Sister Dorothy Sunday School 9/15/13

Sister Dorothy Sunday School 9/15/13

We need to know how to think about God, about Jesus, and about the Holy Spirit.  We need to know how to conform our mind to what God’s mind is.  We want to think on the same thing that He does.

At no time in the Old Testament is the Holy Ghost mentioned but there are many times in the New.  In the Old it speaks of the Holy Spirit.  The word Holy explains God’s character, Christ’s character, and the character of the Holy Ghost.

Heb 12:14  Follow peace with all men, and holiness, without which no man shall see the Lord:

We must be holy in order to see Him.  It is not multiple choice; it is not ‘we can take or leave it’.  We must be holy as He is holy. 

Luk 11:11  If a son shall ask bread of any of you that is a father, will he give him a stone? or if he ask a fish, will he for a fish give him a serpent?

Luk 11:12  Or if he shall ask an egg, will he offer him a scorpion?

Luk 11:13  If ye then, being evil, know how to give good gifts unto your children: how much more shall your heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to them that ask him?

He is telling us the Father’s character.  He is a father that if you ask good things will give good things. 

He’s talking of the Holy Spirit here.  The disciples asked Him to teach them to pray.  He told them that the Heavenly Father would give the Holy Spirit to them that ask of Him. 

1Th 4:7  For God hath not called us unto uncleanness, but unto holiness.

He has called us to holiness in mind, in thought, in deed, in character, and in personality. 

1Pe 1:16  Because it is written, Be ye holy; for I am holy.

Our desired end should not be happiness, we want to be happy but that should not be the end we work toward.  Our end should not be to be well off.  It is a big thing in our culture.  Health is a big issue but that should not be what we are striving for.  Holiness is what we are working for. 

At all costs we must be rightly related to Him.  Do I believe that we need to be holy?  Do I believe that Jesus paid the price that His image might be in me and I be holy?  The preaching of the cross reveals me to myself that I am unholy.  God has one destined end and that is holiness

Holiness means unsullied walking, thinking, and talking.  It is not only what God gives me but what I manifest that God has given to me. 

We must first of all think holiness.  Is what I am thinking holy?  Put it up to the magnifying glass of God.  He will not dwell in us if we are not holy.

We are living in the dispensation of the Holy Spirit.  The previous dispensation was to believe: Abraham believed God and it was counted unto him for righteousness.  Believe his prophets so shall you prosper(2 Chronicles 20:20).

The disciples asked, “Have you received the Holy Ghost since you believed?”  It is not just believing but receiving in this dispensation.  Have you received since you believed?

Mat 7:16  Ye shall know them by their fruits. Do men gather grapes of thorns, or figs of thistles?

Mat 7:17  Even so every good tree bringeth forth good fruit; but a corrupt tree bringeth forth evil fruit.

Mat 7:18  A good tree cannot bring forth evil fruit, neither can a corrupt tree bring forth good fruit.

Mat 7:19  Every tree that bringeth not forth good fruit is hewn down, and cast into the fire.

Mat 7:20  Wherefore by their fruits ye shall know them.

The fruits are holiness.  The fruits of the Spirit:  love only comes by holiness.  True love is holy.  Love in every aspect of us, our emotions every part of us. 

Joy is not silly.  Joy that comes with Him is holy and doesn’t leave foolishness.  Peace is holy.  Have you ever been somewhere where it was so peaceful that you could say, “I am dwelling in God’s presence?”

We shall know them by their fruits:  We shall know if they are workers of division, or envious.  That is not holy.

Because of the Holy Ghost we have the ability to do the things demanded by God.  If we did not have the Holy Ghost we would not be able to do as He asks.  If He commanded me to be holy and did not give the supply to be holy then He would be unjust.  Since He demands holiness then he will provide the way.  He is not unholy.

1Th 4:3  For this is the will of God, even your sanctification, that ye should abstain from fornication:

1Th 4:4  That every one of you should know how to possess his vessel in sanctification and honour;

We don’t come to sanctification without a price that we have to pay.

In Phil 2:5 it says, “Let this mind be in you.”  In verse 4 it says to be like minded.

Be like minded in joy, in love, in one accord, with no strife or vain glory, be lowly, esteem your brethren, and let this mind be in you as was in Christ. 

