Sponsor s Guide. To be used with Junior High, Young People and Adult THE WORK OF THE HOLY SPIRIT

Transcription

1 Baptist Training Course Sponsor s Guide To be used with Junior High, Young People and Adult THE WORK OF THE HOLY SPIRIT Quarterly Aim: To show how the Holy Spirit worked and is working in various areas. Lesson 1, December 6, 2015 The Holy Spirit Is a Part of the Trinity Lesson 2, December 13, 2015 The Holy Spirit in Creation... 9 Lesson 3, December 20, 2015 The Holy Spirit s Work in the Old Testament...15 Lesson 4, December 27, 2015 The Holy Spirit in the Virgin Birth...21 Lesson 5, January 3, 2016 The Holy Spirit s Work in Salvation...25 Lesson 6, January 10, 2016 The Holy Spirit as Comforter in New Testament Churches...29 Lesson 7, January 17, 2016 The Holy Spirit s Work in the Spirituals...33 Lesson 8, January 24, 2016 The Holy Spirit in Inspiration...38 Lesson 9, January 31, 2016 The Holy Spirit Seals and Indwells Lesson 10, February 7, 2016 The Holy Spirit Fills...46 Lesson 11, February 14, 2016 The Holy Spirit Has Feelings...51 Lesson 12, February 21, 2016 The Baptism of the Holy Spirit Lesson 13, February 28, 2016 The Holy Spirit in Types...60 Vol. 62, No. 1, Winter Quarter, Outlines by Don Price Editor in Chief: Kyle W. Elkins, kyle.elkins@bogardstore.org Business Manager: Wayne Sewell, wayne.sewell@bogardstore.org 2015, Bogard Press, 4605 N. State Line Ave., Texarkana, TX

2 About the Writer Charles Richard Merritt, Sr., was born October 24, 1953, son of Charles P. and Nellie Merritt, Camden, AR. He was saved and then baptized by Trinity Missionary Baptist Church, Camden, AR, in 1960, then married Marvanna McAteer in He graduated from Camden Fairview in 1972, Southern Arkansas Uni ver sity-tech in 1974 with an Associates Degree in Computer Science in 2011, with a Bachelor in Theology, Louisiana Missionary Baptist Institute and Seminary, Minden, LA and in 2012 with a Master in Theology, Louisiana Missionary Baptist Institute and Seminary. He preached his first sermon leap day 1976 and has served churches in Oklahoma and Arkansas as assistant youth pastor and pastor. He has been pastor of Trinity MBC, Camden, AR, since March 1, 1991 and a writer for the BTC curriculum since He loves writing, reading, piano, hunting and whittling. He has served two years as moderator for the Arkansas State Association and on the Baptist Sunday School Committee for several years. He has three children (Chuck and wife C.J., Staci and husband Steven Sewell, Holli and husband Chris Robertson) and four grandchildren (Bethani Sewell, Carlie Merritt, Brody Merritt and Michael Robertson). Brother Merritt may be contacted at rmerritt@cablelynx.com.

3 SPONSOR S GUIDE 3 LESSON 1 December 6, 2015 The Holy Spirit Is a Part of the Trinity Lesson Text: Romans 8:5-17. Related Scripture: Genesis 1:2, 26, 27; 5:1; Psalm 139:7; Matthew 28:18-20; Acts 5:3, 4; 16:7; 1 Corinthians 2:10, 11; Hebrews 9:14. Application: To show that God the Holy Spirit stands equal with the Father and Son. DEVOTIONAL THOUGHTS The Trinity in a Benediction, 2 Corinthians 13:14. Paul s closing remarks in the book of 2 Corinthians include the recognition of each of the three persons of the godhead Father, Son and Holy Spirit. The three act as one. They are not three personalities but are three persons. This is the Bible doctrine of the Trinity. They all have the essence of God. The church at Corinth needed the Father s love for unity and cooperation. The church at Corinth needed the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ to better equip them to serve effectively in all the tasks of the Great Commission. The divine leadership and power of the Holy Spirit gave them the direction, purpose and strength necessary for the work of God. New Testament churches are blessed to have the Trinity working together as one in their behalf. Paul prayed for the church at Corinth to have the Holy Spirit working with them. The word communion means partnership, par - ticipation and fellowship. As the Holy Spirit partnered with them, they could truly say they were laborers together with God. As He participated in the work, He empowered them with the ability to accomplish the work of the Great Commission (Matthew 28:19, 20). As they served the Lord, the church at Corinth needed to be in constant fellowship with God. The Holy Spirit s fellowship is always motivating, uplifting and challenging. Paul prayed for the church members at Corinth seeking their needs to be supplied. Although he did not ask for material things for them, he knew that as God worked with them, He would supply the things needed for the work that He called them to do. The help God the Holy Spirit gives the churches fulfills His promise that I am with you alway (verse 20). EXAMINING THE TEXT Romans 8:5-17. The Holy Spirit helps keep the church members focus on spiritual things (verse 5). Satan uses worldly things to distract God s people from serving

