Sermon Notes
1. The Holy Spirit, our Helper, is a Person! (John 14:15-17)
2. The Holy Spirit is a person who provides power for the proclamation. (Acts 1:8)
3. Every miracle Jesus did was done after He was baptized by the Holy Spirit at the Jordan River. (Luke 4:21)
4. The Holy Spirit is associated with power. (Zechariah 4:6)
5. There are two workings of the Holy Spirit in a believer’s life: indwelling & filling.
a. There is a permanence of the indwelling of the Holy Spirit at conversion. (Ephesians 1:13)
b. There is an available filling of the Holy Spirit when we submit to Him. (Ephesians 5:18)
c. Believers may lose the filling, but never the indwelling of the Holy Spirit.
6. The Holy Spirit fills us with power to not be afraid. (Acts 4:8,31)
7. The Holy Spirit is sent to help us fulfill our calling to witness for Jesus. (Acts 1:8)
Follow-up Questions from Sunday:
Quick Review:
Looking back at your notes from this week’s teaching, was there anything you heard for the first time or that caught your attention, challenged, or confused you?
Introduction question for groups:
How many Christian friends do you have that are from different parts of the world?
Digging Deeper:
1. Read Luke 3:21-22, 4:14. According to these verses what was different about Jesus after He was baptized in the Jordan River?
2. What do you think it means when the Scriptures say, “Jesus returned in the power of the Spirit?”
3. Read Luke 4:16-19. Jesus opened the scroll of the prophet Isaiah and read out loud chapter 61 that talked about how the coming Messiah would have the Spirit of the Lord on Him and be anointed by the Holy Spirit. When do you think this happened to Jesus? Why do you think it was important for the Holy Spirit to fall on Jesus?
4. Read John 14:15-17 & 26; John 15:26; & John 16:7-15. Jesus says He is sending the disciples a “Helper” to them. Who is this Helper and how is He supposed to help us?
5. Read Acts 1:4-8. After Jesus had risen from the dead, He told his followers to wait in Jerusalem for the Baptism of the Spirit and then begin telling people about Him. Why do you think it was so important for the Holy Spirit to come on them first?
6. Fear of rejection is one of the reasons why Christians don’t share their faith today. When you read Acts 4, how did the Holy Spirit help Peter share Jesus? How do you think the Holy Spirit can help us in this? How has He helped you?
7. According to 2 Timothy 1:7, what does the Holy Spirit bring to your life? How have you experienced this?
8. In the book of Acts, Peter was baptized once in the Holy Spirit, but filled with the Holy Spirit many times. According to 1 Corinthians 12:13 & Ephesians 4:5, how many times were we baptized in the Spirit?
9. According to Ephesians 5:15-21, how many times are we to be filled with the Spirit and what does that look like?
10. What things do you do to experience a fresh filling of the Holy Spirit in your life?
Taking it home:
Read Acts 1-4 this week and focus on how the Holy Spirit gives power to Peter to share Jesus.
Watch these YouTube videos of how Messianic Jews are sharing Jesus in Israel in the last months.
How do they inspire you?
Prayer:
Pray for each other in your group that God would help all of us see the opportunities to share Jesus with people around us.