Who is the Holy Spirit?

• Not some mystical force or influence
• He is a person – Jesus used He, not it to refer to the Spirit (14:16,26; 15:26; 16:7,8,13,14,15)

Who is Jesus Talking To? – The Apostles

What Would the Holy Spirit Do?

• Provide help/comfort (14:16,26; 15:26; 16:7) — How? (following points)
• Described as the Spirit of truth (14:17; 15:26; 16:13)
• Bring the apostles into remembrance of what Jesus taught (14:26)
• Testify about Christ (15:26)
• Convict the world of sin, righteousness, judgment (16:8)
• Guide the apostles into all the truth (16:13)

Why Would this be Necessary?

• We have to know God’s will to be saved (2 Thessalonians 1:8)
• We cannot know God’s will unless He reveals it to us (1 Corinthians 2:10-13)

Is it Necessary Today?

• Provide help/comfort — done through revelation then & now; revelation now complete (Jude 3)
• Remind us of what Jesus said — we didn’t hear Jesus in the first place; the apostles were eye witnesses (Acts 1:8; 1 John 1:1-3)
• Testify of Christ — we have the gospel; what more information do we need?
• Convict of sin, righteousness, judgment — Has God changed the standard since the 1st century?
• Guide us into all truth — we have all truth in the gospel (Colossians 1:5)
• So is it necessary for the Holy Spirit to work with us directly as He did with the apostles? No!

How Does the Holy Spirit Operate Today?

• Not through visions & dreams
• Not through a “small, still voice”
• Not through signs & miracles
• Through the word He revealed — that is the instrument He uses today (Ephesians 6:17)

See more outlines like this at DIY Sermon Outlines
You can also check out Plain Bible Teaching for articles on various Bible topics.

No Sin is Hidden from God

• God knew their sin even though they tried to hide from Him (Genesis 3:8) or deny it (Genesis 4:9)
• We cannot hide anything from Him (Hebrews 4:13)

We are Responsible for Our Actions

• Adam and Eve both tried to shift the blame for their sin (Genesis 3:11-13)
• Each one is punished for their own sin (Genesis 3:14-19)

Sin has Consequences

• Spiritual – separation from God (Genesis 3:23-24; 4:16; cf. Isaiah 59:2)
• Physical – pain, hardship, death (Genesis 3:16,17-19,23-24), mistreatment (Genesis 4:16; cf. Proverbs 13:15)
• For others – no tree of life (resulting in death), hard work, pain in childbearing

God Will Judge Us

• God passed judgment on all parties involved – serpent, Eve, Adam (Genesis 3) and Cain (Genesis 4)
• God will judge us one day (Romans 2:16; 2 Corinthians 5:10)

Read the article: What Have You Done?

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Mountain – government, authority (Daniel 2:44; John 18:36-37; Matthew 28:18)

House – the church (1 Timothy 3:15), linked to the kingdom (Matthew 16:18-19)

Nations – Gentiles, kingdom open to all (Acts 2:37-39; Ephesians 2:13-16)

Come – individual responsibility to follow Christ (Joshua 24:15; 2 Corinthians 5:10)

Teach – we must know God’s will (Hebrews 11:6; Romans 10:17)

Walk – learn God’s will in order to obey it (Matthew 7:21; James 1:22)

Law – we are under the Law of Christ (Galatians 6:2; James 1:25)

Judge – one standard for all the nations (John 12:48)

Peace – not stated but implied; violence not used to advance the cause of Christ (2 Corinthians 10:3-5), unity of believers (John 17:20-21)

Read the article: Keywords in the Prophecy of the Coming Kingdom

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Jesus Knew His Place (v. 3)

• God was His Father
• All things had been given to Him
• He had come from God
• He was going back to God

Knowing His Place, He Washed the Disciples’ Feet (v. 4-5)

• Jesus should have been the one being served
• But He humbled Himself, took the form of a servant (cf. Philippians 2:5-8)

Peter’s Lesson (v. 6-10)

• At first he didn’t want Jesus to wash his feet, then he wanted Jesus to wash more than just his feet
• Lesson: Be content with the Lord’s plan – don’t go beyond or fall short of it

He Knew Judas Would Betray Him (v. 11)

• Shows His omniscience – even in the flesh, Jesus exhibited the characteristics of Deity
• He still washed Judas’ feet – shows His love for all

Jesus’ Example (v. 12-17)

• Jesus was their Teacher and Lord – yet He performed this act of service
• We must serve one another
• A slave is not greater than his master – if Jesus did something, we are not too good to do it to if that’s what He requires
• We will be blessed if we do these things

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Four Facts of First Importance

• Christ died – laid down His life for our sins (John 10:18; Colossians 1:22)
• He was buried – shows that His death was not a hoax (Matthew 27:57-60)
• He was raised – first fruits of those who are asleep, gives us hope (1 Corinthians 15:20; 1 Peter 1:3)
• He appeared – provided proof of His resurrection (2 Peter 1:16; 1 John 1:1-3)

