Text: Gatatians 4:1-7
Main Idea: The Holy Spirit is always instigating intimacy with God.
The word Abba is an Aramaic word that means “Father.” It was a common term that expressed affection and confidence and trust. It communicates the close, intimate relationship of a father and his child, as well as the childlike trust that a young child puts in his “daddy.”
Here in Galatians, it says the Spirit calls out. In Romans 8:15 it says by the Spirit we cry out “Abba, Father.” So He reminds us of our status and prompts us to act on it.
He is the reason why every day we get a taste of heaven on earth. The reason we are experiencing eternal life in these mortal bodies.
Inspire: ‘Inspire’ is from a Latin word meaning ‘to breathe or blow into.’ When you are ‘inspired’, according to the literal definition of the word, you are having an idea ‘breathed into you.’ Imagine the Spirit breathing within you and filling your being with awareness of the eternal life that is yours.
Philippians 2:13 – “for it is God who is at work in you, both to desire and to work for His good pleasure.”
Hebrews 10:14 “For by one sacrifice He has made perfect forever those who are being made holy.”
- Our sin account has been paid in full by the blood of Christ. So you have been made holy. And, at the same time, you are being made Holy.
Celebrating His Presence. The Lord wants to be much more personal with each of us than we presently realize. For Him to make the choice not to live near me, as a next-door neighbor, or even with me as a roommate, but inside of me – and forever, communicates a desire for intimacy that is far beyond human understanding. He is not just concerned about what’s going on “in the world,” He is concerned about what is going on in me. It means He wants to be perpetually synchronized with me emotionally, spiritually, and physically. It means He does not just want to understand my situations, He wants to experience them with me. It means He does not only want to be available when I call but there to prompt the call. The reason He is in each of us personally is because He wants to personalize each of our relationship with Himself. The reality and meaning of His presence within me is the most wonderful thing I can ponder.
Romans 15:5 – God gives perseverance and encouragement. The Holy Spirit is the One delivering that package.
He is the one persuading me that I am loved and that nothing can separate me from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus.
The intimacy He is instigating is like being in love, only much bigger than that. Because unlike human love, His capacity to give it and receive it is infinite and His availability is unlimited. His knowledge of me – the real me – is perfect and complete and astonishingly greater than my own knowledge of myself.
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