Grow In Grace: The Holy Spirit and His Work

Grow In Grace

THE HOLY SPIRIT AND HIS WORK

The Holy Spirit is true God.

Matthew 28:19 “Therefore go and gather disciples from all nations, by baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit.”

The work of the Holy Spirit is necessary because by nature we are spiritually blind, spiritually dead, and enemies of God.

For Additional Study

For review, see The Only True God, p. 8-9.

For review, see God’s Expectations for All People, p. 14-16.

Ephesians 2:8-9 “Indeed, it is by grace you have been saved, through faith and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God not by works, so that no one can boast.”

These words explain that when it comes to our salvation, we can do ________________. It is entirely _______________________________.

The Holy Spirit gives the gift of faith.

1 Corinthians 12:3b “...no one can say, ‘Jesus is Lord’ except by the Holy Spirit.”

John 6:63a “The Spirit is the one who gives life. The flesh does not help at all.”

The Holy Spirit is also called the Counselor (John 14:26).

The Holy Spirit uses the Means of Grace, that is, the Gospel as it appears in the Word and in the Sacraments.

Romans 10:17 “So then, faith comes from hearing the message, and the message comes through the word of Christ.”

Romans 1:16a “For I am not ashamed of the gospel, because it is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes...”

Conversion, renewing, rebirth, making alive are all terms that describe this giving of faith by the Holy Spirit.

The Means of Grace are the Words of Scripture and the Sacraments of Baptism and the Lord’s Supper (which both use the Words of Scripture).

The Holy Spirit sanctifies us (makes us holy).

1 Peter 2:2-3 “Like newborn babies, crave the pure milk of the word so that by it you may grow up with the result being salvation. Certainly you have tasted that the Lord is good!”

As a person reads the Bible, the Holy Spirit works through that Word of God so that the person ____________________________________

Philippians 2:13 “In fact, it is God who is working in you, both to will and to work, for the sake of his good pleasure.”

Ephesians 2:10 “For we are God's workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared in advance so that we would walk in them.”

The Holy Spirit helps us to .

John 14:15 “If you love me, hold onto my commands.”

Hebrews 11:6a “And without faith it is impossible to please God.”

In order for something that we do to be considered “good” by God, it must be done out of ___ _____ in God and be done according to ____________________________

In order for a work to be “good,” it must also be done to the glory of God and not personal glory.

1 Corinthians 10:31 “So whether you eat or drink, or do anything else, do everything to the glory of God.”

Colossians 3:17 “And everything you do, whether in word of deed, do it all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through Him.”

The Holy Spirit keeps us in faith

1 Peter 1:5 “Through faith you are being protected by God's power for the salvation that is ready to be revealed at the end of time.”

1 Thessalonians 5:23-24 “May the God of peace himself sanctify you completely, and may your whole spirit, soul, and body be kept blameless at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ. The one who calls you is faithful, and he will do it.”

For Additional Study

Saving faith is more than intellectual knowledge of biblical facts. It is more than an acknowledgment of the fact that God exists.

James 2:19 “You believe that there is a God. Good! Even the demons believe that – and shudder.”

Hebrews 11:1

“Now faith is being sure of what we hope for and certain of what we do not see.”

Saving faith KNOWS who Christ is and what He did for all sinners.

Saving faith AGREES with the message of Scripture, that it is only through what Christ has done that we have salvation.

Saving faith TRUSTS in Christ’s redeeming life, death, and resurrection and says, “I trust that Jesus lived and died for me ”

The Bible’s Teaching of Election

As we have seen, it is only by the power of the Holy Spirit, working through Word and Sacraments, that a person comes to faith in God and is saved. The Bible teaches that God has chosen and called certain people to trust in him. The Holy Spirit gives the gift of faith to those people, bringing them into the family of believers.

2 Thessalonians 2:13-14 “But we are always obligated to thank God for you, brothers, loved by the Lord, because God chose you from the beginning for salvation by the sanctifying work of the Spirit and faith in the truth. For this reason he also called you through our gospel so that you would obtain the glory of our Lord Jesus Christ.”

