Guidance of the Holy Spirit

19 September 2012

Opening Prayer/Worship

Song:

Theme: Be filled with the Holy Spirit

Topic: Guidance of the Holy Spirit

Reading: Proverbs 1:20-33

²⁰ Wisdom cries out in the street; in the squares she raises her voice. ²¹ At the busiest corner she cries out; at the entrance of the city gates she speaks: ²² ‘How long, O simple ones, will you love being simple? How long will scoffers delight in their scoffing and fools hate knowledge? ²³ Give heed to my reproof; I will pour out my thoughts to you; I will make my words known to you. ²⁴ Because I have called and you refused, have stretched out my hand and no one heeded, ²⁵ and because you have ignored all my counsel and would have none of my reproof, ²⁶ I also will laugh at your calamity; I will mock when panic strikes you, ²⁷ when panic strikes you like a storm, and your calamity comes like a whirlwind, when distress and anguish come upon you. ²⁸ Then they will call upon me, but I will not answer; they will seek me diligently, but will not find me. ²⁹ Because they hated knowledge and did not choose the fear of the Lord, ³⁰ would have none of my counsel, and despised all my reproof, ³¹ therefore they shall eat the fruit of their way and be sated with their own devices. ³² For waywardness kills the simple, and the complacency of fools destroys them; ³³ but those who listen to me will be secure and will live at ease, without dread of disaster.’

Introduction

One of the key works of the Holy Spirit in our lives is to guide us towards the fulfillment of God’s purpose in our lives.  Although we are blessed in many great ways, it is only God that knows the path we are to follow in this life and we have to trust His guidance through the Holy Spirit.  The Scripture makes it clear that God’s thoughts for us are thoughts of good and not of evil, to bring us to an expected end.  God is always for us and on our side.  The reality though is that most times, we do not find the path God has chosen for us pleasant, convenient, comfortable or even good enough.  At such moments, we have to remember that God knows what we are passing through and will bring us through, victorious!  There are many situations in life- loss, tragedy, accidents, violence, hatred, injustice and so on that may challenge our faith in God.  But like Job, our response should always be- that we know our Redeemer lives!  Perhaps nobody can understand, appreciate and/or explain the magnitude of the weight you bear; but God knows and will turn it into good.  Just keep on keeping on; He is a faithful God and will bring you through that challenge.

Questions/Discussion

1.    Does God guide everyone? If yes why; if no, why not?

Proverbs 1:20-21, 24-33

²⁰ Wisdom cries out in the street; in the squares she raises her voice. ²¹ At the busiest corner she cries out; at the entrance of the city gates she speaks: ²⁴ Because I have called and you refused, have stretched out my hand and no one heeded, ²⁵ and because you have ignored all my counsel and would have none of my reproof, ²⁶ I also will laugh at your calamity; I will mock when panic strikes you, ²⁷ when panic strikes you like a storm, and your calamity comes like a whirlwind, when distress and anguish come upon you. ²⁸ Then they will call upon me, but I will not answer; they will seek me diligently, but will not find me. ²⁹ Because they hated knowledge and did not choose the fear of the Lord, ³⁰ would have none of my counsel, and despised all my reproof, ³¹ therefore they shall eat the fruit of their way and be sated with their own devices. ³² For waywardness kills the simple, and the complacency of fools destroys them; ³³ but those who listen to me will be secure and will live at ease, without dread of disaster.’

