Central Thought: The Holy Spirit enables the believer to succeed.
Hymn: Spirit Divine! Attend our prayers.
Text: Like 12:15, 1 Samuel 10:6-7, 10-11, Ezekiel 36:26-27, Joel 2:28-29
To be successful is “to be” and “do” what God designed us for, daily and in accordance with His word or statues. “For we are God’s workmanship created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do” Ephesians 2:10. The span of success for the believer is all encompassing, in every area of life, In 3 John 2 (NIV), the purpose of God for the believer is succinctly captured: “I pray that you may enjoy good health and that all may go well with you even as your soul is getting on well”. This is further made clearer “And God is able to make all grace abound to you, so that in all things at all times, having all that you need, you will abound in every good work” 2 Corinthians 9:8. It is clear that God is delighted in enabling us to be successful in every area of life and therefore bring glory to Him. He is not glorified when we are failures! In this study we will be examining how the Holy Spirit provides enablement for the believer to succeed.
Lesson Objectives:
- To understand how God’s definition of success differs with that of the world.
- To understand the characteristics of the Holy Spirit.
- To highlight some pivotal roles of the Holy Spirit in biblical history.
Question 1.) What is the difference between success as defined by the world and God’s perspective?
It is important that the believer deliberately refuses to be “molded” into the mindset of the world concerning success (Romans 12:1-3). The world defines success purely in material terms. Were Abraham. Joseph, and David successful? Going by the worlds standards, they had immense wealth and occupied prominent positions, so they were! But were Jeremiah, John the Baptist or Apostle John, who died on the island of Patmos successful too? It is unlikely that the world would see these men as successful or role models.
Jeremiah was a prophet, had very little of a settled life and left no mansions. John the Baptist was a prophet too, dressed in animal skin, ate locusts and honey and was beheaded and John the beloved lived the last days of his life in isolation and possible lack. But they were very successful men in God’s eyes, achieving the purposes that God called them to! So, definitions of success based on purely material terms are unbiblical. The Lord stated clearly “… Watch out! Be on your guard against all kinds of greed, a man’s life does not consist in the abundance of his possessions.” Like 12:15. In Matthew 6:33, the Lord enjoins us to make the pursuit of righteousness and the establishment of His kingdom, our priority in life and all else including wealth, position, which all men seek after, will be ours too. To become increasingly successful in life is to continually grow into God’s revealed purpose for our lives and ministry thereby pleasing the Father and glorifying his name wherever we are and go.
Question 2.) What is the nature of the Holy Spirit from the following scriptures?
Genesis 1:1, John 14:16, Acts 13:2. Ephesians 4:30
The Holy Spirit is the third person in the Godhead and shares all the characteristics of God. He is therefor able to be everywhere at the same time, knows all things and is all powerful or omnipotent. He makes choices, has a will, thinks, has feelings and speaks. He is portrayed as the executor, enabler, and “empowerer”, among the Godhead. He was present in creation and provides all enablement to bring God’s divine purposes to pass in human lives. He therefore, was upon the waters before creation commenced and came upon everyone set apart for divine purposes in the Old Testament including Kings and Prophets. God’s design is for Him to play an even more central role in the life of the New Testament believer. He is God’s provision for our success in every way.
Question 3.) Discuss the roles of the Holy Spirit stated in the following scriptures.
Genesis 1:1, Exodus 35:30-31, 1 Samuel 10:6-7, 10-11, Ezekiel 36:26-27, Joel 2: 28-29
A.) Creation: The Holy Spirit was central to creation and is mentioned in the very first verse of scriptures. The Lord Jesus was conceived through the power of the Holy Spirit. Similarly, the new creation in Christ Jesus, the spiritual birth of the believer is brought to pass in ways that beat human imagination by the Holy Spirit (John 3:5).
B.) Empowerment for service: The Holy Spirit, provides the knowledge, training and enablement for whatever service of God the person is set apart for. We see numerous examples of Kings, judges, prophets, skilled artisans upon whom the Holy Spirit came for the purpose of service in the Old Testament etc. God never relies on human strength to bring His purposes to pass. He prepares and equips His servants through the ministry of the Holy Spirit.
C.) The indwelling of the Holy Spirit was prophesied to be the mark of the new covenant.
In Ezekiel 36, the Prophet speaks expressly about God’s desire for the restoration of Israel despite all of the punishment they had suffered in captivity because of their sins. From verse 23-38, the Lord outlines how He would address the perpetual bondage of Israel to sin. He will clean them from their sins “, I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit within you. I will take the heart of stone out of your flesh and give you a heart of flesh. I will put MY SPIRIT within you and cause you to walk in my statues and you will keep my judgements and do them” verses 26-27. This is the privilege of every believer under the new covenant and is what makes it possible for us to know and do God’s will.
D.) The outpouring of the Holy Spirit will be upon all believers in all nations in the last days.
In Joel 2:28-29, the Lord states: “… And it shall come to pass afterward that I will pour out My Spirit on all flesh. Your sons and your daughters shall prophesy. Your old men shall dream dreams. Your young men shall see visions. And also on My menservants and on My maidservants I will pour out My spirit in those days”. The Lord Jesus also promised the outpouring of the Holy Spirit not many days after His departure which was fulfilled at the Pentecost (Acts 2:1-4). We are living in the days prophesied. The outpouring of the Holy Spirit is no longer limited to a few individuals but for all believers. The focus is no longer on a few men but on the church (body of Christ) which has been made special by the indwelling of the Holy Spirit.
Daily Living Application
God has a purpose for creating man and for every believer, individual. Success is measured by how much we fit into that purpose. The Holy Spirit, who is the Spirit of God, is His empowerment, or provision for us to fulfill the purpose we were created. The believer needs to appreciate this clearly and draw on this provision, continually measuring himself by God’s standard.
Memory Verse:
Joel 2:28
“And it shall come to pass afterward that I will pour out My Spirit on all flesh. Your sons and your daughters shall prophesy. Your old men shall dream dreams. Your young men shall see visions…..”