Isaiah 11:1-3 – “A shoot will come up from the stump of Jesse; from his roots a Branch will bear fruit.

The Spirit of the Lord will rest on him; the Spirit of wisdom and of understanding, the Spirit of counsel and of power, the Spirit of knowledge and of the fear of the Lord –

– and he will delight in the fear of the Lord.”

Isaiah 11 is a prophecy about Jesus Christ, written about 700 years before he was born.  Jesus is the Shoot or the Branch who comes from the nation of Israel (the “stump of Jesse”).  Many other prophecies call Jesus “the Branch,” the “Shoot,” and the “Root” (see Psalm 80:15; Isaiah 4:2; Isaiah 53:2; Zechariah 3:8; Zechariah 6:12; Romans 11:16-18; Romans 15:12; Revelation 5:5; Revelation 22:6).  This prophecy also tells us something about the Holy Spirit, which inhabited Jesus and is inseparable from him.  God’s Spirit is sevenfold.  Of course, our mortal minds cannot fully understand or grasp this, as it transcends our mortal experience or comprehension.

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John 16:7-15 – “But I tell you the truth: It is for your good that I am going away.  Unless I go away, the Counselor will not come to you; but if I go, I will send him to you. When he comes, he will convict the world of guilt in regard to sin and righteousness and judgment: in regard to sin, because men do not believe in me; in regard to righteousness, because I am going to the Father, where you can see me no longer; and in regard to judgment, because the prince of this world now stands condemned. I have much more to say to you, more than you can now bear. But when he, the Spirit of truth, comes, he will guide you into all truth.  He will not speak on his own; he will speak only what he hears, and he will tell you what is yet to come. He will bring glory to me by taking from what is mine and making it known to you. All that belongs to the Father is mine…”

Here, Jesus explains that the outpouring of the Holy Spirit first required his ascension into heaven.  The disciples did not understand why Jesus had to go away from them.  If the Messiah had come, they thought, why could he not simply stay, and establish his kingdom?  Even if the Messiah had to die for sins and rise again, did he have to ascend into heaven afterward?  Why did Jesus not stay on earth forever after the resurrection? Jesus answers this very question: his ascension into heaven was completely necessary to complete God’s Project of Salvation.  The early church understood this.

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John 7:37-42 - On the last and greatest day of the Feast, Jesus stood and said in a loud voice, “If anyone is thirsty, let him come to me and drink. Whoever believes in me, as the Scripture has said, streams of living water will flow from within him.” By this he meant the Spirit, whom those who believed in him were later to receive. Up to that time the Spirit had not been given, since Jesus had not yet been glorified. On hearing his words, some of the people said, “Surely this man is the Prophet.” Others said, “He is the Christ.”

Still others asked, “How can the Christ come from Galilee? Does not the Scripture say that the Christ will come from David’s family and from Bethlehem, the town where David lived?“

This took place during the Feast of Tabernacles, one of the main annual religious holidays for Israel. Originally, it was supposed to be a time when the Israelites remembered the 40 years in the wilderness when they lived in tents and encamped from place to place as the Lord led them.

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John 7:37-39 - On the last and greatest day of the Feast, Jesus stood and said in a loud voice, “If anyone is thirsty, let him come to me and drink. Whoever believes in me, as the Scripture has said, streams of living water will flow from within him.” By this he meant the Spirit, whom those who believed in him were later to receive. Up to that time the Spirit had not been given, since Jesus had not yet been glorified.

The infilling of the Spirit in us is an important dimension of the “salvation” that Christ gives us. This is more than merely quenching our spiritual thirst – this is enough water for daily cleansing of our hearts and lives (purification, holiness). It is enough to bring abundant life. It is enough to overflow and provide a blessing for those around us. Each of us should become like a small fountain or spring, a source of this “living water” that flows fresh every day. John adds some comments that teach us a few other doctrinal points about the Holy Spirit:

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Esther 1:13-14 – “Since it was customary for the king to consult experts in matters of law and justice, he spoke with the wise men who understood the times and were closest to the king — Carshena, Shethar, Admatha, Tarshish, Meres, Marsena and Memucan…”

Esther 1 lists seven wise men, the closest advisors of King Ahasuerus (Xerxes).  They represent the Holy Spirit and his operation in the Body.  Scripture teaches us about “seven spirits of God” or a “seven-fold Spirit” in Isaiah 11:2 and Revelation 1:20.  The seven names correlate to the seven-fold traits of the Holy Spirit listed in Isaiah 11.  These names also have specific meanings, and these help us gain a deeper understanding of the Holy Spirit.

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Esther 3:2-5 – “All the royal officials at the king’s gate knelt down and paid honor to Haman, for the king had commanded this concerning him. But Mordecai would not kneel down or pay him honor. Then the royal officials at the king’s gate asked Mordecai, ‘Why do you disobey the king’s command?’ Day after day they spoke to him but he refused to comply. Therefore they told Haman about it to see whether Mordecai’s behavior would be tolerated, for he had told them he was a Jew. When Haman saw that Mordecai would not kneel down or pay him honor, he was enraged.”

Esther is the only book in the Bible that never mentions God. God is certainly part of the story – the main characters fast and pray, and the answers to their prayers are miraculous. Esther and her relative Mordecai were deeply spiritual, and the Persian royalty at this time were zealous Zoroastrians, who believed in one true God (similar to the Jews) rather than pagan idols. Yet the Bible manages to recount the entire story without mentioning God by name even once.  One reason for this unusual omission is that most of the story focuses on one particular character’s perspective – that of Haman, a court official.

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Esther 10:3 – “Mordecai the Jew was second in rank to King Xerxes, preeminent among the Jews, and held in high esteem by his many fellow Jews, because he worked for the good of his people and spoke up for the welfare of all the Jews…”

This is the concluding verse of the book of Esther, and it highlights one of the main points of the book: the character and actions of Mordecai. Mordecai, Ester’s legal guardian, is a prophetic symbol of the Holy Spirit. Just as Mordecai raised Esther, the Holy Spirit rears the faithful church, giving instruction, and forming her character.  The meaning of “Mordecai” in Hebrew is “pure myrrh,” used in the holy anointing oil (see Exodus 30:22-31, symbolizing anointing by the Holy Spirit).

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Abraham saved Lot three times: first, he brings him from the land of Haran to the Promised Land; second, he rescues him when he was taken captive by the kings of the North; third, he intercedes for him when Sodom is about to be destroyed.  Through these three events, we see the operation of the Trinity in our own salvation.   continue

Exodus 17:9 - Moses said to Joshua, “Choose some of our men and go out to fight the Amalekites.  Tomorrow I will stand on top of the hill with the staff of God in my hands.”

Moses once again was holding the staff of God in his hand.  This is the same staff that the Lord used to give Moses a sign when he first encountered the Lord (see Ex. 4:2-20), and that God had used in bringing plagues on Egypt (Exodus 9:23; 10:13), and for parting the Red Sea (see Exodus 14:16; 17:5).   continue

“For the word of God is living and active. Sharper than any double-edged sword, it penetrates even to dividing soul and spirit, joints and marrow; it judges the thoughts and attitudes of the heart.” - Hebrews 4:12

The Bible is the basis for all of our messages in our services and meetings.  Usually we preach on a single verse or passage, although sometimes a topical teaching (say, on angels or salvation) merits references to a number of relevant texts.  In Maranatha churches, we do not preach on other books (even popular Christian books) or have study groups to discuss “hot” publications in the contemporary culture around us.  We believe that only the Word of God can feed a person’s soul or satisfy one’s spiritual hunger.  The Holy Spirit speaks to our hearts through His Word.   continue