John Gunter: Hello, friends, and welcome back to the Eagle Community Church of Christ podcast. My name is John Guenter. You're listening to another sermon in our series on the holy spirit. And this week, we transition from the old testament, kind of finishing up with the prophet Joel. And then we go over into the New Testament and we read about how the Holy Spirit was active in, the early life of Jesus even before Jesus' birth, even with John the Baptist.
And so this week, we began that Old Testament or Old Testament into New Testament, and I think we're gonna have a lot of fun in the coming weeks seeing how the Holy Spirit was active throughout the ministry of Jesus and what that means for us. So thanks again for listening. Hope this is helpful. We'll see you soon. Good morning.
Good Thank you all for being here. What a great day to worship God together in the cool air. I looked at made the mistake of looking at the weather forecast last night. Don't do that. Just assume it's going be 75 and sunny.
I want to again thank so many people who helped set up. I can't name them all, but I always remember about Saturday afternoon that we've got to do this, and so I text Paul and say, wait. Are you gonna have all of this stuff for us? If he ever says no, I don't know what we'll do. We may have to bring books.
That would feel like manual labor at this point. Right? Been so long since we've we've had to use them, but Paul and Chase setting these up. Luke, I know he got he got drug into it. All the work that Tammy does each and every week putting this beautiful bulletin together.
Believe me, if your preacher had to do that, it would look very, very plain. You ladies would not be happy with with what I did. So thank you for for everyone who gets involved and and helps us out here. Today, again, we we continue and with our our study of the Holy Spirit. I want to start really with just a little bit of a recap from last week.
We we talked about these, really, these four major points. As we talked about the Israelites in this time period, we talked about how there was an expectation of an outpouring of the spirit. We talked about how their situation, as they looked around, did not feel like they were free. They had come home from captivity, but yet they were kind of captives in their own land now. And so as they looked around, they said, okay.
Well, God's got to do something big here. And so they expected a great outpouring of the spirit of God. We also talked about how what that looked like was everything was going to be set right. That there was this expectation of and we named three different kind of orders. We talked about creation.
That creation would be set right that that moral order would be set right in the way that God's character would would go throughout the earth. And finally, we talked about social order where if God's character is all over the earth, what we see there is peace and justice. And all these things would be set right. We also talked about Ezekiel. And Ezekiel talked about really a a large restoration, a grand restoration of Israel.
And you remember the the key that we talked about there was that god said that I will I will remove your heart of stone and give you this heart of flesh that you've turned away from me, but God even has the power and ability to remove that heart of stone and to give you a heart of flesh to be able to experience him and and follow him better. And we talked about how there were two things there that Israelites would experience, a new heart and a new mind. You would have to think differently and you will have to feel differently as this goes on. And number four, we talked about the interesting, if nothing else, Ezekiel and the dry bones. Prophesying to even the dry bones, but but what we see in this is that even with dry bones, God through the Holy Spirit has the power to accomplish anything.
Do you think Ezekiel seeing these dry bones come to life for the last time that god brought somebody from the dead? So in what Ezekiel saw was not only something that that that to him saw the power of God, but also kind of gave him a vision of what was to come. That God even was going to raise from the dead. And lest we think that's all in the past, that promise is also to us, is it not? That the very spirit of God that raised Jesus from the dead is now living in you and in me.
One of the most maybe important, passages about the holy spirit in the old testament is from Joel chapter two and we're gonna start reading in verse 28. He says, and afterward, I will pour out my spirit on all people. Your sons and daughters will prophesy. Your old men will dream dreams. Your young men will see visions.
Even on my servants, both men and women, I will pour out my spirit in those days. I will show wonders in the heavens and on the earth, blood and fire and billows of smoke. The sun will be turned to darkness and the moon to blood before the coming of the great and dreadful day of the Lord. And everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved. For on Mount Zion and in Jerusalem, there will be be deliverance.