Jeremiah 7:3-29

Thus says the Lord of hosts, the God of Israel: Amend your ways and your doings, and let me dwell with you^* in this place. ⁴Do not trust in these deceptive words: ‘This is^* the temple of the Lord, the temple of the Lord, the temple of the Lord.’ ⁵ For if you truly amend your ways and your doings, if you truly act justly one with another, ⁶if you do not oppress the alien, the orphan, and the widow, or shed innocent blood in this place, and if you do not go after other gods to your own hurt, ⁷then I will dwell with you in this place, in the land that I gave of old to your ancestors for ever and ever. ⁸ Here you are, trusting in deceptive words to no avail. ⁹Will you steal, murder, commit adultery, swear falsely, make offerings to Baal, and go after other gods that you have not known, ¹⁰and then come and stand before me in this house, which is called by my name, and say, ‘We are safe!’—only to go on doing all these abominations? ¹¹Has this house, which is called by my name, become a den of robbers in your sight? You know, I too am watching, says the Lord. ¹²Go now to my place that was in Shiloh, where I made my name dwell at first, and see what I did to it for the wickedness of my people Israel. ¹³And now, because you have done all these things, says the Lord, and when I spoke to you persistently, you did not listen, and when I called you, you did not answer, ¹⁴therefore I will do to the house that is called by my name, in which you trust, and to the place that I gave to you and to your ancestors, just what I did to Shiloh. ¹⁵And I will cast you out of my sight, just as I cast out all your kinsfolk, all the offspring of Ephraim. ¹⁶ As for you, do not pray for this people, do not raise a cry or prayer on their behalf, and do not intercede with me, for I will not hear you. ¹⁷Do you not see what they are doing in the towns of Judah and in the streets of Jerusalem? ¹⁸The children gather wood, the fathers kindle fire, and the women knead dough, to make cakes for the queen of heaven; and they pour out drink-offerings to other gods, to provoke me to anger. ¹⁹Is it I whom they provoke? says the Lord. Is it not themselves, to their own hurt? ²⁰Therefore thus says the Lord God: My anger and my wrath shall be poured out on this place, on human beings and animals, on the trees of the field and the fruit of the ground; it will burn and not be quenched. ²¹ Thus says the Lord of hosts, the God of Israel: Add your burnt-offerings to your sacrifices, and eat the flesh. ²²For on the day that I brought your ancestors out of the land of Egypt, I did not speak to them or command them concerning burnt-offerings and sacrifices. ²³But this command I gave them, ‘Obey my voice, and I will be your God, and you shall be my people; and walk only in the way that I command you, so that it may be well with you.’ ²⁴Yet they did not obey or incline their ear, but, in the stubbornness of their evil will, they walked in their own counsels, and looked backwards rather than forwards. ²⁵From the day that your ancestors came out of the land of Egypt until this day, I have persistently sent all my servants the prophets to them, day after day; ²⁶yet they did not listen to me, or pay attention, but they stiffened their necks. They did worse than their ancestors did. ²⁷ So you shall speak all these words to them, but they will not listen to you. You shall call to them, but they will not answer you. ²⁸You shall say to them: This is the nation that did not obey the voice of the Lord their God, and did not accept discipline; truth has perished; it is cut off from their lips. ²⁹ Cut off your hair and throw it away; raise a lamentation on the bare heights,^* for the Lord has rejected and forsaken the generation that provoked his wrath.

2.    How does God guide those who trust in Him?  

        Why is it unpleasant sometimes and what should be our attitude?

Genesis 45:1-13

Then Joseph could no longer control himself before all those who stood by him, and he cried out, ‘Send everyone away from me.’ So no one stayed with him when Joseph made himself known to his brothers. ²And he wept so loudly that the Egyptians heard it, and the household of Pharaoh heard it. ³Joseph said to his brothers, ‘I am Joseph. Is my father still alive?’ But his brothers could not answer him, so dismayed were they at his presence. ⁴ Then Joseph said to his brothers, ‘Come closer to me.’ And they came closer. He said, ‘I am your brother Joseph, whom you sold into Egypt. ⁵And now do not be distressed, or angry with yourselves, because you sold me here; for God sent me before you to preserve life. ⁶For the famine has been in the land these two years; and there are five more years in which there will be neither ploughing nor harvest. ⁷God sent me before you to preserve for you a remnant on earth, and to keep alive for you many survivors. ⁸So it was not you who sent me here, but God; he has made me a father to Pharaoh, and lord of all his house and ruler over all the land of Egypt. ⁹Hurry and go up to my father and say to him, “Thus says your son Joseph, God has made me lord of all Egypt; come down to me, do not delay. ¹⁰You shall settle in the land of Goshen, and you shall be near me, you and your children and your children’s children, as well as your flocks, your herds, and all that you have. ¹¹I will provide for you there—since there are five more years of famine to come—so that you and your household, and all that you have, will not come to poverty.” ¹²And now your eyes and the eyes of my brother Benjamin see that it is my own mouth that speaks to you. ¹³You must tell my father how greatly I am honoured in Egypt, and all that you have seen. Hurry and bring my father down here.’

Exodus 15:22-27

Then Moses ordered Israel to set out from the Red Sea,^* and they went into the wilderness of Shur. They went for three days in the wilderness and found no water. ²³When they came to Marah, they could not drink the water of Marah because it was bitter. That is why it was called Marah.^{* 24}And the people complained against Moses, saying, ‘What shall we drink?’ ²⁵He cried out to the Lord; and the Lord showed him a piece of wood;^* he threw it into the water, and the water became sweet. There the Lord ^* made for them a statute and an ordinance and there he put them to the test. ²⁶He said, ‘If you will listen carefully to the voice of the Lord your God, and do what is right in his sight, and give heed to his commandments and keep all his statutes, I will not bring upon you any of the diseases that I brought upon the Egyptians; for I am the Lord who heals you.’ ²⁷ Then they came to Elim, where there were twelve springs of water and seventy palm trees; and they camped there by the water.

