(#011) 1 Corinthians 2 - God the Holy Spirit is the Difference MakerR.I.P. to the old self...Recieve Indwelling Power.
Welcome To BARAH MINISTRIES a Christian Church
Rory Clark Pastor-Teacher
Good Morning!
Welcome to Barah Ministries…an intimate, local Christian Church with worldwide impact. My name is Pastor Rory Clark. At Barah Ministries we know this truth…that Jesus Christ is God. As the Lord He is 100% Deity… He is God the Son. He is also 100% true humanity just like you and me… He is Jesus Christ. The Lord, God the Son…became flesh as Jesus Christ. John, Chapter 1, Verse 14 says…
JOHN 1:14 And the Word (the Lord…God the Son…the eternal God) … became flesh (took for Himself a human nature…as a man, Jesus Christ…true humanity) … and lived for a while among us…and we were eyewitnesses of His glory (His death, burial, resurrection, and ascension) … glory… as of the uniquely born One from God the Father (100% God and 100% man in One Person forever) … full of grace and full of truth.
The 100% God took on the form of 100% man. He is the Sovereign God of the Universe…He is the Savior of the whole world…and He is the Jewish Messiah.
Barah Ministries makes a difference by teaching the Word of God from the Lord Jesus Christ’s perspective, and not from man’s perspective. Why? Because how God sees things is very different from how people see things. So instead of trusting what man has to say about God, we prefer to search the Scriptures to learn what God has to say about Himself, about His plan for all mankind, and about His personal plan for each of us.
TODAY’S BIBLE LESSON - God the Holy Spirit is the Difference Maker
LESSON INTRODUCTION
There are only two plans for your life…Satan’s plan for your life and God’s plan for your life. Every moment you are in this world you are being influenced to follow one of these two plans. Which one have you chosen?
If you want a life that makes a difference, you'll take your direction from the difference-maker, God the Holy Spirit. He is the unsung hero of the Christian Way of Living…and as we continue our study of First Corinthians today, we'll be introduced to the difference-maker and we'll begin to learn some of the ways He makes a difference. In addition, as we do every month, we'll celebrate The Lord’s Supper…and we’ll learn that at the Cross, the Lord taught us how to receive.
SONG INTRODUCTION
Let’s listen to some music! There are no words for a God as amazing as the Lord Jesus Christ. The closest we come to a descriptive word is in the title of the Rich Mullins’ song AWESOME GOD…our God truly is awesome!
MUSIC AND REFLECTION Be Occupied with the Person of the Lord Jesus Christ Enjoy the Singing of His Praises
AWESOME GOD Rich Mullins
OPENING PRAYER Let us pray...
We’re grateful, Heavenly Father, for the privilege of studying Your absolute truth...the Word of God…
Father, thank you for the constant reminders that You are for us, so no one can be successful against us…thank you for setting up our successes in eternity past, and then surrounding them with motivational trials that wake us up to the reality that You are our very present help in times of trouble… thank you for making your help obvious by doing the things in our lives that we consider to be impossible…
Bless us and keep us during this holiday season, Father…especially as we travel about…help us to remind everyone we come in contact with that your Son, our Lord, is the reason for this holiday season…CHRIST the MASsiah has come…remind us to share the good news concerning what our awesome Lord did at the Cross to become the Savior of all mankind…
…we ask this through the power of God the Holy Spirit…in Christ’s name...Amen.
TODAY’S BIBLE LESSON - God the Holy Spirit is the Difference Maker
Passage 3 of Paul’s first letter to the Corinthians extends from Chapter 1, Verse 10 to Chapter 4, Verse 21. In our last lesson, we reminded you of the context of the passage. In it, the apostle Paul is addressing rivalries and dissensions in the Corinthians Church. He is communicating subtly and sarcastically about why these rivalries exist. First Corinthians, Chapter 1, Verse 18 says…
FIRST CORINTHIANS 1:18 For the Word (of God)…especially the Word of the Cross (the gospel message)…is foolishness to those who are perishing (unbelievers)…but to us (believers in Christ) who are being saved by it…the Word of the Cross is the power of God the Father (divine omnipotence in action).
