SPIRIT LED LIFE #1

We already talked about the work of the Holy Spirit in the New Testament. This is a continuation of this, but we will focus more on our attitudes and life style as Holy Spirit led believers.

When we think of a Spirit led life, we would normally go directly into the New Testament for our study, but I find that Isaiah is a great place to go to see how one will live when one is full of the Spirit of God. We will look at three passages in Isaiah that are prophesies concerning the Messiah (Christ). These passages describe the characteristics of Christ as the sent One who is anointed by the Holy Spirit to accomplish His Father’s mission on earth. There is no better example in scripture of a Spirit led life than Jesus. Therefore, these same attributes that are spoken of the Messiah, we should have in our lives as believers.

Let us look at Isaiah 11:1-3 and find some characteristics of a Spirit led life.

One who is full of the Spirit will be full of wisdom & understanding.

James 1:5 says, “If any of you lacks wisdom, you should ask God, who gives generously to all without finding fault, and it will be given to you.”

The source of wisdom is God. We can’t find wisdom in education or in this world. It doesn’t matter how educated you are or how much life experience you have. The only place to gain true wisdom is in God and letting the Holy Spirit direct your life.

The Gospel’s over and over again makes reference to Jesus’s wisdom. The people were amazed at his wisdom because it was not like the worlds wisdom. (Matt. 13:53; Mark 6:2; Luke 2:40)

God promises to give us this same kind of wisdom. (Acts 6:10; 7:10)

Luke 21:15 – “For I will give you words and wisdom that none of your adversaries will be able to resist or contradict.”

God’s wisdom is greater than any supposed wisdom in this world. (Romans 11:33; I Corinthians 1:20, 25)

As a spirit led believer we have great understanding. I look at understanding as practical wisdom. In other words, one who has understanding walks in the wisdom that he has received.

Psalms 111:10 – “The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom; all who follow his precepts have good understanding. To him belongs eternal praise.”

One who is full of the Spirit will give wise counsel, counsel that is mighty. Mighty counsel is counsel that is outstanding, not the normal run of the mill stuff.

One who is full of the Spirit will have spiritual knowledge which comes from the fear of the Lord. Whenever the Bible speaks of the fear of the Lord, it refers to a life of righteousness. One can’t claim to fear the Lord and not live a life of obedience.

One who is full of the Spirit will have spiritual eyes and spiritual ears. He will not look at things through the eyes of the world. He will look at things from a spiritual perspective, Bible based perspective. He will see things in the spiritual realm. Also he will sift what he hears through spiritual ears, and the Word of God. He will be able to distinguish between what is from God and what is from an alternate source.

Let us now look at Isaiah 42:1-4.

One who is full of the Holy Spirit will seek to establish justice on the earth.

Holman Bible dictionary speaks of justice in the following way.

“Nature of justice has two major aspects. First, it is the standard by which penalties are assigned for breaking the obligations of the society. Second, justice is the standard by which the advantages of social life are handed out, including material goods, rights of participation, opportunities, and liberties. It is the standard for both punishment and benefits and thus can be spoken of as a plumb line. “I shall use justice as a plumb-line, and righteousness as a plummet” (Isaiah 28:17, REB).”

In most instances in the Bible, justice is spoken in the sense of social justices and injustices. The unjust are penalized and the just rewarded. As believers who are led by God’s Spirit we will fight injustices and promote that which is just and right according to God’s standards. This will be spoken of more clearly in the next passage that we will study.

Isaiah 42:2 says of the Lord, “He will not shout or cry out, or raise his voice in the streets.”

One who is full of the Holy Spirit will be humble. He will not be argumentative or bring attention to himself. He will be a peace loving person.

Isaiah 42:3 says, “A bruised reed he will not break, and a smoldering wick he will not snuff out.”

One who is full of the Holy Spirit will be gentle and full of grace. He will not take advantage of the weak or oppress the weak. Rather, he will help those who are weak spiritually, emotionally, socially or physically.

One who is full of the Holy Spirit will he will not falter or be discouraged. He will stay true to the course that God has given him. He will not allow discouragement to overwhelm him. He may be discouraged for a time, but will arise to the occasion when needed. He will never lose hope. He will be a person of courage and strength.

