The Holy Spirit is God

22 But the Holy Spirit produces this kind of fruit in our lives: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, 23 gentleness, and self-control. There is no law against these things!

Have you ever been expected to do something outside your ability?

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What about something outside your desire?_________________________________________________________________________

What is found in Matthew 5-7 ?

The Sermon on the Mount

To follow Jesus is a

High Calling

Holy Calling

Hard Calling

Jesus has high expectations of those that follow him.

What is the problem with having high expectations?

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In This sermon Jesus taught us to

Love our enemies

Give to the needy

To put God’s kingdom first in our life.

The problem is not the standard

Read:Psalms 19:7, Proverbs 30:5

Psalm 19:7 NLT

7 The instructions of the Lord are perfect, reviving the soul. The decrees of the Lord are trustworthy, making wise the simple.

Proverbs 30:5 NLT

5 Every word of God proves true. He is a shield to all who come to him for protection.

The Problem is us

Read Isaiah 59:1-4

Isaiah 59:1–4 NKJV

1 Behold, the Lord’s hand is not shortened, That it cannot save; Nor His ear heavy, That it cannot hear. 2 But your iniquities have separated you from your God; And your sins have hidden His face from you, So that He will not hear. 3 For your hands are defiled with blood, And your fingers with iniquity; Your lips have spoken lies, Your tongue has muttered perversity. 4 No one calls for justice, Nor does any plead for truth. They trust in empty words and speak lies; They conceive evil and bring forth iniquity.

In the Old Testament The Lord sent

Laws

Prophets

Priest

Judges

Kings

Sent to Help

As His words outlined the high expectations of those in His kingdom, it doesn’t take us long to recognize a problem—our behavior. We simply can’t perfectly meet this standard on our own.

It’s not in us to naturally

Love those who mistreat us.

To be generous.

Spend a lot of time building a kingdom that is not our own

So, why did Jesus command us to live a life He knew full well we can’t live on our own? The key is that Jesus never asked us to live the Christian life on our own. In fact, Jesus spent significant time teaching about His indispensable gift for living the Christian life: the Holy Spirit. Jesus told His followers it was good for them for Him to go away because the presence of the Holy Spirit would be coming into their life. God in the flesh was a wonderful gift, but God living inside us is even better. When God lives inside us, He can empower us, help us grow, and equip us in a unique way. Let’s look closer at the Holy Spirit as God.

It started in the Book of Acts

The Book of Acts begins with some wonderful events.

++The Holy Spirit baptizes Jesus’ followers

++The empowerment to radically change the world for Jesus.

++The Church is growing and people are being healed.

Then, we find this challenging story about two believers who decide to lie to church leaders, but discover they really lied to the Holy Spirit. The consequences seem harsh, but it’s a confirmation to us that the Holy Spirit is God. We must treat Him with the honor and respect He deserves.

Think of a time you did something wrong?

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How did it make you feel?

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Did you know it was wrong before you did it?

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What made you do it?

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In your small group encourage you to share about time you got caught.

As we watch this video, think about your answer to this question: Were you taught about the Holy Spirit as a child? If so, what were you taught?

Watch Video

Small Groups

Were you taught about the Holy Spirit as a child? If so, what were you taught?

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Consider What the Bible Says

The Bible is very clear: The Holy Spirit is God. All the attributes that are true of God the Father and Jesus the Son are true of the Holy Spirit as well. So we must respect Him as we do the Father and Son. Telling the truth before Him is the bare minimum we can do to show respect to the Spirit of God, who lives in us.

In today’s Bible text, we’ll see how one couple realized too late the fatal result of lying to God’s Holy Spirit. Ananias and Sapphira thought they could get away with lying because only the two of them would really know what they had done. But we serve an all-seeing, all-knowing God, whose Spirit is not bound to one place or time. In Psalm 139, the Psalmist wondered where he could go to get away from God’s Spirit. The answer to that question is nowhere! This thought is comforting when we go through times of trouble. But it should put the fear of God in our heart as well. We should maintain our integrity, whether our actions are visible or invisible to others, because the Spirit of God sees all things.

The Holy Spirit Guides Us into Truth

Read Acts 5:1–4

Acts 5:1–4 NLT

1 But there was a certain man named Ananias who, with his wife, Sapphira, sold some property. 2 He brought part of the money to the apostles, claiming it was the full amount. With his wife’s consent, he kept the rest. 3 Then Peter said, “Ananias, why have you let Satan fill your heart? You lied to the Holy Spirit, and you kept some of the money for yourself. 4 The property was yours to sell or not sell, as you wished. And after selling it, the money was also yours to give away. How could you do a thing like this? You weren’t lying to us but to God!”

Ananias and Sapphira weren’t punished for the amount of money they brought to the church. They were punished because they lied about their actions to the Holy Spirit. The Spirit of God is present among us when we interact with fellow believers. He takes our interactions with each other seriously. And He can reveal truth. Even though the couple lied to Peter, the Holy Spirit guided Peter to the truth.

What does this story tell us about how we should behave with our fellow believers?

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Think of people in your life who are honest. What are some of the positive attributes that accompany those who choose to always tell the truth?

