Review:
Before we begin this next lesson, let’s start with a quick review of what we learned in our last article about the Holy Spirit’s role in the birth of Christ.
We talked about the doctrine of the virgin birth and here are some of the important points:
- It was miraculous.
- It was supernatural.
- It defies any reason of man.
- It defies the normal course of the natural order of things.
- It is, in fact, humanly impossible!
- This doctrine has been attacked by those who deny the virgin birth and the Deity of Christ.
- According to Matt. 1:18-21, the Holy Spirit is the agent, or cause, of conception of Jesus.
- Mary was the human mother of Jesus.
- Jesus is the “God-man.” He possesses both His Deity and His humanity.
- We saw the humanity of Christ.
- We saw the sinlessness of Christ.
- He is fully human just like us, but without sin.
- All of these remarkable characteristics about Jesus, our Savior, relate to His human conception in Mary by the Holy Spirit of God.
This next article will deal with the Holy Spirit In the life of Christ while on the earth.
The Holy Spirit the Life of Christ
Our first question is, was Jesus Christ “filled,” or controlled, by the Holy Spirit from the moment of conception? As usual, we will rely on the Scriptures to answer our questions:
- Prior to His birth we read in Isaiah 11:2-4, “And the Spirit of the Lord will rest on Him, the Spirit of wisdom and understanding, the Spirit of counsel and strength, the Spirit of knowledge and the fear of the Lord. 3 And He will delight in the fear of the Lord, and He will not judge by what His eyes see, nor make a decision by what His ears hear; 4 but with righteousness He will judge the poor, and decide with fairness for the afflicted of the earth;”
- Isaiah 42:1, “Behold, my Servant, whom I uphold; My chosen One in whom my soul delights. I have put my Spirit upon Him.”
- Isaiah 61:1-2, “The Spirit of the Lord God is upon Me, because the Lord has anointed Me to bring good news to the afflicted; He has sent Me to bind up the brokenhearted, to proclaim liberty to captives, and freedom to prisoners; 2 to proclaim the favorable year of the Lord, and the day of vengeance of our God.”
- These verses are not conclusive by themselves, but they do add to it:
o Remember the Doctrine of the Trinity:
§ They’re inseparable.
§ The Father and Holy Spirit hadto be with Him even in the womb!
§ They are one.
o Of John the Baptist we read in Luke 1:15, “For he will be great in the sight of the Lord, and he will drink no wine or liquor; and he will be filled with the Holy Spirit, while yet in his mother’s womb.”
o John the Baptist was “filled” from conception:
§ He was only the forerunnerof Christ.
§ It seems that Jesus shouldn’t have any less of a blessing.
What about all true believers? Aren’t they supposed to be filled with (controlled by) the Holy Spirit, just like Jesus?
- Paul tells us in Eph. 5:18, “Don’t get drunk with wine . . . be filled [controlled] by the Holy Spirit.”
- Are we allowing the Spirit of God to control us? Or are we doing things our way?
- Do you and I see the fruit of the Spirit in our lives (Gal. 5:22-23)? Do we have the love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, gentleness, meekness and self-control that is the fruit of the Spirit, like Jesus did?
- Is God trying to get your attention? Is your conscience bothering you? Are you struggling with a sin issue right now?
- Are you willing to yield your will to God’s will? Are you willing to be controlled by the Holy Spirit’s leading?
- These are tough questions that we all have to answer.
- Our lifestyle has a direct impact on all those who we come in contact with. Did you know that?
