Faith

I-Spy

Truths to Live By

1. God will lead you into difficulty, and He will be with you.

1. John 16:33 (NLT)

“I have told you all this so that you may have peace in me. Here on earth, you will have many trials and sorrows. But take heart, because I have overcome the world.”

Psalm 23 (ESV) 

“He leads me.” “You are with me.” 

Romans 5:3-5 (ESV) 

“Not only that, but we rejoice in our sufferings, knowing that suffering produces endurance, and endurance produces character, and character produces hope, and hope does not put us to shame, because God’s love has been poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit who has been given to us.” 

2. If you don’t take a step, you will never arrive.

Numbers 13:30-31 (ESV)

“But Caleb quieted the people before Moses and said, “Let us go up at once and occupy it, for we are well able to overcome it.” Then the men who had gone up with him said, “We are not able to go up against the people, for they are stronger than we are.” 

3. Provision is inside obedience. 

Numbers 14:7-9 (ESV)  

“The land, which we passed through to spy it out, is an exceedingly good land. If the Lord delights in us, he will bring us into this land and give it to us, a land that flows with milk and honey. Only do not rebel against the Lord. And do not fear the people of the land, for they are bread for us. Their protection is removed from them, and the Lord is with us; do not fear them.” 

They are our bread

 
Numbers 23:19 (ESV) 

“God is not man, that he should lie, or a son of man, that he should change his mind. Has he said, and will he not do it? Or has he spoken, and will he not fulfill it?” 

Numbers 6:24-26 (ESV)

“The Lord bless you and keep you; the Lord make his face to shine upon you and be gracious to you; the Lord lift up his countenance upon you and give you peace.”  

The Glory of Christmas
Part 2

John 5:39 (NASB)
“You examine the Scriptures because you think that in them you have eternal life; and it is those very Scriptures that testify about Me.”

Isaiah 7:14 (ESV)“Therefore, the Lord himself will give you a sign. Behold, the virgin shall conceive and bear a son, and shall call his name Immanuel.”

Isaiah 7:10-12 (NLT)
“Later, the Lord sent this message to King Ahaz: “Ask the Lord your God for a sign of confirmation, Ahaz. Make it as difficult as you want—as high as heaven or as deep as the place of the dead. “But the king refused. “No,” he said, “I will not test the Lord like that.”

Isaiah 7:13 (NLT)
“Then Isaiah said, “Listen well, you royal family of David! Isn’t it enough to exhaust human patience? Must you exhaust the patience of my God as well?”

Matthew 1:21-23 (ESV)
“She will bear a son, and you shall call His name Jesus, for He will save his people from their sins.” All this took place to fulfill what the Lord had spoken by the prophet: “Behold, the virgin shall conceive and bear a son, and they shall call his name Immanuel.”

Isaiah 9:6 (ESV)
“For to us a child is born,
to us a son is given;”

Isaiah 9:6 (ESV)
...the government shall be upon His shoulder,
and His name shall be called
Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God
,Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.

Isaiah 9:7 (ESV)
“Of the increase of His government and of peace 
there will be no end,

on the throne of David and over His kingdom,
to establish it and to uphold it
with justice and with righteousness
from this time forth and forevermore.
The zeal of the Lord of hosts will do this.”

Luke 4:18-19 (ESV)
“The Spirit of the Lord is upon me,
because he has anointed me
to proclaim good news to the poor.
He has sent me to proclaim liberty to the captives
and recovering of sight to the blind,
to set at liberty those who are oppressed,
to proclaim the year of the Lord's favor.”

Luke 4:30 (ESV)
“But passing through their midst, he went away.”

The Glory of Christmas

Galatians 4:4 (NLT)
“But when the right time came, God sent his Son, born of a woman, subject to the law.”

Luke 1:26-27 (NIV)
“God sent the angel Gabriel to Nazareth, a town in Galilee, to a virgin pledged to be married to a man named Joseph, a descendant of David. The virgin’s name was Mary.”

