Power to Obey

Lesson 3

Truth about God:  God is powerful.  God brought the most powerful kingdom in the world, Egypt, to its knees in order free Israel from slavery (Exodus  14:10-31).

This powerful God lives in us through His Holy Spirit.

Introduction:

If the electrical power were turned off in your home, how would your life change?

If you did not have God's power to live the Christian life, how would your Christian life be different?

                                                                       
Explanation:   The Christian life is a personal, daily relationship between you and Jesus Christ.  He is everything--your life, your peace, your joy, your hope, your wisdom, and your strength.  He is the power-source which the Christian needs to live an effective Christian Life. 8

I.  Christ's Strength

Ephesians 2:1-10
1          As for you, you were dead in your transgressions and sins,
2          in which you used to live when you followed the ways of this world and of the ruler of the kingdom of the air, the spirit who is now at work in those who are disobedient.
3          All of us also lived among them at one time, gratifying the cravings of our sinful nature and following its desires and thoughts. Like the rest, we were by nature objects of wrath.
4          But because of his great love for us, God, who is rich in mercy,
5          made us alive with Christ even when we were dead in transgressions — it is by grace you have been saved.
6          And God raised us up with Christ and seated us with him in the heavenly realms in Christ Jesus,
7          in order that in the coming ages he might show the incomparable riches of his grace, expressed in his kindness to us in Christ Jesus.
8          For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith — and this not from yourselves, it is the gift of God—
9          not by works, so that no one can boast.
10        For we are God's workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do. (NIV)

Matthew 5:16
16        In the same way, let your light shine before men, that they may see your good deeds and praise your Father in heaven. (NIV)

Why did God make you a new person in Christ Jesus?

To accomplish good and profitable things for God's kindgom. To show people the love of God in practical ways.

John 15:1-5
1          "I am the true vine, and my Father is the gardener.
2          He cuts off every branch in me that bears no fruit, while every branch that does bear fruit he prunes so that it will be even more fruitful.
3          You are already clean because of the word I have spoken to you.
4          Remain in me, and I will remain in you. No branch can bear fruit by itself; it must remain in the vine. Neither can you bear fruit unless you remain in me.
5          "I am the vine; you are the branches. If a man remains in me and I in him, he will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing.

How does the idea of the vine and the branches relate the Christian's power to love and obey God?

Explanation:  The Christ controlled life is the same as the Spirit filled life.  The Holy Spirit is God, and He gives us strength to live an obedient life. 

II.  The Holy Spirit is God:

Acts 5:3,4
3        Then Peter said, "Ananias, how is it that Satan  has so filled your heart that you have lied to the Holy Spirit and have kept for yourself some of the money you received for the land?
4         Didn't it belong to you before it was sold? And after it was sold, wasn't the money at your disposal? What made you think of doing such a thing? You have not lied to men but to God."

Illustration:  The Bible tells of One God with three distinct personalities.  A simple story can help explain this:  Thee men all claimed ownership of the same house.  The first man built the house.  The second man bought the house.  The third person lives in the home.  So it is with us.  God the Father made us, God the son bought us with his blood, and God the Holy Spirit came to live with us and to give us power to live an effective Christian life (Gal 3:1-7).  Our builder, purchaser and resident are all the same person –God.

III.  The Work of the Holy Spirit

The Holy Spirit Lives in the Christian: 

Galatians 4:6
Because you are sons, God sent the Spirit of his Son into our hearts, the Spirit who calls out, "Abba, Father."

What does "God sent the Holy Spirit into our hearts" mean?

The Holy Spirit develops the Christian's character: 

Galatians 5:22,23
22        But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness,
23        gentleness and self-control. Against such things there is no law.

                        Qualities                                 Opposites
                                                                        apathy, bitterness
                                                                        depression            
                                                                        worry
                                                                        impatience
                                                                        insensitivity
                                                                        critical spirit
                                                                        undependability
                                                                        blunt, rough
                                                                        lack of discipline          
           
How would your life be different if these character qualities were in your life as a regular function?

The Holy Spirit gives us boldness

Acts 1:8
8          But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you; and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth."
 
What does it mean to be a witness of Jesus Christ?

                                                                             
IV.  How to be Filled with the Spirit

Explanation:  In the same way that we received Christ by faith, believing what God promised, we now can be filled with the Holy Spirit by faith.  The Christian is to find out what God promised and then believe the truth.

"To be filled with the Spirit one must:

A.        Sincerely desire to be filled with the Holy Spirit (Matthew 5:6;
            John 7:37-39)
B.        Confess sin to God (I John 1:9)
C.        Present every area of life to God (Romans 12:1,2)
D.        By faith claim the fullness of the Holy Spirit, according to:

HIS COMMAND--Be filled with the Spirit,  "And do not get drunk with wine, for that is excess, but be filled (controlled and empowered) with the Spirit" (Ephesians 5:18).
           

HIS PROMISE--He will always answer when we pray according to His will.  "And this is the confidence which we have before Him, that, if we ask anything according to His       will, He hears us.  And if we know that He hears us in whatever we ask, we know that we have the requests which we have asked from Him"  (I John  5:14,15)." 9

To be filled with the Spirit we begin with the right heart preparation.  God cannot fill a heart that is divided between Him and sin.  When we have confessed all our sin to God, we are prepared for God’s filling.  We then simply ask him, by faith, to do what He  promises to do, fill us with His Holy Spirit. 

A prayer to be filled with the Spirit: 

Dear Father, I need you.  I agree that I have sinned against you by______.  I am powerless to live the Christian life in you own strength.  I claim your forgiveness for my sin, and I ask that   you will give me power through you Holy Spirit to live an obedient and powerful Christian life.  I desire to be filled with your Holy Spirit.  I trust that you have answered my prayer because of you promise.

Joyfully Expect Him to give you the power to obey!

There is a first time we ask God to fill us with his spirit.  There is also something called walking in the Spirit where we make this decision on an ongoing basis.  We will look at this in later lessons.

Extra reading:  Romans 8, John 15, Ephesians 5, Galatians 5, Hebrews 11.
Read the booklet: Have You Made the Wonderful Discovery of the Spirit Filled Life?

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