The Same Spirit

This month we have the honor of celebrating, commemorating, and remembering, all that the Lord Jesus accomplished at Calvary as well as in the days that followed, in what I believe to be the most pivotal moment in human history. In reflecting on Jesus’ death, burial, and resurrection, many thoughts come to mind as I think upon Jesus’ earthly ministry from beginning to end. But, I have noticed in my own life that there is one key Person that I have put on the back burner when celebrating this holiday each year. The majority of our adoration and worship tends to be focused and fixated on Jesus every Easter, as we remember the agony of the crucifixion, the scorn He endured, the taking of our own sin upon His body on the tree, His victory over death, His resurrection, and His ascension. The spotlight we place upon the Son of God is certainly there for good reason, but I believe there is a fundamental connection with the third Person of the Trinity that our God intertwined into this work that Christ accomplished for us that can change the way we view and live in this world.

Looking to the very beginning of Jesus’ earthly ministry, we read in Paul’s letter to the Galatian church, that in the fullness of time, God the Father sent His Son to dwell with sinful human kind, being born unto the Virgin Mary, to redeem us from the law that He Himself was born into, that we might receive the adoption into the family of God as sons and daughters. (Gal. 4:4-7) In this passage we continue to read that for those of us who have received this adoption, He has sent forth the Holy Spirit, HIS Spirit, into our hearts, and attests to us that we are His. This changes everything for us in this fallen world ravaged by sin and deal with the effects of fallen humanity. The work of the Holy Spirit in our lives is something that is often quite misunderstood. It is not a mysterious or mystical feeling in the sense of being given over to something solely based on emotion and feeling, nor is it a deluxe form of living when we have the Spirit of God working and leading us in our lives; but a life that is simply devoted to following where He leads, walking closely with Him on a daily basis, learning how to greater discern His voice over the voices and noise of the world. He is a Person, and He is God Himself! He displays the very same heart, mind, compassion, omnipotence, justice, holiness, and love that God the Father and Jesus all share in being One. So, when we look at what has been revealed to us in the Word of God, we see that the death that Jesus died to sin once for all, as well as the life He lives now, the Spirit affirms; declaring in our hearts as sons and daughters that that resurrected life He obtained, He shares with us through His Spirit. In Romans 6:10-11 we read, “For the death that He died, He died to sin once for all; but the life that He lives, He lives to God. Likewise you also, reckon yourselves to be dead indeed to sin, but alive to God in Christ Jesus our Lord.” We are now to cease from sin, making the daily decision that it is indeed dead in our lives, and to live a life in the Spirit, alive to God in Christ. Jesus and His Spirit are alive today, and His church inherits the victory not only over sin, but also over death itself.

One of the greatest verses in all of the Bible regarding Jesus’ resurrection and victory over death, comes from Acts 2:24, “whom God raised up, having loosed the pains of death, because it was not possible that He should be held by it.” It was impossible for our Lord to be held by the sting and power that death held. He triumphed over it and we give Him all of the praise and honor for accomplishing what He did, especially in the fact that He took the place we rightfully deserved. But how gracious our God is; not only did He take our place, He gifted us the same Spirit who raised Jesus from the grave. Romans 8:11 says, “But if the Spirit of Him who raised Jesus from the dead dwells in you, He who raised Christ from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies through His Spirit who dwells in you.” We have the Spirit of the living God residing within us, breathing His life into our souls. What a promise! When we place this fact up against the daily fears, ailments, and trials we face, they cannot win out. There is an empowering that His Spirit provides that we could never in our finite flesh even attempt to exude, and it is our’s when we humble ourselves before Him and ask of His strength and power to live this life for and to Him, in the fullness He can provide. This same Spirit will also rest upon Jesus Christ in the fulfillment of His Kingdom here on earth. Isaiah 11:1-2 wonderfully describes this to us, “There shall come forth a Rod from the stem of Jesse, and a Branch shall grow out of his roots. The Spirit of the Lord shall rest upon Him, the Spirit of wisdom and understanding, the Spirit of counsel and might, the Spirit of knowledge and of the fear of the Lord.“ It will be indescribable to see the Son of God face to face as well as the Holy Spirit communing and resting upon Him in the Kingdom that is to come.

Part of what we do in worship services corporately as a body is commend and praise God for all that He has done, especially on Resurrection Sunday. This is when we remember Jesus’ greatest work for us, as we should! But one thing I think it is crucial to also do in those times is thank the Holy Spirit. Thanking Him for the life that He has granted us this side of eternity, and for the new life that we will inherit as coheirs with Christ in the age to come. May the Lord help us to live in light of this reality and truth, that the Spirit who raised Jesus from the grave is more alive than ever in us. He is risen indeed, and we are alive because of Him.

Same Power by Jeremy Camp

The same power that rose Jesus from the grave

The same power that commands the dead to wake

Lives in us, lives in us

The same power that moves mountains when He speaks

The same power that can calm a raging sea

Lives in us, lives in us

by Mark Anderson

April 2023