Jul. 26, 2020

By My Spirit

 

Primary Text:  Zechariah 4:6-9                                July 25 & 26, 2020

 

Last Week’s Teaching:  Love for Others – Part 2

 

1)  Ongoing Choices

 

1 Corinthians 13:4-8, 13:  Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud.  It is not rude, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs.  Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth.  It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres.  Love never fails….  And now these three remain: faith, hope and love.  But the greatest of these is love. 

 

          DQ 1) In what ways is love made up of choices?

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2)  Dangerous Hatred

 

1 John 2:9-11:  Anyone who claims to be in the light but hates his brother is still in the darkness.   Whoever loves his brother lives in the light, and there is nothing in him to make him stumble.  But whoever hates his brother is in the darkness and walks around in the darkness; he does not know where he is going, because the darkness has blinded him.

 

          DQ 2) Do you have any strongholds of hatred toward others?

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3)  Spurred Toward Love

 

Hebrews 10:23-25:  Let us hold unswervingly to the hope we profess, for he who promised is faithful.  And let us consider how we may spur one another on toward love and good deeds.  Let us not give up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing, but let us encourage one another--and all the more as you see the Day approaching. 

 

DQ 3) How can you encourage others to be more loving?

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This Week’s Teaching

 

1)  Not by Might

 

Zechariah 4:6-9:  So he [the angel of the Lord] said to me, "This is the word of the LORD to Zerubbabel: 'Not by might nor by power, but by my Spirit,' says the LORD Almighty.  "What are you, O mighty mountain?  Before Zerubbabel you will become level ground.  Then he will bring out the capstone to shouts of 'God bless it!  God bless it!'"  Then the word of the LORD came to me: "The hands of Zerubbabel have laid the foundation of this temple; his hands will also complete it.  Then you will know that the LORD Almighty has sent me to you.

 

          DQ 1) What was Zerubbabel’s mission?  How was it completed?

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2)  Power From On High

 

Luke 24:46-52:  He [Jesus] told them, "This is what is written: The Christ will suffer and rise from the dead on the third day, and repentance and forgiveness of sins will be preached in his name to all nations, beginning at Jerusalem.  You are witnesses of these things.  I am going to send you what my Father has promised; but stay in the city until you have been clothed with power from on high."  When he had led them out to the vicinity of Bethany, he lifted up his hands and blessed them.  While he was blessing them, he left them and was taken up into heaven.  Then they worshiped him and returned to Jerusalem with great joy. 

 

John 14:15-20:  ¹⁵ "If you love me, you will obey what I command. ¹⁶ And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another Counselor to be with you forever-- ¹⁷ the Spirit of truth. The world cannot accept him, because it neither sees him nor knows him. But you know him, for he lives with you and will be in you. ¹⁸ I will not leave you as orphans; I will come to you. ¹⁹ Before long, the world will not see me anymore, but you will see me. Because I live, you also will live. ²⁰ On that day you will realize that I am in my Father, and you are in me, and I am in you. 

 

DQ 2) What is the power of the Holy Spirit with which we are clothed?

          DQ 3) What does John 14:20 mean when it says Jesus is in the Father, we are in Jesus, and Christ is in us?

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3)  Filled with the Spirit

 

Acts 2:1-5, 14-18:  When the day of Pentecost came, they were all together in one place.  Suddenly a sound like the blowing of a violent wind came from heaven and filled the whole house where they were sitting.  They saw what seemed to be tongues of fire that separated and came to rest on each of them.  All of them were filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in other tongues as the Spirit enabled them.  Now there were staying in Jerusalem God-fearing Jews from every nation under heaven….  Then Peter stood up with the Eleven, raised his voice and addressed the crowd: "Fellow Jews and all of you who live in Jerusalem, let me explain this to you; listen carefully to what I say.  These men are not drunk, as you suppose.  It's only nine in the morning!  No, this is what was spoken by the prophet Joel: "In the last days, God says, I will pour out my Spirit on all people.  Your sons and daughters will prophesy, your young men will see visions, your old men will dream dreams.  Even on my servants, both men and women, I will pour out my Spirit in those days, and they will prophesy."

 

          DQ 4) What does it mean to be filled with the Holy Spirit?

DQ 5) Have you asked God to fill you with the Holy Spirit?

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