The Spirit’s Power

 

The Spirit’s Power

What gave Jesus the power

to do the miraculous things He did? 

 

 Before the creation of the earth,

the Spirit of God hovered over the waters

that covered the earth.

What was the Spirit of God looking for?

What could He see or what did He want to see in the earth?

After God created the earth people,

they had drifted far from Him and on their hearts were evil 24/7.

Before the flood God said,

"My Spirit will not contend with man forever, for he is mortal;

his days will be a hundred and twenty years." Genesis 6:3 NIV

It is a frighting thing to think

that the Spirit of God had had it with people.

When we find Jesus in the New Testament

being baptized by John the Baptist,

a miraculous thing happens as He is praying…

The heavens opened and the Spirit came on Him

in the form of a dove. Luke 3:22

Right after that, we are told Jesus is full of the Spirit

and the Spirit leads Him into the desert.

When Jesus comes out of the desert and goes to Galilee,

we read He is in the power of the Spirit.

When He gets to Nazareth where He grew up,

He reads the scripture in Isaiah 61 where it says

“The Spirit of the Lord is upon Me” Luke 4:18

What did He mean when He said,

the Spirit of the Lord was on Him?

The scripture that He read

said it was an anointing.

Anointing was generally a pouring of oil

over the head like it says in Psalms 23:5 NIV.

You anoint my head with oil; my cup overflows.

The anointing of the Spirit on Jesus

covered Him with power.

Power to proclaim good news,

deliver people from the things that imprisoned them,

heal the eyes of the blind,

and proclaim the message of God’s favor.

Jesus’ ability to do the wonderful things

we read about came from

the power of the Spirit that was upon Him.

When we come to Jesus with our needs,

we are in a sense wanting the oil of the Spirit to rub off on us.

As He laid His hands on the sick,

the power of the Spirit healed them

and the oil was upon them.

No wonder the Elders are to anoint the sick with oil. 1 Peter 5:14

Do you need the power of the Spirit?

The Spirit of power came on Jesus when He prayed.

Scripture Reading

Genesis 1:2 NIV

2 Now the earth was formless and empty,

darkness was over the surface of the deep,

and the Spirit of God was hovering over the waters.

Genesis 6:3 NIV

3 Then the LORD said,

"My Spirit will not contend with man forever, for he is mortal;

his days will be a hundred and twenty years."

Luke 3:21-22 NIV

21 When all the people were being baptized, Jesus was baptized too.

And as he was praying, heaven was opened

22 and the Holy Spirit descended on him in bodily form like a dove.

And a voice came from heaven:

"You are my Son, whom I love; with you I am well pleased."

Luke 4:1-2 NIV

4:1 Jesus, full of the Holy Spirit,

returned from the Jordan and was led by the Spirit in the desert,

2 where for forty days he was tempted by the devil.

He ate nothing during those days,

and at the end of them he was hungry.

Luke 4:14-21 NIV

14 Jesus returned to Galilee in the power of the Spirit,

and news about him spread through the whole countryside.

15 He taught in their synagogues, and everyone praised him.

16 He went to Nazareth, where he had been brought up,

and on the Sabbath day he went into the synagogue, as was his custom.

And he stood up to read.

17 The scroll of the prophet Isaiah was handed to him.

Unrolling it, he found the place where it is written:

18 "The Spirit of the Lord is on me,

because he has anointed me to preach good news to the poor.

He has sent me to proclaim freedom for the prisoners

and recovery of sight for the blind,

to release the oppressed,

  19 to proclaim the year of the Lord's favor."   

20 Then he rolled up the scroll,

gave it back to the attendant and sat down.

The eyes of everyone in the synagogue were fastened on him,

21 and he began by saying to them,

"Today this scripture is fulfilled in your hearing."