Galatians 5:16 Checklist 1. A PowerPoint is available for this lesson. 2. Before/After pictures. (Hook) 3. If desired, additional pictures for the PowerPoint (Hook) 4. Make Up Artist Video: https://teachersource.wol.org/resource/sbs18/8-2/ (Connection) Resources 1. https://teachersource.wol.org/resource/sbs18/8-3/ 2. https://teachersource.wol.org/resource/sbs18/8-4/ 3. https://teachersource.wol.org/resource/sbs18/8-5/ 4. Enns, P. P. (1989). The Moody handbook of theology (pp. 267-268). Chicago, IL: Moody Press. 5. Toussaint, S. D. (1985). Acts. In J. F. Walvoord & R. B. Zuck (Eds.), The Bible Knowledge Commentary: An Exposition of the Scriptures (Vol. 2, p. 357). Wheaton, IL: Victor Books. 6. Jamieson, R., Fausset, A. R., & Brown, D. (1997). Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible (Vol. 2, p. 274). Oak Harbor, WA: Logos Research Systems, Inc. 7. Campbell, D. K. (1985). Galatians. In J. F. Walvoord & R. B. Zuck (Eds.), The Bible Knowledge Commentary: An Exposition of the Scriptures (Vol. 2, pp. 607 609). Wheaton, IL: Victor Books. 8. This is a great song to end your study with if you have time. The focus on transformation from the inside out. From the Inside Out, performed by Seventh Day Slumber https://teachersource.wol.org/resource/sbs18/8-6/ Spirit Page 79
Lesson Overview I. The Connection A. The Holy Spirit Connected with the Believer: An Indwelling Comforter 1. The Holy Spirit lives within every believer. John 14:16-17 The Spirit within means change can begin. 2. The Holy Spirit remains within every believer forever. John 14:16 B. The Holy Spirit Connected with the Unbeliever. A Continual Convincer II. The Choice A. Choose to Walk in the Spirit Galatians 5:16 B. Continue to Walk in the Spirit Galatians 5:25 Walk in the Spirit carries with it the idea of to be in agreement, to come to an agreement, to remain in agreement. It means, To keep in step with. III. The Conclusion Practically speaking, if you are continually living in agreement with everything the Holy Spirit is showing you, you will also be living in agreement with the Word of God. The Spirit within means change can begin. Hook Teacher s Note: Display a series of 2-3 Before/After Photos of people in order to generate discussion about outward changes people attempt to make through plastic surgery or application of makeup. Several Before/After photos can be found at: https://teachersource.wol.org/resource/sbs18/8-1/. As we look at the following photos, tell me what you think of each. Was there a drastic improvement, or did the person in the photo look better before? What do you think might have motivated the people that you saw in these photos to take drastic measures like plastic surgery or even the heavy application of makeup? Teacher s Note: Allow time for responses. (Possible responses: People are driven to look more appealing to others. Perhaps they are trying to stay youthful, beautiful, or good-looking, etc.) Our culture bombards us constantly with billboard and digital images of models with perfect faces and bodies. It happens so often that our view of beauty becomes distorted. In truth, the idea of true beauty has changed over time as trends become either popularized or rejected by the current generation. Consider what was once considered beautiful or desirable in the past compared to today s media standards: Spirit Page 80
Teacher s Note: Consider adding several pictures to the PowerPoint to help the students visualize what is meant by the following signs of beauty. Pictures of people from the Renaissance Period or famous individuals from the past who are known for having had plastic surgery would be good examples of the following signs of beauty. 1. For many centuries, being thin was a sign that you lived in poverty. It wasn t until the late 1800 s that the word diet became common, as people began trying to appear thinner. 2. Pale skin was so desirable for many centuries that both men and women used lead-based white paint to avoid any sign of a tanned body. Suntans were for members of the working class, whose exposure to the sun was a result of their work in the fields. Today, even though we ve all been warned of the dangers of excessive exposure to the sun, women and men still visit tanning salons or spend time in the sun trying to get a bronzed body. 3. Just a few decades ago, plastic surgery was only for the wealthy and excessively vain. In 2010, with the number of Americans attempting to improve their features through surgery had grown to the point that more than $10 billion was spent. Botox, facelifts, and liposuction are among the most common procedures. Just these three facts alone reveal that culture places a huge emphasis on the outward appearance and that the standard for beauty changes over time. As you cross cultural and