The Holy Spirit Must Draw Men to Christ

For the next few days, we will be looking at what eh Holy Spirit does.  Today we will start with his role in people being saved.  John 6:44 tells us, “No man can come to me, except the Father which hath sent me draw him: and I will raise him up at the last day.”  Literally the person cannot be saved unless God causes him to turn to Lord.  Understanding that the Holy Spirit is God, and he is the part of the trinity that works in people’, mind and attitudes, the Father draws them through the Holy Spirit’s actions. 

In John 16:7-11, Jesus said that the Holy Spirit will make people understand their need of a savior by convicting them in their heart for their sin in not accepting Christ.  “Nevertheless I tell you the truth; It is expedient for you that I go away: for if I go not away, the Comforter will not come unto you; but if I depart, I will send him unto you.   And when he is come, he will reprove the world of sin, and of righteousness, and of judgment: Of sin, because they believe not on me; Of righteousness, because I go to my Father, and ye see me no more; Of judgment, because the prince of this world is judged.”

The Holy Spirit uses the Old Testament Law, to enable people to understand what sin is and what would required to escape the penalty for sin.  As Romans 3:19-20 tells us, however the Law could never take away the sin.  í”Now we know that what things soever the law saith, it saith to them who are under the law: that every mouth may be stopped, and all the world may become guilty before God.  Therefore by the deeds of the law there shall no flesh be justified in his sight: for by the law is the knowledge of sin.”  The Holy Spirit makes us understand that without Christ we could never have our sins taken away.  Without his working we will never understand what is required completely. 

I Corinthians 2:14 tells us, “But the natural man receiveth not the things of the Spirit of God: for they are foolishness unto him: neither can he know them, because they are spiritually discerned.”   Our natural instinct is to try to save ourselves by keeping the law or some other moral standard, not understanding that we are by nature sinners.  It is the same mistake the Jews made as Paul explains in Romans 10:1-4.  “Brethren, my heart's desire and prayer to God for Israel is, that they might be saved.  For I bear them record that they have a zeal of God, but not according to knowledge.  For they being ignorant of God's righteousness, and going about to establish their own righteousness, have not submitted themselves unto the righteousness of God.  For Christ is the end of the law for righteousness to every one that believeth.”  Without the Holy Spirit to make us understand our inability to save ourselves and that Christ has made the sacrifice for us, we will find ourselves depending on our own efforts rather than what God has done.  Unfortunately, as Romans 3:19 tells us “Therefore by the deeds of the law there shall no flesh be justified in his sight:”

Unfortunately we can hinder the Holy Spirit’s working.  In I Corinthians 2:1-5, Paus wrote, “And I, brethren, when I came to you, came not with excellency of speech or of wisdom, declaring unto you the testimony of God.  For I determined not to know any thing among you, save Jesus Christ, and him crucified.  And I was with you in weakness, and in fear, and in much trembling.  And my speech and my preaching was not with enticing words of man's wisdom, but in demonstration of the Spirit and of power:  That your faith should not stand in the wisdom of men, but in the power of God.”  He was concerned that people might be distracted by eloquent sermons, carefully designed sales scripts (soul-winning plans), or psychological appeals and ignore the still small voice of the Holy Spirit.  As a result people make professions of faith based on Human logic and emotion, rather than on the Holy Spirit’s teaching. 

Many have taught that we should use those human techniques in order to get as many as possible saved, and hoping that any who didn’t really get saved will do so later.  We need to remember Jesus said,   “No man can come to me, except the Father which hath sent me draw him...”  Even worse, Hebrews 6:4-6 warns, “For it is impossible for those who were once enlightened, and have tasted of the heavenly gift, and were made partakers of the Holy Ghost, And have tasted the good word of God, and the powers of the world to come, If they shall fall away, to renew them again unto repentance; seeing they crucify to themselves the Son of God afresh, and put him to an open shame.” 

When we elicit a profession that is not the result of the Holy spirit’s working, we actually make it more likely the person will never be saved, either because he he thinks he already is, or because he is convinced that something more is required than just what Jesus already did for them.  To prevent that, we need to follow Paul’s example in our preaching and witnessing, as he describes in I Corinthians 2:13.  “Which things also we speak, not in the words which man's wisdom teacheth, but which the Holy Ghost teacheth; comparing spiritual things with spiritual.”

