The Commands of Christ: Follow Me (5)
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May 19, 2021 The Commands of Christ – 11d
Adult Bible Study
Open:
Tell the group what your favorite fruit is and how you most like to eat it. What would you need to grow the fruit yourself?
Recap:
Series Foundational Scripture: Matthew 28:18-20 esp. vs.20 … teaching them [the disciples of all nations] to observe all that I commanded you…
We continue to cover the commands that relate to Christ is Lord:
Deny Yourself | Take Up My Yoke and Learn from Me | Follow Me | You Have Heard It Said … but I Say to You | Pray This Way | Do This in Remembrance of Me | Remember What I Said
This week we again look at the command Jesus gave to follow Him. It is in a few places like:
Then Jesus said to His disciples, “If anyone wishes to come after Me, he must deny himself, and take up his cross and follow Me.
We look at the following Jesus in the anointing of the Holy Spirit on the Wednesday before Pentecost Sunday — how appropriate that we have an emphasis at this time!
Jesus not only gave commands concerning the Holy Spirit He MODELED walking in the Spirit — following the Holy Spirit.
What did Jesus tell us about following Him in the power of the Holy Spirit?
First of all He gave 2 commands concerning the Holy Spirit:
Wait for Him.
“And behold, I am sending forth the promise of My Father upon you; but you are to stay in the city until you are clothed with power from on high.”
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;
for John baptized with water, but you will be baptized with the Holy Spirit not many days from now.”
The Greek present tense often portrays ongoing activity that requires the doer to "keep on keeping on," underscoring the need of enduring perseverance.
How many today get born again and then fail to wait for (an active waiting — seeking) and welcome the Holy Spirit in their life through Spirit baptism?
Most I would say.
So, we need to obey Jesus even today by seeking the fullness of the Spirit in our lives available through Spirit-baptism.
Not only seek, but Receive Him. (Welcome Him into our lives.)
So Jesus said to them again, “Peace be with you; as the Father has sent Me, I also send you.”
And when He had said this, He breathed on them and said to them, “Receive the Holy Spirit.
We covered this command back when we were talking about relationship with Jesus. When we are “born again” we are born, not according to the flesh, but according to the Holy Spirit.
But as many as received Him, to them He gave the right to become children of God, even to those who believe in His name,
who were born, not of blood nor of the will of the flesh nor of the will of man, but of God.
Jesus explained further in John 3:5-8
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.
“That which is born of the flesh is flesh, and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit.
“Do not be amazed that I said to you, ‘You must be born again.’
“The wind blows where it wishes and you hear the sound of it, but do not know where it comes from and where it is going; so is everyone who is born of the Spirit.”
Without the Holy Spirit birth we do not belong to Jesus.
However, you are not in the flesh but in the Spirit, if indeed the Spirit of God dwells in you. But if anyone does not have the Spirit of Christ, he does not belong to Him.
But there is more. Jesus desires that we not only experience the Holy Spirit at salvation, but that we pursue and RECEIVE Him in Baptism.
Why?
Jesus said in: John 16:12–15 (NASB95) “I have many more things to say to you, but you cannot bear them now. 13 “But when He, the Spirit of truth, comes, He will guide you into all the truth; for He will not speak on His own initiative, but whatever He hears, He will speak; and He will disclose to you what is to come. 14 “He will glorify Me, for He will take of Mine and will disclose it to you. 15“All things that the Father has are Mine; therefore I said that He takes of Mine and will disclose it to you.
Jesus calls us to follow Him by walking in the truth, the knowledge, the glory and the power of the Holy Spirit.
Dig:
READ: Galatians 5:16-26
Being obedient to the command of Jesus to follow Him means walking IN the Spirit and BY the Spirit.
What does Paul identify as the primary conflict within every Christian?
The desires of the flesh vs. the desire of the Holy Spirit.
