Jesus and the Holy Spirit

 

John the Baptist's Declaration

(Matthew 3: 11)

"I am baptising you with water, for repentance, but the one who is coming after me is mightier than I. I am

not worthy to carry his sandals. He will baptise you with the holy Spirit and fire."

 

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The Healing Spirit

(Matthew 12: 22 - 37)

[T]hey brought to him a demoniac who was blind and mute. He cured the mute person so that he could

speak and see. All the crowd was astounded, and said, "Could this perhaps be the Son of David?" But

when the Pharisees heard this, they said, "This man drives out demons only by the power of Beelzebul,

the prince of demons." But He knew what they were thinking and said to them, "Every kingdom

divided against itself will be laid waste, and no town or house divided against itself will stand. And if

Satan drives out Satan, he is divided against himself; how, then, will his kingdom stand? And if I drive

out demons by Beelzebul, by whom do your own people drive them out? Therefore they will be your

judges. But if it is by the Spirit of God that I drive out demons, then the kingdom of God has come

upon you. How can anyone enter a strong man's house and steal his property, unless he first ties up the

strong man? Then he can plunder his house. Whoever is not with me is against me, and whoever does

not gather with me scatters. Therefore, I say to you, every sin and blasphemy will be forgiven people,

but blasphemy against the Spirit will not be forgiven. And whoever speaks a word against the Son of

Man will be forgiven; but whoever speaks against the holy Spirit will not be forgiven, either in this age

or in the age to come." Either declare the tree good and its fruit is good, or declare the tree rotten and its

fruit is rotten, for a tree is known by its fruit. You brood of vipers, how can you say good things when

you are evil? For from the fullness of the heart the mouth speaks. A good person brings forth good out

of a store of goodness, but an evil person brings forth evil out of a store of evil. I tell you, on the day of

judgment people will render an account for every careless word they speak. By your words you will be

acquitted, and by your words you will be condemned."

 

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The Guiding Spirit

(Matthew 10: 1 - 23)

Then He summoned his twelve disciples and gave them authority over unclean spirits to drive them out

and to cure every disease and every illness. The names of the twelve apostles are these: first, Simon

called Peter, and his brother Andrew; James, the son of Zebedee, and his brother John; Philip and

Bartholomew, Thomas and Matthew the tax collector; James, the son of Alphaeus, and Thaddeus;

Simon the Cananean, and Judas Iscariot who betrayed him. Jesus sent out these twelve after instructing

them thus, "Do not go into pagan territory or enter a Samaritan town. Go rather to the lost sheep of the

house of Israel. As you go, make this proclamation: 'The kingdom of heaven is at hand.' Cure the sick,

raise the dead, cleanse lepers, drive out demons. Without cost you have received; without cost you are

to give. Do not take gold or silver or copper for your belts; no sack for the journey, or a second tunic, or

sandals, or walking stick. The labourer deserves his keep. Whatever town or village you enter, look for a

worthy person in it, and stay there until you leave. As you enter a house, wish it peace. If the house is

worthy, let your peace come upon it; if not, let your peace return to you. Whoever will not receive you

or listen to your words - go outside that house or town and shake the dust from your feet. Amen, I say

to you, it will be more tolerable for the land of Sodom and Gomorrah on the day of judgment than for

that town. Behold, I am sending you like sheep in the midst of wolves; so be shrewd as serpents and

simple as doves. But beware of people, for they will hand you over to courts and scourge you in their

synagogues, and you will be led before governors and kings for my sake as a witness before them and

the pagans. When they hand you over, do not worry about how you are to speak or what you are to

say. You will be given at that moment what you are to say. For it will not be you who speak but the

Spirit of your Father speaking through you. Brother will hand over brother to death, and the father his

child; children will rise up against parents and have them put to death. You will be hated by all because

of my name, but whoever endures to the end will be saved. When they persecute you in one town, flee

to another. Amen, I say to you, you will not finish the towns of Israel before the Son of Man comes."

 

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Jesus' Promise of the Spirit

(John 14: 1 - 31)

"Do not let your hearts be troubled. You have faith in God; have faith also in me.

In my Father's house there are many dwelling places.

If there were not, would I have told you that I am going to prepare a place for you?

And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come back again and take you to myself, so that where I

am you also may be. Where [I] am going you know the way."

Thomas said to Him, "Master, we do not know where you are going; how can we know the way?"

Jesus said to him, "I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through

me.

If you know me, then you will also know my Father. From now on you do know him and have seen

him."

Philip said to Him, "Master, show us the Father, and that will be enough for us."

Jesus said to him, "Have I been with you for so long a time and you still do not know me, Philip?

Whoever has seen me has seen the Father. How can you say, 'Show us the Father'?

Do you not believe that I am in the Father and the Father is in me?

The words that I speak to you I do not speak on my own. The Father who dwells in me is doing His

works.

Believe me that I am in the Father and the Father is in me, or else, believe because of the works

themselves.

Amen, amen, I say to you, whoever believes in me will do the works that I do, and will do greater ones

than these,

because I am going to the Father.

And whatever you ask in my name, I will do, so that the Father may be glorified in the Son.

If you ask anything of me in my name, I will do it.

"If you love me, you will keep my commandments.

And I will ask the Father, and He will give you another Advocate to be with you always, the Spirit of

truth, which the world cannot accept, because it neither sees nor knows it.

But you know it, because it remains with you, and will be in you.

I will not leave you orphans; I will come to you.

In a little while the world will no longer see me, but you will see me, because I live and you will live.

On that day you will realize that I am in my Father and you are in me and I in you.

Whoever has my commandments and observes them is the one who loves me.

And whoever loves me will be loved by my Father, and I will love him and reveal myself to him."

Judas, not the Iscariot, said to him, "Master, [then] what happened that you will reveal yourself to us

and not to the world?"

Jesus answered and said to him, "Whoever loves me will keep my word,

and my Father will love him, and we will come to him and make our dwelling with him.

Whoever does not love me does not keep my words; yet the word you hear is not mine but that of the

Father who sent me.

"I have told you this while I am with you.

The Advocate, the holy Spirit that the Father will send in my name - He will teach you everything and

remind you of all that [I] told you.

Peace I leave with you; my peace I give to you. Not as the world gives do I give it to you.

Do not let your hearts be troubled or afraid.

You heard me tell you, 'I am going away and I will come back to you.'

If you loved me, you would rejoice that I am going to the Father; for the Father is greater than I.

And now I have told you this before it happens, so that when it happens you may believe.

I will no longer speak much with you, for the ruler of the world is coming. He has no power over me,

but the world must know that I love the Father and that I do just as the Father has commanded me.

Get up, let us go.

 

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