Sanctification in 2 Corinthians & Philippians (Brachus Sanctification Series Book 3)

He tells us to seize opportunity for the glory of Jesus. It isn't to make the most of time, but to make the most of the time. The idea behind redeeming the time is that you buy up opportunities like a shrewd businessman. You make the most of every opportunity for Jesus Christ. Because the days are evil: This is another reason why it is important to walk wisely.

Jesus spoke of a time when, many false prophets will rise up and deceive many. And because lawlessness will abound, the love of many will grow cold. In Massachusetts, a year old was accused of murdering a college student during a mugging, then bragging to his two high school-age accomplices that the knife he used went all the way through the body. After the boy's first appearance before the court, his friends cried - not for the person who had been murdered, but because a high bail had been placed on their friend. Someone asked one of the friends what an appropriate punishment would be for a murderer.

Another friend, a girl, said, "What's the big [bleeping] deal? People die all the time. Actor River Phoenix collapsed and died outside a fashionable L. Cliff Cantor, a co-owner of the club Dragonfly said, "Nothing's changed. Nobody's talking about it. The people who go out and do drugs are doing them … Business as usual. The week started out on a really glum note. But it's really reassuring to see that people aren't going to wallow in remorse.

I mean, we're sad, you know? But what are you gonna do? The days are evil. Understand what the will of the Lord is: This is what real wisdom is. It is the contrast to being unwise. Our main understanding of the will of the Lord comes from a good knowledge of His word. And do not be drunk with wine, in which is dissipation; but be filled with the Spirit,. And do not be drunk with wine: In contrast with the conduct of the world being drunk with wine , we are to be filled with the Spirit.

Paul's grammar clearly says, "be constantly being filled with the Holy Spirit. Be filled with the Spirit: The filling of the Holy Spirit is not a one-time event that we live off of the rest of our days. It is a constant filling, asking to be filled, and receiving the filling by faith. There is a wonderful and significant first experience with the filling of the Holy Spirit, often thought of as the Baptism of the Holy Spirit Matthew 3: This is an experience valid and important for every believer.

Much of the weakness, defeat and lethargy in our spiritual lives can be attributed to the fact that we are not constantly being filled with the Holy Spirit. The ancient Greek grammar for be filled also indicates two other important things. First, the verb is passive , so this is not a manufactured experience.

Second, it is imperative , so this is not an optional experience. Do not be drunk with wine: The carnal contrast to being filled with the Holy Spirit is being drunk. The Bible condemns drunkenness without reservation. In which is dissipation: Paul says that drunkenness is dissipation.

This means that drunkenness is a waste of resources that should be submitted to Jesus.

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John Trapp writes of drinking "all the three outs" - "That is, ale out of the pot, money out of the purse, and wit out of the head. Wine is a mocker, strong drink is a brawler, and whoever is led astray by it is not wise. Who has wounds without cause? Who has redness of eyes? Those who linger long at the wine, those who go in search of mixed wine.

Do not look on the wine when it is red, when it sparkles in the cup, when it swirls around smoothly; at the last it bites like a serpent, and stings like a viper. Your eyes will see strange things, and your heart will utter perverse things. We must not think that only the state of "falling down drunk" qualifies as sin. Being impaired in any way by drink is sin, as well as drinking with the intention of becoming impaired. But be filled with the Spirit: Paul contrasts the effect of the Holy Spirit with the state of drunkenness.

Alcohol is a depressant; it "loosens" people because it depresses their self-control, their wisdom, their balance and judgment. The Holy Spirit has an exactly opposite effect. He is a stimulant; He moves every aspect of our being to better and more perfect performance. It is a state of man wholly unattainable by training, by reasoning, by human wish and will.

It is nothing less than - God in command and control of man's whole life, flowing everywhere into it, that He may flow fully and freely out of it in effects around. Speaking to one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody in your heart to the Lord, giving thanks always for all things to God the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ,. Speaking to one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody in your heart to the Lord: When we are filled with the Spirit , we will have a desire to worship God, and to encourage others in their worship of God.

The connection with being filled with the Spirit and praise is significant. Those who are filled with the Spirit will naturally praise, and praise is a way that we are filled with the Spirit. Psalms and hymns and spiritual songs: This variety suggests that God delights in creative, spontaneous worship. The most important place of us to have a melody unto God is in our heart. Many who can't sing well have the most beautiful melodies in their heart.

The emphasis is more on variety than on strict categories. Giving thanks always for all things to God: The one who is filled with the Spirit will also be filled with thanksgiving. A complaining heart and the Holy Spirit just don't go together. Paul recommends the same pattern for our thanksgiving as he practiced in prayer in Ephesians 3: Look downward and give thanks, for you are saved from hell; look on the right hand and give thanks, for you are enriched with gracious gifts; look on the left hand and give thanks, for you are shielded from deadly ills; look above you and give thanks, for heaven awaits you.

Submitting to one another in the fear of God: When we are filled with the Spirit , it will show by our mutual submission to each other; and the submission will be done in the fear of God , not the fear of man. The word submitting here literally means, "to be under in rank.

It speaks of the way that an army is organized among levels of rank. There are levels of rank, and you are obligated to respect those in higher rank. We know that as a person, a Private can be smarter, more talented, and a better person than a General. But he is still under rank to the General.

