In this episode of Classic Christianity Radio, Bob George delivers a clear and direct teaching on what it truly means to live a Spirit-filled Christian life.
Rather than focusing on outward expressions or religious performance, Bob breaks down a foundational truth: being filled with the Spirit is about being controlled by the love of God. He challenges common misconceptions about faith—explaining that simply knowing Scripture or repeating verses isn’t enough without understanding their meaning and allowing that truth to transform the heart.
The teaching emphasizes that God has already reached down to humanity through Christ, and that believers are not striving
00:00:12 Introduction to Classic Christianity Radio
Welcome to Classic Christianity Radio with Bob George. Bob’s clear, timeless teachings on the complete forgiveness and unconditional love of Jesus Christ will transform your life as you learn about God’s amazing grace. Let’s join Bob as he teaches us from God’s Word.
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The next thing he came to do is to lead the believer again into truth. And when he, the spirit of truth, comes, he’s going to guide you into all truth. And again, guys, we said you could either follow Jesus out there or to realize that Jesus now lives in here and therefore be guided by him instead of trying to imitate him. And he says when that occurs, you’re going to know the truth and the truth will do what? Set you free. It’s exactly what it’s there to do. And he said, therefore, when the Son has set you free, you shall be what? Free indeed. Now, it said he also came to glorify the Lord Jesus Christ. He’ll bring glory to me, to Jesus. The Spirit of God didn’t come to bring glory to himself. We’re not there to be talking about the Holy Spirit. He said he’s there to bring glory to Jesus by taking from what is mine, Jesus, and making it known unto you. He said he came to give the believer the ability to understand the things that God has freely given us. That’s what we talked about a moment ago. Who among men knows the thoughts of a man except the spirit within him? And in the same way, no one knows the thoughts of God except the spirit of God. And we who are in Christ Jesus have not received the spirit of the world. We’ve received the spirit who is from God. How come? So that we may what? Understand God. what god has freely given us do we understand how important it is to understand you see guys so many times in our christian teaching we we come up with this thing god said i believe that that settles it how many of you ever heard that well i say to people if god said if that settles it whether you believe it or not So the issue is he said it, I believe it. So in other words, you believe what he said and don’t have a clue what he means. You may as well be reading Reader’s Digest. If you don’t know what the Bible means, what in the world do you need to know what it says? So you just repeat verses of scriptures, you don’t know what they mean? God said, I have given you my spirit to teach you what it means. You can read a computer. You’re reading a computer screen right now and knows what it says. My computer knows what the Bible says. It’s in there. I can’t get it out. I got to ask Richard, but we can get it out. We’re into podcasting. I want all of you to give me a big hand of applause. I got us into that. Now, if you believe that. No, we have to grant understanding. We have to grasp what does something mean? Remember in the love of God, and we’ll talk about that in later times, where it says that God, that he wants us to know the height and depth and breadth and width and depth and height and everything else of the love of God and to know this love that surpasses knowledge so that you might be filled to the measure of the fullness of God. He wants us to know these things, to know the meaning of the love of God. To be able to state like Paul, I’m convinced of something. Nothing can separate me from the love of God. He knows it. He doesn’t know what it says. He knows what it means. So he came to give us the ability to know the meaning of the word of God. No eye has seen, no ear has heard, no mind has conceived what God has prepared for those who love him. It has to be revealed by the Spirit. Now to get back to what we were talking about just a minute ago, I pray that the eyes of your heart may be enlightened in order that you may know the hope for which he’s called you. The riches of his glorious inheritance in the saints and his incomparably great power for us who believe that power is like the working of his mighty strength. What is the power of the Holy Spirit? We talk about the Holy Spirit, and it’s all over the place. You go to television, you’re going to see people talking about the Holy Spirit, and you can hear the discussion all over the place. The issue is, what does it mean? If you came out of one background, it means to roll around on the floor with your eyes rolled up in the back of your head and say, praise Jesus. To another group, it means to be standing there, reaching up for God. And guys, I’ve said before, I don’t care what your body language is, as long as it is commensurate with what you believe to be true. If my God is up there, then that’s how I’m going to pray. I’m going to try to get him. I’m trying to reach him. That’s how the Jews prayed before Jesus. Why? Reaching up to God. Why? That’s where their God is. And if you’re reaching up to God, that’s where your God is. But God reached down to you, did he not? I don’t reach up to God. He reached down to me. And again, I don’t care if you stand there with your arms up or in your lap or stick them in your ears. It doesn’t make any difference. How important would that be if you didn’t