Jeremiah 31:33 But this shall be the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel; After those days, saith the Lord, I will put my law in their inward parts, and write it in their hearts; and will be their God, and they shall be my people.

Ezekiel 36:27 And I will put my spirit within you, and cause you to walk in my statutes, and ye shall keep my judgments, and do them.

John 14:26 But the Comforter, which is the Holy Ghost, whom the Father will send in my name, he shall teach you all things, and bring all things to your remembrance, whatsoever I have said unto you.

John 16:13 Howbeit when he, the Spirit of truth, is come, he will guide you into all truth: for he shall not speak of himself; but whatsoever he shall hear, that shall he speak: and he will shew you things to come.

14 He shall glorify me: for he shall receive of mine, and shall shew it unto you.

15 All things that the Father hath are mine: therefore said I, that he shall take of mine, and shall shew it unto you.

Romans 8:14 For as many as are led by the Spirit of God, they are the sons of God.

26 Likewise the Spirit also helpeth our infirmities: for we know not what we should pray for as we ought: but the Spirit itself maketh intercession for us with groanings which cannot be uttered.

27 And he that searcheth the hearts knoweth what is the mind of the Spirit, because he maketh intercession for the saints according to the will of God.

I Corinthians 2:12 Now we have received, not the spirit of the world, but the spirit which is of God; that we might know the things that are freely given to us of God.

MEMORY VERSE: But the anointing which ye have received of him abideth in you, and ye need not that any man teach you: but as the same anointing teacheth you of all things, and is truth, and is no lie, and even as it hath taught you, ye shall abide in him.—I John 2:27

CENTRAL THOUGHT: The Holy Spirit was given to be our personal Comforter and Guide, Who writes God’s law in our hearts and causes us to walk in His ways; teaches us, leads us and guides us into all truth; shows us Jesus’ very life and mind, things that are to come and things that are freely given to us from God; helps our weaknesses and intercedes for us as we pray.

WORD DEFINITIONS

Jeremiah 31:33 “Covenant”: The prophetic covenant; a divine promise through a series of prophets to establish a new constitution with new institutions and precepts. From Hebrew barah (in the sense of cutting); a compact (because made by passing between pieces of flesh)—confederacy, covenant, league. “In their inward part”: seat of thought and emotion.

Ezekiel 36:27 “Cause you”: from a word that means accomplish; “sweetly, powerfully, successfully, yet without compulsion”—Matthew Poole’s Commentary.

John 14:26 “Comforter”: from Greek parakletos; “one who pleads another’s cause before a judge, a pleader, counsel for defense, legal assistant; an advocate”; an intercessor; a helper, succorer, aider, assistant. “Jesus called the Holy Spirit the Paraclete. The margin of the Revised Version suggests the Latin word ‘Advocate’ as the nearest equivalent to Paraclete, and if ‘Advocate’ is substituted for ‘Comforter’ in St. John 14 to 16, it is astonishing how illuminating it becomes. The Spirit is not our Advocate, but Christ’s. An advocate appears as representative of another, and the Holy Spirit comes to represent Christ, interpret and vindicate Christ, administer for Christ in His Church and Kingdom; to be to the believer all that Christ Himself was, and is — with this difference, that the Christ was with His disciples and the Spirit is in them.”—Samuel Chadwick, The Way to Pentecost.

Romans 8:26 “Infirmities”: rather, infirmity (singular); weakness; lack of strength; helplessness; handicaps that go with the weakness. “Maketh intercession”: To meet with, or encounter, for the purpose of supplication or consultation, in behalf of, or to confer benefit; to plead with; to make petition.

LESSON BACKGROUND

Both Jeremiah and Ezekiel pointed forward to what the Holy Spirit would do in the New Covenant. Not anymore, they said, would other men have to instruct us in the knowledge of God, but we would all be able to KNOW the Lord individually. The way He would make Himself known is by filling us with His Spirit, and with that Spirit He would write His desires, His laws, His very mind upon our hearts. Even better than that, He would CAUSE His will to be done in and through us. He would accomplish it in us. “Faithful is He who calleth you, who also will do it,” Paul told the Thessalonians.

Jesus promised the different ministrations of the Spirit: He would teach us; bring to our memory things Christ has said; guide us into all truth; and manifest the very life and mind and will of Christ to us.

Paul’s epistle to the Romans further shows how the Holy Spirit would lead us—proving our sonship and adoption–and intercede for us in our behalf in the time of prayer, when in our weakness and ignorance we don’t know how to pray.

John’s declaration echoes the New Covenant provisions by emphasizing that a person could receive instruction through the Holy Spirit Himself, not necessarily through another person. Truly, there are things another human could NEVER show us. It takes the Spirit, who knows the “deeps” about everyone of us, and the “deeps” about God and His ways, and only He can interpret those to us.

—Sis. Angela Gellenbeck

DISCUSSION:

1. The New Covenant: Which prophets laid out the provisions for the personal guidance God would give by His Spirit?

2. The Paraclete: Explain how the meaning of this word is more than “Comforter”.

3. The Heavenly Teacher: Without another human close by, the Spirit can instruct us. How does this Scripture balance with the Scripture that explains how the gifts of the Spirit are for the perfecting of the saints?

COMMENTS AND APPLICATION

I like what some of the commentators had to say about the personal guidance the Holy Spirit gives us in prayer: “Not as the Son intercedes for them, apart from themselves, at the mercy-seat; but within themselves, by inspiring them with these unutterable (or, unuttered) groanings; and they are conscious that such deep and intense yearnings are from the Divine Spirit moving them, and teaching them to pray. They may not still be able to put their requests of God into definite form, or even express them in words; but they know that God knows the meaning of what his own Spirit has inspired.” —Pulpit Commentary.

“He intercedes for them, by making them to intercede; He indites [indite means to compose] their prayers for them, not in a book, but in their hearts; He shows them their need, what their wants are; He stirs them up to prayer, He supplies them with arguments, puts words into their mouths, enlarges their hearts, gives strength of faith in prayer, and all the ardour and fervency of it; He enables them to come to God as their Father; and gives them liberty and boldness in his presence . . . .” —Gill’s Exposition of the Entire Bible.

I see a great “circle” of prayer portrayed here. We come to the Father, through Christ, Who intercedes for us to the Father, Who then communicates His will and the more perfect knowledge of what we should pray for, through the Spirit, back to us, causing us to pray the very mind and will and heart of God. Such a prayer—such utterance, even in groanings without words—we know, with a surety of faith and confidence, will be answered, because we prayed according to His will. How we need the Spirit!

—Sis. Angela Gellenbeck

REFLECTIONS

I was only nine years old when I attended the Guthrie, Oklahoma camp meeting for the first time. I was so excited and happy to be there. It was also the first time I had ever heard the song in our Evening Light songbook, #292, Spirit Holy (C. W. Naylor/A. L. Byers, 1918). The melody was just beautiful and the words so moved me that I wept. I thought the angels had come down to sing with us! These inspired words still resonate within me even today:

“Spirit Holy in me dwelling, ever work as Thou shalt choose; All my ransomed powers and talents for Thy purpose Thou shalt use.

“Spirit Holy, Spirit Holy, all my being now possess;
Lead me, rule me, work within me, through my life Thy will express.

“In me now reveal Thy glory, let Thy might be ever shown; Keep me from the world’s defilement, sacred for Thyself alone.

“Spirit Holy, Spirit Holy, all my being now possess;
Lead me, rule me, work within me, through my life Thy will express.”

—Sis. LaDawna Adams