MOVED BY THE SPIRIT OF GOD WITHIN

PROCLAMATION

“And The Spirit of God came upon Saul when he heard those tidings, and his anger was kindled greatly.”  1 Samuel 11:6 (KJV)

 

EXPLANATION

These words were written under the influence of The Holy Spirit of God by the prophet Samuel.  After the people of Israel had selected Saul to be their king, they all returned to their homes and Saul returned to his home. (1 Samuel 10:25-26)  Not long afterwards Nahash the Ammonite came and sieged the city of Jabesh Gilead.  The men of Jabesh asked Nahash to make a treaty with them and said that they would serve him.  Nahash replied that he would make a treaty with them only if every man would gouge out his right eye so as to bring disgrace to all of Israel. (1 Samuel 11:1-2)  They requested seven days to think about it and sent messengers throughout Israel for help.  Saul was at home working in his fields.  When he heard this he was angered and The Spirit of The Lord came powerfully upon him. (1 Samuel 11:3-6)  The fear of The Lord fell upon the people and they came together to follow Saul and Samuel into battle.  The next night Saul led the Israelites into the camp of the Ammonites and they slaughtered them. (1 Samuel 11:7-11)  Afterwards Samuel led the people of Israel to Gilgal and they officially made Saul their king and they had a big celebration. (1 Samuel 11:12-15)

 

APPLICATION

There are times when we just go about our normal daily activities in an unmotivated manner nonchalantly doing things with no real urgency about anything.  Then there are times when something comes upon us and we get a real zeal for what we are doing.  All too often we go about our service to The Lord and our praise and worship without much zest and gusto.  We need to come alive and get on fire for The Lord.  It is past time for casual business as usual, it is time to get seriously busy.  We should pray that The Spirit of The Lord will light a fire within us so that we can get active.  God does not want any lukewarm Christians. (Revelation 3:16)

 

THE HOLY SPIRIT IS WITHIN US

PROCLAMATION

“Examine yourselves to see whether you are in the faith; test yourselves.  Do you not realize that Christ Jesus is in you, unless, of course, you fail the test?”  2 Corinthians 13:5 (NIV)

 

EXPLANATION

These words were written by the apostle Paul, under the influence of The Holy Spirit of God, to the believers in the church at Corinth.  In this the last chapter of Second Corinthians, Paul tells them that he plans to visit them in order to personally address the incorrigible members among them who did not respond to his repeated warnings. (2 Corinthians 13:1-2)  He exhorts them to examine themselves.  Then he asked them a rhetorical question, “Do you not realize that Christ Jesus in you?”  He ends by telling them to strive for full restoration, to encourage one another, to be of one mind, and to live in peace. (2 Corinthians 13:11)

APPLICATION

As believers we are saved.  Unfortunately, even though we are believers in Christ, we still sin.  When we fall back into sin, we do not lose our salvation; we just interrupt the fellowship that we have with Christ.  That is why we should frequently ask to be forgiven because we sin daily.  Remember, in addition to our actions, our sinful behavior, we can sin with our words (Matthew 15:18) and with our thoughts. (Proverbs 23:7 and Matthew 5:28)  There are also sins of omission as well as sins of commission.  We all need to check ourselves regularly and confess our sins.  When we pray, we should ask God to forgive us, cleanse our heart and mind, and renew a right spirit within us. (Psalm 51:1-4 and 10)  The Holy Spirit of God is within us (Ezekiel 36:27) and our behavior should exhibit the fruit of The Spirit. (Galatians 5:22-23)  Our life, our walk, and our talk should be different after we accepted Christ than it was beforehand.  It does not matter how long we have been in Christ, we should all be growing in knowledge and holiness. (2 Peter 2:18)  The only things that do not grow are things that are dead.  We should strive to be more Christ-like each day.  People should be able to see The Christ in us.