have arms? That’s not the issue. It’s the issue that your body language is commensurate with what you know to be true. And what you know to be true is that Jesus has reached down to you. You and I could never have reached him. Do we understand that, guys? Never, ever could we have ever reached God. God had to come and reach down to me. And God has reached down to me. And where does he live? He lives in my heart. I don’t have any objection to how people pray. I’m just saying the reason I don’t pray like this is because he isn’t up there. He’s living here. He’s living in my heart. And God wants us to know that, that Christ may dwell where? In your heart, through faith. And I pray that you, being rooted and established in love, that’s what he wants us established in, is the love of God may have power. Now, see, there’s power thing. And then you get another group, power. Oh, I got power. And you hear that all the time, power, power. And we name our football teams after powerful things. Indians, cowboys, lions, tigers. We don’t call our football team the Los Angeles Lambs, the Seattle Sheepies. You call them by big, powerful names because that’s how we equate power. Big, strong. But the most powerful man that ever walked on the face of the earth was Jesus, who was identified as who? The Lamb of God. That takes away the sins of the world. This power he’s talking about isn’t power for you and me to go do something. It’s the power that we need from God for us to understand something. We don’t get our minds renewed by doing. You get it by knowing. He wants us to know something. He wants us to understand something. So grab a hold of these things, guys. That I’m praying that Christ may dwell, be at home in your heart through faith. And I pray that you, being established, that means I’m established in something. Being rooted and established in love may have power together with all the saints to do what? Grasp something. It takes the power of God for you and me to grasp this, guys. Why do we have the church in a condition at its end? Because we haven’t grasped something. Why? Because I want to tell you, apart from very few selected denominations in this country, the Holy Spirit is something that isn’t even taught. Isn’t even taught. I never heard of the Holy Spirit for 36 years of my life. And I was in church every day. Never heard of it. Or you hear the Holy Ghost. So you can imagine Casper or something out there. You don’t know what that is. But to know that that’s Jesus living inside of you. Someone else beside you in control of things. Unheard of. He praying that you’ll be established to have the power from God to understand these things, to grasp how wide and long and high and deep is the love of Christ. And to know this love that surpasses knowledge. It’s beyond just understanding. It’s something that you just know what you know what you know. How come? So that you could be filled to the measure with all of the fullness of God. You want to be filled with the Spirit? It doesn’t mean to be rolling around on the floor. It doesn’t mean to be babbling in tongues. It doesn’t even mean to be out witnessing. It means to be controlled by the love of God. Now when you’re controlled by the love of God, then every decision that you make is going to flow from the love of God. And how many times do we ignore this? How many things do we do and say to people that have nothing to do with the love of God? We insult people. We accuse people. Never thinking that’s sin. Never enters your mind that that’s sin. We talk bad to people. Never realize that’s sin. That isn’t love. There’s nothing even close to love in doing those things to people. And yet we do it and never think a thing, never think we’re holy. He said, I’m praying that you will be controlled, that you will quit leaning on your own understanding, but trust Jesus to grasp in your feeble mind how high and long and wide and deep is the love of God and to know that love that surpasses knowledge so that you can be controlled to the measure with all the fullness of God. You want to be filled with the Spirit? It means to be filled with love, to have love in your heart toward other people. What is love? What’s it talking about there? 1 Corinthians 13 tells us what love is. Love is patient. Are you patient with people? Love is kind. Are you always kind to people? Guys, do you realize that what he says, our tongue, our tongue is the worst thing we got in our body. He said it can start forest fires. It’s what we say to people is what causes problems. It’s politicians getting with politicians and saying things that causes war. Wars are caused by what you said to each other Love is kind. Love does not envy. All of these things are God’s love towards you and me. God is never seeking. Neither is love self-seeking. It’s never easily angered. Are you easily angered? You know, you talk about road rage. I got news for you. You’re in a rage before you ever get on the road. We become mean, vindictive, angry people. Sometimes it’s been put upon us. I’m not arguing at that point. But the fact of the matter is, whether it’s been put upon you or whether you’ve been inherited or what, you need to get rid of it, don’t we? We need to quit being easily angered people. I get angered easily. Do you? At least it seems easy to me. But it’s never right. And I’m not going to sit here and say it never happens to me. Because if it did, I’d just be a big hypocrite. Because it can happen. But it’s never right. I’m not going to sit there and say, oh, that was okay. No, it wasn’t okay. I acted like an idiot. Or even just thought like one. Because a lot of times, your anger, you never say it out loud, do you? You just fume inside. Right? So I got news for you, God sees you’re human.