4 4 SPONSOR S GUIDE Him and growing spiritually. And I, brethren, could not speak unto you as unto spiritual, but as unto carnal, even as unto babes in Christ (1 Corinthians 3:1). The word carnal means flesh, particularly the passions of the body. For ye are yet carnal: for whereas there is among you envying, and strife, and divisions, are ye not carnal, and walk as men? (verse 3). When church members focus on worldly things and personal desires, the church s fellowship suffers. It is the work of the Holy Spirit to lead the child of God to put his attention back on Christ. Nevertheless I have somewhat against thee, because thou hast left thy first love (Revelation 2:4). He makes believers aware of this need through conviction. It is an easy thing for church members to be worldly-minded (Romans 8:6-8). Worldly-minded church members follow the ways of death. Carnal believers waste their lives on worldly pursuits and ignore the Lord and His work. Worldlyminded believers have trouble maintaining a regular prayer and Bible study time, being faithful in worship and being forgiving. Their worldly desires lead them to rebel against God. The word enmity means hostility or opposition. Something is terribly wrong when a child of God is hostile toward the Lord or opposes the will of God. The carnal mind does not think the way that God thinks. It approves things God does not, accepts things God rejects and loves things God hates. The carnal-minded believer cannot live a life that pleases God because he is devoted to pleasing the desires of the flesh. Worldly-minded church members are good for little in spiritual things. The indwelling of the Holy Spirit reminds the believer that he is a child of God (verse 9). The Holy Spirit is the abiding guest. He lives within the believer to give a sense of the presence of God. He gives one a new nature, new desires, a new way to think that is not natural to the flesh and a new purpose for living. The Holy Spirit abides in the believer to give peace, hope, comfort, strength, leadership, conviction, chastisement, motivation, direction and purpose. His still small voice is not heard by the ear but is heard by the mind. He gives right thoughts. He reminds of right and wrong. He challenges the believer to live for God. He draws the believer to the point of facing his sin, the need of repentance and reminds one of the joy of forgiveness. When a person is saved, the Holy Spirit comes in to dwell. At that point, there is a war between the flesh and the spirit. The Holy Spirit reminds the believer to act as a child of God would act. The Holy Spirit is the Spirit of Christ in believers (verse 10). God s promise not to forsake His people is fulfilled through the Holy Spirit. Let your conversation be without covetousness; and be content with such things as ye have: for he hath said, I will never leave thee, nor forsake thee (Hebrews 13:5). He is the Spirit of God living within the believer. The worldly ways of being ruled by the desires of the flesh and living in continual discontent may be ended as long as one yields to the leadership of the Holy Spirit. Where the Spirit of God is, there is love, joy, peace, contentment, satisfaction, fulfillment and a sense of purpose. The Holy Spirit is in the believer for good. The Holy Spirit is a real person who has taken up residence in the life of a child of God. In a real

5 sense, the Holy Spirit is God in the life of a child of God. Whatever one does and wherever one goes, the Holy Spirit is in him. The Holy Spirit assures the believer that he will have a part in the resurrection unto life (Romans 8:11). Because Jesus lives, the believer will live also. He overcame the power of death. He is the power that promises the believer that he will live after this life. The resurrection power of God gives the believer a hope that unbelievers do not have. Our bodies are not fit for Heaven. And as we have borne the image of the earthy, we shall also bear the image of the heavenly. Now this I say, brethren, that flesh and blood cannot inherit the kingdom of God; neither doth corruption inherit incorruption (1 Corinthians 15:49, 50). Through Jesus Christ s victory on the cross in His death, burial and resurrection, the believer has the promise of everlasting life in the presence of God. The Holy Spirit lives within the believer to remind him that he will go to be with the Lord after this life (John 14:1-3). The Holy Spirit leads a believer to live for God (Romans 8:12, 13). The believer is not a debtor to the flesh. He does not have to pay attention to worldly desires. He makes choices that reflect whether or not he is living for God. Paul explained that the life of the child of God is not to be wasted in sinful living. Likewise reckon ye also yourselves to be dead indeed unto sin, but alive unto God through Jesus Christ our Lord. Let not sin therefore reign in your mortal body, that ye should obey it in the lusts thereof. Neither yield ye your members as instruments of unrighteousness unto sin: but yield yourselves unto God, as those that are alive from the dead, and SPONSOR S GUIDE 5 your members as instruments of righteousness unto God (Romans 6:11-13). By following and yielding to the Holy Spirit s leadership, the believer has the opportunity to obey God and to invest his life in serving the Lord with a holy example. The Holy Spirit works with a believer to teach him to follow Him (Romans 8:14). It is natural for a child of God to live for God. Jesus said, My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me (John 10:27). Jesus has given us the perfect example. For even hereunto were ye called: because Christ also suffered for us, leaving us an example, that ye should follow his steps (1 Peter 2:21). The Holy Spirit calls to service and leads the believer to follow Christ. The Bible reveals what Christ is like (Matthew 5:3-12; 1 Corinthians 13:4-7; Galatians 5:22-25). The Holy Spirit gives the believer the thoughts of the mind of Christ. Let this mind be in you, which was also in Christ Jesus: who, being in the form of God, thought it not robbery to be equal with God: but made himself of no reputation, and took upon him the form of a servant, and was made in the likeness of men: and being found in fashion as a man, he humbled himself, and became obedient unto death, even the death of the cross (Philippians 2:5-8). The Holy Spirit does not give the child of God any reason to fear (Romans 8:15). The attitude of fear does not come from the Lord. God s Word teaches the believer to not be afraid. God told Abraham, Isaac, Rachel, Hagar, Jacob, the nation Israel, Joshua and Gideon to fear not. Neither does the Lord want the believer to live in an attitude of fear. God s plan for the believer is to

