Thirsting for something better

The day of Pentecost changed everything.

Acts 2:1–4 When the Day of Pentecost had fully come, they were all with one accord in one place. And suddenly there came a sound from heaven, as of a rushing mighty wind, and it filled the whole house where they were sitting. Then there appeared to them divided tongues, as of fire, and one sat upon each of them. And they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak with other tongues, as the Spirit gave them utterance.

I believe that it was THE CROSS EVENT that changed everything.

The cross event includes: The incarnation of Christ, His temptation and fulfillment of the law, His atonement on the cross, the three days in the ground, the witness, the ascension, and the day of Pentecost. We tend to break up each and every one and look at them individually. Which of course is a good exercise but they are also a unit. An event that changed everything.

Grace Changed with Jesus.

John 1:17 For the law was given through Moses, but grace and truth came through Jesus Christ.

Everything changed when Jesus came to the earth the first time. It will change again when He comes the second time. You will be shocked at how it changes. Like I am sure Abraham and Moses are in awe of the changes in the mystery of the church. Mercy Changed, the after life changed,

GOD did not change.

Malachi 3:6 For I am the Lord, I do not change; Therefore you are not consumed, O sons of Jacob.

But things changed, I consider it similar to people whose roles change. Recently my boss at school went through some real change in his life. One of the things that changed is he stepped down from his role. Over the summer I saw him at a wedding. We talked we hugged and it was different. We are both the same as we were before but after almost twenty years are relationship has evolved. Don’t be scared of that word. If I say our relationship with God has evolved over time, don’t cringe. I am not talking about God changing from one species into another. But our relationship with God changes. He does not!

Jesus told us the relationship would change.

John 14:17 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.

This change in the relationship didn’t catch Jesus off guard. He knew it was coming.

I want to now take us through the Old Testament and see the unique way the Spirit worked with people before Jesus.

In the Old Testament the Holy Spirit was extremely selective.

Genesis 41:38 And Pharaoh said to his servants, “Can we find such a one as this, a man in whom is the Spirit of God?

Joseph was a man who had the Holy Spirit in him. That wasn’t the case for everyone who believed in God. Not everyone who believed in God was so privileged. I believe we will learn today that the Spirit is selective today but in a different way.

Only one person in the Old Testament is recorded as being filled with the Spirit.

Exodus 35:30–31 And Moses said to the children of Israel, “See, the Lord has called by name Bezalel the son of Uri, the son of Hur, of the tribe of Judah; and He has filled him with the Spirit of God, in wisdom and understanding, in knowledge and all manner of workmanship,

If I started the service with Trivia, “who was the one person in the OT who was filled with the Spirit?” Anyone getting that right. I didn’t think so. But pay attention because that will be on the quiz next Saturday. Do you see why he was filled with the spirit. Because God had a special job for him to do. To build the tabernacle. It seems like that may be an important detail on this side of the cross.

The Holy Spirit came upon a few people.

Numbers 24:2 And Balaam raised his eyes, and saw Israel encamped according to their tribes; and the Spirit of God came upon him.

We use the phrase He was filled with the spirit. The old Testament is comfortable with the phrase came upon him. There is a difference and we should be walking filled with the spirit not waiting for the spirit to come upon us.

The Spirit of God was closely, almost exclusively tied to leadership.

Numbers 27:18 And the Lord said to Moses: “Take Joshua the son of Nun with you, a man in whom is the Spirit, and lay your hand on him;

the Spirit of God was not as liberal in the Old Testament as in the New Testament he was a free gift to anyone who would believe on the name of the LORD Jesus. Be careful when I use that word liberal. One definition of liberal in the webster dictionary is marked by generosity or having an open hand. Today we use it not just as an open hand but open minded.

The Spirit of God empowered Israel’s deliverers.

Judges 3:9–10 When the children of Israel cried out to the Lord, the Lord raised up a deliverer for the children of Israel, who delivered them: Othniel the son of Kenaz, Caleb’s younger brother. The Spirit of the Lord came upon him, and he judged Israel. He went out to war, and the Lord delivered Cushan-Rishathaim king of Mesopotamia into his hand; and his hand prevailed over Cushan-Rishathaim.

Jesus is our deliverer, our Savior. We have a different view of a deliverer today. The Jews looked ahead to the Messiah. We have him here and now.

The Spirit of God overcame overwhelming odds.

Judges 6:34 But the Spirit of the Lord came upon Gideon; then he blew the trumpet, and the Abiezrites gathered behind him.

I want to be clear the Holy Spirit still overcomes overwhelming odds, but this is a history of the Holy Spirit in the Old Testament. Some things don’t change in our relationship. God still wins the victories.

The Holy Spirit helped men walk among their enemies.

Judges 11:29 Then the Spirit of the Lord came upon Jephthah, and he passed through Gilead and Manasseh, and passed through Mizpah of Gilead; and from Mizpah of Gilead he advanced toward the people of Ammon.

The Holy Spirit still helps you walk through your enemies. He goes before you he fights for you.

The Holy Spirit came, the Holy Spirit left.

