Jesus and the Holy Spirit
Unity of Purpose
“It’s the truth!”
Breaking the Barriers (Pre-sermon Devotion)
Genesis
3:8-10 8 Then the man and his wife
heard the sound of the Lord God as he
was walking in the garden in the cool of the day, and they hid from the
Lord God among the trees of the garden. 9 But the Lord God called to the man,
"Where are you?" 10 He
answered, "I heard you in the garden, and I was afraid because I was
naked; so I hid." NIV
Too
often we come together deeply aware of how naked we are! Even before we arrived at church, we knitted
together some fig leaves, so as not to be too naked before God and each other. You know what I mean, a rushed prayer of
repentance without seek forgiveness; forced prayers of thanksgiving, reading a
quick verse from the Bible, listening to KLOV on the way to church. And if you had children, grandchildren to get
ready for church, you know how naked you are; and we all know you did not have
a chance to even grab a fig leaf on the way out the door!
Even
now, just as we are, we can come out from our hiding places. God still wants to walk with us, knowing we
are naked before Him. God is still
choosing you, to be your covering, to protect you, to fellowship with you….come out, come out where ever you are?
Prayer of Preparation:
Holy
Spirit, I know my God’s voice, I hear the calling of my name. I am ashamed because I am naked again. I do not want God to see me this way, again,
yet it is hard to resist the call. I
need to come before God, I need to step out from my hiding place, cover me in
the righteousness of Christ, my Savior!
Prepare the path for me leading me to my God. Cleanse me that I may approach God, even now.
It’s
the Truth!
John
16:7 Nevertheless I tell you the truth; it is expedient for you that I go away:
for if I go not away, the Comforter will not come unto you; but if I depart, I
will send him unto you. KJV
This
morning, we start a new series of sermons, examining the relationship between
the Holy Spirit and Jesus during his earthly ministry as recorded in the four
gospels, Matthew, Mark, Luke and John. I
believe we need to discover and come to understand this amazing unity of
purpose revealed to us in the Gospels!
Jesus and the Holy Spirit functioned so harmoniously, were continuously
in each other’s presence; their relationship was and is our model for how we
interact with the Holy Spirit.
We
need to examine this relationship to better make personal application to our
lives. Often, our study of the Holy
Spirit is based on the Books of Acts and the Epistles. I find it interesting how we can develop an
entire theology of the Holy Spirit without observing the relationship between
the Holy Spirit and Jesus as captured for us in the Gospels. This is significant, for on both sides of the
debate about the work of the Holy Spirit in the post apostolic church, rarely
is their discussion about Jesus and the Holy Spirit.
I
am compelled to examine their relationship because of the labor that is assigned
to us, personal, community and global transformation. You may be saying to yourselves, “there he
goes again, with that global stuff…a vision beyond our abilities…to hard…to
much work…can it really happen.” I am
compelled to bring this to us because of the emphasis Jesus placed on the issue
of “greater works than these...”
Jesus and
Greater Works
John
5:19-20 Then Jesus answered and said to them,
"Most assuredly, I say to you, the Son can do nothing of Himself, but what
He sees the Father do; for whatever He does, the Son also does in like
manner. 20 For the Father loves the Son, and shows Him all things that He
Himself does; and He will show Him greater works than these, that you may
marvel." NKJV
This
text is from the miracle at the pool of Bethsaida, where Jesus healed the lame
man on the Sabbath. These words were in
response to the effort by the Pharisees to kill Jesus because He claimed
equality with God. Yet Jesus does not
claim equality with God, Jesus speaks of work, and even greater works. Jesus states in verse 17, But Jesus answered
them, "My Father has been working until now, and I have been
working." NKJV
Again,
in verse 18, we read the Pharisees are even more determined to kill Jesus, and
Jesus in his response to their rage speaks to the work of the Father and how He
as the Son is only emulating the Father. Jesus speaks to how the works of the Father to
this point are great, yet the Father is going to show the Son greater works
that the Son will emulate.
There
is degree of intensity of relationship that is too often missed in these
verses. There is a great revelation of
relationship between the Father and the Son.
·
The Son can do nothing of Himself
·
The Son sees what the Father does
·
The Son does whatever the does
·
The Father loves the Son
·
The Father shows the Son all things He
himself does
·
The Father will show the Son even
greater works than those already revealed
·
The Father does greater works that we
might marvel
The Believer and
Greater Works
John
14:12-14 "Most assuredly, I say
to you, he who believes in Me, the works that I do he will do also; and greater
works than these he will do, because
I go to My Father. 13 And whatever you ask in My name, that I will do, that the Father
may be glorified in the Son. 14 If you ask anything in My name, I will do it." NKJV
Again,
in another event of great personal conflict, Jesus speaks to the greater works
to be accomplished by the disciples. Jesus
speaks to the work to be done by those who believe in Him. There is an expansion of purpose from Jesus to
His disciples to do the greater works yet to be revealed by the Father. Again, the relationship is intensified, this
time including believers:
·
Believers in Jesus do the same works
·
Believers will do greater works
·
Believers do the work of the Father
·
In Jesus Name, works are to be done
·
In Jesus Name, the Father is glorified
·
In Jesus Name, greater works are done
Throughout
the Gospels, we can see the various works accomplished by Jesus through the
power and presence of the Holy Spirit.
In these same Gospels, Jesus speaks to the need for labors, and labors
“endued” (clothed) with the same Holy Spirit!
Throughout the entire New Testament there is “urgency” about the greater
workers, the greater labor, about transformation, renewal and restoration! How did we lose sight of our purpose in
Christ?
I
believe our rejection of the Holy Spirit is at the core of the problem. We have failed to understand the dynamic
relationship between Jesus and the Holy Spirit.
We have argued theology, grieving the Holy Spirit, minimizing the
influence of the convicting work of the Holy Spirit. We have abandoned the Holy Spirit, ignoring
the calling of the Holy Spirit to the tasks before us. The Holy Spirit is here “…come
out, come out wherever you are…”
Have You
Believed?
Eph.
1:13-14 “And you also were included
in Christ when you heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation.
Having believed, you were marked in him with a seal, the promised Holy Spirit, 14 who is a deposit, guaranteeing our
inheritance until the redemption of those who are God's possession — to the
praise of his glory.” NIV
by Grace Alone!
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