The Holy Spirit

The Holy Spirit

For the next several weeks I am going to be focusing on the Holy Spirit. We are going to examine His person, His Position, and His Power.

Mark 1:7-8 NLT John announced: “Someone is coming soon who is greater than I am—so much greater that I’m not even worthy to stoop down like a slave and untie the straps of His sandals. 8 I baptize you with water, but He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit.!”

The Holy Spirit, the third person of the Godhead, i.e. apart from the Father and the Son, yet the third person of the Holy Trinity, one and the same with the Father and the Son. The Holy Spirit was present in the beginning (Gen 1:1-2 The Jewish Bible- In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth. 2 The earth was unformed and void, darkness was on the face of the deep, and the Spirit of God hovered over the surface of the water.

When Jesus ministered on earth, He became a man just like you and me. He emptied Himself of His deity and walked as a man just like us. He did not begin His ministry until He was filled with the Holy Spirit.

Mark 1:9-11 One day Jesus came from Nazareth in Galilee, and John baptized Him in the Jordan River. 10 As Jesus came up out of the water, He saw the heavens splitting apart and the Holy Spirit descending on Him like a dove. 11 And a voice from heaven said, “You are my dearly loved Son, and You bring Me great joy.”

Jesus walked and operated in dependence on the anointing of the Holy Spirit.

Acts 10:38 NLT And you know that God anointed Jesus of Nazareth with the Holy Spirit and power. Then Jesus went around doing good and healing all who were oppressed by the devil, for God was with Him (in the person of the Holy Spirit).

When Jesus was preparing His disciples for His departure back to the Father, He told them, John 14:12-21 NLT- 12 “I tell you the truth, anyone who believes in me will do the same works I have done, and even greater works, because I am going to be with the Father. 13 You can ask for anything in my name, and I will do it, so that the Son can bring glory to the Father. 14 Yes, ask me for anything in my name, and I will do it.  15 “If you love me, obey my commandments. 16 And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another Advocate, who will never leave you. 17 He is the Holy Spirit, who leads into all truth. The world cannot receive him, because it isn’t looking for him and doesn’t recognize him. But you know him, because he lives with you now and later will be in you. 18 No, I will not abandon you as orphans—I will come to you.19 Soon the world will no longer see me, but you will see me. Since I live, you also will live. 20 When I am raised to life again, you will know that I am in my Father, and you are in me, and I am in you. 21 Those who accept my commandments and obey them are the ones who love me. And because they love me, my Father will love them. And I will love them and reveal myself to each of them.”

The revelation of the the Father through the Son is given by the Holy Spirit. Jesus said, Jn 6:44 “…no one can come to Me unless the Father who sent Me draws them to Me…” The Holy Spirit is the one who convicts of sin and reveals the truth of God’s love and forgiveness to us. Jesus said again in Jn 6:63-65- “The Spirit alone gives eternal life. Human effort accomplishes nothing. And the very words I have spoken to you are spirit and life. 64 But some of you do not believe Me.” (for Jesus knew from the beginning which ones did not believe, and he knew who would betray Him.) 65 Then He said, “That is why I said that people can’t come to me unless the Father gives them to Me.”

The disciples were totally dependent upon Jesus for everything. They had left it all to follow Him, and now He was going to leave them. But Jesus was telling them that He was not going to leave them like orphans. He was leaving the power of the Holy Spirit with them with the guarantee that they would have the power to do even greater things than He did. Mark 16:15-17 from the Complete Jewish Bible- “As you go throughout the World, proclaim the Good News to all creation. 16 Whoever trusts and is immersed will be saved: whoever does not trust will be condemned. 17 And these signs will accompany those who do trust: In My name they will drive out demons, speak with new tongues, 18 not be injured if they handle snakes or drink poison, and heal the sick by laying hands on them. 19 So then, after He had spoken to them, the Lord Yeshua was taken up into heaven and sat at the right hand of God. 20 And they went out and proclaimed everywhere, the Lord working with them and confirming the message by accompanying signs.

