The Holy Spirit in the Gospels

Welcome! Today we continue our series on the Holy Spirit. Last week we looked at The Holy Spirit as revealed in the Old Testament. We learned that the primary Hebrew word for Spirit is Ruach, which can be translated as Spirit, or as wind, or as breath. We talked about how there is this mysterious picture of the Spirit of God as the Breath of God, how God (or anyone) cannot speak without breath, how the content of speech is words, and how the Word is one of the names for Jesus (see John 1). So you see this wondrous interconnection between the God the Father, the Holy Spirit, and the Son. In the New Testament, the Greek word for Spirit is pneuma, and it also can be translated as wind or breath. Even in English, we have some words based on this word. Pneumatic means of or relating to or using air; a pneumatic drill is a power drill powered by compressed air. And you all know what pneumonia is, an infection involving the lungs.

We looked at many verses last week in the Old Testament that made reference to the Spirit. When the Spirit was on someone it was obvious to those around them. The most common results of the Spirit being on someone was that they would prophecy, that is, they would accurately predict the future, and often this was fully interwoven with praising God for who He is. When Joseph told of the coming famine, even Pharaoh, someone of totally different culture who worshipped false gods, understood that the Spirit of an overriding, all-powerful God had to be at work.

The Spirit would come on various prophets, not by their own doing, but by the independent will of the Spirit. Sometimes these prophets were godly men, but sometimes not. Balaam was an example of the latter.

The Spirit was also involved with those who would build “God’s house,” both the Tabernacle at the time of Moses (where the Spirit filled the chief artisans) and the Temple built during the reign of Solomon (where the Spirit revealed the plans to David, who passed them on to his son Solomon).

Sometimes the Spirit would rest on leaders – on Moses and then on the seventy elders who helped him, on Joshua, on a number of the leaders in the Book of Judges: Othniel, Gideon, Jephthah, and Samson, on Saul, the first king of Israel (although the Spirit later left Saul because of his repeated disobedience), and on David. With regards to leaders, often the phrase “the Spirit came upon him in power” was used. The Spirit took what were often unexceptional people (from a worldly point of view) and turned them into powerful, bold leaders who followed the leadings of God communicated through the Holy Spirit. We also mentioned last week that no kings after David were described as having the Spirit on them. And in our previous series from the Old Testament, we saw that, although there were a few exceptions, most of the following kings of Judah and Israel were pretty awful, either forsaking God entirely, or trying to combine some aspects of worshiping the one true God with the worship of the false gods of the peoples around them. Were these men powerfully transformed by the Holy Spirit? I don’t think so – I think the (few) good things they did they did out of their own strength. And when they did do good things, it was often because a prophet told them to do it, a prophet on whom was the Spirit.

And as we come closer and closer to the end of the Old Testament days, the messages of the prophets, led by the Spirit were more and more of two types: warnings of the dire things to come if the people didn’t repent from their sins and turn to God, and predictions of a future time when God would restore His people, when He would raise up Someone special, unlike anyone who had ever come before, both king and prophet, eternal and yet somehow also a sacrifice for sin, on Whom the Spirit rested, like Moses, like David, and yet more than them.

As history marched on, Israel and Judah fell, and the people were exiled as slaves or killed. After the proper time, the Spirit empowered those who led the rebuilding of Jerusalem and the temple. But as we come closer and closer to the time of the New Testament, again there are prophecies of this future Savior, a Messiah, a Christ, filled with the Spirit.

And there were other prophecies, about things too wonderful to even imagine. Isaiah 33:15 and Isaiah 44:3-5 spoke of a time when the Spirit would be poured on an entire people. Not just a few prophets, or maybe one king, but on an entire people. And this redeemer, or Messiah, was closely tied in with these events. See for example Isaiah 59:16-21. Connected with this pouring out of the Spirit was the idea that people would be not only rescued but somehow made clean; see Ez. 36:24-27, for example. Not just cleansing, but new life was implied in, for example, Ez. 37:1-14. Among the Scriptures I closed with were these:

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. – Isaiah 11:1-3

Here is my servant, whom I uphold, my chosen one in whom I delight; I will put my Spirit on Him and He will bring justice to the nations. – Isaiah 42:1

In the New Testament, Peter spoke of these former times. He summarized things so well when he wrote:

Above all, you must understand that no prophecy of Scripture came about by the prophet's own interpretation. For prophecy never had its origin in the will of man, but men spoke from God as they were carried along by the Holy Spirit. – 2 Peter 1:20-21

I love the image of being “carried along,” like leaves being carried by the wind. Prophet after prophet, year after year, over the period of centuries, were saying the same things. A Redeemer will come unlike anything that has come before. The Spirit will rest on Him. Events will happen, and then there will be an outpouring of the Spirit on countless people all out once. The day is coming. It is not far away.

