The Person and Work of the Holy Spirit lesson 17 continued
Courtney Hemenway · Nov 21, 2021
Holy Spirit (2021-23), No. 40
Holly Hills Bible Church
https://www.hollyhillsbiblechurch.org/teaching/messages/4926192567950

Transcribed from the recording by SermonAudio, so expect the occasional misheard word.

We are in Lesson 17. So we are in question six, read Jude 20 and 21. And the question of what are the four features mentioned regards steadfastness. So, Jude 20, 21. But you, beloved, building yourselves up on your most holy faith, praying in the Holy Spirit, keep yourselves in the love of God, waiting anxiously for the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ to return. So perspective, Jude was the half-brother of the Lord and brother to James, leader of the Jerusalem church.

He was addressing the apostasy and the Gnosticism that was teaching that everything material, including flesh, was evil and everything spiritual was good, which allowed them to do anything in the flesh because it was evil. I think that's always a weird perspective. It's your flesh, so let it go. You can do whatever you want in the flesh. the truth and not be swayed by Gnostic teachings.

So, now what are the four features brought out by Jude regarding being steadfast? Anybody have at least one? From right up? Yeah, building themselves up on their most holy faith. Again, I like that, on their faith. And what's the next one? Praying in the Holy Spirit. Praying in the Holy Spirit. Next one? Keeping themselves in the love of God. Keeping themselves in the love of God. And the last one? Correct. You know, isn't that one, I think when Verne went over the crowns, isn't that one of the crowns for us, those who are looking for So I guess the note that I had is the building up in the Greek is present tense, active voice, Greek participle, meaning we're to actively build ourselves up. And so by what? We're supposed to build ourselves up in the faith, by what?

Praying in the Holy Ghost? Praying in the Holy Spirit? Praying in the Holy Spirit, and then what? Just where you're going to receive a crown for? Looking or waiting anxiously for the mercy of the Lord. So, it's kind of interesting that building up, we're to actively build ourselves up by praying in the Holy Spirit and looking or waiting anxiously for the mercy of the Lord. Yeah. are both in the present tense, middle voice. So that means we are continually participating in this action. So continually praying in the Holy Spirit and continually looking for the Lord's return. And I keep thinking about that. Is that the way we think or act in our prayers? Or building our faith up, waiting for the Lord? I think a lot of us I think that's the whole premise of what we've been studying on this brain and the Holy Spirit.

And so, the keeping ourselves in the love of God is aristentic. You know, it's active voice and imperative. So that means God actively loves us continually, and it's a command of God. I thought that was pretty good. Keeping ourselves in the love of God, that God actively loves us. You know, that's the, there's a lot of things that I've been saying about the sovereignty is the eternal love for us, Romans 8, 30 section, where it talks about how we cannot be separated from his love. So he's actively loving us continually, falls right in the same way. On that, the four features mentioned in regards to steadfastness. Steadfastness is building ourselves up, praying in the Holy Spirit, keeping ourselves in the love of God, and looking for the coming of the Lord. Pretty good list.

So, seven, what's the difference, this was an interesting one, what's the difference between formal prayer and prayer in the Holy Spirit? What is formal prayer? Ritual? Ritual? Other thoughts on formal prayer? I think formal prayer can be, you know, in some denominations there's a lot of formalized prayer where they say the same thing over and over again.

Somebody else wrote it. But I also think that there's a tendency in your own life to pray the same way all the time. You pray before meals. Is it different today than it was a week ago? No, it's the same thing. You repeat it and you say it all the time. Or is it that it's so formal, again, remember you're, he's asked us to come with the intimacy of daddy.

And I wonder about the formal prayer. Oh great God, you can do it. But is that also formal where you make it so impersonal and it is become a rote statement in your prayer? Is that formal? That's the question. You thought it out carefully so that it sounds really wonderful. I'm just saying somebody's thought it out so carefully so that they want it to sound really wonderful.

And maybe they're not doing it in the spirit of the Holy Spirit. people and you're pointing to God the Father. It's not about you, number one, and verbal open prayer. This is in a group. It's just totally the wrong attitude that I wanted to be just like those guys. Well, number one, should I have them as a standard? No. Number two, it's not about how fancy you sound.