The last passage we will look at in Isaiah is 61:1-3.

One who is full of the Holy Spirit will proclaim good news to the poor. The poor not being only those who are poor materially, but who are poor spiritually. It is the responsibility of every believer to testify about Christ and proclaim the good news of His salvation. He will have boldness to testify about Christ.

One who is full of the Holy Spirit will bind up the broken hearted. He will bring emotional healing to the hurting. He will bring healing and restoration. He will bring encouragement and hope to others. He will live in such a way that others will be built up.

One who is full of the Holy Spirit will set the captives free. There are many who are bound up by all kinds of things. Their thoughts are bound over to wrong or bad thinking. Their emotions are bound by fear and all kinds of other things. They are bound by sin and Satan. A person who is full of the Holy Spirit will help set these people free through the power of the Word and Jesus Christ. One way he will accomplish this is by proclaiming the year of the Lord’s favor and the day of vengeance of our God. People need to hear of the goodness of the Lord and the judgment that comes with those who are unwilling to receive His goodness. Ultimately, one who is full of the Holy Spirit will comfort others, and bring out the beauty or good in others. He will promote joy and a spirit of praise in others.

One who is full of the Holy Spirit will be called oaks of righteousness, and display Christ’s splendor. I like the word “oaks”. An oak is a hard or solid wood. One who is full of the Holy Spirit stands firm in the truths of God and lives a righteous life. He is unmoved (unyielding) by the world influences, but lives an upright life. In doing this, he brings glory to God.

It is a great thing when one is full of the Spirit of God and led by Him. As we yield to the Holy Spirit, we make a great positive impact on the lives around us as well as build Christ’s kingdom. We will continue this study in our next article in the series we are doing on the Holy Spirit.

THE HOLY SPIRIT CALLS AND SETS APART

Have you been set apart by the Holy Spirit? I hope that you have.  If not, you are not a child of God. The first work of the Holy Spirit is to set us aside as children of God.

John 3:3-6 – “Jesus answered and said to him, “Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born again he cannot see the kingdom of God.”⁴ Nicodemus said to Him, “How can a man be born when he is old? He cannot enter a second time into his mother’s womb and be born, can he?” ⁵ Jesus answered, “Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born of water and the Spirit he cannot enter into the kingdom of God. ⁶ That which is born of the flesh is flesh, and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit.”

Romans 8:15 – “For you have not received a spirit of slavery leading to fear again, but you have received a spirit of adoption as sons by which we cry out, “Abba! Father!”

We are not born as children of God. We were all born into sin and are, in all honesty, children of Satan. It is only through the Holy Spirit that we are able to become children of God. It is not by good works or any other means that we become children of God. It is only through the regenerating power of the Holy Spirit that we are born again and become spiritual children of God.

The second work of the Holy Spirit is to sets us apart unto holiness.

Galatians 5:16 – “But I say, walk by the Spirit, and you will not carry out the desire of the flesh.”

The life of holiness and righteousness comes only through the work of the Holy Spirit. We cannot live a pleasing life to God without the work of the Holy Spirit. It is as we yield to the Holy Spirit that we will find victory over sin.

Why do we need to be set apart by the Holy Spirit?

The Holy Spirit is needed for works of service. The Holy Spirit is needed to accomplish God’s work and His mission. The work of the Lord is spiritual, even though there are many physical aspects, and we need God’s Spirit to accomplish this work.

We see that the Holy Spirit set apart the prophets. We see this with Elijah and Elisha.

2 Kings 2:15 – “Now when the sons of the prophets who were at Jericho opposite him saw him, they said, “The spirit of Elijah rests on Elisha.” And they came to meet him and bowed themselves to the ground before him.”

It is this Holy Spirit that enabled the prophets to speak the Word of the Lord and do miracles.

This is confirmed in 2 Peter 1:20-21 – “ But know this first of all, that no prophecy of Scripture is a matter of one’s own interpretation, ²¹ for no prophecy was ever made by an act of human will, but men moved by the Holy Spirit spoke from God.”

The leaders and rulers of Israel were anointed for the work of God through the Holy Spirit. Moses and the elders of Israel were set apart by the Holy Spirit.

