“I will put my Spirit in you and you will live…” (Ezekiel 37:14closeEzekiel 37:14 14 And I will put my Spirit within you, and you shall live, and I will place you in your own land. Then you shall know that I am the Lord; I have spoken, and I will do it, declares the Lord.” (ESV) closeEzekiel 37:14closeEzekiel 37:14 14 And I will put my Spirit within you, and you shall live, and I will place you in your own land. Then you shall know that I am the Lord; I have spoken, and I will do it, declares the Lord.” (ESV) 14 And I will put my Spirit within you, and you shall live, and I will place you in your own land. Then you shall know that I am the Lord; I have spoken, and I will do it, declares the Lord.” (ESV) ; from the Old Testament reading for 5.27.12)
“Life in the Spirit”
Get To Know Your “Neighbor”
+ If you aren’t alive, what are you?
God’s Blueprint
+ Jesus said to “let the dead bury the dead” was He speaking literally, or referring to those who did not have the life which God gives?
+ How did Adam come to life?
God’s Best
+ We are all “made in the likeness of God”. Clearly this “likeness” can’t refer to a physical attribute J Some of us are men, others are women; some are black; others are white; some of us cheer for World Champion baseball teams; others don’t…. This “likeness” refers to the fact that we, like God, have an eternal future; this is because we have a soul. God’s desire is to redeem our eternal souls into the image which He originally (before the Fall into sin) had created. The death of our physical bodies is something we all will experience (unless we are here the day Jesus returns J); the gift of the Holy Spirit is a deposit which God puts in us (2 Corinthians 1:22close2 Corinthians 1:22 22 and who has also put his seal on us and given us his Spirit in our hearts as a guarantee. (ESV) close2 Corinthians 1:22close2 Corinthians 1:22 22 and who has also put his seal on us and given us his Spirit in our hearts as a guarantee. (ESV) 22 and who has also put his seal on us and given us his Spirit in our hearts as a guarantee. (ESV) ); guaranteeing what is to come. How does God “… put My Spirit in (us)”?
+ We confess that when the Word is “preached, heard & meditated on”, the Holy Spirit converts “hearts to true repentance” (Formula of Concord 2, XI, 15). Does the Holy Spirit ever give up on us?
God’s Blessed
+ If we have the Holy Spirit inside us; then we have eternal life Give God a Praise Clap. Life in the Holy Spirit is as different from the unsaved life as a funeral is from a baptism. The works of the flesh are ugly, vile and not for the Godly person (Galatians 5:19-21closeGalatians 5:19-21 19 Now the works of the flesh are evident: sexual immorality, impurity, sensuality, 20 idolatry, sorcery, enmity, strife, jealousy, fits of anger, rivalries, dissensions, spanisions, 21 envy, drunkenness, orgies, and things like these. I warn you, as I warned you before, that those who do such things will not inherit the kingdom of God. (ESV) closeGalatians 5:19-21closeGalatians 5:19-21 19 Now the works of the flesh are evident: sexual immorality, impurity, sensuality, 20 idolatry, sorcery, enmity, strife, jealousy, fits of anger, rivalries, dissensions, spanisions, 21 envy, drunkenness, orgies, and things like these. I warn you, as I warned you before, that those who do such things will not inherit the kingdom of God. (ESV) 19 Now the works of the flesh are evident: sexual immorality, impurity, sensuality, 20 idolatry, sorcery, enmity, strife, jealousy, fits of anger, rivalries, dissensions, spanisions, 21 envy, drunkenness, orgies, and things like these. I warn you, as I warned you before, that those who do such things will not inherit the kingdom of God. (ESV) ); but the fruit of the Spirit are: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness & self control (Galatians 5:22-23closeGalatians 5:22-23 22 But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, 23 gentleness, self-control; against such things there is no law. (ESV) closeGalatians 5:22-23closeGalatians 5:22-23 22 But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, 23 gentleness, self-control; against such things there is no law. (ESV) 22 But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, 23 gentleness, self-control; against such things there is no law. (ESV) ). And God prunes the lives of believers so that they will be even more fruitful. Where is God pruning you?
Jim Buckman
