Posts Tagged ‘ Holy Spirit ’
I will instruct you and teach you in the way you should go; I will counsel you with my eye upon you.
Psalm 32:8, ESV
God has not given us instructions and then abandoned us. He has promised to keep teaching us by His Holy Spirit, a promise of eternal security.
Now the Lord is the Spirit, and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom.
2 Corinthians 3:17, ESV
Christ has set us free from the tyranny of sin, not as a temporary fix but eternal healing, and we have His Holy Spirit as a deposit of that promise.
No one has ascended into heaven except he who descended from heaven, the Son of Man. And as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, so must the Son of Man be lifted up, that whoever believes in him may have eternal life.
John 3:13-15, ESV
At Advent, we look back at why Jesus had to come, that He came, and then that He will come again.
Jesus came to live amongst us, teaching the truths of God and proving them with miracles, signs, and wonders.
Even the religious elite could see it, but they could not understand without help.
And Jesus was that help to Nicodemus and others willing to listen, but we tend to be an obstinate lot.
What does Jesus tell us about salvation?
He tells us that only Jesus has made the trip from heaven and back, that only those who believe in Him can ascend.
He tells us we must believe He is the only source of salvation, and it is in His death on the cross we find forgiveness and are saved.
God came to us as a man to save us by taking our punishment on Himself, and we must believe this to be saved.
Maybe people who lived in Old Testament times did not understand this in detail, but they knew where salvation was found: in God alone.
Christ has come and given us the Holy Spirit who leads us to Christ’s cross and forgiveness of sins and hope for eternal life.
May we seek the Lord who has saved us and shown us the path to eternal life.
Jesus answered, “Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born of water and the Spirit, he cannot enter the kingdom of God.
John 3:5, ESV
At Advent, we look back at why Jesus had to come, that He came, and then that He will come again.
Jesus came to live amongst us, teaching the truths of God and proving them with miracles, signs, and wonders.
Even the religious elite could see it, but they could not understand without help.
If the most religious and smartest could not understand the ways of God, what hope could the rest of us have?
What does Jesus tell us about salvation?
Born of water: baptism does play a role, but this also tells us that only humans can be saved. (Fallen angels cannot be saved.)
Born of the Spirit: only those who believe and receive the Holy Spirit can be saved. (John 16:7-15)
This is difficult to comprehend, but only by trusting the Holy Spirit and the truth of the gospel of Christ can we inherit eternal life in Christ.
Jesus came to bring us life free from sin and in eternity with Him.
Christ has come, and we must seek the wisdom of His Holy Spirit and forgiveness of sins. (James 1:5; 1 John 1:9)
May we seek the Lord who has offered us His Holy Spirit, salvation, and eternal life.
But when Herod died, behold, an angel of the Lord appeared in a dream to Joseph in Egypt, saying, “Rise, take the child and his mother and go to the land of Israel, for those who sought the child’s life are dead.”
Matthew 2:19-20, ESV
At Advent, we look back at why Jesus had to come, that He came, and then that He will come again.
Jesus came to live amongst us, bringing danger to His earthly family.
The promises we get from God are that those of the world will hate us for following Him, so it is dangerous to follow Christ. (John 15:18-25)
We still see that God protects His own.
The one who tried to kill fellow image-bearers in an attempt to destroy God had died, and God told Jesus’ family they could safely return home.
Likewise, we know that we face dangers from those in this world who want to do the same as Herod, and sometimes this includes our own thoughts and actions.
So we also know that this world is not our home, and Christ has defeated the power that still influences our lives. (John 16:33)
Christ has shown us how to live and trust and love in the midst of danger.
He did not give in, but He made a way for us to join Him in our eternal home.
May we seek the Lord who has saved us from sin and protects us from the ultimate effects of sin.
And being warned in a dream not to return to Herod, they departed to their own country by another way. Now when they had departed, behold, an angel of the Lord appeared to Joseph in a dream and said, “Rise, take the child and his mother, and flee to Egypt, and remain there until I tell you, for Herod is about to search for the child, to destroy him.”
