The Gospel Project: The Spirit Empowers (Doctrine Session)

Introduction:

I am going to show some beautiful scenery.

But there’s a twist!

You will have to keep your eyes closed.

So go ahead and close your eyes so that I can show the scenery.

Show images while their eyes are closed.

Alright, now describe to me the images.

Q. What’s the problem here?

You can’t describe them because you didn’t see them.

Spiritually, our eyes are closed before the Holy Spirit opens them.

Only then are we able to truly see our sin, our need for Jesus, and the truth of God’s Word.

Essential Doctrine: The Work of the Holy Spirit in the Life of the Christian

The Spirit’s work in the life of a Christian begins in the work of salvation by bringing a person to faith in Christ. It continues through the work of sanctification in helping the Christian to become progressively more like Christ throughout the course of his or her life. He also empowers and indwells believers, intercedes on their behalf, and equips them with special gifts for the service of God’s kingdom. He is the comforter to believers and aids us in properly interpreting the Bible.

Essential Connection:

In this unit, we read about God sending the Holy Spirit to believers, enabling them to share the gospel with the world. The Holy Spirit is alive in us and still enables us to live for Christ and share the hope of the Gospel.

Some Notes to Get Started:

The Holy Spirit is a gift for all believers.

The Holy Spirit leads us to salvation by making us aware of our sin and need for Jesus.

The Holy Spirit continues to convict us of our sin.

The Holy Spirit helps us understand the truth in God’s Word.

Main Point: The Holy Spirit Convicts us of sin, guides us toward truth, and leads us to know Jesus more.

The Holy Spirit convicts the world.

John 16:7–11 (ESV)

7 Nevertheless, I tell you the truth: it is to your advantage that I go away, for if I do not go away, the Helper will not come to you. But if I go, I will send him to you. 8 And when he comes, he will convict the world concerning sin and righteousness and judgment: 9 concerning sin, because they do not believe in me; 10 concerning righteousness, because I go to the Father, and you will see me no longer; 11 concerning judgment, because the ruler of this world is judged.

Most of us don’t like for our mistakes to be put on blast.

We prefer to cover them up so others can’t see them, mostly because of pride or embarrassment.

But what if having our sin brought into the light is a gift?

All believers were once a part of “this world.”

But the Holy Spirit exposed our sin, leading us to freedom in Christ by showing us our need for a Savior.

Q. When has one of your mistakes been made apparent to others? How did you feel or react??

If you’ve ever been called out in front of people, you likely felt embarrassed, ashamed, or even angry.

It’s one thing when it’s a mistake on the baseball field, but when it involves our sin, it can be really hurtful when others find out about it.

We have two choices when this happens:

We can either isolate and run from the situation,

Or we can confess our sin and allow God to work in us to heal us.

How we react in the face of our mistakes either leads us to pain or to freedom.

Q. How can having our sin brought to light be a gift? Why is it dangerous to leave our sin in the dark?

Having our sin exposed is a gift.

When our sin is brought into the light, we can deal with it.

We can confess, repent, and turn toward godly living.

But when we allow our sin to remain in the dark, it gains power over us.

We allow feelings of shame to keep us in the dark, and usually this leads us to make more bad decisions.

The light is a gift.

Conviction through the Holy Spirit draws us closer to Jesus and frees us from the bondage of sin.

The Holy Spirit convicts the world.

The Holy Spirit guides toward truth.

John 16:12–14 ESV

12 “I still have many things to say to you, but you cannot bear them now. 13 When the Spirit of truth comes, he will guide you into all the truth, for he will not speak on his own authority, but whatever he hears he will speak, and he will declare to you the things that are to come. 14 He will glorify me, for he will take what is mine and declare it to you.

1 Corinthians 2:14 (ESV)

14 The natural person does not accept the things of the Spirit of God, for they are folly to him, and he is not able to understand them because they are spiritually discerned.

When we come to know Christ as Savior, we don’t instantly understand everything in the Bible.

In fact, knowing God and understanding truth in God’s Word takes a lifetime.

God doesn’t expect us to understand everything all at once.

Instead, He guides us along the way.

A primary reason God sent the Holy Spirit is to reveal truth to us over time as we are ready to grasp it.

The Holy Spirit enables us to TRULY understand the Bible.