The world sees life one way and the Christian sees it differently…and rivalry is born. These Christians at Corinth were Christian…no doubt about it…for the apostle Paul had led them to the gospel message personally…yet they were baby believers…they were immature…they were new to the faith. They did not have enough biblical instruction under their belts to think as mature Christians think. That would be a problem if it were not for God the Holy Spirit. The next part of Passage 3 addresses God the Holy Spirit's role in the Christian Way of living. Let's listen to the passage… First Corinthians, Chapter 2, Verses 6 to 16…
FIRST CORINTHIANS 2:6 Yet we do speak (biblical) wisdom among those who are mature (understood by spiritual adults, not spiritual infants) … a wisdom, however, not of this age nor of the rulers of this age (Pilate…Caesar…Herod…Caiaphas…to name a few)…rulers who are passing away (those in power now, for a short time, but soon to be dethroned) …
FIRST CORINTHIANS 2:7 …but we speak God’s wisdom in a mystery (the mystery doctrine of the Church Age) … the hidden wisdom which God the Father predestined before the ages to our glory…
FIRST CORINTHIANS 2:8 …the wisdom which none of the rulers of this age comprehend (not Pilate…not Caesar…not Herod…not Caiaphas…because they were all unbelievers) … for if they had understood God’s wisdom, they would not have crucified the Lord of glory…
FIRST CORINTHIANS 2:9 …but just as it is written, “Things which eye has not seen and ear has not heard, and which have not entered the heart of man, all that God has prepared for those who love Him.”
FIRST CORINTHIANS 2:10 For to us (believers in Christ)…God the Father revealed these things (biblical wisdom) through (the enabling power of God) the (Holy) Spirit…for the Holy Spirit searches all things, even the depths of God the Father.
FIRST CORINTHIANS 2:11 For who among humans knows the thoughts of a human except for the spirit of the human which is in him? Even so the thoughts of God the Father no one knows except the (Holy) Spirit of God.
FIRST CORINTHIANS 2:12 Now we (believers in Christ) have received, not the spirit of the world, but the (Holy) Spirit who is from God the Father, so that we may know the things freely given to us by God the Father…
FIRST CORINTHIANS 2:13 …the things we speak about, not in words taught by human wisdom, but in those taught by the Holy Spirit, who combines spiritual thoughts with spiritual words.
FIRST CORINTHIANS 2:14 But a natural man (the unbeliever) does not accept the things of the (Holy) Spirit of God …for they are foolishness to him…and he cannot understand them…because they are spiritually examined.
FIRST CORINTHIANS 2:15 But he who is spiritual examines all things…yet he himself is examined by no one.
FIRST CORINTHIANS 2:16 For who has come to know the mind of the Lord? And who will instruct the Lord? But we (believers in Christ) have the mind of Christ (in the Word of God…in the Bible).
When we return from our five-minute break, we’ll take the offering and then...
FIVE MINUTE BREAK Unconditional Love Donna Summers
TODAY’S BIBLE LESSON - God the Holy Spirit is the Difference Maker
Galatians, Chapter 6, Verse 2 says…
GALATIANS 6:2 Bear one another’s burdens, and thereby fulfill the law of Christ.
The Christmas season places a heavy burden on many families because many parents don’t have enough money to provide gifts for their children in the season of giving. I hope that as the Lord has prospered you, you will be generous with others during this season…either on your own, or through the many charitable organizations that seek to make the season special for those who go without. In helping this way, Christians have the opportunity to reflect the generous nature of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. It doesn’t take much to brighten someone’s Christmas. Be generous, and especially with Barah Ministries. Let’s welcome up Deacon Denny Goodall with the offering message.
