SSLS 2017-03-23
2017 1st Quarter
Lesson 12, March 18-24, The Work of the Spirit
Thursday, March 23
“And not only so, but we glory in tribulations also: knowing that tribulation worketh patience; And patience, experience; and experience, hope: And hope maketh not ashamed; because the love of God is shed abroad in our hearts by the Holy Ghost which is given unto us.” KJV, Romans 5:3-5, emphasis added.
“Now the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, that ye may abound in hope, through the power of the Holy Ghost.” KJV, Romans 15:13.
“And now abideth faith, hope, charity, these three; but the greatest of these is charity.” KJV, 1 Corinthians 13:13.
“Here we see the need of faith leading to harmonious action. A spirit of harmony and love in labor is to give evidence of our faith in Christ. This unity of sentiment and works is not revealed among Christ’s followers today as he desires it should be; and because of this, objections to our faith are raised by some. The presence of the Holy Spirit with any people will lead them to speak the same thing and to work the will and works of Christ. This is the most convincing of all arguments.” (Ellen White, Review and Herald, September 23, 1909, emphasis added.)
“Christ prayed for his disciples ‘that they all may be one; as thou, Father, art in me, and I in thee, that they also may be one in us; that the world may believe that thou hast sent me.’ The unity of believers is to be an evidence to the world of the divine power and mission of Christ. This should be the mighty argument to convince the world that Christ is the Son of God, the Redeemer of fallen man. The love existing between believers is to be similar to the love existing between the Father and the Son. And this love in the soul is the evidence of the indwelling of the Holy Spirit. We are to love God supremely, and our neighbors as ourselves. It is in the lack of this love that thousands fail, and are found transgressors of the law. Supreme love for God will lead to love for our fellow-men, and the commandment of Christ is, ‘Love one another as I have loved you,’ ‘By this shall all men know that ye are my disciples, if ye have love one for another.’ We cannot have this love unless Jesus is abiding in the heart by living faith. The very unity of disciples, the love manifested one for another, will be evidence to the world that God has sent his Son into the world as its Redeemer. This unity and love will exist wherever the Spirit of the Lord abides; heart will be bound to heart, and works of righteousness will appear in the daily life.” (Ellen White, Signs of the Times, April 13, 1891, emphasis added.)
“The Holy Spirit implanted in the disciples, enabled them to stand firmly against idolatry, and to exalt the Lord alone. The Holy Spirit guided the pens of the sacred historians that the record of the precious words and works of Christ might be presented to the world. The Holy Spirit is constantly at work seeking to draw the attention of men to the great sacrifice made upon the cross of Calvary, to unfold to the world the love of God to man, and to open to the convicted soul the precious promises in the Scriptures. It is the Holy Spirit that brings to the darkened minds the bright beams of the Sun of Righteousness. It is the Holy Spirit that makes men’s hearts burn within them with an awakened intelligence of the truths of eternity. It is the Holy Spirit that presents before the mind the moral standard of righteousness and convinces of sin. It is the Holy Spirit that produces godly sorrow which worketh repentance that needeth not to be repented of, and inspires faith in Him who alone can save from all sin. It is the Holy Spirit that works to transform character by withdrawing the affections of men from those things which are temporal and perishable, and fixing them upon the immortal inheritance, the eternal substance which is imperishable. The Holy Spirit recreates, refines, and sanctifies the human agents, that they may become members of the royal family, children of the Heavenly King.” (Ellen White, Signs of the Times, April 17, 1893, emphasis added.)