The formal end of it, that's kind of when I read this question. So, again, I think the formal, is it prayer that is without guidance or direction from the Holy Spirit, or that does not bind up with Scripture? Is that what formal prayer would be? I have one train of thought on that.

The background I grew up in was a little bit more to the charismatic direction. At my graduation ceremony, I was asked to give the prayer because I was the only believer in the class. So anyway, my background kind of encouraged me to say, don't prepare anything, you need to go up there and be led by the Spirit. Better judgment may have said, maybe think it through at least a little bit first, but The view and the sort of the more charismatic thing is, you know, don't think, don't prepare, just go with your feeling. And that's more spiritual. And I mean, quite frankly, I got up there and fumbled with my words for, you know, 30 seconds or whatever. And it was kind of, I think I kind of learned that. you know, my feelings don't give much, really much leading or much guidance.

But I think the way I've come to understand, you know, spiritual praying and spirit is praying consistent with what the Spirit would direct. And He's given us an awful lot of content in the Word as to what that what that looks like so you know to have a prayer that's somewhat prepared beforehand or whatever is i think okay um but you know repetitive empty repetitive words aren't okay either there is a you know an in between there maybe but that was just a little experience on that And I agree with that. If you're praying before a big group or something, think about the group and what the group needs or whatever. I think that's very true. I think I asked Mike to pray before the last fellowship he held me. So, I did learn that lesson to give a little bit of a warning for somebody, you know, before meeting.

As stated previously, we have intimacy with God such that we call upon him as daddy. He's not looking for formal responses. So I think in our personal life, I talk to the father all the time. It's not great thought out that I needed 20 minutes of meditation thinking about what I'm going to say to the father.

So there's two halves to this, which I agree with. If you're going to pray before a big group, whatever that group needs, that you prepare. Some can pray without, and very effective prayer, I think, just by immediacy and what the Holy Spirit has. There's two halves to it, and I agree with that. Spending time and thinking about it is sometimes better than just a feeling or emotion, so I understand that.

But also, the intimacy that we have at any time, Kind of a formal prayer, yeah. Well, wouldn't it be though, too, like going back to your rote memory or whatever, you know, you're just thinking about, I don't know, different things, and you just say it because of rote memory, and then you catch yourself, and it's like, I don't know what to say, God.

So that's where the Holy Spirit comes in, and he utters prayers that are from your heart to God. Wouldn't that be Yeah, yeah, I think I think you know my line is I Don't think there's a wrong prayer Because I think you just the communication that we have with with the father because of that very fact that the Holy Spirit What are we learning in Romans 8 26 27 28 is that that he will take? And the groanings it's the groanings of the Holy Spirit and and take it before the father so I think you know, just repetitive.

But I don't think there's ever a time that we should be discouraged from going before the Father. It's not every day. Yeah, yeah. No, but I mean, yeah, I understand what you're saying, too. And I think in time, the Holy Spirit is the one that will move you to, you know, to what's your heart versus just the repetitive nature.

How have you grown up a Catholic? I don't know how many are familiar with the praying of the rosary. So it's specific prayer on specific beads. repeated over and over and over again. I remember as a kid, my mother used to make us pray the rosaries, and all I could do was to think about it. I've got seven beads left. Now I'm down to six. I've got five. That kind of thing.

Especially in Catholicism, everything is formalized prayer. Everything they do, even if you go to one of their services, they will say the first half of the prayer and it's your job to say the second half and you better get it right. But mine is, you know, does the Holy Spirit intercept that and intercede for us? I don't think, like, if you're praying to the Virgin Mary, he's not in the middle of that. No, no, I think, yeah, right. But a lot of churches repeat in a formal way the Apostles' Creed. Yeah, I don't know. This is more of a question of the formality of it.

I'm of the opinion that any time you're in communication, praying, that's a good thing. Even if it's wrong, that's why the Holy Spirit intercedes for us. Well, I'm pretty much convinced One of the things you learn as a believer is about this prayer thing, because you want to communicate, but you don't want to do all the talking, so to speak. A friend of mine used to say, well, my prayers go to the ceiling and they bounce back.