As the Lord has said even among the survivors whom the Lord calls. Is that a familiar passage to you? We are Church of Christ folks, and Acts two is very familiar to us, isn't it? We talk about repentance and baptism. But at the moment that Peter and all the disciples stood up before the crowd, Peter looks around and he says, all these tongues you're hearing, these people aren't drunk.
Remember, they thought the the people were drunk. Unless you heard it in your own language, then you didn't think they were drunk. But he stood up and he said, no. They're not drunk. This is the spirit working.
And then he quotes Joel and says, this is what you are seeing right here. Joel is in the midst of this part of his his book. Joel is in the midst of a great turmoil. There's this idea that there's this great plague of locusts, and and sometimes that is kinda metaphorical like there's an invasion of some sort. But most scholars think it's probably like this kind of plague of locusts.
It was it's a it's a lot going on there. But part of Joel's back and is that god is saying, okay, I'm bringing this on you. I am bringing on this on you to to help you learn a lesson and to turn into all the things we just read. That God's grace and mercy will be poured out on you, but again, you have to turn back to him. And again, they're expecting God to do something great.
What good is it to expect god to do something great if you're not open to receiving that? Right? As we've talked about the holy spirit week after week after week and we've talked about how the holy spirit is there to to guide us and to lead our lives. What good is it knowing that you are indwelled with the Holy Spirit if we decide to just go on doing whatever we wanna do and not to submit to his will? And that's the key there.
So for the remainder of this morning, I wanna talk about really the the beginning of the New Testament. I promise you, we were getting to the New Testament this summer. And and so we come into the New Testament again understanding this expectation the Israelites had. Are you with me? Hey.
They expected God to to show up and show out. They didn't know exactly what that would look like. They knew for their situation to get better, God was gonna have to do something big. Now, they they talked about the anointed one at at points, but they didn't know exactly what that looked like. And so for the remainder of this morning, this is what we're gonna talk about as we look at the Holy Spirit.
And we're gonna go through the book of Luke to do so. From Luke chapter one verse 26. In the sixth month of Elizabeth's pregnancy man, I I have skipped one somewhere. One got out of out of out of my slide or something. This begins with even before this, right before this in verse 15.
We talk about or the scriptures tell us about John the Baptist. About how John the Baptist would be filled with the Holy Spirit even from birth. Isn't that interesting? We think about the power of the holy spirit. Now, through our study, maybe you're thinking about it differently.
I hope you are. But even John the Baptist would be filled with the holy spirit through birth because he was commissioned, remember that word, commissioned to do a job for God. Now, what was that job? Leading the way for the Messiah. Right?
And that's where we get into here in verse 26. In the sixth month of Elizabeth's pregnancy, God sent an angel Gabriel to Nazareth. Remember, Stick Town. A town in Galilee to a virgin pledged to be married to a man named Joseph, a descendant of David. The virgin's name was Mary.
The angel went to her and said, greetings. You are you who are highly favored. The Lord is with you. And Mary sprinted away from that as fast as she could. Can you imagine?
I mean, we have read it so many times, it just kinda rolls off the tongue. But if that happened to you today, what's your response? Do you even tell your husband? Like, he's gonna think I'm he's leaving, if I tell him that. Right?
And at least at least it gives us this. Mary was greatly troubled at his words and wondered what kind of greeting this might be, to say the least. Right? But the angel said to her, do not be afraid, Mary. You have found favor with God.
You will conceive and give birth to a son. You are to call him Jesus. He will be great and will be called the son of the most high. The Lord God will give him the throne of his father David, and he will reign over Jacob's descendants forever. His kingdom will never end.
Do you hear the fulfillment of the expectation of what God is gonna do? What they're hearing what Mary's hearing at this point is, okay. This is what God has planned. Okay? How will this be, Mary asked the angel, since I am a virgin?
The angel answered, the holy spirit will come on you and the power of the most high will overshadow you. So the holy one to be born will be called the son of God. Even Elizabeth, your relative, is going to have a child in her old age, and she who was said to be unable to conceive is in her sixth month. Again, proof that God is able. Understanding that Mary, being the young lady she was, probably had a lot of questions.