He isn't submitted to the General so much as a person as he is to the General as a General. The idea of submission doesn't have anything to do with someone being smarter or better or more talented. It has to do with a God-appointed order. We also see from this how important it is to be "under rank.

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Submitting to one another: To understand what this means, we can first examine what it does not mean. It does not mean that there is no idea of "rank" in the body of Christ. We can see how someone might take that impression. So I should be submitting to you and you should be submitting to me. No one has any more obligation to submit than anyone else. We know this is what Paul does not mean because that would be a clear contradiction of other things that he wrote.

For example, in 1 Corinthians 5: Can you imagine the Corinthian Christians answering back, "Well Paul, you wrote that we should be submitting to one another. So we think you should submit to us here. Or, another example is Hebrews If Paul meant that there was no "rank" or "order of authority" among believers, then this command in Hebrews The idea of this military word is more easily applied when one rank is above another. But here, Paul isn't using it in that way. It is easily applied when you tell a bunch of Privates, "Submit to the Generals. But there is something else important here.

Paul means that we should take this "under rank" attitude of the military and apply it to our everyday dealing with each other. When a man joins the military, the first thing they do is strip away his individuality. He is now the member of a company or a battalion. He is no longer an individual. When you join the army, you essentially sign away your right to decide what you want to do with your life and your time. An army is filled with individuals, but they can never be individualistic. That is the first thing that a man is broken of when he joins the army.

In practical action submitting to one another implies the following, all in line with the idea of being a "team player":. In the fear of God: This is an important point, because Paul repeats the idea all through the extended section speaking about submission:. The words in the fear of God describe what should be our motive for submitting to one another. We should submit to one other - see ourselves no longer in an individualistic way, but as a unit, as a company or a battalion - out of respect for God the Father and out of respect for Jesus Christ.

The motive for submission is not social kindness. The motive for submission is not the law of God. The motive for submission is respect for Jesus Christ. If we respect Jesus, we then should submit to one another because we love Jesus. Paul uses the term fear in this passage, but it is a fear - a respect - that is compatible with love.

It is a fear of disappointing Jesus, a fear of grieving Him. That is totally compatible with love. When you really respect someone, you care about pleasing him or her, and you are afraid to disappoint that one. Now if that is still our conception of marriage then we have considered this great paragraph entirely in vain. Christian marriage, the Christian view of marriage, is something that is essentially different from all views.

Paul addressed wives and their responsibility in the Christian marriage first. This isn't because they are the bigger problem or because they need special attention. The reason is that the apostle was particularly concerned about this question of submission. That was the principle that he introduced in Ephesians 5: This aspect of submission has a particular application to wives in a Christian marriage. The same logic continues on in the text in Ephesians 6.

Children are addressed before parents because Paul was primarily concerned about submission. Slaves are addressed before their masters because the apostle was primarily concerned about submission. There is no question that the apostle is continuing the thought from Ephesians 5: In many of the best ancient Greek manuscripts, Ephesians 5: It simply reads wives, to your own husbands. The topic is submission and Paul focused on a particularly important realm of submission - the Christian marriage, from the wife unto the husband.

It is as if Paul said this: Now, if you do it in a general way, how much more so should wives do it to their own husbands in this special relationship of marriage. To submit means that you recognize someone has legitimate authority over you. It means you recognize that there is an order of authority, and that you are part of a unit, a team. You as an individual are not more important that the working of the unit or the team.

When we submit to God, we recognize God's authority and act accordingly. When we submit to the police, we recognize the authority of the police and act accordingly. When we submit to our employer, we recognize the authority of our employer and act accordingly. Submission does not mean inferiority. As well, submission does not mean silence. The wife says, "I'm going to put myself under that mission. That mission is more important than my individual desires. I'm not putting myself below my husband, I'm putting myself below the mission God has for our marriage, for my life.

To your own husbands: This defines the sphere of a wife's submission. The Bible never commands a general submission of women unto men in society. This order is commanded only in the spheres of the home and in the church. God has not commanded in His word that men have exclusive authority in the areas of politics, business, education, and so on.

As to the Lord: This is a crucial phrase. It colors everything else we understand about this passage. There have been two main "wrong" interpretations of this phrase, each favoring a certain "position. The wrong interpretation that the interpretation that "favors" the husband says that as to the Lord means that a wife should submit to her husband as if he were God himself. The idea is "you submit to God in absolutely everything with question, so you must submit to your husband in the same absolute way. It is true that the wife owes the husband a great deal of respect. Peter sets this across when he praises Sarah, the wife of Abraham, as an example of a godly wife, when she called Abraham "Lord.

But still, it doesn't go as far as to say "You submit completely to God, so you must submit to your husband the same way. There are limits to the submission your employer can expect of you. There are limits to the submission the government can expect of you. There are limits to the submission parents can expect of children. In no place does the Scripture teach an unqualified, without exception, submission - except to God and God alone. To violate this is to commit the sin of idolatry. The wrong interpretation that "favors" the wife says that as to the Lord means "I'll submit to him as long as he does what the Lord wants.

This interpretation thinks that as to the Lord defines the limit of submission. It is true that there are limits to a wife's submission, which we will specifically discuss in a few moments. But when the wife approaches as to the Lord in this way, then it degenerates into a case of "I'll submit to my husband when I agree with him.

