Jesus and the Holy Spirit Opening 270 rr 752 Closing 326 Pastor Laurie DeWitt I want you to go with me in your imaginations back in time and place to a narrow river running from the sea of Galilee to the Dead Sea in a land called Palestine. It is over 1900 years ago and the surroundings are strange to you. As you stand beside this river that is little more than a wide creek, you are watching a man in rough-looking clothes preaching to a group of people that are obviously more "refined" than he is. Yet they appear to be listening closely. There are rumors surrounding this man's father, Zacharious, in the temple courts. It is said that he was dumb for a time -- till naming of his son. Strangly that event caused him to be able to speak again. Probably something special about this odd, plain dressed man who lived in the desert. Standing there in the crowd you listen to his voice. You can hardly believe what you are hearing. He condemns the evils of those listening, even the priests and scribes. Why would rich and comfortable come to hear themselves denounced? Some go down into the water, and he dips them under, baptizing, he calls it. And the preaching! Snakes, vipers!!! He holds nothing back. As you are watching the preaching stops. The Baptist turns to look at someone approaching. Every eye follows. Walking down the bank of the river comes a man, a man who you would guess was a common laborer, at least looking at his dress. But the way he walks suggests that there is something else to this person. He seems to be moving with a direction and purpose, straight towards the Baptist. You see a look of recognition cross the face of the Baptist, and he begins to move towards the newcomer. You are filled with some kind of unspoken awe, as the rest of the crowd, and you hear silence as the people strain to hear the conversation between the two. After the denounciations of the Baptist you expect to hear more, but are surprised. "John", the newcomer says, "I want you to baptize me." The Baptist recoils as if in horror. "I need to be baptized by you. Why do you come to me?t" With firm, gentle authority Jesus answers, "Let it be done now, for in this way we do well to conform with all that God requires." Then you watch with your own eyes as John the Baptist leads Jesus down in to the water and baptizes him under the water. As John lifts Jesus from the water, Jesus walks towards the edge of the river and bows down in prayer. As you listen and watch, you fell that you are on holy ground as Jesus lifts his head towards his Father and pour out his soul in prayer. He pleads with his Father for power to overcome the prejudice of unbelief, to break the chains that Satan has bound the world with, and for humanity to break the hold of the destroyer. Then he asks for the witness that God accepts humanity in the person of his son. You have never heard such praying. You stand there in awe as you hear a voice full of majesty declare, "This is my beloved son in whom I am well pleased." Some in the crowd turn to you and ask, "Why is it thundering? There are no clouds." But as they say this1 you see the sky open, and down upon the head of this man Jesus, floats the form of a dove made of purest light. You listen as John moved by the Holy Spirit cries out, "Behold the Lamb of God that taketh away the sins of the world." Don't you wish you could have been there? Several weeks ago we began a discussion of the Holy Spirit. We saw that the Holy Spirit's operation through the O.T. was that of furthering the cause of God. Before we look at the Holy Spirit and the formation of the Christian church, we need to understand better the relationship between the Holy Spirit and Jesus Christ. As I share with you today, I will be basing my thoughts on three premises: 1. That we have the same power at our disposal that Christ did when he overcame evil, and that is the power of the Holy Spirit. 2. That He received the Holy Spirit just as we can, that Jesus laid aside his divine power and was dependent upon the Holy Spirit, who came upon him through prayer, meditation, and the study of God's Word: The same avenues that are available to us today. 3. If we do not receive that power we will be lost. There are 2 prophetic texts about the Messiah in the book of Isaiah that should set the tone for our study today. 1. Isa 11:2-5 "The Spirit of the LORD shall rest upon Him, The Spirit of wisdom and understanding, The Spirit of counsel and might, The Spirit of knowledge and of the fear of the LORD. {3} His delight is in the fear of the LORD, And He shall not judge by the sight of His eyes, Nor decide by the hearing of His ears; {4} But with righteousness He shall judge the poor, And decide with equity for the meek of the earth; He shall strike the earth with the rod of His mouth, And with the breath of His lips He shall slay the wicked. {5} Righteousness shall be the belt of His loins, And faithfulness the belt of His waist. 