The Holy Spirit In The Old Testament

Many think the Holy Spirit is only a New Testament belief, yet as we look at the scriptures we find him appearing many times as the Spirit of God or the Spirit of the Lord.  We will just look at few to get an idea of the frequency. 

The first appearance of the Holy Spirit is found at creation, as described in Genesis 1:2.  “And the earth was without form, and void; and darkness was upon the face of the deep. And the Spirit of God moved upon the face of the waters.”

Pharaoh referred to Joseph as Having the Spirit of God in Genesis 41:38.  “And Pharaoh said unto his servants, Can we find such a one as this is, a man in whom the Spirit of God is?”  In this case the Spirit was expected to lead Joseph in making wise decisions. 

In Exodus 31:2-5, The Holy Spirit is credited with giving the men in charge of designing and building the Tabernacle special understandings and skills in working with the various materials.  “See, I have called by name Bezaleel the son of Uri, the son of Hur, of the tribe of Judah: And I have filled him with the spirit of God, in wisdom, and in understanding, and in knowledge, and in all manner of workmanship, To devise cunning works, to work in gold, and in silver, and in brass, And in cutting of stones, to set them, and in carving of timber, to work in all manner of workmanship.”

Deuteronomy 34:9 describes the Holy Spirit giving Joshua special leadership skills.  “And Joshua the son of Nun was full of the spirit of wisdom; for Moses had laid his hands upon him: and the children of Israel hearkened unto him, and did as the LORD commanded Moses.”

In Judges, he empowered the various judges with strategies and strength to deliver Israel from their enemies.  Some of those who are specially mentioned as having the Spirit of God include Othniel (Judges 3:9-10), Gideon (Judges 6:34), Jephthah (Judges 11:29), and Samson (Judges 15:14)

The Holy Spirit empowered Saul to defeat the Ammonites in I Samuel 11:5, and empowered David to lead Israel in 16:13-14.  “Then Samuel took the horn of oil, and anointed him in the midst of his brethren: and the spirit of the LORD came upon David from that day forward. So Samuel rose up, and went to Ramah.  But the spirit of the LORD departed from Saul, and an evil spirit from the LORD troubled him.”

The most common references to Holy Spirit in the Old Testament are when he empowered a prophet to tell what God had commanded.  These included such men as Azariah, (I Chronicles 15:2), Zechariah (II Chronicles 24:20), Isaiah (Isaiah 61:1), Ezekiel (Ezekiel 2:2), and Micah (Micah 3:8)

Various other passages refer to the Holy Spirit as we see in following.

“Thou sendest forth thy spirit, they are created: and thou renewest the face of the earth.” (Psalm 104:30)

“Turn you at my reproof: behold, I will pour out my spirit unto you, I will make known my words unto you.” (Proverbs 1:23)

“And there shall come forth a rod out of the stem of Jesse, and a Branch shall grow out of his roots: And 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; And shall make him of quick understanding in the fear of the LORD: and he shall not judge after the sight of his eyes, neither reprove after the hearing of his ears:” (Isaiah 11:1-3)

“And it shall come to pass afterward, that I will pour out my spirit upon all flesh; and your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, your old men shall dream dreams, your young men shall see visions: And also upon the servants and upon the handmaids in those days will I pour out my spirit.” (Joel 2:28-29)

From these and other references it is clear the Holy Spirit has been actively involved from the the very beginning.  

The Holy Spirit is God

Many people question the doctrine of the trinity.  I John 5:7 declares, “For there are three that bear record in heaven, the Father, the Word, and the Holy Ghost: and these three are one.”  This is the clearest statement about the trinity in the Bible, stating that the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit are a single unit, a unity.  It is the same concept he used in Genesis 2:24, when Adam said, “Therefore shall a man leave his father and his mother, and shall cleave unto his wife: and they shall be one flesh.”  Though they are separate individuals, they are physically and emotionally connected and form a single unit. 

Genesis 1:1-2 tells us, “In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth.  And the earth was without form, and void; and darkness was upon the face of the deep. And the Spirit of God moved upon the face of the waters,” making it clear that the Holy Spirit was present at creation.  Speaking of Jesus Christ, John 1:3 tells us, “All things were made by him; and without him was not any thing made that was made,” clearly indicating Jesus is God, and as Colossians 2:9 tells us, “…in him dwelleth all the fulness of the Godhead bodily.”   Various other references make similar statements. 

