6.1 Preamble
In Christian churches today, sinners are asked to accept Jesus Christ as their Lord and Savior, so that sinful flesh can be atoned of its sins by the power and grace of God. This is basically the ‘gospel’ that’s purveyed by mainstream churches, there is however, no emphasis on receiving the Holy Spirit as a gift from God.
The salvation message is focused on the man, Jesus rather than the Spirit in Christ. Believers are told to believe in Jesus but are sadly not taught to seek the Spirit of God. This is the aspect of Jesus Christ the Messiah, that most churches have not fully understood and therefore, missed out on a critical message and the true meaning of the Gospels; which is foremost, that of the ministry and purpose of the Spirit of God and the Salvation grace from Him.
Let me underscore and repeat a key message that reflects the importance of the Spirit in the work of the Messiah Jesus, and this message is found in Luke 11:20-32:
‘If I cast out demons by the Spirit of God, then the Kingdom of God has come to you. Whoever speaks a word against the Son of Man will be forgiven, but whoever speaks a word against the Holy Spirit will not be forgiven, either in this age or the age to come’.
From these verses, there are some valuable truths that can be established from the words of Jesus.
Firstly, the Kingdom of God had arrived with the appearing of the Messiah, which meant that the hour of the Lord God had come in fulfillment of prophecy. Devout Jews in the time of Christ had been praying for the Messiah and Redeemer; but when He came to fulfill scripture, they were quick to reject Him.
Secondly, the Messiah is both the man Jesus and the Spirit of God working through him. It is the Spirit that had cast out the demon and healed the poor man; Jesus even admitted that it was not he, who had healed. The many miracles performed by Jesus and witnessed by all were therefore, through the hand or finger of God, the Spirit.
Lastly, from these verses too we can ascertain that the Messiah/Christ Jesus is the embodiment of the Lord in the flesh since the fulness of the Spirit of God dwelled in Jesus (see Luke 4: 1 also). As such, when we accept Jesus as the Christ and Messiah, we are accepting both Jesus the Messiah and the Holy Spirit, who sent him.
Wouldn’t the Holy Spirit dwell in us once we accept Jesus, as believed by many Christians? This is not so, as accepting Jesus Christ is only the prelude to receiving the Holy Spirit which requires the giver, the Father, to gift us His Spirit.
For the gift of the Holy Spirit is not necessarily bestowed on believers and therefore, very few Christians when accepting Jesus, have also been baptized in the Holy Spirit. Even the apostle Paul when he first believed on Jesus (Acts 9: 5 – 9), did not receive the Holy Spirit immediately, but God sent his faithful servant Ananias to visit him.
In Acts 9:17-18, Ananias laid his hand on Paul and said, “The Lord Jesus, who appeared to you on your way here, has sent me so that you may regain your sight and be filled with the Holy Spirit”. The book of Acts further records that immediately, there appeared to be scales falling from Paul’s eyes and his sight was restored. And when he got up, he was baptized.
Although the verses only said that Paul was baptized, it was certainly that of the Holy Spirit. Inference can be made by the earlier passages when Ananias told Paul that he would receive his sight and be filled (baptized) with the Holy Spirit.
In Acts 1:4 – 5, Jesus instructed his disciples to stay in Jerusalem for the promise of the Father. Jesus said, for John baptized with water, but you will be baptized with the Holy Spirit.
The gold yardstick therefore of receiving the Lord is not based on our confession of faith and accepting Jesus into our lives solely, but of the evidence of the Holy Spirit in us!
In Acts 10: 44-46, while preaching, the apostle Peter was amazed that the gift of the Holy Spirit had been poured out even on the Gentiles. For he heard them speaking in tongues and extolling God. Meanwhile, Paul also found some disciples of John the Baptist who had never heard of the Holy Spirit. When these disciples of John were baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus and Paul laid his hands on them, the Holy Spirit came upon them, and they spoke in tongues and prophesied (Acts 19: 4-6).
For indeed, the foundation of our faith is the baptism of the Holy Spirit, 2 Cor 5:5: He who has prepared for us for this very thing is God, who has given us the Spirit as a guarantee.
