Introduction: Would you love it if you could call Jesus on the phone
and discuss with Him whatever is on your mind? Uncertain about how
to handle a situation? Just speed dial His number! Christians
sometimes lose sight of the fact that Jesus sent His Spirit to be
with us after Jesus returned to heaven. We cannot live a proper
Christian life without the power of the Holy Spirit. This series of
lessons is about the result of having the Spirit in our life. Let’s
dive right into our study of the work of the Holy Spirit!
- The Promise
- Read John 16:7. If you knew nothing about Jesus and “the
Counselor,” which would you think was the most valuable?
(Jesus says a reason for Him to leave is that the Holy
Spirit will come. That is an astonishing statement!) - Is Jesus just being humble?
- Or, is it true that we are better off with the Holy
Spirit than with Jesus? (The practical advantage is
that the Holy Spirit can be everywhere at once, but
Jesus could not be several places at the same time.) - Our studies are about the fruit of the Spirit. If you
knew nothing about the Holy Spirit, but knew that He was
a replacement for Jesus, what would you logically expect
from the Spirit? (That the Spirit would continue the work
of Jesus in some improved way.) - Read John 16:8. What does this text say that the Holy
Spirit will produce? - Does any of this seem like fruit to you? (“Fruit” is
the end product of the plant. This sounds like the
end product of what Jesus was doing.) - Let’s read on a bit further. Read John 16:9-11 for a
greater description of the work of the Holy Spirit. - When the Bible says that the Spirit will “convict
the world of guilt” in regard to sin, does that mean
that guilt is a good thing? - What does this have to do with people not
believing in Jesus? (We can have three
reactions to sin. We can embrace it. We can try
to ignore it or we can fight against it.) - What happens if we try to fight against
it? (It seems hopeless. That is where we
realize a need for a Savior. One who has
won the victory on our behalf. That is how
I think sin and belief in Jesus are
linked.)
- When the Bible says that the Spirit will “convict
the world of … righteousness” because Jesus is
going to the Father, how are those two connected?
(Jesus is our righteousness!) - Wait a minute! Why is this something about
which we need to be convicted? (Apparently,
some people need to be convinced that they
cannot do it themselves. The fact that Jesus is
not around to remind us is another reason why
the Holy Spirit takes on this important work.) - If you think that you can handle sin on
your own, is that an indication that the
Holy Spirit is not bearing fruit in your
life? - When the Bible says that the Spirit will “convict
the world of … judgment” because the “prince of
the world now stands condemned,” how are those two
concepts related? I thought that Satan (Revelation
12:10-12) was our accuser. Is Jesus now accusing us
because He defeated Satan? (When Jesus won the
victory, He won back the right to claim the justice
of His kingdom. God’s kingdom not only gives us a
way out of sin, but it promises to destroy sin and
sinners in a final judgment.) - As you consider this fruit of the Spirit, does it
carry on the results of Jesus’ work? (You could sum
this up by saying that the Holy Spirit is combating
the sin problem.) - Our Connection
- We have learned that the Holy Spirit carries on the work
of Jesus. Is it possible to just believe in Jesus and not
the Holy Spirit? Do you know Christians who seem to
ignore the Holy Spirit? - Is it possible to have too great a focus on the Holy
Spirit? - Read John 3:5-6 and 2 Timothy 3:1-5. How do these texts
answer our questions about the relative importance of the
Holy Spirit? (The power of the Holy Spirit is essential
to the Christian life.) - Read Acts 1:4-5. How important was Holy Spirit to the
work of the disciples? (They were not to start working
without it!) - Read Acts 2:1-4. How was the power of the Holy Spirit
manifest to the disciples? (Sound, fire and speaking in
tongues.) - We just learned that the Holy Spirit is essential to
a Christian’s life. I’ve never had sound, fire and
tongues appear anywhere that I have worshiped.
Although I am not charismatic, I regularly worship
with charismatic Christians. Does that mean we are
all in trouble? Non-charismatic Christians are
afraid of these things, and charismatic Christians
are still hoping for them! - Let’s look at this from another angle. What was the
point of the sound, fire and tongues at Pentecost
(Acts 2)? (If you read Acts 2 you see that the sound
attracted the crowd, and the gift of tongues allowed
the gospel to be effectively preached.) - Does that fit what we first learned about the
work of the Holy Spirit? (The goal is preaching
conviction of sin, righteousness through Christ
and a coming judgment. The sound and fire were
like Jesus’ miracles in that they got the
attention of the people who then were able to
hear His message.) - What would be the equivalent of this today?
(Sound and fire would get the same results
today – but the underlying goal is to use a
method to get the attention of unbelievers so
they can hear the gospel.) - Our Fruit
- Read Luke 6:43-45. What does Jesus teach about the
Christian and fruit? (That the product of our life (the
fruit) reflects the thoughts of our mind.) - Read Luke 6:46-48. Does Jesus expect us to have good
fruit? (It is essential to withstanding the storms of
life.) - Context is extremely important. What was Jesus talking
about in Luke 6 just before His started talking about
fruit, minds and storms? (If you scan Luke 6:17-38 you
will find Luke’s version of Jesus’ Sermon on the Mount.) - What does the Sermon on the Mount have to do with
fruit? (Jesus explains the extraordinary life He is
looking for in His followers, and then essentially
says,”If your mind is right your actions will be
right.”) - Read John 15:1-4. What is the source of our “fruit?”
(Remaining in Jesus.) - What does this mean following Jesus’ return to
heaven? (Keeping a connection with the Holy Spirit.) - Let’s circle around and make the logical link. Can you
see any connection between the sound, fire and tongues of
Acts 2 and the fruit of the life connected to the Holy
Spirit today? (Recall that the whole purpose of the
sound, fire and tongues was to get the attention of the
people and then share with them the gospel. A life lived
in accordance with the Sermon on the Mount will get you
noticed! I believe that in many ways it is the equivalent
of the fury and glory of Pentecost. I’m still looking for
sound, fire and tongues, but what seems to be available
to us is a Spirit-filled mind that reflects a life lived
in accord with the Sermon on the Mount.) - Some argue that our actions make no difference. The law
is abolished and we need not be concerned about how we
live because we are saved by grace. Does this seem right
in light of what we have just studied? (Our actions
reflect our thoughts. They show whether we are connected
to the Holy Spirit.)
- Friend, is the Holy Spirit present in your life? If you
don’t see sound, fire and tongues, do you see a life
lived in accord with the Sermon on the Mount? If you do
not see either, why not, right now, ask the Holy Spirit
to come into your mind with power? - Next Week: The Fruit of the Spirit is Love.
