Part 6- The Power of the Holy Spirit in the OT Age

P.M. Sermon

Spring Hill, TN

2/18/07 p.m.

Series: “Discovering the Holy Spirit” (Pt. 6)

Text: Various texts

Summary: In PART 6, we discover the second of two main categories of the Holy Spirit’s work: giving power (as seen in the Old Testament age). (a helpful resource from which I gained considerable insight in this sermon was Jack Cottrell’s book The Faith Once for All on pages 290-292).

“The Power of the Holy Spirit in the Old Testament Age”

Introduction:

A. The Work of the Spirit

1. In the previous lesson we began investigating the work of the Holy Spirit as explained in the pages of Scripture.

2. In a survey of the Holy Spirit it becomes clear that there are two main categories of the Spirit’s work (1) he gives us knowledge (2) and he gives us power.

3. We discovered in the last lesson that the Holy Spirit gave knowledge to the prophets and apostles (inspired men) who wrote the Bible.

4. We affirmed that the Holy Spirit gift of knowledge to Christians today is found only in the words of the Spirit found in the Bible and that the Spirit does not directly communicate messages to men today outside of what has already been given.

5. That this is indeed the fact will be more clearly demonstrated in the next lessons as we see the second main category of the Holy Spirit’s work.

B. The Spirit Gives Power

1. In this lesson, we are going to explore how the Spirit gives us power.

2. To say that the Holy Spirit gives power is to say that the Spirit equips individuals with abilities that enable them to meet the needs of the group (empowers them for service).

3. It also means that the Spirit enters the heart and lives of believers giving them the power to fight the power of sin in their lives (sanctification) (more on this in the next lesson).

4. In this lesson we will explore the background of the Spirit’s work as found in His work of providing power to individuals in the Old Testament age.

5. In addition this survey of the Holy Spirit work in the Old Testament will include the prophetic predictions in how the Spirit’s work would dramatically change at the ushering in of the new covenant age.

I. THE HOLY SPIRIT’S WORK IN THE OLD TESTAMENT AGE

A. The Spirit’s Power in Creation

1. The Holy Spirit (along with God the Father, and God the Word—Jn. 1:3), was directly involved in the initial creation of the Universe.

2. The power of the Holy Spirit was utilized in the initial creation of the world (Gen. 1:2) in the creation of mankind (Gen. 1:26), in God’s providential control of world affairs (Gen. 6:3), and especially in the history of the nation of Israel (Nehemiah 9:20, 30).

B. The Spirit’s Gifts of Power in Israel

1. In the history of Israel, the Holy Spirit gave various abilities to individuals that they might perform special tasks and ministries for the welfare of the entire nation of Israel (Cottrell 290).

2. First, the most clear ability the Spirit gave was that of prophecy in sending messages from God to various prophets from Moses to Malachi. Some that did not believe, like Balaam, were at times empowered with the Holy Spirit (Num. 24:11).

3. Second, the Holy Spirit equipped some men to be great leaders in Israel: Moses (Num. 11:17); Joshua (Num. 27:18), Saul (1 Sam. 10:1-13), and David (1 Sam. 16:13).

4. Third, the Holy Spirit equipped the judges to lead the people of Israel: Gideon (Judges 6:34) and Samson (Judges 13:25) are but two examples.

5. Forth, the Holy Spirit provided large numbers of Israelites with gifts of craftsmanship in the construction of the tabernacle after God’s precise instructions (Ex. 31:2-6; 35:30-35; 36:1-2).

6. When the Holy Spirit provided power to the seventy elders of Israel (Num. 11:16-30), the surprised reaction of the people indicates to us that prophecy was an abnormal event worth reporting.

7. It is noteworthy that this miraculous prophecy was only temporary with the seventy; it was simply an outward manifestation that provided evidence of the Spirit’s equipping gifts within these men (a similar event occurs in Acts 2).