  

WE BELONG TO GOD AND NOT TO OURSELVES

PROCLAMATION

 “Do you not know that your bodies are temples of The Holy Spirit, who is in you, whom you have received from God?  You are not your own; you are bought at a price.  Therefore honor God with your bodies.”  1 Corinthians 6:19-20 (NIV)

 

EXPLANATION

These words were written by the apostle Paul, under the influence of The Holy Spirit of God, to the believers in the church at Corinth.  Paul began this chapter by telling them that they were wrong to take one another to court in lawsuits.  Ungodly people should not judge The Lord’s people. (1 Corinthians 6:1-6)  He also said that they were cheating each other and doing wrong and that there is no place in the kingdom of God for wrongdoers. (1 Corinthians 6:9-11)  He told them that they had been set aside, washed, sanctified, and justified by The Holy Spirit of God. (1 Corinthians 6:11)  He told them that they should flee from fornication. (1 Corinthians 6:13, 6:15-16, and 6:18)  He also told them that they had been united with The Lord God and they were one with Him in spirit. (1 Corinthians 6:16-17)  Then he told them that their bodies were temples of The Holy Spirit of God and that they should honor God with their bodies. 

 

APPLICATION

What Christ endured on the cross at Calvary paid the price for our sins.  In effect, He bought us and redeemed us, and now we belong to Him.  We do not belong to ourselves; we belong to The Lord God.  Our bodies are the temples of His Holy Spirit, who resides within us.  We need to behave in such a way as to honor Him.  That includes not only what we do and say to others but also how we treat our bodies and what we put in them.  We cannot live in immorality and effectively serve The Lord God.  We should live our lives in such a way as to give God glory.

 

A GOOD TREE PRODUCES GOOD FRUIT

PROCLAMATION

“Make a tree good and its fruit will be good, or make a tree bad and its fruit will be bad, for a tree is recognized by its fruit.”  Matthew 12:33 (NIV)

EXPLANATION

These words are from the gospel, the good news regarding Jesus, The Christ, which were spoken by Christ according to the Apostle Matthew.  After Jesus declared Himself to be The Lord of The Sabbath, (Matthew 12:8) He healed a man with a shriveled hand in the synagogue on the Sabbath. (Matthew 12:9-13)  Because of this, the Pharisees sought to kill Jesus. (Matthew 12:14)  He left that city and a great multitude followed Him and He healed all of the sick among them. (Matthew 12:15-17)  A demon-possessed man who was blind and mute was brought to Him and He healed him, and the man was able to talk and see. (Matthew 12:22)  Seeing this, some of the people thought that He was a Man of God, while the Pharisees said that He was a man of the devil, Beelzebub the prince of the devils. (Matthew 12:23-24)  Jesus refuted them by saying that a kingdom divided against itself cannot stand, devils would not drive out other devils. (Matthew 12:25-29)  He said, “He that is not with Me is against me…” (Matthew 12:30), and He went on to say, “Either make the tree good, and his fruit good; or make the tree corrupt, and his fruit corrupt; for the tree is known by his fruit.” (Matthew 12:33)

APPLICATION

Whatever is in a man’s heart, that is what will come out of him.  A man with good things stored up within him will produce good.  A man with evil in his heart will produce that which is evil. (Matthew 12:35)  Jesus, The Christ, said, “Ye shall know them by their fruits.” (Matthew 7:16)  If we are saved, then we should produce the fruit of The Holy Spirit of God which is within us and that is: love, joy, peace, long-suffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, meekness, and temperance (self-control). (Galatians 5:22-23)  The fruit that we produce is visible to others and it is for the benefit of others.  If you are not happy with the fruit that you are producing, turn your life over to Christ and ask Him to change you.  He can create in you a clean heart and a right spirit (Psalm 51:10) and make you a new creature. (2 Corinthians 5:17)

A DOUBLE PORTION OF THE SPIRIT OF GOD

A DOUBLE PORTION OF THE SPIRIT OF GOD

PROCLAMATION

“When they had crossed, Elijah said to Elisha, ‘Tell me, what can I do for your before I am taken from you?’  ‘Let me inherit a double portion of your spirit,’ Elisha replied.”  2 Kings 2:9 (NIV)