THE OFFERING Deacon Denny Goodall
OFFERING VERSE
PHILIPPIANS 4:6 Be anxious for nothing (stop worrying about anything) … but in everything by prayer and petition…with thanksgiving…let your requests be made known to God the Father.
OFFERING VERSE
PHILIPPIANS 4:7 And the peace of God…which surpasses all comprehension…will guard your hearts and your minds…those of you in union with Christ Jesus.
OFFERING SONG THERE IS NONE LIKE YOU David Bauer, Instrumental
THE LORD’S SUPPER CELEBRATION At the Cross, the Lord Taught Us How to Receive
Welcome to The Lord’s Supper Celebration, the most intimate expression of our love for the Lord Jesus Christ in The Christian Way of Living. The Lord demonstrates His desire for a deep, intimate and personal relationship with His believers by creating a way to keep on sharing His body and His blood with us, just as He did with His apostles on the night before His death. Luke, Chapter 22, Verses 14 to 16…
LUKE 22:14 When the hour had come (and His crucifixion was near) … the Lord Jesus Christ reclined at the Passover table…and the apostles reclined with Him.
LUKE 22:15 And the Lord said to the apostles, “I have earnestly desired to eat this Passover meal with you before I suffer … ”
LUKE 22:16 “…for I say to you I (the Lord Jesus Christ) shall never again eat this Passover meal until it is fulfilled in the kingdom of God the Father.”
In First Corinthians, Chapter 11, Verse 26, the apostle Paul says, on behalf of the Lord…
FIRST CORINTHIANS 11:26 …as often as you eat this bread (representing His body)…and as often as you drink this cup (representing His blood)…as part of the Lord’s Supper Celebration …you proclaim as a reality and you announce the significance of the Lord Jesus Christ’s death on the Cross…and His resurrection from the dead…until He comes again at the second coming.
The Lord’s Supper Celebration is a time when the resident members of this congregation join hands through the miles with our non-resident members, and we demonstrate our unity by remembering our Lord together. This is a celebration for which we set aside time. We don’t do it on the move.
During the Lord’s Supper Celebration, Jesus wants His believers to look back to the Cross for a moment. He wants us to REMEMBER how He rescued us from the kingdom of darkness. He wants us to REMEMBER the sacrifice of shedding His blood to cover our sins. He wants us to REMEMBER the deliverance to the resurrection life He orchestrated, bringing us into His kingdom of light. Most of all, the Lord wants His believers to look forward with ANTICIPATION that He is coming again.
As believers in Christ, when we celebrate The Lord’s Supper, we ask ourselves in reflection, “What did the Lord Jesus Christ do for us at the Cross?”
The Lord taught us how to receive! Without question, the Cross was the most selfless act in divine history. It was an act of giving so that we could receive all of its blessings. God the Father began the giving…Romans, Chapter 5, Verse 8…
ROMANS 5:8 But God the Father demonstrates His own unconditional love toward all mankind…in that while we were yet sinners (while we were unrighteous, ungodly, unbelievers) … (God the Father gave) Christ (who) died (a sacrificial death) for us.
The Lord Jesus Christ continued the giving on the night before He went to the Cross…John, Chapter 16, Verse 7…
JOHN 16:7 “But I (the Lord Jesus Christ) tell you (my apostles) the truth…it is to your advantage that I go away…for if I do not go away, the Helper (a paraclete who comes powerfully to our assistance…God the Holy Spirit) will not come to you…but if I go away, and I am, I will send God the Holy Spirit to you (so you can receive Him).”
John, Chapter 16, Verses 12 and 13…
JOHN 16:12 “I (the Lord Jesus Christ) have many more things to say to you (My apostles) … but you cannot bear them now (the apostles were too self-absorbed about Christ’s upcoming death to be receptive to His messages).”