And the scripture, foreseeing that God would justify the Gentiles by faith declared the gospel beforehand to Abraham, saying, “All the Gentiles shall be blessed in you”. Cursed is everyone who does not observe and obey all the things written in the book of law. No one is justified before God by the law; for the one who is righteous shall live by faith. Christ redeemed us from the curse of the law by becoming a curse for us – for it is written, cursed is everyone who hangs on a tree (Tree of the knowledge of good and evil). In order that in Christ Jesus, the blessing of Abraham might come to the Gentiles so that we might receive the promise of the Spirit (Tree of Life) through faith (Galatians 3: 8 – 14).
6.2 The Letter Kills but the Spirit Gives Life
To understand these verses from Galatians and particularly the aspects of the law, we need to turn back to the time of Moses when he led the Israelites in the wilderness. When Moses met God on Mount Sinai, the people of God who were then left to their own religious-devices at the foothill, had decided to worship a golden calf, claiming that it was their god. Due to their ignorance of God and His ways, Satan had planted seeds of worship to a false god and accused the Israelites of a very grave sin. Even Aaron, the so-called high priest of God was guilty, as he participated in these rituals.
Once that worship of Satan happened, he immediately petitioned God for the souls of all of them, since they had worshipped him. God in His anger was about to let Satan have his way, since God cannot be accused of unrighteousness; but He relented for the sake of Moses His anointed and granted mercy to the people (Psalm 25: 6). The wrath of God had been stayed by the plea of His prophet Moses; the Jews were after all ignorant of God’s ways.
This was when the law and edicts of God were introduced to the Jews as a guide until the promise of God (the work of Jesus Christ) to Abraham will be fulfilled. Till today, the observant Jews fervently follow the letter of the law, trusting that the works of the flesh will somehow lead them to salvation and even please God.
And like all works of the flesh, from time to time the law has been further hybridized and imposed with more rulings from the religious scholars of the times, until observing all of them would choke the life out of believers.
Don’t get me wrong, there are indeed those who enjoy walking and observing the law, trusting in the flesh to please God.
Why didn’t God bless His people during the time of the prophets, for didn’t the Jews then follow the letter of the law? The answer lies in the fulfillment of scripture; that the letter kills but the Spirit gives Life (2 Cor 3:6). It points to a future when the Spirit will be freely dispensed to believers, through the victory of the Messiah Christ.
6.3 Understanding the Ways of God and His Holy Spirit
As I’ve indicated in my earlier missives, I received the Holy Spirit after being taught by an author of a book concerning the Spirit of God and how to receive Him. The author had quoted from these very scriptures which were the sermons of Jesus as he spoke of receiving the Holy Spirit.
For ease of reference, these are the verses from Luke 11: 9-13:
So, I say to you, Ask and it will be given you; search, and you will find; knock, and the door will be opened for you. For everyone who asks receives, and everyone who searches finds, and for everyone who knocks, the door will be opened. Is there anyone among you who, if your child asks for a fish, will give a snake instead of a fish? Or if the child asks for an egg, will give a scorpion? If you then, who are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will the heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to those who ask Him!
6.4 Ask and It Will Be Given You
There is a perfect reason why we need to ask the Father for His Holy Spirit and this is due to God’s righteousness and His law: The Lord is near to all who call on Him, to all who call on Him in Truth. He fulfills the desires of those who fear Him; He hears their cry and saves them (Psalm 145: 18-20).
Indeed, if you call out for insight and cry aloud for understanding, and if you look for it as for silver and search for it as for hidden treasure, then you will understand the fear of the Lord and find the knowledge of God. For the Lord gives wisdom, from His mouth come knowledge and understanding (Prov 2: 3-6).
For the Lord’s hand is not too short to save, nor His ear too dull to hear (Isaiah 59:1).
Surely then it must be said that how can God hear, if none had asked for His Holy Spirit? And wouldn’t God then be accused of unrighteousness by the devil, if He gives His Spirit to us without asking?
There is an important principle about God which is that: He acts with steadfast love, justice and righteousness in the earth, for in these things He delights (Jeremiah 9: 24).
