Title: He Breathed on Them and Said, “Receive the Holy Spirit”
Today is Pentecost Lord’s Day. In Old Testament’s understanding, it is the 50th day from the Passover, but precisely speaking it is the Feast of the First Fruit of Barley. In New Testament’s understanding, it is the 50th day from the Crucifixion of Jesus, but precisely speaking it is the Day of Resurrection of Jesus Christ.
- The Breath of Jesus
The disciples were hiding themselves in the room closing all the doors and windows. Yet, Jesus came into the room without opening any doors, and said “Peace be with you” two times. Then He said, “As Father has sent me, I also send you.” This is to reinstate the disciples as the missionaries and God’s servants. Finally, Jesus breathed on them and said, “Receive the Holy Spirit.”
When God created man, He breathed the breath of life into his nostrils. As the result, he became a living being (Gen 2:7). Hebrew for ‘a living being’ is ‘Nepesh Haya’ which means the one that is living, a living creature. It is used in Gen 1:24 to describe all the living creatures like cattle, creeping things and beasts of the earth.
Outwardly, there is no difference between animal and human being. Scientifically speaking, we are one kind of mammal and we share a lot of similarities with other mammals. However, Gen 2:7 tells us that inwardly there is a huge difference: Man received the breath (Neshama)’ of God whereas animals didn’t. However, through the fall of Adam, Adam and Eve were kicked out from the place where God dwells and by the time of Noah’s flood, God declared that His spirit shall not strive with man forever (Gen 6:3). So, the breath of God has been lost and this is the condition of the first Adam’s descendant. Of course, in order to remind us and teach us, God had taught His people about Sabbath (time), the Temple (place), the Law (relationship) but the final verdict to the first Adam is that the breath of God won’t be living with them.
Rom 5:12-18 says that through the first Adam, sin entered into the world, and death through sin. However, through the second Adam, Jesus, the justification of life was given to all men. Also, 1 Cor 15:45-49) says that we were like the first Adam but we will be like the second Adam.
Jesus came into the room and breathed on them. It means Jesus was distributing the breath of God, the breath of life, the Holy Spirit to the people because they have lost it. This is the moment of recreating mankind. We were the descendant of the first Adam who lost the breath of God and ought to come to death as the result of sin. Now, Jesus was creating mankind according to the original order by returning them the breath of God, and by presenting Him as the second Adam, Jesus was opening a door for us to become the descendant of the second Adam.
- The Spirit of God
What kind of changes we will have when we received the Holy Spirit?
2 Tim 1:7 For God has not given us a spirit of timidity, but of power and love and disciple.
Firstly, we are given the power. Look at the disciples, when they were filled with the Holy Spirit on Pentecost, all the fears had melted away became brave and courageous. They were out to spread and teach the Word of God boldly and strongly. 3,000 people repented and turned to have faith in Jesus. A dead man became alive when Peter prayed. What a great power it is!
Secondly, we are given the love. Look at the disciples, when the disciples were going up to the temple, they saw the lame. Peter said, “I do not have silver or gold but what I do have I give to you”, and he commanded “Walk, in the name of Jesus Christ the Nazarene.”
Thirdly, we are given the discipline. To be disciplined means to have self-controlled and to be careful. We are free to do anything and everything because our Lord Jesus is the king of all kings. However, if it doesn’t edify the church, we should know to stop it (1 Cor 10:23; Eph 4:29; 1 Thess 5:11). Also, it purifies us (1 Cor 6:11).
We are saved and forgiven when we accepted Jesus as our Lord and believed in His Word. However, as we are still living in this sinful world, there is a chance that we may fall into sinning again. Therefore, Jesus breathed into us His Holy Spirit because it cleanse us and sanctifies us.
Conclusion :
We must inhale the Holy Spirit
How shall we receive the Holy Spirit? As Jesus exhaled the breath, should we inhale the breath? Physically speaking no, but spiritually speaking yes. We got to inhale the breath of Jesus. Thus, the founding pastor explained that the kingdom of God begins from the lung (spiritually).
In the Old Testament time, on the day of Pentecost at Mount Sinai. God had spoken the Ten Commandments upon the people of Israel. They heard the voice of God. They all listened to the Word of God. Therefore, listening to the Word of God and hearing the voice of God is the way to receive the Holy Spirit.
John 1:1 says that the Word of God and the Word is Jesus. It is not wrong to go somewhere where the movement of the Holy Spirit is strong and experience the phenomena or the manifestation of the Holy Spirit. When we receive the Word of God, it is the moment of receiving the Holy Spirit.
The Lord's Covenant Church Malaysia 