Notes

Walking in the Fullness of the Holy Spirit

Dr. Bob Abramson

06-07 - Constant Access to Spiritual Wisdom and Understanding

Unrestrained, Unlimited, Endless

Solomon
Let us begin by looking at King Solomon. As long as he walked in faith and obedience before the Lord, he was the wisest man who ever lived. 1 Kings 3:5 8 -9a, 12 (NKJV)
{5} At Gibeon the LORD appeared to Solomon in a dream by night; and God said, Ask! What shall I give you? Solomon: {8} And Your servant is in the midst of Your people whom You have chosen, a great people, too numerous to be numbered or counted. {9} Therefore give to Your servant an understanding heart to judge Your people, that I may discern between good and evil. For who is able to judge this great people of Yours. The Lord: {12}behold, I have done according to your words; see, I have given you a wise and understanding heart, so that there has not been anyone like you before you, nor shall any like you arise after you.

The Lord appeared to Solomon in a dream. Then, He invited Solomon to ask for anything. Solomon could have asked for riches, power, long life or anything else. Instead, he asked for an understanding heart. God gave Solomon constant access to His wisdom. Solomon exercised wisdom without any equal. However, he turned from God and spent much of his life in the foolishness and disobedience of prideful living. It resulted in tragedy. POINT 8: Ask God for constant access to the wisdom you will need. Then, use it wisely.
Ephesians 1:16-20 (NLT) I have never stopped thanking God for you. I pray for you constantly, {17} asking God, the glorious Father of our Lord 1
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Notes
Jesus Christ, to give you spiritual wisdom and understanding, so that you might grow in your knowledge of God. {18} I pray that your hearts will be flooded with light so that you can understand the wonderful future he has promised to those he called. I want you to realize what a rich and glorious inheritance he has given to his people. {19} I pray that you will begin to understand the incredible greatness of his power for us who believe him. This is the same mighty power {20} that raised Christ from the dead and seated him in the place of honor at God's right hand in the heavenly realms.

Key Points to Pauls Prayer, recorded in Ephesians 1:16-20

These are goals for walking in the fullness of the Holy Spirit.

Verse 17

Spiritual wisdom and understanding come from the Father, through the Holy Spirit. (comment) Verse 18 We can know the hope that comes with being adopted as Gods children and heirs. Verse 18 We grow in the knowledge of God because of spiritual wisdom and understanding. Verse 19 We can begin to understand the incredible greatness of his power for us who believe. Verses 19-20 The power in us is the same mighty power that raised Christ from the dead. Let us look further into Ephesians 1:16-20. It will help you see how constant access to spiritual wisdom and understanding brings the fullness of the Holy Spirit to you. Verse 17 1. Paul understood the value of walking in spiritual wisdom and understanding. He knew it has different characteristics than walking in natural wisdom and understanding. 2. When we have constant access to spiritual wisdom and understanding we become vessels of the Holy Spirit. Without spiritual wisdom or understanding, there will be neither ability nor opportunity to walk in the fullness of the Holy Spirit. 3. Growing in the knowledge of God requires that we use our spiritual wisdom and understanding. Otherwise, we will have only natural wisdom and understanding upon which to rely. This will eventually fail us.
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Notes POINT 9: You gain constant access to spiritual wisdom and understanding by complete submission to the voice of the Holy Spirit in service to the Lord. Verse 18 Verse 18 informs us that Paul prayed for our hearts to be flooded with light. What does this mean? 1 John 1:5 gives us the answer, at its purest, foundational level. 1 John 1:5 (NKJV) God is light
Again: Ephesians 1:18 (NKJV) :the eyes of your understanding being enlightened New Living Translation says, flooded with light

1. Specifically, Paul prayed that our understanding of what we see, hear and know, would be enlightened, or flooded with light by Gods presence. We position ourselves for constant access to it. Then, He works through the fullness of His Spirit in us. 2. Pauls prayer made clear to us that hope is within each of us. Hope will reveal a clear picture of the Lords promises. We are invited to pause and meditate on them. Then, we are encouraged to press on in faith. Now, listen to what Paul wrote to the Roman Christians. Romans 8:14-17a (NKJV) We have our inheritance through Christ in God. Our heavenly Father is called Abba. (This is an ancient expression that a trusting, loving child would call his or her father.) The Holy Spirit bears witness that you are legally your heavenly Fathers child and heir by adoption. Do not deny yourself your inheritance because you lack faith, fail to be obedient, or neglect to claim it. Your inheritance brings the possibility of constant access to Gods wisdom and understanding.

