Messenger Marcus preaches, explaining the difference between the inner and outer anointing of the Holy Spirit. In these closing days of history just before our Lord Jesus returns to earth, we need both. We need to be full within of the “Life giving Spirit” of Jesus Christ spoken of in 1 Corinthians 15:45. We also need to be clothes with the power of the Holy Spirit outwardly for the power to serve our God in the miraculous operations of God.
Holy Spirit Gifts and Fruits
In our service for God as believers, we need BOTH Holy Spirit gifts and fruits. We read that the priests who entered into the most holy place to serve Jehovah in the tabernacle of Moses had a bell and a pomegranate alternatively around the borders of their garments. So what did this signify? if we turn to first Corinthians chapter 13 verse one we read these words………
1 Cor 13:1 – If I speak in the tongues of men and of angels, but have not love, I am only a ringing gong or a clanging cymbal.
And so we can say that if we have the spiritual gift of tongues then without love it is just like a tingling symbol or a shallow musical instrument. The bells on the priest’s garment represented gifts of the Holy Spirit. The pomegranates on the other hand represented fruit of the Holy Spirit. As Christians God wants us to have fruit in our lives; God wants us to have the beautiful fruit of joy, peace and all the other fruits that are in the nature of the Lord Jesus Christ. God also wants us to have anointing not only inwardly but also upon us. We need the power of the Holy Spirit upon us to do the works of God; and for this we need to develop and grow in the gifts of the Holy Spirit. We need within us the fruit and the nature of our Lord and saviour Jesus Christ and we need upon us the power to serve God.
The Disciples Human Weaknesses
The disciples were a strange bunch to be chosen by the Lord and they were full of weaknesses in their lives. For instance they were jealousy ambitious. We read in the gospel of Matthew, chapter 20 – the following ……
Matt 20: 20, 21 – Then the mother of Zebedee’s sons came to Jesus with her sons and knelt down to make a request of Him. 21“What do you want?” He inquired. She answered, “Declare that in Your kingdom one of these two sons of mine may sit at Your right hand, and the other at Your left.
The two brothers James and John came with their mother to Jesus. Basically they were ‘hiding behind their mother’s skirts’ asking the Lord for promotion…
Greatness In The Kingdom Of God
This is not the way of the kingdom of God. The Lord Jesus said to the brothers…
Matthew 20: 25, 26 – Jesus called them aside and said, “You know that the rulers of the Gentiles lord it over them, and their superiors exercise authority over them. 26 It shall not be this way among you. Instead, whoever wants to become great among you must be your servant, 27and whoever wants to be first among you must be your slave—
Yes, who would be great among us in church life, must become a servant. Jesus himself lived the life as a servant. He even took a towel and wash the disciple’s feet, (John 13:x to x) But James and John and all the other disciples were ambitious and clamouring for power.
We read in Luke chapter 9 that they were arguing with each other who would be the greatest.
Mark 9: 33. 34 – Then they came to Capernaum. While Jesus was in the house, He asked them, “What were you discussing on the way?” 34But they were silent, for on the way they had been arguing about which of them was the greatest. 35Sitting down, Jesus called the Twelve and said, “If anyone wants to be first, he must be the last of all and the servant of all.
The disciples also were often weak in faith. Even though they have been walking with the lord Jesus for about 2 years. When there was a storm on the lake and they were threatened by the waves and the winds,they cried out to the Lord to save them. Our Lord Jesus rebuked them for their lack of faith ….,,
Luke 8:23 to 25 – As they sailed, He (Jesus) fell asleep, and a windstorm came down on the lake, so that the boat was being swamped, and they were in great danger. 24 The disciples went and woke Him, saying, “Master, Master, we are perishing!” Then Jesus got up and rebuked the wind and the raging waters, and they subsided, and all was calm. 25“Where is your faith?” He asked.
Also, the disciples were not men of great prayer. Jesus had continually shown them an example for the whole time that he was with them. How he would pray very early in the morning; he would find a quiet spot and be alone with God His Father in prayer. Though they had seen him faithfully pray it would appear that they were weak in their prayer life. We read that at the hour when Jesus needed hem the most to watch and pray with him they they were sleeping…..
In Matthew chapter 26 we read of Jesus Praying at Gethsemane …..
Matthew 26: 39 to 41 – Going a little farther, He fell face down and prayed, “My Father, if it is possible, let this cup pass from Me. Yet not as I will, but as You will.” 40Then Jesus returned to the disciples and found them sleeping. “ Were you not able to keep watch with Me for one hour?” He asked Peter. 41“Watch and pray so that you will not enter into temptation. For the spirit is willing, but the body is weak.”
I Will Be In You
Yes! Jesus’ disciples were people with many human failings and weaknesses. Jesus was going to change all that! in John chapter 14 verses 16 and 17 Jesus said these words to them …
John 14:16, 17 – I will ask the Father, and He will give you another Advocate to be with you forever— 17the Spirit of truth. The world cannot receive Him, because it neither sees Him nor knows Him. But you do know Him, for He abides with you and will be in you. 18I will not leave you as orphans; I will come to you.…
The One who was the beloved Lord of Glory – the One who was anointed with the Holy Spirit without measure (John 3:34) was walking by their side. He was promising them that one day soon ( after His death and resurrection) he would come to dwell within them! It’s wonderful to walk with Jesus but it’s even more wonderful when you walk with Jesus and Jesus is inside you as well. He wants to live inside us his very life. Jesus is not just our example but inside us He is our powerhouse and our Dynamo!