geographical lines, the standard for beauty can change even more. Lesson Content God is interested in bringing major change to your life, but His desired changes have little to do with your outward appearance. Every person is fearfully and wonderfully made. No matter what your physical appearance is or what your definition of beauty may be, you are created in the image of God and possess great value as a person. Making changes to your outward appearance may result in temporary change, but the lasting life-change that God wants you to have comes not from changing your outward appearance, but from allowing the Holy Spirit to change you from the inside out. Only the Holy Spirit can make that type of metamorphosis a reality in your life. The Holy Spirit is the third person of the Trinity. God is one God, but reveals Himself to us in three persons: God the Father (God), God the Son (Jesus), and God the Spirit (Holy Spirit). Let s learn how the Holy Spirit came to connect with us and how He can create such positive and lasting change in our lives. Spirit Page 81
I. The Connection A. The Holy Spirit Connected with the Believer: An Indwelling Comforter 1. The Holy Spirit lives within every believer. John 14:16-17 Before we can understand how the Holy Spirit can change us, we must understand how He connects with us in the first place. Pay attention to the words of these verses about the Holy Spirit as I read them. Remember, the words that I am about to read are the words of Jesus Himself. He was explaining to His followers that He was going to eventually leave them physically, but when He left, He would not leave them helpless. [Read John 14:16-17.] What promise does this verse tell us that Jesus made? [Allow time for the students to answer.] He said that He was going to pray for God to send another Helper or Comforter. The Helper or Comforter that Jesus spoke of can be described this way: one called alongside to help. Up to this point, Jesus had been the Helper for His disciples, but because He was going back to Heaven, He was going to send another Helper for them. This Helper would not only be with them, He would be in them, and the Spirit within means change can begin. This Helper is a reference to the Holy Spirit who would in a few short days indwell all of Jesus disciples. How many of you think it would be great to actually talk with Jesus day after day like the disciples did? Wouldn t it be great to be able to talk with God face to face? If Jesus was with us, when life got hard, we could literally walk over and talk things out with Him and get His advice. Wouldn t that be amazing? The disciples could actually do that! While talking things out with Jesus Himself might sound amazing, listen to what Jesus said about the concept of being able to physically be with Jesus. [Read John 16:7.] Did you notice what Jesus said was better or to the advantage of the disciples? It was to the advantage of the disciples that He left. When Jesus left, He promised to send the Helper (aka: the Holy Spirit). Unless Jesus left, the Holy Spirit would not come. When Jesus came to earth as a baby, He was called Emmanuel, which means, God with us. When Jesus left the earth, He sent the Holy Spirit to live in us. The truth is this: God with us is good. God in us is better! Truly, it was to their advantage that He went away. When He did, the Holy Spirit came to indwell them and the Spirit within means change can begin. The disciples had to wait for Jesus to go away for the Holy Spirit to come and indwell them. For us today, the Holy Spirit s indwelling is something that happens immediately at the time of salvation (Ephesians 1:13). 2. The Holy Spirit remains within every believer forever. - John 14:16 For approximately 33 years, Jesus was on the earth. His ascension into heaven marked the end of His earthly ministry. The Holy Spirit s ministry is a little different. Notice what the Bible says about how long the Holy Spirit will be given to the Christian. [Read John 14:16.] John 14:16 reminds us that the Spirit would come and live in believers permanently! The Holy Spirit will never leave you; He is in you forever. Spirit Page 82