POINT 10: Use your rights and privileges as a child of God wisely. Accept the responsibilities that go with them wisely.
Lets go back to Ephesians, Chapter 1: Verse 19-20
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Notes The power of supernaturally sourced wisdom and understanding is part of your inheritance in Christ. (We saw this in the earlier lesson.) Do not settle for less than the fullness of this power-filled wisdom and understanding. God makes this available to those of us who believe in Him. 1. The power that comes from accessing supernatural wisdom and understanding liberates you from your limitations. The Holy Spirit delivers this power through revelation of the truth. Then, the truth sets you free and keeps us free. 2. Walking in the full power of spiritual wisdom and understanding enables you to experience success and significance. As this happens, you are able to remove what would not please God from your life and embrace what would please Him. This process is called sanctification. It is the process of maturing in Christ. Paul knew we could have the unrestrained, unlimited, endless ability to grow in Christ and please the Father. Paul encouraged us to make this our aim, in every circumstance. It was his desire and his prayer. 2 Corinthians 5:9 (NKJV) Let us look once more at King Solomon.
Solomon: 1 Kings 3:9 (NKJV) Therefore give to Your servant an understanding heart to judge Your people, that I may discern between good and evil.

An understanding heart provides the potential for constant, complete access to Gods wisdom. You can see this in the way Solomon judged between two women who each claimed to be mother of the same child. 1 Kings 3:23-28 (NKJV)

POINT 11: Using the wisdom of God to make wise choices gives you the correct and proper results.
As long as Solomon conducted himself with the fear of the Lord, he had great success. The people for whom he was responsible were safe and prosperous. Solomons wisdom made a difference in the quality of their lives. If you desire to mature in Christ and be a good influence to those around you, do the following four things:
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Notes 1. Make humility your lifetime partner in all that you do. In his later years, Solomon sadly reflected on the foolishness of his own life. He must have written Proverbs 1:7 while regretting his rebellious choices in life. Proverbs 1:7 (NKJV) - Romans 12:3 (NKJV) Philippians 2:5-8 (NKJV) 2. Be diligent to learn and apply the wisdom you find in Word of God. You will have Gods favor and blessings, and you will fulfill your lifes journey to its fullest. 2 Timothy 2:15 (NKJV) 3. Form the habit of listening to the Holy Spirit throughout the day. This will be especially vital in the midst of important decisions you will make. Be sure you listen to Him through godly voices. Recognize the wrong voices and reject them. 4. Finish what you start, knowing it is the right thing to do. Solomons ending was tragedy and sorrow. Pauls ending led to triumph through the growth of the Gospel. Paul has touched countless people with his words. His epistles are a source of unusual, extraordinary wisdom for us all. What a contrast!

POINT 12: Constant access to spiritual wisdom and understanding can be yours when you fear God and have made it your habit to obey His Word. The Wisdom of James
Acts, Chapter 15 records a dispute that arose among the early Christians at Antioch. The disagreement was whether a Gentile Christian man must be circumcised. Paul and Barnabus, along with some others, decided that they should go to Jerusalem to ask about this question. After they had arrived in Jerusalem, the apostles and elders gathered to discuss this question. Then, Peter gave his testimony of what the Holy Spirit had done at Cornelius house. Peter testified that there was no longer a difference between Jewish and Gentile believers. Salvation through grace was for anyone. It was not dependent on works. (See Acts 15:7-11 and Refer to Ephesians 2:8-9).
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Notes James was the leading apostle. He solved the dispute with wisdom. He began by quoting from Amos 9:11-12. Using these Scriptures to validate his argument, he then provided the solution. Here is the biblical account, in which James quoted the Prophet Amos: Acts 15:13-18 (NKJV)
{16} After this I will return And will rebuild the tabernacle of David, which has fallen down; I will rebuild its ruins, And I will set it up; {17} So that the rest of mankind may seek the LORD, Even all the Gentiles who are called by My name, Says the LORD who does all these things. {18} Known to God from eternity are all His works.