Matthew 2:12-13, ESV
At Advent, we look back at why Jesus had to come, that He came, and then that He will come again.
Our sins have stacked up to heaven, deeper and more vile than we could know.
But God was not willing to leave us mired in our sin.
God came to us, born as an infant, weak, physically powerless, yet without sin.
But we know He did not stay weak and powerless.
Many people in this world are hostile to Christ, afraid of His power or not wanting to follow His commands, thinking they know better. This hostility is often directed at Christians
But we also know God watches out for His people.
Herod wanted to destroy Christ, and possibly he would have hurt the wise men and Mary and Joseph in the process. God sent an angel to warn them to flee.
We have been shown the truth of who Christ is through His Word, and this same Word warns us of those who put up the pretense of being followers but secretly seek to or inadvertently damage and destroy the truth of Christ.
And this can include questioning the need for Christ coming or claiming God is the bad guy.
We may face persecution and hatred, but we also know Jesus faced it first and it is all ultimately against Him. And He helps us in the midst of the persecution. (John 15:18-26)
May we seek the Lord who knows our pain and fear.
Whoever confesses that Jesus is the Son of God, God abides in him, and he in God.
1 John 4:15, ESV
We must acknowledge that Jesus is the second Person of the Trinity, the Son of God who is God, or we do not have God in our life.
“Ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you.”
Matthew 7:7, ESV
Our Ggod has given us everything we need to change our world: Himself. Through the Holy Spirit who dwells in us.
Let us seek Him, and ask for His power to move through us to bring the Kingdom of heaven to earth.
Who has measured the Spirit of the Lord, or what man shows him his counsel? Whom did he consult, and who made him understand? Who taught him the path of justice, and taught him knowledge, and showed him the way of understanding?
Isaiah 40:13-14, ESV
At Advent, we look back at why Jesus had to come, that He came, and then that He will come again.
Our sins have stacked up to heaven, deeper and more vile than we could know.
Sin is rebellion against the character of God.
And we think we can tell God what is good? What justice and goodness are? That we know better what God’s character and will are?
Who do we think we are? Why do we think we understand God’s creation and character better than He does when He has revealed it through HisbWord by His prophets and apostles?
And this is what the prophets, including John the Baptist, were telling us.
“Repent! Stop your foolish thinking, and turn from your sin! The kingdom of God is at hand, and you think you can judge your Creator? Prepare for His coming, now!”
But we still try to justify our sin, correct God on His justice, and fix His revelation.
We therefore prepare ourselves by admitting we don’t understand as much as we think we do, turning to the Word and trusting the Holy Spirit to reveal the truth of Christ to us.
May we seek the Lord who took on the just punishment we deserved, preparing ourselves by seeking His revelation.
A voice says, “Cry!” And I said, “What shall I cry?” All flesh is grass, and all its beauty is like the flower of the field. The grass withers, the flower fades when the breath of the Lord blows on it; surely the people are grass. The grass withers, the flower fades, but the word of our God will stand forever.
Isaiah 40:6-8, ESV
At Advent, we look back at why Jesus had to come, that He came, and then that He will come again.
Our sins have stacked up to heaven, deeper and more vile than we could know.
Sin is the act of willfully separating from God, putting something between God and ourselves, weakening ourselves from the inside out as we cut ourselves off from the source of life.
And God will let us have what we want. (Romans 1:20-32)
Therefore, we internally die continually, and the only hope is a long life to stave off the eternal death and suffering.
All because we choose our sin over God and His Word.
We therefore prepare ourselves by investigating His eternal Word through reading the Scriptures and trusting in the Son.
We may still suffer in this world, but we have the hope of eternal life in New bodies with our Lord forever.
May we seek the Lord who gives us life, preparing ourselves by seeking His Word.
a simple man of God 