JOHN 16:13a “But when God the Holy Spirit of truth comes…He will guide you into all the truth (about Jesus and His work when you are able to hear it)…”
In this season of giving, we believers in Christ look back to the Cross to appreciate that we have received what the Lord Jesus Christ gave…His life and His blood…to save the whole world. Yet one of the most amazing gifts He gave by going to the Cross was the gift of God the Holy Spirit.
Adam’s sin cursed us. But according to Galatians, Chapter 3, Verse 13, the Lord became a curse for us by bearing the Cross.
GALATIANS 3:13 The Lord Jesus Christ redeemed us from the curse of the Mosaic Law… having become a curse for us (taking our place)—for it is written, “Cursed is everyone who hangs on a tree (those who are crucified are cursed)”—
We know that our Lord was humiliated by Roman leaders with a death that was fit for convicted criminals. The Lord did not commit a crime and He never sinned, yet He was treated like he was a vagrant. His work at the Cross gave us both the gift of the resurrection life and the gift of God the Holy Spirit’s sanctification life, all at the moment of salvation.
By receiving God the Holy Spirit at the moment of our spiritual birth, believers in Christ were set on a new and different course that would have been impossible without God’s power. We have capacities and possibilities now that were impossible before we received the indwelling Spirit. Acts, Chapter 8, Verses 14 to 17 say…
ACTS 8:14 Now when the apostles in Jerusalem heard that Samaria (a district in Pales) had received the Word of God (the gospel message), the apostles sent them Peter and John (as teachers)…
ACTS 8:15 …who came down and prayed for them that they might receive the Holy Spirit.
ACTS 8:16 For the Holy Spirit had not yet fallen upon any of them…they had simply been baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus.
ACTS 8:17 Then the apostles began laying their hands on the Samaritan believers, and the Samaritan believers were receiving the indwelling of God the Holy Spirit.
Why did the Lord give us the gift of the Spirit? Galatians, Chapter 3, Verse 14…
GALATIANS 3:14 …IN ORDER THAT in union with Christ Jesus the blessing of Abraham might come to us Gentiles…so that we would receive the promise of (the indwelling of) God the Holy Spirit through faith.
God sent the Holy Spirit to a group of people, the Samaritans, who were hated by the Jews. In becoming a curse and dying on a Cross, the Lord Jesus Christ made it possible for even the most hated among us to receive a lighthouse from within…God the Holy Spirit of power. Ephesians, Chapter 2, Verses 14 to 16…
EPHESIANS 2:14 For the Lord Jesus Christ Himself is our peace…who made both groups (Jews and Gentiles) into one group…and who broke down the barrier of the dividing wall…
EPHESIANS 2:15 …by abolishing in His flesh the enmity (the hatred between the two groups), which is the Law of commandments contained in ordinances, so that in union with Himself the Lord might make the two groups into one new man…thus establishing peace…
EPHESIANS 2:16 …and so that He might reconcile them both (Jews and Gentiles) in one body to God the Father through the Cross…by the work on the Cross having put to death the enmity.
God the Holy Spirit now indwells us believers in Christ. It was always God’s intention, from eternity past, that He would rule from within those of us who believe and not from outside of us. The gift the Lord gave us, God the Holy Spirit, is precious and premeditated. Do you tap into His power? Romans, Chapter 8, Verse 11…
ROMANS 8:11 But if the Spirit of Him who raised Jesus from the dead dwells in you believers in Christ, and of course He does, He who raised Christ Jesus from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies through His Spirit who dwells in you.
The Spirit is not just among us…He is INDWELLING us. What is it you want to accomplish that you think you can’t? It’s the Holy Spirit’s job to work out those things for us. Nothing is possible for the Christian without God the Holy Spirit. First Corinthians, Chapter 2, Verse 11…
FIRST CORINTHIANS 2:11 For who among men knows the thoughts of a man except the spirit of the man which is in him? Even so the thoughts of God the Father no one knows except the Holy Spirit of God.