I'll submit to him when he makes the right decisions and carries them out the right way. When he makes a wrong decision, he isn't in the Lord , so I shouldn't submit to him then. Except for those who are just plan cantankerous and argumentative, everyone submits to others when they are in agreement. It is only when there is a disagreement that submission is tested. As to the Lord does not define the extent of a wife's submission. It does not define the limit of a wife's submission. It defines the motive of a wife's submission. It is part of your Christian behaviour, it is a part of your discipleship.

For the husband is head of the wife, as also Christ is head of the church; and He is the Savior of the body. Therefore, just as the church is subject to Christ, so let the wives be to their own husbands in everything. The command given in Ephesians 5: God knows this, so He also includes reasons for His command. He wants us to understand the principle behind the command, and to understand that God isn't simply making up rules.

The first reason for a Christian wife's submission to her husband is found in Ephesians 5: This means that the motive of her submission must be obedience and respect to Jesus, instead of obedience and respect to her husband. For the husband is the head of the wife: Paul states here the second reason for a wife's submission. It is because the husband is the head of the wife. In its full sense head has the idea of headship and authority. It means to have the appropriate responsibility to lead, and the matching accountability. It is right and appropriate to submit to someone who is our head.

When you look at the Biblical idea of headship in other passages such as 1 Corinthians 11 and 1 Timothy 3 , the emphasis is put constantly upon the fact that the man was created first and not the woman. So there is a natural priority for man. The Scriptures also emphasize the fact that that woman was made out of the man, taken out of the man to show a connection to him, and that she was meant to be a 'help' for man, a help for man that was 'meet' for him. Man was created first. But not only that; man was also made the lord of creation. It was to man that this authority was given over the brute animal creation; it was man who was called upon to give them names.

Here are indications that man was put into a position of leadership, lordship, and authority and power. He takes the decisions, he gives the rulings. That is the fundamental teaching with regard to this whole matter. For a man indeed ought not to cover his head, since he is the image and glory of God; but woman is the glory of man. For man is not from woman, but woman from man. Nor was man created for the woman, but woman for the man. For this reason the woman ought to have a symbol of authority on her head, because of the angels.

This passage makes the point clearly and strongly. God created Adam first, and gave Him responsibility over Eve. This happened before the fall. Therefore, this passage makes it clear that before and after the fall, God ordained there be different roles between husband and wife. The difference in roles between husband and wife are not the result of the fall, and are not erased by our new life in Jesus. What he does prohibit is that woman should seek to be manly, that is, that a woman should seek to behave as a man, or that a woman should seek to usurp the place, the position, and the power which have been given to man by God Himself.

That is all he is saying. It is not slavery; he is exhorting his readers to realize what God has ordained. That is biblical, and also the custom of the whole world. That teaches us the relationship between the husband and the wife. It is not the husband who changes his name, but the wife. As also Christ is head of the church … Therefore, just as the church is subject to Christ, so let the wives be to their own husbands: Paul presents here a third reason for a Christian wife's submission to her husband. She should submit because the relationship of the husband and wife is a model of the union between Jesus and the Church.

This point is simple and clear. We have a model for the marriage relationship: In that relationship, the headship of Jesus Christ is unquestioned. So also is the husband the head of the "team" that is the one-flesh relationship of husband and wife. Perhaps the Christian wife doesn't want a "head. If that is the case, the wife does not understand a Biblical marriage, and will always be working against it in one way or another.

It is the same dynamic as a Christian saying he doesn't want Jesus to be his "head. And He is the Savior of the body: We can understand how the husband is head of the wife in the same way that Christ is head of the church. Sometimes it is difficult to see how the husband is the Savior of the body in the way that Jesus is the Savior of the body , that is, of the Church. Lloyd-Jones exposes the problem: That, they say, is nonsense. Christ, we know, died for the church.

He saves us by His atoning death and by His resurrection; but you cannot say that about any other relationship. It is quite unique. Lloyd-Jones thinks Paul used the wider understanding of the word Savior , which can simply mean preserver. How can Jesus be the Savior of all men? In the sense that He preserves all men and blesses all men with good things from heaven above.

It is in this way that husbands are to be their wife's savior. Paul essentially repeats the same idea in Ephesians 5: So husbands ought to love their own wives as their own bodies; he who loves his wife loves himself. For no one ever hated his own flesh, but nourishes and cherishes it, just as the Lord does the church. It is clearly this. The wife is the one who is kept, preserved, guarded, shielded, provided for by the husband. That is the relationship - as Christ nourishes and cherishes the church, so the husband nourishes and cherishes the wife - and the wife should realize that that is her position in this relationship.

The picture of the body shows how essential a Christian wife's submission is. All the teaching indicates that he is the head, that he ultimately controls. So she not only does not act independently of him, she does not act before him … it is equally true to say that she must not delay action, she must not stall action, she must not refuse to act. Go back to the analogy of the body. Think of somebody who has had a 'stroke' … the arm is not healthy, it resists movement.

The teaching is that the initiative and the leadership are ultimately the husband's, but the action must always be co-ordinated. That is the meaning of this picture - co-ordinated action but leadership in the head. There is no sense of inferiority suggested by this. The wife is not inferior to her husband; she is different.