Note the words which reveal that the calling to faith and salvation is all God’s doing:

For Additional Study

Ephesians 1:3-11 “Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in Christ with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places. He did this when he chose us in Christ before the foundation of the world, so that we would be holy and blameless in his sight. In love he predestined us to be adopted as his sons through Jesus Christ. He did this in accordance with the good purpose of his will, and for the praise of his glorious grace, which he has graciously given us in the one he loves. In him we also have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sins, in keeping with the riches of his grace, which he lavished on us in all wisdom and insight. He made known to us the mystery of his will in keeping with his good purpose, which he planned in Christ. This was to be carried out when the time had fully come, in order to bring all things together in Christ, things in heaven and things on earth. In him we have also obtained an inheritance, because we were predestined according to the plan of him who works out everything in keeping with the purpose of his will.”

Note the words which reveal that the calling to faith and salvation is all God’s doing:

Election means that God has chosen. The Elect are the chosen ones of God believers. Predestination means that God did his choosing in advance, even before the creation of the world and all people!

1 Timothy 2:3-4 “This is good and pleasing in the sight of God our Savior, who wants all people to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth.”

What do these words tell us about what God wants?

But we know from the Bible that not all people will believe in God, therefore not all people will be saved. Does this raise any questions for you?

Scripture teaches the following about those who do not believe:

Ezekiel 33:11 “As I live, declares the LORD God, I take no pleasure in the death of the wicked, but rather that the wicked turn from their way and live.”

Acts 7:51 “You stiff-necked people, with uncircumcised hearts and ears! You always resist the Holy Spirit. You are doing just what your fathers did.”

Matthew 23:37 “Jerusalem, Jerusalem, who kills the prophets and stones those sent to her! How often I have wanted to gather your children together as a hen gathers her chicks under her wings, but you were not willing.”

Mark 16:16 “Whoever believes and is baptized will be saved, but whoever does not believe will be condemned.”

God has always wanted ________ to be saved. But some reject God and will not trust in him. They are described as “resisting” the _______ as God reaches out to them. Jesus tried to reach these people while in this world, but some simply would not trust in him. The fact is that those who do not believe in Jesus’ life, death, and resurrection, will be condemned eternally. This is ____ fault, not ______.

Our difficulty: All people are by nature opposed to God, having no ability or desire to bring themselves to faith in God.

The Holy Spirit wants to convert all by the gospel.

So why aren't all people converted?

We do know: Those who are saved, are saved only by the grace and power of God.

Those who are lost, are lost by their rejection of God.

While this may not be __________ to us, it is ________________________.

God has revealed the doctrine of election to us with the truth that he completely took care of our salvation before we were even born. It is also meant to __________ us to praise God who loved us even before he created the world.

Ephesians 2:8-9

1 Timothy 2:4

Ezekiel 33:11

For Additional Study

A CHRISTIAN TRUSTS IN THE FORGIVENESS OF SINS

We can never live up to God’s expectations for us and all people. His law shows us how we have fallen short in God’s eyes. But a Christian trusts what the Bible says about Jesus that he kept God’s law perfectly for us and died as a sacrifice for our sin. This is the good news of the gospel. A Christian, therefore, does not live in fear of the law, but in confidence because of the gospel!

The Law

The Gospel

Done for you Condemns Saves

Do; Don't do

For review, see God’s Expectations for All People, p. 14-16 and The Forgiveness of Sin Comes through Faith in Jesus Christ, p. 17-24.

Creates faith, hope, life Demands righteousness of us

Creates hopeless fear

Gives righteousness to us Cannot save us

Shows our Sin (S.O.S.)

Saves us

Shows our Savior (S.O.S.)

2 Corinthians 5:21 “God made him, who did not know sin, to become sin for us, so that we might become the righteousness of God in him.”

1 John 2:2 “He is the atoning sacrifice for our sins, and not only for ours but also for the sins of the whole world.”

Romans 4:25 “He was delivered over to death for our trespasses and was raised to life because of our justification.”

