Session 4 Delighting in the Trinity: The Christian Life: The Spirit Beautifies
Here is the Schedule for the last two classes on DELIGHTING IN THE TRINITY. (The Schedule for November and December is at the end of this document.)
We have two more sessions: October 14th and the 21st
I am sorry that I had to change the time for the evening class last week. The District Superintendent called a meeting for pastors, and I felt I needed to attend.
Session 4, Oct. 14th at 10 am and 7 pm. THE CHRISTIAN LIFE (85-107)
Session 5 will be on Tuesday, October 21 at 10am and Wednesday, October 21 at 7pm “WHO AMONG THE GODS IS LIKE YOU, O LORD?” (109-130)
The Classes are being recorded, so ask for Melissa for the link if you want to see a class you missed.
Questions to ponder from Chapter 4: THE CHRISTIAN LIFE (85-107).
All responses are welcomed.
1. How do you define the word delight?
2. How do you understand the Holy Spirit?
3. Reeves talks about loving and desiring God. What do you think that means? What does that mean to you??”
4. Proverbs 16.9 says, “The human mind plans the way, but the LORD directs the steps.” Reeves says if we do not desire to be in a relationship with God, we will fall back on our own ways. Agree/Disagree—why?
5. Reeves uses these two Scriptures to explain the change of heart the Spirit provides.
a. Ezekiel 36.26 “A new heart I will give you, and a new spirit I will put within you; and I will remove from your body the heart of stone and give you a heart of flesh,”
b. and John 3.3-8, “Jesus answered him, “Very truly, I tell you, no one can see the kingdom of God without being born from above.” 4 Nicodemus said to him, “How can anyone be born after having grown old? Can one enter a second time into the mother’s womb and be born?” 5 Jesus answered, “Very truly, I tell you, no one can enter the kingdom of God without being born of water and Spirit. 6 What is born of the flesh is flesh, and what is born of the Spirit is spirit. 7 Do not be astonished that I said to you, ‘You must be born from above.’ 8 The wind blows where it chooses, and you hear the sound of it, but you do not know where it comes from or where it goes. So, it is with everyone who is born of the Spirit.” Does this help you to understand how the holy Spirit is giving us a new heart for God and all of God’s creation?
6. On page 88, Reeves talks about Sadoleto’s argument that if God saves people by God’s grace alone, people will have no reason to want holiness. Calvin counterargued that “salvation was not about getting some thing called “grace”—it was about freely receiving the Spirit, and so The Father and The Son. Which argument makes the most sense to you—or do you see it an entirely different way?
7. On Page 90, Reeves says “once the Holy Spirit has given life, the Holy Spirit “does not move on; he stays to make that life blossom and grow.” Have you seen this happen to a person? Has this ever happened to you?
8. On page 92 Reeves states that “we shall see how God hates sin, and that will transform us to hate it as God does?” I wrote in the margins: “hmm.” What do you think he means? Do you think God hates sin? If God is love, can God hate anything? What does it mean to hate sin? (And what is the definition of sin?”
9. On pages 104-5 Reeves describes the Trinity as a family that does not keep to themselves. He says the words that Jesus spoke “on the evening of the first Easter day,” were: “’Peace be with you! As the Father has sent me, I am sending you.’ And then with that he breathed on them and said, ‘Receive the Holy Spirit.’” (John 20.21-22). Reeves says this proves that evangelism is not that God goes back to heaven leaving us on our own so to speak. If this is accurate—we are not called to design our own evangelism plan, we are called to be guided by the Spirit. How do you think we are supposed to discern where we are being sent?
10. Hebrews 3.12-13: “Take care, brothers and sisters, that none of you may have an evil, unbelieving heart that turns away from the living God. But exhort one another every day, as long as it is called ‘today,’ so that none of you may be hardened by the deceitfulness of sin.” Can you think of any real life examples of how a heart becomes hardened?
These are just prompts for discussion—send any insights you have and any questions, too. The class will begin and end on time, discussion is welcomed. Melissa has sent the Zoom invite. Let me know if you have not received it sometime today. You are getting this message because I have you signed up as interested in the class. It will be on Wednesdays at 10 am and 7 pm, except for October 21 when there will only be an evening class. You can choose when you will attend. Let me know if you have any questions.
Coming up Next:
In November we will do 30 Days with King David. The books are in and I have brought them to church for pick up, or I will deliver them to you or send to them you, if you want to participate. See www.ThirtyDaysWith.com for more info. I know and respect the author, and I thought a book on leadership is perfect during this time. We will examine both the positive and negative lessons we can learn from King David.
We will have 3 discussions on November 4, 11, 18. if there is interest, we can do the same time slots of 10 am and 7 pm.
The first Sunday of Advent is November 29, 2020. We will begin our Advent Study on the Incarnation by the Reverend Adam Hamilton. Those books are also in—please let me know if you need one or pick one up at the church.
Sessions will be December 2, 9, 16, and January 6 if there is interest.
Adjectives frequently used with delight
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great: absolute, great, intense, pure, sheer, utter
The expression on his face was one of sheer delight.
real: genuine, real, true
As a nanny, she took a real delight in caring for children.
obvious: evident, obvious
His obvious delight was confirmed when he remarked, ‘What a splendid show!’
like a child’s: childish, childlike
Tarantino sets up his cinematic world with an almost childlike delight.
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Verbs frequently used with delight
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experience delight: experience, feel, find, take
He seemed to take delight in watching me suffer.
show your delight: convey, express, reveal, show
They showed their obvious delight throughout the band’s set by singing and dancing along with all the songs.
hide your delight: conceal, contain, hideHe found it hard to hide his delight.share someone’s delight:
share
However, Sharon does not share her brother’s delight.
Delight | Definition of Delight by Merriam-Webster
www.merriam-webster.com › dictionary › delight
(Entry 1 of 2) 1 : a high degree of gratification or pleasure : joy children squealing in delight also : extreme satisfaction seems to take delight in the misfortunes of others. 2 : something that gives great pleasure her performance was a delight.
delight. When you like someone, you might say, “She is an absolute delight.” You mean you think she’s great: a …
Delight | Definition of Delight by Oxford Dictionary on Lexico …
www.lexico.com › definition › delight
1.
1.1A cause or source of great pleasure. ‘the trees here are a delight’. More example sentences.
1.
Definition of DELIGHT (noun): feeling of great happiness and pleasure; something that gives you pleasure or happiness.
What does delight mean in the Bible?
Originally Answered: What does it mean to delight yourself in the Lord (Psalm 37:4)? … He meant “to delight myself in the Lord” means to exalt Him so highly that we pursue Him over and above any other person, thing, thought, or action in our lives, especially those things that would knock Him out of first place.
Matthew 3:17
while a voice came from Heaven, saying, “This is My Son, the dearly loved, in whom is My delight.”
(WEY DBY YLT)
Matthew 12:18
Behold my servant, whom I have chosen, my beloved, in whom my soul has found its delight. I will put my Spirit upon him, and he shall shew forth judgment to the nations.
(DBY YLT NIV)
Matthew 13:22
He who has received the seed among the thorns is the man who hears the Message, but the cares of the present age and the delusions of riches quite stifle the Message, and it becomes unfruitful.
(See RSV)
Matthew 17:5
He was still speaking when a luminous cloud spread over them; and a voice was heard from within the cloud, which said, “This is My Son dearly beloved, in whom is My delight. Listen to Him.”
(WEY DBY YLT)
Mark 1:11
and a voice came from the sky, saying, “Thou art My Son dearly loved: in Thee is My delight.”