The Christian's Life in the Spirit

Zeckaria 4:6: "Not by might, nor by power, but by my Spirit, saith the LORD of hosts."

I. The Holy Spirit's Identity

1. In the Trinity

• The Third Person of the Trinity Godhead. "

• The Spirit is the Personal Life, Light, Love and especially the VOICE of God the Father and the Son.

2. As the Spirit of Jesus Christ

• The Spirit is the Spirit of Christ Jesus: All that Jesus did and inaugurated while on earth, the Spirit of Jesus
continues and completes. He continues all of Christ's ministries and mission to continue the spread of the
Kingdom of God.
• He is the Spirit of the Father's Son bringing to each believer the Life, Light, Love and Likeness of Christ to the
individual soul. He is especially the Voice of God in the believer.

II. The Holy Spirit's Mission

1. The Spirit of the Father's Son in the world

• To Convict the world of unbelivers of Sin and the Evil One.

• To Convince the world of it's need for the Savior.
• To Convert the world to the Father through the Son.

2. The Spirit of the Father's Son in the Church, the Body of believers

• To Create born-again, regenerated believers.

 I believe that God's Word is reliable and powerful; that what it says is true and trustworthy. It shows us how to
overcome sin, how to live with others, how to be a man of God, how to serve the Lord, and many other things. We must
allow the Word to teach and instruct us. I believe that God's Word tells us how to live a life of holiness; a life of fervent,
faithful, fellowship with God - Father, Son, and Spirit - a life free of intentional or habitual sin. I believe this because I
believe Galatians 5:16-25 (Amplified Bible) which says,

16But I say, walk and live [habitually] in the [Holy] Spirit [responsive to and controlled and guided by the Spirit]; then
you will certainly not gratify the cravings and desires of the flesh (of human nature without God). 17For the desires of the
flesh are opposed to the [Holy] Spirit, and the [desires of the] Spirit are opposed to the flesh (godless human nature); for
these are antagonistic to each other [continually withstanding and in conflict with each other], so that you are not free
but are prevented from doing what you desire to do. 18But if you are guided (led) by the [Holy] Spirit, you are not subject
to the Law. 19Now the doings (practices) of the flesh are clear (obvious): they are immorality, impurity, indecency,
20Idolatry, sorcery, enmity, strife, jealousy, anger (ill temper), selfishness, divisions (dissensions), party spirit (factions,
sects with peculiar opinions, heresies), 21Envy, drunkenness, carousing, and the like. I warn you beforehand, just as I
did previously, that those who do such things shall not inherit the kingdom of God. 22But the fruit of the [Holy] Spirit
[the work which His presence within accomplishes] is love, joy (gladness), peace, patience (an even temper,
forbearance), kindness, goodness (benevolence), faithfulness, 23Gentleness (meekness, humility), self-control (self-
restraint, continence). Against such things there is no law [[a]that can bring a charge]. 24And those who belong to Christ
Jesus (the Messiah) have crucified the flesh (the godless human nature) with its passions and appetites and desires. 25If
we live by the [Holy] Spirit, let us also walk by the Spirit. [If by the Holy Spirit [b]we have our life in God, let us go
forward [c]walking in line, our conduct controlled by the Spirit.]

I believe that a life of intimate sonship with the Holy Trinity is what every person is called to, and that this life of
holiness is made possible by the presence and power of the Holy Spirit in our hearts.

God the Father gave Jesus Christ as a gift to the world. The Father gave the Spirit of Jesus Christ to the Church and
the world. The great need of the world is the Holy Spirit. The one great need of the Church is also the Holy Spirit. As
Christian individuals, the Spirit of Christ in our hearts is also our greatest need.

Matt 3:11 says, "I (John the Baptist) baptize you with water for repentance. But after me will come one who is more
powerful than I, whose sandals I am not fit to carry. He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and with fire."

By the time of the Day of Pentecost we see the fulfillment of the three dispensations of God. In the Old Testament we
see the primary dispensation of the Father, and the Holy Spirit coming upon people to act or speak for God. In the New
Testament Gospels we see the primary dispensation of God the Son, Jesus Christ, and the Holy Spirit being in Jesus in
abundance and with people. In the NT Book of Acts and Epistles, and in our own age, is the dispensation of the Holy
Spirit, and we see the Holy Spirit being in people. "He shall be with you and in you," says Jesus.

An important principle to understand is that the Three Divine Persons of the Trinity - a great and profound mystery
- are a trinity in unity. This means that whenever or wherever we see the primacy of one Person of the Holy Trinity at
work, we must realize that the other Divine Persons are also there. The Son of God and the Spirit of God were present at
the Creation with the Father. Whichever dispensation we speak of, the Trinity of Divine Persons is present and active,
throughout the history of the Jewish nation, in the earthly life of Jesus Christ, and now in the life of every born-anew
Christian. The Trinity is united in purpose, plan, and pursuit. This is why Jesus would often say, "By myself I can do
nothing; I judge only as I hear, and my judgment is just, for I seek not to please myself but him who sent me," or, "I am
telling you what I have seen in the Father's presence, " and, "But the Counselor, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will
send in my name, will teach you all things and will remind you of everything I have said to you. "When the Counselor
comes, whom I will send to you from the Father, the Spirit of truth who goes out from the Father, he will testify about
me."

To Confront the believer with his sin, confession, repentance and God's mercy, and to masintain him/her in
fervent, faithful, filial fellowship with God. And to enable him ...
To Consecrate his life to spiritual growth and holiness by assisting him/her to develop the fruit of the Spirit. He
shows us who we really are in Christ and in life. He shows us what life is really about. He shows us the Father and the
Son. John 17: 3: "And this is life eternal, that they might know thee the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom thou hast
sent."