Numbers 11:16-17 – “The Lord therefore said to Moses, “Gather for Me seventy men from the elders of Israel, whom you know to be the elders of the people and their officers and bring them to the tent of meeting, and let them take their stand there with you. ¹⁷ Then I will come down and speak with you there, and I will take of the Spirit who is upon you, and will put Him upon them; and they shall bear the burden of the people with you, so that you will not bear it all alone.”

It is important to see here that the Spirit was given to the leaders of Israel that they might through the power of God do the work of God. These leaders helped Moses shepherd the people of Israel. The leaders did the work of judging and guiding them in the power of the Holy Spirit.

The judges of the Old Testament were given God’s Spirit to rule the people of God. Two examples of this are Othniel (Judges 3:8-11) and Gideon (Judges 6:33-34).

                       

Certain kings of Israel were given the Spirit of God to rule the people of Israel. We see this with King Saul (I Samuel 9:15-16; 10:1-7). We see this with King David as well (I Samuel 16:13).

Even the Son of God was set apart by the Holy Spirit for ministry (Matthew 3:13-17; Luke 4:17-2)

We can see as well that the Holy Spirit set apart the apostles for ministry. We see this with Paul and       Barnabas.

Acts 13:2-3- “While they were ministering to the Lord and fasting, the Holy Spirit \said, “Set apart for Me Barnabas and Saul for the work to which I have called them.” ³ Then, when they had fasted and prayed and laid their hands on them, they sent them away.”

In the same way the Holy Spirit sets apart the overseers of the church.

Acts 20:28 – “Be on guard for yourselves and for all the flock, among which the Holy Spirit has made you overseers, to shepherd the church of God which He purchased with His own blood.”

It is this same Holy Spirit that sets us apart unto Christ, His body.

I Corinthians 12:13- “For by one Spirit we were all baptized into one body, whether Jews or Greeks, whether slaves or free, and we were all made to drink of one Spirit.”

We are set apart and set into the body of Christ to become one even as God is one. We are one with God and one with one another.

The Holy Spirit set apart the Church of God to fulfill His great commission or mission in this world.

Acts 1:4-5 – “Gathering them together, He commanded them not to leave Jerusalem, but to wait for what the Father had promised, “Which,” He said, “you heard of from Me; ⁵ for John baptized with water, but you will be baptized with the Holy Spirit not many days from now.”

Acts 1:8 – “you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you shall be My witnesses both in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and even to the remotest part of the earth.”

The Holy Spirit sets apart and enables believers to function in the spiritual gifts.  I Corinthians 12:7-11

What must we do to be set apart?

We are not able to set ourselves apart. If we try to do this, we will fail. If we work in our own strength, our works are as filthy rags before God. The only thing that is required of us is to trust and obey Him.

In all this, we can see how important the Holy Spirit is in our lives and the life of the church.

THE HOLY SPIRIT & THE NEW CREATION

As we continue our series on the Holy Spirit we can’t ignore the Holy Spirit’s work in salvation. It is He who has given us a spiritual birth and made us a new creation in Christ Jesus.

II Corinthians 5:17 – “Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, the new creation has come: The old has gone, the new is here!”

Most believers know this verse well, but do we truly understand the full ramifications of it. Before going any further, we must understand the word creation. Merriam-Webster dictionary gives the following definition: “the act of making or producing something that did not exist before: the act of creating something”.  In other words, when the scripture says that we are a new creation, it doesn’t speak of transformation. It doesn’t speak of a metamorphosis like what happens to a butterfly. A butterfly is not a new creation.   

If we are a new creation, what kind of creation were we prior to this?

We were a creation that was born in sin & spiritually dead.