Judges 13:24–25 So the woman bore a son and called his name Samson; and the child grew, and the Lord blessed him. And the Spirit of the Lord began to move upon him at Mahaneh Dan between Zorah and Eshtaol.

Judges 16:20 And she said, “The Philistines are upon you, Samson!” So he awoke from his sleep, and said, “I will go out as before, at other times, and shake myself free!” But he did not know that the Lord had departed from him.

The Holy Spirit’s influence was limited to Israel.

Isaiah 63:10–14 But they rebelled and grieved His Holy Spirit; So He turned Himself against them as an enemy, And He fought against them. Then he remembered the days of old, Moses and his people, saying: “Where is He who brought them up out of the sea With the shepherd of His flock? Where is He who put His Holy Spirit within them, Who led them by the right hand of Moses, With His glorious arm, Dividing the water before them To make for Himself an everlasting name, Who led them through the deep, As a horse in the wilderness, That they might not stumble?” As a beast goes down into the valley, And the Spirit of the Lord causes him to rest, So You lead Your people, To make Yourself a glorious name.

It’s not that He could not minister to the world but that is how he operated at this time it was an exclusive relationship. The only reason Balaam was used by an unwilling mouthpiece was because it had to do with Israel. They had an exclusive relationship. My how things have changed on this side of the cross. God limits His work. Let me explain. Could Jesus show His flesh and blood face here today. SURE! He could but He choses not to. One day all that will change. WHY? I have no idea, but I love it!

The Holy Spirit instructed Israel on how to live.

Nehemiah 9:20 You also gave Your good Spirit to instruct them, And did not withhold Your manna from their mouth, And gave them water for their thirst.

The Holy Spirit occasionally worked globally in the Old Testament.

Genesis 6:3 And the Lord said, “My Spirit shall not strive with man forever, for he is indeed flesh; yet his days shall be one hundred and twenty years.

Well that one doesn’t end well. The Spirit worked in the world and there was a world wide flood. That didn’t work out so well for the people of the time. It works much better today. Thank you for the cross Jesus.

The Holy Spirit did a great work through King Saul.

1 Samuel 10:6–10 Then the Spirit of the Lord will come upon you, and you will prophesy with them and be turned into another man. And let it be, when these signs come to you, that you do as the occasion demands; for God is with you. You shall go down before me to Gilgal; and surely I will come down to you to offer burnt offerings and make sacrifices of peace offerings. Seven days you shall wait, till I come to you and show you what you should do.” So it was, when he had turned his back to go from Samuel, that God gave him another heart; and all those signs came to pass that day. When they came there to the hill, there was a group of prophets to meet him; then the Spirit of God came upon him, and he prophesied among them.

The Holy Spirit left King Saul.

1 Samuel 16:14 But the Spirit of the Lord departed from Saul, and a distressing spirit from the Lord troubled him.

Do you notice the phrase a distressing spirit from the LORD that troubled him. That phrase troubles me.I think that it troubled David?

David was troubled by King Saul’s experience.

Psalm 51:11 Do not cast me away from Your presence, And do not take Your Holy Spirit from me.

David wasn’t troubled by the Spirit of God, He wasn’t troubled by Saul, He wasn’t troubled by the work of the Spirit in Saul. He was troubled by the leaving of the Spirit. That says something.

I ask the question, was Saul a fraud?

1 Samuel 28:16–18 Then Samuel said: “So why do you ask me, seeing the Lord has departed from you and has become your enemy? And the Lord has done for Himself as He spoke by me. For the Lord has torn the kingdom out of your hand and given it to your neighbor, David. Because you did not obey the voice of the Lord nor execute His fierce wrath upon Amalek, therefore the Lord has done this thing to you this day.

God has used fraudulent people.

John 11:49–52 And one of them, Caiaphas, being high priest that year, said to them, “You know nothing at all, nor do you consider that it is expedient for us that one man should die for the people, and not that the whole nation should perish.” Now this he did not say on his own authority; but being high priest that year he prophesied that Jesus would die for the nation, and not for that nation only, but also that He would gather together in one the children of God who were scattered abroad.

That passage spoke to the expanding global ministry of Jesus that would save the world and go global by the work of the Spirit. Do you notice God at work. There are fraudulent preachers out there. I am not going to name them, you know some I am sure. A number of people were probably saved under their ministry. God used their words and His message. Do I get no. Do I believe it yes.

The world, lost in sin, longed for something better.

Zechariah 12:10 And I will pour on the house of David and on the inhabitants of Jerusalem the Spirit of grace and supplication; then they will look on Me whom they pierced. Yes, they will mourn for Him as one mourns for his only son, and grieve for Him as one grieves for a firstborn.

The world wants new things, it craves genuine things. Nothing is more genuine than the Spirit inside of you. Nothing is more new that Spirit dwelling in you. He is better than anything else.

Jesus provided the Spirit for those who thirsted for something better!

John 7:37–39 On the last day, that great day of the feast, Jesus stood and cried out, saying, “If anyone thirsts, let him come to Me and drink. He who believes in Me, as the Scripture has said, out of his heart will flow rivers of living water.” But this He spoke concerning the Spirit, whom those believing in Him would receive; for the Holy Spirit was not yet given, because Jesus was not yet glorified.