And then the Scriptures fell silent, and people waited. Life in Israel was difficult; the Romans had most of the power, and more and more the people yearned for the day that that Messiah would come. There were many rumors of messiahs – people would ask, “Is this the one?” only to be disappointed. Where was God? Where was His Spirit? And then, at last, prophecies begin again.

There was a priest named Zechariah, from what Scripture says, a good guy, doing his best to keep the law and do his priestly duties. He had a wife, also a good woman. But they were getting old, and had no children. Culturally at that time people tended to think that if you didn’t have children, there must have been some secret sin in your life, or for some other reason you were cursed by God, perhaps because of a sin of your father or grandfather. There is no reason to think this was true; God was in the process of doing a God thing, and often we are stretched as He does this.

One day, a day that started like any other day, Zechariah’s world changed forever. While alone in the Temple, he was visited by an angel!

When Zechariah saw him, he was startled and was gripped with fear. But the angel said to him: "Do not be afraid, Zechariah; your prayer has been heard. Your wife Elizabeth will bear you a son, and you are to give him the name John. He will be a joy and delight to you, and many will rejoice because of his birth, for he will be great in the sight of the Lord. He is never to take wine or other fermented drink, and he will be filled with the Holy Spirit even from birth. – Luke 1:11-15

Filled with the Holy Spirit even from birth! That was something shocking, perhaps as shocking as the angel himself. Such a thing had never happened before. At long last, the Spirit was active again, doing His work. Despite the awesome glory of the appearance and voice and message of an angelic being, Zechariah had his doubts, and said so. The angel’s response was to silence Zechariah until the child’s birth. I have wondered about this – the angel said he did this because Zechariah didn’t believe. Did the punishment fit the crime? I don’t think it was punishment, more as it was a way to protect Zechariah. If Zechariah had left the Temple saying he must have had some bad wine, or otherwise making fun of the experience, He could have blasphemed God and led others to do so as well. By silencing him, Zechariah was kept from this sin. And surely this experience also taught Zechariah about the reality of the situation and of God’s power.

And then the angel came to Mary. Here is part of what he said to her:

You will be with child and give birth to a Son, and you are to give Him the name Jesus. He will be great and will be called the Son of the Most High. The Lord God will give Him the throne of His father David, and He will reign over the house of Jacob forever; His kingdom will never end." – Luke 1:31-33

"How will this be," Mary asked the angel, "since I am a virgin?" The angel answered, "The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you. So the holy one to be born will be called the Son of God. – Luke 1:34-35

If the idea of the Holy Spirit being on John from birth was shocking, what about this? The Holy Spirit would come upon Mary and cause the miraculous conception of Jesus! Mary, to her credit, accepts this explanation and by faith says, “May it be as you have said.” I’m afraid I would have been more like Zechariah. To me, the angel’s explanation opens many more questions than it answers. To someone who knew the work of the Holy Spirit in the Old Testament days, it would be entirely reasonable to say, “That’s impossible! The Holy Spirit can’t do that!” Well, He can, and He did. He is God. He can do anything God can do (which is anything) because He is God.

I should mention that this idea of the Holy Spirit coming upon a women at all is something we didn’t really see in the Old Testament. When Mary visits Elizabeth, the Holy Spirit comes on Elizabeth (not Zechariah, the priest, or on any of the Pharisees or Sadducees) and she praised God while in the Spirit. And I know that the angel said that the Spirit would be on John from birth, but I think it was on John even before birth, because that little baby leaped (presumably for joy) in his mother’s womb. And although it doesn’t say so specifically, I think Mary’s song of praise was also led by the Spirit.

When Elizabeth gave birth to John, Zechariah was again able to talk, and now, it says in Luke 1:67, it says that he was filled with the Holy Spirit and he also prophesied, speaking that at long last, now was the time of salvation prophesied from so long ago.

