Part 3 – You and the Bible: The Spirit of Wisdom and Revelation

So far in this three part series we have looked at An Open Heart, Trembling at God’s word, The Spirit and the Word, and The Holy Spirit as Teacher. So to conclude this series we are going to look at The Spirit of Wisdom and Revelation.

The spirit of Wisdom and Revelation

Read Ephesians 1:17- 18

            That the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the father of glory, may give to you a spirit of wisdom and revelation in the full knowledge of him. The eyes of your heart having been enlightened, that you may know what is the hope of His calling.

            The spirit here must be our regenerated spirit indwelt by the Spirit of God, such a Spirit is given to us by God that we may have wisdom and revelation to know Him and His economy.

            Wisdom is in our Spirit that we may know the mystery of God, and revelation is of God’s Spirit that he may show us the vision by opening the veil. First, we have wisdom, the ability to understand, which enables us to know spiritual things; then the spirit of God reveals the spiritual things to our spiritual understanding.

           

So the first thing we are going to look at is:

Revelation

            Revelation is the “eyes of your heart having been enlightened” by the action of the Holy Spirit. This is the essential ingredient that opens up the Word of God to become a dynamic force in our lives.

            To have the eyes of our heart enlightened requires that our conscience, mind, emotion, and will, which are the components of our heart, be thoroughly dealt with (note: Eph 3:17). First, we need an open spirit with a conscience purified by our confessing and dealing with our sins and by the sprinkling by the redeeming blood of Christ. Next, wee need a sober mind, a loving emotion, and a submissive will in order to have a pure heart. When we have such a spirit and heart, eyes of our heart will be able to see.

            We not only need the wisdom and revelation and the eyes to see, but we also need light for the illumination of the things which are unveiled to us, that we may have a vision.

Read 1 Corinthians 2:9-10

            The Holy Spirit reveals to us the heart of the Father through his Word. Through him we are able to “search the deep things of god” found in the pages of God’s Word.

            Only when the heart is open to the revealing work of the Holy Spirit that the Bible suddenly comes alive and its God-breathed secretes laid bare.

             

Read 2 Corinthians 3:13-16

            Before our spirit is regenerated by God’s Spirit there is a spiritual “Veil” over our minds when we read the Bible. Note the wonderful promise of God, we do not need to pray that God takes away that veil, but through Christ it has already been removed, because – “whenever anyone turns to the Lord, the veil is taken away.”

            In verse 16 – But, whenever anyone turns to the Lord, the veil is taken away. This indicates that when their heart is away from the Lord, the veil lies on their heart. When their heart turns to the Lord the veil is then removed. Actually, their turned-away heart is the veil. To turn their heart to the Lord is to take away the veil.

            When we believe on the Lord Jesus, the Holy Spirit – the divine author of God’s Word – is sent into our hearts (Eph 1:13). He is the one who turns on the internal lights so that you can understand his Word. It is at this point that what people call the Bible becomes the unveiled Word of God for you personally.

Read 1 Corinthians 2:12-14

            The bible is written in “words taught by the Spirit, expressing spiritual truths in spiritual words.” Now what the Holy Spirit originally inspired now reveals on a personal basis to you. What was originally spirit-breathed is now spirit-discerned.

Now that we have covered Revelation, the next part of this post is:

Wisdom         

            Wisdom is the practical application of revelation to our lives. It is not enough just to get revelation of God; wisdom causes us to move closer to Him. It is not enough just to have revelation of sin; wisdom takes steps to deal with that sin.

Read James 1:5

            But if any one of you lacks wisdom, let him ask of God, who gives to all liberally and does not reproach and it will be given.

            Meaning: It was by his wisdom that God, in Christ, made His eternal plan and carried it out. In his New Testament economy God made Christ our wisdom. The wisdom of God is needed for practical Christian perfection. Hence we need to ask God for it.

            In the light of the content of this epistle, it is apparent that James did not have a clear vision concerning God’s New Testament economy. However, he did have the wisdom to portray matters that concern the practical Christian life.

Read Isaiah 11:1-2

            In this message, Isaiah prophesies that the Messiah would have resting upon him “the spirit of wisdom and understanding.” Paul is alluding to this prophecy when he writes to the Ephesians Christians about being given “the spirit of wisdom and revelation.” He is praying that the same Spirit that rested on the Lord Jesus Christ would also rest upon us as believes in Christ.

           

It is a combination of these two ingredients – revelation and wisdom – that makes the Word of God “living and active” (Heb 4:12)

Ø      Revelation is inspired understanding ( 1 John 5:20)

- The “living” aspect of God’s Word

Ø      Wisdom is applied understanding (Matthew 11:19)

-          The “active” aspect of God’s Word

Revelation opens our eyes to God’s thoughts; Wisdom directs our feet in God’s way.

I hope you have found this series interesting and helpful.

Feel free to leave a comment :)

Part 2 You and the Bible – Trembling at God’s Word & The Spirit and the Word

 Part 2 You and the Bible – Trembling at God’s Word & The Spirit and the Word

So in the last post we looked at the open heart and that you need an open heart to really receive the word of God. So in this post we are going to look at Trembling at God’s Word and The Spirit and the Word and as a addition we are going to look  at The Holy Spirit as teacher.

So the first thing we are going to look at is:

Trembling at God’s Word

            Our attitude to God’s Word sets pace for how that word will affect our lives. If we treat the Word of God lightly, we should not be surprised if that Word has little impact on our lives.

Read Isaiah 66:2b

            The bible itself encourages us to stand in awe of God’s Word and gives us many examples of those we do. We should never treat the Word of God causally. If we disregard God’s Word for our lives, we will experience the penalties of a life not aligned to God.

