“Then the LORD God
formed the man of dust from the ground and breathed into his nostrils the
breath of life, and the man became a living creature.” (Genesis 2:7 ESV)
“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.’ When he had
said this, he showed them his hands and his side. Then the disciples were glad
when they saw the Lord. Jesus said to them again, ‘Peace be with you. As the
Father has sent me, even so I am sending you.’ And when he had said this, he
breathed on them and said to them, ‘Receive the Holy Spirit.’” (John 20:19-22
ESV)
On Resurrection
Sunday Jesus made this fourth appearance to His disciples, the first appearance
to them as a group. Only ten were gathered, Thomas was not present.
The
resurrected body of Jesus possessed certain characteristics. The four Gospels
reveal He consumed food, was able to transport Himself behind locked doors, had
visible and material wounds, and had a body consisting of flesh and bone
although no longer subject to decay.
When He
appeared in the room He did not censure the disciples for pass failures. He
could have made several accusations. They all fled during His arrest and Peter
denied Him throughout the night. The marvel was that these were the kinds of
people He entrusted to be world-changers. Instead of condemning He breathed on
them.
Breathing
is the act of living. They experienced the indwelling nature of the Holy Spirit,
gaining fulfillment to what Jesus promised earlier. “Let not your hearts be
troubled. Believe in God; believe also in me. In my Father's house are many
rooms. If it were not so, would I have told you that I go to prepare a place
for you? And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and will
take you to myself, that where I am you may be also…. And I will ask the
Father, and he will give you another Helper, to be with you forever, even the
Spirit of truth, whom the world cannot receive, because it neither sees him nor
knows him. You know him, for he dwells with you and will be in you. I will not
leave you as orphans; I will come to you.” (John 14:1-3, 16-18 ESV)
Jesus
promised “another” Helper, meaning of the
same kind as Him. He promised
another “Helper,” meaning Adviser, Advocate. He promised the Holy Spirit
would be “with you forever,” meaning stay,
remain, continue.
The Holy
Spirit is referred to as the “Spirit of truth.” He brings light, illumination,
revelation and the reality of Jesus to bear upon the human heart, experiential
knowledge. A vital relationship would occur with the Lord through the Helper.
Three
prepositions were used when revealing the Spirit’s relationship to believers,
giving explanation for the human heart not being troubled but filled have
peace.
The Spirit
would abide with the believer as a
companion through every experience. (v.16) The Spirit would abide with the believer as a defender in spiritual
conflicts. (v.17) The Spirit would be in
the believer as a means of divine power. (v.17)
As a result
followers of Jesus would not be orphans, not left in a defenseless condition. There
is no fear of being alone, as fatherless. Believers are not left without a
protector.
The mission of the
Spirit of truth
The Spirit
of truth teaches “all things.” (John 14:26)
The Spirit
of truth reminds you of “everything Jesus said.” (John 14:26)
The Spirit
of truth testifies “about Jesus” (John 15:26)
The Spirit
of truth guides “into all truth.” (John 16:13)
The Spirit
of truth tells “what is to come” (John 16:13)
Therefore,
the Holy Spirit directs your
decisions, counsels you
continually and remains with you forever.
Jesus is still
breathing on His followers
The breath
of life is the indwelling of the Holy Spirit. The prophet Ezekiel speaks about
the breath.
Ezekiel 36
gives the reason: “…I am going to do these
things, but for the sake of my holy name, which you have profaned among
the nations where you have gone. 23I
will show the holiness of my great name, which has been profaned among
the nations, the name you have profaned among them. Then the nations will know
that I am the LORD, declares the Sovereign LORD, when I show myself holy
through you before their eyes…. 26I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit in you; I
will remove from you your heart of stone and give you a heart of flesh. 27And I will put my Spirit in you and move you to
follow my decrees and be careful to keep my laws…. 32I want you to
know that I am not doing this for your sake, declares the Sovereign
LORD. Be ashamed and disgraced for your conduct…! (Ezekiel
36:22,23,26,27,32).
Ezekiel 37
reveals the experience: “1The hand
of the LORD was upon me, and he brought me out by the Spirit of the LORD
and set me in the middle of a valley; it was full of bones. 2He led me back and forth among them, and I saw a great many
bones on the floor of the valley, bones that were very dry. 3He asked me, “Son of man, can these bones live?” I said, “O Sovereign LORD, you alone
know.” 4Then he said to me, “Prophesy to these bones and say to
them, ‘Dry bones, hear the word of the LORD! 5This is what the Sovereign LORD says to these bones: I
will make breath enter you, and you will come to life. 6I will attach tendons to you and make flesh come upon you
and cover you with skin; I will put breath in you, and you will come to
life. Then you will know that I am the LORD.’” 7So
I prophesied as I was commanded. And as I was prophesying, there was a noise, a
rattling sound, and the bones came together, bone to bone. 8I looked, and tendons and flesh appeared on them and skin
covered them, but there was no breath in them.
