Holy Spirit – Pt 1

John 15:26 (NLT)

26 “But I will send you the Advocate—the Spirit of truth. He will come to you from the Father and will testify all about me.

The Holy Spirit reveals Jesus.

Genesis 1:1-3 (NLT)

In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth. The earth was formless and empty, and darkness covered the deep waters. And the Spirit of God was hovering over the surface of the waters.

Then God said, “Let there be light,” and there was light.

Luke 1:35 (NLT)

35 The angel replied, “The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you. So the baby to be born will be holy, and he will be called the Son of God.

Luke 3:21-22 (NLT)

21 One day when the crowds were being baptized, Jesus himself was baptized. As he was praying, the heavens opened, 22 and the Holy Spirit, in bodily form, descended on him like a dove. And a voice from heaven said, “You are my dearly loved Son, and you bring me great joy.”

Acts 1:8 (NLT)

But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes upon you. And you will be my witnesses, telling people about me everywhere—in Jerusalem, throughout Judea, in Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.”

John 7:37-39 (NLT)

37 On the last day, the climax of the festival, Jesus stood and shouted to the crowds, “Anyone who is thirsty may come to me! 38 Anyone who believes in me may come and drink! For the Scriptures declare, ‘Rivers of living water will flow from his heart.’” 39 (When he said “living water,” he was speaking of the Spirit, who would be given to everyone believing in him. But the Spirit had not yet been given, because Jesus had not yet entered into his glory.)

Luke 11:5-13 (NLT)

Then, teaching them more about prayer, he used this story: “Suppose you went to a friend’s house at midnight, wanting to borrow three loaves of bread. You say to him, ‘A friend of mine has just arrived for a visit, and I have nothing for him to eat.’ And suppose he calls out from his bedroom, ‘Don’t bother me. The door is locked for the night, and my family and I are all in bed. I can’t help you.’ But I tell you this—though he won’t do it for friendship’s sake, if you keep knocking long enough, he will get up and give you whatever you need because of your shameless persistence.

“And so I tell you, keep on asking, and you will receive what you ask for. Keep on seeking, and you will find. Keep on knocking, and the door will be opened to you. 10 For everyone who asks, receives. Everyone who seeks, finds. And to everyone who knocks, the door will be opened.

11 “You fathers—if your children ask for a fish, do you give them a snake instead? 12 Or if they ask for an egg, do you give them a scorpion? Of course not! 13 So if you sinful people know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to those who ask him.”

IF YOU WANT THE HOLY SPIRIT TO COME UPON YOU TO TRANSFORM YOU FROM THE INSIDE OUT…

1. Ask your heavenly Father, who gives good gifts.

2. Ask with boldness and persistence.

3. Ask with pure motives.

COMMUNITY GROUP MEETING OUTLINE

Where your faith intersects with real life!

Reconnect:

Each person shares a recent high and low from their life.

Explore:

Review the message notes.

Big Idea: The Holy Spirit reveals Jesus.

Consider:

Choose one or two questions for your Group to discuss as time allows.

▶ Read John 15:26. How have you seen the Holy Spirit “come to you and testify about the Father” in your life?

▶ Read John 7:37-39. How can we receive living water and let it quench our thirst?

▶Read Luke 11:9-13. What can we learn about prayer from this passage?

Activate:

Spend a moment in silence to consider your response, then share your decision with the Group.

Read Acts 1:8. Ask God to reveal to you how your life is a witness to one specific person who sees you.

Prayer:

Thank God for the highs and lift up the lows.

Ask God to help us drink from the living water he offers and continue to experience his transformation from the inside out.

Want to go deeper?:

Consider a word study on the Holy Spirit. Try looking those words up in Bible Gateway and reading through all the passages in the New Testament.

Email my notes