Lessons for Living (Audio)

We are continuing Pastor Mark’s teaching on the Holy Spirit, and how it’s important to remember that the Holy Spirit was essential to Jesus’ life and His ministry. The Spirit-filled life is vital for every single Christ follower, and we need to do what Jesus did, which was to be baptized in the Holy Spirit and be completely submitted to and controlled by God. We need to remember to allow the Holy Spirit to do the jobs He is here to do, namely to indwell us constantly, convict us of sin, teach us and remind us of God’s words to us, and to comfort us and encourage us when we are attacked by the enemy.

When we look at the life of Jesus and the things He did – the miracles He performed and the lives that were impacted by Him – and contrast all of that with our sometimes mundane lives, it can be depressing. Jesus promised that we would be able to do the same things He did, but we don’t have the power, the holiness that we see in His life. Pastor Mark will be reminding us of the need to be filled with the Holy Spirit as we were designed to be, being obedient to the Spirit’s prompting and trusting Him for the outcome, and realizing that living like Jesus is not some task to perform, but a lifestyle to embrace.

When we look at the life of Jesus and the things He did – the miracles He performed and the lives that were impacted by Him – and contrast all of that with our sometimes mundane lives, it can be depressing. Jesus promised that we would be able to do the same things He did, but we don’t have the power, the holiness that we see in His life. Pastor Mark will be reminding us of the need to be filled with the Holy Spirit as we were designed to be, being obedient to the Spirit’s prompting and trusting Him for the outcome, and realizing that living like Jesus is not some task to perform, but a lifestyle to embrace.

Jesus, before He left His disciples, promised them that the Holy Spirit, the third member of the Godhead, would come and live with them, and that the Spirit would have the same kind of relationship with them that they had had with Jesus. That’s quite amazing and as we see from the scripture it was indeed the case. Pastor Mark has been teaching that as they followed Jesus’ example, being baptized in the Spirit, allowing the Spirit to control their living and decision-making, and permitting the Spirit to lead them, the Holy Spirit was then able to do the things through the disciples that we read about in the book of Acts.

Jesus, before He left His disciples, promised them that the Holy Spirit, the third member of the Godhead, would come and live with them, and that the Spirit would have the same kind of relationship with them that they had had with Jesus. That’s quite amazing and as we see from the scripture it was indeed the case. Pastor Mark has been teaching that as they followed Jesus’ example, being baptized in the Spirit, allowing the Spirit to control their living and decision-making, and permitting the Spirit to lead them, the Holy Spirit was then able to do the things through the disciples that we read about in the book of Acts.

The Bible tells us that Jesus was tempted in every way that we are, yet without sin. It’s also clear from the scriptures that He lived His life much like everyone else of that time. We need to grasp the importance of Jesus’ having willingly set His power aside, living like any other mortal, because to do so will help us understand that the power that He used, the power of the Holy Spirit, is available to us as well. Pastor Mark has been teaching from the book of Luke, revisiting the story of the beginning of Jesus’ ministry and showing His complete reliance upon the Holy Spirit to lead, guide, and empower Him.

The Bible tells us that Jesus was tempted in every way that we are, yet without sin. It’s also clear from the scriptures that He lived His life much like everyone else of that time. We need to grasp the importance of Jesus’ having willingly set His power aside, living like any other mortal, because to do so will help us understand that the power that He used, the power of the Holy Spirit, is available to us as well. Pastor Mark has been teaching from the book of Luke, revisiting the story of the beginning of Jesus’ ministry and showing His complete reliance upon the Holy Spirit to lead, guide, and empower Him.

The Bible tries to show that when Jesus came to earth, that He lived His life in the same way that we do, without any “cheating” by using aspects of the divine nature of His being. Although difficult to comprehend, it is critically important for us to understand this. Pastor Mark will attempt to show how Jesus’ setting aside His divine nature while on earth and His subsequent dependence upon the Holy Spirit to perform miracles and do the other things He did makes it evident that if we follow His example of a devotional life and obedience to God that we can do the same things Jesus did while He was here.

The Bible tries to show that when Jesus came to earth, that He lived His life in the same way that we do, without any “cheating” by using aspects of the divine nature of His being. Although difficult to comprehend, it is critically important for us to understand this. Pastor Mark will attempt to show how Jesus’ setting aside His divine nature while on earth and His subsequent dependence upon the Holy Spirit to perform miracles and do the other things He did makes it evident that if we follow His example of a devotional life and obedience to God that we can do the same things Jesus did while He was here.

As we look at the life of Jesus, it is reasonable to ask why Jesus didn’t begin His ministry sooner. It seems He knew His calling at an early age, so why not begin then? Simply put, it wasn’t time yet. Pastor Mark will be reminding us that God’s will always includes God’s timing. Just as it was with Jesus, so it is with us. Thus, at the right time, Jesus began His ministry, calling people to repentance as well as warning them of the coming judgment. While some people don’t like to hear about judgment, the story displays Jesus’ love for the people in that he was willing to share the bad news alongside the good news despite the consequences.