![]() Jesus called him the Spirit of truth (Jn. The Spirit would be to them a Comforter and Consoler, as well as an Advocate and Intercessor (Jn. While Jesus was with them, the Spirit was with them as well but when Jesus went away, the Spirit would come to dwell in them (Jn. 14:18), and would never leave them again (Jn. Whereas Jesus would need to bodily leave them, He would return to them spiritually in the Person of His Spirit (Jn. In the upper room Jesus emphasized several important truths about the Spirit to His disciples. The Holy Spirit would be taking charge of the practical work of effecting the full redemptive benefit of Calvary in the hearts and lives of believers. Jesus would need to finish the groundwork of redemption, return to the Father, and then shed forth the Spirit on those who believed in him. ![]() The coming of the Spirit was the great purpose for which Jesus had come and the disciples desperately needed him. ![]() However, the Holy Spirit could not come and do his work until Jesus finished the work that the Father had given him to do (Jn. Jesus would soon be leaving to go back to the Father, but He would send the Spirit to the disciples to continue a “divine companionship” with them. His increasing emphasis on the Spirit signified that Jesus’ earthly ministry was coming to a close. Jesus’ statement emphasized that the Spirit’s indwelling in the heart of the believer would be the continual source of rivers of living waters of holy influence in a needy world.Īfter this, in the Upper Room before His crucifixion Jesus talked extensively with his disciples about the coming of the Holy Spirit. John, the Gospel writer, explained: “But this spoke he of the Spirit, which they that believe on him should receive: for the Holy Ghost was not yet given, because that Jesus was not yet glorified” (Jn. He that believeth on me, as the scripture hath said, out of his belly (inner being) shall flow rivers of living water” (Jn. Jesus’ desire and purpose to give forth the Holy Spirit was first seen in his early statement in Luke 11:13: “If ye then, being evil, know how to give good gifts unto your children: how much more shall your heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to them that ask him.” This opening statement of Jesus regarding the coming of the Spirit shows that the Spirit is not someone to be dreaded, but that he is someone to be readily given by a gracious heavenly Father.ĭuring Jesus’ last week He cried out in the temple: “If any man thirst, let him come unto me, and drink. Therefore, Jesus’ increasing emphasis was on the coming of the Holy Spirit and the need of the disciples to be filled with him. This salvation would be primarily the work of the Holy Spirit in the hearts of believers. Instead, he came to provide a spiritual salvation from sin through the atoning sacrifice of Himself. Jesus did not come to establish an earthly kingdom at his first coming. For, while the Jews were looking for a literal kingdom, and rightly so, they misunderstood their need for a spiritual preparation. ![]() John said, “I indeed baptize you with water but one mightier than I cometh…., he shall baptize you with the Holy Ghost and with fire.”Īs Jesus moved toward the end of his earthly ministry, he increasingly emphasized the spiritual nature of the kingdom. For while John’s baptism was with water, in keeping with the external dispensation of the Jews, the baptism of the Messiah would be an internal and spiritual baptism that would go to the very heart of the human problem of sin. 1:27).įurther, John declared that if the people thought that his ministry was rugged and his baptism was severe, they had only to experience the coming ministry of the Christ. 1:30) and that he was not worthy to unstrap His sandals (Jn. Although John was born six months before Christ, he declared that the coming One existed before him (Jn. He said, “He must increase, but I must decrease” (Jn. His method was a baptism with water, familiar to the Jews, to signify a genuine repentance and symbolize a turning from sin.īut John made clear that his ministry was only temporary and that it must give way to the coming Messiah. His message was a call to repentance for the nation of Israel in preparation for the Messiah and His kingdom. He was the forerunner and herald of the Messiah. He told the inquiring crowds, “I am the voice of one crying in the wilderness, make straight the way of the Lord, as said the prophet Isaiah” (Jn. He claimed to be the fulfillment of Isaiah 40:3-5. John the Baptizer came on the scene in Judea with a powerful message.
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