And I said, well, you ought to shut up and listen sometimes. Read God's word. I disagree with that. The Holy Spirit intercepts it. Well, I think prayer is really a form of communication, and communication is a two-way street. Oh, yeah. I mean, I shouldn't say I'm a talker. No, really? Yeah. Maybe I should do more listening, I think.

But anyway, one of the things, right out of the display, there is all the reality which the Spirit gives us, as well as the persistence. If there is to be stability, it must be in the power of the Spirit of God. All else will fail. Human strength and human wisdom all falter here. But he who has the living link with God perseveres unto the end. There's a vast difference between formal prayer and praying the Holy Ghost. those indwelt by the Holy Spirit can truly pray. What's everybody's thought on that? I agree with that. Agree? Yeah. Yeah, I think so, Courtney. I think it's just like Mike uses the example of how do I get to know my wife? I spend time with her.

We also have said something quite often is that when it comes to communication between believers, Christ and me doesn't have any problem with Christ in you. And that's a direct connection to, you know, in terms of believers being able to communicate with one another, it's in the Spirit. That's where the conversation is in Christ, right? And the same thing goes for direct communication with Him.

Without the Holy Spirit, there is no two-way conversation, right? Yeah, what I had was, I think non-believers pray all the time, especially in times of stress or dire need. You know, there are a bunch of people who are non-believers, but they'll pray all the time. But are their prayers the same as a believer's prayer?

I want to ask this question. What about the prayer, God, show me yourself? I want to believe, but I don't have any reasons around me to believe my circumstances, my relationships are torn. But I don't even know who you are. But if you are real, show yourself to me.

Does God hear that? Is that in the spirit? That was kind of my question. I think in a lot of situations, I don't think it's the same prayer, but I know that in my own life with coming to where I came to know the Lord, I'd pray. I think the Holy Spirit was working on me, not indwelled, but working on me. I think in those situations, you're to the point where you're asking.

It's not the same prayer as what a believer has. I think that you can't have that, because we're just learning. It's the Holy Spirit that indwells us, that intercedes for us in prayer. A non-believer doesn't have that. So I think it's the prayer of somebody who is praying that prayer, like praying, JD, what you said. I think it's the Holy Spirit working on somebody, but it's not the same prayer. I don't want to say efficacy, but... Same effect? Same effect, yeah. I mean, as a believer and a non-believer are different.

I think they pray and, you know, the soldier in the foxhole, you know, get me out of here without my head being blown off, you know. He's not a believer, but he's praying. You know, I don't think it's nowhere near the same as a believer, but it's that God using situations to draw him to himself. Well, here's an example that a Philippian jailer came in and said, what must I do to be saved? Well, that's a prayer. What has to happen for me to be saved?

Right. So I think, again, just the equivalency of a believer and a non-believer, they're not the same. I think the Holy Spirit's working on people that draws them to call out in any manner about the Lord. Show me. Do that. But it's not the same as a believer. Yeah, one of the things, and I know you're going to get to this, so I'm going to steal it from you. Just the praying in the Holy Spirit includes the wisdom and the power of the Holy Spirit.

So if we think about those things on the one hand for believers, and we think about the lack of those things, you know, being present for an unbeliever, then you have a totally different ballgame, so to speak. Yeah, and it's what, you know, in Corinthians, a carnal mind cannot understand the crying out. And I think it's the Holy Spirit working on something. I mean, you know, my own life and the different circumstances and things that God brought before me to draw me to his son. You know, I think there are all those things, but again, it's just not the same. The card of mine can't understand it.

And so, and again, the indwelling of the Holy Spirit, that God then searches the hearts of the believer and the mind of the Holy Spirit. The non-believer does not have the indwelling of the Holy Spirit. So it has to be different. So again, I think many non-believers will pray, but maybe that is the Holy Spirit working on a person to draw him to his son.

Anything else on that before we move on? Any thoughts? There's this formal prayer I was kind of wondering, just phrasing So question eight, read Ephesians 6, 14 through 18. What is the answer for the believer in this conflict? I like this one. So I'll read it again, New American Standard.