Luke 1:28-30 (NIV)
“‘Greetings, you who are highly favored! The Lord is with you.’ Mary was greatly troubled at his words and wondered what kind of greeting this might be. But the angel said to her, ‘Do not be afraid, Mary; you have found favor with God.’”

Luke 1:31-33 (NIV)
“‘You will conceive and give birth to a Son, and you are to call Him Jesus. He will be great and will be called the Son of the Most High. The Lord God will give Him the throne of His father David, and He will reign over Jacob’s descendants forever; His kingdom will never end.’”

Luke 1:34 (NIV)
“‘How will this be,’ Mary asked the angel, ‘since I am a virgin?’”

Luke 1:35 (NIV)
“‘The Holy Spirit will come on you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you. So the Holy One to be born will be called the Son of God.’”

Luke 1:37 (ESV)
“For nothing will be impossible with God.”

Luke 1:38 (ESV)
“Mary said, ‘Behold, I am the servant of the Lord; let it be to me according to your word.’ And the angel departed from her.”

Matthew 10:39 (ESV)
“Whoever finds his life will lose it, and whoever loses his life for My sake will find it.”

Matthew 1:20-21 (NIV)
“An angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream and said, ‘Joseph son of David, do not be afraid to take Mary home as your wife, because what is conceived in her is from the Holy Spirit. She will give birth to a Son, and you are to give Him the name Jesus, because He will save His people from their sins.’”

Matthew 1:24-25 (NIV)
“When Joseph woke up, he did what the angel of the Lord had commanded him and took Mary home as his wife. But he did not consummate their marriage until she gave birth to a Son. And he gave Him the name Jesus.”

Mark 6:3 (NLT)
“Then they scoffed, ‘He’s just a carpenter, the son of Mary.’”

The Good News For and Through the Church

The Good News in 4 Phrases 

1. God with us.

Matthew 1:23 (NIV)

“‘The virgin will conceive and give birth to a Son, and they will call Him Immanuel’ (which means ‘God with us’).”

Isaiah 14:7 (NIV)

“Therefore the Lord Himself will give you a sign: The virgin will conceive and give birth to a Son, and will call Him Immanuel.”

John 1:14 (ESV)

“The Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we have seen His glory, glory as of the only Son from the Father, full of grace and truth.”

Hebrews 1:3 (ESV)

“He is the radiance of the glory of God and the exact imprint of His nature, and He upholds the universe by the word of His power.”

John 3:16-17 (ESV)
“For God so loved the world, that He gave His only Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have eternal life. For God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world, but in order that the world might be saved through Him.”

“He who was the Son of God became the Son of man, that we who are sons of men have the promise that we can become sons of God.”

- Pastor David Cook

2. God for us. 

Luke 19:10 (ESV)

“For the Son of Man came to seek and to save the lost.”

Titus 2:14 (NIV)
“(Jesus) gave Himself for us to redeem us from all wickedness and to purify for Himself a people that are His very own, eager to do what is good.”

1 Timothy 1:15 (ESV)

“The saying is trustworthy and deserving of full acceptance, that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners, of whom I am the foremost.”

John 10:18 (NIV)
“No one takes it from Me, but I lay it down of My own accord. I have authority to lay it down and authority to take it up again.”

3. God in us.

2 Corinthians 1:22 (NIV)
“(God) set His seal of ownership on us, and put His Spirit in our hearts as a deposit, guaranteeing what is to come.”

Colossians 1:26-27 (NIV)
“The mystery that has been kept hidden for ages and generations, but is now disclosed to the Lord’s people. To them God has chosen to make known among the Gentiles the glorious riches of this mystery, which is Christ in you, the hope of glory.”

