The Spirit of Truth: God's Unworldly Eternal Presence Revised Edition

By Sandra Mackey

Most of the Old Testament is devoted to the story of the Nation chosen by God through whom the Messiah would come into the world to bless all nations. The New Testament is devoted to the story of the man that nation produced and how his life, death, and resurrection give hope to sinful humanity through his kingdom. We see the genealogy of the man Jesus tracing his lineage from God through Abraham (Matthew 1:1). John the baptizer spoke of the kingdom being at hand and the one who would come after him who would baptize with the Holy Spirit. That one was Jesus Christ. He told his apostles that he would die, but he would be raised from the dead after three days; and after his resurrection, he would send the Spirit of truth, which the Father had promised them. And they would be baptized with the Holy Spirit. He told them that they would not be alone and helpless in the world. He said that he would send them a helper, a teacher, and a comforter to sustain and assist them in carrying out the church's mission. He called this helper the Holy Spirit. It would be the Holy Spirit's purpose to guide them into all truth and to remind them of all that Jesus had said and done. He instructed them to wait in Jerusalem until they had received the promise of the Father (Acts1:3-5, 1:8). All the Old Testament prophecies and promises came to fruition as recorded in the second chapter of Acts. The apostles were waiting just as Jesus had told them to wait. It was on the day of Pentecost in the city of Jerusalem (approximately AD 33) that the apostles were baptized with the Holy Spirit. They were immersed in the Holy Spirit. They were overwhelmed with the Holy Spirit""and they spoke the words of salvation through Jesus Christ to all nations (Acts 2:1-4).

• Language: English
• Publisher: Christian Faith Publishing, Inc.
• Release date: Mar 9, 2020
• ISBN: 9781098015541

Book preview

cover.jpg

The

Spirit

of

Truth

God’s Unworldly Eternal Presence

Sandra Mackey

Revised Edition

ISBN 978-1-0980-1553-4 (paperback)

ISBN 978-1-0980-1554-1 (digital)

Copyright © 2019 by Sandra Mackey

All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, distributed, or transmitted in any form or by any means, including photocopying, recording, or other electronic or mechanical methods without the prior written permission of the publisher. For permission requests, solicit the publisher via the address below.

Christian Faith Publishing, Inc.

832 Park Avenue

Meadville, PA 16335

www.christianfaithpublishing.com

All Scripture quotations and references are taken from the Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV® Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.® Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.

Printed in the United States of America

Table of Contents

Lesson 1

Lesson 2

Lesson 3

Lesson 4

Lesson 5

Lesson 6

Lesson 7

Lesson 8

Lesson 9

Lesson 10

Lesson 11

Lesson 12

Lesson 13

Preface

This book is designed to be a guide to assist you in your study of the Bible as you delve into the subject of God’s Holy Spirit, the Spirit of truth. You will need your Bible with pen and paper to make notes as you go along. This isn’t a complicated exegesis on the subject to prove, disprove, or advocate any particular belief or practice. It is primarily for those of us who are still seeking answers to spiritual matters.

If you’ve never heard of the Holy Spirit, this guide may not be easy for you to understand at first. Please don’t give up too soon. And if you have limited knowledge but aspire to more understanding about God’s Spirit, I hope you will find something beneficial that will bring you exceptional peace. You’ll find that I have presented the subject in an explorative yet somewhat conservative manner.

Now I’m no theological whiz. I’m an ordinary Christian woman with an ordinary education who has made an extraordinary effort to understand God’s Word. I thank God that I can be ordinary and still understand enough of his Word to be able to claim its promises. And if I can be ordinary and understand enough of God’s Word to claim its promises, so can you! The information is at our fingertips. It just requires a little effort to piece it together. That’s what the Apostle Paul meant when he wrote to his son in the faith, Timothy, and told him, Do your best to present yourself to God as one approved, a workman who does not need to be ashamed and who correctly handles the word of truth (2 Timothy 2:15).

So if you are a believer and have questions about the Holy Spirit, you may find a bit of information for which you have been searching. If you are not a believer, don’t go away. Maybe something will pique your interest. Perhaps you just aren’t sure if you believe it or not. Maybe you just haven’t seen enough evidence yet. Like Nicodemus asking Jesus, as recorded in the third chapter of John, you ask, How can this be?

Even though we’re talking about invisible, that’s where faith comes into the picture. The writer of the Hebrew letter said, Now faith is confidence in what we hope for and assurance about what we do not see (Hebrews 11:1).

Is it possible for us to be certain of what we do not see? I can only answer for myself. I am certain of many things that I cannot see, except through my eyes of faith. I believe in Jehovah God, Jesus Christ, and the Holy Spirit. I believe in heaven and hell and angels of light and angels of darkness and oxygen and electricity. I believe in the fragrance of a rose and the aroma of Christ, and I believe the Holy Spirit is active in my life today—not to take over my will or enable me to perform miracles or to give me the ability to speak in languages I have not learned, but he gives me gifts and is actively helping me to resist temptations to do things that would be harmful to me and things that would not be in my best interest since I’m trying to be like Jesus. He groans to God on my behalf when trials overcome and words fail me. He influences me to be more holy than I could possibly hope to be if I were not open to his influence; and he pricks my conscious and stimulates a desire for me to mature with a clean mind and happy heart that is fit for the kingdom of heaven.