Stand firm, therefore, having girded your loins with truth and having put on the breastplate of righteousness and having shod your feet with the preparation of the gospel of peace. And in addition to all, taking up the shield of faith with which you will be able to extinguish So the first question is, what is the conflict? If you back up two verses, it'll tell you what the conflict is.

Ephesians 6.12 says, For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against rulers, against the powers, and against the world forces of this darkness, against the spiritual forces. of wickedness in heavenly places. That's the conflict. And in verse 16, taking up the shield of faith with which you will be able to extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one. So that jives with the previous verses.

So we are to extinguish the flaming arrows of the evil one. It's important to note that there are many defensive weapons and one offensive one. So when you read that list, so what do you think we're equipped Are we to go on the offensive with respects to the evil one? We don't have the power. We have all this neat equipment. All this equipment is for defense, not for offense. The only offensive weapon is the word of God, the sword of the spirit. But everything else is defense. And we need the defense. If we're concentrating on being fully equipped, then we will be able to defend against the flaming arrows of evil. If we're not, then yeah, well, not so good. Number one, do we have the victory already? Yes. So why are we equipped this way?

You know, it says stand fast. We're equipped to stand, not run, not walk, not gallop, just stand. Hold the ground. Hold the ground. Verse 14, stand firm. Stand firm. And then he gives all the equipment. Stand and don't go after. This is a defeated foe. We are just to guard ourselves from the evil ones so we aren't moved away from our fellowship with Christ and the Father. Positionally, we've won.

Is this conditional? What they're talking about, is this conditional or positional? Oh, good point. Well, this is talking about position, but it becomes conditional as we stand firm. Yeah, I think this is on the conditional side. We've already won. God has already defeated Satan. We have a position that can't be moved. So why do we have these defenses? What is this talking about? This is for us now in our condition, I think. This is now for our conditional standpoint.

He can't impact our position at all. That's true. There's nothing he can throw at us, no dart that he can throw at us. This is, you know, stand firm. We're not to go after him. We're supposed to stand firm. And again, I think it's very, between verse 14, stand firm, and then we have five defensive weapons and one offensive, which is just to extinguish the darts that are going after us.

One thing I was going to mention on the offensive weapon, it's the word of God. He's given us all this defensive to keep our condition, our fellowship with him, not moved. And it's the word of God that is the one that's gonna fling all these things away. Defensively, we have all this, and faith being one of the keys, and then the word of God. That's cool. Not anything that we have to worry about our position.

These flaming darts that are coming at us from Satan, even if the shield isn't up or we aren't using it, our position does not move one iota. I wanted to mention the sword of the spirit. The sword isn't always an offensive weapon. It's also defensive too. We've been given the sword of the spirit. uh... you know we may use it offensively but it's uh... you know it's a pretty defensive weapon yeah i think that's why you're extinguishing the darts you know it's like waving it off with the word of god you can also use it offensively but almost as a defensive weapon too but it's just interesting like i said but it starts off with stand firm we're not to go out to war just to stand firm in what we know and we have.

So the question, Courtney, is this is this spiritual battle? Yeah, I believe so. This is all about condition, our condition that Satan tried to move. You know, the other thing in which I always think about this too, Satan throwing the darts. Who allowed him to throw the darts? God did. He allowed him to do that. Because he's a defeated foe. So these are spiritual, JD. I don't think this is, you know, anything earthly, physical, you know, although things can happen in trials and all that, but this is a spiritual.

AJD, in verse 13, it's put on the full armor of God verse that we might stand. So it supposes that we're going to be attacked. And we've seen it the last 18 months and all over the world where there's not only a sickness that's going around, but there's a mindset now to attack the Word of God.

And so I find it interesting with some believers some of the really smart ones, they want to get into a fight with the opposition. And I think God's word says, stand there with God's word and stand in the position of victory because it's already been done. And it's a subtlety, I think, of the opposition to draw you out of that standing to engage. And I think when you engage, you lose. Yeah, I think there's also the fact that stand and defend. We are how people see Christ today. And we are the ambassadors. We're the ones who bring his message to the world. And so we need to stand firm in our conviction and in the word.

