Archive of Daily Bible Lessons
March 1-7, 2004
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3.1.04 | Jesus and the Holy Spirit |
3.2.04 | More on Jesus and the Holy Spirit |
3.3.04 | Once More on Jesus and the Holy Spirit |
3.4.04 | Holy Spirit Power to be Witnesses |
3.5.04 | Holy Spirit Empowering: 3 Terms, 1 Reality |
3.6.04 | Spirit Fullness: A Way of Life, Not Merely Events |
3.7.04 | Results of Being Filled with the Holy Spirit |
That which is conceived in her {the virgin Mary} is of the Holy Spirit . . . and He {John the Baptist} saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove and alighting upon Him {Jesus} . . . Then Jesus was led up by the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted by the devil. (Matthew 1:20; 3:16; 4:1) |
You gain great insight into the work of the Holy Spirit in your life by considering the work of the Spirit in the life of Jesus. From the very beginning of Jesus' history upon earth as Emmanuel
{God with us},
the Holy Spirit was involved. When Joseph was troubled over Mary's pregnancy, an angel comforted him by announcing:
"That which is conceived in her is of the Holy Spirit." Jesus' conception was not of man, but of the Spirit. The Son of God came to earth as a servant, laying aside the independent
exercise of His ongoing deity. Jesus "made Himself of no reputation,
taking the form of a servant" (Philippians 2:7). He would serve in
dependence upon the Spirit. Jesus' ministry would not be of man (even the perfect Man), but of God.
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O Shepherd of my soul, please lead me in this Christlike path. Thank You for bringing me new birth by Your Spirit. O, Lord, I ask that You will now empower my life for service unto You. I ask You to lead me by Your Spirit day by day. I admit my total need for such works of the Holy Spirit in my life. Please work in fullness, in Your name, I pray, Amen. |
A Branch shall grow out of his roots. The Spirit of the LORD shall rest upon Him, the Spirit of wisdom and understanding, the Spirit of counsel and might, the Spirit of knowledge and of the fear of the LORD. (Isaiah 11:1-2) |
In this prophecy of the Messiah, you are told how the Lord Jesus
(walking upon earth as a human being) would function in order to manifest godliness. He would live by this prophetic
promise: "The Spirit of the LORD shall rest upon Him."
Operating in Jesus, the Holy Spirit would also be to Him "the Spirit of counsel and might." Jesus was truly the "Wonderful Counselor" (Isaiah 9:6).
Ministering to Jesus, the Holy Spirit would also be to Him "the Spirit of knowledge and of the fear of the LORD." No one ever possessed knowledge like the Lord Jesus. "Jesus did not commit Himself to them, because He knew all men" (John 2:24). "Jesus knew that His hour had come that He should depart from this world to the Father" (John 13:1). Jesus not only had thorough knowledge, but that knowledge was always
controlled by "the fear of the LORD." Everything that Jesus ever did was under the full influence of His godly fear (reverential
trust and loving respect) toward the Father. "The Father has not
left Me alone, for I always do those things that please Him"
(John 2:17). |
Who is like You, O Lord? Who could ever match Your majestic character — certainly not me. Yet, I need manifestations of such fruit in my life. Please work deeply in me by Your Holy Spirit, producing such Christlikeness, I pray, in Your holy name, Amen. |
You shall receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you shall be witnesses to Me in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth. (Acts 1:8) |
After the cross and the resurrection, the Lord Jesus taught His disciples for forty days before He ascended to the Father. One of His strategic messages of preparation concerned the Holy Spirit enablement they would need to fulfill their ministry. "You shall receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you." After this vital promise was given, Jesus was taken up into heaven to the right hand of the Father. Ten days later, on the day of Pentecost, this promise was fulfilled
by the outpouring of the Spirit. "And they were all filled with
the Holy Spirit" (Acts 2:4). The grand result of this empowering
would be the spread of the gospel, region by region, throughout the entire world. "You
shall be witnesses to Me in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth" (Acts 1:8).
This worldwide outreach was an astounding development, considering
the unimpressive human credentials that characterized Jesus' followers. "Now
when they saw the boldness of Peter and John, and perceived that they were uneducated and untrained men, they marveled.
And they realized that they had been with Jesus" (Acts 4:13).
The explanation for their effectiveness was contained in the last phrase. These men had spent time with Jesus,
had been impacted by Him, and were now walking in the spiritual strength of His Spirit. |
O Lord, my strength, make my life a daily witness, declaring in word, deed, and attitude that Jesus is alive. Lord, my own abilities will never be sufficient to accomplish this. So, I humbly pray, empower me by Your Holy Spirit, in Jesus name, Amen. |
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