Truth

Baby Leaped

Why? Hand out blank sheet of paper. Answer at end.

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Reading

Luke 1:39-45 39And Mary arose in those days, and went into the hill country with haste, into a city of Juda;

40And entered into the house of Zacharias, and saluted Elisabeth.

41And it came to pass, that, when Elisabeth heard the salutation of Mary, the babe leaped in her womb; and Elisabeth was filled with the Holy Ghost:

42And she spake out with a loud voice, and said, Blessed art thou among women, and blessed is the fruit of thy womb.

43And whence is this to me, that the mother of my Lord should come to me?

44For, lo, as soon as the voice of thy salutation sounded in mine ears, the babe leaped in my womb for joy.

45And blessed is she that believed: for there shall be a performance of those things which were told her from the Lord.

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Two Covenants Collide

As Ligon Duncan has so well said,

In the old covenant the Messiah is prophesied.

Every old covenant prophet essentially has this message: God will send His Son into this world to bear the penalty for the forgiving of your sin.

Every old covenant prophet ultimately had that message, and John was going to be the very last prophet who would ever speak that message.

And here in Elizabeth’s house, the last prophet of the old covenant with that message will meet the one about whom that message had been given, the Messiah.

And so the old covenant and the new covenant meet in Elizabeth’s house.—L. Duncan

I Silence and Old Testament Promise

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Reading

The 7 dispensations of the Bible

‘A Biblical Age is a long period of time which begins and ends with God’s supernatural and dramatic intervention on earth, impacting the whole world in a major and far-reaching way, which completely changes the course of the history of the world. However, the Seventh Eternal Age differs in that it begins but it has no end. It is the Age without end.’

1.The Dispensation of Innocence
This dispensation covers the time from the creation of man to the fall of man (Genesis 1:28-30and2:15-17).

2.The Dispensation of Conscience
The expulsion from the garden began the dispensation of conscience—a time when man was left to rule himself by his own will and conscience, both of which had been tainted by sin.

3.The Dispensation of Human Government
The dispensation of human government began just after the flood.

4.The Dispensation of Promise
The dispensation of human government lasted until the call of Abraham.

5.The Dispensation of Law
The dispensation of law lasted almost 1,500 years, beginning with the Exodus and ending with the crucifixion and resurrection of Jesus Christ.

6.The Dispensation of Grace
The dispensation of grace started at the resurrection of Jesus Christ and continues today.

7.The Millennial Kingdom of Christ
The Millennial Kingdom begins with the defeat of Satan (Revelation 20:1-3) and ushers in 1,000 years of peace, where Christ will reign on the earth (Revelation 20:4).

***********400 years of silence of the word. Malicai was the last prophet.******

2 Peter 1:21 “For the prophecy came not in old time by the will of man: but holy men of God spake as they were moved by the Holy Ghost.”

1Cor.2 1-5 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.
3 And I was with you in weakness, and in fear, and in much trembling.
4 And my speech and my preaching was not with enticing words of man’s wisdom, but in demonstration of the Spirit and of power:
5 That your faith should not stand in the wisdom of men, but in the power of God.

II God’s Spirit

Isaiah 42:1-9 1“Behold! My Servant whom I uphold,
My Elect One in whom My soul delights!
I have put My Spirit upon Him;
He will bring forth justice to the Gentiles.
2 He will not cry out, nor raise His voice,
Nor cause His voice to be heard in the street.
3 A bruised reed He will not break,
And smoking flax He will not quench;
He will bring forth justice for truth.
4 He will not fail nor be discouraged,
Till He has established justice in the earth;
And the coastlands shall wait for His law.”

5 Thus says God the Lord,
Who created the heavens and stretched them out,
Who spread forth the earth and that which comes from it,
Who gives breath to the people on it,
And spirit to those who walk on it:
6 “I, the Lord, have called You in righteousness,
And will hold Your hand;
I will keep You and give You as a covenant to the people,
As a light to the Gentiles,
7 To open blind eyes,
To bring out prisoners from the prison,
Those who sit in darkness from the prison house.
8 I am the Lord, that is My name;
And My glory I will not give to another,
Nor My praise to carved images.
9 Behold, the former things have come to pass,
And new things I declare;
Before they spring forth I tell you of them.”