Romans 3:22b-24 “In fact, there is no difference, because all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, and are justified freely by his grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus.”

Romans 3:28 “For we conclude that a person is justified by faith without the works of the law.”

John 3:16 “For God so loved the world that he gave his only-begotten Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish, but have eternal life.”

Romans 8:1 “So then, there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus. “

Romans 5:1 “Therefore, since we have been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ.”

Share your thoughts about the comfort those verses give to a Christian.

Righteous means “holy.”

Atone means “to satisfy, to make payment for.”

Justify means “to declare righteous.”

Redeem means “to buy back.”

Romans chapter 8 is a tremendously comforting portion of God’s Word. It assures us of our forgiveness, our place in God’s family, and our eternal salvation.

Jesus rules from heaven and will return on the Last Day.

Ephesians 1:19-23 “and just how surpassingly great his power is for us who believe. It is as great as the working of his mighty strength, which God worked in Christ when he raised him from the dead and seated him at his right hand in the heavenly places, far above all rule, authority, power, and dominion, and above every name that is given, not only in this age but also in the one to come. God also placed all things under his feet and made him head over everything for the church. The church is his body, the fullness of him who fills everything in every way.”

What comfort can we draw from these words?

The Bible tells us a number of things about the return of Jesus on the Last Day.

Acts 1:11b “This same Jesus, who has been taken up from you into heaven, will come back in the same way you have seen him go into heaven.”

1 Thessalonians 4:16 “For the Lord Himself will come down from heaven with a loud command, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trumpet call of God…”

Matthew 25:31 “When the Son of Man comes in his glory, and all the angels with him, he will sit on his glorious throne.”

Revelation 1:7a “Look, he is coming with the clouds, and every eye will see him, including those who pierced him.”

He will return in ___ _____ and ___ ____ will see him.

Acts 17:31 “Because he has set a day on which he is going to judge the world in righteousness by the man he appointed. He provided proof of this to everyone by raising him from the dead.”

2 Corinthians 5:10 “For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ, so that each one may receive what is due for what he did while in the body, whether good or bad.”

Mark 16:16 “Whoever believes and is baptized will be saved, but whoever does not believe will be condemned.”

On what will each person be judged on the Last Day?

For Additional Study

The Last Day, The Day of Resurrection, & Judgment Day are all names for the time of Christ’s return.

Jesus tells us of a number of signs that will precede his second coming. There will be things seen in nature, like earthquakes, floods, and famines. There will be signs in the lives of people, like wars, international conflicts, strife within nations, and family dissension. There will be religious problems, like false Christs, false teachers, and the persecution of Christians. He also says that before he comes, the gospel will go out to all nations. Jesus warns of these things in Matthew 24:1-31, Luke 21:25-28, and Mark 13:5-13, 19-25.

Does it sound to you like we are living in the end times?

Christians are to be prepared for Jesus to return at any time.

Luke 21:28 “But when these things begin to happen, stand up and lift up your heads, because your redemption is near.”

Mark 13:32 “No one knows about that day or hour, not even the angels in heaven, nor the Son, but only the Father.”

2 Peter 3:10 “But the day of the Lord will come like a thief. On that day the heavens will pass away with a roar; the elements will be dissolved as they burn with great heat, and the earth and what was done on it will be burned up.”

1 Thessalonians 5:1-6 “Concerning the times and dates, brothers, there is no need to write to you, for you yourselves know very well that the day of the Lord will come like a thief in the night. When people are saying, ‘Peace and security,’ destruction will suddenly come on them, like labor pains on a pregnant woman, and they will certainly not escape. But you, brothers, are not in the dark so that this day takes you by surprise like a thief, for you are all sons of the light and sons of the day. We do not belong to the night or the darkness. So then let us not sleep like everyone else, but rather let us remain alert and sober.”

The exact time of Jesus’ return is _____ and will come

What kind of impact do you think this has for a Christian’s life?

For Additional Study