Our Lives Must Conform to Christ’s

• Our death – sacrifice our life (Romans 12:1), become dead to sin (Romans 6:6,11-12)
• Our burial – water baptism (Romans 6:3-4)
• Our resurrection – new life in Christ (Romans 6:4; Colossians 3:9-10)
• Our appearance – prove through our lives that we have put off sin and now follow Christ (Matthew 5:16; Romans 12:2)

Read the article: The Fourfold Foundation of the Gospel

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The Triumphal Entry (v. 12-15) - humble entry, rather than an impressive display of power

Teaching about Sacrifice (v. 25-26) - Jesus offers eternal life, but one must be willing to lay down his life here

The Crucifixion (v. 32-33) - crucifixion was supposed to turn people away from Christ and end the movement; it did just the opposite

Salvation and Judgment (v. 47-48) - salvation available as long as the earth stands, then comes the judgment with no second chances

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The Righteous Man is Blessed (v. 1-3)

• He does not walk in the counsel of the ungodly – following their thinking/advice
• He does not stand in the path of sinners – putting himself in a position to encounter them
• He does not sit in the seat of scoffers – among those who grumble and complain
• He delights in the law of the Lord and meditates upon it
• He is like a tree firmly planted by streams of water

The Wicked are Not Like the Righteous (v. 4-5)

• The follow the words of others who are wicked
• They do not try to avoid sin and temptation
• They join in complaining with the scoffers
• They do not delight in God’s law
• They are not like the tree firmly planted by the river
• They are like chaff – worthless, driven away by the wind
• They cannot stand in judgment

Summary (v. 6)

• The Lord knows (approves of) the way of the righteous
• The way of the wicked will perish

Read the article: Contrasting the Righteous and the Wicked – A Brief Examination of Psalm 1

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The scribes and Pharisees were the religious leaders of the day. Yet Jesus said our righteousness must surpass theirs to enter heaven. We must do more than fit in with those that the world recognizes as religious. We follow a higher standard.

Murder (Matthew 5:21-24)

• Generally understood: Murder is wrong, those who commit it will be held accountable
• Jesus said: We must not be angry with our brother

Adultery (Matthew 5:27-30)

• Generally understood: Adultery is wrong
• Jesus said: Do not even lust after a woman and commit adultery in your heart

Divorce (Matthew 5:31-32)

• Instruction under Old Law given because of their hard hearts (cf. Matthew 19:7-8): If one divorces his wife, he must give her a certificate of divorce
• Jesus said: Only one divinely allowed cause for putting away one’s spouse – fornication

Making Vows (Matthew 5:33-37)

• Generally understood: False vows are wrong
• Jesus said: Make no vows, they are unnecessary if we speak the truth at all times

Revenge (Matthew 5:38-42)

• Generally believed: One should retaliate when wronged
• Jesus said: Do not take your own vengeance

Enemies (Matthew 5:43-47)

• Generally believed: If you love your neighbor, then you hate your enemy
• Jesus said: Love your enemies, pray for them

Conclusion (Matthew 5:48) – Do not try to blend in with the world. Strive to be perfect as God is perfect.

Read the article: More Righteous than the Religious

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Dealing Treacherously with One’s Wife (Malachi 2:13-14)

Calling Evil Good (Malachi 2:17)

Withholding Offerings from God (Malachi 3:8-9)

Failing to Return to God (Malachi 3:7)

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Nature of Miracles

• True miracles cannot be faked, attributed to coincidence, or be just an unlikely event
• True miracles are undeniable – Even Jesus’ enemies acknowledged the legitimacy of His miracle (v. 47-48)
• Miracles were performed to produce faith (v. 45; John 20:30-31)

God Allows Human Suffering

• Jesus knew Lazarus was sick (v. 3-4), allowed him to remain sick and die (v. 6,11-14) – Why does God allow this?
• So that He might be glorified (v. 4,40; cf. 1 Peter 2:12)
• To cause us to grow (James 1:2-4)

Resurrection & Life

• Jesus had the power to raise the dead and grant them eternal life (v. 25-26)
• This point has been made repeatedly in John’s gospel (John 3:14-15; 4:13-14; 6:47-51,54; 8:52; 10:28)
• Foreshadowing of Jesus’ own resurrection (John 10:17-18; Matthew 16:21)

Response of Jesus’ Enemies

• The chief priests and Pharisees knew what Jesus did, but conspired against Him anyway (v. 47) – Why?
• They were concerned about their own position of power (v. 48)
• Sadly, people willfully reject the truth if it does not personally benefit them in this life

See more outlines like this at DIY Sermon Outlines
You can also check out Plain Bible Teaching for articles on various Bible topics.