LESSON SEVENTEEN

THE EXERCISE OF OUR SPIRIT

Scripture Reading: Prov. 20:27; 1 Pet. 3:4; Eph. 3:16; Ezra 1:1, 5; Rom. 12:11; Acts 18:25; Eph. 6:18; John 4:24; Luke 1:46-47; 1 Cor. 14:32; 2:11a; Mark 2:8a; Acts 19:21a; 1 Cor. 5:3-5a; Rev. 1:10

OUTLINE

1. Our spirit being the lamp of the Lord, searching all our inward parts—Prov. 20:27.
2. Our spirit being the hidden man of the heart—1 Pet. 3:4.
3. Our regenerated spirit being our inner man—Eph. 3:16.
4. Our spirit needing to be stirred up—Ezra 1:1, 5; cf. Exo. 35:21.
5. Our spirit needing to be burning—Rom. 12:11; Acts 18:25.
6. Our spirit indwelt by the Holy Spirit needing to be the faculty of our prayer—Eph. 6:18.
7. Our spirit needing to be the means of our worship—John 4:24.
8. Our spirit needing to take the lead in enjoying the Lord—Luke 1:46-47.
9. Our spirit needing to take the initiative in spiritual ministry—1 Cor. 14:32.
10. Our spirit knowing the things of man—1 Cor. 2:11a.
11. Perceiving things in our spirit—Mark 2:8a.
12. Purposing in our spirit—Acts 19:21a.
13. Judging a person in our spirit—1 Cor. 5:3-5a.
14. Being a person in our spirit—Rev. 1:10.
15. Exercising our spirit by doing the above-mentioned things.

Now that we have seen something concerning the human spirit, we need to go on to see the exercise of our spirit.

I. OUR SPIRIT BEING THE LAMP OF THE LORD,
SEARCHING ALL OUR INWARD PARTS

Proverbs 20:27 says that our spirit is the lamp of the Lord searching all our inward parts. This shows that within man there is something of God, and this is man's spirit to be God's lamp. Of course, in the lamp is the light, so here the implication is very meaningful. Within man there is such a lamp, but the lamp needs the light and the light is God. What man has is just an empty lamp. The lamp needs the light to shine. This shows that God as the light does have something in man as His vessel to contain Him and to express Him, just as the lamp contains the light and expresses it.

The second point we have to stress is that this lamp of God, which is our spirit, searches all our inward parts. No doubt, this is altogether the inward searching, not the outward rebuking or instruction. We should help the saints realize how significant the human spirit is. Proverbs 20:27 can be used to impress the saints so that they can see how man's spirit is so close to God and is something of God within man. This is a strong point. The human spirit is God's vessel to contain God and to express God. Every lamp serves these two purposes. The lamp serves to contain the light and to express it. Then it works. When it works, it enlightens, it shines, and it searches.