It is this steadfast love, justice and righteousness that forms the foundation of his throne, and the law demands that we who want the Holy Spirit should ask from God the Father and even then, in a righteous manner as we seek His Spirit. He certainly knows the desires of our heart, and if that yearning is for the truth that leads to eternal life, He will then cause you to seek and receive His Spirit.
In Malachi 3: 16: The Lord took note and listened, and a book of remembrance was written before Him of those who revered the Lord and thought of His name. Elsewhere, Malachi 4:2: for you who revere My name the sun of righteousness shall rise with healing in its wings. You shall go out leaping like calves from the stall.
6.5 The Joy of Salvation Is the Foundation of Our Faith
God wants all believers to experience this born again/joy of salvation/rivers of living water experience so that our joy and understanding of salvation will be full. The taste of the pudding is in the eating, isn’t it?
I can’t emphasize enough the importance of receiving the Holy Spirit into our lives, for it forms the very basis of our being born again into the Kingdom of God. In John 3:5, Jesus said, Very truly I tell you, no one can see the Kingdom of God without being born of water and Spirit.
Elsewhere, John 16:24 records, Until now you have not asked for anything in my name. Ask and you will receive, and your joy will be complete.
Coming back to the scriptures on receiving the Holy Spirit, an important principle has been explained by Jesus in these verses when he said, will God who is a good and righteous God, give us a harmful thing when we seek His Holy Spirit, and not precious treasure as a gift?
God indeed knows how to give His children good gifts, and the most prized gift of all is the gift of the Holy Spirit and the Joy of Salvation from Him, the hidden treasure which all the money and riches of the world cannot be exchanged for.
However, receiving the Spirit is an enigma, for though it’s the most valuable gift ever, yet not all will desire for Him.
It is the will of God that those who earnestly seek Him shall find Him, and this is the confidence we have in approaching God: that if we ask anything according to His will, He hears us. And if we know that He hears us in whatever we ask, we know that we have obtained the request made of Him. (1 John 5:14-15).
But when you ask, you must believe and not doubt, because the one who doubts is like a wave of the sea, blown and tossed by the wind (James 1: 6).
I revealed Myself to those who did not ask for Me; I was found by those who did not seek Me. To a nation that did not call on My name, I said, ‘Here am I, here am I’ (Isaiah 65:1).
6.6 The Spirit Changed Life
Why is it important then to receive the Holy Spirit?
The Lord says:
I will give you a new heart and put a new Spirit in you; I will remove from your heart of stone and give you a heart of flesh (Ezekiel 36:26).
I will sprinkle clean water upon you, and you shall be clean from all your uncleanness, and from all your idols I will cleanse you. A new heart I will give you (Ezekiel 34: 25 – 26).
This work of changing our hard and calloused hearts is by the Lord, and not through our own works, if it were not so, God wouldn’t have recorded it in these verses. But even ages before Christ, the prophet Ezekiel had prophesied the word of God and it portends to a time when the Lord will put a new Spirit in His people.
And for those who receive the Spirit, they will experience the Life of God and not just any life, but one of breakthroughs whether physical, financial or spiritual; but the foremost breakthrough is the knowledge of our salvation through this born-again experience.
In addition, do not expect instant ‘saintly’ behavior once we receive the Holy Spirit as some would suggest, it is however, a process of rejuvenation of the heart and soul and of our spirit as the Lord peels away our fleshy persona through a process of sanctification by His Spirit.
6.7 The Key of David and the Holy Spirit
It is in King David that I find the perfect example of imperfect flesh, which also fulfills scripture that God will use the weak to do His work.
David was a vassal of God whom God even called a man after My Heart and he was filled with the Spirit of God at an early age. The Book of Psalms bear witness to his heartfelt responses to the Spirit of God, even recording the Joy of Salvation in Psalm 51. Yet in his reign as king of Israel, there were things that he did that would certainly not meet the judgement and standards of our generation today.
Please bear in mind I do not judge David at all, for how can an unworthy person like me judge a vassal whom God has called “a man after My own heart”? Throughout his life, David remained a humble and true servant of God. It is in his human frailties that I recognize with my own, someone who had walked in the desires of the flesh and yet remained by the grace and goodness of God, with the same hope of His salvation.