1 Corinthians 6:19 (NIV)

“Your bodies are temples of the Holy Spirit, who is in you, whom you have received from God…”

4. Us with God. 

Revelation 21:1-4 (ESV)

“Then I saw a new heaven and a new earth, for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away, and the sea was no more. And I saw the holy city, new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband. And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, ‘Behold, the dwelling place of God is with man. He will dwell with them, and they will be His people, and God Himself will be with them as their God. He will wipe away every tear from their eyes, and death shall be no more, neither shall there be mourning, nor crying, nor pain anymore, for the former things have passed away.”

Revelation 22:20 (ESV)
“Surely I am coming soon.”

Love Makes All the Difference

1 Corinthians 14:1 (ESV)
“Pursue love, and earnestly desire the spiritual gifts.”

1 Corinthians 12:31 (NIV)
“And yet I will show you the most excellent way.”

1 Corinthians 13:1-3 (NIV)
“If I speak in the tongues of men or of angels, but do not have love, I am only a resounding gong or a clanging cymbal. If I have the gift of prophecy and can fathom all mysteries and all knowledge, and if I have a faith that can move mountains, but do not have love, I am nothing. If I give all I possess to the poor and give over my body to hardship that I may boast, but do not have love, I gain nothing.”

Love Makes All the Difference

1 Corinthians 13:1 (NIV)
“If I speak in the tongues of men (earthly) or of angels (heavenly), but do not have love, I am only a resounding gong or a clanging cymbal.”

1. Without love, our words push people away.

2. Without love, our spiritual knowledge and mysteries inflates. 

1 Corinthians 13:2 (NIV)

“If I have the gift of prophecy and can fathom all mysteries and all knowledge...but do not have love, I am nothing.”

1 Corinthians 8:1 (NIV)
“We know that ‘We all possess knowledge.’ But knowledge puffs up while love builds up.”

3. Without love, our faith is dead. 

1 Corinthians 13:2 (NIV)

“If I have a faith that can move mountains, but do not have love, I am nothing.”

4. Without love, giving is selfish. 

1 Corinthians 13:3 (NIV)

“If I give all I possess to the poor...but do not have love, I gain nothing.

“You can give without loving but you cannot love without giving.” - Amy Carmichael, Missionary in India

5. Without love, noble sacrifice is self-serving. 

1 Corinthians 13:3 (NIV)    

“...Give over my body to hardship that I may boast, but do not have love, I gain nothing.”

Colossians 3:14 (ESV)
“Above all these put on love.”

What does love look like?

1 Corinthians 13:4-7 (NIV)

“Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It does not dishonor others, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres. Love never fails. But where there are prophecies, they will cease; where there are tongues, they will be stilled; where there is knowledge, it will pass away.”

1 Corinthians 13:13 (NIV)
“And now these three remain: faith, hope and love. But the greatest of these is love.”

Gifts of the Holy Spirit

Matthew 16:18 (ESV)

“I will build My church, and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it.”

1 Corinthians 12:1 (NIV)

“Now about the gifts of the Spirit, brothers and sisters, I do not want you to be uninformed…”

1 Corinthians 12:7 (NIV)
“Now to each one the manifestation of the Spirit is given for the common good.”

“A spiritual gift is an ability that is empowered by the Holy Spirit and used to bless and equip other believers, to witness to unbelievers, to destroy the works of Satan and to highlight and give glory to the work and person of Jesus Christ.”

1 Peter 4:10 (NKJV)
“As each one has received a gift, minister it to one another, as good stewards of the manifold grace of God.”

Ephesians 4:12 (NIV)
“For building up the body of Christ…”

Numbers 11:29 (NIV)
“I wish that all the Lord’s people were prophets and that the Lord would put His Spirit on them!”

Joel 2:28-29 (ESV)

“And it shall come to pass afterward, that I will pour out My Spirit on all flesh; your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, your old men shall dream dreams, and your young men shall see visions. Even on the male and female servants in those days I will pour out My Spirit.”

The church was given the power and gifts of the Holy Spirit to finish what Jesus started. 