Exodus 16:1-14, 19-30

The whole congregation of the Israelites set out from Elim; and Israel came to the wilderness of Sin, which is between Elim and Sinai, on the fifteenth day of the second month after they had departed from the land of Egypt. ²The whole congregation of the Israelites complained against Moses and Aaron in the wilderness. ³The Israelites said to them, ‘If only we had died by the hand of the Lord in the land of Egypt, when we sat by the fleshpots and ate our fill of bread; for you have brought us out into this wilderness to kill this whole assembly with hunger.’ ⁴Then the Lord said to Moses, ‘I am going to rain bread from heaven for you, and each day the people shall go out and gather enough for that day. In that way I will test them, whether they will follow my instruction or not. ⁵On the sixth day, when they prepare what they bring in, it will be twice as much as they gather on other days.’ ⁶So Moses and Aaron said to all the Israelites, ‘In the evening you shall know that it was the Lord who brought you out of the land of Egypt, ⁷and in the morning you shall see the glory of the Lord, because he has heard your complaining against the Lord. For what are we, that you complain against us?’ ⁸And Moses said, ‘When the Lord gives you meat to eat in the evening and your fill of bread in the morning, because the Lord has heard the complaining that you utter against him—what are we? Your complaining is not against us but against the Lord.’ ⁹ Then Moses said to Aaron, ‘Say to the whole congregation of the Israelites, “Draw near to the Lord, for he has heard your complaining.” ’ ¹⁰And as Aaron spoke to the whole congregation of the Israelites, they looked towards the wilderness, and the glory of the Lord appeared in the cloud. ¹¹The Lord spoke to Moses and said, ¹²‘I have heard the complaining of the Israelites; say to them, “At twilight you shall eat meat, and in the morning you shall have your fill of bread; then you shall know that I am the Lord your God.” ’ ¹³ In the evening quails came up and covered the camp; and in the morning there was a layer of dew around the camp. ¹⁴When the layer of dew lifted, there on the surface of the wilderness was a fine flaky substance, as fine as frost on the ground. ¹⁹And Moses said to them, ‘Let no one leave any of it over until morning.’ ²⁰But they did not listen to Moses; some left part of it until morning, and it bred worms and became foul. And Moses was angry with them. ²¹Morning by morning they gathered it, as much as each needed; but when the sun grew hot, it melted. ²² On the sixth day they gathered twice as much food, two omers apiece. When all the leaders of the congregation came and told Moses, ²³he said to them, ‘This is what the Lord has commanded: “Tomorrow is a day of solemn rest, a holy sabbath to the Lord; bake what you want to bake and boil what you want to boil, and all that is left over put aside to be kept until morning.” ’ ²⁴So they put it aside until morning, as Moses commanded them; and it did not become foul, and there were no worms in it. ²⁵Moses said, ‘Eat it today, for today is a sabbath to the Lord; today you will not find it in the field. ²⁶For six days you shall gather it; but on the seventh day, which is a sabbath, there will be none.’ ²⁷ On the seventh day some of the people went out to gather, and they found none. ²⁸The Lord said to Moses, ‘How long will you refuse to keep my commandments and instructions? ²⁹See! The Lord has given you the sabbath, therefore on the sixth day he gives you food for two days; each of you stay where you are; do not leave your place on the seventh day.’ ³⁰So the people rested on the seventh day.

Isaiah 53:1-11

Who has believed what we have heard? And to whom has the arm of the Lord been revealed? ² For he grew up before him like a young plant, and like a root out of dry ground; he had no form or majesty that we should look at him, nothing in his appearance that we should desire him. ³ He was despised and rejected by others; a man of suffering^* and acquainted with infirmity; and as one from whom others hide their faces^* he was despised, and we held him of no account. ⁴ Surely he has borne our infirmities and carried our diseases;
yet we accounted him stricken, struck down by God, and afflicted. ⁵ But he was wounded for our transgressions, crushed for our iniquities; upon him was the punishment that made us whole, and by his bruises we are healed. ⁶ All we like sheep have gone astray; we have all turned to our own way, and the Lord has laid on him the iniquity of us all. ⁷ He was oppressed, and he was afflicted, yet he did not open his mouth;
like a lamb that is led to the slaughter, and like a sheep that before its shearers is silent, so he did not open his mouth. ⁸ By a perversion of justice he was taken away. Who could have imagined his future? For he was cut off from the land of the living, stricken for the transgression of my people. ⁹ They made his grave with the wicked and his tomb^* with the rich,^* although he had done no violence, and there was no deceit in his mouth. ¹⁰ Yet it was the will of the Lord to crush him with pain.^* When you make his life an offering for sin,^* he shall see his offspring, and shall prolong his days; through him the will of the Lord shall prosper. ¹¹ Out of his anguish he shall see light; ^*he shall find satisfaction through his knowledge. The righteous one,^* my servant, shall make many righteous, and he shall bear their iniquities.

