Jesus Filled with the Holy Spirit

Jesus was not only full of the Holy Spirit (characterized by the Spirit’s holy qualities because of countless hours spent in His presence and depending upon Him), he was also filled with the Spirit on several occasions (given boosts of power to do amazing things for proclaiming the kingdom).

In Matthew 12:24-28, Jesus addressed the issue of whose power was at work in the miracles he performed:

But when the Pharisees heard this, they said, “It is only by Beelzebub, the prince of demons, that this fellow drives out demons.” Jesus knew their thoughts and said to them, “Every kingdom divided against itself will be ruined, and every city or household divided against itself will not stand. If Satan drives out Satan, he is divided against himself. How then can his kingdom stand? And if I drive out demons by Beelzebub, by whom do your people drive them out? So then, they will be your judges. But if I drive out demons by the Spirit of God, then the kingdom of God has come upon you.

Jesus was driving out demons by the Spirit of God.  He was not using his own deity.  He willingly gave up that right and bowed to the Father’s discretion as to if or when he would utilize his own divine nature (Philippians 2:5-8).

His experience of the Spirit empowering him began in earnest after his baptism and temptation in the wilderness.  Luke tells us that he “returned to Galilee in the power of the Spirit” (Luke 4:14).  In a synagogue in Nazareth he announced, “The Spirit of the Lord is on me” (Luke 4:18).

Once, when Jesus was on his way to help a sick little girl, a woman in the crowd who had been ill for years touched his garment and was healed.  Jesus stopped to see what had happened because he “realized that power had gone out from him” (Mark 5:30).  This power was supplied by the Holy Spirit.

We too can be filled with the Spirit the way Jesus was.  This is why he said, “I tell you the truth, anyone who has faith in me will do what I have been doing. He will do even greater things than these, because I am going to the Father” (John 14:12).

When you read the book of Acts you see the apostles and others filled on several occasions by the Spirit to do powerful things and say powerful words, in order to see the gospel proclaimed.  This same Holy Spirit wants to fill us for ministry.  But He always does it at his sovereign discretion.  Nevertheless, we must always depend on Him for all that we do and expect Him to demonstrate His workmanship in and through us.

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