What a change for the disciples! What a change for us! The Holy Spirit lives within us and helps us just like Jesus said He would. Believers are not the only group of people that are impacted by the presence of the Holy Spirit. What if you are not a believer? What if you don t buy into this whole God-stuff? What good is the Holy Spirit for you? B. The Holy Spirit Connected with the Unbeliever. A Continual Convincer You see, God loves all human beings, even those who do not or will not believe in Him. While He sent the Holy Spirit to be a comfort to believers, that same Holy Spirit ministers to unbelievers as well. [Read John 16:7-9.] It was to the advantage of the believers to have the Holy Spirit come. He would be their Comforter. For the unbeliever, it was to their advantage too, because the Holy Spirit would be the One who would help people see their sin, recognize there was a standard for righteousness, and understand that judgment for sin was coming. Part of the Holy Spirit s work in the world is to let all mankind know that there is a way to escape the coming judgment. His job is to convict those who do not believe of their sin and point them to Christ. Real change can happen in the life of an unbeliever as a result of responding to the work of the Holy Spirit. If you will yield to the Holy Spirit and allow Him into your life, real change can happen for you too because the Spirit within means change can begin. If you want to understand how the Holy Spirit specifically connects with someone who does not believe in Him, you can connect with one of the leadership team here to discuss how life change is possible. Also, be sure to be here next week when we discuss the full impact of the Holy Spirit s connection with the unbeliever. So, to sum up our connection with the Holy Spirit: 1. If you have put your faith in Jesus, you have already responded to the convicting work of the Holy Spirit and He now serves as your Helper. You are indwelt by the Holy Spirit and have already experienced a radical change in your life. Daily life change is possible as you yield to His direction. 2. If you are not a believer in Jesus, the Holy Spirit will continuously work to convince you of the truth about yourself and offer real change for your life. But you may be thinking, why all the fuss about the Holy Spirit? Why do I need Him inside me or why would I want Him to change me? Let s look at the most practical aspect of the ministry of the Holy Spirit. II. The Choice Just like the pictures we saw at the beginning of the lesson demonstrated how some people try to change their physical appearance, many times we try to change our behavior on our own as well. We try to convince ourselves that if we simply stop doing this and start doing that real change is possible. Our approach is an outward change of behavior hoping that it will change our inward attitudes and mindset. Spirit Page 83
How many of you have ever had a bad habit that you really wanted to break? [Allow the students to respond by raising their hands.] Have you ever said to yourself, I am never doing that again? [Again, allow the students to respond by raising their hands.] How did that work out for you? [Allow the students to respond.] While we may be able to accomplish some change with behavior modification, real change will only happen as we are transformed from the inside out. Real inside out change starts with the Holy Spirit inside of us because the Spirit within means change can begin. But how? How is it possible for the Holy Spirit to begin His work inside of us to accomplish outward change? The answer is found in Galatians 5. A. Choose to Walk in the Spirit Galatians 5:16 [Read Galatians 5:16.] There is your answer! Don t want to fulfill the lust of the flesh? You have to walk in the Spirit. Wait, shouldn t that say, If you don t want to fulfill the desires of the flesh, try really hard not to or try to replace that desire with something else? Isn t that what we try to do try to change on our own? And how effective has that approach been? It s not effective, because that is not the way to lasting change. For those who are indwelt by the Holy Spirit, real, lasting change is possible as you yield to His direction. The Bible refers to this yielding by using the word walk. When the Holy Spirit directs you to do something, walking in the Spirit is simply taking the steps to obey His commands. It begins with the attitude of obedience and continues, step by step, in choosing to obey the commands of the Holy Spirit. When you choose to obey the Holy Spirit, you are walking in the Spirit. As you walk in Spirit daily, you will see real change in your life because if you are walking in the Spirit, you are not fulfilling the desires of the flesh. So, make the choice today. With the Holy Spirit inside of you, choose to walk in the Spirit and you will see that the Spirit within means change can begin. Allow the Spirit of God that is in you to direct your steps, but don t stop with one single choice. B. Continue to Walk in the Spirit Galatians 5:25 [Read Galatians 5:25.] This verse reminds the believer to make walking in the Spirit a daily habit. The phrase Walk in the Spirit carries with it the idea of to be in agreement, to come to an agreement, to remain in agreement. It means, To keep in step with. When we are in step with the Spirit, our lives conform to the Spirit s direction. In reality, we are allowing Him to control us. As believers, we are called to: Keep continually living in agreement with everything the Holy Spirit shows you. When we are walking in the Spirit and keeping in step with the Spirit on a daily basis, we will begin to see real change in our lives because our choices will reflect His desires. Since the Holy Spirit is God, living in agreement or being yielded to Him means you are in agreement with God. Spirit Page 84