We see in this passage three reasons for a wife's submission to her husband:. The first reason is compelling enough, but in itself it doesn't close the issue. If all we had was as to the Lord , it might be fair enough to ask, "Aren't men to live as to the Lord also? Shouldn't men submit to their wives in obedience to Jesus in the same way? You would not have one of the two really in charge, really in ultimate responsibility. And this is the goal some marriages shoot for. I'll submit to you sometimes and you submit to me other times.

We'll just let Jesus be our head, and work out each situation as it comes along, and see who will submit to whom. To say it simply, that isn't a Biblical marriage relationship. It ignores the essential order of creation, and it ignores the model of the relationship between Jesus and the Church.

This leads us to carefully notice something in general about submission. The principle of submission in presented in many different ways in the New Testament. None of these relations are reversed. For example, masters are never told to submit to servants, Jesus is never told to submit to the church, and so forth. The consistent use of the idea of submission in the Scriptures illustrates basically a "one-way" submission to one who is in a position of authority.

If Paul stopped at Ephesians 5: Thankfully, he continues, and shows what obligations the Christian husband has in marriage. But the Christian wife still has her obligations. To their own husbands in everything: Paul says that the wife should be subject to the husbands in everything.

Does he really mean everything? This needs to be understood in same way we understand submission in other spheres. For example, when Paul says in Romans 13 that the Christian must submit to the state, we understand there are exceptions. So, what are the exceptions to everything? When the husband asks the wife to sin, she is free from her obligation to submit.

This applies in a place of clearly Biblical sin - such as signing a fraudulent tax return. It also applies in matters of true Christian conscience. But we must be very careful to distinguish between true Christian conscience and mere opinion. But the wife does not have to submit to a request to commit sin.

When the husband is medically incapacitated, or insane, she is free from her obligation to submit. A wife does not have to submit to the requests a husband makes when he is insane or medically incapacitated. When the husband is physically abusive, and endangers the safety of the wife or children, the wife is free from her obligation to submit. She does not have to submit to his violence. When the husband breaks the marriage bond by adultery. Obviously, a wife does not have to submit to her husband's adultery, and just accept it.

The Bible says she has the right to "come out from under his rank" in such cases. She can divorce him, she is allowed to do so by the Scripture. She is entitled to do so because adultery breaks the unity, breaks the relationship. They are now separate and no longer one. He has broken the unity, he has gone out of it. So we must not interpret this Scripture as teaching that the wife is this irrevocably, inevitably bound to an adulterous husband for the rest of her life. She may choose to be - that is for her to decide.

All I am saying is, that this Scripture does not command it. Husbands, love your wives: Paul's words to Christian husbands safeguards his previous words to wives.

Though wives are to submit to their husbands, it never excuses husbands acting as tyrants over their wives. According to 2 Timothy 1: Power, in their Christian life, is always to be exercised in love. Paul used the ancient Greek word agape. The ancient Greeks had four different words we translate love. It is important to understand the difference between the words, and why the apostle Paul chose the Greek word agape here. Eros was one word for love. It described, as we might guess from the word itself, erotic love. It refers to love driven by desire.

Storge was the second word for love. It refers to family love, the kind of love there is between a parent and child, or between family members in general. It is love driven by blood. Philia is the third word for love. It speaks of a brotherly friendship and affection. It is the love of deep friendship and partnership. It might be described as the highest love of which man, without God's help, is capable of.

It is fondness , or love driven by common interests and affection. Agape is the fourth word for love. Eros , storge , and philia each speak about love that is felt. These describe "instinctive" love, love that comes spontaneously from the heart. Paul assumes that eros desire and phileo fondness are present. Christians should not act as if these things do not matter in the marriage relationship. But Paul's real point is to address a higher kind of love, agape love. Agape describes a different kind of love. It is a love more of decision than of the spontaneous heart. It is as much a matter of the mind than the heart , because it chooses to love the undeserving.

Strictly speaking, agape can't be defined as "God's love," because men are said to agape sin and the world John 3: But it can be defined as a sacrificial, giving, absorbing, love. The word has little to do with emotion; it has much to do with self-denial for the sake of another. We can read this passage and think that Paul is saying "husbands, be kind to your wives. But that isn't what Paul writes about. What he really means is, "husbands, continually practice self-denial for the sake of your wives.

Just as Christ also loved the church and gave Himself for her, that He might sanctify and cleanse her with the washing of water by the word, that He might present her to Himself a glorious church, not having spot or wrinkle or any such thing, but that she should be holy and without blemish. Just as Christ also loved the church: Jesus' attitude towards the church is a pattern for the Christian husband's love to his wife. This shows that the loveless marriage doesn't please God. It doesn't fulfill His purpose. This is love given to the undeserving. This is love given first. This is love that may be rejected , but still loves.

He might therefore say, 'Surely I am excused from loving in such a case as this. It cannot be expected that I should love that which is in itself so unlovely. He silences that excuse, which may possibly have occurred to his mind while writing the passage, by taking the example of the Savior, who loved, not because there was loveliness in his Church, but in order to make her lovely.

We might say that Paul is teaching two things at once here. He teaches about the nature of the relationship between husband and wife, and he teaches about the relationship between Christ and His Church. Each illustrates important principles about the other. It demonstrates the Jesus loves his church with a special love. Jesus loves the world, and died for the world; but just as a husband can have a general love for everyone, he must also have a special love for his bride. He loves her not for what comes to him from her, or with her, but for what he is able to bestow upon her.