6 6 SPONSOR S GUIDE live by faith in the Lord. The just shall live by faith (Romans 1:17; Galatians 3:11; Hebrews 10:38). Satan comes to cause fear in the lives of God s people. The thief cometh not, but for to steal, and to kill, and to destroy: I am come that they might have life, and that they might have it more abundantly (John 10:10). Satan is a thief. He tries to rob the believer of joy, peace and contentment in the Lord. One of the greatest of all the promises God has given to the believer is the promise of eternal life (John 10:28). The Holy Spirit gives the child of God every reason to trust the Lord. The assurance of the Holy Spirit lets the believer know he is truly a child of God (Romans 8:16). For the which cause I also suffer these things: nevertheless I am not ashamed: for I know whom I have believed, and am persuaded that he is able to keep that which I have committed unto him against that day (2 Timothy 1:12). Paul knew he had salvation as a present possession. John also knew the same truth. Behold, what manner of love the Father hath bestowed upon us, that we should be called the sons of God: therefore the world knoweth us not, because it knew him not. Beloved, now are we the sons of God, and it doth not yet appear what we shall be: but we know that, when he shall appear, we shall be like him; for we shall see him as he is (1 John 3:1, 2). Any child of God may know by the witness of the Holy Spirit that indwells him that he is a child of God. The Holy Spirit gives the believer the hope of glory (Romans 8:17). To whom God would make known what is the riches of the glory of this mystery among the Gentiles; which is Christ in you, the hope of glory (Colossians 1:27). God makes the believer realize his future hope in Christ through the work of the indwelling Holy Spirit. The Spirit witnesses to a believer that this life is not all there is. There is life in eternity with God for the believer. The believer is born into the family of God. He has an inheritance in Christ (Acts 26:18; Ephesians 1:11, 14, 18; 5:5; Colossians 1:12; 3:24; Hebrews 9:15; 1 Peter 1:4). The abundance of references assures the believer that he will inherit spiritual riches through his relationship with Jesus Christ. This hope reminds us of the real value of spiritual things. We value what we can see. The Bible teaches and the Holy Spirit witnesses that real wealth is what we have in Jesus Christ. RELATED SCRIPTURE Genesis 1:2, 26, 27. God the Holy Spirit is active and at work. When God created the heaven and the earth in Genesis 1:1, the Holy Spirit was in agreement and was involved in the act. When God created man in His image as a triune being, the Godhead acted as one in thought, purpose and result. The Hebrew language has single, dual and plural tense for three or more. The plural Let us (verse 26) refers to the three persons of the Trinity. Genesis 5:1. The Old Testament emphasizes the unity of God. In the creation of man, the Trinity acted as one. Whether in creation in Genesis 1:1, in salvation or in creating man, the Trinity thinks, moves and acts as one. When God created man in His image, He made man with a mind, body and spirit. God the Father, God the Son and God the