EXPLANATION

After the death of Ahaziah, Elijah knew that he was near the end of his life, so he walked with Elisha. (2 Kings 2:1)  Elijah told Elisha to stay there because The Lord had sent him to Bethel, but Elisha said that he would not leave him. (2 Kings 2:1-2)  The Lord also sent Elijah to Jericho, to the Jordan, and each time Elisha said that he would not leave him. (2 Kings 2:4-6)  At the Jordan, Elijah took his cloak and struck the Jordan, and The Lord God parted the waters and they crossed over on dry land. (2 Kings 2:8)  It was after they had crossed the Jordan that Elijah asked Elisha what he could do for him before The Lord took him away.  Elisha asked for a double portion of The Spirit of God that Elijah had, and Elijah if you see me when I am taken away, then your request will be granted. (2 Kings 2:10)  As they were walking, they were separated, and a chariot of fire with horses of fire took Elijah away in a whirlwind up to heaven, and Elisha saw the whole thing. (2 Kings 2:11-12)

APPLICATION

Elisha was a greater prophet than Elijah was because he had a double portion of The Spirit of God upon him.  If we want to do more for The Lord, we need to ask for His help to do it.  The Holy Spirit of The Lord God is within all believers, (Ezekiel 36:27) we just have to learn to yield control of our lives to Him.  We need to pray that God will renew His Holy Spirit within us (Psalm 51:10) so that we can all get more involved in kingdom building here on earth.

A PRAYER FOR THE STRENGTHENING OF ALL BELIEVERS

Proclamation:

“I pray that out of His glorious riches He may strengthen you with power through His Spirit in your inner being, so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith.  And I pray that you, being rooted and established in love, may have power, together with all the Lord’s holy people, to grasp how wide and long and high and deep is the love of Christ, and to know this love surpasses knowledge; that you may be filled to the measure of all the fullness of God.”  Ephesians 3:16-19 (NIV)

Explanation:

These words were written by the apostle Paul, under the influence of The Holy Spirit of God, in a letter to the believers in the church at Ephesus.  Paul began this third chapter by asserting that he is an apostle given by God to preach to the gentiles. (Ephesians 3:1-12)  He asked them not to be discouraged because he was in prison. (Ephesians 3:13)  Then he offered this prayer for them.  He prayed for their strength and power in The Lord, and that they would appreciate the vastness of the love of Christ.

Application:

This prayer has four petitions on behalf of believers.  First, that all believers would be strengthened in The Spirit.  Second, that Christ would dwell in our hearts by faith.  Third, that we would know the extent of the love of Christ and be grounded in it.  And fourth, that we would be filled up with all the fullness of God.  This is a prayer that we should pray for all believers so that we would be strengthened and grow in the knowledge of God and the love of Christ.  This is something that we all could use as we continue our Christian journey in this sin-sick world.

WE BELONG TO THE LORD GOD AND NOT TO OURSELVES

Proclamation:

 “Do you not know that your bodies are temples of The Holy Spirit, who is in you, whom you have received from God?  You are not your own; you are bought at a price.  Therefore honor God with your bodies.”  1 Corinthians 6:19-20 (NIV)

Explanation:

These words were written by the apostle Paul, under the influence of The Holy Spirit of God, to the believers in the church at Corinth.  Paul began this chapter by telling them that they were wrong to take one another to court in lawsuits.  Ungodly people should not judge The Lord’s people. (1 Corinthians 6:1-6)  He said that they were cheating themselves and doing wrong and that there is no place in the kingdom of God for wrongdoers. (1 Corinthians 6:9-11)  He told them that they had been washed, sanctified, and justified by The Spirit of God. (1 Corinthians 6:11)  He told them to flee from fornication. (1 Corinthians 6:13, 6:15-16, and 6:18)  He also told them that they had been united with The Lord God and they were one with Him in spirit. (1 Corinthians 6:16-17)  Then he told them that their bodies were temples of The Holy Spirit of God and that they should honor God with their bodies. 

Application:

What Christ did on the cross at Calvary paid the price for us.  In effect, He bought us and redeemed us, and now we belong to Him.  We do not belong to ourselves, we belong to Him.  Our bodies are the temples of His Holy Spirit, who resides within us, and we need to behave in such a way as to honor Him.  That includes not only what we do and say to others but also how we treat our bodies.  We cannot live in immorality and effectively serve The Lord.  We should live our lives to the glory of God.