Remind Me

5 neither wild plants nor grains were growing on the earth. For the Lord God had not yet sent rain to water the earth, and there were no people to cultivate the soil. 6 Instead, springs came up from the ground and watered all the land. 7 Then the Lord God formed the man from the dust of the ground. He breathed the breath of life into the man’s nostrils, and the man became a living person.

1. The Holy Spirit breathes Life

More we are introduced to a barren landscape of dirt and rock that is devoid of life.

But God breathes into the lifeless dirt to create life. This is a fundamental image in the Bible, that God’s personal life-giving presence is what sustains all living creatures.

Apart from God’s own life-presence, there is only disorder and death. But when God’s Spirit is in the mix, the impossible suddenly becomes possible and life can come from non-life.

Questions:

God’s life-giving Spirit is the one who provides and sustains life in the world. Where do you see life emerging and flourishing around you?

The Spirit is in the business of breathing life where there is hopelessness. Where do you sense a need for new life in or around you? Prayerfully ask God through his Spirit to bring life.

2. The Holy Spirit Breathes Wisdom:

Isaiah 11:1–4 ESV

1 There shall come forth a shoot from the stump of Jesse, and a branch from his roots shall bear fruit. 2 And the Spirit of the Lord shall rest upon him, the Spirit of wisdom and understanding, the Spirit of counsel and might, the Spirit of knowledge and the fear of the Lord. 3 And his delight shall be in the fear of the Lord. He shall not judge by what his eyes see, or decide disputes by what his ears hear, 4 but with righteousness he shall judge the poor, and decide with equity for the meek of the earth; and he shall strike the earth with the rod of his mouth, and with the breath of his lips he shall kill the wicked.

In this poem God is depicted as a lumberjack, cutting down Israel’s leaders who have arrogantly elevated themselves. And in their place, God will cause a new branch to sprout from the lineage of Jesse (David’s father!).

He will be empowered by God’s Spirit to be the most wise, kind, and generous leader anyone could imagine. God’s Spirit produces a messianic king who uses his power to serve the poor and confront corruption. And you know God’s Spirit is involved when the signs of Eden begin to emerge, when the powerless are no longer in danger because “the land will be filled with knowing Yahweh like the waters cover the sea.”

Questions:

Where do you need wisdom in your own life?

Set aside some time to ask God’s Spirit to give you wisdom and reflect on how to move forward

The Holy Spirit Breathes Love

John 14:15–18 NLT

15 “If you love me, obey my commandments. 16 And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another Advocate, who will never leave you. 17 He is the Holy Spirit, who leads into all truth. The world cannot receive him, because it isn’t looking for him and doesn’t recognize him. But you know him, because he lives with you now and later will be in you. 18 No, I will not abandon you as orphans—I will come to you.

The night before Jesus was arrested and executed, he washed the feet of his closest followers as a rich symbol of his love for them. This was a foretaste of his ultimate act of love on the cross. And this love was supposed to multiply as his followers shared that same self-giving love with each other.

When Jesus later promises to send “the Spirit of truth,” he makes it clear that his own presence, comfort, and love will come to take up residence “inside you.” And if the life and love of the servant-king is truly in you, it will lead to further acts of self-giving love, or in

Jesus’ words, “the one who has my commandments and keeps them, this is the one who loves me.” The logic is fairly simple.

When our lives are characterized by others-centered love, that’s when we know that the Spirit is working through us.

Conclusion: Remember Love

STORY: Reminding Bubby of what I told him

Remember Bubby

John 14:25–27 NLT

25 I am telling you these things now while I am still with you. 26 But when the Father sends the Advocate as my representative—that is, the Holy Spirit—he will teach you everything and will remind you of everything I have told you. 27 “I am leaving you with a gift—peace of mind and heart. And the peace I give is a gift the world cannot give. So don’t be troubled or afraid.

How has God uniquely made you to extend love to others? Where do the needs of others and your Spirit-empowered characteristics and gifts align?

John 13:34–35 NLT

34 So now I am giving you a new commandment: Love each other. Just as I have loved you, you should love each other. 35 Your love for one another will prove to the world that you are my disciples.”

Take a moment to prayerfully ask God, by his Spirit, to fill you with the others-centered love that characterized the life of Jesus.

Related Media

Related Sermons