7 Holy Spirit exist eternally as one God manifested in three persons. Psalm 139:7. God the Holy Spirit exhibits all the attributes of God. He is able to be present in multiple places at once. In the womb, life, death, eternity, the bottom of the sea or in darkness, the psalmist could not escape the presence of God s Spirit (Psalm 139:8-13). God the Holy Spirit is fully and completely God. Matthew 28: When Jesus gave the Great Commission to His church, He spoke of the Trinity. God the Father has all power and authority in Heaven. God the Son was present with them and God the Holy Spirit would implement Jesus promise I am with you alway (verse 20). When a church is doing the Great Commission work, God the Father, God the Son and God the Holy Spirit work as one to bless its efforts. Acts 5:3, 4. Peter correctly equated God the Holy Spirit or Holy Ghost to God. All three persons of the godhead are the essence of God. God the Holy Spirit has the attributes of God including allknowing, all-powerful and allpresent. The Holy Spirit knew they lied concerning their offering. Acts 16:7. God the Holy Spirit led Paul the missionary in his travels. A God-called church sent the Spirit led missionary Paul to travel to the European continent preaching, baptizing and establishing churches. God s plan for Paul the missionary included specific geographic locations for him to go or not to go. Paul went where the Holy Spirit led him. SPONSOR S GUIDE 7 1 Corinthians 2:10, 11. God is at work in the mind of the believer through the work of the Holy Spirit. He teaches the believer the things of God. He opens the understanding a little at a time as the child of God prays and studies the Bible. The knowledge of God or of the things of God contained in the Bible cannot be gained from any source other than God the Holy Spirit. Hebrews 9:14. The Holy Spirit is the eternal God. God the Father planned redemption, Jesus the Son of God accomplished it and God the Holy Spirit empowered the work of salvation. When Christ was on the cross, He was obedient to the Holy Spirit s leadership in giving His life and shedding His blood. Honoring the blood means being separated and cleansed from sins through repentance and seeking God s forgiveness and serving the Lord. RELEVANCE OF THE TEXT The Trinity of God is taught throughout the Bible. When God created man in His own image, He created him with a mind, body and spirit. God the Father s words were given to Balaam. And God said unto Balaam, Thou shalt not go with them; thou shalt not curse the people: for they are blessed (Numbers 22:12). Nebuchadnezzar spoke of the fourth man in the fiery furnace as being like the Son of God. The Spirit has all the resources of wisdom, knowledge and understanding. And I have filled him with the spirit of God, in wisdom, and in understanding, and in knowledge (Exodus 31:3). The Holy Spirit came upon prophets, priests and judges in Israel for their leadership, help and instruction. David prayed, Take not thy holy

8 8 SPONSOR S GUIDE spirit from me (Psalm 51:11). He was not afraid of losing his salvation because it is eternal life (John 3:16). He was asking that God the Holy Spirit s leadership on him as king would not be removed. In the New Testament, the Trinity is mentioned at the baptism of Jesus (Matthew 3:3-17). The Trinity is mentioned in one verse in the book of 1 John 5:7, For there are three that bear record in heaven, the Father, the Word, and the Holy Ghost: and these three are one. God the Father, God the Son is the Word and God the Holy Spirit or Holy Ghost are the three persons of God that are manifested in the Trinity. Some Bible versions use a different text that omits the Trinity from this verse. The Bible doctrine of the Trinity reveals that God is far above the ability of the human mind to comprehend. Paul mentions the Trinity of God in his epistles. The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, and the love of God, and the communion of the Holy Ghost, be with you all. Amen (2 Corinthians 13:14). In giving the Great Commission, Jesus spoke of the Trinity of God when He commanded baptism. God the Holy Spirit is the eternal God. As a real person, He should be referred to as He. He existed in eternity past before the creation. He was at work with God in the creation. He is at work in the world today convicting sinners and convicting, leading, teaching, comforting and strengthening believers. In eternity to come, God the Holy Spirit will continue to exist. God the Holy Spirit is as much God as the Father and the Son. CONTEMPORARY APPLICATION Although understanding the Trinity of God and explaining it are not within the capability of the mind of man, this should remind us that God is much greater. He cannot be understood. His thinking or presence could not be discovered if He did not wish to reveal Himself. Through the creation, God has said, I am. Through His Son Jesus, God is saying, I will save. Through the Holy Spirit, God is at work convicting and convincing sinners that they need the Savior. For the believer, the work of the Holy Spirit is a daily blessing. God the Holy Spirit gives thoughts, understanding, prays with the believer, comforts and gives divine leadership to the servant of the Lord as he goes about doing the work of God. God the Holy Spirit can give His peace to those who are troubled. Blessed be God, even the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies, and the God of all comfort; who comforteth us in all our tribulation, that we may be able to comfort them which are in any trouble, by the comfort wherewith we ourselves are comforted of God. For as the sufferings of Christ abound in us, so our consolation also aboundeth by Christ (2 Corinthians 1:3-5). The Trinity of God cannot be separated. God that is manifested in three persons always thinks and acts as one. The Father, Son and Holy Spirit work together to comfort the child of God.