9Then he said to me,
“Prophesy to the breath; prophesy, son of man, and say to it, ‘This is what the
Sovereign LORD says: Come from the four winds, O breath, and breathe into these
slain, that they may live.’” 10So I
prophesied as he commanded me, and breath entered them; they came to life
and stood up on their feet—a vast army…. 14I will put my Spirit in you and you will live…, declares the LORD.’” (Ezekiel 37:1-10, 14)
The
experience is for the sake of His holy name. The purpose is God being glorified
throughout the whole earth. His people are finally able to reveal God
truthfully and accurately. His visible and invisible attributes as well as His
natural and supernatural capacity can be witnessed in His people.
The
experience brings His people to life. They possess eternal vitality, experience
everlasting victory, and have timeless vigor.
The
experience makes His people a mighty force, a vast army. His warriors are adequately
equipped for battle. They demonstrate a supernatural commitment to His cause
and are equipped for spiritual conflict.
The
experience restores hope. Instead of losing heart on account of the deadness in
the world, His followers have hope of eternal life. Expectancy replaces a sense
of despair.
The
experience makes possible a relationship with God. The finger of God touches
and His breathe fills.
New Status and New Life
With faith
in God you have status. Status is an important element of society. How
anyone views themselves is linked to social
status. Titles, awards, possessions, friendships are important to achieving
status. The normal tendency is to be a status
seeker, becoming closely aligned with status symbols.
God offers
you status – spiritual more than social, godly rather than worldly.
His status is far more significant and satisfying, building true worth. You are
given the title child of God – loved,
adopted and accepted by the Heavenly Father.
What
greater status can be achieved? What more is needed? Jesus, your Savior,
declares you are no longer an orphan.
Yet a relationship
with God is more than receiving new
status. It involves a new life.
A
separation between new status and new life does not exist. You
cannot be accepted by God
without becoming alive to God.
The mission of Jesus is not separate from the mission of the Holy Spirit. Through Jesus a person has a right
standing with God, new status. Through the Spirit a person
experiences radical change in character and conduct, new life.
The indwelling
of the Holy Spirit is the distinguishing mark of a child of God. A follower of
Jesus not only receives a meaningful relationship with God, but receives the transforming
power of God. You are adopted through the Son and the Spirit breaths
transforming life in you. With new
status comes new life,
bringing a new creation. “Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation;
the old has gone, the new has come!” (2 Corinthians 5:17)
Suppose
someone came to you in dire need. They are down and out, in rags and tatters,
wounded and ill, starving and undernourished. A bath, a change of clothes and a
wholesome meal is not enough. An
inward change is also needed so the outward condition no longer continues; a
change in attitude and ambitions.
You have
come to God down and out, in the rags and tatters of sin, spiritually wounded
and eternally malnourished. Your sins are washed away and you are clothed with
His righteousness, new status. Yet the healing grace of Calvary must also treat
the wounded heart. The Spirit of truth must transform the outlook and change the
direction, new life.
No dissection
People
usually analyze by dividing ideas into understandable components. When
analyzing a relationship with God theologians use terms such as justification,
regeneration, sanctification, and glorification. They break down the divine
association for the sake of study. Yet salvation is holistic.
A
relationship with God is a packaged deal. You cannot have new status
without new life. You cannot live approved by God by living in a way
that excludes Him. He breathed in you the breath of life for His name sake. The
God profaned by your former life no
longer suffers reproach on account of your new
life. With the status child of God, He breathes in you the
Holy Spirit so you can live like His child.
My oldest
son was involved in high school sports, participating in football, basketball, track
and field, and cross country. He earned a high school letterman jacket.
Each year different
insignias were awarded for placement on the coat. Freshmen year participation
provided the year-of-graduation numbers. Sophomore year involvement gave a
small school letter. Junior varsity gave a medium size school letter. And
varsity gave a large school letter. Pins representing the sport and the years
played were also given for clipping on the appropriate emblem. The back of the
jacket listed every sport the athlete participated in. By the senior year the
coat was impressive. Joseph’s coat of many colors was in tough competition for
the “Most Likely to Amaze Others” award.
Our
youngest son was also a very good athlete. He briefly played basketball but
shined and excelled as a high school volleyball player. He too earned the appropriate
insignias for his participation in his field of endeavor.
Our
youngest son during his sophomore year wanted to wear his older brother’s senior
letterman jacket. As he was about the leave the house I stopped him and vetoed
my oldest son’s permission. I told him he could wear any of his jackets except
that one. The coat indicated status. The youngest son had not participated
in the same sports to warrant the status. For him to wear that jacket
would be hypocritical.
Some claiming
to follow Jesus declare status without living the life and His
name ends up profaned. He breathed the means to live His life. The Holy Spirit
is with you and in you. You are in a relationship with God and in
that relationship you have been brought to life. He gave the power to live for
Him so just do it, sports fans.
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