Life Lessons with Dr. Steve Schell

7 - Standing Firm

If we’re going to be free and inherit our promises we’re going to have to learn to fight. Just because something is God’s will for us doesn’t mean it will come easily or without opposition. In fact, there are always forces which oppose the advancement of God’s kingdom. Whenever God’s power is breaking into darkness with salvation, healing, restoration, deliverance, love, guidance or provision, we can expect a counterattack from the enemy. So we have to learn to fight, but the battle we experience primarily takes place in our own minds. When the devil’s backlash comes we tend to become discouraged, allowing negative thoughts to quench our hope.

 

This chapter of Exodus vividly exposes the heart of the devil. Working through Pharaoh we see a cruel personality which wants to keep people in bondage and oppose the work of God. We learn that the devil will not stand back passively and release people even when God commands it. Instead of giving up and slinking away quietly he reacts using his own arsenal of weapons. But Exodus brings us good news. It shows us God’s power far outweighs the devil’s, so we can be confident He will deliver us if we only learn to stand firm.

6 - From God’s Perspective

Definition of Thanks: 1) Sees the good; 2) Sees the grace: acknowledges the reception of something undeserved; I don’t need to thank someone for what I deserve or pay for; 3) Sees the source: this is generated by someone other than me; I was given this, I didn’t produce this; 4) Sees the need to speak: I need to communicate to the person who provided it

 

Life always seems to offer us a mixture of good and bad

• We keep waiting for the moment when the circumstances of life will be all good and no bad, but that’s an elusive mirage; we never seem to get there

5 - Calling a Deliverer

Last week we learned: God uses people to deliver people; a “deliverer” is someone who: sets free from restraint, rescues from evil or unburdens the oppressed; God uses suffering, failure and frustration to prepare deliverers. This week we’ll learn that God calls those who are His deliverers: In chapters three and four we’ll see God call Moses to his role in delivering Israel from Egypt.

 

There are numerous examples in the Bible of God calling people to a specific assignment in ministry: Abraham (Ge 12:1–3); Samuel (1Sa 3:1–10); Isaiah (Isa 6:1–13); Jeremiah (Jer 1:4–10); Ezekiel (Ezk 2:1–7); Jesus (Jn 1:29–34); Peter, James & John (Lk 5:1–11); Paul (Ac 9:1–18). Today we want to look more closely at how God calls deliverers.

4 - Preparing A Deliverer

What does it mean to “deliver” someone? set free from restraint; rescue from evil; lift off a burden.

3 - Divine Discontent - b

God knew Israel would not leave Egypt just because He asked them to. They would have to undergo a deep attitude-change before He could give them the promised land. After all, they had lived in Egypt for 400 years. It had become home to many generations and they had prospered there. Their families grew large, their livestock flourished and they built fine houses to live in. Yet, God did not want them to comfortably melt into the surrounding culture, gradually becoming Egyptians over the centuries. He had an important role for them to play in helping lost people find eternal life and they couldn’t fulfill that role where they were. They needed to move to the land he promised their ancestors. But since God will not changes a person’s will against their will, and He knew they wouldn’t obey Him if their situation remained as it was, He was forced to use circumstances to pressure them until their will aligned with His. This is the process we’re calling “divine discontent.” Last week we observed how the Holy Spirit brings “divine discontent” to unbelievers in order to draw them to Jesus Christ. This week we’ll discuss how God uses “divine discontent” in the lives of believers.

2 - Divine Discontent a

The first step on the road to freedom is that a person must desire to be free. This may sound like an unnecessary statement because we assume everyone must want to be free. After all, who in their right mind would want to remain in any sort of bondage if they had an opportunity to escape. Yet, when we actually look more closely at the human heart we frequently find just the opposite. Since freedom always demands radical change, many prefer their chains to the risks of freedom. This attitude can be found in believers and unbelievers alike. Only when the pain of change is less than the pain of remaining the same do many of us choose a new course.