His is the strongest love that ever was. Using the love of an ideal husband as a pattern, we could say that Jesus has a constant love for His people, an enduring love for His people, and a hearty love for His people. He is the pneuma —the breath of God. By faith, I know He lives in me. The Bible confirms that He lives inside every believer. Sometimes, I feel His presence. Maybe you do, too. He is the One who makes the Christian life possible.

He is the first gift we receive from God when we trust in Jesus for salvation. And, all those wonderful treasures Paul writes about in Ephesians and his other letters are wrapped up and delivered by the Holy Spirit to us. The Holy Spirit is the third person of the trinity—our God is one God but three persons. The Spirit is central to salvation. He convicts the unbeliever of sin and makes us new creations the moment we believe. He seals us with Himself so our salvation is secure, and He indwells us forever. He unites us with Christ, placing us into the universal Body of Christ.

All part of 1 church since Pentecost—includes those who already in heaven as well as every Christian alive at this moment. The Holy Spirit fills us with Himself and transforms us from the inside out so that our character looks more like Jesus and our lifestyle glorifies God more and more. This firepower is inside us. For this, we must choose to cooperate. He is the one who will get us all fired up and ready for adventure as we follow Jesus daily.

The church is a spiritual organism fighting spiritual battles. Only spiritual power can make it function as God ordained. The key is not money, organization, cleverness, or education. No matter the society or culture, the city or town, God has never lacked the power to work through available people to glorify His name. Only when we are full of the Spirit do we feel the need for God everywhere we turn.

We can be driving a car, and spontaneously our spirit starts going up to God with needs and petitions and intercessions right there in the middle of traffic. Through the filling of the Holy Spirit, Peter preached to curious crowds on the day of Pentecost and saw great results. The new community of believers was established with great joy and unity. Then came the tests—from the Jewish authorities and from within that same community of believers. Do you enjoy being tested?

Most of us do not. Testing is a significant part of the learning process, including the growth of a Christian to spiritual maturity. In the case of the early church, the test was whether or not they would trust God in the midst of trial and humble themselves to live in dependence on Him through prayer. This is what the prophets, down through the centuries, had told them to do.

When under attack, when facing a new challenge, in all seasons, in all times, call on the name of the Lord, and He will help you. As you do, read it thoughtfully —as a love letter. Pray that God would open your heart to the truths He has for you from this text. Describe the beggar and his life experience as he encountered Peter and John. If so, describe the experience. What did the beggar think was his most pressing need v. What need did the apostles address? Like the lame beggar that was healed, do your requests from God typically focus on His meeting your physical needs?

Remember, He desires to do infinitely more than we can think or imagine Ephesians 3: What should you change about how you pray? As I listen to God speak to me through his Word, he gives me more of himself in fuller, newer ways. His presence is enough. His purpose is enough. Look ahead to Acts 3: What are some of the reasons God chose to perform miraculous signs through the apostles and others? The scriptures teach that God does miracles out of His kindness Acts 4: Miracles also have another specific purpose—to authenticate the message and thus the messenger John To whom is Peter speaking this time?

What is similar in this sermon to the one Peter preached on the day of Pentecost? There was no confusion in the minds of the first Christians about what to proclaim. There was no searching for new and novel messages. The plain gospel was considered entirely adequate. The Jews thought they were rid of Jesus, but Peter announced that He is alive indeed.

How should this affect your life today? What titles did Peter give to Jesus in 3: Considering his audience, why do you think he chose those? What are some of your favorite names for Jesus? How might knowing and understanding His many names enrich your worship? Isaiah was one such prophet.

What do you learn about Jesus as the Suffering Servant in Isaiah How did He serve us? What do you learn from Acts 3: Focus on the Meaning: This is the most quoted Old Testament verse in the New Testament. God has now used Peter to influence about 5, to put their faith in Christ. Who did God use to influence you? When was the last time you expressed your gratitude? Why not write a message or pick up the phone? Why did the Jewish authorities arrest Peter and John?

What did the Holy Spirit declare to them through Peter vv. The Jewish authorities were the members of the Sanhedrin, the high court of the Jews. In New Testament times, it was made up of three kinds of members: Its total membership numbered 71, including the high priest, who was presiding officer.

1 Thessalonians #5 – Living to Please God: Sanctified Sex (1 Thessalonians 4:3-8)

Under Roman jurisdiction the Sanhedrin was given a great deal of authority, but they could not impose capital punishment. NIV Study Bible , p. Is this what you believe? Why or why not? What evidence was directly before the authorities? How did they respond to the evidence and to the message given to them?

Can you recall a time when someone noticed that you have been with Jesus? What did you say or do that they noticed? How did they respond? As Peter and John are on trial before the same men that put Jesus to death, how did they face persecution? Have you ever faced persecution for your faith? Did you do so with fear or courage? How does this verse encourage you?

Trust Him for that. In response to all that had happened to them, what did Peter, John and the rest of the believers do? What was the content of the prayer? The baptism of the Holy Spirit occurs once, at salvation Romans 6: Here, their spirits were completely under the control of the Spirit; their words were His words. Prayer cannot be taught by principles and seminars. It has to be born out of a whole environment of felt need. I have to be driven to pray. The more we pray, the more we sense our need to pray.

