LEARNING DAILY

2 Corinthians 1:21-22, It is God who enables us, along with you, to stand firm for Christ. He has commissioned us, and He has identified us as His own by placing the Holy Spirit in our hearts as the first installment that guarantees everything He has promised us. (NLT)

Pastor Ed Newton, Lead Pastor at Community Bible Church, continued his series on the importance of the Holy Spirit in each Believer. He said, “No one is ‘born again’ until the Holy Spirit has opened their heart to receive the message of salvation; salvation does not happen on its own.” Your salvation did not occur because you wanted it to; the Holy spirit created that desire in you to begin with. “God made each of us [Believers] new through the death of His Son on a cross, but I [your name] want to look more like Jesus each day” (EN). That is done through the work of the Holy Spirit in you. Jesus Christ gave this example as He was conceived by the Holy Spirit (Matthew 1:20) and set apart by God to be holy (Luke 1:35).

Jesus went to John the Baptist at age 30 to be baptized. When He came up out of the water, the Spirit of God, in the form of a dove, descended from heaven and rested on Jesus (John 1:32). “Jesus was baptized to restore what was broken in the Garden of Eden. Because Jesus had the Holy Spirit, Believers have the Holy Spirit” (EN). That is important because right after this, Jesus was “led” by the Holy Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted (Luke 4:1). Believers need to understand when they are saved the Holy Spirit comes to live within them, to guide, lead and help them not only walk closer to Jesus but to guide and help them stand strong when temptations come. “Stand strong in the authority of Jesus and the power of the Holy Spirit” (EN). Jesus was showing how to do this.

Jesus was fully God even when He walked this earth. He was led into the wilderness. He spoke what God, the Father, told Him to speak (John 12:49-50). He said He could only do what He saw His Father do (John 5:19). He was totally God, totally man – but He chose to do what the Holy Spirit led Him to do. “He chose to operate in the power of the Holy Spirit to show every Believer how to operate in the power of the Holy Spirit. Jesus ministered in the Spirit. He said that He was anointed to preach the “Good news” to the poor (Luke 4:18). It was by the power of the Holy Spirit that He cast out demons, and the kingdom of God came upon those who followed Him (Matthew 12:28) And the miracles He did was because of the Holy Spirit and His power (Acts 10:38). Because Jesus had the Holy Spirit, Believers have the Holy Spirit (EN) – that means “each Believer is equipped to do these same things” (EN).

The Holy Spirit also led Jesus to a cross; Jesus Christ chose to die on that cross. The Holy Spirit raised Him from the dead. For the Believer that means, “the Holy Spirit is leading you to die to self, pick up your cross, and follow Jesus. How can you do that? The same Holy Spirit that did that for Jesus lives with you (Romans 8:11), empowering you to walk out of and away from all sinful behavior and thoughts that have led you before” (EN). As a Believer, you have been empowered by the Holy Spirit to be witnesses for the Lord Jesus Christ.

Jesus was fully God on earth. He showed us that He did not live independently from the Holy Spirit. Neither can you and I! (From the takeaway statement on the notes.)

The verses shown in () were taken from the sermon notes.