1. Jesus came to undo what satan and sin had done to humanity.

Luke 4:16-19 (ESV)

“He (Jesus) stood up to read. And the scroll of the prophet Isaiah was given to Him. He unrolled the scroll and found the place where it was written, ‘The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because He has anointed me to proclaim good news to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim liberty to the captives and recovering of sight to the blind, to set at liberty those who are oppressed, to proclaim the year of the Lord's favor.’”

1 John 3:8 (ESV)
“Whoever makes a practice of sinning is of the devil, for the devil has been sinning from the beginning. The reason the Son of God appeared was to destroy the works of the devil.”

Matthew 10:7-8 (ESV)
“The kingdom of heaven is at hand. Heal the sick, raise the dead, cleanse lepers, cast out demons.”

2. The power and gifts of the Holy Spirit are to equip the church to carry out its ministry until Jesus returns.

1 Corinthians 1:7 (ESV)

“You are not lacking in any gift, as you wait for the revealing of our Lord Jesus Christ.”

1 Corinthians 14:12 (ESV)

“Since you are eager for manifestations of the Spirit, strive to excel in building up the church.”

1 Corinthians 14:1 (ESV)
“Pursue love, and earnestly desire the spiritual gifts.”

God the Holy Spirit Part 3

John 16:7 (ESV)
“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 go, I will send Him to you.”

The Help of the Holy Spirit

• Teaches and counsels you on what to do. (John 14:26)
• Makes you aware of sin. (John 16:7-8)
• Is with you in every situation. (1 Corinthians 3:16)
• Gives you illumination of the Scriptures. (1 Corinthians 2:10-11)
• Reveals the unknown thoughts of God to you. (1 Corinthians 2:10-11)
• Gives you wisdom. (Ephesians 1:17-20)
• Guides you in truth for today and shows you what is to come. (John 16:13-15)
• Strengthens you in your human weakness. (Romans 8:26-27)
• Guarantees you eternal life through the righteousness of Jesus. (Romans 8:10-11)
• Enables you to produce good fruit. (Galatians 5:22-25)

God the Holy Spirit Has Given You Spiritual Gifts

2 Timothy 1:6 (ESV)
“I remind you to fan into flame the gift of God, which is in you through the laying on of My hands.”

2 Timothy 1:7 (NIV)
“For the Spirit God gave us does not make us timid, but gives us power, love and self-discipline.”

1 Timothy 4:14a (ESV)
“Do not neglect the gift you have...”

1 Corinthians 12:1 (NIV)
“Now about the gifts of the Spirit, brothers and sisters, I do not want you to be uninformed.”

1 Corinthians 12:3 (NIV)
“I want you to know that no one who is speaking by the Spirit of God says, ‘Jesus be cursed,’ and no one can say, ‘Jesus is Lord,’ except by the Holy Spirit.”

1 Corinthians 12:4-6 (NIV)
“There are different kinds of gifts, but the same Spirit distributes them. There are different kinds of service, but the same Lord. There are different kinds of working, but in all of them and in everyone it is the same God at work.”

1 Corinthians 12:7-11 (NIV)
“Now to each one the manifestation of the Spirit is given for the common good. To one there is given through the Spirit a message of wisdom, to another a message of knowledge by means of the same Spirit, to another faith by the same Spirit, to another gifts of healing by that one Spirit, to another miraculous powers, to another prophecy, to another distinguishing between spirits, to another speaking in different kinds of tongues, and to still another the interpretation of tongues. All these are the work of one and the same Spirit, and He distributes them to each one, just as He determines.”

1 Corinthians 12:18-20 (NIV)
“In fact God has placed the parts in the body, every one of them, just as He wanted them to be. If they were all one part, where would the body be? As it is, there are many parts, but one body.”

1 Corinthians 12:27-30 (NIV)
“Now you are the body of Christ, and each one of you is a part of it. And God has placed in the church first of all apostles, second prophets, third teachers, then miracles, then gifts of healing, of helping, of guidance, and of different kinds of tongues. Are all apostles? Are all prophets? Are all teachers? Do all work miracles? Do all have gifts of healing? Do all speak in tongues? Do all interpret?”