Genesis 1:27-27 tells us, “And God said, Let us make man in our image, after our likeness: and let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over the cattle, and over all the earth, and over every creeping thing that creepeth upon the earth.  So God created man in his own image, in the image of God created he him; male and female created he them.”  Notice that he said, “let us”, indicating there were more than one while stating he created him in his (singular) own image. supporting the statement of I John5:7 that God is a single entity composed of three different beings.

All three members of the trinity were present at the baptism of Jesus.  Luke 3:21-22 tells us, “Now when all the people were baptized, it came to pass, that Jesus also being baptized, and praying, the heaven was opened, And the Holy Ghost descended in a bodily shape like a dove upon him, and a voice came from heaven, which said, Thou art my beloved Son; in thee I am well pleased.”

There is no earthly object or concept that fully portrays the trinity although several illustrations such as the egg, which is composed of the shell, the yolk and the white give only a partial understanding of the relationship, and any effort to describe it runs into a similar limitation.  Jesus Christ is the Physical manifestation of God on earth, dealing with the world primarily on a physical level.  The Holy Spirit primarily interacts with the world on a spiritual level, affecting people’s attitudes and mental processes.   The father oversees and directs everything, making the plans and seeing they are implemented, although all three can perform any of the functions  and can exercise all God’s power when needed. 

For the purposes of our study, we need to remember that the Holy Spirit is God, and has been involved with the planning and creation of the world from the very beginning.  While he primarily works in the spiritual realm, he has access to all the power of God. 

The Proof of Salvation

The Holy Spirit plays a vital role in the Christian life.  Romans 8:9 tells us, “…Now if any man have not the Spirit of Christ, he is none of his.”  Sadly many Christians are like those Paul met at Ephesus, described in Acts 19:2.  “He said unto them, Have ye received the Holy Ghost since ye believed?

And they said unto him, We have not so much as heard whether there be any Holy Ghost” 

Although the men were baptized members of the church at Ephesus, something about them just didn’t seem quite right.  Paul asked them if they had received the Holy Spirit after being baptized.   The men replied that they knew nothing about the Holy Spirit.  They didn’t even know if he existed.   That raised another question in Paul’s mind. 

“And he said unto them, Unto what then were ye baptized?

And they said, Unto John's baptism.” (Acts 19:3)

When he asked why they had been baptized, they said it was because that was what John told them they needed to do. 

“Then said Paul, John verily baptized with the baptism of repentance, saying unto the people, that they should believe on him which should come after him, that is, on Christ Jesus.” (Acts 19:4)

Before Christ was crucified, John had preached that people should be baptized as a sign of their repentance, and that was why they had been baptized.   They had missed the other part of his teaching however.  John had also taught that they needed to believe in Jesus Christ for salvation.  The baptism itself did not save them , as we see in Mark 16:16. “He that believeth and is baptized shall be saved; but he that believeth not shall be damned.”  Numerous scriptures such as John 3:16 and Romans 10:9-10 stress that salvation is the result of faith, not of having been baptized.    Baptism is only a way of showing that faith. 

“When they heard this, they were baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus.  And when Paul had laid his hands upon them, the Holy Ghost came on them; and they spake with tongues, and prophesied.” (Acts 19:5-6)

When they believed in Christ, they were re-baptized as a demonstration of their faith in him, and received the Holy Spirit as proof of their salvation, as Ephesians 1:13-14 makes clear.  “In whom ye also trusted, after that ye heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation: in whom also after that ye believed, ye were sealed with that holy Spirit of promise,  Which is the earnest of our inheritance until the redemption of the purchased possession, unto the praise of his glory.”   Remember, Romans 8:9 says, “…Now if any man have not the Spirit of Christ, he is none of his.”

Clearly the Holy Spirit plays a vital part in the Christian life.  In the next few lessons, we will be looking at just who the Holy Spirit is and what he does in our life.  In the process, we will learn how to tell if something is from the Holy Spirit or from a lying spirit pretending to be from God.  