Mark 8:31-38

Then he began to teach them that the Son of Man must undergo great suffering, and be rejected by the elders, the chief priests, and the scribes, and be killed, and after three days rise again. ³²He said all this quite openly. And Peter took him aside and began to rebuke him. ³³But turning and looking at his disciples, he rebuked Peter and said, ‘Get behind me, Satan! For you are setting your mind not on divine things but on human things.’ ³⁴ He called the crowd with his disciples, and said to them, ‘If any want to become my followers, let them deny themselves and take up their cross and follow me. ³⁵For those who want to save their life will lose it, and those who lose their life for my sake, and for the sake of the gospel,^* will save it. ³⁶For what will it profit them to gain the whole world and forfeit their life? ³⁷Indeed, what can they give in return for their life? ³⁸Those who are ashamed of me and of my words^* in this adulterous and sinful generation, of them the Son of Man will also be ashamed when he comes in the glory of his Father with the holy angels.’

3.    How do we seek and/or yield to the guidance of God in our lives?  

        List some of the benefits.

Psalm 19:7-14

⁷ The law of the Lord is perfect, reviving the soul; the decrees of the Lord are sure, making wise the simple; ⁸ the precepts of the Lord are right, rejoicing the heart; the commandment of the Lord is clear, enlightening the eyes; ⁹ the fear of the Lord is pure, enduring for ever; the ordinances of the Lord are true and righteous altogether. ¹⁰ More to be desired are they than gold, even much fine gold; sweeter also than honey, and drippings of the honeycomb. ¹¹ Moreover by them is your servant warned; in keeping them there is great reward. ¹² But who can detect their errors? Clear me from hidden faults. ¹³ Keep back your servant also from the insolent;^* do not let them have dominion over me. Then I shall be blameless, and innocent of great transgression. ¹⁴ Let the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be acceptable to you, O Lord, my rock and my redeemer.

Proverbs 3:1-18

My child, do not forget my teaching, but let your heart keep my commandments; ² for length of days and years of life and abundant welfare they will give you. ³ Do not let loyalty and faithfulness forsake you; bind them round your neck, write them on the tablet of your heart. ⁴ So you will find favour and good repute in the sight of God and of people. ⁵ Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and do not rely on your own insight. ⁶ In all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make straight your paths. ⁷ Do not be wise in your own eyes; fear the Lord, and turn away from evil. ⁸ It will be a healing for your flesh and a refreshment for your body. ⁹ Honour the Lord with your substance and with the first fruits of all your produce; ¹⁰ then your barns will be filled with plenty, and your vats will be bursting with wine. ¹¹ My child, do not despise the Lord’s discipline or be weary of his reproof, ¹² for the Lord reproves the one he loves, as a father the son in whom he delights. ¹³ Happy are those who find wisdom, and those who get understanding, ¹⁴ for her income is better than silver, and her revenue better than gold. ¹⁵ She is more precious than jewels, and nothing you desire can compare with her. ¹⁶ Long life is in her right hand; in her left hand are riches and honour. ¹⁷ Her ways are ways of pleasantness, and all her paths are peace. ¹⁸ She is a tree of life to those who lay hold of her; those who hold her fast are called happy.

Proverbs 4:10-27

¹⁰ Hear, my child, and accept my words, that the years of your life may be many. ¹¹ I have taught you the way of wisdom; I have led you in the paths of uprightness. ¹² When you walk, your step will not be hampered; and if you run, you will not stumble. ¹³ Keep hold of instruction; do not let go; guard her, for she is your life. ¹⁴ Do not enter the path of the wicked, and do not walk in the way of evildoers. ¹⁵ Avoid it; do not go on it; turn away from it and pass on. ¹⁶ For they cannot sleep unless they have done wrong; they are robbed of sleep unless they have made someone stumble. ¹⁷ For they eat the bread of wickedness and drink the wine of violence. ¹⁸ But the path of the righteous is like the light of dawn, which shines brighter and brighter until full day. ¹⁹ The way of the wicked is like deep darkness; they do not know what they stumble over. ²⁰ My child, be attentive to my words; incline your ear to my sayings. ²¹ Do not let them escape from your sight; keep them within your heart. ²² For they are life to those who find them, and healing to all their flesh. ²³ Keep your heart with all vigilance, for from it flow the springs of life. ²⁴ Put away from you crooked speech, and put devious talk far from you. ²⁵ Let your eyes look directly forwards, and your gaze be straight before you. ²⁶ Keep straight the path of your feet, and all your ways will be sure. ²⁷ Do not swerve to the right or to the left; turn your foot away from evil.

Intercession/Worship

Conclusion

God is able and faithful to deliver us when we put our trust in Him.  May we keep seeking and yielding to His guidance that He may fulfill His purpose in our lives.

Closing Prayer

Thank You Father for the guidance of Your Spirit in our lives.  Grant us the grace and will to follow You at all times through Jesus Christ our Lord and Savior.  Amen.