It is the work of the Spirit of God, of Christ in us to grow and form us into mature and holy sons of the Father.

Romans 8:9-10 says, 9You, however, are controlled not by the sinful nature but by the Spirit, if the Spirit of God lives
in you. And if anyone does not have the Spirit of Christ, he does not belong to Christ. 10But if Christ is in you, your body
is dead because of sin, yet your spirit is alive because of righteousness.

Acts 16: 7 says, 7When they came to the border of Mysia, they tried to enter Bithynia, but the Spirit of Jesus would
not allow them to.

Phil 1:19 says, Yes, and I will continue to rejoice, 19 for I know that through your prayers and the help given by the
Spirit of Jesus Christ, what has happened to me will turn out for my deliverance.
 Galatians 4:6 says, 6Because you are sons, God sent the Spirit of his Son into our hearts, the Spirit who calls out,
"Abba, Father."

And in John 14: 15, we see the Trinity present in the believer. "If ye love me, keep my commandments. 16 And I will
pray the Father, and he shall give you another Comforter, that he may abide with you for ever; 17 Even the Spirit of truth;
whom the world cannot receive, because it seeth him not, neither knoweth him: but ye know him; for he dwelleth with
you, and shall be in you. 18 I will not leave you comfortless: I will come to you. 19 Yet a little while, and the world seeth
me no more; but ye see me: because I live, ye shall live also. 20 At that day ye shall know that I am in my
Father, and ye in me, and I in you . 21 He that hath my commandments, and keepeth them, he it is that loveth me:
and he that loveth me shall be loved of my Father, and I will love him, and will manifest myself to him."

How Jesus' Spirit Dwells and Works in Us

"God so loved the people of this world that He gave His only-begotten Son, that whosoever believed in him should
not perish but have everlasting life." God so loved the world that the Father and Son gave us their Spirit, the Counselor,
Helper, Friend and Comforter. They desired to lived with us and in us, and make the children of God a temple for their
dwelling. 1 Corinthians 6:19: "Do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit, who is in you, whom you
have received from God? You are not your own." And in 2 Corinthians 6:16: "What agreement is there between the
temple of God and idols? For we are the temple of the living God. As God has said: "I will live with them and walk
among them, and I will be their God, and they will be my people."

The Holy Spirit is the Spiritual Presence of Jesus Christ (and the Father) in our hearts. The same Jesus, the divine
Son of God who lived on earth for thirty-three years comes to dwell and work in the hearts of every born-anew Christian.
He comes to dwell in us as the resurrected Christ by faith to continue the five-fold work he began on earth. (1) Teach and
Preach, (2) Heal and Deliver, (3) Power and Authority, (4) Save and Sanctify, (5) Return and Judgment. Now instead of
doing so in one place and time, he conducts these ministries through his disciples in all places and in all ages. Notice the
" I " in the following passage.
John 14: [16] And I will pray the Father, and he shall give you another Comforter, that he may abide with you for ever;
[17] Even the Spirit of truth; whom the world cannot receive, because it seeth him not, neither knoweth him: but ye know
him; for he dwelleth with you, and shall be in you. [18]" I will not leave you comfortless: I will come to you. [19] Yet a
little while, and the world seeth me no more; but ye see me: because I live, ye shall live also. [20] At that day ye shall
know that I am in my Father, and ye in me, and I in you.
John.20: [22] And when he had said this, he breathed on them, and saith unto them, Receive ye the Holy Spirit.

What does the Spirit of Jesus do in us? What is it that Jesus does in us? We said that Jesus had five ministries while
he was on earth. Except for the last ministry, which is to bring the age to an end in judgment, He continues His ministry
work of (1) Teaching and Preaching, (2) Healing and Delivering, (3) Exercizing Power and Authority, (4) Saving and
Sanctifying his people. He does this by dealing with Sin, Guiding and directing our lives to form godliness in us, and
Satifying our longing to be in intimate communion with God. These might be described as the three great needs of the
Christian. Each of these comprise several continuous ministries.

I. Dealing with Sin in our hearts and lives (The negative Work) Romans 3:23: "All men have sinned
and fall short of the glory of God", 1 John 1:10: "If we claim we have not sinned, we make him out to be a liar and his
word has no place in our lives."

1. Converting - The Spirit of Christ Jesus brings us to a place and time when we realize our need for the Savior
because of our brokenness and lostness, our moral corruption and sin.
2. Confessing - The Spirit urges us to confess our sins and to seek forgiveness and God's mercy over and over again.
3. Convicting - The Spirit convicts us when we are toying with sin or have fallen into sin and backsliding. Our human
condition is such that we always need the Spirit to show us our tendency to sin and alienation from God.
4. Cleansing - The Spirit applies the mercy and lovingkindness of God the Father to us and we know that we are
forgiven and renewal and a new beginning has begun.

II. Growing Godliness in us (The Positive Work) 2Tim.3:16: All scripture is given by inspiration of God,
and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness. "Put on the new man, which
after God is created in righteousness and true holiness". "For God hath not called us unto uncleanness, but unto
holiness."

1. Counseling -
2. Convincing -
3. Correction -
4. Confirming -
III. Communion and Intimacy with the Holy Trinity (The Ultimate Work)
1. Comforting -
2. Closeness -
3. Conforming you to Jesus -
4. Communion -

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