September 23, 2018

Sunday School
The Holy Spirit - Part 5
We Need to Seek the Holy Spirit Earnestly

• 1 Peter 4:14 - If you are insulted because of the name of Christ, you are blessed, for the Spirit of glory and of God rests on you.
• Jeremiah 29:13 - You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart.
• So why would we want to drift through our lives seeking so small of a portion of him?
• John 3:5 - Jesus answered, "Very truly I tell you, no one can enter the kingdom of God unless they are born of water and of the Spirit.
• 1 Corinthians 12:3 - Therefore I want you to know that no one who is speaking by the Spirit of God says, "Jesus is Lord," but the same Spirit distributes them.
• Romans 8:13 - For if you live according to the flesh, you will die; but if by the Spirit you put to death the misdeeds of the body, you will live.
• 2 Thessalonians 2:13 - But we ought always to thank God for you, brothers and sisters loved by the Lord, because God chose you as first-fruits to be saved through the sanctifying work of the Spirit and through belief in the truth. 
• Hebrews 12:14 - Make every effort to live in peace with everyone and to be holy; without holiness no one will see the Lord.
• Ephesians 1:17 - I keep asking that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the glorious Father, may give you the Spirit of wisdom and revelation, so that you may know Him better.
• 1 Corinthians 12:7 - Now to each one the manifestation of the Spirit is given for the common good.
• Romans 8:11 - And if the Spirit of Him who raised Jesus from the dead is living in you, He who raised Christ from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies because of His Spirit who lives in you.

Without the Holy Spirit.....
We have........

1. no new birth
2. no confession of the lordship of Christ
3. no victory over sin
4. no progress in sanctification
5. no spiritual wisdom
6. no spiritual gifts
7. no resurrection from the dead

• As we become more like Christ, our problems arise from living as redeemed spirits in unredeemed bodies and in this unredeemed world.
• As the Holy Spirit continues to work in us, we can find joy growing in us which continually allows us to more in the image of Christ. Psalm 17:15 - "I shall be satisfied when I awake, with Thy likeness."

Sermon
2 Chronicles 20:1-4 & 15 - After this, the Moabites and Ammonites with some of the Meunites came to wage war against Jehoshaphat.  Some people came and told Jehoshaphat, "A vast army is coming against you from Edom, from the other side of the Dead Sea.  If is already in Hazezon Tamar" (that is, En Gedi).  Alarmed, Jehoshaphat resolved to inquire of the Lord, and he proclaimed a fast for all Judah.  The people of Judah came together to seek help from the Lord; indeed, they cam from every town in Judah to seek him.    He said: "Listen, King Jehoshaphat and all who live in Judah and Jerusalem! This is what the Lord says to you: 'Do not be afraid or discouraged because of this vast army. For the battle is not yours, but God's."
Topic: How Do We Win The Battles of Life in These Days of Our Lives?

• The Christian life is a battlefield for God.
• We need to put on the Whole Armor of God each day.
• Our battles are spiritual, political, relationships, financial, health wise, etc.
• Jehoshaphat had three enemies but to win he needed to.....
• Know who the enemy was
• Remove all emotion from the battle lest one gets beside ones self.
• Be quick to listen, slow to speak and slow to anger.  James 1:19
•  God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power and of love and of sound mind. 2 Timothy 1:7
• Take your burden to the Lord and leave it there.
• But seek ye first the kingdom of God and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you.  Matthew 6:33-34
• Men ought always to pray and not faint.  Luke 18:1
• We should acknowledge that we need God's help.
• We must submit ourselves to God.
• God resists the proud, but gives grace to the humble.  James 4:6
• Let your speech always be gracious, seasoned with salt, so that you may know how to answer everyone.  Colossians 4:6
• We must rely on the power of God.
• And if your eye be single to my glory, your whole bodies shall be filled with light.
• Remember, the battle has already been won!