The Spirit came upon certain judges, warriors, and prophets in a way that gave them extraordinary power: for example,

Joshua (Num. 27:18) 18And the Lord said to Moses: “Take Joshua the son of Nun with you, a manin whomisthe Spirit, and lay your hand on him;

Othniel (Judg. 3:10) 10The Spirit of theLordcame upon him, and he judged Israel. He went out to war, and the Lord delivered Cushan-Rishathaim king of Mesopotamia into his hand; and his hand prevailed over Cushan-Rishathaim.

Gideon (Judg 6:34) 34But the Spirit of the Lord came upon Gideon; then he blew the trumpet, and the Abiezrites gathered behind him.

Samson (Judg 13:25; 14:6) 25And the Spirit of theLordbegan to move upon him at Mahaneh Danbetween Zorah andEshtaol.

Saul (1 Sam. 10:9, 10) 9 So it was, when he had turned his back to go from Samuel, that God gave him another heart; and all those signs came to pass that day.

10 When they came there to the hill, there wasa group of prophets to meet him; then the Spirit of God came upon him, and he prophesied among them.

However, the Spirit later departed from Saul because of his disobedience:

(1 Sam 16:14). 14But the Spirit of theLord departed from Saul, and a distressing spirit from the Lord troubled him.

The Spirit inspired holiness in Old Testament believers

(Ps. 143:10).

10Teach me to do Your will,
For You are my God;
Your Spirit is good.
Lead me in the land of uprightness.

And Scripture promised that someday God would put His Spirit in His people in a way that would cause them to live according to His statutes

(Ezek. 36:27). 27I will put My Spirit within you and cause you to walk in My statutes, and you will keep My judgments and do them.

There are those who believe the Holy Spirit did not work in the same manner during the Old Testament age as He does today.

Although it has been the same Holy Spirit all along, His methods have changed from age to age.

They contend that the indwelling of the Holy Spirit in the Old Testament was not universal to every believer, but was available only to certain believers.

There is no promise in the Old Testament to the believer that he will be indwelt with the Holy Spirit.

And the Lord said to Moses:(Numbers 17:18) “Take Joshua the son of Nun with you, a man in whom is the Spirit, lay your hand on him” .

The reason this view-that only certain individuals were indwelt with the Holy Spirit – is held is based upon an understanding of a statement made by Jesus:

(John 14:17) Even the Spirit of truth, whom the world cannot receive, because it neither sees Him nor knows Him; but you know Him, for He dwells with you and will be in you.

He could leave an individual after He had indwelt them. The life of Saul serves as an example:

(1 Samuel 10:10)When they came to there to the hill, there was a group of prophets to meet him; then the Spirit of God came upon him, and he prophesied among them .

But the Spirit of the Lord departed from Saul, a distressing Spirit from the Lord troubled him (1 Samuel 16:14).

III Being Filled With His Spirit

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God’s Spirit being poured out

Isaiah 44:3
‘For I will pour out water on the thirsty land
And streams on the dry ground;
I will pour out My Spirit on your offspring
And My blessing on your descendants;

Joel 2:28-29
“It will come about after this
That I will pour out My Spirit on all mankind;
And your sons and daughters will prophesy,
Your old men will dream dreams,
Your young men will see visions.
“Even on the male and female servants
I will pour out My Spirit in those days.

Zechariah 12:10
“I will pour out on the house of David and on the inhabitants of Jerusalem, the Spirit of grace and of supplication, so that they will look on Me whom they have pierced; and they will mourn for Him, as one mourns for an only son, and they will weep bitterly over Him like the bitter weeping over a firstborn.

Matthew 3:11
“As for me, I baptize you with water for repentance, but He who is coming after me is mightier than I, and I am not fit to remove His sandals; He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and fire.