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Classic Christianity Radio thanks you for your support of our online and radio ministry. Make sure to visit bobgeorge.net to order a copy of the Closer Look Bible Study Series. A Closer Look Bible Studies features eight in-depth study guides that detail hundreds of Bible verses to help you deepen your understanding of the grace and knowledge of Jesus Christ. A Closer Look Bible Study Guides are an excellent tool for both individuals and larger Bible study groups. Please visit bobgeorge.net to order your copy of A Closer Look Bible Studies as well as many other wonderful books, CDs, and study guides. With your support, we can continue to share the good news of Jesus Christ. Let’s continue now with our Classic Christianity radio program.
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He says, I don’t get easily angered. Here’s another one. He keeps no records of wrongs. God keeps no records of your wrongs. God does not delight in evil. He always rejoices in truth. He always protects you, trusts you, hopes the best for you, perseveres, and love never fails. Now, guys, think about this. If God is saying to you and me, back in that passage, that it is my desire that you be controlled by the love of God, to be filled with the knowledge of the height, depth, breadth, and width of the love of God, and to know this love that surpasses knowledge so that you could be filled to the measure with the fullness of God, Then how does he want us to be filled with? Well, instead of saying this is God, say I am always. And we’ll see how we’re doing. I am always patient. Now, I don’t want you to sit up here and listen to what I am always. You put it, you are always. You internalize this. I am always patient. I’m always kind. I’m never envious. I love it when my friend gets a promotion and I don’t. I just love it. I’m never boastful. I wouldn’t boast about myself. My life depended on it. It’s not proud. I’m never proud. I’m never rude to people. Do you know rudeness is a big thing, guys? You know how rude we can be to each other? You know, I go into stores sometimes and some of these clerks, in Jesus’ name, I’d like to hit them upside the head. They’re so rude. People are rude to each other. And we’re rude to them as well. It’s never self-seeking. I’m never self-seeking. I’m never easily angered. It takes a lot to get me mad, especially on the freeway. I never keep records of wrongs. I wouldn’t bring up something that Amy did a year ago or ten years ago if my life depended on it. How about you? Guys, we got filing cabinets full. And we justify bringing it up. That’s why people cannot get free of guilt. Somebody’s always there bringing up your guilt. Have you ever noticed that? God didn’t. Just we are. And we say how loving we are. Do you know the most loving thing you can do for a person is quit bringing up their mistakes? Am I right or wrong, guys? But we love to bring up your mistakes. Why? It makes us feel better because we didn’t do what you did. It makes me feel holier. Guys, this is all God’s looking for. If you think that you’re doing well in the sight of God, And you’re paying no attention to this. We’re just kidding ourselves in our Christian life. Because God didn’t keep in track of your attendance record at people to people. And he didn’t keep in for sure records of your tithing. What he’s looking for is how we doing in the love department. And so he’s saying to us that we don’t delight at evil. We’re not for evil. We’re always trusting people. Is your first inclination towards somebody is to trust them or to accuse them? Take a look at that in your own heart and it’s going to show you exactly where you’re walking. Is it to accuse or is it to think the best? Which is it? God says that the kind of love I’m looking for is the love that comes out of the heart that’s thinking the best before you’re thinking the worst. In other words, you’re innocent until proven guilty, which probably is where that came from, instead of you’re guilty until you’re proven innocent, which is not God’s way of dealing with things. So we have to look at our hearts, don’t we? Are we always looking the best for people, hoping the best for people, always trusting, always hoping the best? I’m hoping that this is going to get better. I’m going to persevere with people. A lot of times we just write them off. But I’ll persevere. Now, again, you have situations where people sitting there and they’re looking at marriages that have gone amok. There are some things that God recognizes in our human experience that we are sometimes incapable of dealing with on a spiritual basis. It talks about things like adultery. There are some people that cannot handle that with a mate. And as a result of that, God has said, if that’s the case, you can divorce. Does he want divorce? No, but he didn’t want sin either, did he? But when sin entered into the world, all these things happened. There are some things that you just plain can’t handle. If you can’t, God knows that and you know it. And so we have to understand the truth of that. And we have to understand the fact that we can make mistakes. But those mistakes have been put behind the back of God never to see them again. Do we understand that? God’s love never fails. Where there are prophecies, they’ll cease. Where there are tongues, they will be stilled. These