Christ Possessed All of the Spirit’s Miraculous Powers:
According to John 3:22-36, “After these things Jesus and His disciples came into the land of Judea, and there He was spending time with them and baptizing. 23 And John also was baptizing in Aenon near Salim, because there was much water there; and they were coming and were being baptized. 24 For John had not yet been thrown into prison. 25 There arose therefore a discussion on the part of John’s disciples with a Jew about purification. 26 And they came to John and said to Him, “Rabbi, He who was with you beyond the Jordan, to whom you have borne witness, behold, He is baptizing, and all are coming to Him.” 27 John answered and said, “A man can receive nothing, unless it has been given him from heaven. 28 “You yourselves bear me witness, that I said, ‘I am not the Christ,’ but, ‘I have been sent before Him.’ 29 “He who has the bride is the bridegroom; but the friend of the bridegroom, who stands and hears Him, rejoices greatly because of the bridegroom’s voice. And so this joy of mine has been made full. 30 He must increase, but I must decrease. 31 He who comes from above is above all; he who is of the earth is from the earth and speaks of the earth. He who comes from heaven is above all. 32 What He has seen and heard, of that He bears witness; and no man receives His witness. 33 He who has received His witness has set His seal to this, that God is true. 34 For He whom God has sent speaks the words of God; for He gives the Spirit without measure. 35 The Father loves the Son, and has given all things into His hand. 36 He who believes in the Son has eternal life; but he who does not obey the Son shall not see life, but the wrath of God abides on him.”
Jesus and His disciples come into town:
- They are baptizing people, along with John the Baptist.
- John had not been imprisoned yet.
- A discussion starts about cleansing.
- John’s disciples say, “All are coming to Him[Jesus]”:
o Maybe they are jealous.
o Maybe they are angry: Jesus is stealing their thunder.
- John the Baptist speaks in verse 27:
o Here we see God’s sovereignty, “A man can receive nothing, unless it has been given him from heaven.”
o That’s the way every ministry should be looked at. If God’s in it, it will bear fruit; if not, it will die on the vine.
- John says, “I’m not the Christ, I told you that.” He must increase; I must decrease.”
- v.34, “For He[Jesus] whom God has sent speaks the words of God; for He[God] gives the Spirit without measure[to him, Jesus]. 35 “The Father loves the Son, and has given all things into His hand.”
- Context is important here. John is speaking of Jesus; not you or me.
o “The Father has given all things into His hand,” including spiritual gifts, creation, the apostles, those who will believe and receive Christ as their Savior, and the keys to death and hell.
- Jesus gives the perfect truth of God as He speaks the words of God, because He has the full endowment, the full power, and the full capacity of the Holy Spirit, “The Spirit without limit.”
- Jesus possessed every miraculous spiritual gift from conception, but He exercised restraint in using them until the Father told Him what to do and when to do it:
o John 5:30, “I can do nothing on my own initiative. As I hear, I judge; and my judgment is just, because I do not seek my own will, but the will of Him who sent Me.”
Holy Spirit In Relation to the Baptism of Christ:
Matt. 3:15-17, “Then Jesus arrived from Galilee at the Jordan coming to John, to be baptized by him. 14 But John tried to prevent Him, saying, ‘I have need to be baptized by you, and do you come to me?’ 15 But Jesus answering said to him, ‘Permit it at this time; for in this way it is fitting for us to fulfill all righteousness.’ Then he permitted Him. 16 And after being baptized, Jesus went up immediately from the water; and behold, the heavens were opened, and He saw the Spirit of God descending as a dove, and coming upon Him, 17 And behold, a voice out of the heavens, saying, ‘This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well-pleased.’”
- Jesus was baptized with water by John the Baptist:
o To fulfill all righteousness; to fulfill the Law.
o Jesus is all about doing it the Father’s way. Have you noticed that?
- The Holy Spirit descended on Him in a visible form, as a dove:
o The Holy Spirit is not a bird!
o It was a way for God, the Father, to allow man to see his favor poured out upon His beloved Son, Jesus, the Messiah.
- So, from that moment on, it would be a new phase in the ministry of the Holy Spirit in the life of Christ:
o Jesus was in relative obscurity prior to this baptismal event.
o From now on, the Holy Spirit will effect:
§ Outward signs of His messiahship through His miracles and prophetic ministry.
§ So, as the coming of the Holy Spirit was visible and outward, so now would Jesus’ ministry be visible and outward.
§ He would no longer in the carpenter’s shop.
- Important: the baptism of Jesus supports the Doctrine of the Trinity:
o We see the unity of the Godhead:
§ Christ proclaimed the “Son of God.”