2. Isaiah 42:1-4. "Isa 42:1-4 ""Behold! My Servant whom I uphold, My Elect One in whom My soul delights! I have put My Spirit upon Him; He will bring forth justice to the Gentiles. {2} He will not cry out, nor raise His voice, Nor cause His voice to be heard in the street. {3} A bruised reed He will not break, And smoking flax He will not quench; He will bring forth justice for truth. {4} He will not fail nor be discouraged, Till He has established justice in the earth; And the coastlands shall wait for His law."" Look at this more closely later. As we look at the Holy Spirit in the Life of Christ, I want us again to consider our quotation from TM 174,175 "Just prior to his leaving His disciples for the heavenly courts, Jesus encouraged them with the promise of the Holy Spirit. This promise belongs as much to us as it did to them, and yet how rarely is it presented before the people, and its reception spoken of in the church. In consequence of this silence upon this most important theme, what promise do we know less about by its practical fulfillment than this rich promise of the gift of the Holy Spirit, whereby efficiency is to be given to all our spiritual labor? The promise of the Holy Spirit is casually brought into our discourses, is incidentally touched upon, and that is all. Prophecies have been dwelt upon, doctrines have been expounded; but that which is essential to the church in order that they may grow in spiritual strength and efficiency, in order that the preaching may carry conviction with it and souls converted to God, had been largely left out... This subject has been set aside as if some time in the future would be given to its consideration. Other blessings and privileges have been presented before the people until a desire has been awakened in the church for the attainment of the blessing promised of God; but the impression concerning the Holy Spirit has been that at some time in the future it would be necessary for the church to receive it. "This promised blessing, if claimed by faith, would bring all other blessings in its train, and it is to be given liberally to the people of God. Through the cunning devices of the enemy, the minds of God's people seem to be incapable of comprehending and appropriating the promises of God. They seem to feel that only the scantiest showers of blessings of grace are to fall upon the thirsty soul. The people of God have accustomed themselves to think that they must rely upon their own efforts, that little help is to be received from heaven; and the result is that they have little light to communicate to other souls who are dying in darkness.. The power of God awaits their demand and reception... He who is endowed with the Holy Spirit has great capacities of heart and intellect with strength of will and purpose that is unconquerable." Does the thought of living the life of power that Christ lived make you uneasy? Do you become nervous at the thought that you can overcome sin as Christ did, by depending upon the power of God? Have you found that you have difficulty living a life that you feel reflects the selflessness, the kindness, the patience, etc, etc, that was manifested in the life of Christ. I believe that because of our experiences of failure, that we as Christians have given up on the ultimate that God has for us, and it will never by through our works, but only by the power of God, through His Spirit. You see, Christ's life was centered around the Spirit. Luke 1:26-35 Jesus was born of the Spirit. "Now in the sixth month the angel Gabriel was sent by God to a city of Galilee named Nazareth, {27} to a virgin betrothed to a man whose name was Joseph, of the house of David. The virgin's name was Mary. {28} And having come in, the angel said to her, "Rejoice, highly favored one, the Lord is with you; blessed are you among women!" {29} But when she saw him, she was troubled at his saying, and considered what manner of greeting this was. {30} Then the angel said to her, "Do not be afraid, Mary, for you have found favor with God. {31} "And behold, you will conceive in your womb and bring forth a Son, and shall call His name JESUS. {32} "He will be great, and will be called the Son of the Highest; and the Lord God will give Him the throne of His father David. {33} "And He will reign over the house of Jacob forever, and of His kingdom there will be no end." {34} Then Mary said to the angel, "How can this be, since I do not know a man?" {35} And the angel answered and said to her, "The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Highest will overshadow you; therefore, also, that Holy One who is to be born will be called the Son of God." Luke 1:37 ""For with God nothing will be impossible."" Luke 1:41 "And it happened, when Elizabeth heard the greeting of Mary, that the babe leaped in her womb; and Elizabeth was filled with the Holy Spirit." Luke 2:25-38 Simon and Anna prophecy "And behold, there was a man in Jerusalem whose name was Simeon, and this man was just and devout, waiting for the Consolation of Israel, and the Holy Spirit was upon him. {26} And it had been revealed to him by the Holy Spirit that he would not see death before he had seen the Lord's Christ. {27} So he came by the Spirit into the temple. And when the parents brought in the Child Jesus, to do for Him according to the custom of the law, {28} he took Him up in his arms and blessed God and said: {29} "Lord, now You are letting Your servant depart in peace, According to Your word; {30} For my eyes have seen Your salvation {31} Which You have prepared before the face of all peoples, {32} A light to bring revelation to the Gentiles, And the glory of Your people Israel." {33} And Joseph and His mother marveled at those things which were spoken of Him. {34} Then Simeon blessed them, and said to Mary His mother, "Behold, this Child is destined for the fall and rising of many in Israel, and for a sign which will be spoken against {35} "(yes, a sword will pierce through your own soul also), that the thoughts of many hearts may be revealed." {36} Now there was one, Anna, a prophetess, the daughter of Phanuel, of the tribe of Asher. She was of a great age, and had lived with a husband seven years from her virginity; {37} and this woman was a widow of about eighty-four years, who did not depart from the temple, but served God with fastings and prayers night and day. {38} And coming in that instant she gave thanks to the Lord, and spoke of Him to all those who looked for redemption in Jerusalem." Luke 