Understanding the Holy Spirit by Joseph F. Roberts, ThD, PhD - HTML preview

CHAPTER SEVEN

The Holy Spirit Magnifies Jesus

John 14:16-18: 16 And I will pray the Father, and he shall give you another Comforter, that he may abide with you for ever; 17

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. 18 I will not leave you comfortless: I will come to you.

In any study of the Holy Spirit, it is needful to recognize that the evidence of the Spirit’s presence in a life lies not in exalting the Spirit, men, or experiences, but in magnifying Christ. The fact that the Holy Spirit is God, and that Jesus is God will help us to understand the fact that the Holy Spirit seeks to magnify Christ and not Himself. The very purpose of the coming of the Comforter was to exalt the name of Jesus. By keeping the name and works of Jesus before the world, the Holy Spirit is fulfilling His purpose.

First, we must understand that the Holy Spirit magnifies the righteousness of Jesus. In speaking of the convicting power of the Holy Spirit, John tells the reader of the work of the Spirit in this area.

John 16:8: And when he is come, he will reprove the world of sin, and of righteousness, and of judgment.

The righteousness, with which the Spirit will use to convict or reprove the heart of man, is of course the righteousness of Jesus. The display of the sinlessness of Christ is a vital element in the preaching of the Gospel to sinful mankind.

II Corinthians 5:21: For he hath made him to be sin for us, who knew no sin; that we might be made the righteousness of God in him.

The work of the Holy Spirit is that it makes man aware of his sin and the fact that Jesus had no sin.

The righteousness of Christ is the fact that He was tempted, like all men have been tempted, but yet without sin.

Hebrews 4:15: For we have not an high priest which cannot be touched with the feeling of our infirmities; but was in all points tempted like as we are, yet without sin.

This righteousness is lifted up before man and is the element that the Spirit uses to draw men to Christ. This exalts and magnifies Jesus far above any other man 37

or any other way of salvation. The Spirit does not use His power to persuade men to come to the Spirit, but to Jesus.

We must also understand that the Holy Spirit magnifies Christ by exalting His work. The Holy Spirit tells the world of the work of Jesus and makes sure that He is given the first position. The Spirit inspired the writers of the New Testament to tell all that is needed for man to understand the Gospel. The Spirit uses the convicting power to show people the purpose of the death, burial, and resurrection of Christ.

The Holy Spirit’s work in the Gospel can be seen in the life of Christ. The Spirit came upon Mary and she conceived of the Holy Spirit. The Spirit came upon Him in the form of a dove at His baptism by John the Baptist. This was the emblem of approval from the Father on His ministry. The Spirit was with Jesus at the time of the temptation of Satan. The Spirit enabled Christ to overcome these and understand those problems that man would have with them. The Spirit aided Him in His prayers as He sought guidance in the selection of the twelve. The Spirit was with Him in the garden and upon the cross as He bore untold agony of the sin debt of the world. The Spirit was the energizing force in the resurrection of the Lord from the grave. In all these areas, the Spirit never once took anything away from the Lord, but rather always complemented the work that He was doing.

When Jesus was about to leave the earth, He told the disciples to go and wait for the power that would come from the Spirit. He knew that when the Spirit came that He would magnify Christ only.

Today, through the power of the Spirit, Christ is magnified in the Gospel. Every believer needs to beware of those who place more importance on the power of the Spirit than the Gospel of Jesus. The preaching of the Gospel is the primary function of the New Testament church. The church is empowered by the Holy Spirit and therefore should magnify the name of Jesus. Paul write in I Corinthians 2:1, 2, that he determined not to know anything about the Corinthians except

“Jesus Christ, and Him crucified.”

I Corinthians 2:1, 2: 1 And I, brethren, when I came to you, came not with excellency of speech or of wisdom, declaring unto you the testimony of God. 2 For I determined not to know any thing among you, save Jesus Christ, and him crucified.

This placing of such an importance on preaching and the magnifying of Christ is the work and effort of the Holy Spirit.

No man can call Jesus accursed and be empowered or controlled by the Holy Spirit.