But there was also something else special about David that God would use to further His plans and purposes. The bible records: Let anyone who has an ear listen to what the Spirit is saying, these are the words of the Holy One, the True One, who has the key of David, who opens, and no one will shut, who shuts and no one opens. I will keep you from the hour of trial that is coming on the whole world to test the inhabitants of the earth (Revelations 3: 6 – 10).
These verses in Revelation proclaim that the Spirit has in His possession the key of David which is a significant assertion by the Lord, as a primary prophecy of Isaiah had been fulfilled. These verses are found in Isaiah 22:22:
I will give him (Eliakim, a servant of David and God and with reference to the coming Messiah, Jesus Christ) the key to the house of David – the highest position in the royal court. When he opens doors, no one will be able to close them; when he closes doors, no one will be able to open them.
Now, what is this key to the house of David that the Holy Spirit is talking about?
The clue to the key of David lies hidden in the name of Eliakim, which translates to “Resurrection of God”. For it is in Jesus, we see the first resurrection of the dead, the first to be redeemed from Hell and into the Kingdom of God by the Holy Spirit. The key of David, therefore, is the resurrection grace of God or the salvation grace, for He opens doors that no one can shut and Who shuts that no one can open.
And which is why the Spirit through Christ Jesus said: I am the Resurrection and the Life. Those who believe in Me, even though they die, will live, and everyone who lives and believes in Me will never die. Do you believe this? (John 11:25-26)
This key has been obtained by the Spirit through the death and resurrection of Jesus; which opened the door to both heaven and hell. In addition, do note that God’s salvation plan was not only confined to man but also to the angels of God. The coming of the Messiah was a contest between God and Satan not only on the fate of mankind, but also over the Kingdom of Heaven, which included the angels in heaven. The whole plan and purpose of God is to eventually judge and destroy Satan and his kingdom and wipe out every memory of the rebellion in heaven. Only after this, will God then create the new Heavens and a new Earth.
For bible records that this key opens and shuts the door to both heaven and hell; and at the end of days the Lord will judge both angels and man.
We see an example of how this key of David had been perfected by the death of the Messiah and Christ and His resurrection in Matthew 27: 51-53:
At that moment the curtain of the temple was torn in two, from top to bottom. The earth shook and the rocks were split. The tombs also were opened, and many bodies of the saints who had fallen asleep were raised.
After the resurrection of Jesus, the dead in the Lord were also resurrected as they came out of their tombs and entered the holy city.
1 Corinthians: 15: 20-21: But in fact Christ has been raised from the dead, the first fruits of those who have died. For since death came through a human being, the resurrection of the dead has also come through a human being.
Please note again in these verses that even the Apostle Paul recognized Jesus as a man and for the simple fact that one man, Jesus, was to die for the sins of all. This was the law in the court of heaven that had to be fulfilled.
I will repeat this important truth: the key of David is the key of the salvation of God, with the highest position in the royal court referring to the very throne of God. Now, if this key is the key to salvation, and if this key too is the key of David, then scripture about David should bear witness to this truth; which is found in:
Psalms 51:10-12:
Create in me a clean heart O, God, and put a new and right Spirit within me. Do not cast me away from your presence, and do not take Your Holy Spirit from me. Restore to me the Joy of Your Salvation; and sustain in me a willing Spirit.
David confessed to the importance of having the Holy Spirit in his life and of the Joy of God’s salvation, which is in fact this key of David to the Kingdom of Heaven!
6.8 The Key that Opens the Door
A key infers that there is a door to which this key of David is used to unlock and gain access to; and not just to any room, but the door to Heaven. Let’s then refer to scripture as to the hints of what or who this door represents, these verses are found in the Book of John and Revelations:
Jesus Christ said: Truly, truly I tell you he that enters not by the door into the sheepfold, but climbs up some other way, the same is a thief and robber. But he that enters by the door is the shepherd of the sheep. Then said Jesus unto them again, Truly, truly, I say unto you, I am the door of the sheep. I am the door: by me if any man enters in, he shall be saved, and shall go in and out and find pasture. I am the good shepherd: the good shepherd gives his life for the sheep (John 10: 1 – 11).