LifeGuide Topical Bible Studies: Paul’s emphasis is on the conflict within the Christian between the Holy Spirit and the resident power of sin in our bodies. The Holy Spirit indwells us when we believe on Jesus. His desire is to transform our character. We have been made new creatures in Christ, but the power of the old nature (called “the flesh” in some translations of the New Testament) pulls at us to return to the actions of the old life. This struggle between the Spirit and the sinful nature continues to rage in the believer. Becoming Christlike or Spirit-filled involves yielding ourselves to the Holy Spirit’s gentle direction rather than to the demands of the sinful nature. The process of sanctification in the believer’s life involves becoming more and more set apart to God and less and less marked by the actions and attitudes of the sinful nature.
Scan through this passage again and explain how that conflict flares up in a Christian’s life.
The desires of the flesh and the Spirit are in direct opposition to each other. The one to whom we give attention is the one that will prevail.
Describe how the conflict between the sinful nature and the Spirit might emerges in a Christian’s life.
Therefore there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus.
For the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus has set you free from the law of sin and of death.
For what the Law could not do, weak as it was through the flesh, God did: sending His own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh and as an offering for sin, He condemned sin in the flesh,
so that the requirement of the Law might be fulfilled in us, who do not walk according to the flesh but according to the Spirit.
For those who are according to the flesh set their minds on the things of the flesh, but those who are according to the Spirit, the things of the Spirit.
For the mind set on the flesh is death, but the mind set on the Spirit is life and peace,
because the mind set on the flesh is hostile toward God; for it does not subject itself to the law of God, for it is not even able to do so,
and those who are in the flesh cannot please God.
However, you are not in the flesh but in the Spirit, if indeed the Spirit of God dwells in you. But if anyone does not have the Spirit of Christ, he does not belong to Him.
If Christ is in you, though the body is dead because of sin, yet the spirit is alive because of righteousness.
But if the Spirit of Him who raised Jesus from the dead dwells in you, He who raised Christ Jesus from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies through His Spirit who dwells in you.
So then, brethren, we are under obligation, not to the flesh, to live according to the flesh—
for if you are living according to the flesh, you must die; but if by the Spirit you are putting to death the deeds of the body, you will live.
For all who are being led by the Spirit of God, these are sons of God.
How might a Christian try to resolve that conflict? How is that solution to conflict affected by spiritual maturity?
These are the ones who cause divisions, worldly-minded, devoid of the Spirit.
But you, beloved, building yourselves up on your most holy faith, praying in the Holy Spirit,
keep yourselves in the love of God, waiting anxiously for the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ to eternal life.
In your opinion, which “acts of the sinful nature” listed in verses 19-21 are most prevalent in our culture? Which of these acts seem to entangle Christians most often?
Impurity
Sensuality
idolatry
strife
outbursts of anger
enmity (hostility/hatred), disputes (selfish ambition), dissensions (division and sedition), heresy
envy
hedonism
Christians:
envy/jealousy
hostility, etc.
anger
strife
Why does Paul refer to the qualities in verses 22 and 23 as the “fruit” of the Spirit?
LifeGuide Topical Bible Studies: The fruit produced by a tree or vine expresses the true nature of the plant. An apple tree will not produce grapes. The “tree” (the Christian’s life) should produce the “fruit” (observable character) that reflects his or her true nature. If we are being directed by God’s Spirit, our lives should give observable evidence of his presence. Hanging from the limbs of our lives should be marks of the character of Christ.
“My Father is glorified by this, that you bear much fruit, and so prove to be My disciples.
What specific practices can a Christian engage in to nurture the development of the fruit of the Spirit in his or her life? See Jude 19-21.
These are the ones who cause divisions, worldly-minded, devoid of the Spirit.
But you, beloved, building yourselves up on your most holy faith, praying in the Holy Spirit,
keep yourselves in the love of God, waiting anxiously for the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ to eternal life.
LifeGuide Topical Bible Studies: Spiritual growth and the cultivation of the fruit of the Spirit are not automatic. We make choices. For example, we may choose to display the new attitudes of our new life in Christ in a difficult situation at work or we may fall back on the old attitudes and responses of the past. When we choose to act in the new way, the Holy Spirit gives us the power to carry through. When it comes to activities, we make choices too. Are we going to do the things and go to the places that characterized the old life or are we going to choose to follow the Spirit’s prompting to do the things that mark us out as new creatures? The Holy Spirit will give us direction if we rely on his leading and listen to his voice, but he will not force his will on us.