2:41-49 Boy Jesus and Passover "His parents went to Jerusalem every year at the Feast of the Passover. {42} And when He was twelve years old, they went up to Jerusalem according to the custom of the feast. {43} When they had finished the days, as they returned, the Boy Jesus lingered behind in Jerusalem. And Joseph and His mother did not know it; {44} but supposing Him to have been in the company, they went a day's journey, and sought Him among their relatives and acquaintances. {45} So when they did not find Him, they returned to Jerusalem, seeking Him. {46} Now so it was that after three days they found Him in the temple, sitting in the midst of the teachers, both listening to them and asking them questions. {47} And all who heard Him were astonished at His understanding and answers. {48} So when they saw Him, they were amazed; and His mother said to Him, "Son, why have You done this to us? Look, Your father and I have sought You anxiously." {49} And He said to them, "Why did you seek Me? Did you not know that I must be about My Father's business?"" In his preaching John the Baptist gave us a clue as to the place of the Holy Spirit in the ministry of Christ in Mat 3:11-12 ""I indeed baptize you with water unto repentance, but He who is coming after me is mightier than I, whose sandals I am not worthy to carry. He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and fire. {12} "His winnowing fan is in His hand, and He will thoroughly clean out His threshing floor, and gather His wheat into the barn; but He will burn up the chaff with unquenchable fire."" We have no picture of the effeminate Jesus that is so often portrayed in art work. The language here describers Jesus as a powerful being, separation good from evil though the power of the Holy Spirit. Sure of his commission. Knowing he is on the right side. Bringing purification to his people. Matt 4:1-11 "Then Jesus was led up by the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted by the devil. {2} And when He had fasted forty days and forty nights, afterward He was hungry. {3} Now when the tempter came to Him, he said, "If You are the Son of God, command that these stones become bread." {4} But He answered and said, "It is written, 'Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceeds from the mouth of God.'" {5} Then the devil took Him up into the holy city, set Him on the pinnacle of the temple, {6} and said to Him, "If You are the Son of God, throw Yourself down. For it is written: 'He shall give His angels charge over you,' and, 'In their hands they shall bear you up, Lest you dash your foot against a stone.'" {7} Jesus said to him, "It is written again, 'You shall not tempt the LORD your God.'" {8} Again, the devil took Him up on an exceedingly high mountain, and showed Him all the kingdoms of the world and their glory. {9} And he said to Him, "All these things I will give You if You will fall down and worship me." {10} Then Jesus said to him, "Away with you, Satan! For it is written, 'You shall worship the LORD your God, and Him only you shall serve.'" {11} Then the devil left Him, and behold, angels came and ministered to Him." Mark 1:12 "Immediately the Spirit drove Him into the wilderness." Jesus did not go in to the wilderness to find temptation. went to find strength for the difficulties that he would be facing. But the Devil, being the good general he is knew that Jesus had gone into the wilderness, and figured that the sooner that he struck his fatal blow, the better. A good general always attacks when the enemy weakest. What happened there was a struggle for power of the world. Satan claimed rulership. Why? He claimed that he got it from Adam and Eve when they sinned. This struggle was so important he had to handle himself. All of his power directed against the Savior. There are some that say that it was impossible for Jesus to have been overcome by temptation. But if that is true, he would not have started by gaining a victory where Adam failed. If Adam or any one of us faced a graver temptation that Christ did, then he could not provide us with comfort in our trials. In the wilderness temptation, Jesus demonstrated this by gaining the victory over appetite, not after a few minutes of walking in the garden, where Adam failed, but after 40 days of fasting, 40 days without food Satan, being the subtle foe that he is, came to Jesus in the resemblance of a heavenly being, and in beautiful, caring tones said to Jesus, "If thou be the son of God, command these stones to be made bread." --Jesus could have --was hungry --was not logical for God to send angel... "If thou be the son of God..." 40 days and 40 nights in communion with his Father told him that he was the beloved son. The word of the father spoken at Jordan declared him the son of God. Jesus has the word with the prophecies about the Messiah that assured him he was the son of God. He had to stand of the word of God or he would fail. He had to bend to the leading of the Holy Spirit or the battle would lost. Satan knew with Jesus, just as with us, that he had to make him disbelief the testimony of the word of God. It was the word that gave Jesus the assurance of his divine mission, not just the spoken word, but the prophecies that Jesus had studied from his youth. If Satan could only shake the confidence of Jesus in God, he knew that the victory would be his. Then he could easily overcome Jesus. Jesus recognized Satan ... had made him. He would not dialogue with him. He didn't Argue. Jesus knew could rely on his father's word, and his reply was the mightiest he could have used "It is written, man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceeded out of the mouth of God." Often the Christian is brought