THE HOLY SPIRIT - What Can He Do and Be?

Paul calls believers God’s temple, purchased by the blood of Jesus and set apart for his purposes. Their bodies belong to God, but the temple is also the congregation, fitted together with Christ as the foundation and the corner. Hyperindividualism misses that reality. It takes more than one person to reflect God’s glory, just as a diamond has many facets.

First Corinthians exposes envy, strife, and division as signs of carnality, not spiritual maturity. Paul plants and Apollos waters, but God gives the increase. Church leaders are servants, not competing centers of loyalty. Christ alone is the foundation, and fire will test what has been built on him. Spreading bitterness and sowing discord defile the temple where the Holy Spirit dwells. Maintaining unity matters because God’s sanctuary is his people, not a room.

Psalm 24 brings the question of holiness into focus: clean hands, a pure heart, and no idol replacing God’s will. The King of glory enters as King, with the right to say no, call for repentance, and direct lives toward costly obedience. Being holy means being set apart for his purpose, not merely kept on display.

The Holy Spirit dwells within, teaches, reminds, testifies of Jesus, and empowers believers to witness. Yet his work can be resisted. He can be lied to, grieved, quenched, and blasphemed. Biblical order does not quench him, and prophecy must be tested rather than either despised or accepted without question.

Walking by the Spirit moves beyond a life organized around “don’ts.” Victory over sin comes through following his lead and doing God’s will. His sanctifying work sets believers apart for more than avoiding wrongdoing. The searching questions concern obedience, the last direction left undone, and whether God’s temple remains open to his rule.

Key Takeaways

• 1. God’s Temple Is His Gathered People. The Holy Spirit inhabits believers individually and the church together. That makes bitterness and division more than unpleasant church behavior; they damage the people God calls holy. Care for the temple therefore includes guarding relationships, not merely looking after bodies or buildings. [10:32]
• 2. Spiritual Maturity Refuses Rival Camps. Loyalty to a favorite leader can look like conviction while hiding envy and strife. Paul and Apollos serve the same Lord, and neither can produce the increase that belongs to God. Maturity receives what different servants contribute without making any servant the foundation. [07:24]
• 3. The King Has Authority To Refuse. Welcoming the King of glory means receiving his right to say no and call for a change of direction. A burden for God’s work may eventually become a call to carry out that work personally, rather than keep asking for someone else. Holiness becomes concrete when obedience costs comfort and rearranges plans. [18:18]
• 4. Discernment Neither Despises Nor Accepts Everything. Prophecy must be tested, with the good held fast and the evil rejected. Refusing every prophetic word can despise the Spirit’s work, but allowing everything can give evil room to spread. Keeping biblical order is not quenching the Holy Spirit, whose own inspiration stands behind Scripture. [35:43]
• 5. Victory Grows Through Following The Spirit. A life spent staring at forbidden things can remain occupied with those very things. Walking by the Spirit gives believers something to do: seek God, attend to his direction, and obey. Sanctification is more than not sinning; it is being set apart to do the will of God. [38:47]

Youtube Chapters

• [00:00] - Welcome
• [04:00] - Called Saints and Set Apart
• [06:32] - Carnality, Division, and Competing Camps
• [08:51] - Christ’s Foundation and the Testing Fire
• [10:32] - Discord Defiles God’s Temple
• [14:32] - Unity Beyond One Congregation
• [16:43] - Clean Hands and a Pure Heart
• [18:18] - The King’s Rule and Costly Obedience
• [23:51] - What the Holy Spirit Does
• [28:58] - Blasphemy, Lies, and Testing the Spirit
• [33:53] - Grieving, Quenching, and Testing Prophecy
• [36:03] - Obedience and Walking by the Spirit
• [39:53] - Sanctification for God’s Purposes
• [43:32] - Questions That Search the Heart
• [45:09] - Prayer and Worship

1. How does the temple picture in 1 Corinthians 3:16–17 describe the congregation, and how does 1 Corinthians 6:19–20 apply that picture to individual believers? [03:07]
2. What behaviors in the Corinthian church showed spiritual immaturity, and how did competing loyalties to Paul and Apollos reveal those behaviors? [07:10]
3. What specific ways of damaging God’s people were identified as defiling his temple in 1 Corinthians 3:16–17? [10:43]
4. What qualities does Psalm 24:3–4 identify in those who approach God, and how was an idol described? [17:06]

1. Why does recognizing the congregation as God’s temple make spreading bitterness more serious than simply having an unpleasant attitude? What harm can bitterness do to the people among whom the Spirit dwells? [10:43]
2. What is the difference between appreciating a church leader’s contribution and making that leader the center of a believer’s loyalty? How does God’s role in producing growth help clarify that difference? [08:01]
3. How do the clean hands and pure heart of Psalm 24:3–4 connect outward behavior with inward motives? Could something good become an idol if a person refuses to surrender it to God’s will? [17:14]
4. How does belonging to God in 1 Corinthians 6:19–20 challenge the idea that holiness means only avoiding wrongdoing? What changes when a believer understands being set apart as being available for God’s purposes? [22:19]

1. It takes more than one person to reflect God’s glory. Where have you been trying to follow Jesus without allowing other believers to know or help you? What might a small step toward deeper connection look like? [03:37]
2. When you are disappointed with someone in the church, how do you tend to talk about that person? Is there a conversation you could handle differently this week to address the concern without spreading bitterness? You do not need to name anyone. [10:43]
3. Your body belongs to God because Jesus purchased you. What is one choice involving your body—such as sexual conduct, rest, or daily habits—that you need to reconsider in light of belonging to him? What practical change could honor him? [01:06]
4. Welcoming Jesus as King includes receiving his right to say no. Where do you find yourself wanting his help but resisting his authority? What might surrender cost you in that area? [18:25]
5. Is there a step of obedience you believe God has placed before you that remains undone? How could Scripture and a wise, trusted believer help you confirm that direction, and what would a faithful next step look like? [44:29]
6. Walking by the Spirit means more than concentrating on what not to do. In an area where you struggle with temptation, what good action could you take instead—seeking God, serving someone, or responding to a clear responsibility? How could this group support you this week? [38:58]