CE 1 YEAR: 23 The Spirit’s Power

Week 23

The Spirit’s Power

The person of God living in you

One of the reasons Jesus came was to give you an abundant and extraordinary life (John 10:10). That extraordinary life is found in living the extraordinary commandments of God. These include the Greatest Commandment to love Him in everything, the New Commandment to love others as much as He would, and even God’s Most Repeated Command: “Do not fear.” Paul summed up this extraordinary life when he wrote: “Imitate God in everything you do” (Eph 5:1). Wow. Really? “Imitate God in everything you do”?

Why would God expect you to imitate Him in everything you do? BECAUSE GOD LIVES IN YOU! If God actually lives in a person, then why would we not expect them to love and live like God?

God challenges and asks all Christians: “Don’t you realize that Jesus Christ lives in you?” (2 Cor 13:5). Elsewhere, the Apostle Paul asks, “Don’t you realize that your body is the temple of the Holy Spirit, who lives in you and was given to you by God?” (1 Cor 6:19). Jesus told His followers: “You will realize that I am in you” (John 14:20). Christian, do you realize Christ lives in you?

The great revealed “mystery” of Christianity “is Christ in you” (Col 1:27; Rom 8:9-10; Eph 3:17). The Bible says, “All who declare that Jesus is the Son of God have God living in them” (1 John 4:15). Which is why the Apostle Paul proclaimed with conviction: “Christ lives in me” (Gal 2:20). Do you have the same conviction? Do you recognize the great gift and honor God has given you by living in you? Could God do anything that would make you more valuable? Take a moment and recognize His presence in you right now!

Here is the amazing truth. You have a perfect Person living inside of you! You do not have just a part of Jesus. A complete and fully functioning Jesus Christ lives inside of you! What did Paul say? “Christ lives in me!” (Gal 2:20). This is why the Bible says: “Put on the new self, created to be like God in true righteousness and holiness” (Eph 4:24). What is your “new self” like? Your “new self” is “created to be like God.” You have the power to love and live “like God in true righteousness and holiness.” This is why God’s word commands you: “Imitate God in everything you do” (Eph 5:1).

Think about this for a moment. What would happen if the Christ in you controlled your life? What would it look like, and feel like, to have God living through you? You would live and love like Jesus! Imagine living like Jesus Christ for the rest of this day. And then all week long. Stop reading. We are asking you to really take a moment and think about this.

Unfortunately, just because God lives IN you through His Spirit, it does not mean He will always live THROUGH you or control you. Jesus lives IN every born-again Christian through the indwelling of God’s Spirit. But Jesus only lives THROUGH you when you are controlled by the Holy Spirit.

Therefore, we must ask an important question. Why would God put His Spirit IN you, if He did not expect His Spirit to control you? Christian, God did not come to live in you just to take up space. He is there to take over your life! Jesus has promised all Christians, “You will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes upon you” (Acts 1:8). The power to live an extraordinary life for God comes from being controlled by the Holy Spirit.

The power of God living through you

The Holy Spirit in you is a Person. But He is a Person that gives you powers. The Apostle Paul prayed for the Ephesians that they would understand the incredible greatness of God’s power in us (Eph 1:19). Christian, you have God living in you, and that means you have a lot of power.

The powers of the Spirit are especially demonstrated by the fruits of the Spirit including love, joy, and peace (Gal 5:22-23). The power of the Spirit in you is also proven by the greatness of the commands that God expects you to obey. Have you ever thought the Greatest Commandment is impossible? “You must love the Lord your God with all your heart, all your soul, all your mind, and all your strength” (Mark 12:30). Christian, God did not put such commands in Scripture to frustrate you because you cannot do them. God put these commands in Scripture because they tell you what is possible with the power and Person of God’s Spirit living through you.

The purpose of the OT Law was to show the spiritually dead how sinful they were (Rom 3:19-20). The purpose of the NT “law of Christ” (Gal 6:2) is to show those with God’s Spirit how powerful they are. The Bible says, “By his divine power, God has given us everything we need for living a godly life” (2 Pet 1:3).

Have you ever wondered how the Bible can say, God’s commandments are not burdensome (1 John 5:3)? Likewise, Jesus said the yoke of His commands is easy and light (Matt 11:30). How is this possible when we consider how demanding and difficult the commands of Christ are? These statements are true because Christ did not just give you His commandments, but also His power. The Apostle said: “I can do everything through Christ who gives me strength” (Phil 4:13), including all of God’s commands.

This is the difference between living for God in the Spirit’s power or your own will power. If obeying God feels heavy and hard it may be because you are not a real Christian and do not have the Spirit of God living in you. Or perhaps you are a Christian, but the Holy Spirit is not controlling you. Therefore, you are trying to live the Christian life in your own will power instead of God’s power. Because when you live being controlled with God’s power, then obeying God, being holy, and loving people is “easy” and does not feel heavy or difficult.

No one with only natural human power can obey the commands of God. But you Christian are not a natural human. You have God living in you. You cannot be morally perfect every minute of every day for the rest of your life. But Jesus Christ and God’s Spirit can control you and live through you more consistently than perhaps you have ever imagined.

This is why God commands you to “be led by the Holy Spirit,” “keep in step with the Holy Spirit,” and “be filled with the Holy Spirit” (Gal 5:18, 25; Rom 8:14; Eph 5:18)? Many Christians are confused by what these commandments mean. What Scripture is really describing is simply “being controlled by God’s Spirit.” That is what it means to be “led by” or “filled with” the Holy Spirit.

You are FORGIVEN for all the times you do not obey God’s commands. But you are also EMPOWERED to fully obey those commands. God your Father sent His Son into the world to rescue you from the PENALTY of sin. But He also sent His Spirit into you to rescue you from the POWER of sin.

Notice this amazing promise in Galatians 5:16. If you live controlled by the Holy Spirit then you will not obey the sinful nature. Why is that so wonderful? First of all, because of all the amazing things you will experience by being controlled by the Holy Spirit including His love, joy, peace, holiness, and power. Secondly because of all the destructive and painful desires of your sinful nature that you will be free from if you can learn to be controlled by God’s Spirit in you!

A final reason that Galatians 5:16 is such an amazing promise is this: It makes the extraordinary and successful Christian life SIMPLE. What is needed to do and experience all that God wants you to do in your life? Be controlled by the Holy Spirit in you. THE MOST IMPORTANT KEY TO BEING THE CHRISTIAN GOD WANTS YOU TO BE IS LEARNING HOW TO LIVE IN THE POWER OF THE HOLY SPIRIT.

By far the most important factor in a happy and fulfilling marriage is two people experiencing the fruits of the Holy Spirit. The most essential requirement to be the parent, worker, and church member you want to be, is being controlled by the love, joy, and peace of the Holy Spirit. God never created any of life’s responsibilities to be successful without the power of the Holy Spirit.

Thankfully, Jesus has promised all Christians, “You will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes upon you” (Acts 1:8). The power to live an extraordinary life for God comes from being controlled by the Holy Spirit.

Practical Application: Try to notice today if you are being controlled by God’s Spirit. How will you know that? Repeatedly ask yourself if you are feeling His love, joy, and peace (Gal 5:22).

In your small group meeting this week, share praises and prayer requests and then discuss these questions:

1. Why does God expect you to imitate Him (cf. Eph 5:1)?
2. Why do we say you have a perfect Person living in you? What are the ramifications of this?
3. Why can Jesus say His commandments are easy and light?
4. What is the critical key to being the Christian God wants you to be? How is this reflected in Galatians 5:16?
5. What was especially meaningful to you in this chapter? Why?