Lesson 8: The Spirit & The Ministry Of Jesus (Part 1)

Getting started: if Jesus is the Son of God (Luke 1.32) and God in the flesh (Matthew 1.21; John 1.1,14), why did He receive the Spirit (Matthew 3.16)?

In this study we have proposed that the Spirit’s activity can be traced throughout Scripture in the following ways:

1. The Spirit is instrumental in forming the people of God.
2. The Spirit leads and guides the people of God.
3. The Spirit is how God’s dwells among His people.

We are close to seeing how all of those areas are true in the lives of Christians, but we must first examine the Spirit’s role in Jesus’ life and ministry. This lesson will focus on what the gospel accounts record regarding the Spirit forming and guiding God’s people, while the next lesson will focus more on the Spirit’s presence with God’s people.

The Spirit Forming The People Of God

From the opening verses of the New Testament the inspired apostles and prophets make it clear that a new beginning was taking place. Matthew begins, “the book of the genealogy (Greek genesis) of Jesus Christ…” (Matthew 1.1). Just as the opening chapter of Genesis culminated with the creation of man (Genesis 1.26-27), the New Testament opens by declaring that a new man was going to be formed: “to all who did receive him, who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God, who were born, not of blood nor of the will of the flesh nor of the will of man, but of God” (John 1.12-13).

However, before any of us could become children of God, His true Son first had to come into this world. And while He is eternal (John 1.1.), His coming into this world was accomplished through the Spirit!

• “And the angel answered her, ‘The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you; therefore the child to be born will be called holy—the Son of God.’” (Luke 1:35, ESV)
• “But as he considered these things, behold, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream, saying, ‘Joseph, son of David, do not fear to take Mary as your wife, for that which is conceived in her is from the Holy Spirit.’” (Matthew 1:20, ESV)

If Jesus’ life in this world was the product of the Spirit, it should not surprise us that His disciples would also be products of the Spirit. Recall again the words in the beginning of John’s gospel, those who believe in Jesus have “the right to become children of God,” they are born “of God” (John 1.12-13). And Jesus tells us how we are born of God:

• “Jesus answered, ‘Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born of water and the Spirit, he cannot enter the kingdom of God.’” (John 3:5, ESV)
• “It is the Spirit who gives life; the flesh is no help at all. The words that I have spoken to you are spirit and life.” (John 6:63, ESV)

Recall that the Lord promised through Ezekiel that the day would come when He would cleanse His people with water and give them “a new hear, and a new spirit… I will put my Spirit within you” (Ezekiel 36.25-27). Jesus’ declaration was that the time had come when this new birth through water and Spirit could take place. And just as God’s people are formed through the Spirit, as we continue in the words of Jesus the Spirit continues to give life!

The Spirit Leading & Guiding The People Of God

While Jesus’ life on earth was a product of the Spirit, it’s significant that His ministry didn’t begin until another act of the Spirit. Each of the four gospel accounts record the baptism of Jesus and recount how the Spirit descended on Him. However, note the wording in Matthew and John’s accounts:

• “And when Jesus was baptized, immediately he went up from the water, and behold, the heavens were opened to him, and he saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove and coming to rest on him;” (Matthew 3:16, ESV)
• “I myself did not know him, but he who sent me to baptize with water said to me, ‘He on whom you see the Spirit descend and remain, this is he who baptizes with the Holy Spirit.’” (John 1:33, ESV)

The Spirit descending AND remaining on Jesus harkens back to what occurred when David was anointed as king: “And the Spirit of the Lord rushed upon David from that day forward” (1Samuel 16.13). Jesus was the true descendant of David, He is the “branch” from the roots of Jesse… and God promised that “the Spirit of the Lord shall rest upon him” (Isaiah 11.1-2).

The Spirit descending and remaining on Jesus wasn’t simply meant to signify that He was the prophesied “branch”. Read Isaiah 11.1-9 and note what would result from the Spirit resting on Him:

1. The Spirit is described as the Spirit of “wisdom and understanding… counsel and might… knowledge and the fear of the Lord” (vs. 2).
2. Thus He would be able to render righteous judgments (vss. 3-4).
3. Peace would result from His leadership (vss. 5-8).
4. All would have knowledge of the Lord (vs. 9).

Significantly, Jesus referenced another passage from Isaiah to explain the purpose of Him having the Spirit. He declared to His hometown of Nazareth that “‘The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he has anointed me to proclaim good news to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim liberty to the captives and recovering of sight to the blind, to set at liberty those who are oppressed, to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor’” (Luke 4:18–19; see Isaiah 61.1-2). Matthew also commented on how the Spirit was upon Jesus so that He could “proclaim justice to the Gentiles” (Matthew 12.18-21; see Isaiah 42.1-3). Jesus rules over all, and He guides by the Spirit.

Jesus made it clear to His followers that they would be led by the Spirit, even after His departure from this world. To His apostles He promised that when they were arrested and put on trial they wouldn’t have to worry about what to say in their defense because “it is not you who speak, but the Spirit of your Father speaking through you” (Matthew 10.20). But the Spirit would do much more than help them in times of trial, the Spirit would continue to provide guidance for disciples for all time.

• “But the Helper, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, he will teach you all things and bring to your remembrance all that I have said to you.” (John 14:26, ESV)
• “But when the Helper comes, whom I will send to you from the Father, the Spirit of truth, who proceeds from the Father, he will bear witness about me.” (John 15:26, ESV)
• “When the Spirit of truth comes, he will guide you into all the truth, for he will not speak on his own authority, but whatever he hears he will speak, and he will declare to you the things that are to come.” (John 16:13, ESV)

Recall that in Numbers 11.16-17,25 the Lord took some of the Spirit from Moses and put it on seventy elders of the people. A parallel can be drawn to John’s testimony about what Jesus would do: “John answered them all, saying, ‘I baptize you with water, but he who is mightier than I is coming, the strap of whose sandals I am not worthy to untie. He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and fire.’” (Luke 3:16, ESV) The Spirit rested on Jesus, thus He could give that Spirit to others; and He did so to insure that His people were guided by Spirit (see 2Timothy 3.16-17).