Romans 3:10 – “As it is written: “There is no one righteous, not even one;”
Romans 5:12 – “Therefore, just as sin entered the world through one man, and death through sin, and in this way death came to all people, because all sinned.”
We were born under condemnation.
Romans 5:16 – “Nor can the gift of God be compared with the result of one man’s sin: The judgment followed one sin and brought condemnation, but the gift followed many trespasses and brought justification.”
We were born under the curse of the law.
Galatians 3:10 – “For all who rely on the works of the law are under a curse, as it is written: “Cursed is everyone who does not continue to do everything written in the Book of the Law.”
The law of God is good, but it became a curse to us because we were unable to obey the law. Therefore, we were condemned by the very law that was put there to show us how to live and serve God. The law couldn’t save us because it is powerless to do this.
We were born into the family of Satan. Therefore, we were children of Satan.
I John 3:9-10 – “No one who is born of God will continue to sin, because God’s seed remains in them; they cannot go on sinning, because they have been born of God. ¹⁰ This is how we know who the children of God are and who the children of the devil are: Anyone who does not do what is right is not God’s child, nor is anyone who does not love their brother and sister.”
This scripture doesn’t state that all who are born on earth are children of Satan. Yet, scripture clearly shows us that there are two families under heaven, God’s family or the devil’s. There is no other family stated in scripture. There is no neutral family. You are either in the darkness or in the light. The scripture speaks of God’s seed here. The opposite of God’s seed is Satan’s seed. We were all born with the seed of Satan or Satan DNA. When we are born again, we receive God’s seed. We will talk more of this later.
No one likes to think of themselves as the seed of Satan and I am not advocating that we should go around calling people Satan’s children. The non-believer would like to think of man as innately good. They would like to propose there is a neutral ground where one is not good or bad. Yet, the scripture does not support this philosophy or ideology. Others would like to use the last part of this scripture to say that if I do what is good that I am God’s child. Doing what is good does not make you a child of God. Yet, a child of God will do what is good.
When we are born again in Christ, what is no longer there?
We still have the same body, the same soul, and often certain sins continue to manifest in our life. It is important to realize that being born again or becoming a new creation is not a thing that happens over time. It happens instantly.
No longer condemned - Romans 8:1 – “Therefore, there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus,”
No longer under the curse of the law – Galatians 3:11-14
No longer dead spiritually – Romans 8:10 – “But if Christ is in you, then even though your body is subject to death because of sin, the Spirit gives life because of righteousness.”
No longer a child of Satan – Romans 6:1-5
No longer have the sinful nature – Romans 6:6 – “For we know that our old self was crucified with him so that the body ruled by sin might be done away with, that we should no longer be slaves to sin.”
Romans 8:3-4 – “For what the law was powerless to do because it was weakened by the flesh, God did by sending his own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh to be a sin offering. And so he condemned sin in the flesh, ⁴ in order that the righteous requirement of the law might be fully met in us, who do not live according to the flesh but according to the Spirit.”
There are those who believe that Christians have two natures or two seeds in them. They believe that we have the sinful nature and the Christ like nature. This is contrary to scripture. There are 2 key words here: crucified and condemned. The old self or sinful nature has been crucified. Something that has been crucified is dead. Condemned here is the idea of a judge giving a person the sentence of death.
No longer held accountable for our past sins – Ephesians 1:7 – “In him we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sins, in accordance with the riches of God’s grace” (See also: Romans 4:5-8)
What makes us a new creation?
Our spirits become new.
John 3:5-7 – “Jesus answered, “Very truly I tell you, no one can enter the kingdom of God unless they are born of water and the Spirit. ⁶ Flesh gives birth to flesh, but the Spirit gives birth to spirit. ⁷ You should not be surprised at my saying, ‘You must be born again.’”
When we accept Jesus Christ as our Savior and Lord, He gives us His Spirit. His Spirit enters our spirit and at that very moment we are born again and become a new creation. We receive a new heart or spirit.
Ezekiel 11:19 prophesies this – “I will give them an undivided heart and put a new spirit in them; I will remove from them their heart of stone and give them a heart of flesh.”
At this moment, we receive new life by God’s grace.
Ephesians 2:4-5 – “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.”
At the moment of salvation our spirit becomes perfect, holy and without blemish. It is for this very reason that we are called saints. We have been set apart unto God by his Spirit who lives in us. There is no darkness, sin or sinfulness in our spirit. The sinful nature which resided in our spirit is dead. We now have new life by the Spirit of God. We have a new nature. We have a new DNA. We are no longer of the blood line of Satan, but have Christ’s bloodline. It is for this very reason that we are sons of God. We have entered into His family through Christ’s blood sacrifice and have been born again by the Holy Spirit.
2 Corinthians 4:6 – “For God, who said, “Let light shine out of darkness, made his light shine in our hearts to give us the light of the knowledge of God’s glory displayed in the face of Christ.”
There is no darkness in our spirit, because the light of the Holy Spirit has cast out the darkness. Light and darkness can’t be in the same place at the same time.
Remember that God has placed His perfect seed in us, the Holy Spirit, who has all the characteristics of God.
1 Peter 1:23 – “For you have been born again, not of perishable seed, but of imperishable, through the living and enduring word of God”
I John 3:9 – “No one who is born of God will continue to sin, because God’s seed remains in them; they cannot go on sinning, because they have been born of God.”
Some may be asking, if we no longer have the sinful nature in us, why do we continue to struggle with sin? Because our soul (will, emotions, mind) have not been made new. The struggle or fight is between our soul and the Holy Spirit who dwells in our spirit. While the Holy Spirit is seeking control of our soul, Satan and the world are trying to keep control of our sinful soul.
Now that we are a new creation, what must we do?
We must not allow sin to reign in our bodies. (Romans 6:11-14) We need to give our life afresh and anew each day to God. (Romans 12:1) We need to submit our thoughts under the will of God. (Romans 12;2) We need to nourish the seed of the Holy Spirit in us. (Galatians 6;8). We need to remain in fellowship with our brothers and sisters in Christ. (Hebrews 10:25) We need to submit daily under the control of the Holy Spirit. (Romans 8:6-13) We need to keep our eyes on Jesus.
In summary, all mankind has been born with the seed (DNA) of Satan. As result we were born dead spiritually and under condemnation. Yet, when we confess that Jesus is Lord and believe in our hearts that Christ died and rose again for our salvation, we are born again. We become a new creation. We receive the seed of Christ through the Holy Spirit who dwells in our spirit. We are no longer dead or under condemnation. Yet, God’s work is not complete in us because our souls have not been sanctified. The Holy Spirit does not have full control. Therefore, we need to continually yield our will, mind and emotions to Him.