III. The Conclusion Teacher s Note: Have two students read Ephesians 5:18-21 and Colossians 3:16-17 one right after the other. Once you are done, draw attention to the similarities on a visual for your students to see. Did you notice the differences? In Ephesians 5, the believer is told to be filled with the Spirit. In Colossians 3, the believer is told to Let the Word of Christ dwell in you. Did you notice the similarities? The parallel between Ephesians 5:18-21 and Colossians 3:16-17 is significant. Notice that the same results flow from being filled with the Spirit and being filled with the Word of Christ (the Bible). This is true because everything the Holy Spirit will direct you to do will be in line with the Word of God. The Spirit of God uses the Word of God to direct the child of God. Practically speaking, if you are continually living in agreement with everything the Holy Spirit is showing you, you will also be living in agreement with the Word of God. When you live this way, you are filled with the Holy Spirit. So, every believer is indwelt by the Holy Spirit and is called to walk in the Spirit continually. As the believer allows the Holy Spirit control, he is filled with the Spirit and can see real change in his life from the inside out. Connection Teacher s Note: Show video (1:15) https://teachersource.wol.org/resource/sbs18/8-2/ to illustrate how beauty can be fabricated, altered or fixed to conform to standards of culture. Do you see how outward change is so temporary? It took makeup artists and Photoshop experts to turn this rather plain woman into the model you saw at the end of the clip whose face might end up on a billboard or magazine cover. In reality, outward change is not reality. To bring about lasting inner change we don t need Photoshop and makeup artists, we only need to yield to the Holy Spirit because the Spirit within means change can begin. The Holy Spirit is your makeup artist and His Photoshop is the Word of God. As you choose to continue to walk in the Spirit, He will fill you with His power to see lasting change in your life. Do you want to see change begin? Allow the Holy Spirit in. Once He is in, yield to His direction (walk in the Spirit) on a daily basis. This is how you will be filled with the Spirit. Spirit Page 85
Decision For Believers Will you commit to yield to what the Holy Spirit is teaching you? The Spirit within means change can begin. You are indwelt by the Holy Spirit. Lasting change in your life hinges on your willingness to let the Holy Spirit control you. How will you choose to walk in the Spirit today? Identify one area of your life that needs to be changed. As we close in prayer, will you tell the Holy Spirit that He can have control over that area? If so, when we dismiss for small groups, tell your small group leader about your decision. For Unbelievers If you do not know Jesus Christ as your personal Savior, your first step is to put your faith in Him, that He died for your sin and rose again to give you forgiveness, restore your relationship with God and give you a new life. It is time for you to let the Holy Spirit in. Once your relationship with Christ begins, you will have the Holy Spirit within you and the Spirit within means change can begin. Sticky Statement The Spirit within means change can begin. Small Group Discussion Questions 1. What is one way you have tried to make an outward change to your life? (Allow the conversation to begin with superficial or physical changes, but direct it toward more meaningful behavior modification ideas. Possible answers: change of clothes, put on make-up, brushing hair, make a resolution, replace a habit with a different action, visit a counselor, etc.) 2. What do you understand about the ideas of walking in the spirit and being filled with the Spirit? (Walking in the Spirit means to live in line with or in step with the desires of the Holy Spirit. Being filled with the Spirit means that you have yielded to His control.) 3. What does walking in the Spirit and/or being filled with the Spirit look like in the life of a teenaged student? (Guide the discussion toward one area where each student will choose to be filled with the Holy Spirit and ask if you can connect with them this week to celebrate how real change is happening in their life as a result of the choice to walk in the Spirit.) Spirit Page 86