1. Consecrated by the Spirit (Luke 4:18-19)
The Holy Spirit in the Life of Jesus and Ours

2. Introduction Led by the Spirit of God
Miniseries: The Holy Spirit in the life of Jesus and in Ours

3. Holy Spirit conceived Jesus – we are conceived by God
Holy Spirit called Jesus – we are called by God
Holy Spirit consecrated Jesus
Temptation
Ministry

4. Why the consecrated life (set apart for God’s use)?
Same reason why you must not be part of the rat-race.

5. The winner of the rat-race is still a rat.

6. The consecrated life instructs you which door in life to walk through and which doors in life to walk pass.

7. 1. The Holy Spirit in the consecration of Jesus
Seen in the temptation of Jesus

8. Luke 4 Jesus, full of the Holy Spirit, left the Jordan and was led by the Spirit into the wilderness, 2 where for forty days he was tempted by the devil. He ate nothing during those days, and at the end of them he was hungry.

9. 1. The Holy Spirit in the consecration of Jesus
Seen in the proclamation of Jesus

10. Luke 4 16 He went to Nazareth, where he had been brought up, and on the Sabbath day he went into the synagogue, as was his custom. He stood up to read, 17 and the scroll of the prophet Isaiah was handed to him. Unrolling it, he found the place where it is written:

11. Luke 4 18 “The Spirit of the Lord is on me,     because he has anointed me     to proclaim good news to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim freedom for the prisoners     and recovery of sight for the blind, to set the oppressed free, 19 to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor.”

12. 1. The Holy Spirit in the consecration of Jesus
Seen in the confrontation of Jesus

13. Luke 4 38 Jesus left the synagogue and went to the home of Simon
Luke 4 38 Jesus left the synagogue and went to the home of Simon. Now Simon’s mother-in-law was suffering from a high fever, and they asked Jesus to help her. 39 So he bent over her and rebuked the fever, and it left her. She got up at once and began to wait on them.

14. Luke 4 40 At sunset, the people brought to Jesus all who had various kinds of sickness, and laying his hands on each one, he healed them. 41 Moreover, demons came out of many people, shouting, “You are the Son of God!” But he rebuked them and would not allow them to speak, because they knew he was the Messiah.

15. “Rebuke” need not be literal. Like “Jesus speaks peace to my heart.”
Confrontation a necessary part of our life
After confrontation, decision

16. Decision  de-cision.
-cision as in circumcision, incision, excision. to cut
De- as in detach, derail, to remove
Decision ultimately requires you to cut off all other options

17. Because you are one, you can only be do one thing at a time
Because you are one, you can only be do one thing at a time. Other options must be cut off.
Consecration is the life that says I will devote it to God’s use – however he sees fit.

18. 2. The Consecration of Nazirites
One example of consecration is seen in the Nazirite in the OT

19. Numbers 6 The Lord said to Moses,2 “Speak to the Israelites and say to them: ‘If a man or woman wants to make a special vow, a vow of dedication to the Lord as a Nazirite, 

20. Numbers 6 3 they must abstain from wine and other fermented drink and must not drink vinegar made from wine or other fermented drink. They must not drink grape juice or eat grapes or raisins. 

21. Numbers 6  4 As long as they remain under their Nazirite vow, they must not eat anything that comes from the grapevine, not even the seeds or skins.

22. Voluntary (unlike priesthood)
Open to men and women (unlike priesthood)
Usually for a fixed duration, but can be for life
No consume anything from grapes (possibly abstain from all alcohol)

23. Not cut hair till the end of the vow
Not contact dead bodies
If vow is broken, start over
Vow concluded by the shaving of the head and sacrifice at temple

24. Examples: Samson, Samuel, John the Baptist

25. The case of Samuel
1 Samuel 1 11 And she made a vow, saying, “Lord Almighty, if you will only look on your servant’s misery and remember me, and not forget your servant but give her a son, then I will give him to the Lord for all the days of his life, and no razor will ever be used on his head.”

26. At the disposal of someone else in authority
Most were not prominent. It is a vow to humble service
Samuel the exception because of Eli’s failure

27. Why we don’t do literal Nazirite vows
We do something similar, but not duplicate Nazirite vows.
E.g. we make decisions how long to serve the Lord
Testimony: until 40 years old. At 50 asked the Lord to show me and he returned me to ministry.

28. But we can learn from the Nazirite consecration
Anyone can serve: man or woman. You choose to consecrate.
It can be of a fixed duration
Abstinence of grapes – a discipline and a reminder

29. But we can learn from the Nazirite consecration
Uncut hair. Uncomfortable and also a visible declaration.
Detachment from and priority over family (no contact with the dead)
Not isolation of a monk or a nun

30. Consecration today
Not imitate the Nazirite vow, but follow the principles
We don’t do it today
Temple and sacrifices are gone
Not promoted in the NT, even when vaguely described (Acts 21)
Not practiced by Jesus who consume wine

31. 3. The consecration of Moses
Hebrews 11 24 By faith Moses, when he had grown up, refused to be known as the son of Pharaoh’s daughter. 25 He chose to be mistreated along with the people of God rather than to enjoy the fleeting pleasures of sin. 

32. 3. The consecration of Moses
Hebrews 11 26 He regarded disgrace for the sake of Christ as of greater value than the treasures of Egypt, because he was looking ahead to his reward. 27 By faith he left Egypt, not fearing the king’s anger; he persevered because he saw him who is invisible. 

33. Note that Pharaoh's daughter could have been Hatshepsut who ruled Egypt as a female Pharaoh

35. Thutmosis I (Queen Ahmose)  daughter Hatshepsut.
Thutmosis I (secondary wife)  son Thutmosis II

36. Thutmosis II (married Hatshepsut, half sister)  Thutmosis III
Thutmosis II died while Thutmosis III was infant
Hatshepsut became co-regent (like empress dowager) Moses the adopted son

37. Hatshepsut died – Moses sent to Midian
Thutmosis III died (new Pharaoh Amenhotep II) – Moses returned to Egypt

38. Note on the name of Moses
Thut-mosis
Ah-mose

39. The enormity of what Moses left behind. He could have simply laid low.
Moses made a de-cision to obey the God of this fathers.
Moses had at his disposal: Money; Power; Sex

40. Moses consecrated his life to God
Today who knows the different Pharaohs?

41. What about you? What do you value most?
If you cannot articulate it the world will articulate it for you.
we have a clear articulation of our core values: B A R E

42. Is there a decision you must make to make sense of your life purpose, a consecration?
Set aside an ability to serve the Lord
Set aside a time to serve the Lord

43. Consecration means starting with the first decision  follow Jesus / be his disciple