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I Corinthians 12:1-3: 1 Now concerning spiritual gifts, brethren, I would not have you ignorant. 2 Ye know that ye were Gentiles, carried away unto these dumb idols, even as ye were led. 3

Wherefore I give you to understand, that no man speaking by the Spirit of God calleth Jesus accursed: and that no man can say that Jesus is the Lord, but by the Holy Ghost.

This shows us the close relationship that the Spirit holds with the Gospel and Jesus. Without the Holy Spirit to empower and magnify the Lord, then many might not know Him. For the Spirit of God uses His influence to show Christ to the world.

The Scriptures tell that there is but one Gospel. The Holy Spirit through the magnification of Christ reassures the believer that this is true. Also, the preaching of this one Gospel is all that Jesus or the Holy Spirit will bless.

Galatians 1:6-9: 6 I marvel that ye are so soon removed from him that called you into the grace of Christ unto another gospel: 7

Which is not another; but there be some that trouble you, and would pervert the gospel of Christ. 8 But though we, or an angel from heaven, preach any other gospel unto you than that which we have preached unto you, let him be accursed. 9 As we said before, so say I now again, If any man preach any other gospel unto you than that ye have received, let him be accursed.

Acts 4:12: Neither is there salvation in any other: for there is none other name under heaven given among men, whereby we must be saved.

The Holy Spirit reveals that this is the message that He will bless. This is the work of Christ that the Spirit will honor. This one Gospel and its preaching is the manner by which Christ is magnified and the only path that will lead man to Heaven.

The Holy Spirit magnifies Christ by the effect of the Gospel.

Romans 1:16: For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ: for it is the power of God unto salvation to every one that believeth; to the Jew first, and also to the Greek.

The word to notice in this passage is “power.” This word gives to the English language the word “dynamite.” The Gospel is the “dynamite” that change the heart of man. This power brings a new creation to the heart of a lost sinner. It allows the lost sinner to be indwelled by the Spirit of God. It is the power that washes away all sin and enables men to praise God. The Holy Spirit through His drawing and regeneration magnifies the power of the Gospel. The Gospel of course is the “good news” of the death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus. The 39

effect of the Gospel is to change a sin hardened heart to that of one that is willing to love and serve the Lord.

Another effect of the power of the Gospel through the Holy Spirit is that of increasing the faith and vision of God’s people. The faith that is needed to live each day comes not from within the individual, but through the understanding of the things Christ wants the believer to do. The Holy Spirit magnifies the name of Christ through the members of the Lord’s church as they meet together to praise and honor His name through worship. The church is the “habitation of God through the Spirit.” The church is to bring Him honor and glory through Jesus Christ.

Ephesians 3:21: Unto him be glory in the church by Christ Jesus throughout all ages, world without end. Amen.

The Holy Spirit’s presence in the church will allow it to magnify Christ. The greatest effect we will have will first be on the members and then on the community.

If the Holy Spirit is using the church to magnify Jesus, and the church is reaching the lost and submitting themselves to the Spirit then the effect can be tremendous. The examples of Pentecost and the persecutions of old easily show us today the power that the Spirit can have on lives when it magnifies Christ.

Neither the Spirit nor the men involved in these examples were magnified, but Jesus was.

As we today, contemplate the power of the Holy Spirit, we need to be careful of placing the honor where it belongs. The very work of the Spirit through the church is to magnify Christ and Him alone. It is needful to remind us that the purpose of the life of the believer is to honor and please our Lord. The responsibility of magnifying Jesus belongs to all through the Spirit.

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About the Author

Dr. Joseph F. Roberts has been a Baptist minister, missionary, and pastor for 56

years. He currently serves as Director of the International Missionary Baptist Ministries, a ministry of the Mayfield Drive Baptist Church in Smyrna, Tennessee.

He holds two Bachelor of Theology Degrees, a Master of Theology Degree, a Master of Divinity, a Doctor of Theology Degree, and a Doctor of Philosophy in Religion Degree.

This book is available as an eBook in the following formats: PDF/FlipPage

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