Matthew 3:16
After being baptized, Jesus came up immediately from the water; and behold, the heavens were opened, and he saw the Spirit of God descending as a dove and lighting on Him,

Mark 1:8
I baptized you with water; but He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit.”

Luke 3:16
John answered and said to them all, “As for me, I baptize you with water; but One is coming who is mightier than I, and I am not fit to untie the thong of His sandals; He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and fire.

Luke 3:22
and the Holy Spirit descended upon Him in bodily form like a dove, and a voice came out of heaven, “You are My beloved Son, in You I am well-pleased.”

Luke 24:49
And behold, I am sending forth the promise of My Father upon you; but you are to stay in the city until you are clothed with power from on high.”

John 1:32-33
John testified saying, “I have seen the Spirit descending as a dove out of heaven, and He remained upon Him. I did not recognize Him, but He who sent me to baptize in water said to me, ‘He upon whom you see the Spirit descending and remaining upon Him, this is the One who baptizes in the Holy Spirit.’

John 3:5
Jesus answered, “Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born of water and the Spirit he cannot enter into the kingdom of God.
Acts 1:5
for John baptized with water, but you will be baptized with the Holy Spirit not many days from now.”

Acts 2:1-4
When the day of Pentecost had come, they were all together in one place. And suddenly there came from heaven a noise like a violent rushing wind, and it filled the whole house where they were sitting. And there appeared to them tongues as of fire distributing themselves, and they rested on each one of them.

Acts 2:38
Peter said to them, “Repent, and each of you be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins; and you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.

Acts 8:15-18
who came down and prayed for them that they might receive the Holy Spirit. For He had not yet fallen upon any of them; they had simply been baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus. Then they began laying their hands on them, and they were receiving the Holy Spirit.

Acts 10:38
You know of Jesus of Nazareth, how God anointed Him with the Holy Spirit and with power, and how He went about doing good and healing all who were oppressed by the devil, for God was with Him.

Acts 10:44-45
While Peter was still speaking these words, the Holy Spirit fell upon all those who were listening to the message. All the circumcised believers who came with Peter were amazed, because the gift of the Holy Spirit had been poured out on the Gentiles also.

Acts 10:47
“Surely no one can refuse the water for these to be baptized who have received the Holy Spirit just as we did, can he?”

Acts 11:15-16
And as I began to speak, the Holy Spirit fell upon them just as He did upon us at the beginning. And I remembered the word of the Lord, how He used to say, ‘John baptized with water, but you will be baptized with the Holy Spirit.’

Acts 19:2
He said to them, “Did you receive the Holy Spirit when you believed?” And they said to him, “No, we have not even heard whether there is a Holy Spirit.”

1 Corinthians 12:13
For by one Spirit we were all baptized into one body, whether Jews or Greeks, whether slaves or free, and we were all made to drink of one Spirit.

Titus 3:5
He saved us, not on the basis of deeds which we have done in righteousness, but according to His mercy, by the washing of regeneration and renewing by the Holy Spirit,

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IV The Babe Jumped

Luke 1:41 And when Elizabeth heard the greeting of Mary, the baby leaped in her womb. And Elizabeth was filled with the Holy Spirit,

Jesus walked with them

Luke 24:32 32And they said one to another, Did not our heart burn within us, while he talked with us by the way, and while he opened to us the scriptures?

We need more than mouth service, we need to have a true outpouring of his spirit in our lives that people will take notice, I’ve been with Jesus!

Luke 1:39-45 39And Mary arose in those days, and went into the hill country with haste, into a city of Juda;

40And entered into the house of Zacharias, and saluted Elisabeth.

41And it came to pass, that, when Elisabeth heard the salutation of Mary, the babe leaped in her womb; and Elisabeth was filled with the Holy Ghost:

42And she spake out with a loud voice, and said, Blessed art thou among women, and blessed is the fruit of thy womb.

43And whence is this to me, that the mother of my Lord should come to me?

44For, lo, as soon as the voice of thy salutation sounded in mine ears, the babe leaped in my womb for joy.

45And blessed is she that believed: for there shall be a performance of those things which were told her from the Lord.