There are differing opinions today about how the Holy Spirit influences our lives. There are various theories relating to the Holy Spirit that involve mystical callings and experiences claiming spiritual maturity. There are Spirit-credited revelations and claims of the ability to perform miracles as were performed in the New Testament church.

Swinging to the other extreme, some believe the Spirit does not have any significance whatsoever in our lives today except through the written Word that if you can’t read about it or learn it from the Bible, it isn’t there. I believe the Spirit’s influence in our lives today is somewhere in the middle.

When I was a child, I remember the prayers of godly men, some of whom have since passed on who prayed a familiar phrase that said, Dear God, we ask you to guide, guard, and direct us… Perhaps without actually realizing or verbalizing it, we were asking God to send his Holy Spirit to guide, guard, and direct us.

As we go through this study, that is still my prayer. The inspired Word of God has the answers to our questions. But regardless of how much we seek proof, We live by faith and not by sight (2 Corinthians 5:7). Because of that faith, I hope we might expand our thinking and be open to the discovery that the Holy Spirit of God is not only holding this great planet on its axis but is also seeing that God’s family here on earth, the church, is safe and secure until the Lord returns.

Much of what you will find here is somewhat like a concordance in that Scriptures are grouped according to topic. I hope that a concentrated access of the scriptural references about the Holy Spirit will help all of us to recognize that he is real in our lives today and he is willing to strengthen and comfort us in our daily walks. I hope we can be open to the possibility that each of us as a child of God has a familial relationship by which his Spirit lives and works within us (Acts 5:32; Romans 8:9–11; 1 Corinthians 6:19; 12:13).

Remembering that the reason the apostles and early Christians were given the amazing gifts of miracles was to confirm the message of God’s Word. We may not have those identical great gifts of miracles today, but just because we cannot raise the dead does not mean there are not wonderful, powerful gifts, benefits, and promises to claim from his Word which is the sword of the Spirit (Ephesians 6:17).

Let us once again open our Bibles and study to become friends with the Spirit of truth (John 14:17). In those passages of Scripture that are quoted, the occasional un-italicized words in parentheses are mine. May the love of the Holy Spirit of God be with us, in us, and through us all.

Sandra Mackey

Acknowledgments

My sincere gratitude is extended to those who have encouraged me in this project. My children and grandchildren continue to be my greatest cheering section.

In 1992, the first draft of this manuscript was evaluated. It seems like yesterday. Maybe you had not yet been born. As you work your way through this study, you may notice that even the endnotes are old. However, the message is always timely good news.

At that time, a book was only a seed in my imagination, but I was driven by my desire to honor the Holy Spirit. My friend and first evaluator encouraged me to pursue my vision. I taught the lessons in many ladies’ classes in the Atlanta area, and they were received with great interest and enthusiasm. I rewrote a few chapters according to needs I observed in those classes. My thoughts, which had been deficient, were sharpened and opened and tempered by prayer, more study, experience, and loving words from family and Christian friends.

On more than one occasion, I thought about putting the manuscript to rest. I didn’t think I was qualified or worthy or smart enough to speak on such an important topic, but I felt like the Holy Spirit continued to press me from time to time to complete what I had begun so many years ago.

Each time the manuscript was evaluated, I was challenged to increase, improve, and continue. Each evaluator provided a loving and valuable service and contributed immensely to the finished product you have in your hands. You know who you are, and I thank you for your immeasurable support and encouragement.

So after over two decades of start and stop, the first publication of this small book was printed in 2011. With gratitude, this second printing is updated and dedicated to you, my dear family and friends, who continue to ask for more. My prayer is that it blesses you as it has blessed me through the years.

I Praise You, Holy Spirit

I praise you, Father God,

For majesty and power,

To speak and see the earth,

Give forth the plenty,

Give forth the good.

I praise you, Jesus Christ,

For bidding the Father’s will,

To create all things past,

Things that are present,

Things that are to come.

I praise you, Holy Spirit,

For attention to this earth,

In seasons of day and night,

To beautify the land,

To magnify the sea.

I thank you, Father God,

For your plan to include me,

Through grace when I believe,

The unsearchable riches,

The undeniable truth.

I thank you, Jesus Christ,

For your sacrificial gift,

In bidding the Father’s will,

To die, to live again,

To die that I might live.

I thank you, Holy Spirit,

For constant care you give,

To prepare me for the kingdom,

To make me pure and holy,

To make me more like you.

Lesson 1

It’s Not Easy Being Human

The Bible, Our Standard

If we believe the Bible is our standard for living righteously before God and each other, it is by this standard that we learn how to be saved from our sins and go to heaven when we are no longer wrapped in