These verses proclaim that no man can enter the door of salvation, except through Jesus Christ, who gave his life for believers. And according to these verses too, Jesus Christ said that he is the door of the sheep.
Let me take this truth a step further with the following scripture:
Behold I stand at the door knocking; if you hear My voice and open the door, I will come in to you and eat with you and you with Me. To the one who conquers I will give a place with Me on My throne, just as I have conquered and sat down with My Father on His throne. Let anyone who has an ear listen to what the Spirit is saying to the churches. (Revelations 3:20 – 22)
These verses proclaim that it is the Spirit of God who stands at the door, and that door is Jesus Christ through whom the Spirit will welcome His people. This is what the apostle Peter meant when he said, ‘For salvation is by no one else (except Jesus Christ), for there is no other name under heaven given among mortals by which we must be saved’ (Acts 4:12).
And when they had arrived and gathered the church together, they began to report all things that God had done with them and how He opened a door of faith to the Gentiles (Acts 14:27).
I know your deeds. Behold, I have put before you an open door which no one can shut, because you have a little power, and have kept My Word, and have not denied My Name (Revelations 3:8).
6.9 The Purpose of the Key of David
To reiterate the purpose of the Messiah and the key of David, there were two significant outcomes in the ministry of Jesus Christ:
Firstly, he prevailed against Satan in the wilderness. After a forty day fast, Satan tempted Jesus to which the Lord replied, that man should not live on bread alone but on every word that comes out from the mouth of God. With this act, Jesus had reversed the curse of Adam and thereafter obtained the key of David from Satan. This key was over the realm of the physical and earthly and it’s the reason why the Spirit was (and still is) able to perform miracles on the poor and needy.
Secondly, Jesus paid the sin penalty for all man through his death; and with his resurrection, the key over death and Hell had thus been wrested back from Satan. This key was over the spiritual realm that opens the door to both heaven and hell and involves even our salvation by God.
It was for both these reasons, the victory of Jesus in the wilderness and his death on the cross, that the key of David had been obtained by the Spirit of God through the work of Christ Jesus.
This is also why Paul says in Romans 8:11: If the Spirit of Him who raised Jesus from the dead dwells in you, He who raised Christ from the dead will give life to your mortal bodies also through His Spirit that dwells in you.
This is the key of David that the Spirit speaks of in Revelations 3: 6-10. I’ve also referenced in earlier missives about the prophecies in Isaiah 22:20, in somewhat more detail, as regards to Eliakim, and this key to the house of David. I am now repeating and summarizing these important truths:
- The Messiah and Christ will have the key to the house of David, for he shall open, and no one shuts, and shuts, and no one shall open.
- The name of Eliakim (in reference to Jesus) in these verses, translates to ‘God’s Resurrection’; which is in fact the Messiah’s ultimate calling, therefore, the Messiah’s mission pertains to obtaining the key to the resurrection of life and to salvation.
6.10 The Fulfillment of Prophecy on the Messiah Christ
But we speak of God’s wisdom, secret and hidden, which God decreed before the ages for our glory. None of the rulers of this age understood this; for if they had they would not have crucified the Lord of Glory. God has revealed to us through the Spirit, for the Spirit searches everything, even the depths of God (1 Corinthians: 2:10).
These verses also correspond with Psalms 2:2-6, and in fulfillment of the prophecies about how the rulers of the spiritual world, tried to kill the Messiah. There is also some understanding in these verses about the relationship between the Spirit and His anointed or the Messiah and how both the Spirit and Jesus were entwined in a spiritual bond:
The kings of the earth set themselves, and the rulers take counsel together, against the Lord and His anointed, saying “let us burst Their bonds asunder, and cast Their cords from us”. He who sits in the heavens laughs; the Lord has them in derision. I have set My King on Zion, My holy hill, happy are those who take refuge in Him.
Let me draw up in more detail what these verses mean, we read that the plan of God was to be fulfilled by the death of Christ and the resurrection of Jesus. Paul even said that the kingdom of Satan would not have crucified the Lord had they known that the death of Christ and the resurrection of Jesus, was the key of David, which is now safely and righteously ensconced in God’s hand.
