God's Spirit is present throughout the Bible.
The Bible is filled with remarkable stories about rather unremarkable people. For example, considerJoseph, the spoiled son with the coat of many colors who was favored by his doting father, sold into slavery by his jealous brothers, framed by Potiphar’s wife for an act of indiscretion, and left to die in a dungeon in Egypt. Through God’s providential care, Joseph was summoned from prison and given an opportunity to interpret Pharaoh’s dream— a dream no wise man or magician in all of Egypt could understand.
So Pharaoh says to Joseph, "I had a dream, and no one can interpret it. But I have heard it said of you that when you hear a dream you can interpret it." Genesis 41:15 (NIV) But consider Joseph’s response. "I cannot do it." Joseph replied to Pharaoh,"but God will give Pharaoh the answer he desires." Genesis 41:16 (NIV)
How many times in a given week do you find yourself saying the words, "I cannot do it." Be honest now. "I cannot ____."I cannot love that person. I cannot experience joy in my circumstances. I cannot make peace in that relationship. I cannot be patient with ____.I cannot act kindly toward____. I cannot be as good a person as____. I cannot show gentleness in that situation.I cannot maintain self-control.
A pretty common refrain, wouldn’t you agree? What isn’t so common is Joseph’s response."I cannot do it,but God will…" Our problem isn’t a lack of self-confidence. It’s our lack of confidence in God. We don't believe that God is able and willing to do something remarkable, more than we can. Our problem is relying on our ourselves, our abilities, our knowledge, and our resources.
Of interest is what Pharaoh says to officials after Joseph interprets his dream. In Genesis 41:38 (NIV) he says, "Can we find anyone like this man, one in whom is the Spirit of God?"
God can do miracles through his Spirit who lives in us.
Think what your life would be like were it not for the Spirit of God. How unloving, how joyless, contentious, impatient, unkind,evil,destructive, or impulsive you might be. Think what your life might be like were God’s Spirit to consume more of your life. What we cannot do or be,God can, through his Spirit!
When God wanted his people to build a tabernacle for worship, he sent his Spirit upon Bezalel (beez-ah-lel)."I have filled him with the Spirit of God, with skill, ability and knowledge in all kinds of crafts—to make artistic designs for work in gold, silver and bronze,to cut and set stones, to work in wood, and to engage in all kinds of craftsmanship."Exodus 31:3-5 (NIV)
When Moses was crushed by the demands of God’s people, and failing to meet their many needs, God says to Moses, "I will come down and speak with you (in the tent of meeting), and I will take of the Spirit that is on you and put the Spirit on them (Israel’s elders). They will help you carry the burden of the people so that you will not have to carry it alone." Numbers 11:17 (NIV)
When Israel cowered in fear at the prospect of taking the promised land, it was the Spirit of God who made Caleb courageous in Numbers 14:24.And it was the Spirit of God who commissioned Joshua to conquer the land. Moses prayed," 'May the Lord, the God of the spirits of all mankind, appoint a man over this communityto go out and come in before them, one who will lead them out and bring them in, so the Lord’s people will not be like sheep without a shepherd.' So the Lord said to Moses, 'Take Joshua son of Nun, a man in whom is the spirit, and lay your hand on him.' "Numbers 27:15-19 (NIV)
When God needed a leader to call Israel back to faith and liberate his people from the king of Aram, he sent his Spirit on Othniel."The Spirit of the Lord came upon him, so that he became Israel’s judge and went to war. The Lord gave Cushan-Rishathaimking of Aram into the hands of Othniel, who overpowered him. So the land had peace for forty years." Judges 3:10-11 (NIV)
When the Israelites were vastly outnumbered by the Medianites, and the Medianites were ravaging their villages, and destroying their crops, and slaughtering their livestock, God put his spirit on Gideon in Judges 6:34. And then later he placed it on Jephthah in Judges 11:29. And who can forget Samson in Judges 15:14?
When Samuel anointed Saul to be king of Israel he promised him, "The Spirit of the Lord will come upon you in power, and you will prophesy with them; and you will be changed into a different person. Once these signs are fulfilled, do whatever your hand finds to do, for God is with you."1 Samuel 10:6-7 (NIV)
The Spirit of God was with David as he cried out for restoration after committing adultery with Bathsheba.Psalm 51:11. And again, God's Spirit was withDavid as he spoke his final words.2 Samuel 23:2.
The Spirit of God was upon Elijah and Elisha in2 Kings 2:9. The Spirit of God was with Job, in the pit of his suffering.Job 33:4
The Spirit of the Lord was present in the ministry of Isaiah the prophet, "The Spirit of the Sovereign Lord is on me, because the Lord has anointed me to preach good news to the poor. He has sent me to bind up the brokenhearted, to proclaim freedom for the captives and release from darkness for the prisoners, to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor and the day of vengeance of our God, to comfort all who mourn,and provide for those who grieve in Zion— to bestow on them a crown of beauty instead of ashes, the oil of gladness instead of mourning, and a garment of praise instead of a spirit of despair. They will be called oaks of righteousness, a planting of the Lord for the display of his splendor." Isaiah 61:1-3 (NIV)
When confronted by the sin and impurity of an entire nation, God promises Israel in Ezekiel 36:24-29 (NIV),"For I will take you out of the nations; I will gather you from all the countries and bring you back into your own land. I will sprinkle clean water on you, and you will be clean; I will cleanse you from all your impurities and from all your idols. I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit in you; I will remove from you your heart of stone and give you a heart of flesh. And I will put my Spirit in you and move you to follow my decrees and be careful to keep my laws. You will live in the land I gave your forefathers; you will be my people, and I will be your God. I will save you from all your uncleanness..."