Q. What is a situation in your life in which you need guidance? How can you seek direction from God?

We all need guidance for our futures, for tough decisions, and for making the right choices on a daily basis.

Maybe you’re in a tough situation with a friend, or maybe you’ve sinned and you don’t know where to turn.

If you’re a child of God, then the Holy Spirit guides you.

If you position yourself to hear His voice-reading the Word, praying, seeking godly advice-He will give you the guidance you need in all situations.

Q. When has the Bible confused you? What can you do to understand it better?

Most of us have experienced moments where the Bible just didn’t make sense.

If you simply open it up and begin reading without any context, it can sound confusing or like it doesn’t apply to your life.

God wants you to understand His Word!

It’s the primary way He reveals Himself to us.

With the right tools-commentaries, guides, devotionals-and the voice of the Holy Spirit, you can more easily understand and apply Scripture.

The Holy Spirit convicts the world.

The Holy Spirit guides toward truth.

The Holy Spirit leads God’s people

Romans 8:12–17 (ESV)

12 So then, brothers, we are debtors, not to the flesh, to live according to the flesh. 13 For if you live according to the flesh you will die, but if by the Spirit you put to death the deeds of the body, you will live. 14 For all who are led by the Spirit of God are sons of God. 15 For you did not receive the spirit of slavery to fall back into fear, but you have received the Spirit of adoption as sons, by whom we cry, “Abba! Father!” 16 The Spirit himself bears witness with our spirit that we are children of God, 17 and if children, then heirs—heirs of God and fellow heirs with Christ, provided we suffer with him in order that we may also be glorified with him.

The Holy Spirit leads us in running away from sin.

Our sinful nature doesn’t just automatically go away when we become a Christian.

It is an ongoing process of what this passage calls “putting sin to death.”

And in order for this process to happen, the Spirit needs to take control and direct our lives towards God and away from the world.

The amount that the Holy Spirit is guiding you is the amount that you are growing in your faith.

And as people who are led by the Spirit, the Holy Spirit within us proves that we are God’s children.

Q. What parts of the flesh (your sinful nature) do you need to “put to death” (v. 13)?

God wants us to continually become more like Him.

This is the process of sanctification.

To do this, we must put to death, or get rid of, our old ways of living.

This means we walk away from certain things we used to take part in-partying, gossiping, lying, and so on.

Q. What steps can you take to prevent falling back into old patterns of sin?

Accountability with another believer is an important tool in helping us stay on the right track.

These are people we trust to speak up when they see us slipping.

God’s Word commands us to do this for one another (Gal. 6:1-2).

Asking someone to hold you accountable can help you when you’re tempted to revert to old sin.

Christ Connection

After Just Completed His work of paying for sin on the cross, He returned to be with the Father and sent the Holy Spirit. The Spirit convicted people of sin and guides them to truth so that they might rust in Christ and be saved. The Spirit then continues ministering to believers by leading them and attesting to their newfound life through Jesus.

Head: How can you depend on the Holy Spirit to help you better understand truths in Scripture?

Sometimes we’re guilty of giving up too easily on things we don’t immediately understand.

Understanding God’s Word takes endurance because it’s something we will work toward for the rest of our lives.

In the same way a person who wants to become a doctor must devote time to studying and understanding the body, we must also devote time to God’s Word.

It has to be a daily commitment-one we don’t give up on.

If we will devote ourselves to reading and understanding biblical truth, God will be faithful to reveal it to us through the Holy Spirit.

Heart: In what area of your life do you struggle with returning to sin?

Most of us have certain areas we struggle with more than others.

Maybe it’s falling back into an old addiction of profanity.

Maybe it’s sexual sin or selfishness.

Regardless of what it is, we must rid ourselves of all remnants of this old way of life.

If we allow even a small part to remain, we will struggle to experience the freedom Christ offers us.

Hands: How can your confession of sin encourage other believers?

If you’ve ever confessed your sin to someone else, you likely felt like a burden lifted off of your chest.

Confession is a step in healing.

But beyond that, our confession also encourages other believers to confess their sin.

We’ve accepted a lie from Satan that we should silently struggle with out sin, but this idea does not come from Scripture.

In fact, God tells us throughout His Word to confess our sins.

When we do this, we may help others see the freedom Christ gives us and desire it for themselves.

Final Takeaway: This week, spend some time praying that the Holy Spirit will make you more aware of His presence in your life.

PRAY