Date of message: 14 September
2003 Issue
111
Subject: The Presence of The Holy Spirit
Shalom, Boker-tov (good morning),
Praise the Lord for His mercy endures forever. It had been a hectic week
for me in Manila and just when I was feeling drained, I turned to the
Lord and He refreshed me. What a wonderful Lord we serve. It is very comforting
to know that the Holy Spirit is with us all the time and that His present
day ministry is to empower us to fulfill whatever the Father has in store
for us as His children.
We read in Genesis 8: 6 - 12 how Noah sent out the dove on three separate
days and what happened to the dove on each occasion.
6. So it came to pass, at the end of forty days, that Noah opened the
window of the ark which he had made.
7. Then he sent out a raven, which kept going to and fro until the waters
had dried up from the earth.
8. He also sent out from himself a dove, to see if the waters had receded
from the face of the ground.
9. But the dove found no resting place for the sole of her foot, and she
returned into the ark to him, for the waters were on the face of the whole
earth. So he put out his hand and took her, and drew her into the ark
to himself.
10. And he waited yet another seven days, and again he sent the dove out
from the ark.
11. Then the dove came to him in the evening, and behold, a freshly plucked
olive leaf was in her mouth; and Noah knew that the waters had receded
from the earth.
12. So he waited yet another seven days and sent out the dove, which did
not return again to him anymore.
Noah sent out the dove three times and there was a different outcome each
time. On the first occasion, the dove came back to him empty handed because
the whole earth was still covered in water. There was no vegetation and
as a result the dove, not finding a place to rest her feet, flew back
to the ark. This represented the period of time from the creation right
till the time of Abraham when God the Father sent out the Holy Spirit
and not finding "rest" for His feet, came back to God empty-handed.
Little was mentioned of the Holy Spirit during this time (estimated to
last for about two thousand years).
After seven days, Noah sent out the same dove yet again and this time,
the dove came back to the ark with a freshly plucked olive leaf in her
mouth (the olive tree in the Bible always represents the nation of Israel).
The dove did not stay out of the ark for long but came home to Noah in
the evening. God sent out His Spirit into the midst of the children of
Israel but the Spirit of God did not stay in them but returned to God
after He had established the nation.
Finally, after seven days, Noah decided to send the dove out for the third
time and this time around the dove did not return to the ark as there
were many trees with much food available for the dove. God the Father
sent forth the Holy Spirit on the Day of Pentecost two thousand years
ago to come and inhabit in the hearts of Believers and He had not gone
back to the Father as there is much for Him to do in our midst. Only at
the right time, when all His work has been accomplished, will the Holy
Spirit be brought home to God the Father.
Contrary to the dove, the raven hovered around the ark because it is a
scavenger bird and it would not fly far away in search of food. There
were plenty of dead animals and fish floating around the ark and the raven
was content to feed on these dead carcasses. The raven is liken to the
devil, always hanging around the 'dead' scrounging whatever it can devour
and fall easy prey.
The Holy Spirit is mentioned in the Old Testament as the Spirit of God
but the same Spirit is called the Spirit of Christ after Jesus ascended
into heaven and He poured out His Spirit on the Day of Pentecost as He
had promised.
The Holy Spirit only came upon the prophets and the men of God for a season
in the Old Testament times and He did not stay with them forever. He came
with the power of God and when the work was completed, the Holy Spirit
was withdrawn. But this is not the case after Pentecost after Jesus' resurrection
and ascension into heaven. The Holy Spirit has been poured out into the
hearts of Believers and He will stay in us forever. Jesus Himself promised
that the Father will give us another Helper who will abide with us forever
(John 14: 16).
God commanded Moses to take the holy anointing oil and to anoint Aaron
and his sons and to consecrate them so that they would minister to God
as priests (Exodus 30: 30). He went further to instruct Moses to tell
the people that this same holy anointing oil was not to be poured on man's
flesh; neither were they to make any other oil like it for the holy anointing
oil was to be holy to them (Exodus 30: 32).
The holy anointing oil represents the Holy Spirit. He has all the qualities
of Jesus (all the ingredients that went into making the holy anointing
oil speak intimately of the qualities of Jesus' holy nature and His life
among us) and therefore we are not to allow anything to take His central
place in our lives. Just as the holy anointing oil was not to be poured
on any flesh, likewise we are not to let the flesh (or works of self effort)
take the place of the Holy Spirit.
The Holy Spirit and our self effort cannot mix. Either we have the fruit
of the Spirit or we end up with the works of the flesh (or self effort)
dominating our lives. The choice is yours.
When we receive Christ into our hearts, Jesus pours His Spirit into our
lives and thus empowers us to become children of the Father. There is
a change of status. As children of the Most High God, we received our
provisions for daily living. God has not made us His children only to
see us poor physically; indeed, we can call upon Him and trust Him to
provide for all our needs, present and future.
If you have not received Jesus into your heart, then I would urge you
to take that first step of faith and invite Him into your heart. He is
faithful and He will definitely come and live in you. Choose Life and
put your faith in our Lord and Savior, Christ Jesus and He will make you
sons and daughters in His Family, special positions reserved only for
those whom He loves dearly (John 1:12).
One day, after all the Christians have been taken home to be with the
Lord, and should you perchance be reading this article, be assured that
Jesus loves you so much that He already demonstrated His love for you
on the cross and there will be no condemnation for you once you put your
faith in Him but you will have eternal life (Romans 8:1). The Lord cannot
lie. For Him, whatever He speaks will come to pass.
Pray this simple prayer and invite Jesus into your heart and immediately
you will experience His peace coming your way.
Our heavenly Father, thank you for sending Jesus Your only Beloved Son
into this world to die for all our sins so that we can enjoy all His blessings.
Thank you that Jesus came and He willingly took all Your punishment upon
Himself. Thank you that Jesus died so that we who received Him into our
hearts will not be condemned but we received Your eternal life.
Lord Jesus, thank you for coming into my heart and making my heart Your
home. Thank you for the witness of the Holy Spirit that I am now a child
of God the Father and as Your child, I can start enjoying all Your blessings
for my life.
Thank you because of what You had accomplished for us on the cross and
having risen from the dead for our justification, I am now eternally forgiven
of all my sin, greatly blessed among all men, a highly favored child of
God, deeply loved by the Father and completely protected in the Lord and
in the most precious name of Jesus Christ, Yeshua Ha' Mashiah, I pray
Amen.
If you have prayed this prayer for the first time, welcome to the Family
of the Father (and it is a very large universal family). It is important
that you are not alone facing your personal challenges but that you can
obtain good help wherever you are. Why not take the time to find your
own local Christian family (local church) and worship the Father together?
You will be greatly encouraged when you meet together to worship the Father,
for fellowship and for the study of the Word of Christ.
Start receiving the blessings of the Father as you walk with Him in faith.
It is your inheritance in Christ and He wants you to start enjoying these
blessings right now. You do not need to wait until you reach heaven and
there is more from where they come from.
The Lord blesses you and keeps you,
The Lord makes His face shine upon you and be gracious to you and all
your loved ones,
The Lord lifts up His countenance upon you and gives you His shalom peace.
Numbers 6: 24 -26
Have a blessed week ahead, Shavrou-tov
Shalom,
Andrew L W Lee
This and other archived messages can also be found
on the following URL
http://www.oocities.org/fibredrive/index.htm