God introduces us to Elohim—the Father, Son and the Holy Spirit in the first verse of the Bible—“In the beginning God(Elohim) created the heavens and the earth.” (Genesis 1:1) God the Father has the Plan, God the Son carries out the Plan by the power of the Holy Spirit! There are many today who want to leave out the Old Testament writings, but they are a part of the entire story—truth that God wants to unfold to us. He is the same yesterday, today and forever. Both the Old and New Testaments are a progressive revelation of God’s plan of redemption for heaven and earth. When we see the name LORD in all capitals in the Old Testament, it is the pre-incarnate Christ and also in the reference to the Angel of the LORD. The work of the Holy Spirit is also revealed throughout the writings. Salvation during the Old Testament is the same as in the New Testament—by grace as they followed the Lamb pointing to the Cross and as we look back upon the Cross and the Lamb slain before the foundation of the world!
God wants us to be susurrated in His Word because it is powerful and alive. Today, I want us to do a Bible study on the Holy Spirit leading up to Pentecost. I pray that you will take time to look up these scriptures that your faith will be strengthen at such a time as this. I am sure there are many more but ponder upon these:
The Holy Spirit was at work in creation. Gen. 1:1-2, 3:22
The Spirit strove with man. Gen. 6:3
The Spirit came upon men to render power in specific service. Judges 6: 34; Ezek. 1: 28-2:2
The Spirit interpreted dreams. Gen. 41: 16, 38
The Spirit raised up judges. Judges 3: 10
The Spirit was instrumental in battle. Judges 6: 34; 11: 29; 13: 24-25
The Spirit empowered people with physical strength. Judges 14:6
The Spirit moved men from place to place. I Kings 18: 12, 46
The Spirit made known God’s will through visions and dreams. Ezekiel 11: 24-25
The Spirit was God’s instrument inspiring Gentiles and Jews to be prophets of God. Num. 23:16, 24:2, 2 Pet. 1: 21; 2 Tim. 3: 16-17
God instructed and testified by His Spirit. Neh. 9: 20, 30
God taught through His Spirit. Ps. 143: 10
The Spirit gathered the nations for judgment. Isa. 34: 16
The Spirit brought destruction upon nations. Isa. 59: 19
The Spirit caused a beast to rest. Isa. 63: 14
The Spirit was instrumental in the restoration of Israel. Ezekiel 36: 27-28
The Spirit was instrumental in rebuilding the temple. Zech. 4: 1-7
Now, let’s move to the New Testament to see some of the work of the Holy Spirit before Pentecost.
In Luke 1 we have the account of God’s overshadowing Mary by His Spirit to conceive His Son called Jesus. Luke 1: 26-33
Zacharias was filled with the Holy Ghost and prophesied about John the Baptist going before the Lord. Luke 1: 67-80
The Holy Spirit revealed to Simeon about the birth of Jesus. Luke 2: 25-35
The Holy Spirit ascended upon Jesus at His baptism in the form of a dove. Luke 3: 22
Jesus was led by the Spirit into the wilderness and was tempted of the devil. (Note that it was by the power of the word and Spirit that the devil was defeated.) Luke 4: 1-13
Jesus began His public ministry empowered by the Spirit: “And Jesus returned in the power of the Spirit into Galilee; and there went out a fame of Him through all the region round about.” Luke 4: 14
It was always by the power of the Holy Spirit that He ministered after prayer and being obedient to the words of the Father. He was sitting the standard for His followers. On several occasions Jesus rebuked His disciples for having little faith but He knew that they needed power from on high to accomplish the Father’s plan. Jesus promised them the indwelling of His Holy Spirit in John 14: 16-17: “And I will pray the Father, and he shall give you another Comforter, that he may abide with you forever; Even the Spirit of truth; whom the world cannot receive, because it seeth him not, neither knoweth him; but ye know him for he dwelleth with you and shall be in you.” If we study the disciples before and after Pentecost, there was a big difference. Before Pentecost, they were in a race. They were always wanting to be ahead of one another. They were saying “we want the chief seats.” Rancor and discord were everywhere. Peter reacted in the flesh and cut off the soldier’s ear, he denied Christ three times and fled in fear when Jesus was arrested. Thomas refused to believe that Jesus was risen until he put his hands in His side. But after Pentecost, they were not in a race; they were not in denial and unbelief; they were on a pilgrimage empowered by the Holy Spirit!
As we approach the Jewish festival of Shavuot otherwise known as the day of Pentecost, we’re reminded of how God endued those in the Upper Room with power from on high! They waited—and waited—and waited, for the promised coming of the Holy Spirit. They didn’t go forth proclaiming the Gospel UNTIL they were filled with power from on high. As they were in prayer in the upper room, God was revealing different sins in their lives that He wanted them to deal with, so that He could fill them to overflowing. The Lord did not want these saints just to continue to wait for the Second Coming but to be about the Father’s business—declaring the Good News about Jesus. Let’s spend time between now and Pentecost making sure all the obstructions are cleared out of our lives so that we can be the Spirit-filled saints God has called us to be in these last days! There’s so much work to be done—but let’s be sure we’re doing the work, fully endued with the power from on high!