Jesus Appears to His Disciples

Mark 16:9-20

“Now when Jesus was risen early the first day of the week, he appeared first to Mary Magdalene, out of whom he had cast seven devils.  And she went and told them that had been with him, as they mourned and wept.  And they, when they had heard that he was alive, and had been seen of her, believed not.”(Mark 16:9-11)

When the women went into the city and told the disciples what they found, Peter and John went to the tomb and saw the empty tomb and the grave clothes.   After they went back, Mary remained at the tomb and saw the Lord, but the disciples did not believe her when she told them about it, as John 20:11-18 describes.

“After that he appeared in another form unto two of them, as they walked, and went into the country.  And they went and told it unto the residue: neither believed they them.” (Mark 16:12-13)

Later in the day, Jesus appeared to two disciples on the way to Emmaus as described in Luke 24:13-35.  The disciples still didn’t really believe it.

“Afterward he appeared unto the eleven as they sat at meat, and upbraided them with their unbelief and hardness of heart, because they believed not them which had seen him after he was risen.” (Mark 16:14)

Jesus’ appearing to the eleven that same evening  is also described in  Luke 24:36-48 and John 20:19-23.  He would spend the next forty days teaching them and preparing them for when he ascended into heaven, although only a little of his teaching during this period is recorded.    

“And he said unto them, Go ye into all the world, and preach the gospel to every creature.   He that believeth and is baptized shall be saved; but he that believeth not shall be damned.  And these signs shall follow them that believe; In my name shall they cast out devils; they shall speak with new tongues; They shall take up serpents; and if they drink any deadly thing, it shall not hurt them; they shall lay hands on the sick, and they shall recover.” (Mark 16:15-18)

It was during this period that Jesus gave the great commission to go into all the world and reach all peoples rather than just the Jews.  He made the point that faith in Christ was essential for the Gentiles to be saved, just as it was for the Jews.    Many have mistaken the word baptism here as referring to being baptized in the water rather than the spiritual baptism described in Romans 6:3-7.  “Know ye not, that so many of us as were baptized into Jesus Christ were baptized into his death?  Therefore we are buried with him by baptism into death: that like as Christ was raised up from the dead by the glory of the Father, even so we also should walk in newness of life.  For if we have been planted together in the likeness of his death, we shall be also in the likeness of his resurrection: Knowing this, that our old man is crucified with him, that the body of sin might be destroyed, that henceforth we should not serve sin.  For he that is dead is freed from sin.”   Water baptism only illustrates the spiritual baptism, and without faith, is meaningless and cannot save anyone.   God would work the same in both Jews and Gentiles, producing the same spiritual results in their lives.  In Christ, there is no difference between Jew and Gentile as Romans 10:12-13 tells us.  “For there is no difference between the Jew and the Greek: for the same Lord over all is rich unto all that call upon him.  For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved. “

“So then after the Lord had spoken unto them, he was received up into heaven, and sat on the right hand of God.  And they went forth, and preached every where, the Lord working with them, and confirming the word with signs following. Amen.” (Mark 16:19-20)

Forty days after the resurrection, Jesus ascended into heaven, as described in Acts 1.  The disciples began reaching out to the world as commanded, spreading the gospel throughout the Roman Empire.  Mark was written  about 50-53 AD, about half way through the book of Acts and by that time a large number of churches had been established.  

The Ressurection

Mark 16:1-8

“And when the sabbath was past, Mary Magdalene, and Mary the mother of James, and Salome, had bought sweet spices, that they might come and anoint him.  And very early in the morning the first day of the week, they came unto the sepulchre at the rising of the sun.  And they said among themselves, Who shall roll us away the stone from the door of the sepulchre?  And when they looked, they saw that the stone was rolled away: for it was very great.” (Mark 16:1-4)

The ladies returned to the tomb to complete the embalming process, arriving about sunrise Sunday morning.  As they came they were concerned that there would not be enough of them to roll away the stone that covered the entrance.  When they arrived, they found the stone already moved and Jesus gone from the tomb.   The soldiers had already returned to Jerusalem to tell what had happened.  The timing here is crucial because of Jesus’ statement in  Matthew 12:38-40.  “Then certain of the scribes and of the Pharisees answered, saying, Master, we would see a sign from thee.

But he answered and said unto them, An evil and adulterous generation seeketh after a sign; and there shall no sign be given to it, but the sign of the prophet Jonas: For as Jonas was three days and three nights in the whale's belly; so shall the Son of man be three days and three nights in the heart of the earth.” 