to the place where he cannot serve God and carry forward his projects. Perhaps we come to the place where following the Word of God will cause our support to be cut off. Satan wants us to believe that to live in this old world we must sacrifice our convictions. But the only thing in the world that we can depend on is the word of God. And the Spirit who gave us the word, will lead us into all truth through the word, if we are seeking the truth. Hope don't miss the inseparable connection between the Holy Spirit and the word of God. Back to the story, Satan cannot reply to that. By claiming the authority of the word, Jesus claimed victory over Satan. Other references to Spirit by Jesus 1. Luke 4:16-20 "So He came to Nazareth, where He had been brought up. And as His custom was, He went into the synagogue on the Sabbath day, and stood up to read. {17} And He was handed the book of the prophet Isaiah. And when He had opened the book, He found the place where it was written: {18} "The Spirit of the LORD is upon Me, Because He has anointed Me To preach the gospel to the poor; He has sent Me to heal the brokenhearted, To proclaim liberty to the captives And recovery of sight to the blind, To set at liberty those who are oppressed; {19} To proclaim the acceptable year of the LORD." {20} Then He closed the book, and gave it back to the attendant and sat down. And the eyes of all who were in the synagogue were fixed on Him." 2. Mat 12:22-32 "Then one was brought to Him who was demon-possessed, blind and mute; and He healed him, so that the blind and mute man both spoke and saw. {23} And all the multitudes were amazed and said, "Could this be the Son of David?" {24} Now when the Pharisees heard it they said, "This fellow does not cast out demons except by Beelzebub, the ruler of the demons." {25} But Jesus knew their thoughts, and said to them: "Every kingdom divided against itself is brought to desolation, and every city or house divided against itself will not stand. {26} "If Satan casts out Satan, he is divided against himself. How then will his kingdom stand? {27} "And if I cast out demons by Beelzebub, by whom do your sons cast them out? Therefore they shall be your judges. {28} "But if I cast out demons by the Spirit of God, surely the kingdom of God has come upon you. {29} "Or how can one enter a strong man's house and plunder his goods, unless he first binds the strong man? And then he will plunder his house. {30} "He who is not with Me is against Me, and he who does not gather with Me scatters abroad. {31} "Therefore I say to you, every sin and blasphemy will be forgiven men, but the blasphemy against the Spirit will not be forgiven men. {32} "Anyone who speaks a word against the Son of Man, it will be forgiven him; but whoever speaks against the Holy Spirit, it will not be forgiven him, either in this age or in the age to come." This tells us about His relationship with Spirit. --this is a warning not to attribute Spirit's work to Devil --it is also a warning to us, because I believe we have shunned the working of the Holy spirit --Demonstrates the power that Christ used was from his Father, through the Holy Spirit, and not of his own making. --Jesus and the Spirit are different beings. What does it say to us today? 1. We have the power at our disposal that Christ did in the battle over sin. John 14:12 ""Most assuredly, I say to you, he who believes in Me, the works that I do he will do also; and greater works than these he will do, because I go to My Father." 2. Jesus received the Spirit just as we can. It is a gift of God, given to those who diligently seek for it through prayer, meditation, and the the study of God's Word. John 14:26-27 ""But the Helper, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in My name, He will teach you all things, and bring to your remembrance all things that I said to you. {27} "Peace I leave with you, My peace I give to you; not as the world gives do I give to you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid." 3. If we do not receive that power, we will either never have power in our lives, or will be lost, and probably both. John 14:15-17 ""If you love Me, keep My commandments. {16} "And I will pray the Father, and He will give you another Helper, that He may abide with you forever; {17} "the Spirit of truth, whom the world cannot receive, because it neither sees Him nor knows Him; but you know Him, for He dwells with you and will be in you." John 14:23-24 "Jesus answered and said to him, "If anyone loves Me, he will keep My word; and My Father will love him, and We will come to him and make Our home with him. {24} "He who does not love Me does not keep My words; and the word which you hear is not Mine but the Father's who sent Me." Closing text John 16:13-16 ""However, when He, the Spirit of truth, has come, He will guide you into all truth; for He will not speak on His own authority, but whatever He hears He will speak; and He will tell you things to come. {14} "He will glorify Me, for He will take of what is Mine and declare it to you. {15} "All things that the Father has are Mine. Therefore I said that He will take of Mine and declare it to you. {16} "A little while, and you will not see Me; and again a little while, and you will see Me, because I go to the Father."" How does apply to us? We will learn more as we look at the Day of Pentecost and formation of Christian Church. But today, I want to ask you, Do you want to receive the power that Jesus used? Do you want that relationship with the Father, through the Spirit? Do you desire to be victorious as Christ was victorious? If that is your desire I want to ask you right now to bow your head and call upon your maker. Talk to him about it.