“Indwelling” – Empowered | Part 2
1. This week we continue our discussion of the sermon series on the Holy Spirit. This week we looked deeper at the truth that the Holy Spirit lives inside those who follow Christ. Jesus taught about it in John 14:17 - the Spirit of Truth. The world cannot accept him because it neither sees Him nor knows Him. But you know him, for He lives with you and will be in you. Many other New Testament verses confirm this reality. Francis Chan says this about the indwelling of the Holy Spirit “Those of us who believe in Jesus would never deny the truth that we have the Spirit of the living God living inside of us. I’m just not convinced we have internalized this truth and enjoyed its blessing. It seems that so many Christians only have head knowledge and have not understood it or owned it.” What are your thoughts about this quote? Do you feel you have internalized, understood, and owned what it means to have the Holy Spirit inside you? In what ways?
2. Having the Spirit living in us means we have access to a supernatural supply of strength and energy. Consider these verses Ephesians 3:16 - I pray that out of His glorious riches, He may strengthen you with power through his Spirit in your inner being. Philippians 4:13 - I can do all things through Him who strengthens me. 2 Timothy 2:1 - You then, my child, be strengthened by the grace that is in Christ Jesus. These verses and many others speak to the Spirit’s ability to strengthen us. Tell a story of a time the Holy Spirit strengthened you. How do you think someone draws strength in their inner being through the Spirit, as Paul mentions in Ephesians 3:16?
3. Having the Spirit living in us means we always have the Spirit of Truth with us to teach and guide us. Consider these verses John 16:13 - But when He, the Spirit of truth, comes, He will guide you into all the truth. He will not speak on His own; He will speak only what He hears, and He will tell you what is yet to come. Those who follow Christ need guidance in both the big and small decisions of life. We need to know God’s will, and we need to know the truth. God’s Word is our source of truth, but we also have the Spirit of Truth living in us to guide us into all truth. Tell a story of a time you know you were guided by the Holy Spirit. How do you think someone learns to listen to the gentle whisper of the Spirit and receive guidance from Him?
4. Another role of the Spirit is to comfort us in times of grief and trouble. Consider this verse 2 Corinthians 1:3-4 - Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of compassion and the God of all comfort, 4 who comforts us in all our troubles, so that we can comfort those in any trouble with the comfort we ourselves receive from God. How does this verse speak to you? Another interesting verse is Acts 9:31 (ESV) So the church throughout all Judea and Galilee and Samaria had peace and was being built up. And walking in the fear of the Lord and in the comfort of the Holy Spirit, it multiplied. What are your thoughts on this verse, especially the phrase “in the comfort of the Holy Spirit”? One of the names given by Jesus to the Holy Spirit is the Comforter. Tell a story of a time you were keenly aware that you were being comforted by the Holy Spirit. Do you agree that because the Spirit lives in us, the comfort of the Holy Spirit is available to us every waking moment? How does this inform how you view the indwelling of the Spirit?