THE WORK OF THE HOLY SPIRIT IN THE LIFE OF JESUS

Jesus was fully God and fully man which is a mystery to us. Because He was fully man, He needed the Holy Spirit on earth even as we need the Holy Spirit.  We see the Holy Spirit at work in Jesus’ life from the day of His birth to His resurrection.

It was by the Holy Spirit that Jesus had a supernatural birth. (Matthew 1:20; Luke 1:35) He was born of woman by the power of the Holy Spirit. Mary was impregnated by the Holy Spirit, another great mystery. It is for this reason that He was able to save us from our sin because Jesus did not have the nature of Adam (sinful nature). Therefore, He was born sinless and not born under condemnation as we all are when we are born. He did not need forgiveness or salvation. Not only was He born without sin, but the Bible says He was tempted, but never sinned. (Hebrews 4:15) Therefore, He was able to be a spotless lamb for us. He was able to deliver us from sin and condemnation.

We see the Holy Spirit come upon Jesus when John baptized Him. (Matthew 3:13-17) This was necessary for Jesus to be able to resist temptation (Mark 1:12) and to be empowered to do the work of the Father. (John 10:37-38) We see throughout Jesus’ ministry, healings, miracles, and the casting out of evil spirits (demons). This was all done by the power of the Holy Spirit. (Luke 4:18) Jesus said the works that he has done, we will also do and even greater works. (John 14:12) It is because we as believers have the Holy Spirit’s power at our disposal.

It was through the help of the Holy Spirit that Jesus was able to offer himself as a sacrifice for us. (Hebrews 9:14) It was no easy thing for Jesus to offer himself up on the cross and take upon himself the sins of the world. We see in the garden of Gethsemane Jesus’ emotional suffering as He understood fully what He was about to do. He asked His Father to take this cup from Him three times. Yet, He said, not my will be done but yours. (Matthew 26:39)

Also, we see the Holy Spirit enable Jesus to rise from the dead (grave).

Romans 8:11 – “And if the Spirit of him who raised Jesus from the dead is living in you, he who raised Christ from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies because of  his Spirit who lives in you.”

I thank God that this same Holy Spirit is in me and all God’s children. It is this same Holy Spirit that gives us spiritual life and everlasting life.