Lesson 10/March 4–10, 2017
The Holy Spirit, the Word, and
Prayer
Surveying the Source
Rom. 8:26, 27.
Plotting the Course
The students will:
Teacher’s
Guide
►Examine the difference between
prayers of petition and prayer seeking
transformation.
►Discuss transformational prayer in
the context of Psalm 51.
►Explore ways they can seek transformation in the coming week.
Preparing to Lead
We can pray without ceasing, but a desperate cry for help when faced with imminent peril is different from the soulsearching, life-altering prayer which follows quiet time spent with the Holy Spirit. God answers both types of prayer, but
while the first may change our circum-
stance, the second changes us. This is
because when we open our hearts and
minds to the Spirit, the Spirit and our Intercessor work together in us according to
the will of God (Rom. 8:26, 27). And His
will is that His fruit will be manifested in
us (Gal. 5:22, 23).
Getting Started
Materials
pens or pencils; paper;
whiteboard, chalkboard, or
flip chart, and appropriate
markers
A. Say: “Mick, a non-runner, decided to run a marathon. He trained for 18
months, focusing on his strength and endurance, and when the day came, he
completed the marathon with ease. Afterward, he continued running daily because
he liked how it made him feel physically
and mentally.” A sk: ●“Is an active prayer
life similar to Mick’s marathon experience? Why, or why not?” ●“Does 1 Corinthians 9:26, 27 change your answer?”
●“What might the ‘rules’ be that Paul
refers to in 2 Timothy 2:5?”
B. One basic human tr ait is the desire to please those who are important to
us. A sk: ●“What are ways that we please
God?” ●“If we don’t seek to please God,
does that mean He isn’t important to us?”
●“What does Colossians 1:10 mean when
it says, ‘Walk in a manner worthy of the
Lord, to please Him in all respects . . .
and increasing in the knowledge of
God’ (NASB)?” ●“List three things we
can do to increase our knowledge of God.
Are these also things that please Him?”
●“Can we please God by avoiding time
with Him? Explain your answer.”
Delving Into the Word
A. Say: “ For a time in medieval England, proof one could read excused the
offender from nearly any crime including
murder. Known as the Benefit of Clergy,
the proof of literacy was whether the offender could read out loud Psalm 51:1.
Originally designed to protect the literate
class (clergy), the practice devolved even
Copyright 2017
General Conference of Seventh-day Adventists®
23
further into farce when illiterate felons
memorized Psalm 51:1 to earn their pardon.1 The irony is that Psalm 51 is David’s prayer for transformation.” Read
Psalm 51 with the class. Ask the class to
find within the passage an outline for
transformational prayer. Write the outline
down as they identify it (e.g., 51:1, 2 petition for forgiveness; 3–6 acknowledgement of sinfulness; etc.).
Ask/discuss: ●“ What part does
acknowledgement of sin play in confession?” ●“What part does acknowledgement play in forgiveness?” ●“From David’s prayer in Psalm 51, what are the
keys to experiencing Christ-like transformation?”
B. 2 Tim. 3:16 says, “All Scr iptur e
is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in
righteousness” (NIV). John 20:22 says,
“And with that he breathed on them and
said, ‘Receive the Holy Spirit’ ” (NIV).
John 3:5 says, “ ‘Unless one is born of
water and the Spirit, he cannot enter the
kingdom of God’ ” (ESV).
Ask: ●“ In the context of these verses,
what is the relationship between the Holy
Spirit and God’s Word?” ●“Is it possible
to separate God’s Spirit from God’s
Word? Why, or why not?”
C. Use the r epr oducible activity on
p. 39.
Discussing the Ideas
1. Read James Packer’s words to the
class: “The Spirit’s message to us is never, ‘Look at me; listen to me; come to
me; get to know me,’ but always, ‘Look
at him, and see his glory; listen to him,
and hear his word; go to him, and have
life; get to know him, and taste his gift of
joy and peace.’ ”2 Who is the “him” in
this passage? How does the Holy Spirit
show us Jesus? Can we truly see Jesus
without a prayer life? Why, or why not?
2. Read Stanley Jones’s words to the
class: “Prayer is surrender—surrender to
the will of God and cooperation with that
will. If I throw out a boathook from the
boat and catch hold of the shore and pull,
do I pull the shore to me, or do I pull myself to the shore? Prayer is not pulling
God to my will, but the aligning of my
will to the will of God.”3 What do you
think of the boathook metaphor for surrender to the will of God? Have you ever
experienced surrender which aligns your
will to the will of God? Can you share
that experience with the class? If not, do
you want it? How might you achieve it?
3. Is it even possible to pray at all
times? Describe what those prayers might
be like. Which comes first, transformation or prayer? Why?
Closing the Activity
Say: “ Paul equated the unity of the
faith and of the knowledge of the Son of
God to maturity, which comes from a
measure of the fullness of Christ (Eph.
4:13). We can only attain this measure of
the fullness of Jesus through transformational prayer, and prayer which trans-
forms is much more than a desperate cry
for help when confronted with peril; it is
a daily encounter with Jesus through the
Holy Spirit. For it is by beholding Jesus
that we become changed into his likeness
(2 Cor. 3:18).
____________
1. George W. Dalzell, The Benefit of Clergy in America and Related Matters (Whitefish, Mont.: Literacy Licensing,
LCC, 2013), n.p.
2. J. I. Packer, Keep in Step With the Spirit (Grand Rapids, Mich.: Baker Books, 2005), p. 57, emphasis in original.
3. E. Stanley Jones, “Prayer of Surrender,” Bible.org, accessed August 5, 2016, https://bible.org/illustration/prayersurrender.
Tom Macomber, Clear Brook, Virginia, U.S.A.
Copyright 2017
General Conference of Seventh-day Adventists®
24
Transformational Prayer
David prayed, “Create in me a clean heart, O God, and renew a right spirit within me” (Ps. 51:10,
ESV). From Galatians 5:22, 23, we learn that the fruits of the Spirit are love, joy, peace, patience, kindness,
goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. (1) Using the space below, select one fruit of the Spirit and describe how it might transform you if it were to grow in you this week. (2) From our discussion today, what can you do this week to nurture and grow that fruit of the Spirit?
Copyright 2017
General Conference of Seventh-day Adventists®
Lesson 10
39