Specific practices that help us cultivate the new life are reading God’s Word with a desire to obey, spending time in prayer (talking and listening), developing relationships with other Christians, serving in areas of ministry, being mentored by a more mature Christian and worshiping with other believers.
If we have “crucified the sinful nature” (v. 24), why do we still sense a conflict between the sinful nature and the Holy Spirit (v. 17)? See Romans 8:1-14
Therefore there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus.
For the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus has set you free from the law of sin and of death.
For what the Law could not do, weak as it was through the flesh, God did: sending His own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh and as an offering for sin, He condemned sin in the flesh,
so that the requirement of the Law might be fulfilled in us, who do not walk according to the flesh but according to the Spirit.
For those who are according to the flesh set their minds on the things of the flesh, but those who are according to the Spirit, the things of the Spirit.
For the mind set on the flesh is death, but the mind set on the Spirit is life and peace,
because the mind set on the flesh is hostile toward God; for it does not subject itself to the law of God, for it is not even able to do so,
and those who are in the flesh cannot please God.
However, you are not in the flesh but in the Spirit, if indeed the Spirit of God dwells in you. But if anyone does not have the Spirit of Christ, he does not belong to Him.
If Christ is in you, though the body is dead because of sin, yet the spirit is alive because of righteousness.
But if the Spirit of Him who raised Jesus from the dead dwells in you, He who raised Christ Jesus from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies through His Spirit who dwells in you.
So then, brethren, we are under obligation, not to the flesh, to live according to the flesh—
for if you are living according to the flesh, you must die; but if by the Spirit you are putting to death the deeds of the body, you will live.
For all who are being led by the Spirit of God, these are sons of God.
LifeGuide Topical Bible Studies: There is a sense in which the old nature was put to death when we believed on Jesus. We were made new in Christ. But the remnants of the old life still hang on while we are in these bodies. Those tattered fragments of the old life (called “the flesh” in some versions of the Bible) can be very powerful if we yield to their desires. The conflict we sense as Christians is between the old desires of the old life and the Spirit’s desires that we walk as new creatures.
In what ways can a Christian discern the Spirit’s guidance in a situation or a decision?
See 1 John 4:1-6
Beloved, do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits to see whether they are from God, because many false prophets have gone out into the world.
By this you know the Spirit of God: every spirit that confesses that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh is from God;
and every spirit that does not confess Jesus is not from God; this is the spirit of the antichrist, of which you have heard that it is coming, and now it is already in the world.
You are from God, little children, and have overcome them; because greater is He who is in you than he who is in the world.
They are from the world; therefore they speak as from the world, and the world listens to them.
We are from God; he who knows God listens to us; he who is not from God does not listen to us. By this we know the spirit of truth and the spirit of error.
LifeGuide Topical Bible Studies: We learn how to follow the Spirit primarily through the instruction of God’s Word, the Bible. We also discern His direction in our lives through His inner witness to our spirit and through the wisdom and example of other believers. We can pray for the wisdom of the Spirit and then in faith believe that He gives us what we ask for.
James 1:5 (NASB) But if any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask of God, who gives to all generously and without reproach, and it will be given to him.
Reflect:
Thank God for the Spirit’s work in your life—and ask him to help you in the areas where you feel out of step with him.
What spiritual fruit is most obvious in your life—and which is least obvious?
What tends to distract you from keeping in step with the Spirit’s direction?
Describe to the group one specific step that you will take this week to “crucify” the sinful nature and its desires and to live in the realm of God’s Spirit. Ask the group to hold you accountable to do it.
If you could change one aspect of your personality, what would it be? Why would you want to change that particular aspect?
LifeGuide Topical Bible Studies - Following Jesus: 8 Studies for Individuals or Groups.