The Holy Spirit - The Spirit in Jesus’ Life

Intro

The remanent. During the four hundred years of silence prior to Christ’s birth, did the Holy Spirit cease to move and act in the lives of men?

We read in the Gospels that there was a remnant who were Spirit-filled and expecting the Messiah. When Jesus was born, they were moved upon by the Spirit, and they recognized Him as the One sent by God to redeem the world.

We see the Holy Spirit in an active role in the birth of Christ, at the time of His baptism by John the Baptist, and leading Him throughout His ministry as He spoke God’s message to hungry hearts, healed the sick, and taught His disciples.

Sermon’s outline. Jesus came into the world to show us what the Father was like. He left us with the Holy Spirit, who still moves in the hearts of men, forming us in the image of Christ:

Longing for the Messiah;

Born of the Holy Spirit ;

The Spirit like a Dove;

Led by the Spirit;

The Blasphemy.

N.1 - Longing for the Messiah

1A. The Remanent filled with the Holy Spirit. Luke gives clear evidence that the Holy Spirit was working in Israel, preparing the way for the birth of the Messiah and for His ministry:

Luke 1:41 NIV

When Elizabeth heard Mary’s greeting, the baby leaped in her womb, and Elizabeth was filled with the Holy Spirit.

Luke 1:67 NIV

His father Zechariah was filled with the Holy Spirit and prophesied:

Luke 2:25–27 NIV

Now there was a man in Jerusalem called Simeon, who was righteous and devout. He was waiting for the consolation of Israel, and the Holy Spirit was on him. It had been revealed to him by the Holy Spirit that he would not die before he had seen the Lord’s Messiah. Moved by the Spirit, he went into the temple courts. When the parents brought in the child Jesus to do for him what the custom of the Law required,

Luke 2:36–38 NIV

There was also a prophet, Anna, the daughter of Penuel, of the tribe of Asher. She was very old; she had lived with her husband seven years after her marriage, and then was a widow until she was eighty-four. She never left the temple but worshiped night and day, fasting and praying. Coming up to them at that very moment, she gave thanks to God and spoke about the child to all who were looking forward to the redemption of Jerusalem.

N.2 - Born of the Holy Spirit

2A. The miracle in the womb. Matthew shows that Joseph was told that the Child was conceived in Mary’s womb by the Holy Spirit. The virgin birth of Christ was clearly a miracle. The theology is not explained until the Epistles.

Matthew 1:20 NIV

But after he had considered this, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream and said, “Joseph son of David, do not be afraid to take Mary home as your wife, because what is conceived in her is from the Holy Spirit.

N.B.: The way in which Mary conceived can best be compared to the moving of the Spirit on the waters in creative action.

N.3 - The Spirit like a Dove

3A. Jesus’ baptism in water. Test: Which of the following are true?

a) All four Gospels record the descent of the Spirit like a dove. Yes

b) John the Baptist was the only one who was allowed to see the Spirit descending like a dove.

c) The Spirit as a dove came down on Jesus temporarily and ascended again.

d) The Father’s voice indicated He approved His Son in the ministry He was about to begin. Yes

e) The Father’s delight may have been over Jesus’ commitment to an identification with humankind that would lead Him to the cross. Yes

Matthew 3:16 NIV

As soon as Jesus was baptized, he went up out of the water. At that moment heaven was opened, and he saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove and alighting on him.

Test: God sent the Spirit in visible form on Jesus to show that

a) since Jesus was God, it was wrong to look on Him as also man.

b) Jesus was half-God and half-man.

c )Jesus was His Son and the Baptizer in the Spirit. Yes

d) all of the above are true.

Notice that the Spirit came upon Jesus primarily because He was man. Thus the coming of the Spirit did not break His identification with us.

N.4 - Led by the Spirit

4A. Jesus tempted in the desert. Look the graph and comment on it.

Test: Which of the following are true?

a) After the Spirit came upon Jesus, He began immediately to use and direct the Spirit in ministry.

b) Jesus was so full of the Spirit that He did not feel hunger until after the forty days in the wilderness were over.

c) During His temptation, Jesus disregarded the power of the Spirit and used His own divine power to defeat Satan.

d) Jesus defeated Satan in the same general areas where Eve was tempted in the Garden of Eden. Yes

e) Jesus showed us how to win the victory over worldliness and sin. Yes

N.5 - The Blasphemy

5A. A severe worning.

Blasphemy’s definition. The act of insulting, scorning, showing lack of reverence for a member of the godhead.

Matthew 12:31–32 NIV

And so I tell you, every kind of sin and slander can be forgiven, but blasphemy against the Spirit will not be forgiven. Anyone who speaks a word against the Son of Man will be forgiven, but anyone who speaks against the Holy Spirit will not be forgiven, either in this age or in the age to come.

N.B.: The blasphemy against the Hoky Spirit is related to what? I would say that all three Gospels show that it is closely related to a person’s attitude toward Jesus.

Test: Which of the following are true?

a) The blasphemy of the Spirit involves a willful sin against knowledge. Yes

b) The Pharisees would have accepted Jesus if they had seen the Spirit descend visibly on Jesus the way John the Baptist saw it.

c) The Pharisees would have accepted Jesus if they had actually seen Him do some great miracle.

d) Those whom Jesus warned of their danger of committing the unpardonable sin were trying to turn others away from Jesus. Yes

e) Those who commit the unpardonable sin are probably those who have a settled preference for evil and darkness. Yes

Questions

1 = B

2 = C

3 = B

4 = D

5 =

Matthew 3:11 NIV

“I baptize you with water for repentance. But after me comes one who is more powerful than I, whose sandals I am not worthy to carry. He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and fire.

Call 3 people and explain the difference between :

Baptism in the Holy Spirit

Baptism in Fire

Baptism in Water

Match the type of baptism (right) to its definitions (left). 

1 - a Related to the Day of Pentecost 

2 - b Refers to judgment 

2 - c Related to Christ’s second coming 

3 - d A public testimony of repentance 

1 - e Refers to the giving of power for service 

3 - f Sometimes precedes but is distinct from pentecostal outpouring