And what the angel says is go look go talk to Elizabeth. He said, for no word from God will ever fail. I am the Lord's servant, Mary answered. May your word to be to me be fulfilled. Then the angel left her.
And Mary did exactly kind of what the angel alluded to there, see your see Elizabeth. And that is exactly what we read right after this is that Mary goes to see Elizabeth. So at the time, Mary got ready and hurried to a town in the hill country of Judea where she entered Zechariah's home and greeted Elizabeth. When Elizabeth heard Mary's greeting, the baby leaped in her womb and Elizabeth was filled with the Holy Spirit. Isn't that interesting?
That that John inside Elizabeth was was said to be filled with the Holy Spirit. And and as soon as Mary greets Elizabeth, not only does John respond, but the spirit of God overwhelms Elizabeth, and Elizabeth is filled with the Holy Spirit. In a loud voice, she exclaimed, blessed are you among women and blessed is the child I don't know why I'm saying blessed. Blessed are you among women and blessed is the child you will bear. You hear, again, as we've studied what the spirit of God does when someone prophesied, he is speaking the words of God.
You see, these things are true, are they not? Blessed are you among women and blessed is the child you bear. But why am I so favored that the mother of my Lord should come to me? As soon as the sound of your greeting reached my ears, the baby in my womb leaped for joy. Blessed is she who has believed that the Lord would fulfill his promises to her.
Blessed is your faith that God can do exactly what he says he's going to do. But in Jesus, we don't know a lot about Jesus' early life. We get the birth part and that's where we're what we're gonna talk about this morning. But you see the Holy Spirit's role. The Holy Spirit is alive and active and working in all these situations.
Right? That God's will is getting carried out in ways that maybe we're not even comfortable with. If somebody came and told you any of this stuff this morning, you'd say, okay. Whatever. Right?
But that's the way God chose to work. And we see this on through the birth narrative in Luke one starting in verse 57. When it was time for Elizabeth to have her baby, she gave birth to a son. Her neighbors and relatives heard that the Lord had shown her great mercy and they shared her joy. On the day, they came to circumcise the child, and they were going to name him after his father, Zechariah.
Now what's wrong with Zechariah at this time? Do you remember? Couldn't speak. And so I don't know what kind of party is is happening on the day where everybody's coming and deciding to name your child. You thought about that culturally?
Number one, I'm not comfortable not having my kid named before the day, by the way. I don't know what they called him before that. Any any ideas, you can write me a shoot me an email. We'll we'll see. But on the day, they come circumcised the child, and they were going to name him after his father, Zechariah.
Who they are, I don't know. But his mother spoke up and said, no. He is to be called John. And what a wonderful name that is. They said to her, there is no one among your relatives who has that name.
Are you crazy? What what the audacity for someone to tell me what I'm supposed to name my kid. Nobody has that name. Nobody has that name in in your relatives. Then they made signs to his father to find out what he would like to name the child.
And that's interesting as well. Making signs. What do think that looked like with Zechariah? Yeah. I I don't know.
Thumbs up? Thumbs down? No. But he asked for a writing tablet, and everyone's astonished astonishment, he wrote, his name is John. Immediately, his mouth was opened and his tongue set free, and he began to speak praising God.
All the neighbors were filled with awe, and throughout the hill country of Judea, people were talking about all these things. Everyone who heard this wondered about it asking, what then is this child going to be for the Lord's hand was was with him. His father, Zechariah, was filled with the Holy Spirit and prophesied. So So God is about to speak here. Praise be to the Lord, the God of Israel because he has come to his people and redeemed them.
