The Promise of the Spirit: Session 2 – The Spirit of Life in Christ Jesus

Notes:

The Spirit of Life in Christ Jesus    See Session Slides Here

  • The Holy Spirit has been called the neglected Person of the Trinity. Some equate Him only with power.
  • He is a real Person; a divine Person who enables us to have an intimate relationship with God.

Yet, He may be a stranger to us. Are you aware of Him? How do we nurture fellowship with Him?

  • We learn to recognize His voice and become responsive to it. Not anger, condemnation, fear of God, etc.
  • Know the things He will focus on: the greatness of Jesus, the power of the Cross, our righteousness, etc.
  • We share our feelings with Him and seek Him when we make decisions in our lives.
  • We can only do this if we are confident of His love, 5:5; Rom.15:30.
  • God is love, i.e. agape, unmerited love; a love for the unlovely. It’s not a response to anything in us. It arises purely from the heart of God. He is the initiator of this love.
  • Eros is this world’s love; a love for the lovely and beautiful. Eros is awakened and called forth by the attractiveness of the one loved. It fades when the beauty or loveliness fades.
  • Eros is not found in the New Testament. Yet the self-righteous believe that God has eros love, i.e. He loves us only when we are lovely. God wants to change our default setting from eros to agape.
  • Holiness is a response to love not law, 1 John 3:1-3.
  • It is made possible by the Spirit, not by law. Those who walk in the Spirit have finished with their relationship to the law, Gal.5:18. Under the NC we have obligation to the Spirit, not to the law, Gal.5:16.
  • 8:2-4. The Spirit of life in Christ Jesus is now God’s way of living. We now walk by the Spirit, are led by Him and energized by Him.
  • He is the guarantor of our holiness. He will make it happen. He will reproduce the life of Jesus in us.
  • How, without the law, will I know what sin is? The Spirit makes us aware of it, Gal.5:19-21; Eph.4:30-31.
  • The fruit of the Spirit is the life of Christ produced in us by the indwelling Spirit, Gal.5:22-23.
  • John 15:1. As we abide in Him we bear much fruit. This is to realize & live from our new creation identity
  • The Father is the Vinedresser. It is His role to keep us abiding in the Vine.
  • John 15:2. ‘Takes away’ here means to lift up, 1 Cor.1:30;  2 Cor.1:21.
  • The more we are aware of our weakness the greater potential there is for His strength to be manifest.
  • Prayer is not asking God to strengthen our strength. It’s feeling at home in our weakness knowing the power of Christ rests on us. Weakness is the key to strength, 2 Cor.12:9. Need opens us to God’s grace.
  • Paul said I have learned in all things to be content, Phil.4:11-13. Lit. ‘I have been initiated into a secret’.
  • He had been initiated into the secret of true contentment, i.e. to be sufficient from Christ within. Phil.4:13, literally ‘in-strengthened by the Spirit’ Col.1:11.
  • Don’t see temptation and trial as a negative but that which leads us to Christ’s power, James 1:2.
  • We will always fail if we see it as something to overcome. It is something which leads us to the grace of God. So see it as an opportunity to have fellowship with the Spirit and experience His life and power.
  • The Spirit is the sap who brings the life of Jesus into the branches.
  • God’s way of dealing with the flesh is not to go to work on it, but to walk in the Spirit. If we give our attention to how we are going to overcome sin, we will spend all our time focusing on the sin we want to be free of. Whatever we give attention to, we give strength to.
  • God will not give me patience, humility, love, etc. He has given me Jesus. Only one package. When we received Christ we received love, righteousness, holiness, etc.
  • By yielding to the Spirit, we put to death the deeds of our body. Don’t say ‘no’ to temptation. Say ‘yes’ to the Spirit. Close the door to temptation by opening it to Spirit.

Summary: Having fellowship with the Holy Spirit means to focus on what He focuses on – God’s love (agape) and Jesus. Respond to His love, not law. See your weaknesses as opportunities for grace.