The glorious and magnificent day came when on the cross of Calvary Jesus shed his precious blood and became an offering for the sins of the whole world. He took upon himself the sins of the whole world. Your sins as well as mine were taken by Jesus, and now if we trust him the scripture says that he gives us his righteousness.
Not only did Jesus do this upon the cross but also he defeated Satan I LOVE the word “”spoiled in colossians 2:15, ( King James version.)
Having spoiled principalities and powers, he made a shew of them openly, triumphing over them in it ( the cross)..
The word “spoiled” in the original Greek is the verb “ apekduomai”: Phonetic Spelling: (ap-ek-doo’-om-ahee). This verb means to …
…. to completely strip off from oneself, throw off, divest, thoroughly renounce, .
Our Lord Jesus totally destroyed and desiccated the power of Satan so that we would no longer have to live with his authority over, attitudes and conduct. Not only did Jesus bear the sins of the whole world and break the power of Satan but he also took old sinful nature which is called the ‘old self’ to the cross.
Rom 6:6 – We know that our old self was crucified with him in order that the body of sin might be brought to nothing, so that we would no longer be enslaved to sin., (ESV).
On the cross Jesus took that old inclination to sin which is in every one of us and broke it’s power so that from now onwards we will no longer have to serve sin but we would be servants of righteousness.
Raised Up To Heavenly Realms
And there is MORE!. He raised us up to heavenly realms. The Book of Ephesians chapter 2 tells us ……
Eph 2:6, 7 – (God) raised us up with him (Christ) and seated us with him in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus, 7 so that in the coming ages he might show the immeasurable riches of his grace in kindness toward us in Christ Jesus, (ESV).
We become dead to the world in virtue of his death; we become alive unto God in virtue of his resurrection. On earth we are exalted to honor, peace, and hope, in virtue of his resurrection; in heaven we shall share his, glory and partake of his triumphs.”
(Barnes NOTES on the Bible)
The Life Giving Spirit
Something else amazing and wonderful happened when Jesus rose from the dead, as the second Adam in his Resurrection he became the light giving spirit.
1 Cor 15:45 – it is written: “The first man Adam became a living being;” the last Adam a life-giving spirit, (ESV).
It’s wonderful news that Jesus Christ in his Resurrection became the life-giving spirit. Let me take you to to John chapter 20. Here we read that the disciples do not know that Jesus has risen from the dead. They are terrified of the Jewish Sanheddrin that they might be arrested and suffer the same fate as their master! They were hiding away behind locked doors terrified. But Jesus appeared in their midst and show them his hands inside
John 20:19 to 21 – On the evening of that day, the first day of the week, the doors being locked where the disciples were for fear of the Jews, Jesus came and stood among them and said to them, “Peace be with you.” 20When he had said this, he showed them his hands and his side. Then the disciples were glad when they saw the Lord. 21Jesus said to them again, “Peace be with you. As the Father has sent me, even so I am sending you.”
Then he breathed into them. the light giving spirit of Jesus Christ of Nazareth reprieved into the disciples.
Something wonderful happened to them when Jesus breathed into them. The life- giving Spirit of Jesus entered them and they were completely changed!
They were changed INWARDLY at that moment. they still have to wait to receive the power of the holy spirit upon them to serve the Lord but they were changed mightily in Woodley let us look at that change. Previously I have explained that before Jesus breathed upon them they were full of the old nature of rivalry and pride. They were also fearful and lucky in faith. They were a bunch of disciples who were not really committed to prayer in a powerful way. But now they’re all that is changed. After the good Lord Jesus had commanded them to wait for the promised holy spirit to give them power to serve……..
Acts 1: 4, 5- while they were gathered together,a He ( Jesus) commanded them: “Do not leave Jerusalem, but wait for the gift the Father promised, which you have heard Me discuss. 5For John baptized with water, but in a few days you will be baptized with the Holy Spirit.
……we find that they now have the spiritual strength to stay in prayer, for 10 days earnestly praying in one accord all together United .
Acts 1: 12 to 14- Then they returned to Jerusalem from the Mount of Olives, which is near the city, a Sabbath day’s journey away.c 13When they arrived, they went to the upper room where they were staying: Peter and John, James and Andrew, Philip and Thomas, Bartholomew and Matthew, James son of Alphaeus, Simon the Zealot, and Judas son of James. 14With one accord they all continued in prayer, along with the women and Mary the mother of Jesus, and with His brothers.
Also before the Lord Jesus breathed upon them but life giving spirit Peter was a man who was always making mistakes. He was never spiritually decisive or clear concerning God’s ways and will.
But now that Jesus had breathed into him he was able to expound the scriptures from the old testament. He was able to see clearly by the Spirit of God how Jesus Judas was prophesied in the old testament. He was able to explain Judas defection and betrayal according to the scripture in..
Acts 1:15 to 17- In those days Peter stood up among the brothers (a gathering of about a hundred and twenty) and said, 16“Brothers, the Scripture had to be fulfilled which the Holy Spirit foretold through the mouth of David concerning Judas, who became a guide for those who arrested Jesus. 17He was one of our number and shared in this ministry.”……
Verse 20 – For it is written in the book of Psalms: ‘May his place be deserted let there be no one to dwell in it, and,‘May another take his position.
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