When it was time to circumcise Jesus at 8 days of age, Joseph and Mary brought him to the Temple, to sacrifice to the Lord and dedicate him. And as John Farmer spoke about at Christmastime, this old man named Simeon came, took Jesus in his arms, and prophesied about him. Listen to the description of the encounter in Luke:

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 upon him. It had been revealed to him by the Holy Spirit that he would not die before he had seen the Lord's Christ. Moved by the Spirit, he went into the temple courts. – Luke 2:25-27

Three times in these three verses, the Holy Spirit is mentioned. It is as if Luke really wants you to notice! The Holy Spirit was doing what, exactly? It was speaking to him. I don’t know if it was audibly or not, but somehow the Spirit was telling him that now was the time of the consolation of Israel; now was the time of the Messiah, the Christ. It was telling him that he, this anonymous old man, would get to personally see Jesus before he died. How long was it telling him this? I don’t know. Perhaps for years and years. And then suddenly, one day, the Spirit tells him that today is the day; now is the time. “Go on into the Temple now! Just walk right in, and look for the young couple with the baby. That baby is Him! Go!” And so he followed the leading of the Holy Spirit. And he took the baby into his arms and praised God and prophesied.

When I think of this event I think of a passage in the beginning of I Peter. Peter praises God for Jesus and what He has done for us, bringing us salvation by His death and resurrection. Because of this salvation, he says we are “filled with an inexpressible and glorious joy.” I am sure that Simeon was filled with that inexpressible and glorious joy. Peter then says,

Concerning this salvation, the prophets, who spoke of the grace that was to come to you, searched intently and with the greatest care, trying to find out the time and circumstances to which the Spirit of Christ in them was pointing when he predicted the sufferings of Christ and the glories that would follow. It was revealed to them that they were not serving themselves but you, when they spoke of the things that have now been told you by those who have preached the gospel to you by the Holy Spirit sent from heaven. Even angels long to look into these things. – I Peter 1:10-12

We are getting ahead of ourselves, but the same Holy Spirit that revealed all this to Simeon enables and equips those who preach the gospel. It is our words, but His help, His support, His power that convicts the hearers. Our words apart from the power of the Holy Spirit would have no effect on anyone, but the Spirit works with us to make the words of life pierce the heart of the listener, humble them, and bring them to the point of repentance and faith in the saving work of Christ. We have the same Spirit as that of Simeon.

The next event that specifically mentions the Spirit is about thirty years later. This account is mentioned in all four gospels. John the Baptist was already well into his ministry, calling people to repentance and baptizing them with water. Of this time, he said,

"I baptize you with water for repentance. But after me will come one who is more powerful than I, whose sandals I am not fit to carry. He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and with fire." – Matt. 3:11

And soon it was time for this to be fulfilled.

Then Jesus came from Galilee to the Jordan to be baptized by John. But John tried to deter him, saying, "I need to be baptized by You, and do You come to me?" Jesus replied, "Let it be so now; it is proper for us to do this to fulfill all righteousness." Then John consented. – Matt. 3:13-15

John the Baptist was just a man, a sinner like all men. He rightly said that he had no business baptizing the Sinless Savior of all men; baptism was a sign of repentance, and Jesus had nothing to repent of. Why did he do it? What does “to fulfill all righteousness” mean? One explanation is that Jesus was setting an example for all men. He also was humbling himself to do this, a necessary part of repentance for any sinner who desires to repent and be saved. And there is another explanation.

Note that Jesus serves as the fulfillment of all that was ever meant by prophet, king, and priest. I believe that the baptism served to fulfill the requirements of a high priest. Look at Ex. 29:4-7:

Then bring Aaron and his sons to the entrance to the Tent of Meeting and wash them with water. Take the garments and dress Aaron with the tunic, the robe of the ephod, the ephod itself and the breastpiece. Fasten the ephod on him by its skillfully woven waistband. Put the turban on his head and attach the sacred diadem to the turban. Take the anointing oil and anoint him by pouring it on his head. – Ex. 29:4-7

Part of the requirement, the first part in this passage, is to wash with water. And then, he is to be anointed with oil on his head. What happened next in the baptism of Jesus?