When we are attempting to do the works of God without the person and power of the Holy Spirit, we are operating in the flesh. Words have power, that why gospel spoken by the mouth will bring results. But the Gospel both proclaimed and demonstrated by the power of the Holy Spirit will bring GREATER RESULTS. Great and women of God such as, the Apostle Paul, Peter, Phillip of the days of the early church performed miracles by the power of the Holy Spirit. In our day, Smith Wigglesworth, John G. Lake, Kathryn Kuhlman, Oral Roberts, Reinhard Bonnke, F.F. Bosworth, T L Osborn and others have all had tremendous results in reaching people for Jesus, not because of slick ad campaigns, or having great organizers to set up their meetings, but because of one thing ONLY, THE PREACHING OF THE GOSPEL FOLLOWED WITH SIGNS AND WONDERS, DEMONSTRATING THE POWER OF THE HOLY SPIRIT.

Luke 24:44-49 NLT- Then He said, “When I was with you before, I told you that everything that was written about Me in the law of Moses and the prophets and in the Psalms must be fulfilled.” Then He opened their minds to understand the Scriptures. 46. And He said, “Yes, it was written long ago that the Messiah would suffer and die and rise from the dead on the third day. 47 It was also written that this message would be proclaimed in the authority of His name to all the nations (ethos),” beginning in Jerusalem: ‘There is forgiveness of sins for all who repent.’ 48 You are witnesses of all these things. 49 And now I will send the Holy Spirit, just as My Father has promised. BUT STAY HERE IN THE CITY UNTIL THE HOLY SPIRIT COMES AND FILLS YOU WITH POWER FROM HEAVEN.”

Luke, writing in the book of Acts 1:4-8 -NLT- Once when He was eating with them, He commanded them, “Do not leave Jerusalem until the Father sends you the gift he promised, as I told you before. 5 John baptized with water, but in just a few days you will be baptized with the Holy Spirit. 6 So when the apostles were with Jesus, they kept asking Him, “Lord, the time has come for you free Israel and restore our kingdom.” 7 He replied, “The Father alone has the authority to set those dates and times, and they are not for you to know. 8 BUT YOU SHALL RECEIVE POWER WHEN THE HOLY SPIRIT COMES UPON YOU. And you will be My witnesses, telling people about Me everywhere—in Jerusalem, throughout Judea, in Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.”

Today is Pentecost Sunday: 50 days after Passover, Festival of First Harvest, a festival of thanksgiving for the harvested crops. Acts 2:1-4 NLT- On the day of Pentecost all the believers were meeting together in one place. 2 Suddenly, there was sound from heaven like the roaring of a mighty windstorm, and it filled the house where they all were sitting. 3 Then, what looked like flames or tongues of fire appeared and settled on each of them. 4 And everyone present present was filled with the Holy Spirit and began speaking in other languages (tongues: glossolalia “glossa: Tongue Lalia: Speaking”), as the Holy Spirit gave them the ability (utterance).

This was the event that Jesus was Jesus was speaking of to His disciples. It was the fulfillment of a prophetic promise, Joel 2:17-21 NLT- In the last days, God says, ‘I will pour out My Spirit upon all people. Your sons and daughters will prophesy. Your young men will see visions, and your old men will dream dreams. 18 In those days I will pour out My Spirit even on My servants—men and women alike—and they will prophesy.’
The Holy Spirit is the Persona of God Himself alive and operating through us and empowering us to His works. If you have been baptized in the Holy Spirit, you have the power to do the works of God just as Jesus did. We have power over sin in our own lives and power to preach the Gospel to others and see them set free. We have the power to cast out devils, speak with new tongues, lay hands on the sick and see them recover, and we have power over serpents and every deadly thing.

Without the baptism in the Holy Spirit, we lack the power to do what God has called us to do. It’s time we power up. When we have believed and received we are emboldened to do the works of God!