This is no light matter. The “trembling” described in the bible, however, is not a reaction of fear but an attitude of awe.

Now we are going to look at:

The Spirit and the Word

            The Holy Spirit and the Word of God continue to forma close partnership so that you can not have one without the other

Ø      the Holy Spirit is called “the Spirit of truth” (John 15:26) and God’s Word is called “the Word of truth” (James 1:18)

Ø      the Holy Spirit is called “the Spirit of Life” (Romans 8:2) and God’s Word is called “the Word of Life” (Philippians 2:16)

Ø      The Holy Spirit is called “the Spirit of Grace” (Hebrews 10:29) and God’s Word is called “the Word of his Grace” (Acts 20:32).

God’s Spirit and his Word go hand in Glove – note Ephesians 6:17.

They both play a vital and complementary role in the Christian life. Both the Spirit and the Word is needed, if you have God’s spirit without the Word, your life will lack boundaries. Without the Holy Spirit work in your life, your life will have no power. Both Holy Spirit and his Word have equally vital roles to play in bringing the Christian towards the goal of maturity in Christ. Spirit of God provides impetus; the Word of God provides the direction.

Now we are going to look at:

The Holy Spirit as Teacher

           

Read John 14:26

            This verse is basically saying that the Holy Spirit is our teacher and will teach us all things and will remind you of all things said to you.

As has already been emphasized, the Holy Spirit of God and the Word of God are inseparable. For this reason, the Holy Spirit is our primary teacher, he takes the written word and make it the “living and active” word for us personally.

Read 1 John 2:27

             The Holy Sprit is described as “the anointing you receive from God” – an anointing that remains in you and “teaches you about all things”.

Read 1 John 2:24-29

            John is not telling us that there are no longer any teachers in the church. What he is doing is warning against “those who are trying to lead you astray”

            The Holy Spirit will not teach you anything contrary to his Word. There will never be a contradiction between the Spirit of God and the Word of God.

These two aspects—intimacy and obedience – are the twin goals of the Holy Spirit and the fruit of genuine study of God’s Word

In the last post we are going to look at are the Spirit of Wisdom and Revelation.

Thankyou for reading this post and feel free to leave a comment

Have a lovely week :D

An Open Book – You and the Bible 1#

Hey guys, so I haven’t written a blog in a while, but I have been learning more about God and the bible. in this first post we are going to look at you and the bible – an open book. so enjoy

An Open Book
God’s intention, however, is that the bible be an open book for us. He has invested within its pages a description of his will and plan for your life.

Read: Luke 8:11-15
            This parable of Jesus highlights the one factor that makes the difference between the bible being a closed book or an open book for you, the receptivity of your heart. In this parable there are four kinds of hearts described:

The Four Hearts
1# Callused Heart -A Callused Heart is a heart that is hardened against God’s Word.
2# Shallow Heart- A shallow Heart is a heart with little depth for God’s Word to take permanent root.
3# Distracted Heart - A Distracted heart is a heart pulled away from God’s Word, torn in many directions by desires or worries.
 4# Open Heart-  An Open Heart is a heart that is receptive and responsive to the Word of God.

Key Thought:  The key to the bible becoming an open book for you is this
Closed heart = Closed heart
Open heart = Open Book

An open heart to God’s word is not a are condition, it is a result of the plowing action of God’s spirit and constant exposure to God’s Word. As we continue through this lesson, having an open heart to God is part of what it means to be a new creation in Christ.
There are two main characterise of a heart open to God’s Word:

1: Hunger for the Word of God:
            A hunger for God’s Word is the hallmark of a close walk with God. If you feel you don’t yet have a deep hunger for the Word of God, you will probably find that your relationship with God is somewhat distant. Conversely, if you consistently spend time with the Lord each day, you will find that your hunger for his Word will deepen.
It is not enough just to open the bible; there must be a hunger for God to reveal himself in his word.

Read: Proverbs 2:1-6

If you already have discovered the stirring of hunger fir God’s Word, then you will find that the bible’s pages will ring with the voice of God’s spirit. God has hidden treasures for you in his word. But the key that unlocks all those treasures is the hunger of an open heart.

Read: Psalm 19:7-11

2: Obedience to the Word of God:
  When God specifically highlights an area of your life he wants to change, God requires you to respond in an act of obedience.

Read: James 1:22-25

Obedience is the evidence of a life genuinely aligned with God in love for him (read 1 John 5:3). No one earns points with God for the number of sermons they listen to, nor how many times they have read the Bible through. What counts with God is not that we talk the talk but walk the walk.

Read: 1 John 2:3-6
             This verse is simply saying that we know that we have come to know him if we keep his commands. But if someone says “I know him” but does not do what he commands is a liar and the truth is not in that person. But if anyone obeys his word, love for God, is truly made complete in them. This is how we know we are in him, whoever claims to live in him must live as Jesus did.

Read John 15-9-10
  Notice how the Bible does not say that if you obey God, he will accept you. The Bible says that we have already been accepted in Christ (Ephesians 1:4-6). This is the wonder of the work of the Cross on our behalf. What the Bible does do, however, is equate “remaining in my love” with “obeying my commands”. This means that you can not claim to have a close relationship with God yet live a lie. Obeying God is proof of the genuineness of your intimacy with God. You cannot have one without the other.
 Relationship is founded upon an ongoing lifestyle of obedience. Don’t just read the word of the God; Do the word of God.

So this concludes section 1 of you and the bible. The next post we will be looking at the next section of lesson 1 which is Trembling at God’s Word and The Spirit and the Word. 
Hope you have a lovely week and God Bless