God the Holy Spirit directs us to know the things of God and enables us to do things God’s way. He put away the old man things at the moment of salvation so we can take on the capacities of the new things. Colossians, Chapter 1, Verse 27…
COLOSSIANS 1:27 …God the Father willed to make known to believers in Christ the glorious riches of a mystery among the Gentiles…which is Christ indwelling you…the hope of glory.
The hope of glory for the Lord is that we accept His salvation offer. The hope of glory for God the Holy Spirit is that we allow Him, through obedience, to have His way within us…that we tap into His amazing power.
Using the Holy Spirit’s power is a decision. We acknowledge that we are indwelled by the Spirit from the moment of salvation…we decide to be governed by the Spirit…and we’re allowed to reflect the Spirit to everyone we meet.
Recently, a friend of mine asserted, almost inquisitively, “The words of the Bible are easy to read and so hard to apply.” That’s the perspective of most Christians. We think we have to work. Then, as if she had asked the Holy Spirit for the answer to this dilemma, and received it…she sent this…
GOOD MORNING! This is God…I’ll be handling all your problems today…I will not need your help…so have a good day…I love you.
The power within…given to us by the Lord’s work at the Cross…is the power of God the Holy Spirit. Our work as Christians is simply to receive…a lesson the Lord taught us at the Cross. Let this be the season you learn to receive all things by means of God the Holy Spirit’s power so you can DO all things in the power of God…not in human power.
THE LORD’S SUPPER CELEBRATION Enjoying the Elements
Obeying God’s command, we keep on celebrating Christ and His Cross regularly. We eat to remember who He is as a PERSON. We drink to remember His WORK on the Cross…the voluntary sacrifice He made to deliver us. We remember with gratitude what God the Father and the Lord Jesus Christ have done to save us. Matthew, Chapter 26, Verses 26 to 28…
MATTHEW 26:26 While they were eating, Jesus took some bread, and after a blessing, He broke it and gave it to the disciples, and said, “Take…eat…this is My body (which is being broken for you).”
MATTHEW 26:27 And when He had taken a cup and given thanks, He gave it to them, saying, “Drink from it, all of you…”
MATTHEW 26:28 “…for this is My blood…the blood of a new testament (a new covenant)… blood poured out for many for the forgiveness of their sins.”
As you enjoy the bread and the cup, REMEMBER the Cross, and the Lord and Savior Jesus Christ who hung there. Let us keep on giving thanks that we are loved unconditionally, that we are forgiven, and that we are accepted fully by a Lord who is always there for us…the One on whom we can depend. Let’s keep on being transformed by His life…His death…His burial…His resurrection from the dead…and His Word.
SONG INTRO
If you ever start to think you're not powerful, just take notice of the reminder in this Chris Tomlin song and remember that as a believer in the Lord Jesus Christ…you have RESURRECTION POWER to go along with your resurrection life.
LORD’S SUPPER SONG RESURRECTION POWER Chris Tomlin
GOD WANTS YOU! Make the Most Important Decision of Your Life
The closing moments of our study are for the benefit of anyone who does not have a personal relationship with the Sovereign God of the Universe, the Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. We want you to know that GOD WANTS YOU.
Here are seven things for you to consider if you are an unbeliever considering a relationship with the Lord Jesus Christ.
POINT 1 There is a God…He is the Creator of the Heavens and the Earth
The first four words of the bible confirm His existence…Genesis, Chapter 1, Verse 1…
GENESIS 1:1a In the beginning, GOD…
God isn’t shy about telling you who He is…Joel, Chapter 2, Verse 27…
JOEL 2:27b I am the Lord your God, and there is no other God…
He is your Creator…John, Chapter 1, Verse 3…
JOHN 1:3 All things came into being through the Lord…God the Son…and apart from Him nothing came into being that has come into being.