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 lighting on Him. And a voice from heaven said, "This is My Son, whom I love; with Him I am well pleased." – Matt. 3:16-17

Was the Spirit ever again actually visible? I don’t know. But here it is visible. It wasn’t a dove; it was “like that.” And it rested on Him. Jesus wasn’t anointed with oil, but with the Holy Spirit Himself. And then the Father Himself spoke audibly, so that the entire Trinity was visibly or audibly present at this incredible moment.

By the way, what does the word Messiah mean? In Hebrew it is the word Moshiach. It means Anointed One. Words fail me in trying to convey the importance of this moment. I think of Saul and David, anointed by Samuel, the prophet. It wasn’t a prophet that anointed Jesus; it was God the Father Himself. And He didn’t use oil, but the divine Holy Spirit, again, God Himself. God anointed God with God! Nothing else could be fitting for the king who was God; the King of kings and Lord of lords, the prophet beyond all other prophets, and the High Priest above all other high priests.

Now I do think that Jesus’ roles as King, Priest, and Prophet were not yet fulfilled; Jesus had all the “credentials,” so to speak, but He didn’t really step into these positions until He went through death on the cross and resurrection. But we see this in the Old Testament as well; when Saul and David were anointed, they didn’t immediately become kings, either.

By the way, what happened to the Spirit after that? Did it rise up and fly away from Jesus like a dove? No. It didn’t leave Jesus. The Spirit remained on Him.

Now that the Holy Spirit was on Jesus, what did it have Jesus do? Well, that is interesting.

Then Jesus was led by the Spirit into the desert to be tempted by the devil. – Matt. 4:1

At once the Spirit sent Him out into the desert, and He was in the desert forty days, being tempted by Satan. – Mark 1:12-13

Jesus, full of the Holy Spirit, returned from the Jordan and was led by the Spirit in the desert, where for forty days he was tempted by the devil. – Luke 4:1

John’s account does not include the event of Jesus being tempted by Satan in the desert. But all three of the other gospels make a point of the fact that the Spirit led Jesus into the desert. Do you think the Spirit didn’t know that Satan was there waiting for Him? Of course not! So why did the Spirit do this? Again, I think it was to “fulfill all righteousness.” Just as the public baptism and especially, the public anointing of Jesus by the Holy Spirit publically displayed His credentials and calling, so to speak, the temptation of Jesus proved that Jesus wasn’t just sinless because He led a sheltered life. I think we have no idea just how intense Satan’s temptations on Jesus really were. I know there is a verse that says He was tempted as we are, but I think that is a gross understatement. Jesus was tempted beyond what any of us could possibly bear. It is us who live relatively sheltered lives, and we still sin!

But I think it merits reflection to think about the fact that the Spirit led Jesus to the desert knowing what was to come. Now, my teaching at Faithwalkers was all about decision making and the will of God. I taught there, and I strongly believe, that as believers we have freedom in the decisions we make, as long as we are not making choices that are outside the moral boundaries of God’s will. Obviously we are not making good decisions, decisions that the Lord approves, if they are sin. But in decisions that do not violate moral boundaries, we do have freedom. Does this mean that God’s Spirit never leads believers? No, I do believe that God’s Spirit can lead people to go to places. But there is freedom. We don’t need to fear making a morally upright decision and then forever being out of God’s will, so that God hates us and will never help us again. That kind of thinking is straight from the devil.

But sometimes the Spirit does gently suggest things for us to do. In fact, I believe He does this far more than we expect. When we get a good idea, to visit a sick person, or to call someone to encourage them, or anything like this, I believe we are responding to the Spirit’s prompting. I believe that what we call a “calling” is also something like this – the Spirit suggests an action we could take, and if we are yielded to God, as we pray about it, as we seek good counsel, the suggestion plants itself in our hearts and begins to grow, becoming stronger and stronger. If you understand a calling in this way, I can think of a number of callings in my life – to volunteer to do “grunt work” at a missions conference, to volunteer at a homeless shelter, to go on a short-term missions trip to Mongolia, to become a pastor… each of these for me were like this. This is one way the Spirit works in our lives. There is freedom, but there is an offer of something other than what you would do if you just kept doing what you are doing.

