Holy Spirit Sent From Heaven

1 Peter 1:12 - It was revealed to them that they were not serving themselves but you, when they spoke of the things that have now been told you by those who have preached the gospel to you by the Holy Spirit sent from heaven. Even angels long to look into these things.

Romans 4:24 - The words "it was credited to him" were written not for him alone, but also for us, to whom God will credit righteousness—for us who believe in him who raised Jesus our Lord from the dead.

John 14:16-17,26 - And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another Counselor to be with you forever—the Spirit of truth. The world cannot accept him, because it neither sees him nor knows him. But you know him, for he lives with you and will be in you…But the Counselor, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, will teach you all things and will remind you of everything I have said to you.

Conclusions:

• As Abraham was justified because he believed in a God who brought life from the dead, so we will be justified by believing in Him who raised Jesus our Lord from the dead
• John 14:16 is the first of a series of important passages about the Holy Spirit, the gift of the Father
• The Father sent another besides Jesus
• Counselor means Helper
• Counselor is a legal term, but with a broader meaning than counsel for the defense
• Counselor referred to any person who helped someone in trouble with the law.
• The Spirit will always stand by Christ’s people
• The Holy Spirit is His normal title in the New Testament—emphasizing His holiness, rather than His power or greatness
• Both the Father and the Son are included in the sending of the Holy Spirit
• The Holy Spirit reminding the apostles of everything Christ said is crucial for the life of the church—and for the writing of the New Testament

Application:

• Do you believe in Him who raised Jesus our Lord from the dead?
• Do you have another Counselor with you?
• Does the Holy Spirit remind you of the things Christ has said?

All Scripture verses taken from NIV

Conclusions derived from NIV Study Bible

Prophets...Searched Intently

1 Peter 1:10-11,18-19 - Concerning this salvation, the prophets, who spoke of the grace that was to come to you, searched intently and with the greatest care, trying to find out the time and circumstances to which the Spirit of Christ in them was pointing when he predicted the sufferings of Christ and the glories that would follow…For you know that it was not with perishable things such as silver or gold that you were redeemed from the empty way of life handed down to you from your forefathers, but with the precious blood of Christ, a lamb without blemish or defect.

2 Peter 1:21 - For prophecy never had its origin in the will of man, but men spoke from God as they were carried along by the Holy Spirit.

Luke 4:17-19 - The scroll of the prophet Isaiah was handed to him. Unrolling it, he found the place where it is written: "The Spirit of the Lord is on me, because he has anointed me to preach good news to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim freedom for the prisoners and recovery of sight for the blind, to release the oppressed, to proclaim the year of the Lord's favor."

Zechariah 9:9-10 - Rejoice greatly, O Daughter of Zion! Shout, Daughter of Jerusalem! See, your king comes to you, righteous and having salvation, gentle and riding on a donkey, on a colt, the foal of a donkey. I will take away the chariots from Ephraim and the war-horses from Jerusalem, and the battle bow will be broken. He will proclaim peace to the nations. His rule will extend from sea to sea and from the River to the ends of the earth.

Zechariah 13:7 - "Awake, O sword, against my shepherd, against the man who is close to me!" declares the LORD Almighty. "Strike the shepherd, and the sheep will be scattered, and I will turn my hand against the little ones.

Luke 24:46-47 - He told them, "This is what is written: The Christ will suffer and rise from the dead on the third day, and repentance and forgiveness of sins will be preached in his name to all nations, beginning at Jerusalem.

Acts 3:18-20 - But this is how God fulfilled what he had foretold through all the prophets, saying that his Christ would suffer. Repent, then, and turn to God, so that your sins may be wiped out, that times of refreshing may come from the Lord, and that he may send the Christ, who has been appointed for you—even Jesus.

Conclusions:

• God was the source of the content of Scripture, so that what it says is what God has said
• Those who are united with Christ will benefit in the midst of their present sufferings from His having already entered into glory
• Righteous means conforming to the divine standard of morality and ethics, particularly as revealed in the law; being righteous is a characteristic of the ideal king
• Christ’s rule will be universal
• The Old Testament depicts the Messiah as one who would suffer and rise from the dead on the third day
• Zechariah 13:7 is quoted by Jesus not long before His arrest and applied to the scattering of the apostles

Application:

• Are you united with Christ?
• Are you righteous?

