Life Through The Spirit Series

Life Through the Spirit

Text: Romans 8

Introduction.

I want to read 2 scriptures of prophecy from the OT to you. The first is from the OT prophet, Isaiah. God is speaking—

Isaiah 44:1-3

---1---“But now listen, O Jacob, my servant…”

---2---“…Thus says the Lord who made you…”

---3---“…For I will pour out water on the thirsty land and streams on the dry ground. I will pour out My Spirit on your offspring, and My blessings on your descendants…”

The 2nd prophecy comes from Joel 2:28—

---28---“And it will come about after this that I will pour out My Spirit on all mankind.”

Now I’d like you all to consider 3 statements that Jesus made during His ministry—

John 3:5

---5---“Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born of water and the Spirit, he cannot enter into the Kingdom of God.

---6---That which is born of the flesh is flesh, and that which is born of the Spirit is Spirit.

---7---Do not marvel that I said to you, ‘you must be born again’.

---8---The wind blows where it wishes and you hear the sound of it, but do not know where it comes from and where it is going; so is everyone who is born of the Spirit.”

In John 5:23, Jesus speaks to the Samaritan woman at the well—

---23---“But an hour is coming, and now is, when the true worshipers shall worship the Father in Spirit and truth…”

Then in Matthew 28:19—

---19---“Go, therefore, and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit…”

Two Events To Consider.

The 1st event took place in Jerusalem during the feast of the Tabernacle, and Jesus was there. One of the ceremonies of the feast was the pouring of water. A priest brought water in a pitcher from the pool of Siloam and poured it out beside the altar. During this ceremony, Isaiah said—

Isaiah 12:3

---3---“Therefore with joy shall ye draw water out of the wells of salvation…”

—and, it is from this background that we read John 7:37-39.

---37---Now on the last day, the great day of the feast, Jesus stood and cried out, saying, “If any man is thirsty, let him come to Me and drink,

---38---He who believes in Me, as the scriptures said, ‘from his innermost being’, shall flow rivers of living water.”

---39---But this He spoke of the Spirit, whom those who believed in Him were to receive; for the Spirit was not yet given, because Jesus was not yet glorified.

Now the 2nd great event—the Day of Pentecost—took place, again, in Jerusalem. This was just 7 days after Jesus had ascended back to the Father, to sit on the right hand of God.

In Acts 2, speaking of the apostles, that they were together in one place, ---3---“…and suddenly there came from heaven…”

---4---And they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak with other tongues, as the Spirit was giving them utterance.

Peter explained this in verse 16—

---16---“…but this is what was spoken of through the prophet Joel.” (the prophecy we read a minute ago – DRD)

Peter went on to preach the resurrected Christ—Jesus of Nazareth, the True Son of God—raised up to sit on David’s throne. Peter convicted them of the crucifixion of the Son of God, and some 3,000 were moved and said, “…brethren, what shall we do?”

Acts 2:38

---38---And Peter said to them, “Repent, and let each of you be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins; and you shall receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.”

---39---“For the promise is for you and your children, and for all who are far off, as many as the Lord our God shall call to Himself.”

Boy! What do you think all of this means?

Back to Romans.

The past 8 weeks, we’ve been discussing Paul’s letter to the saints in Rome. In Chapter 1, verse 15, Paul says, ---15---“…I am eager to preach the gospel to you also who are in Rome.”

---16---“For I am not ashamed of the gospel, for it is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes; to the Jew first, and also to the Greek.

---17---For in it, the righteousness of God is revealed from faith to faith; as it is written, ‘But the righteous man shall live by faith’;”

Paul then proceeds to say—“…not only is the gospel for everyone, but everyone needs the gospel.” He describes the vile man who lives in a most godly way, and he says this man needs the gospel.

Then Paul describes the good moral man, and says this man needs the gospel. Then he goes on to say the religious man—the Jewish people of that day—this man also needs the gospel.