Introduction:
When we talk about what the Holy Spirit did in the life and ministry of Jesus Christ we come to a difficult subject. 3 difficulties:
1) Talking about the Trinity, the Godhead.
2) Talking about the incarnation of Jesus Christ. The Word became flesh.
3) We are not a member of the Trinity, nor are we God in the flesh.
We know some facts of the incarnation:
Luke 1:35 and Matthew 1:18-20
Mary ovum was supernaturally altered so that it became a complete human being, body and spirit, without the addition of the chromosomes provided by a male sperm. This was the specific work of the Holy Spirit.
Jesus’ birth is also tied up with John the Baptist’s birth in Luke 1. We know this about John
Luke 1:15: He is never to take wine or other fermented drink, and he will be filled with the Holy Spirit even from birth.
Luke 1:80: And the child grew and became strong in spirit; and he lived in the desert until he appeared publicly to Israel. Some say that this “strong in spirit” should be strong in the Spirit.
As a prophet who was filled with the Spirit, John the Baptist’s preaching was fully inspired. Things were revealed to him that he could not have known on his own.
We could say that Jesus was the same but this is never stated. We are left to speculate on whether Jesus was like John in that He was filled with the HS from birth.
The Holy Spirit and Jesus’ baptism.
All 4 gospels place the HS at Jesus’ baptism in the accompanying descent of the dove coming down from heaven and lighting upon Him.
What was actually happening there at Jesus’ baptism?
In Matthew’s gospel it says this of Jesus baptism. 3:16: 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.
John’s gospel has John the Baptist saying this of Jesus baptism: 1:32: Then John gave this testimony: “I saw the Spirit come down from heaven as a dove and remain on him.
The fact is that the descent of the HS upon Jesus has all the appearances of an anointing ceremony. Such a ceremony was like an ordination service; the one being anointed was publicly submitting himself to God’s will and committing himself to the designated office.
We have said that in the OT the HS came upon people to equip them for a task or office. Few Wednesday nights ago we looked at Jephthah. Judges 11:29: Then the Spirit of the LORD came upon Jephthah. Good example of how the HS worked in the OT era. We see this of David when Samuel anointed him as king. 1 Samuel 16:13: from that day on the Spirit of the LORD came upon David in power.
Jesus at his baptism was being anointed and the HS came upon Him. This anointing with the HS is why we refer to Jesus as “the Christ,” which means “the anointed one.” This is much the same language we see in the OT.
Some say Jesus was filled with the Spirit from his birth. But even those who say Jesus was filled with the Spirit from conception must admit that the descent of the dove at His baptism began a new phase in the ministry of the Holy Spirit in the life of Jesus Christ.
A good case can be made for the view that the descent of the Spirit at Christ’s baptism was actually the time when He was anointed, filled with the Spirit. Right after Jesus baptism, Luke says this in 4:1: Jesus, full of the Holy Spirit, returned from the Jordan and was led by the Spirit in the desert.
Why was Jesus anointed with HS? This anointing energized Christ for His three fold mission
Thesis: Let’s talk about Christ’s three fold mission
For instances:
The Prophet
Deuteronomy 18:18: I will raise up for them a prophet like you from among their brothers; I will put my words in his mouth, and he will tell them everything I command him. Quoted by Stephen and applied to Jesus in Acts 7:37.
Isaiah 61:1-2 and then go to Luke 4:17-21. Anointed me to preach the gospel... to proclaim release... to proclaim the favorable year of the Lord.
Jesus’ message came directly from the HS. The preaching of the Lord was in the power of the Spirit. Luke 4:32: They were amazed at his teaching, because his message had authority. John 6:67-69: “You do not want to leave too, do you?” Jesus asked the Twelve. Simon Peter answered him, “Lord, to whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life. We believe and know that you are the Holy One of God.”
The Word sent down from the Father was communicating the very words sent from the HS.
We are prophets in a limited way when we communicate the Bible, we are being used as a spokesman for God. Philippians 2:15-16: children of God without fault in a crooked and depraved generation, in which you shine like stars in the universe as you hold out the word of life. However, we are not prophets in the sense that what we say needs to be written down because it is from the HS.
Also, we will never be the Prophet. Only JC is the Prophet and it will always be that way.
The King
Matthew 12:22-29. Jesus did this by the Spirit of God. Jesus was claiming to be binding the strong man (the devil) and was plundering his domain (vs. 29). This was in fulfillment of Isaiah 61 and Luke 4:18b “to set free those who are oppressed.”
Can we assume that this same “power of the Spirit” that energized Jesus to cast out demons was the source of His power to perform miracles in general? Some say Yes in all miracles, some say that is not true in all miracles. Either way, the power that enabled Christ to perform His kingly ministry was divine power, and at least some of that was the result of His being filled with the Spirit.
We are members of the royal family. 1 Peter 2:9: But you are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people belonging to God, that you may declare the praises of him who called you out of darkness into his wonderful light. We are children of the King.
However, only Jesus is King of kings and Lord of lords. We will never be that.
The High Priest
Hebrews 9:14: “How much more, then, will the blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered himself unblemished to God, cleanse our consciences from acts that lead to death, so that we may serve the living God!” We are referring to Jesus offering himself as the one and only effective and all sufficient sacrifice for the sins of the world. But through the eternal Spirit? What does this mean?
This refers to something the HS was doing for Jesus in the circumstances of His crucifixion, probably surrounding Gethsemane. Matthew 26:38-42.
When Jesus became aware of the magnitude, the enormity, the weight of the burden He was about to bear, His first reaction was to recoil. Jesus’ hesitation comes not from a moral weakness, but from the simple fact of His human nature. He is overwhelmed by this seemingly impossible next step in His messianic journey. At the beginning Jesus is sweating drops of blood but at the end He is ready to go through with the crucifixion. How?
If there is a specific point when “the eternal Spirit” strengthened the man Jesus Christ in the shadow of Calvary, this was it. The Spirit gave his resolve to see His “mission impossible” through to the end. This is speculation, but it seems sound. If the Spirit’s presence empowered Jesus through His earthly ministry, surely there was no point in this ministry where the Spirit’s power was more needed than here.
Also, when Jesus said, “My God, My God, why have you forsaken me?” Maybe Christ knew that the presence of the HS was now withdrawn while He was on the cross.
Revelation 1:5-6: and from Jesus Christ, who is the faithful witness, the firstborn from the dead, and the ruler of the kings of the earth. To him who loves us and has freed us from our sins by his blood, and has made us to be a kingdom and priests to serve his God and Father—to him be glory and power for ever and ever! Amen.
Yes, we are priests but there is only one high priest and that is Jesus Christ. Hebrews 7:26-27
Conclusion and invitation:
John the Baptist said this about Jesus and the Holy Spirit- John 3:34 (NIV): For the one whom God has sent speaks the words of God, for God gives the Spirit without limit. John 3:34 (KJV): For he whom God hath sent speaketh the words of God: for God giveth not the Spirit by measure unto him.
The difference between Jesus and us is that Christ received a full measure of the Spirit. The uniqueness of Christ’s mission required that the Father give Him the Spirit without measure, to empower and equip Him for His mission. We must not try to draw too many parallels between the Spirit in Jesus’ life and the Spirit in our own lives as Christians.
