Friday, July 9, 2010

SUNDAY SNAPSHOT... (ABIDE)


PARAKLETE (The Holy Spirit Will Come!)

26 “But when the Helper comes, whom I shall send to you from the Father, the Spirit of truth who proceeds from the Father, He will testify of Me. 27 And you also will bear witness, because you have been with Me from the beginning. 16:1 “These things I have spoken to you, that you should not be made to stumble. 2 They will put you out of the synagogues; yes, the time is coming that whoever kills you will think that he offers God service. 3 And these things they will do to you because they have not known the Father nor Me. 4 But these things I have told you, that when the time comes, you may remember that I told you of them.
“And these things I did not say to you at the beginning, because I was with you. 5 “But now I go away to Him who sent Me, and none of you asks Me, ‘Where are You going?’ 6 But because I have said these things to you, sorrow has filled your heart. 7 Nevertheless I tell you the truth. It is to your advantage that I go away; for if I do not go away, the Helper will not come to you; but if I depart, I will send Him to you. 8 And when He has come, He will convict the world of SIN, and of RIGHTEOUSNESS, and of JUDGMENT: 9 of SIN, because they do not believe in Me; 10 of RIGHTEOUSNESS, because I go to My Father and you see Me no more; 11 of JUDGEMENT, because the ruler of this world is judged. 12 “I still have many things to say to you, but you cannot bear them now. 13 However, when He, the Spirit of Truth, has come, He will guide you into all truth; for He will not speak on His own authority, but whatever He hears He will speak; and He will tell you things to come. 14 He will glorify Me, for He will take of what is Mine and declare it to you. 15 All things that the Father has are Mine. Therefore I said that He will take of Mine and declare it to you. 16 In a little while you will see me no more, and then after a little while you will see me.

The real confusion (theologically) regarding the Holy Spirit - comes not in WHO the Holy Spirit IS - but in WHAT He DOES!

This is because the Holy Spirit is who makes God REAL to us! The Holy Spirit brings us into an EXPERIENCE with God through Jesus Christ! The Holy Spirit – then - is the wellspring of all genuine Christian Experience - so it’s not surprising that Christians would differ about WHAT the Holy Spirit does since Christians have such different Personal Experiences with God!



In John 15 – the KEY IDEA is to guard yourself from drawing a hard stance on WHAT the Holy Spirit DOES and to allow yourself to focus in on WHO the Holy Spirit IS!!

-God the Father is God FOR US!

-God the Son is God WITH US!

-God the Holy Spirit is God IN US!


Bottom Line Is This…
THE HOLY SPIRIT IS FREEDOM!

Paul wrote in 2 Corinthians 3:17… "Where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is FREEDOM."

Freedom as our COUNSELOR... The Holy Spirit as a COUNSELOR or PARAKLETE - breaks down these barriers – destroys these defenses – He silences our excusesHe EXPOSES US TO WHO WE ARE WITHOUT HIM – clearly identifying HOW WE TRULY STAND BEFORE GOD!

Freedom as our GUARANTEE... The Holy Spirit is God’s SEAL (Authentication) of our Christian Faith! The Holy Spirit is the DEPOSIT (Down Payment) in our lives that GUARANTEES our certain future...The gift of the Spirit is the first part of the redemption of the whole person"


THE BIG IDEA…

ARE YOU CONNECTED (ABIDING) to the VINE?

HOW MUCH FRUIT ARE YOU PRODUCING?


See you this Sunday @ COC!

Maricopa Wells Middle School / 9A & 10:45A



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