8. Even in the Mosaic age, God did not ordinarily speak directly to the hearts average individuals, but only to those who had been given the gift of prophecy. These prophets would then communicate God’s message to the masses [this is an important concept that will come into play in our discussion of miraculous gifts of the Spirit in the New Testament age].

C. The Spirit’s Moral Power NOT Given in OT Age

1. Did the Holy Spirit provide moral, or spiritual, power to the individual Israelites during the Old Testament?

2. It appears that He did not. The saving and sanctifying work of the Holy Spirit it seems does not come into effect until the time of the New Covenant.

3. In the OT age, the Holy Spirit seems to have been an external influence upon Israel equipping them with certain abilities and gifts.

4. But there seems to have been no indwelling presence of the Holy Spirit, per say in the OT age, this was something prophesied to come later.

5. In Israel, only certain individuals were given the gifts of the Spirit—gifts that were given to equip for service not to help sanctify the individual inwardly.

II. PREDICTIONS OF THE SPIRIT’S NEW TESTAMENT WORK

A. Dynamic Power of a New Era

1. God’s dealings with mankind underwent a dramatic change with the close of the Old Covenant era and the ushering in of the New Covenant era.

2. Clearly, the arrival of the Jesus the Messiah was a turning point in salvation history. No doubt, the birth of the Savior was a world changing event celebrated with angelic song (Luke 2:7-14).

3. However, another dynamic event would occur that would be a turning point of the new era—that being the coming of the Holy Spirit. This unprecedented event would mark the birth of the church and would be marked by the visible presence of the Holy Spirit (Acts 2:2-4).

B. Predictions of the New Era

1. The Old Testament had predicted the coming of the Messiah, but it too had predicted the coming of the Holy Spirit:

§ Isaiah 44:3—“For I will pour out water on the thirsty land and streams on the dry ground; I will pour out My Spirit on your offspring and my blessing on your descendants.”

§ Ezekiel 36:27—“I will put My Spirit within you and cause you to walk in my statues, and you will be careful to observe My ordinances.”

§ Perhaps most important is a prophecy that Peter quotes in Acts 2:16-21 as being fulfilled on Pentecost: Joel 2:28-32—“It will come about after this that I will pour out My Spirit on all mankind; and your sons and daughters will prophesy, your old men will dream dreams, your young men will see visions. Even on the male and female servants I will pour out My Spirit on those days” (vs. 28-29).

2. Several points become clear from these prophesies as to how the role of the Spirit would be different under the new age as opposed to the Old Testament age:

(1) In some manner the Holy Spirit would be a universal gift given to all of God’s people under the new age and not just to a few.

(2) The giving of the Spirit’s presence would be marked by some visible manifestations of the Spirit such as prophesy and visions.

(3) The passage in Ezekiel seems to indicate that the Spirit would be an inward gift that would help empower God’s people for holy living.

(4) The giving of the Spirit in the new age is spoken of in terms of “pouring” in what appears to be an imagery of water.

C. The Water-Imagery of the Holy Spirit

1. This water imagery of the Holy Spirit’s arrival is continued in the gospel records.

2. John the Baptizer points to the work of the Messiah as offering a “baptism in the Spirit” (Matt. 3:11).

3. In addition, Jesus promised to provide “living water” for thirsty people to drink (read John 7:37-39).

4. This text is clear that the Holy Spirit would only be poured out after Jesus’ ascension; i.e. Pentecost (Acts 2:32-36).

5. At Pentecost Joel’s prophesy would come true and the Holy Spirit would be poured out upon all of God’s people; and this grand event would be marked by a miraculous outpouring of the Spirit’s visible gifts.

Conclusion:

A. In this lesson we have explored the Holy Spirit’s power as seen in the Old Testament age and the predictions made there of the Spirit’s new area of work under the New Covenant.

B. In the next lessons we will explore the presence of the Holy Spirit in the Christian age and how his power was given in various measures.

C. As we will see in the next lessons, we must come to understand the difference between the power of miraculous outpouring of the Holy Spirit given to the apostles and prophets and the power of the Spirit’s abiding presence in the Christian’s life even today.