James quotes Amos.

{19} Therefore I judge that we should not trouble those from among the Gentiles who are turning to God, {20} but that we write to them to abstain from things polluted by idols, from sexual immorality, from things strangled, and from blood.

James wise decision had these specific instructions: 1. The Gentiles were to abstain from anything polluted by idols. 2. There was to be no sexual immorality among them. 3. They could not eat anything that had been strangled. 4. They could not eat anything that was prepared while still containing blood, nor consume blood itself. The apostles and elders wrote of this decision in a letter and sent it to Antioch. When the Christians at Antioch read it, they rejoiced over its encouragement (Verse 31). James decision showed his extraordinary wisdom. Each of the four instructions was already prohibited in the Hebrew Scriptures. Each had been associated with worshiping or sacrificing to idols. There would be no room in Christianity for this behavior. It was offensive to God. It dishonored God. To continue doing anything prohibited in these four instructions was a sin. It would have been a testimony against the holiness and grace of God. Like all sin, each carried consequences and ultimately, judgment. James walked in the extraordinary wisdom of God. His decision became a standard doctrine for all Christians, then and now. James 3:13-17 shows the clear contrast between earthly wisdom and spiritual wisdom and understanding.
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Notes James 3:13-17 (NKJV)

A Comparison of the Two Kinds of Wisdom Verse Characteristics of Characteristics of Wisdom that is from Earthly, Sensual, Above Demonic Wisdom 13 Good conduct, the meekness of wisdom (Meekness is not weakness, but it is wisely exercised strength.) 14 Bitter envy, self-seeking, boastful, lying 15 Does not come from God 16 Confusion and evil 17 Pure, peaceable, gentle, willing to yield, full of mercy and good fruits No partiality - No hypocrisy (We can relate these final two qualities to the argument in Antioch, which James solved in Acts, Chapter 13.)

Wisdom from God is meek, pure, peaceable, gentle and willing to yield. James lists two final characteristics of wisdom that help us to understand how it works in us. James says that Gods wisdom is full of mercy and good fruits As you can see, Gods wisdom shows no prejudice against anyone who calls Jesus Lord, nor should you. Here is what James was saying. Gods wisdom is unrestrained and unlimited in its mercy. It accomplishes His will, which is to provide us with an endless supply of potential fruitfulness throughout our lives. This fruitfulness will be seen in the believer who walks in the fullness of the Holy Spirit. Finally, Gods wisdom shows no prejudice against anyone who calls Jesus Lord, nor should you. Be a testimony to the love that God has for His creation. Three Very Important Principles from Romans, Chapter 8 Romans 8:5-6 (NKJV) 1. Live the way the Holy Spirit wants you to live. If you want to grow into continual access to Gods wisdom, measure your thinking by how the Holy Spirit asks you to think.
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Notes Always trust His instructions. Give them priority over all carnal thoughts. Form the habit of thinking in a disciplined, discerning way. Resist the temptation to second-guess God. Think with Gods kind of thinking. It may not take you where you prefer to go, but it will keep you safely on track to fulfill the will of God. It will lead you to life and peace. 2. Live without fear. You have your heavenly Father to watch over you. Fear is an emotion that tries to challenge, disrupt and overcome wise, godly thinking. When you are led by the Spirit of God, you have access to His unrestrained, unlimited, endless wisdom. It will help you to overcome the situations that would tempt you to fear. Let us move ahead a few verses to Romans 8:14-17 (NKJV) 3. Be led by the Holy Spirit. You can walk in the favor and grace of God. This includes constant access to His wisdom. You will enjoy all the benefits of your inheritance as a joint heir with Jesus, forever. POINT 13: Gaining constant access to the supernatural wisdom and understanding of God is a progressive effort. POINT 14: Keep moving toward constant access by being faithful and obedient. POINT 15: Listen for the Holy Spirits voice and live in obedience to what He says. Questions for Discussion 1. How would you define the term power? 2. What does rich in glory mean to you? (See item #3, under Verse 18.) 3. How does more of Gods wisdom and understanding in you make you free of things that have limited you? 4. What are limitations could most Christians eliminate by having more of Gods wisdom and understanding? 5. Why would fruitfulness be eternal? If it were not eternal, would it really be fruitful?
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