Sunday
July 22
1. THE THIRD PERSON OF THE GODHEAD
a. How was the Holy Spirit involved in both the creation of the universe and the formulation of the plan of redemption? Genesis 1:1, 2.
“The Godhead was stirred with pity for the race, and the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit gave Themselves to the working out of the plan of redemption.”—Counsels on Health, p. 222.
b. What evidences do we have that the Holy Spirit is a divine person as well as a power? Acts 13:2–4; 15:28; Ephesians 4:30; 1 Corinthians 2:11; Romans 8:26, 27.
“There are three living persons of the heavenly trio; in the name of these three great powers—the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit—those who receive Christ by living faith are baptized, and these powers will cooperate with the obedient subjects of heaven in their efforts to live the new life in Christ.”—Special Testimonies, Series B, No. 7, pp. 62, 63.
“The Holy Spirit has a personality, else He could not bear witness to our spirits and with our spirits that we are the children of God. He must also be a divine person, else He could not search out the secrets which lie hidden in the mind of God. [1 Corinthians 2:11 quoted.].”—Evangelism, p. 617.
Monday
July 23
2. THE OPERATION OF THE SPIRIT
a. What work does the Holy Spirit do in behalf of the heirs of salvation? Acts 2:3, 4; John 3:8; 16:13 (first part).
“The Holy Spirit is Christ’s representative, but divested of the personality of humanity, and independent thereof. Cumbered with humanity, Christ could not be in every place personally. Therefore it was for their interest that He should go to the Father, and send the Spirit to be His successor on earth. No one could then have any advantage because of his location or his personal contact with Christ. By the Spirit the Saviour would be accessible to all. In this sense He would be nearer to them than if He had not ascended on high.”—The Desire of Ages, p. 669.
“The plant grows by receiving that which God has provided to sustain its life. So spiritual growth is attained through cooperation with divine agencies. As the plant takes root in the soil, so we are to take root in Christ. As the plant receives the sunshine, the dew, and the rain, so are we to receive the Holy Spirit.”—Education, p. 106.
b. Why was the psalmist awestruck by the power of God’s Spirit? Psalm 139:7–12.
“The greatness of God is to us incomprehensible. ‘The Lord’s throne is in heaven’ (Psalm 11:4); yet by His Spirit He is everywhere present. He has an intimate knowledge of, and a personal interest in, all the works of His hand.”—Ibid., p. 132.
“If you come into close relationship to Jesus Christ you see wondrous things out of His law that are not now seen. The softening, subduing influence of the Spirit of God upon human hearts and minds will make the true children of God to sit together in heavenly places in Christ Jesus. Christian culture will be carried on in every heart worked by the Holy Spirit. . . .
“Let it be seen that your life is hid with Christ in God. Let there be no hasty speech, no cheap words, no slang phrases. Let it be demonstrated that you are conscious of a Companion whom you honor, and that you will not make Him ashamed of you. Only think, we are representatives of Jesus Christ! Then represent His character in words, in deportment.”—That I May Know Him, p. 198.
Tuesday
July 24
3. A GENTLE WOOING TO VICTORY
a. How is the voice of the Holy Spirit different from what people might naturally expect? 1 Kings 19:11–13; Isaiah 30:21.
“As we study the Scriptures, we should pray for the light of God’s Holy Spirit to shine upon the word, that we may see and appreciate its treasures.”—Christ’s Object Lessons, p. 113.
“In the secret place of prayer, where no eye but God’s can see, no ear but His can hear, we may pour out our most hidden desires and longings to the Father of infinite pity, and in the hush and silence of the soul that voice which never fails to answer the cry of human need will speak to our hearts.”—Thoughts From the Mount of Blessing, p. 84.
b. Describe the special work of the Holy Spirit and the evidence of His presence and power. John 16:7, 8; Acts 5:32.
“It is the Holy Spirit that convicts of sin. If the sinner responds to the quickening influence of the Spirit, he will be brought to repentance and aroused to the importance of obeying the divine requirements.”—The Acts of the Apostles, p. 52.
“None need despair because of the inherited tendencies to evil, but when the Spirit of God convicts of sin, the wrongdoer must repent and confess and forsake the evil. Faithful sentinels are on guard to direct souls in right paths.”—The SDA Bible Commentary [E.G. White Comments], vol. 6, p. 1120.
c. What kind of habitation is appropriate for the indwelling of the Holy Spirit? John 14:17; 1 Corinthians 3:16, 17; Isaiah 57:15.