Was He selfish with His gifts?  Jesus portrayed himself by what He gave when He was asked.

His mind tells us how to live as well as how to think.  We are His living epistles.

Joh 14:26  But the Comforter, which is the Holy Ghost, whom the Father will send in my name, he shall teach you all things, and bring all things to your remembrance, whatsoever I have said unto you.

Joh 16:13  Howbeit when he, the Spirit of truth, is come, he will guide you into all truth: for he shall not speak of himself; but whatsoever he shall hear, that shall he speak: and he will shew you things to come.

Joh 16:14  He shall glorify me: for he shall receive of mine, and shall shew it unto you.

He is a guide into all truth.  If our heart is happy to be in the house of God, He is guiding us there and causing that joy to be felt.  It is wonderful how He guides us.  If we feel that there is something not right then He is guiding and protecting us.

Beware of any religious experience or cause that lifts you or the cause up but not the atonement. 

I woke up this morning wanting God to commune with my heart.  It is so wonderful when God does that.  He says to be transformed by the renewing of your mind.  Transfigured and renovated. 

Think of a renovation of your house.  It is complete.  I look in magazines of the before and after and you cannot even recognize what it was to begin with.  We need renewing.  We were so sinful and lost without God.  When He came He transformed us.

God gave me the thought of infirmities:  Feebleness, frailty, weakness, strengthless.

He said, “I know your infirmities.”

Heb 4:14  Seeing then that we have a great high priest, that is passed into the heavens, Jesus the Son of God, let us hold fast our profession.

Heb 4:15  For we have not an high priest which cannot be touched with the feeling of our infirmities; but was in all points tempted like as we are, yet without sin.

Heb 4:16  Let us therefore come boldly unto the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy, and find grace to help in time of need.

Rom 8:24  For we are saved by hope: but hope that is seen is not hope: for what a man seeth, why doth he yet hope for?

Rom 8:25  But if we hope for that we see not, then do we with patience wait for it.

Rom 8:26  Likewise the Spirit also helpeth our infirmities: for we know not what we should pray for as we ought: but the Spirit itself maketh intercession for us with groanings which cannot be uttered.

Rom 8:27  And he that searcheth the hearts knoweth what is the mind of the Spirit, because he maketh intercession for the saints according to the will of God.

Rom 8:28  And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose.

The spirit helps our feebleness, frailty, weakness, strengthlessness.  He is touched by the feeling of our infirmities.  I was thinking of prayer:  sometimes we don’t know how to pray.  We feel so feeble and weak, we are burdened and feel the load.  This is where the Holy Ghost comes in and that is to help us to understand the burden. 

Maybe we don’t even have conscious enough thought to understand the burden.  The Holy Spirit comes in and makes intercession with the saints, with unity according to the will of God.  We don’t know how He is going to work but we are burdened.

Praying in the spirit is praying in the Holy Ghost who brings us into perfect unity with God.  We are not thinking of anything else but the union manifests itself in perseverance and supplication for all saints.  It is an intimacy between my spirit and God’s spirit.  We can have that intimacy communing with the Holy Spirit.

Rom 8:26  Likewise the Spirit also helpeth our infirmities: for we know not what we should pray for as we ought: but the Spirit itself maketh intercession for us with groanings which cannot be uttered.

He knows our infirmities and our frailties.  The spirit itself makes intercession.

This reveals our infirmities but it also reveals our intercessor.  This searching of the heart is not for the conviction of sin but the searching to find what is the mind of the Spirit

He makes intercession according to the will of God.  Prayer is asking God to work good for them that love God and are the called according to His purpose.

Sometimes this scripture is taken too ‘oh hum’: you are a saint and everything is going to work to good.

We should rather think, “Oh God, create for good this circumstance.  There is a circumstance here that is not according to my liking.”  Things have happened in my life this way but because of God and His work in my life things have worked to good.

God is the God of creation.  He creates by us asking.  Create for good this circumstance that the saints are asking.  Whether it is sickness or something else, create the circumstance that will work for good in their life.

Come boldly before the throne of grace

“I am touched by the feeling of your infirmities, so come boldly in the Spirit to me and you will find grace to help in time of need.”