Preschool
A friend loveth at all times (Proverbs 17:17).
Obeying the Holy Spirit
Memory Verses
Primary
A friend loveth at all times, and a brother is born for adversity (Proverbs 17:17).
Junior
A friend loveth at all times, and a brother is born for adversity (Proverbs 17:17).
Background Scripture: Acts 8:5-40
Lesson Scripture: Acts 8:26-40
Introduction
Christianity is unique among the major religions of the world in that it teaches that God personally enters the mind and spirit of the believer to dwell there, influencing us to do his will. This divine invasion does not come after long pilgrimages to religious shrines or after periods of self-inflicted pain in an effort to win God’s favor. It is simply a gift, anchored in our Father’s loving nature and conditioned upon our surrender and obedience to Him. What a privilege to be called the sons and daughters of God!
Key Verse
For as many as are led by the Spirit of God, they are the sons of God (Rom. 8:14).
Lesson Scripture
Acts 8:26 And the angel of the Lord spake unto Philip, saying, Arise, and go toward the south unto the way that goeth down from Jerusalem unto Gaza, which is desert.
27 And he arose and went: and, behold, a man of Ethiopia, an eunuch of great authority under Candace queen of the Ethiopians, who had the charge of all her treasure, and had come to Jerusalem for to worship,
28 Was returning, and sitting in his chariot read Esaias the prophet.
29 Then the Spirit said unto Philip, Go near, and join thyself to this chariot.
30 And Philip ran thither to him, and heard him read the prophet Esaias, and said, Understandest thou what thou readest?
31 And he said, How can I, except some man should guide me? And he desired Philip that he would come up and sit with him.
32 The place of the scripture which he read was this, He was led as a sheep to the slaughter; and like a lamb dumb before his shearer, so opened he not his mouth:
33 In his humiliation his judgment was taken away: and who shall declare his generation? for his life is taken from the earth.
34 And the eunuch answered Philip, and said, I pray thee, of whom speaketh the prophet this? of himself, or of some other man?
35 Then Philip opened his mouth, and began at the same scripture, and preached unto him Jesus.
36 And as they went on their way, they came unto a certain water: and the eunuch said, See, here is water; what doth hinder me to be baptized?
37 And Philip said, If thou believest with all thine heart, thou mayest. And he answered and said, I believe that Jesus Christ is the Son of God.
38 And he commanded the chariot to stand still: and they went down both into the water, both Philip and the eunuch; and he baptized him.
39 And when they were come up out of the water, the Spirit of the Lord caught away Philip, that the eunuch saw him no more: and he went on his way rejoicing.
40 But Philip was found at Azotus: and passing through he preached in all the cities, till he came to Caesarea.
Studying the Lesson
Philip was one of the first seven deacons who were chosen by the church and ordained by the apostles. One of the qualifications that the apostles set forth when they asked the church to choose men was that they be “full of the Holy Ghost and wisdom” (Acts 6:3). These verses indicate that Philip was not chosen because he was a man of great intellect or because he had a superior knowledge of God’s attributes and the Law of Moses. Philip was chosen because he knew the voice of God. Through obedience he had come to know God and what God’s voice sounded like. This must have witnessed to the congregation, and they chose him along with the others.
Our lesson scripture occurs in a time of great persecution upon the church, which was led by a zealous Pharisee named Saul, the “Hebrew of the Hebrews” (Phil. 3:5). This persecution caused the disciples to disperse, carrying the seed of the gospel everywhere they went.
An angelic voice that Philip recognized as coming from God pressed him to go south down a barren, unappealing road, quite an unlikely place for a man to go and preach. No clear objective or explanation was immediately given. Was Philip struck with the similarity between God’s command to him and the story of Abraham? God had simply told Abraham, “Get thee out of thy country . . . and from thy father’s house.” We do not know, but the Scripture says of Philip that he “arose and went.”
Presently he came upon a traveler as the next instruction came: “Go get acquainted with the person in this vehicle.” Again, Philip was obedient; he ran forward to meet this man.
As Philip heard the familiar and precious messianic prophecy being read, surely a warmth and urgency came into his heart. This was the Word of the God he knew and loved! Surely, the Holy Spirit’s direction was also validated and confirmed as the realization flooded his heart, “This is why I am here! This is why I was commanded to go south!”
He explained the Scripture and preached the message of Jesus. How rewarding it must have been for him to share the gospel with a receptive soul and to watch the work of salvation that culminated in baptism. This Ethiopian went on his way as a saved man because of Philip’s obedience.
Practical Truths for Today
Acts 6 tells us that Philip and the other seven were full of the Holy Ghost. How did they get “full”? In Ephesians 5:18 we are commanded to be filled with the Spirit, not only anointed or touched but filled. How are we to accomplish this command?
Before we can obey the Holy Spirit, we must be able to hear his voice and recognize it. In Jesus’s time, as now, there were some who had ears to hear, and some who did not. What made the difference? Why were some receptive and some dull of hearing?
According to Romans 2:14-15, even the unregenerate hear the voice of the conscience. It accuses or excuses them, leads to a certain recognition of right or wrong, and even offers apologies for wrongdoing. This is good, but it can be done by one whose heart is still hard and selfish.
Obedience to the Holy Spirit is more than intellectual adherence to principles of right and wrong. Jesus said that the world cannot receive the Spirit (John 14:17). Peter, in Acts 5:32, declared that the Spirit is “given to them that obey Him.” These verses and others clearly indicate that a change of heart and mind is necessary to receive, hear, and be guided by the Holy Spirit.
“Let us draw near with a true heart” (Heb. 10:22). “If ye will hear his voice, harden not your hearts” (Heb. 3:15). A soft, honest, and open heart with a willingness to follow the light we have been given are paramount to being filled with the Holy Spirit.
Some may be tempted to think that obedience to the Holy Spirit is optional. Upon examining this thought, the question arises: Who determines when to obey Him and when not to? Who is really on the throne in my heart? The Holy Spirit was not given to be just another advisor. He was given to be obeyed. His mission is to guide us into all truth. He has no need to argue or debate with us, because his way is perfect, and ours is not. He will not override our choices, but we will never convince Him to give room for the fallen nature. He will not enter a resistant heart nor stay long when we are not completely yielded to Him. He is our Father’s unspeakable gift, given at an unspeakable cost to reveal unto us the mind and will of God. He guides, comforts, reproves, teaches, and seals us unto the day of redemption.
“Who is like unto the Lord our God, who dwelleth on high, who humbleth himself to behold the things that are in heaven, and in the earth!” (Ps. 113:5-6). What a privilege, that the God of heaven would take this poor creature of sin and, by his love, begin his work of redemption. He teaches us, shows us his will, works in us the things that please Him, and helps us pray, all while drawing us closer into his wonderful heart and presence.
“I will dwell in them, and walk in them; and I will be their God, and they shall be my people (2 Cor. 6:16). God is no longer a long way off, worshipped outside the veil through intermediaries, but by the gracious operation of the Holy Spirit, He dwells within, communing with us!
Questions
- The Babylonian nobility recognized that an “excellent spirit” was in Daniel and that one of its attributes was “dissolving of doubts” (Dan. 5:12). Does the Holy Spirit always remove all doubts?
- Jesus said the world cannot receive the Holy Spirit. Why is this?
- Is the Holy Spirit involved in insignificant, daily decisions, or are those left to our own discretion?
Source: COGICM Daily Bible Readings (Daily Bible Readings, PO Box 124, Glenn, CA 95943).