Lesson 2: Who is God, Jesus, Holy Spirit and you?
Source: www.talkjesus.com
I will share with you who God is by telling you a parable. I have read this parable in the Bible many times, and it beats me each time. First, I want to tell you who I know God to be, having walked with Him since age twelve. He is everything. He is faithful, loving, divine, unexplainable, perfect, and awesome. He is a good Father! I really can’t even tell you all about Him; I mean I cannot fully express my thoughts about Him. He is forgiving, loving, understanding, saving, protecting; the list goes on. Well, let’s get to the story (I retold the story in my version but read the full story in Luke 11:15-32).
A wealthy father had two sons whom he loved very much. One day, the youngest of his sons told his father that he was moving out and wanted his share of his father’s wealth. He was a notorious child. Perplexed, but with no restraints, the father gave him his portion of the inheritance. The son drove off, feeling accomplished as he left his father’s house. Not long afterward, his notorious habits caught up with him; yes, you guessed right: he squandered all he had. Now, he was left with nothing. Not knowing how he would survive in the streets, he took a job that was an unbefitting job for someone of his status. He ate from the trash bins and passerby’s leftovers. “That serves him right,” you would say. He couldn’t live like this for long and found himself thinking, “Even my father’s slaves eat better than this. I have had enough. I know I messed up, but I can’t continue this way. I know what to do,” he continued, “I will return home and ask to be a servant for my father; that way, I can have good food and sleep better.” Off he returned home.
Let me ask you, what do you think? Will the father accept him back after what he did? If you were the father, would you accept him back?
The father accepted him back. The son burst out crying, saying amidst his teary eyes, “Father, just make me a slave in your house; I am no longer worthy to be called your son!” He asked his father to forgive him, which the father immediately did. The father asked his servants to clean him up, give him a change of clothes and feed him. Imagine how dirty and hungry he must have been. I can imagine him eating five spoons of rice in a second. That’s not all; the father also threw him a welcome party and invited guests to come and celebrate his son’s return. What a celebration it was!
Oh! There’s a part of the story I didn’t mention: from day one that the son left the house, the father looked out the window every day, hoping that his prodigal son would return. On the day the son returned home, the father was watching and waiting as usual. So, as the father glimpsed his son from a distance, he ran out with so much excitement to welcome his missing son, and the son ran into the open arms of his father.
God is forgiving.
God is loving.
God is holy.
God is compassionate.
God is a good Father.
God is sovereign.
God is just.
God is always waiting and searching for us.
Who is Jesus?
Would you believe if I tell you that “JESUS LIVES FOR YOU?” I mean, He waits for you daily. You don’t believe me? Well, find out below:
Jesus is our Savior. He is God’s Son who went through a painful experience to redeem us from eternal death. He is our mediator. He gave all so that we might be reconciled back to God. He died while we were clothed in sin (Romans 5:6). God hates sin and therefore, sin separates us from God. Jesus’s death paid the price for our sinful nature and His payment made us righteous with God again, restoring our relationship with the Father. When He was done on earth, He left the Holy Spirit with us to continue from where He stopped. And guess what He is doing in Heaven? He is at the right hand of the Father, pleading on our behalf daily. Do you now believe when I said, “He waits for you daily?” Read the following Scriptures:
Romans 8:34, “Who is the one who condemns? Christ Jesus is He who died, yes, rather who was raised, who is at the right hand of God, who also intercedes for us.”
1 Timothy 2:5, “For there is one God and one mediator also between God and men, the man Christ Jesus.”
In Luke 15:1-7, the “holier than thou” men called the Pharisees had a hard time understanding why Jesus would eat and associate Himself with sinners. When they grumbled, Jesus told them the parable of the lost sheep, for whom the shepherd left the ninety-nine in the pasture to find. When he found the sheep, He nurtured it and rejoiced that he had found that one sheep that was lost. Jesus was mirrored in that parable. He left all to search for the one that was lost. He left all to search for you. He left all and went above and beyond for your sake.
Who is the Holy Spirit?
The Holy Spirit is the presence of God within us in a non-physical form. The Holy Spirit is the Spirit of God given for the benefit of every believer on earth. The Holy Spirit is given to us to dominate the earth and accomplish more exploits than Christ did while He was on earth (John 14:12). Think of the Holy Spirit as the icing on the cake for us.
The Holy Spirit is a gift to every believer who has confessed Christ as their Lord and is willing to obey Him. He helps us accomplish what is humanly impossible here on earth. The Holy Spirit is our witness Who lives inside us. Remember that in the first lesson that we said that He bears witness in our spirit that we are God’s child. The Holy Spirit speaks through our conscience.
The Holy Spirit makes God real to you (1 Corinthians 2:10-12). The Holy Spirit is your friend. He will be there when no one else is. He is a true friend. Throughout my walk with God, I have experienced Him in so many ways and I cannot trade Him for anyone else.
In the later lessons, we will look at why you need the Holy Spirit and how to be filled with the Holy Spirit. For now, I will tell you this: it is practically impossible for any Christian to live in victory without the help of the Holy Spirit. After I gave my life to Christ, I didn’t know how to relate with the Holy Spirit, but along my journey, I realized that the more I learn about Him, the more He works in my life. Salvation is one thing; being filled with the Holy Spirit is another. Salvation guarantees Heaven but the Holy Spirit ensures success on earth. I will tell you more about this in later lessons. Read the following Scriptures about Him:
John 16:13 tells us, “But when He, the Spirit of truth, comes, He will guide you into all the truth; for He will not speak on His own initiative, but whatever He hears, He will speak; and He will disclose to you what is to come.”
In John 14:28, Jesus promised his disciples, “But the Helper, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in My name, He will teach you all things, and bring to your remembrance all that I said to you.”
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Video Notes:
Grace is grace. It can’t be explained, it can’t be understood. Amazing grace! You were granted access into God’s family based on Christ’s goodness alone. Your good deeds will never be enough; it was Christ’s sacrifice: His death on the cross and resurrection from the dead, and nothing you do can pay Him back. Now that you know this, don’t you think that the least we can do is to live for Him and tell others of his grace and goodness? This is what we here at the Masterpiece Discipleship Program practice daily. Join us and learn how in the following lessons.
Lesson Application:
From both stories and the lesson at large, list out three (3) characteristics each for God, Jesus and the Holy Spirit. Place it where you can see it daily and read it every time you see it.