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The Holy Spirit Knows Our Thoughts

Read Acts 5:5–10

Acts 5:5–10 NLT

5 As soon as Ananias heard these words, he fell to the floor and died. Everyone who heard about it was terrified. 6 Then some young men got up, wrapped him in a sheet, and took him out and buried him. 7 About three hours later his wife came in, not knowing what had happened. 8 Peter asked her, “Was this the price you and your husband received for your land?” “Yes,” she replied, “that was the price.” 9 And Peter said, “How could the two of you even think of conspiring to test the Spirit of the Lord like this? The young men who buried your husband are just outside the door, and they will carry you out, too.” 10 Instantly, she fell to the floor and died. When the young men came in and saw that she was dead, they carried her out and buried her beside her husband.

Instant death is not the usual consequence for a single lie. This story shows us the seriousness of trying to deceive God’s people and the Holy Spirit. It should cause us to pause and seriously think about our interactions with fellow believers.

Both Ananias and Sapphira had a choice. They could lie or tell the truth. Sapphira had the opportunity to come clean. But each chose to disrespect the Spirit of God by insisting on their lie. They each paid for this disobedience with their life.

When someone has opportunity to come clean, what usually keeps them from telling the truth?

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When we’re in a position of authority, our bad example can reach far into the lives of those we lead. Ananias was the head of their household. Sapphira would have been expected to follow her husband’s example. Similarly, other people may be expected to follow us, like our kids or employees we supervise.

Have you experienced a situation where a person in authority wasn’t being honest? What happened?

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The Holy Spirit Deserves Our Respect

Read Acts 5:11

Acts 5:11 NLT

11 Great fear gripped the entire church and everyone else who heard what had happened.

The outcome of this supernatural event had a chilling effect inside and outside the church. While some may have responded by distancing themselves from the Spirit, the right response is to

engage Him with the respect He deserves as God. We can think of many ways to honor the Holy Spirit. First, we should choose to be people of truth. Second, we should realize that the Holy Spirit lives in all believers. Our body is the temple of the Holy Spirit (1 Corinthians 6:19).

How should thinking about fellow believers as the temple of God’s Spirit impact how we treat them?

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How we behave toward other believers directly relates to how we treat the Holy Spirit. We should treat fellow believers with the greatest care because the Holy Spirit lives in them. We should honor the Holy Spirit in our life too.

The most fatal of all consequences in the New Testament is tied to dishonoring the Holy Spirit. Knowing this, what can we do to appropriately honor the Spirit of God in our life?

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Did You Know?

Notes

We can find an account similar to Ananias and Sapphira in Greek history. Greek historian Herodotus tells of a man from Sparta named Glaucus, who was believed to be an honest, honorable man. But he withheld a large sum of money he had been entrusted with, resulting in his rebuke by the prophetess of Delphi. As punishment, Glaucus was struck with infertility, not death. Any Greek reading the Book of Acts would have made an immediate connection with this story. These more severe consequences reinforced the truth that the God of the Bible will not be mocked.

Reflect

The Holy Spirit Is God

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The word spirit or ghost may make us think of a being who is not as significant as one with a body. Many times we think of the Holy Spirit as someone without a will, personhood, or power. And worse, some people neglect to recognize the Holy Spirit’s personhood and instead refer to Him as an it.

The text we read shows the Holy Spirit was grieved, which means He has emotions. He punished Ananias and Sapphira with death, which was a decision that came from His “will.” In God’s Word, He is called Teacher, Helper, and Advocate. He thinks, speaks, and acts in one accord with the Father and the Son.

The Holy Spirit is just as much God as the rest of the Trinity (one God existing in a unity of three distinct, divine Persons: Father, Son, and Holy Spirit). His personhood is reflected throughout Scripture. We must revere Him, respect Him, and worship Him. More importantly, we should

have a relationship with Him. Responding respectfully to the Holy Spirit will transform our life. Meanwhile, dishonoring Him can have serious consequences.

Listen to God

Let’s pause and listen to what God might want to say to us about what we have read and shared. Be silent for a few moments and reflect on the following questions. Respond to the one that most resonates with what God is saying to you now. Then complete the others during Day 1 of your devotion time this week.

Personal Reflection Questions

Record your answers to the following questions in the space provided or in your personal journal.

Do you find it too easy to include seemingly harmless “white lies” in everyday conversation? If so, how can you partner with the Spirit of Truth to change your behavior?

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What has this session taught you about honoring the Holy Spirit as God?

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How does knowing the Holy Spirit as a Person change your relationship with Him?

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Large Group

Activate

The Holy Spirit is the power of God at work within us. He is the agent of goodness who helps us obey God. He can also help us learn how to treat Him with respect and honesty, and be people who treat others with honor.

Challenge

Monitor your interactions with other Christians this week. Remember when you engage with them, you’re engaging with the temple of God’s Spirit. Ananias and Sapphira lied to the Holy Spirit when they tried to deceive God’s people in whom He lived. If you struggle with responding to fellow members of the family of God with kindness, gentleness, love, or respect, find a trusted Christian friend or mentor and ask them to pray with you. Confess your shortcomings before God who is faithful to forgive (1 John 1:9). Ask your friend to help hold you accountable.

Prayer Requests

Note any requests from the group and remember to pray for them during the week.

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