All Scripture verses taken from NIV

Conclusions derived from NIV Study Bible

Overcomes...Has Overcome

1 John 5:3-6 - This is love for God: to obey his commands. And his commands are not burdensome, for everyone born of God overcomes the world. This is the victory that has overcome the world, even our faith. Who is it that overcomes the world? Only he who believes that Jesus is the Son of God. This is the one who came by water and blood—Jesus Christ. He did not come by water only, but by water and blood. And it is the Spirit who testifies, because the Spirit is the truth.

John 14:16-17 - And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another Counselor to be with you forever—the Spirit of truth. The world cannot accept him, because it neither sees him nor knows him. But you know him, for he lives with you and will be in you.

1 John 1:3 - We proclaim to you what we have seen and heard, so that you also may have fellowship with us. And our fellowship is with the Father and with his Son, Jesus Christ.

1 John 2:2,27 - He is the atoning sacrifice for our sins, and not only for ours but also for the sins of the whole world…As for you, the anointing you received from him remains in you, and you do not need anyone to teach you. But as his anointing teaches you about all things and as that anointing is real, not counterfeit—just as it has taught you, remain in him.

1 Corinthians 12:3 - Therefore I tell you that no one who is speaking by the Spirit of God says, "Jesus be cursed," and no one can say, "Jesus is Lord," except by the Holy Spirit.

Conclusions:

• To overcome the world is to gain victory over its sinful pattern of life, which is another way of describing obedience to God
• Such obedience is not impossible for the believer because he has been born again and the Holy Spirit dwells within him and gives him strength
• The one born of God by faith is enabled by the Holy Spirit to obey
• The Spirit brings people to the truth of God
• Fellowship is the spiritual union of the believer with Christ—as described in the figures of the vine and branches and the body and the head –as well as communion with the Father and with fellow believers
• God, out of love, sent His Son to make substitutionary atonement for the believer’s sin
• The Holy Spirit teaches you all things necessary to know for salvation and Christian living
• One who is regenerated by the Holy Spirit cannot pronounce a curse on Jesus; rather, he is the only one who from the heart can confess Jesus as Lord
• The teaching ministry of the Holy Spirit does not involve revelation of new truth or the explanation of all difficult passages of Scripture to our satisfaction
• God’s holiness demands punishment for man’s sin
• Forgiveness must be received by faith
• The world takes no notice of the Spirit of God

Application:

• Does the Holy Spirit dwell within you?
• Do you obey His commands?
• Does the Holy Spirit live with you?
• Do you have spiritual union with Christ?
• Has God's wrath been turned from you?
• Have you received the anointing of the Holy Spirit?
• Can you say Jesus is Lord?

All Scripture verses taken from NIV

Conclusions derived from NIV Study Bible

Holy Life

1 Thessalonians 4:7-8 - For God did not call us to be impure, but to live a holy life. Therefore, he who rejects this instruction does not reject man but God, who gives you his Holy Spirit.

Leviticus 11:44 - I am the LORD your God; consecrate yourselves and be holy, because I am holy. Do not make yourselves unclean by any creature that moves about on the ground.

Ezekiel 36:27 - And I will put my Spirit in you and move you to follow my decrees and be careful to keep my laws.

Romans 5:5 - And hope does not disappoint us, because God has poured out his love into our hearts by the Holy Spirit, whom he has given us.

Conclusions:

• Another reason for chastity is God’s call to holiness
• Holiness is the key theme to Leviticus, ringing like a refrain in various forms throughout the book
• The word holy appears more often in Leviticus than in any other book of the Bible
• Israel was to be totally consecrated to God
• Israel’s holiness was to be expressed in every aspect of her life, to the extent that all of life had a certain ceremonial quality
• Because of who God is and what He has done, His people must dedicate themselves fully to Him
• Still another reason for chastity is that sin is against God, who gives the Holy Spirit to believers for their sanctification
• To live in immorality is to reject God, specifically in regard to the Holy Spirit
• God bestows His Spirit to enable the human spirit to do His will
• The believer’s hope is not to be equated with unfounded optimism
• The believer’s hope is the blessed assurance of our future destiny and is based on God’s love, which is revealed to us by the Holy Spirit and objectively demonstrated to us in the death of Christ
• Paul has moved from faith to hope to love
• When we first believed in Christ, the Holy Spirit poured out His love in our hearts, and His love for us continues to dwell in us

Application:

• Have you been called to holiness?
• Have you dedicated yourself fully to God?
• Have you rejected God?
• Are you doing His will?
• Does God's love dwell in you?

All scripture verses for the NIV

Conclusions derived from NIV Study Bible