The point I am trying to come to is this: The Spirit’s prompting does not come with promises that if you follow, all will be joy and mirth and cake and ice cream. The Spirit’s first action, immediately after settling on Jesus like a dove, was to send Jesus to war. I don’t know what else to call it. He was alone. He was in the middle of nowhere. He had no provisions. He was terribly hungry. And he was attacked as ferociously by Satan as anyone could ever be attacked. Satan gave it his best shot. He offered Jesus the whole world! When Satan tempts you, what does he offer you?

If we really want to be led by the Spirit, we need to understand that He doesn’t lead us on vacation; He leads us to war. There is a war on – not between nations, not even a world war, but a war encompassing all of creation, involving principalities and powers and spirits and all the forces of Satan and the countless angels who followed him in rebellion against God. If you will allow the Spirit to lead you, you will find yourself entering this war. Wars have casualties. People are wounded. People are killed. How many missionaries have been called to serve in various places and died there? How many family members of missionaries have died? We may not be called to another continent, but we are called to do what?

Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. – Matt. 28:19-20a

We are called to share the gospel wherever we are. We are called to make disciples; that is, to build people up until they too are sharing the gospel and building up the saved until they too are doing the same thing. And we baptize them as a sign of the reality of their new life, an eternal future loved by God the Father, redeemed by Jesus the Son, and filled with presence of the Holy Spirit. Just as all three were present at Jesus’ baptism, all three will be present in heaven forever.

Now I have one remaining question for you today. Here is the question: In the gospels, apart from what Jesus instructs people about the Holy Spirit, what else does the Scripture specifically mention the Holy Spirit do?

I’m not counting the place in the crucifixion when Jesus dies and gives up “His spirit.” And there are other places where it says Jesus knew something in His spirit, or was troubled in spirit. It’s beyond my ability to figure out if that means the Holy Spirit. It’s Jesus’ spirit. Jesus is God and the Holy Spirit is God, and the Holy Spirit is Jesus, but I have no idea what that all means. And I don’t think it is important for us to figure that out.

I found three places (and only three!) where the Holy Spirit is mentioned and it is clearly apart from Jesus in the context of the passage.

Jesus returned to Galilee in the power of the Spirit, and news about Him spread through the whole countryside. He taught in their synagogues, and everyone praised Him. – Luke 4:14-15

This is very much like the references of the power of the Spirit in the Old Testament. This is at the very beginning of His ministry, right after the temptation in the desert. But the power was not power to lead an army, but to tell people about God. It’s also pretty much the last time it is said of Him, “everyone praised Him.” He hasn’t offended the Pharisees or teachers of the Law yet! He apparently hasn’t healed people yet either. I am encouraged by this reference, because it reminds me again that the Holy Spirit gives us power to tell people about God.

At that time Jesus, full of joy through the Holy Spirit, said, "I praise you, Father, Lord of heaven and earth, because you have hidden these things from the wise and learned, and revealed them to little children. Yes, Father, for this was your good pleasure. – Luke 10:21

The context here is that the disciples have just come back from their two-by-two expedition. They were rejoicing because of what they had seen God do through them. What does the Holy Spirit do here for Jesus? Give joy! Again I am reminded of Simeon, and of Peter who spoke of that “inexpressible and glorious joy.” Are you experiencing this kind of joy in the Holy Spirit?

My prayer for all of you is that you would experience this joy. Note that when Simeon experienced this joy, he was following the Spirit’s leading, going about God’s work – in short, he was spiritually minded. Jesus, was full of joy because those He loved were growing. By the way, you see Paul full of joy again and again in the same way – I believe, quite simply, the Holy Spirit fills us with joy when we labor together in things of the Lord! Be about His work, and do it together, and the Holy Spirit will fill you with joy.

I forget who the speaker was at Faithwalkers, but someone shared how whenever some of the guys had interpersonal problems, conflicts, or were just feeling kind of down, this particular pastor always had the same answer – “When was the last time you were out sharing the gospel with people?” This was the sum total of his counseling skills. Marital problems? Go share the gospel. Forgiveness issues? Go share the gospel. Selfishness? Go share the gospel. You know, it works! Team up and have someone who is not a believer over for dinner. Team up and visit someone you know. Or even just go knock on doors. Put yourself in situations where the Holy Spirit has to work, and He will – and a side benefit is that your problems will become smaller as He becomes bigger in your life, and the Holy Spirit will fill you with joy.