Daily Devotional
Word of the Day
The Spirit Without Measure
Pastor Scott
Wednesday, January 26, 2005
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"For he whom God hath sent speaketh the words of God: for God giveth not the Spirit by measure unto him."
(John 3:34)
What does the Holy Spirit do? He gives us power to witness. We can understand who the Holy Spirit is and what He intends to do in our lives when we look at the prototype--Jesus. When I say "prototype," don't misunderstand. He was unique and distinct. He was the God-man, but He was at the same time very God and fully man. So we cannot put off what He did because He was God, for He was tempted in all ways such as we are and yet without sin, the Scripture says (Heb. 4:15). The Bible makes it very clear that He was man, subject to temptation (Heb. 2:18). As He ministered, He did not minister with the innate attributes of God, but relied upon the working of the Holy Spirit in His life.
We can't comprehend that. We would say, "If You are God, how can You not be God? If You are God, how can You set those attributes apart and trust the Holy Spirit to work in You? I don't understand that." That's because you are not God. He was able to fulfill this role as God-man because of His uniqueness--His absolute, incomprehensible infinitude. There is nothing impossible to Him.
With that in mind, when Jesus fulfilled His role as Savior as the last Adam, listen to what the Holy Spirit says. When Jesus was baptized, the Bible says that John the Baptist beheld the Spirit descending and coming upon Him like a dove (John 1:32). The Spirit came upon Him without measure, the Scripture says (John 3:34), and continued upon Him. That is interesting, because in the Old Testament the Holy Spirit would come upon people temporarily, empower them, and then leave. Case in point: Samson. Samson was not always capable of ripping gates off cities and carrying them away. Samson was not always capable of just walking up, grabbing your local lion, and ripping him apart. He was empowered by God to do that; he wasn't on steroids. What gave him that supernatural power was the Holy Spirit, and then the Holy Spirit would ascend. The Holy Spirit for the first time came upon a Man without measure--Jesus. Subsequent to that, He tabernacles in us--His church. That is a mind blower!
Listen to what the Holy Spirit came to do. Ezekiel says that He came to cause us to walk in His statutes (36:27). One of the main terms for the Holy Spirit is the Spirit of truth. Everybody is stumbling around in darkness and trying to find answers today, and we have them. We have all of the answers to life's dilemmas. They indwells us in the Person of Jesus and in the empowering of the Holy Spirit. Those of you who are not content, what are you looking for when you have everything? What is it you're looking for when He has given us all things that pertain to life and godliness? If there is discontentment in you, that is not the Holy Spirit trying to lead you somewhere; that is the flesh trying to dominate you. The man who's alive in the Spirit is absolutely content and knows that he has everything he needs that pertains to life and godliness. There is nothing else to seek. He has it all, praise God, and he's at rest. Are you there or do you need something else to make you fulfilled?