And, the more we sense a need to pray, the more we want to pray. Instead, they headed to a prayer meeting. The early church prayed together consistently as though it were necessary and not optional. Is that how you view prayer? If so, how has that benefited your spiritual growth? If not, why not? How is it used? In this next section, Luke introduces us to Barnabas who will play a later role in the Book of Acts. NIV Study Bible, p. Compare the heart attitude of Joseph Barnabas with that of Ananias and Sapphira. Ananias was at that moment being influenced by Satan, not the Spirit.

The Bible Knowledge Commentary , p. Have you ever given up anything voluntarily to benefit someone in the church? If so, how did you feel? Peter exposed the sin of Ananias and Sapphira as deceit v. God determined and enacted the discipline needed at this time. In 1 Corinthians What conclusions does Paul reach, and what comfort does he give? Similar to Ananias and Sapphira, Jesus condemned the Pharisees for having an external appearance of spirituality while having hearts that were far from God.

Are there areas of your life in which you are attempting to appear spiritual but have a heart that is far from God? Ananias, in the effort to gain a reputation for greater generosity than he had actually earned, tried to deceive the believing community, but in trying to deceive the community he was really trying to deceive the Holy Spirit, whose life-giving power had created the community and maintained it in being.

Bruce, The Book of the Acts , p. Review the scripture passage covered in this lesson for evidences of the guidance and empowering of the Holy Spirit in the lives of believers. What will you ask God to do in your life? Something that comes first. We value firsts—being first in line, having a first edition of a book, going to see a movie on the first day of its release. Acts is also a book of firsts, most notably the birth of a new creation on earth, something that never existed before. No one before that day experienced a permanent indwelling of the Holy Spirit uniting believers together across all geographic and social boundaries.

This happened on the day we call Pentecost when the Church as the body of Christ was born. The Holy Spirit is the main character dominating the entire book of Acts. He is actively involved in all the firsts. He authors the first gospel message given through Peter. He is the first gift we receive when we accept that gospel message and trust in Jesus Christ as the only way to have a relationship with God who made us.

And, He initiates the first response to that gift—spontaneous praise of God erupting from the hearts of those who now have the Spirit inside. A fiery beginning, indeed! What a thrilling, unforgettable experience!! As you do, read it freshly —as for the first time try using different translations. Refer back to Luke 1: What confidence do you have that what you will be studying is trustworthy information?

To what convincing proofs were the disciples a witness? Also, read 1 Corinthians See also Luke What were His promises? See also Luke 3: The significance was taking on the identity of the dye. For us, the Spirit does the dyeing—with Jesus. We are dyed with Christ.

1. Husbands How to Win Your Wifes Love and Respect.
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3. Select a book of the Bible!
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Water baptism is a picture of what the Spirit does to us. John baptized with water; Jesus baptizes with the Spirit—much more significant and with far greater effects. Using a concordance, research references to the Holy Spirit in the Old Testament. What was He doing?

Who experienced His presence? What was promised about Him? Summarize what you learn. Who is gathered together during the waiting time? What were they doing on a daily basis? The name of each candidate was written on a stone that was placed in a vessel and shaken. The first to fall out obtained the office. Sue Edwards, Acts of the Holy Spirit , p. Have you ever prayed with others toward a common goal? How do you feel about praying together with your group? In this first chapter, three key elements of the book of Acts are introduced: Keep these elements in mind as you work through the study. In addition to the Sabbath, God ordained annual feasts which all Jewish men were required to attend Leviticus 23 , grouped together so as to require only 3 pilgrimages.

The first one included Passover, Unleavened Bread, and Firstfruits in early spring. The Feast of Weeks took place in the summer. And the last one, including the feasts of Trumpets, Atonement, and Tabernacles, took place in the fall Deuteronomy This festival later came to be known by its Greek name, Pentecost pent means 50 , because it occurred fifty days after Passover.

When the gift of the Holy Spirit came upon the disciples as Jesus promised in Acts 1, there were three kinds of supernatural evidence. Read the following verses and draw a conclusion about what the tongues of fire symbolize: How did God inaugurate a new temple dedicated to Him in the Old Testament? Now read 1 Corinthians 3: Relate this information to what is happening in Acts 2: Consider the scene in the city of Jerusalem on the day of Pentecost described in Acts 2: What did they hear see vv.

This group included natural born Jews as well as Gentile converts to Judaism v. Upon receiving and being filled by the Holy Spirit, the new believers broke out in spontaneous praise of God. According to Ephesians 5: When was the last time you broke out in spontaneous praise? What was the occasion?

What did you do? How did others respond around you? This was the basic gospel message shared everywhere. See also 1 Corinthians What were these points? This same Peter was the one who denied Jesus three times the night before His crucifixion and hid behind locked doors afterwards. The indwelling Holy Spirit made a huge difference in his life, giving him courage and turning this uneducated fisherman into an effective preacher.

That same Holy Spirit can make a difference in your life as you trust Him to work. Peter begins his sermon by declaring to the crowd that God fulfilled part of a prophetic promise Acts 2: What was the promise? Why do you think the crowd needed to be convinced of this?

Study Guide for Ephesians 5 by David Guzik

According to Peter, where is Jesus now 2: What has He just done 2: Therefore, who is Jesus? What did Peter challenge them to do and promise to them if they did that? To convict of sin is a work of the Holy Spirit. Forgiveness of sins and the Holy Spirit are two gifts given to those who repent and believe.