God had them in derision, for they thought that by killing Jesus they could break the bond of Christ and therefore, defeat the work of God.
The whole entourage of Satan’s angels witnessed the crucifixion and death of Jesus Christ at Calvary; the bible records, turning even the atmosphere into darkness like a gathering storm, not realizing that God had summoned them there.
The death of Christ and His resurrection paved the way for the Spirit of God to declare that He has now obtained the Key of David.
Christ redeemed us from the curse of the law by becoming a curse for us – for it is written, cursed is everyone who hangs on a tree (of knowledge of good and evil). In order that in Christ Jesus the blessing of Abraham might come to the Gentiles, so that we might receive the promise of the Spirit (Tree of Life) through faith, Galatians 3:13-14.
Let me summarize this by saying that, we believers need to knock on that door which is through Jesus Christ. But before all this, do you believe in Jesus Christ and that he died for the sins of all of us? And do you also believe in the Holy Spirit and His work in Jesus, as Christ? If you do believe in both the Holy Spirit and Jesus Christ, then you are standing at the threshold of that door.
The simple task ahead is to knock on that door and invite the Holy Spirit into your life.
6.11 Seek and You Will Find
Now, this is the most fundamental reason to receive the Holy Spirit, for no one can know the Lord until one diligently and earnestly seeks after Him. For indeed if you seek God with all your heart and soul, you will certainly find Him.
The bible testifies of the Lord who searches for His people (who are those who seek after Him). There is a reason why there are many biblical references to seeking after the Lord and I hope perhaps some of these verses that I list below, may appeal to some of you personally.
For your ease of understanding of what seeking the Lord means, ponder over these verses:
I love those who love Me, and those who diligently seek Me will find Me (Proverbs 8:17).
But from there, you will seek the Lord your God, and you will find Him if you search for Him with all your heart and all your soul (Deuteronomy 4:29).
You will seek Me and find Me when you search for Me with all your heart (Jeremiah 29:13).
Let all who seek You rejoice and be glad in You; let those who love Your salvation say continually, The Lord be magnified! (Psalm 40:16).
But may all who seek You rejoice and be glad in You, may those who long for Your salvation always say, The Lord is great (Psalm 70:4).
I sought the Lord, and He answered me; He delivered me from all my fears. Those who look to Him are radiant; their faces are never covered with shame (Psalm 34: 4-5).
Evil men do not understand justice. But those who seek the Lord understand all things (Proverbs 28:5).
The Lord is good to those who wait for Him, to the soul who seeks Him (Lamentations 3:25).
And without faith, it is impossible to please Him, for he who comes to God must believe that He is and that He is a rewarder of those who seek Him (Hebrews 11:6).
How blessed are those who observe His testimonies, who seek Him with all their heart? (Psalm 119:2)
They will receive blessing from the Lord and vindication from God their savior. Such is the generation of those who seek Him, who seek Your face, God of Jacob (Psalms 24: 5-6).
I seek You with all my heart; do not let me stray from Your commands (Psalms 119:10).
O God, You are my God, I seek You earnestly, my soul thirsts for You; my flesh yearns for You, in a dry and weary land where there is no water (Psalms 63:1).
Note however, that one of the key considerations before receiving the Holy Spirit is that your heart must be in the right place. What do I mean by this?
Set your hearts right before seeking God. For when we seek Him, let it not be for temporal solutions to our current problems. For God loves those who seek Him for who He is. In addition, it must be said that you should not pursue God with expectations of receiving blessings from Him (except hidden treasures), although if we do receive His Spirit, we will indeed see changes for the better to both our physical and spiritual lives.
Additionally, do not have a heart that wants to test the Lord. Many have challenged God by saying: ‘Prove yourself to me and only then will I believe!’. I am certain that God will not prove anything to these people who display such arrogance and ignorance.
When we seek Him, do so with a lowly heart and sincere desire to know Him, for God resists the proud, but He gives grace to the humble in heart. (Proverbs 3: 34, 1 Peter 5: 5-6).
For if you seek Him with all your heart and with all your soul, humbling before Him, you will certainly find Him. Remember, we are taught to display decorum and respect when greeting any earthly royalty, what more our Creator and God.
