Lesson 28: Walking by the Spirit Review
Question 5
Drawn to the Son
Remember what you read previously from Jesus? “All that belongs to the Father is mine. That is why I said the Spirit will receive from me what he will make known to you.”
Do you see the parallels? Abraham’s servant is here making the son known to Rebekah, the son who can say “all that belongs to the father is mine.” Look how the servant is drawing Rebekah! In fact, he even gives her gifts, kind of a deposit of things to come (see Ephesians 1:14 NIV):
Then the servant brought out gold and silver jewelry and articles of clothing and gave them to Rebekah; he also gave costly gifts to her brother and to her mother.
Genesis 24:53 (NIV)
My friend, let’s stop a second and discuss what this means. The servant in this story is in the role of the Holy Spirit who comes to you and tells you all about the Son, what Jesus has done for you, how He died for you, how He rose and lives for you. And the Spirit woos you, beckons you, draws you, calls you.
Can’t you imagine that it would be difficult for Rebekah to leave her home and go to some man she’s never met? I mean her home was her comfort, all that she knew, it was where her family was and where her life was. She would have to leave all that, set out by faith, walking with the servant all the way to the son. But the servant was telling her of a better life, a life with a wealthy husband-to-be who already loved her from afar.
And so to make the parallel, the Spirit is calling you to leave pornography and all sexual impurity, to turn your back on your old life, to lose all worldly labels and set out on a walk of faith where you will keep in step with the Spirit. He is leading you home to the Son.
Do you see it? Leave all impurity behind! Leave your past and begin to truly walk by the Spirit away from old fleshly comforts. Keep in step with Him, for He is taking you to the Son who has loved you and given Himself for you. This is the work of the Spirit! He causes our hearts to love Jesus even though we have not seen Him face to face.
Though you have not seen him, you love him; and even though you do not see him now, you believe in him and are filled with an inexpressible and glorious joy!
1 Peter 1:8 (NIV)
And now, I ask you what Rebekah’s family asked her: “will you go with this man?” (Genesis 24:57)? If you’re like me, you want to answer “yes, yes, yes, oh yes! Let me run to Jesus and leave pornography and all sexual impurity behind and all comforts of the flesh just to be with Him!” He has loved me whereas impurity has only used me.
How much do you want to be with Jesus right now? Will you walk by the Spirit and keep in step with Him to get to the Son? How do you answer?
Question 5. Please share any thoughts you might have about this lesson today:
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Brian writes: I must admit that the line about Rebekah leaving her home, setting out on a trek with the servant struck a chord with me when brother Mike described that as leaving "her comfort." It is certainly true that I looked to sexual impurity as a "comfort" when I was refusing to see it as impure in any way. At my worst, I was willing to brazenly say that I didn't CARE if it was impure; I wanted what I wanted, and was going to go for it, no matter what). That leads me to a very key point that has become dear to me.
A subtle-but-HUGE difference between this Bible lesson and those that I have heard all my life is the factor of Jesus truly showing a better way, a better life: a forgiven past, a better future, and a better NOW. That flies into the face of the unfair characterization of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit that only wants to tell you "stop that, and that, and that, and that, and go to church." One of the things that I used to present to justify staying in impurity was the argument that "this is all I've got." To see that Holy Spirit is showing me Jesus by showing me the cross and that Jesus is showing me the Father - and that they ALL are showing GLARING differences from what the flesh has been offering (as bait, glue, and poison) is flooding me with more than I can express well; but I will try.
I love what brother Mike said when he wrote, "[Jesus] has loved me whereas impurity has only used me." Sin has used me, tricked me, drained me, broken me, humiliated me, discouraged me, robbed me, isolated me, tangled me, and stabbed me. Then, it dangled sexual impurity as "relief," which just repeated the process from another angle, promising that if I do it just right, that I will have the satisfaction I have always craved.
One thing that I see about walking by the Holy Spirit is that He leads to benefits that neither He, nor Jesus, nor the Father suddenly yanks back as sin does at the moment of deception and disappointment. That is one thing I neglected to mention in my learning from the last lesson (SO glad that it fits right in with today's lesson, too!). I am mesmerized by what I am learning about both my Father and my Lord, by listening for Holy Spirit's direction and teaching, and by absorbing what He is pumping into me, day by sweet day. It is MINDBLOWING. And once again, my mind can hardly think of a fitting response to the fact that since eternity past they all wanted me to have this! Let me stop before I start hollering, and the neighbors call the cops...."