He has raised up a horn of salvation for us in the house of his servant David, as he said through his holy prophets of long ago. Salvation from our enemies and from the hand of all who hate us to show mercy to our ancestors and to remember his holy covenant. The oath he swore to our father Abraham to rescue us from the hand of our enemies and to enable us to serve him without fear in holiness and righteousness before him all our days. And you, my child, will be called a prophet of the most high. Even Zechariah through the Holy Spirit said, this is John is not the Messiah.
Remember that confusion? He is not the Messiah. You will be a prophet of the most high for you will go on before the Lord to prepare a way for him. To give his people the knowledge of salvation through the forgiveness of their sins because of the tender mercy of God by which the rising sun will come to us from heaven to shine on those living in darkness and in the shadow of death to guide our feet into the path of peace. And the child grew and became strong in spirit.
He lived in the wilderness until he appeared publicly to Israel. John the Baptist's road is now set. In our Wednesday night class, we got to talk a little bit about John the Baptist and all the people that he was bringing to to be baptized. And the way that he talked to them was interesting, prophetic, that he was he was out preaching with a boldness. How many of you, if you heard that a man was out in the wilderness wearing camel's hair and eating locusts, would think, I've gotta go see that guy.
I need to be right with God. Right? But something about John, I think the Holy Spirit is the answer, but there was something about John that drew people in to at least hear what he had to say. And so John again is set to go before Jesus, the Messiah. When Jesus is taking to Jerusalem, we see a couple of different instances here.
It says, now there was a man in Luke two twenty five. Now there was a man in Jerusalem called Simeon who was righteous and devout. He was waiting for the consolation of Israel, and the Holy Spirit was on him. A very devout Jew waiting at the temple and the Holy Spirit was on him. I know this this may challenge our when does the Holy Spirit come on people?
I think the answer is whenever God wants. Whenever God wants to to to make something happen, the Holy Spirit was on Simeon in this moment. It had been revealed to him by the Holy Spirit that he would not die before he had seen the Lord's Messiah. So this is a man who is so in tune with God and what he has to say that it had been revealed to him what was about to happen here. Moved by the spirit you see, holy spirit, holy spirit, holy spirit.
Moved by the spirit, he went into the temple courts. Now when I read this, I don't think God is is micromanaging Simeon's life. I think this, like every time else, the Holy Spirit is somehow revealing to Simeon what to do, and Simeon has a choice whether or not to follow God's leading. I think Simeon, as as Luke kinda lays it out, was very devout, and he would do whatever God wants. And so he went to the temple courts, moved by the spirit.
When the parents brought in the child Jesus to do for him what the custom of the law required, Simeon took him in his arms and praised God saying, sovereign Lord, as you have promised, you may now dismiss your servant in peace. For my eyes have seen your salvation which you have prepared in the sight of all nations, a light for revelation to the Gentiles. Why is that important? We got a we got a house full of of Jewish people this morning. But the expectation again was for Israel, but also they expected that the nations would be brought into this, that God would bless.
Remember the promise to Abraham, all nations. A light for revelation to the Gentiles and the glory of your people Israel. The child's father and mother marveled at what was said about him. Then Simeon blessed them and said to them said to Mary, his mother, this child is destined to cause the falling and rising of many in Israel. Did that happen, church?
Did it happen, church? Yes. Simeon knew this beforehand. This child is gonna cause falling and rising. People are gonna accept.
People are gonna reject. Right? And that's what they they saw. And to be a sign that will be spoken against saying he's not who he said he was. So that so that the thoughts of many hearts will be revealed and a sword will pierce your own soul too.
Did that happen? A little preview of what was to come with Jesus and Mary. But that doesn't end. The temple episode does not end with Zechariah. The next verse introduces us to a prophet, a prophetess named Anna.
It says, the daughter of Penuel of the tribe of Asher. She was very old. I'm not going to tell you how old she was because if you're around that age, don't you be offended. She was very old. She had lived with her husband.
Oh no, it's going to tell us. Seven years after her marriage and then was a widow until she was 84. She never left the temple but worshiped night and day fasting and praying. Luke wants you to know that this is a very devout woman. A woman in tune with God.