 

Thankfully, God’s commitment to our freedom is far greater than our own. When He looks at us He sees the wonderful plans He has for our lives, and because of His love for us He refuses to leave us in slavery. He wants us to be free to possess those plans. Though He never reaches in to change a person’s will against their will, He does at times actively work to influence their choices, particularly when salvation and spiritual freedom are at stake. He will guide our circumstances, restrain demonic deception and grant spiritual revelation until we have the capacity to choose freedom. Whether we do or not is up to us, but He can be very persuasive. In today’s lesson we see Him working this “divine discontent” into the descendants of Jacob because it’s time for them to leave Egypt (Ge 15:13, 14). First we’ll observe how He convinced them to desire freedom, and then we’ll listen to Jesus as He explains how the Holy Spirit draws us to salvation.

1 - The Road To Freedom

The book of Exodus is a model of the Christian life. It starts with people being set free from slavery (salvation). Next, we see God put them in situations where they will learn to grow in faith (Ex 13:17). Then, once their faith reaches the point where they have the courage to follow God, He leads them to possess the blessings He has promised. Becoming free is a process, not an event, because real freedom is an attitude of the heart. It wasn’t enough for God to physically release the Israelites from slavery in Egypt. He also had to work on their attitudes until they had the courage to possess the promised land. He trained them until they thought and acted like free people, not escaped-slaves.

 

The world is full of forces that attempt to put us in bondage, but God’s plan for each of us is to be free—truly free—free to serve Him and fulfill our purpose in life. Yet, this kind of freedom doesn’t come cheaply. It requires miracles from God and our learning to walk in faith. Exodus lets us watch as God transforms a crowd of slaves into a nation of warriors. It gives us hope that we too can step out of bondage and possess our promises. After all, it was God’s faithful leadership that turned the people of the Exodus into victorious conquerors, not their own spiritual maturity. And it is still God’s faithful leadership that will free us as well. Today, let’s look more deeply at the new birth and how God sets us free from slavery to the devil:

4 - Speaking In Tongues and the Gifts of the Spirit

 

What is the relationship between speaking in tongues and the baptism with the Holy Spirit?

When we observe people being baptized with the Holy Spirit in the Book of Acts the gifts often mentioned as immediately accompanying this experience are speaking in tongues and prophecy (Ac 2:4; 10:46; 19:6). When these early Christians encountered the power of the Spirit they burst out in inspired speech giving praise and thanks to God. Furthermore, the Apostle Paul clearly expected those who had received this “baptism” to be able to pray in tongues (1Co 14:5, 18, 23, 26) and for that matter to be able to prophesy (1Co 14:1

3 - Receiving the Baptism of the Holly Spirit

 

The Baptism with the Holy Spirit is a blessing from God which causes ordinary people to become extraordinarily effective as witnesses for Jesus Christ (Ac 1:5, 8). By it God equips believers today with the same power we read about in the New Testament. Since the Day of Pentecost (Ac 2) God’s plan has been to supernaturally equip every believer so that the ministry of Jesus Christ may continue through us (Jn 14:12). His ascension into heaven (Ac 1:9) did not mean that Jesus’ ministry on earth stopped, but rather it was an essential step which released even more of His ministry. As the Head of His Church He now directs growing multitudes of Spirit-empowered men and women to carry His Gospel around the world (Lk 24:45–49). The Baptism with the Holy Spirit is the impartation of this necessary power so that God’s servants can carry out their calling. In effect, it is the moment when God “ordains” them. In the Old Testament prophets, priests and kings were ordained by having oil poured on their heads (1Ki 19:16; Ex 40:15; Ps 133:2; 1Sa 16:12, 13). When this symbolic action was performed God’s Spirit came upon them. From that moment on they ministered with new power. Today, following His resurrection, Jesus Christ pours out an even greater “anointing” on those who enlist into His service.

2 - Why Jesus Commanded Us to Be Baptised

Why be baptized?

The most important reason for a believer to be baptized in water is because Jesus commanded it. In His “Great Commission” Jesus instructed that all who became His disciples are to be baptized (Mt 28:19). Since every true believer chooses to obey Jesus as “Lord” no better reason can be given. If He wants me to be baptized then I will gladly be baptized.