Baptism, as had been taught by John, is an outward expression of inner repentance. What conclusion have you drawn about Jesus? Caring for infants and small children can be demanding and exhausting. From verse 42, list the four priorities of the new church. Why do you think each of those four priorities is important to the life of a healthy church?

Should these be the priorities of churches today? Please do not mention particular denominations or churches in the discussion. Describe the heart attitude of these new believers and how they lived out their new faith. See also Acts 4: Relate this to the work of the indwelling Holy Spirit as described in 2 Corinthians 3: For a balanced view of the communal sharing described in Acts 2 and 4, see also 2 Thessalonians 3: What do you see when you combine both passages together?

Bring in other Scriptures to support your conclusions. Are you faithful to a church? If so, what is your heart attitude toward the other believers in your church? Are you spending time with them? Are you praying together with them? This week, ask Jesus to give you the same heart attitude toward them as He did the early Church believers. It is no longer availabler there and is now a for-pay download at this site: That video pictured what we are studying this week—the fire of the Spirit displayed at Pentecost with spectacular results.

And, your fire stories were truly amazing. And so is what happened last Thursday to those passengers on the jet that landed in the Hudson River. Several asked God to forgive them for their sins. An engaged couple kissed. And, the guy in the exit row took out the instructions to read so he would do it right. What a variety of responses! Everyone knew something was about to happen, and life as they had known it may never be the same.

I had one of those recently. My husband Ron has been writing a book for 3 years. Last year, he signed a publishing contract and finally delivered his book on December It is supposed to be out for all to read in June. Life as we have known it may never be the same. And, life as we know it may never be the same.

Open your Bibles to Romans chapter 6. In Acts 1, Jesus told His disciples to hang out in Jerusalem for a few more days because something promised was about to happen. Do you think they had any idea of the adventure that lay ahead for them? In Judea —that would be a little different because they were from Galilee, way up in the northern part of Israel.

But, Jesus had had some ministry success in Judea so that would be okay. In Samaria —what could that mean? Okay, those Samaritans were half-Jews. They needed the full deal now. And to the ends of the earth —what?! The ends of the earth. Have any of you been to the ends of the earth or thought you had? On the day of Pentecost, an unmistakable sound like that of a tornado suddenly came and filled the place where Jesus people were sitting.

A little bigger than the size of our group here. They saw flames of fire resting on each of them. All of them were filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in foreign languages as the Spirit enabled them. Neither was hearing praises uttered in foreign languages in Jerusalem. During festivals, praises to God in all kinds of Mediterranean and Asian languages were frequently heard around the Temple.

But, not uttered by Galileans who usually spoke only Aramaic. Everyone knew Galileans because they had a certain drawl. Like we can recognize people from Boston or Georgia by their accent. Those foreign Jews hanging around the Temple heard their own native languages spoken by those very same Galileans, and they knew something amazing and unusual was happening…but what? They soon learned that Spirit Baptism occurred. And life as they had known it would never be the same.

Probably no other doctrine of the Holy Spirit has created more confusion than that of Spirit Baptism. That confusion comes from several sources: Dear women, I do not claim to understand everything related to the works of the Spirit. First, what did baptism mean to the people of that day? In other words, based on previous experience, what were those Jesus people expecting? Then, what did they actually receive? The Old Testament Jews had used water for cleansing rituals and initiation into special groups.

So, when the Greeks translated the Hebrew Old Testament years before Jesus, they chose the word baptizo or baptismos to represent this water ritual. Our English word comes from that. Keep that in mind. Just before Jesus, John the Baptist preached baptism accompanied by something new—repentance. Repentance is a change of mind, in this case for the Jews to agree their sin is bad and decide to change their behavior.

This prepared the way for Jesus who challenged people to not only think about their sin differently, but to think about Him differently—as the Son of God to whom they would commit their lives. When Jesus taught about Spirit baptism, he used a different word than what the disciples had known for the water cleansing ritual. We are immersed into Jesus Christ. Never to come out again. And, life as you know it will never be the same. But, what would that look like?

Their understanding of the work of the Spirit was only what they read in the Old Testament. The Holy Spirit was very active in Israel—coming upon leaders, prophets, and even craftsmen to enable them to do the work that God had chosen for them to do. This was often accompanied by spontaneous praise of God just flowing from their hearts with joy—one of the evidences of His presence. But, He never lived with them permanently. That was promised for the future. Jesus promised His disciples that the Spirit would do many of those same things I just described.

But, He would do much more than that. He would live in them forever. And, He would change them from the inside out. Their lives as they knew them would never be the same. And, it would all begin with Spirit Baptism. There are 11 specific references to Spirit baptism in the New Testament—enough to understand what takes place.

Let me tell you this. Some of our confusion comes from the English translations of the phrase en pneuma. That little word en is a preposition and can be translated with , by , in , or of. Translators choose the word that reads best in the context. Different theologies have been built on those two English phrases as though they are different events, but they are really the exact same phrase in Greek and the exact same event.

His death provided us with forgiveness of sins and His resurrection gave us new life. We take on the identity of Jesus so that when God looks on us, He sees Jesus instead. We are in Christ. Every Christian receives this at Spirit Baptism. This is confirmed in Romans 8: Every believer has the complete Holy Spirit, or they do not belong to Christ.