While Jesus had fulfilled hundreds of ancient prophecies, he said that the only new prophecy for that day to prove he was the messiah would be that he would be dead for three days and three nights,   Any variation from that would clearly indicate that he was not the Messiah.    If he was crucified on Friday, as tradition says, he could not be Messiah because there are not three days and three nights between Friday night and Sunday morning.  Similarly, if he was crucified Wednesday, as some have taught , he could not be Messiah because there are too many nights.  

If Jesus was crucified on Thursday as the Scriptures indicate, dying that afternoon, the prophecy is fulfilled, proving he is the Messiah.  We have the remainder of Thursday afternoon and evening, Friday, and Saturday, making our three days, and Thursday night, Friday night, and Saturday night giving us the three nights.    Like many other traditions, the tradition of the crucifixion being on Friday has cast doubt on the accuracy of the scriptures and the truth of the gospel.   

“And entering into the sepulchre, they saw a young man sitting on the right side, clothed in a long white garment; and they were affrighted.   And he saith unto them, Be not affrighted: Ye seek Jesus of Nazareth, which was crucified: he is risen; he is not here: behold the place where they laid him.  But go your way, tell his disciples and Peter that he goeth before you into Galilee: there shall ye see him, as he said unto you.  And they went out quickly, and fled from the sepulchre; for they trembled and were amazed: neither said they any thing to any man; for they were afraid.” (Mark 16:5-8)

After looking into the sepulcher, the angel directed the ladies to go and tell the disciples that Jesus was risen and would meet them in Galilee as he had promised.  It was so incredible they were afraid to tell anyone anything until Mary Magdalene told of meeting Jesus personally.    

Jesus’ Burial

Mark 15:42-47

“And now when the even was come, because it was the preparation, that is, the day before the sabbath, Joseph of Arimathaea, an honourable counsellor, which also waited for the kingdom of God, came, and went in boldly unto Pilate, and craved the body of Jesus.” (Mark 15:42-43)

Most Europeans figured the day from sunrise to sunrise, and thus the this verse has traditionally been interpreted to mean that Jesus was crucified on Friday.    The gospels are written using the Jewish tradition, and the Jews figured the day from sunset to sunset.   Under their figuring, Friday began at sundown on Thursday and went until sundown Friday.  At sundown Friday, the Sabbath began, in accordance with the command in Leviticus 23:32.  “It shall be unto you a sabbath of rest, and ye shall afflict your souls: in the ninth day of the month at even, from even unto even, shall ye celebrate your sabbath.”  At even on Friday would no longer be the day of preparation.  Clearly the crucifixion had to occur on Thursday rather than on Friday as tradition holds. 

“And Pilate marvelled if he were already dead: and calling unto him the centurion, he asked him whether he had been any while dead.  And when he knew it of the centurion, he gave the body to Joseph.” (Mark 15:44-45)

People who were crucified sometimes lived for three or four days, eventually dying of dehydration and exposure, and Roman law required that a body be buried before dark.  As a result the Jews had insisted the legs of the offenders be broken to hasten their death so that they would not have to bury the bodies on the Sabbath.  When the legs were broken people usually died within sixteen to twenty four hours.  Jesus had died within about six hours, and only about nine hours had elapsed when Joseph came to ask for the body.  Pilate had never had anyone die so quickly and questioned how long they had observed the body.  He had not expected any of the m to die until the following morning, once again indicating that the crucifixion had to be on Thursday rather than Friday.     

“And he bought fine linen, and took him down, and wrapped him in the linen, and laid him in a sepulchre which was hewn out of a rock, and rolled a stone unto the door of the sepulchre.   And Mary Magdalene and Mary the mother of Joses beheld where he was laid.” (Mark 15:46-47)

Joseph and Nicodemus performed an abbreviated embalming process in order to get Jesus’ body buried before dark, placing him in Joseph’s personal tomb because it was nearby.  The women observed where the body was placed, and the following day, obtained the necessary ingredients for a full embaloming process, according to Luke 23:56.  “And they returned, and prepared spices and ointments; and rested the sabbath day according to the commandment.”  Under Jewish law it would have been illegal for Joseph and Nicodemus to bury the body or for the women to prepare the spices for embalming after sunset on Friday.