The Spirit Within Us

Matthew 7:28, 29

When Jesus had finished these words, the crowds were amazed at His teaching; for He was teaching them as one having authority, and not as their scribes.

Who was it that gave Jesus the authority and the words to speak?

John 12:49

“For I did not speak on My own initiative, but the Father Himself who sent Me has given Me a commandment as to what to say and what to speak.”

It was the Holy Spirit (the Shekinah dwelling within Him) which gave Jesus the authority and the words to speak.

Matthew 9:6-8

"But so that you may know that the Son of Man has authority on earth to forgive sins” — then He said to the paralytic, “Get up, pick up your bed and go home.”  And he got up and went home.  But when the crowds saw this, they were awestruck, and glorified God, who had given such authority to men.

Who was it that gave Jesus the authority to forgive sins?

John 5:30

“I can do nothing on My own initiative. As I hear, I judge; and My judgment is just, because I do not seek My own will, but the will of Him who sent Me.”

It was the Holy Spirit (the Shekinah dwelling within Him) which gave Jesus the authority to forgive sins.

Mark 4:39

And He got up and rebuked the wind and said to the sea, “Hush, be still.” And the wind died down and it became perfectly calm.

Who was it that allowed Jesus to calm the sea?

John 5:19

Therefore Jesus answered and was saying to them, “Truly, truly, I say to you, the Son can do nothing of Himself, unless it is something He sees the Father doing; for whatever the Father does, these things the Son also does in like manner.”

It was the Holy Spirit (the Ruach resting upon Him) which allowed Jesus to calm the sea.

John 11:43, 44

When He had said these things, He cried out with a loud voice, “Lazarus, come forth.” The man who had died came forth, bound hand and foot with wrappings, and his face was wrapped around with a cloth. Jesus said to them, “Unbind him, and let him go.”

Who was it that allowed Jesus to raise Lazarus from the dead?

John 10:17, 18

“For this reason the Father loves Me, because I lay down My life so that I may take it again. No one has taken it away from Me, but I lay it down on My own initiative. I have authority to lay it down, and I have authority to take it up again. This commandment I received from My Father.”

It was the Holy Spirit (the Ruach resting upon Him) which allowed Jesus to raise Lazarus from the dead.

Jesus could do nothing on His own initiative. The things which Jesus said and the things which Jesus did were accomplished by the Holy Spirit - by the Shekinah which dwelled within Him and by the Ruach which rested upon Him.

Matthew 4:1

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

Jesus was led by the Spirit. He yielded His own will to the will of the Spirit who told Him what to do and what to say.

John 14:16, 17

"I will ask the Father, and He will give you another Helper, that He may be with you forever; that is the Spirit of truth, whom the world cannot receive, because it does not see Him or know Him, but you know Him because He abides with you and will be in you.”

The same Spirit that dwells within Jesus also dwells within you and me. And we must learn to follow Jesus’ example.

John 15:5
"I am the vine, you are the branches; he who abides in Me and I in him, he bears much fruit, for apart from Me you can do nothing.”

Just as Jesus could do nothing on His own initiative we too must learn to do nothing on our own initiative. Just as Jesus was led by the Spirit you and I must learn how to be led by the Spirit. And just as Jesus yielded His will to the will of the Spirit you and I must learn to yield our will to the will of the Spirit who will tell us what to do and what to say.

John 14:12

“Truly, truly, I say to you, he who believes in Me, the works that I do, he will do also; and greater works than these he will do; because I go to the Father.”

Jesus said that you and I would be able to do even greater works than He but we will only be able to accomplish these works when we have learned to be led by the Spirit and yield our own will to the will of the Spirit.

Apart from Jesus we can do nothing.


So…

Have you learned to be led by the Spirit?

Have you yielded your will to the will of the Spirit?