Being united with Christ in His death and resurrection is essential for every Christian. That comes with Spirit Baptism. Nowhere in the New Testament is any believer commanded or exhorted to be Spirit baptized. It is not initiated by us. We are the ones born again. Do you ever get email invitations to join a club or group? Last year I received an email invitation for a free trial membership to the National Home Gardening Club. All I did was respond to the email invitation. Come to find out, members receive all this great stuff—seeds, gardening supplies, and tools.

What I receive is initiated by the club, not by me. God initiates it to everyone who trusts in Jesus. We are united with Christ and receive the blessings that identify us as Christians at that time. Flip over to 1 Corinthians 12, the next book after Romans. On the day of Pentecost, all believers were plugged into the brand new Body of Christ—the Church—by Spirit Baptism. Permanent immersion into the body of Christ. Paul stated clearly that all had been Spirit baptized and placed permanently into the Body of Christ.

So it is not wise to selectively choose a passage from Acts and use it as a doctrinal statement on how to receive the Holy Spirit. Especially up to the point when the Gentiles as a group were added to the Church. But, absolutely positively, everyone who believed received Spirit Baptism. The Spirit writing through Paul makes sure we know this.

Read this together with me from the screens. Water baptism can be repeated. Under the new covenant, Jesus assures us that He will never leave us nor forsake us and has given us the Holy Spirit as His indwelling presence, forever. What do I mean by change of state? Think of baking a cake. Individual ingredients are mixed together for a cake, but once baked those ingredients can never be separated out again.

Like that, a person goes from being without God to being with God forever; from being filthy with sin to being cleansed of all sin; from being an enemy of God to becoming the Temple of God Himself. Those flames of fire represented the presence of God as He inaugurated His new temple. No longer would the faithful go to a building inhabited by God. He is now living in Jesus people.

And, humbles me—God living inside me. By faith I know this is true because the Bible says so. What might trip up some of us is that we may expect an experience similar to what they had at Pentecost or a few other places in Acts to validate that Spirit Baptism has happened to us. Some of you may have had that experience in your life. What I am saying is Spirit Baptism is not necessarily evidenced by that particular experience or any other; it is primarily a change of state from being separated from Christ to being united with Him receiving everything we need for life and godliness.

Are you with me at all? Hang on and let me explain. So it is with everyone who is born of the Spirit. Jesus said it happens whether or not the believer is conscious of it. In Acts, not every new Christian is said to have had the experience of speaking in tongues. And, in less than 30 years, when Paul wrote 1 Corinthians, only some are said to have the gift of speaking in tongues 1 Cor.

The rest are given other gifts by the Holy Spirit. Nowhere does Paul exhort them to be Spirit baptized to receive the tongues gift. This is very important. The gift of the Spirit is separate from the gifts of the Spirit. Some of you when you believed felt a warmed heart, a feeling of relief or belonging, a sense of tremendous joy. Some people cannot remember a specific experience. Or, even a specific time. They just know that they looked at things one way before a certain time in their lives and then looked at things differently after that time.

The point I want to drive home is this: The Spirit has not chosen to give it to me. Jesus got a hold of me in January Before that, I was not interested in teaching anybody anything. In fact, I was a sports-crazed girl. Obsessed with LSU football. When the Tigers won, I was happy all week. When they lost, I was dumpy. The first thing that changed was my obsession. Football was no longer the focus of my affections. The discoveries I made at first were amazing.

I am so grateful that life as I had known it has never been the same. Within only 8 months, I felt compelled to study and teach the Bible to other college students. I feel His pleasure when I teach. When I study the Scripture to teach it, I feel that warming. So, I know that warming, that joy, is the Spirit inside me. Is that evidence that I have been Spirit baptized? I certainly think so, and so do others who noticed the change of focus in my life. Or, to any other believer. Many of us have a sincere desire to know and experience the power of God. We may tend to think that those outwardly visible signs are the best evidence of spiritual power.

I recently read a great way of looking at this. But to seek those evidences as the primary work of the Spirit is like looking at fireworks exploding on the Fourth of July as the way to keep America independent. The fireworks are a celebration of what already exists…They have very little to do with the business of winning and maintaining liberty and independence. And, that liberty exists whether or not there are any fireworks. Yes, we want to experience spiritual power like we see in the book of Acts. God is healing my year-old dad of cancer right now.

And, I am praising Him for it. But, knowing my own selfish nature, which again showed its true colors this week, I believe it requires more life-long Spirit power to transform a person from being an independent, self-centered person to being a God-dependent, love-motivated person. But, those changes require us to recognize that we are weak to do anything of spiritual significance on our own.

Our weakness, in fact, makes room for His power. What do you think about that? Does our weakness make room for His power? If that is true, it is inconceivable that such power should be at work in us without results that would show up in all directions. We should sense it. Our society is built on rationalism—everything has to have a naturalistic explanation.

I believe we may have become desensitized to the Spirit inside us, and we tend to take credit ourselves for the work that He actually does. These are science activities with a Biblical focus. A couple of years ago, we were studying the Holy Spirit, and as so often happens, what I am personally learning finds its way into each lesson.

I discovered we can develop sensitivity to the Spirit at work by asking ourselves some questions based on what the Bible promises:.