Holy Spirit

Verse

Jesus responded, "Then why does David, speaking under the inspiration of the Spirit, call the Messiah 'my Lord'? For David said, 'The LORD said to my Lord, sit in the place of honor at my right hand until I humble your enemies beneath your feet.'"

— Matthew 22:43-44 nlt

Thought

We often forget the claims of Scripture that the prophetic message contained in it are from God. Yet the most frequent reference to the Holy Spirit has to do with the inspiration of the Scriptures (2...

 

Verse

"So I tell you, every sin and blasphemy can be forgiven — except blasphemy against the Holy Spirit, which will never be forgiven. Anyone who speaks against the Son of Man can be forgiven, but anyone who speaks against the Holy Spirit will never be forgiven, either in this world or in the world to come."

— Matthew12:31-32 nlt

Thought

The Lord states that while rejecting him is sad but forgivable, attributing his power to Satan is blasphemy! If Satan could have stopped Jesus...

 

Verse

"But if I am casting out demons by the Spirit of God, then the Kingdom of God has arrived among you."

— Matthew 12:28 nlt

Thought

Jesus' miracles forced everyone in his day, and in our own, to make a very clear decision. Either Jesus accomplished what he did by the power of Satan or by the power of God's Spirit. Broken people were healed with results that were beyond dispute. So there was no middle ground. He is Son of God or charlatan. He is Spirit-empowered or Satan's...

 

Verse

"Here is my servant whom I have chosen, the one I love, in whom I delight; I will put my Spirit on him, and he will proclaim justice to the nations."

— Matthew 12:18 tniv

Thought

Jesus is quoting Isaiah 42 in a time of rising conflict. Yet he refuses to stop ministering under intense scrutiny and fierce opposition. Instead, he takes his closest followers and teaches them his will and shares his healing grace with those who are in need. With God's approval and the power of the...

 

Verse

Then Jesus was led by the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted by the devil.

— Matthew 4:1 tniv

Thought

We oftentimes pass over this verse and remember how it was said in the other Gospels. Notice carefully, Jesus was led INTO the wilderness TO BE tempted by the devil. Jesus' temptations were no accident. Clearly, the evil one wanted to derail Jesus' ministry before it began. But just as Jesus was crucified by evil people, it was also the plan of God (Acts 2:23). Jesus is...

 

Verse

The moment Jesus came up out of the baptismal waters, the skies opened up and he saw God's Spirit — it looked like a dove — descending and landing on him. And along with the Spirit, a voice: “This is my Son, chosen and marked by my love, delight of my life.”

— Matthew 3:16-17 msg

Thought

This is a moment of incredible holiness and transcendence. The Father looks down and delights in the Son as the Spirit descends from the Father in heaven to earth to rest on and in the Son...

 

Verse

"I baptize with water those who repent of their sins and turn to God. But someone is coming soon who is greater than I am — so much greater that I'm not worthy even to be his slave and carry his sandals. He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and with fire."

— Matthew 3:11 nlt

Thought

There are two sides to the baptism equation: (1) what happens on the outside based on the intention of the one being baptized, and (2) what Jesus does through the Holy Spirit. While our...

 

Verse

Joseph, chagrined but noble, determined to take care of things quietly so Mary would not be disgraced. While he was trying to figure a way out, he had a dream. God's angel spoke in the dream: "Joseph, son of David, don't hesitate to get married. Mary's pregnancy is Spirit-conceived. God's Holy Spirit has made her pregnant."

— Matthew 1:19-20 msg

Thought

Joseph was not only concerned about his own righteousness, he was also concerned about Mary's reputation and future. In his...

 

Verse

This is how Jesus the Messiah was born. His mother, Mary, was engaged to be married to Joseph. But before the marriage took place, while she was still a virgin, she became pregnant through the power of the Holy Spirit.

— Matthew 1:18 nlt

Thought

While we try to describe how the Spirit of God works in our lives, a deep sense of mystery, wonder, and awe remains. How could God love us so much as to be present inside us through his Holy Spirit? This is an inexplicable miracle of...

 

Verse

May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in him, so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit.

— Romans 15:13 tniv

Thought

We live in the overflow of God's grace. David said it well in Psalm 23, "My cup overflows." Because of the Spirit's presence, our hope overflows! In addition to goodness, peace, and joy (Rom. 14:17), the presence of the Holy Spirit brings deep, abiding, and personal hope! But let's not get so focused on the...