POINT 2 God Reveals Himself in Ways that Make Sense to Human Beings
God wants you to know Him…He is not hiding from you…He is not mysterious or hard to get to know…Romans, Chapter 1, Verse 20…
ROMANS 1:20 For since the creation of the world the Lord’s invisible attributes, His eternal power and His divine nature (His DEITY), keep on being clearly seen by everyone …being understood even through what has been made (as reflected in the things of nature)…so that all mankind are without excuse (in the matter of knowing of the existence of the Lord).
God doesn’t work in mysterious ways…He is completely predictable.
POINT 3 God Has a Plan for All Mankind
God is organized…Acts, Chapter 2, Verse 23 tells us the earth and the universe were created…
ACTS 2:23a …by the predetermined plan and foreknowledge of God the Father…
God made all of His decisions in eternity past.
POINT 4 God Has a Personal Plan for You
God knows you intimately because He created you. Matthew, Chapter 10, Verse 30 says…
MATTHEW 10:30 “…the very hairs of your head are all numbered.”
God custom made a life specifically for you.
POINT 5 God Created You with an Intention in Mind
You are one of God’s creatures and He had a purpose in mind when He created you. Genesis, Chapter 1, Verse 26…
GENESIS 1:26 Then God the Father said, “Let Us (God the Father, God the Son, God the Holy Spirit) make man in Our image…according to Our likeness…”
You are a spiritual being, and as such, you require a spiritual life. It was the kind intention of God’s will to provide you with spiritual life.
POINT 6 You Owe God a Hearing
Since God created you, you at least owe him a hearing. He has placed a desire inside of you to know what is beyond yourself and what is beyond the things in life that you see. Ecclesiastes, Chapter 3, Verse 11…
ECCLESIASTES 3:11a The Lord has made everything appropriate in its time. He has also set a (desire for a) knowledge of eternity in everyone’s heart…
Do you spend any of your time getting to know God?
POINT 7 God’s Enemy, SATAN, Does Not Want You to Know God
God has an enemy, Satan, and he has an intention, too…he does everything he can to keep you ignorant about God. Second Corinthians, Chapter 4, Verse 4…
SECOND CORINTHIANS 4:4 …the god of this world (Satan) has blinded the minds of the unbelieving so that they might not see the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ…who is the image of God.
Have you experienced Satan’s deception in your life?
There is nothing more important for you in this life than getting into a relationship with the Lord Jesus Christ. John, Chapter 1, Verse 12…
JOHN 1:12 But whosoever received Him, to them the Lord Jesus Christ gave the right to become children of God the Father, even to those who believe in Jesus Christ’s name…
Acts, Chapter 16, Verse 31…
ACTS 16:31 “Believe in the Lord Jesus, and you will be saved, you and everyone in your household who also believes.”
John, Chapter 3, Verse 36…
JOHN 3:36 “He who believes in the Son has eternal life (right at that moment) … but he who does not obey the command to believe in the Son will not see the resurrection life…instead the wrath of God (the Lake of Fire) abides on him.”
Consider these things and then get to know the Lord…TODAY! Do it now!
SONG INTRODUCTION
First Corinthians, Chapter 8, Verse 3 provides tremendous encouragement for believers in the Lord Jesus Christ…
FIRST CORINTHIANS 8:3 …but if anyone loves God, and all believers in Christ do, that person is known by God.
Second Timothy, Chapter 2, Verse 19 says…
SECOND TIMOTHY 2:19b “…the Lord knows those who are His…”
In John, Chapter 10, Verses 27 and 28, the Lord says…
JOHN 10:27 My sheep (believers in Christ) hear My voice…and I (the Lord Jesus Christ) know them…and they follow Me…
JOHN 10:28 …and I give eternal life (the resurrection life) to believers in Christ…and they will never perish…and no one will snatch them out of My hand.
In a song she wrote and produced, Song Worship Leader June Murphy says that believers in Christ have a DESTINY…let’s listen…
CLOSING SONG DESTINY June Murphy
CLOSING PRAYER Let us pray...
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