are not important things. Where there’s knowledge, it will pass away. But God’s love remains forever. And that’s what God is looking for us above all things. In fact, Paul said the only thing that counts is faith expressing itself through love. That’s all that matters. And guys, what we have done in Christianity is we’ve looked at this thing and said, I cannot do that. And so we come up with all kinds of things. Well, a loving Christian would give. I give, therefore I’m loving. A loving Christian would share Jesus. I share Jesus, therefore I’m loving. A loving person would go to church. I go to church, therefore I’m loving. And we’ve substituted all that kind of stuff for what it’s saying there. And the issue is that that is not the definition of what love is. We just heard the definition of love. Kindness, patience, not keeping records of wrongs, not accusing people. All of those things are all what love is about. And we have to understand the truth of that. And if I’m not doing those things, I can’t sit back and rationalize it. I have to say that is dead wrong from God’s vantage point. If I’m going to listen to God. So, what are we talking about here then? We’re talking about a motivation that is required for us to desire to do God’s will. Because in essence, what we really desire is to feed the flesh. We desire to rationalize our actions and our attitudes. Do we not? We will rationalize them all over the place. I’m doing what I’m doing because you did what you did. God says what they did, I’m dealing with them. I’m dealing with them. I’m now dealing with you and your reactions. Again, we got actions and reactions. We look at his actions and say, oh, you’re the reason I reacted. He said, no, no. No, circumstances don’t cause your nature. They just reveal your nature. That’s pretty sickening, isn’t it? My wife cannot put mad in me. She can just draw it out of me. Now, we don’t like that. We don’t like that at all. You made me mad. He said, no, you didn’t make me mad. You just drew mad out of me. If it didn’t have mad in me, you couldn’t get it out of me. How did Jesus respond at the cross? Love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness. Why? That’s all that was in him. You can’t stir up beans in a pot unless there’s beans in a pot. If it didn’t have anger in you, you couldn’t get it out of you. And so we look at circumstances cause me to react. He said, no, it just reveals where you are. That’s all just reveals where you are. Now, is it important for me, for God to reveal where I am, if where I am in where he wants me to be? Is that important? Should we resist that? Should we be shocked? Do you think God’s shocked at anything you do? Ooh, did you see what Bobby just did? No, he isn’t shocked. He isn’t shocked at all. He knows us. And so we shouldn’t be shocked when yucky stuff comes out of us. Why? Because yucky stuff is still in you. I don’t care how sweet you look on the outside. You’re full of yuck. Okay? And if you don’t believe that, I’ll reveal it for you. Is that unusual? No, it’s not unusual. It’s reality, isn’t it? We got it in us. And so what does he want us to do? We shouldn’t be saddened by these things. We should be glad that it’s being revealed if my desire is to walk in the newness of life in Christ Jesus. Because that’s going to help me to do that. And one of our board members, ex-board members, George Reaver, he’s in his probably 90s by now, but he’s one of the dearest brothers I’ve ever known. But he said to me one day, he said, you know, Bob, God gave me the absolute perfect wife for me. I mean, the absolute perfect wife. And I said, George, that’s a nice thing to say. Why’d you say that? He said, well, very simply, because everything God wants to reveal about my nature, she shows it to me. She reveals it. It’s perfect for me. She reveals his nature. So we have a conflict. The mind of the sinful man is death. The mind controlled by the Spirit is life and peace. The sinful mind is hostile to God. It doesn’t submit to God’s law, nor can it do so. And therefore, don’t be foolish, but understand what the Lord’s will is. And that’s the key, is don’t be foolish. Let’s understand what the will of the Lord is. But there’s a conflict between the flesh and the Spirit. This supernatural ability is required for us to do God’s will. It says that it is God who is at work within us to will and to act according to His good purpose. So we’re told that God is working in you and me to lead us to His good purpose. That job isn’t over, is it? We would like for it to be over, but if you really want it to be over, pray for death. Because that’s when it will be over. Not until. You and I will have this struggle between the flesh and the spirit until the day we die. We right or wrong? You’re going to be doing the things you don’t want to do and not doing the things that you want to do until the day you die. The beauty of it is that the more we renew our mind on truth and the more that we yield ourselves to the spirit of God that lives in us, the less the desires of the flesh are going to erupt their ugly heads. but you’re always gonna have them.
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Until next time, walk in faith, be good to one another, and praise the Lord. Amen.
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Put Jesus first in your life and turn your life around.