“Those whom heaven recognizes as holy ones are the last to parade their own goodness.”—Christ’s Object Lessons, p. 160.
“God does not bid you fear that He will fail to fulfill His promises, that His patience will weary, or His compassion be found wanting. Fear lest your will shall not be held in subjection to Christ’s will, lest your hereditary and cultivated traits of character shall control your life. . . . Fear lest self shall interpose between your soul and the great Master Worker.”—Ibid., p. 161.
Wednesday
July 25
4. THE UNPARDONABLE SIN
a. What warnings are given against resisting the voice of the Holy Spirit? Acts 7:51; Hebrews 6:4–6; 10:26, 27.
“Conscience is the voice of God, heard amid the conflict of human passions; when it is resisted, the Spirit of God is grieved.
“We want all to understand how the soul is destroyed. It is not that God sends out a decree that man shall not be saved. He does not throw a darkness before the eyes which cannot be penetrated. But man at first resists a motion of the Spirit of God, and, having once resisted, it is less difficult to do so the second time, less the third, and far less the fourth. . . .
“When secret prayer and reading of the Scriptures are neglected today, tomorrow they can be omitted with less remonstrance of conscience. There will be a long list of omissions, all for a single grain sown in the soil of the heart.”—Testimonies, vol. 5, p. 120.
“It is through the agency of the Holy Spirit that God communicates with man; and those who deliberately reject this agency as satanic, have cut off the channel of communication between the soul and Heaven.
“God works by the manifestation of His Spirit to reprove and convict the sinner; and if the Spirit’s work is finally rejected, there is no more that God can do for the soul.”—Patriarchs and Prophets, p. 405.
b. What sin cannot be forgiven? Matthew 12:31, 32. How can we avoid this serious danger? Hebrews 2:1–3; Psalm 19:13, 14.
“It is dangerous to utter a word of doubt, dangerous to question and criticize divine light. The habit of careless and irreverent criticism reacts upon the character, in fostering irreverence and unbelief. Many a man indulging this habit has gone on unconscious of danger, until he was ready to criticize and reject the work of the Holy Spirit.”—The Desire of Ages, p. 323.
“The sin of blasphemy against the Holy Spirit does not lie in any sudden word or deed; it is the firm, determined resistance of truth and evidence.
“No one need look upon the sin against the Holy Ghost as something mysterious and indefinable. The sin against the Holy Ghost is the sin of persistent refusal to respond to the invitation to repent.”—The SDA Bible Commentary [E.G. White Comments], vol. 5, p. 1093.
Thursday
July 26
5. NOW IS THE TIME
a. How do we receive the Holy Spirit? Acts 8:14, 15; Luke 11:13.
“Why do we not hunger and thirst for the gift of the Spirit, since this is the means by which we are to receive power? Why do we not talk of it, pray for it, preach concerning it? The Lord is more willing to give the Holy Spirit to us than parents are to give good gifts to their children. For the baptism of the Spirit every worker should be pleading with God.”—Testimonies, vol. 8, p. 22.
b. What promise is given especially for these last days, and what is the main condition attached to it? Zechariah 10:1; Jeremiah 14:20, 21.
“The dispensation in which we are now living is to be, to those that ask, the dispensation of the Holy Spirit. Ask for His blessing. It is time we were more intense in our devotion. To us is committed the arduous, but happy, glorious work of revealing Christ to those who are in darkness. We are called to proclaim the special truths for this time. For all this the outpouring of the Spirit is essential. We should pray for it. The Lord expects us to ask Him. We have not been wholehearted in this work.”—Testimonies to Ministers, pp. 511, 512.
“It is the Holy Spirit you need, the conviction of sin; and may God let it rest upon you today. I thank Him for His light and for His Spirit. I thank Him for His grace, and I mean to hang my helpless soul upon Him. I stand nearly alone; but the God of Israel alone can work.”—The Ellen G. White 1888 Materials, p. 596.
Friday
July 27
PERSONAL REVIEW QUESTIONS
1. How do we know that the Holy Spirit is a person?
2. Why did Jesus send the Comforter?
3. Describe the voice of the Holy Spirit and explain His mission.
4. How can we avoid committing the unpardonable sin?
5. What benefits are we to reap when asking for the Holy Spirit?