Because if she is called a prophet, even though the scriptures don't tell us she is full of the Holy Spirit, we know prophets are full of the Holy Spirit. Right? It says, coming up to them at that very moment, she gave thanks to God and spoke about the child to all who were looking forward to the redemption of Jerusalem. That expectation. Right?
When Joseph and Mary had done everything required by the law of the Lord, they returned to Galilee to their own town of Nazareth. And the child grew and became strong. He was filled with wisdom and the grace of God was on him. And so really after this, the only thing we get is this little visit to the temple when Jesus is 12 or so. And right before Jesus' ministry kicks off, we have this episode in Luke chapter three verse 15.
The people were waiting expectantly and were all wondering in their hearts if John might possibly be the Messiah. Remember this man in the wilderness. This crazy looking guy eating bugs. Are you the Messiah? What would his dad say?
No. John was there to pave the way and John answered them all. He said, I baptize you with water, but one who is more powerful than I will come. The straps of whose sandals I am unworthy to untie, he will baptize you with what? Holy Spirit.
Holy Spirit and with fire. The idea that you get the the gift of the Holy Spirit and this purification by fire. Paul will say there is a a new man. You have cast off all these other things. He will baptize you with Holy Spirit and with fire.
His winnowing fork is in his hand to clear his threshing floor and to gather the wheat into his barn, but he will burn up the chaff with unquenchable fire. Now, to some that might have seemed as a warning, but remember their expectation. They expected God to do exactly this. And so, to them, this was a good message. And notice how it says, and with many other words, John exhorted the people and proclaimed what?
The good This is good news that that God is going to burn the chaff. Right? The good news to them. And we end today with this from Jesus baptized baptism. When all the people were being baptized, Jesus was baptized too.
And as he was praying, heaven was opened and the what? Holy spirit descended on him in bodily form like a dove. And a voice came from heaven, you are my son whom I love. With you, I am well pleased. Now Jesus himself was about 30 years old when he began his ministry.
He was the son, so it was thought of Joseph, the son of Helene. And in a way, I guess he was, but he was also the son of God. So as we have traced, God's spirit has been with his people all through time. Right? God has worked when God has wanted to work, how God has wanted to work through his people, through his prophets, through creation, through the anointing of kings.
And right now, what we are seeing is kind of all of that in one. Everything is is is coming to a head as as Jesus now stands on Earth. That the Holy Spirit has come down on him at his baptism and commissioned him. Now we know Jesus' ministry begins. And again, what we see in Jesus' baptism is what we experience in our own.
That in our own baptism, we are promised again in Acts two, you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit to go and do all the things that God wants you to do. I think that could bring about some fear and anxiety in us. But what I hope it does and I hope what we learn to do is to to take this with a just with a a a feeling of of courage that God has given me his spirit to go do these things, to live the life I wanna live. God goes with me every step of the way. That brings me courage because I I need it.
Any of you ever feel like I'm just out here alone? You can feel that. Right? And I think what that is every single time is Satan trying to pull at us. Satan trying to to to show us an image that really isn't there, trying to tell us you're alone and you can't do this.
And God has said, I have given you my spirit. And now as we have studied so much, we understand what the spirit has done all along and what the spirit can do in all of our lives. So next week we talk about how the holy spirit impacts Jesus ministry in the way that he lived, in the way that he he worked, in the way that he even did miracles. God's spirit was alive and active and I believe he is today. How about you?
So this morning, I just wanna encourage you if you haven't begun that walk with him, now's the time. Receive the gift of the holy spirit and live a new life. Live one connected to all these people here. I draw strength from all of you every single week, single Sunday, every single Wednesday to be able to come in and, when I'm fighting the fears of being alone, I feel that to walk in and say, man, so glad to see you all. So if you haven't begun that walk with him, we'd love to see you put on Christ at baptism.
We'd also love to pray with you if you if you need any prayers or, anything at this time. Would you come as we sing?