Leader Guide
As we wrap up our discussion on the Holy Spirit, we have learned who the Holy Spirit is, how to experience Him, the unity He creates, and how to receive the Holy Spirit in our lives. In this weekend's message we learned how we can grieve the Holy Spirit, the results it has on our spiritual health, and the prescription to correct it.
What you will need: A Bible or your Bible app, a notebook, pen, and highlighter. The verses highlighted below are linked so that you can easily access them during your study time.
Jump Start
Leaders: This section is designed to get discussions started, examine God’s truth, and apply it to our week. Life Group leaders should not assume everyone in their group is a Christ follower. Because they are taking part in a Life Group, they must have some openness to knowing more, exploring. Pray for the Holy Spirit to work and let Him lead you as well.
1. What spoke to you the most during this series on the Holy Spirit? How do you respond to being physically sick? Do you notice any similarities in how you respond to being spiritually sick (or grieving the Holy Spirit)?
2. Read Ephesians 4:30. Share a time that you experienced a deep sense of grief over the actions of someone you cared about. How do you relate grieving the Holy Spirit with being spiritually unhealthy?
Leaders: To grieve someone, you would have to love or care about them deeply. God loves us deeply and anything we say or do that breaks His heart causes grief. Our rejection of Him deafens us to His voice in our lives, we cannot hear Him, and we become spiritually sick.
3. Check your mouth. Read Ephesians 4:29-30, James 3:10. What kind of talk is corrupting? When have you noticed more vulgar talk, gossip, or irreverent use of God's name around you? What kind of talk should come from our mouths?
Leaders: When we go to the doctor, they check our mouths because it gives them a snapshot of our physical health. Our spiritual health is similar, a corrupt mouth probably indicates a bigger problem, our heart. This grieves the Spirit of God living in us. He is also impacted by our sinful words, thoughts, and actions. Our sins cause Him sadness. What comes out from the mouth is a result of problems on the inside. The tongue cannot be tamed without the Holy Spirit.
4. Cleanse your heart. Read Ephesians 4:30-32, Jeremiah 17:9. What are we to do with all these heart issues? Can we trust our hearts?
Leaders: Now we have moved from external issues to internal issues, the things in our hearts. Our culture has become desensitized to sin, the things we watch, music we listen to, and the rough words we say. This causes the Spirit to grieve, and in turn we are also grieving and hurting.
5. Read Psalm 51:1-2,10, 1 John 1:9, Galatians 5:22-23. What is the solution to our spiritual sickness? How can we have our hearts washed clean? If we allow the Spirit to lead us what kind of fruit will that produce?
Leaders: For God to cleanse us He must go deep, not just the surface stuff. It hurts to go deep and remove the things that are grieving God and hurting us. However, in the same way that we can’t cure a cardiovascular problem by washing out the mouth, we can’t cure a heart issue by only changing what others can see and hear. God looks at and deals with the deep heart problems. It can be a painful process but is worth it to have the peace of God, a clean heart, and the fruit of the Spirit.
Action Step: This week in your quiet time cry out to God, get honest about any sin in your life, let Him dig into the deepest part of your soul. Ask Him to fill you with the fruit of the Spirit.
Deeper
6. Read Psalm 51:1-4. In this scripture what did David ask for? Who did he realize that he had sinned against?
Leaders: David was confronted by Nathan the prophet about his sin with Bathsheba and this Psalm is his confession to God. David pleaded for God’s mercy, and he realized his sin was against God alone.
7. Read Psalm 51:6-11. What does God delight in? Who is the only one that can cleanse us?
Leaders: God delights in deep truth not just surface level. God looks deeply into the secret places of our hearts. He is not satisfied with apparent obedience. He delights in authentic root level faithfulness. David asks for joy and gladness again, as sin takes that from us. He also asks God not to take the Holy Spirit from him. David doesn’t just ask for clean hands or wise words, David asks for a clean heart and a right spirit. This same deep holiness is what we need to delight God.
8. Read Psalm 51:12-17. What does David ask to be restored in his life? In verse 17 what is God looking for?
Leaders: Father, we thank you that, if we confess our sins completely and come to you with a broken and contrite heart, you will forgive us. You were faithful to David, although he made great mistakes, he repented of his actions and the motives and thoughts behind them. Help us to be likewise humble and broken like David, your servant, a man after your own heart.