We must become completely reliant on the Spirit of God.
As we survey these passages, one thing becomes increasingly apparent— we must become completely reliant on the Spirit of God in everything!
• The Spirit gives us special skills, abilities, and knowledge to carry out important tasks for God.
• The Spirit sustains us amidst the crushing expectations and perpetual needs of others. The Spirit raises people up to share in one another’s burdens.
• The Spirit gives us the courage when we feel like grasshoppers in a land of giants. He gives us strength and victory in the face of insurmountable odds.
• The Spirit enables us to change into a different person.
• The Spirit restores and regenerates us in our repentance.
• The Spirit comforts us in our sorrows and grief.
• The Spirit anoints us to preach the good news, to bind up the broken-hearted, to proclaim freedom from sin, and to release people from the power of death.
• The Spirit gives us a new heart and a new mind. He moves us to follow God’s decrees and keep his laws. God’s Spirit saves us from our uncleanness.
One of the greatest promises in the Old Testament wasn’t just that Christ the messiah would come. It's also that God’s Holy Spirit would come! Christ would bring forgiveness from sin and justification unto salvation. But the Holy Spirit would bring power, renewal, regeneration, purification, comfort, and change.
Joel 3:28-32 (NIV) says,"And afterward, I will pour out my Spirit on all people. Your sons and daughters will prophesy, your old men will dream dreams, your young men will see visions. Even on my servants, both men and women, I will pour out my Spirit in those days. I will show wonders in the heavens and on the earth, blood and fire and billows of smoke. The sun will be turned to darkness and the moon to blood before the coming of the great and dreadful day of the Lord. And everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved; for on Mount Zion and in Jerusalem there will be deliverance, as the Lord has said, among the survivors whom the Lord calls."
Isaiah 11:2-3 (NIV) tells us, "A shoot will come up from the stump of Jesse; from his roots a Branch will bear fruit. The Spirit of the Lord will rest on him— the Spirit of wisdom and of understanding, the Spirit of counsel and of power, the Spirit of knowledge and of the fear of the Lord—and he will delight in the fear of the Lord."
Jesus' life was lived through the power of the Spirit.
Imagine the great discouragement that many people feel, knowing the example of Jesus Christ, but not knowing or having received the power that enabled his life! From start to finish Jesus’ life was lived in the power of the Spirit.
• Jesus was conceived by the Holy Spirit. Matthew 1:18
•We are told that Jesus would have power to baptize people to receive the Spirit. Matthew 3:11
• When he was baptized, the Spirit of God descended upon him like a dove and illuminated him. Matthew 3:16
• After his baptismJesus was led by the Spirit into the desert, where he withstood temptation.Matthew 4:1
• When he returned to Galilee, to his hometown of Nazareth, he did so in the power of the Spirit.Luke 4:14
• Jesus cast out demons by the Spirit of God.Matthew 12:28
• When Jesus sent out his disciples to proclaim the good news of his kingdom, he explained how it wouldn’t be them speaking, but the Spirit of God in them.Matthew 10:20
• When Jesus sent out seventy disciples, and they reported all the good they had done, Jesus was filled with the joy of the Holy Spirit.Luke 10:21
• When Jesus was crucified and laid in that tomb, it was the Spirit of the living God who raised him from the dead. Romans 8:11
We must learn to rely on the Spirit of God.
The challenge for us ordinary folk is to rely on the Spirit of God just like Joseph, Joshua, Caleb, Moses, the elders of Israel, the builders of the tabernacle, Othniel, Gideon, Jephtaph, Samson, David, Elijah, Elisha, Isaiah, and Ezekiel. We need to rely on the Spiritlike Jesus himself did.
It’s interesting that in John 14:11-12 (NIV) Jesus promises, "... anyone who has faith in me will do what I have been doing. He will do even greater things than these because I am going to the Father."
In John 16:7 (NIV)Jesussays, "But I tell you the truth: It is for your good that I am going away. Unless I go away, the Counselor will not come to you; but if I go, I will send him to you." In essence, Jesus was saying that it was better thathe leave and the Spirit come, than he stay and the Spirit be delayed.
Before Jesus ascended into heaven he gave his disciples two instructions. First he commanded them to make disciples by baptizing people in the name of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.Matthew 28:19
But then secondly, he gave them instructions to wait for the Holy Spirit. In Acts 1:4-5 (NIV) he says, "Do not leave Jerusalem, but wait for the gift my Father promised, which you have heard me speak about. For John baptized with water, but in a few days you will be baptized with the Holy Spirit." Then in Acts 1:8 (NIV) he says, "But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you; and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth."
Could it be that we're so quick to "go and do" and "be like Jesus" and "make disciples" that we forget to first be filled with power? We eagerly embark on this life-long journey of discipleship without first filling our tank with fuel.
Do we really believe that we are going to be the exception to the great men of old, the exception to Christ himself? The Spirit is God’s means. We can’t, but with God all things are possible. Christ’s example is that of relying on the Spirit, not living in the flesh. This is why in John 3:5-6 (NIV) Jesus tells Nicodemus, "No one can enter the Kingdom of God unless he is born of water and spirit. Flesh gives birth to flesh, but the spirit gives birth to spirit."
The gift is available to all who would receive Christ through faith, confession, repentance, and baptism.