And Mike, I think what you're saying really does resonate in the sense that, I mean, if you look at Ephesians 6, 12, it is a struggle, but it's not against flesh and blood. So, like you said, Courtney, but you see all these forces and powers, you know, following that you've got rulers against powers against the world forces and darkness and wickedness and all of the things that are taking place in the spiritual realm. And then it moves on, it talks about the armor of God and the role of prayer within that struggle, so to speak, that Paul calls it in verse 12. But then he moves on to talk about the purpose of it all. And I don't want to steal any thunder, but the whole thing leads up to a specific reason for taking on the armor and engaging in the struggle. So, and that has to do with what? What's the end result if we go down to 19 or, yeah, 1920?

Go for it. Yeah. Pray on my behalf, so Paul's behalf, that the utterance may be given to me in the opening of my mouth to make known what? The boldness of the mystery of the gospel. And we'll touch on some other things before that. I didn't go on, but the write-up brings it this way.

In this conflict, there are various weapons of defense and one offense, the sword of the spirit, which is a word or saying of God. When mention of the word of God is made, it is quickly followed by prayer for the two go together. So from verse 17 and 18. And take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the spirit, which is the word of God. 18, with all prayer and petition, pray at all times in the spirit.

With this in view, be on the alert. With all perseverance and petition for all the saints. I think this was interesting. We're to be armed to defend ourselves and What's it say? For all the saints. Our defense is also for all the saints, too. I thought that was kind of an interesting twist to this. Not only our own self-defense, but it's with prayer and petition, pray at all times of spirit, and with this in view, be on alert with all perseverance and petition for all the saints. So not only are we being, you know, I think about what you're saying about the world. we as believers throughout the world should be on the defense of his... That we would stand. We would stand. Yeah. And go against what's going on.

So I think that's it. It was an interesting twist that not only for us, this self-armament that we have, but it's also prayer and petition for the saints, all the saints. JD, I think 19 and 20 are specific to the Apostle Paul. That's an interesting point.

Go ahead and say why, if you don't mind. Because what he's asking is for prayer on his behalf, and that he might be able to do something. He can open his mouth, make known the boldness of the mystery of the gospel, for which I'm an ambassador. An ambassador is one who's been called to do something specific. In chains, in the proclaiming, I may speak boldly as I ought to speak.

I'm not sure that all believers have that same commission. For the gospel and to be an ambassador, not in chains necessarily. But yeah, I see exactly what you're saying, Mike. And I think you're right. And it's interesting, because in verse 18, it includes the larger body. Yeah. In 19, he moves specifically to himself there. Yeah. Yeah, because it's interesting what Paul does.

Paul's job is to go around and tell people who haven't heard that the war has been won, so to speak. And that here's what you do as a member of the victorious army. You put the armor on and you stand. And you hold the ground and you don't give any of it up. You know? Well, so that can include, you know, giving out the gospel. It can include a lot of things, what the Lord has called you specifically to be involved in his body with.

And that's the only reason I say that is that I think that, or it appears like what's happening here in those two verses that it's Paul's ministry. except for the fact that verse 15 calls out all believers with the preparation of the gospel. So that relates, but it's not, I get it. And I agree that specifically it gets towards Paul, but there's an overlap in terms of believers and what Paul was accomplishing as well through the Lord.

But yeah, that's good. Sorry, Courtney, to get a little ahead there. No, no, that's fine. glorious principles to reveal his glory, share his glory, ultimately to be glorified. Yeah, our charge. Yeah, well unfortunately Thank you again just for what we see in your word, what Paul has brought forth about all the equipment that we have to stand firm, and that it is our charge not to go after Satan, but to stand firm in your word. in the knowledge that is given to us through the Holy Spirit. We thank you that you have given us the equipment to defend ourselves and to stand firm, to keep our condition, our relationship with you, Father, in as good a shape as possible from our side, because it never changes on your side. fact that you never change, you have an eternal love for us and ultimately you're sovereignly in control of all these situations. So we rest in that fact and thank you for it. And again, we just thank you for this time.