1 Corinthians 12:7 (NIV)
“Now to each one the manifestation of the Spirit is given for the common good.”

Prayer

“God, I ask You to show me what gifts the Holy Spirit has given me with which I might better serve You and others. I completely surrender my will to You and I am excited to know what supernatural gifts You have chosen to give me. I commit to You that I will give Jesus Christ all the credit and glory for any work or miracle You do through my life, my prayers, my actions and my obedience.

I ask that You cleanse me and forgive me from any compromise, sin, wrong beliefs or pride. I ask that You deliver me of everything not pleasing to You, things that would keep me from being a clean vessel for You.
Father God, thank You for loving me and sending Your Son Jesus for me. Jesus, thank You for exchanging Your life for mine. Holy Spirit, thank You for convicting me of my sin and introducing me to Jesus; and thank You for filling me with Your power and manifesting Your spiritual gifts through my life as You chose. Amen!”

God the Holy Spirit

Part 2

John 16:7 (ESV)

“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 go, I will send Him to you.”

Acts 1:4,5b (NIV)
“Do not leave Jerusalem, but wait for the gift My Father promised, which you have heard Me speak about…you will be baptized with the Holy Spirit.”

Acts 1:8 (NIV)
“You will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you…”

1. The work of the Holy Spirit in and through our lives is for the sole purpose of bringing glory and honor to the Person and work of our Savior Jesus Christ. 

John 16:14 (NIV)
“He will glorify Me because it is from Me that He will receive what He will make known to you.”

Zechariah 12:10 (ESV)
“I will pour out on the house of David and the inhabitants of Jerusalem a spirit of grace and pleas for mercy, so that, when they look on Me, on Him whom they have pierced, they shall mourn for Him, as one mourns for an only child, and weep bitterly over Him, as one weeps over a firstborn.”

Acts 1:8 (NIV)
“You will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you; and you will be My witnesses…”

Colossians 3:17 (ESV)
“Whatever you do, in word or deed, do everything in the Name of the Lord Jesus…”

Proverbs 27:21 (NLT)

“Fire tests the purity of silver and gold, but a person is tested by being praised.”

A Church Familiar with God the Holy Spirit

John 14:26 (ESV)

“The Helper, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in My Name…”

John 15:26 (ESV)
“When the Helper comes, whom I will send to you from the Father, the Spirit of truth…”

John 16:7 (ESV)
“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 go, I will send Him to you.”

Acts 1:4-5 (NIV)
“Do not leave Jerusalem, but wait for the gift My Father promised, which you have heard Me speak about. For John baptized with water, but in a few days you will be baptized with the Holy Spirit.”

“The work of the Holy Spirit is to manifest the active presence of the God in the world, and especially in the Church.”

- Wayne Grudem, Systematic Theology

The Activity of God the Holy Spirit

1. Is to bring life and to be a blessing. 

Isaiah 32:14-18 (ESV)

“For the palace is forsaken, the populous city deserted…until the Spirit is poured upon us from on high, and the wilderness becomes a fruitful field, and the fruitful field is deemed a forest. Then justice will dwell in the wilderness, and righteousness abide in the fruitful field. And the effect of righteousness will be peace, and the result of righteousness, quietness and trust forever. My people will abide in a peaceful habitation, in secure dwellings, and in quiet resting places.”

Isaiah 44:3 (ESV)

“For I will pour water on the thirsty land, and streams on the dry ground; I will pour My Spirit upon your offspring, and My blessing on your descendants.”

Isaiah 63:10 (ESV)

“They rebelled and grieved His Holy Spirit; therefore He turned to be their enemy, and Himself fought against them.”

1 Corinthians 6:19 (NIV)

“Do you not know that your bodies are temples of the Holy Spirit, who is in you, whom you have received from God?”