§ The Holy Spirit declared to be permanently resident in Christ, visibly.
§ The Father speaks from heaven.
Christ Was Sealed with the Spirit:
Jesus declared this fact of Himself in John 6:26-27:
- The seal was the mark of His heavenly origin and the proof of his Divine Sonship.
- John 6:26-27, “Jesus answered them and said, “Truly, truly, I say to you, you seek Me, not because you saw signs, but because you ate of the loaves, and were filled. 27 “Do not work for the food which perishes, but for the food which endures to eternal life, which the Son of Man shall give to you, for on Him the Father, even God, has set His seal.”
- True believers are also sealed with the Holy Spirit:
o Eph. 1:13-14, “In Him, you also, after listening to the message of truth, the gospel of your salvation—having also believed, you were sealed in Him with the Holy Spirit of promise, 14 who is given as a pledge of our inheritance, with a view to the redemption of God’s own possession, to the praise of His glory”:
§ If you have believed and received Jesus Christ as your Savior, you have been sealed by the Holy Spirit.
o The sealing by the Spirit is a once-and-for-all act that gives us continued assurance that we are God’s children, entitled to His riches and goodness, now as well as in eternity. It’s God’s pledge to all true believers.
o This should excite you!
o You belong to God and no one is going to change your final destination!
o By His grace, through your faith in Jesus atoning work at Calvary, all true believers are secure in Christ!!
The Holy Spirit Led Jesus:
After His baptism, He was led by the Spirit into the wilderness for the temptation by Satan:
- Luke 4:1-2, “And Jesus, full of the Holy Spirit, returned from the Jordan and was led about by the Spiritin the wilderness 2 for forty days, being tempted by the devil”:
o The Spirit led Jesus out into the wilderness to be “tempted” by the devil.
o This is important: We should never assume that when we’re “tempted” to sin, that it’s coming from God.
o James 1: 13-14 is clear, “When tempted, no on should say, ‘God is tempting me.’ For God cannot be tempted by evil, nor does he tempt anyone; but each one is tempted when, by his own evil desire, he is dragged away and enticed.”
Jesus Rejoiced In the Spirit:
Luke 10:17; 21, “The seventy-two returned with joy and said. ‘Lord, even the demons submit to us in your name.’ 21 At that very time He rejoiced greatly in the Holy Spirit, and said, ‘I praise Thee, O Father, Lord of heaven and earth, that You did hide these things from the wise and intelligent and did reveal them to babes.”
- Jesus is praising the Father because these “children” (the 72) have recognized who he really is:
o “Even the demons submit to us in your name.”
o “You are more powerful than the demons.”
- Jesus praises the father for revealing the truth to His followers
The Holy Spirit In Relation to Jesus’ Prophetic Office:
Luke 4:14-21, “Jesus returned to Galilee in the power of the Spirit, and news about Him spread through the whole countryside. 15 He taught in their synagogues, and everyone praised Him. 16 He went to Nazareth, where He had been brought up, and on the Sabbath day He went into the synagogue, as was his custom. And He stood up to read. 17 The scroll of the prophet Isaiah was handed to Him. Unrolling it, He found the place where it is written: 18 ‘The Spirit of the Lord is on me, because He has anointed Me to preach good news to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim freedom for the prisoners and recovery of sight for the blind, to release the oppressed, 19 to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor.’ 20 Then He rolled up the scroll gave it back to the attendant and sat down. The eyes of everyone in the synagogue were fastened on Him, 21 and He began by saying to them, ‘Today this Scripture is fulfilled in your hearing.’”
- He concluded His reading of Isaiah with the words, “To proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor.”
- But He stopped in the middle of the verse without reading the next line in Isaiah 61:2, “And the day of vengeance of our God.”
- When Jesus added, “Today this Scripture is fulfilled in your hearing,” the implication was very clear:
o Prophecy was coming to pass.
o Jesus was claiming to be the Messiah who could bring the kingdom of God, which had been promised for so long.
o But, and this is important, His first advent, His first coming, was not His time for judgment.
o That’s why He stopped short of completing the verse in Isaiah 61:2, “and the day of vengeance of our God;”
- There’s more prophecy from Jesus. Matthew Chapters 24-25:
o It’s all prophecy of the end times.
o Those chapters are describing what will happen just prior to His second coming to the earth.
- God’s prophets were his “prosecuting attorneys”:
o They laid the charges out before the nation of Israel.
o They also foretold of the coming judgments if the nation of Israel didn’t turn from their wickedness, mainly, idolatry and forsaking God and His Law.
- A prophet of God is one who is 100% accurate:
o He’s never wrong, never!
o Not 98%; not 57%; not 82 %.
o Never wrong!
- God has something to say about false prophets:
o Here are some excerpts from Jeremiah 23:
§ “This is what the Lord almighty says: ‘Do not listen to what the prophets are prophesying to you; they fill you with false hopes. They speak visions from their ownminds, notfrom the mouth of the Lord.’”
§ “I have heard what the prophets say who prophesy lies in My name. They say, ‘I had a dream! I had a dream!’ 26 How long will this continue in the hearts of these lying prophets, who prophesy the delusions of their ownminds? 27 They think the dreams they tell one another will make My people forget My name, just as their fathers forgot My name through Baal worship. 28 Let the prophet who has a dream tell his dream, but let the one who has My word speak it faithfully.’”
o My friends, beware of false prophets who lead people away from the Word of God by their dreams and false visions.
Holy Spirit In Relation to Christ’s Miracles:
Matt. 12:22-28, “Then there was brought to Him a demon-possessed man who was blind and dumb, and He healed him, so that the dumb man spoke and saw. 23 And all the multitudes were amazed, and began to say, ‘This man cannot be the Son of David, can He?’ 24 But when the Pharisees heard it, they said, ‘This man casts out demons only by Beelzebul the ruler of the demons.’ 25 And knowing their thoughts He said to them, ‘Any kingdom divided against itself is laid waste; and any city or house divided against itself shall not stand. 26 “And if Satan casts out Satan, he is divided against himself; how then shall his kingdom stand? 27 And if I by Beelzebul cast out demons, by whom do your sons cast them out? Consequently they shall be your judges. 28 But if I cast out demons by the Spirit of God, then the kingdom of God has come upon you’”:
- The Holy Spirit of God assists Jesus in casting out a demon.
- Did Jesus perform miracles on His own?
o Luke 6:19, “And all the multitude were trying to touch Him, for power was coming from Him and healing them all.”
o Luke 8:43-47, “And a woman who had a hemorrhage for twelve years, and could not be healed by anyone, 44 came up behind Him, and touched the fringe of his cloak; and immediately her hemorrhage stopped. 45 And Jesus said, ‘Who is the one who touched me?’ And while they were all denying it, Peter said, “Master, the multitudes are crowding and pressing upon you.’ 46 But Jesus said, ‘Someone did touch me, for I was aware that power had gone out of me.’”
The Holy Spirit In the Resurrection of Christ:
Romans 8:11, “But if the Spirit of Him who raised Jesus from the dead dwells in you, He who raised Christ Jesus from the dead will also give life you your mortal bodies through His Spirit who indwells you.”
- “The same Holy Spirit of God will also give life you your mortal bodies through His Spirit who indwells you.”
o That should be very comforting to all true believers!
Summary:
“And the Spirit of the Lord will rest on Him, the Spirit of wisdom and understanding, the Spirit of counsel and strength, the Spirit of knowledge and the fear of the Lord” (Isaiah 11:2).
- The Holy Spirit played a crucial role in the birth of Jesus and in the life of Jesus while here on the earth.
- He plays a crucial role in the life of every believer.
- He’s real; He regenerates the one who believes and receives Jesus by faith.
- He is the one, now, who brings about the work of salvation and that’s what we’ll look at in the next article:
o The Holy Spirit in the Work of Salvation
May the Lord bless you and keep you as you continue to grow in the knowledge of who He really is.
By His Grace,
Gary T. Dromi, Ph.D., D.Min.
