Baptisms & the Holy Spirit

Transcription

1 Baptisms & the Holy Spirit I ll give you a brief synopsis. Remember Hebrews 6:1, speaks of elementary doctrines and mentions repentance from dead works and faith towards God. In verse 2, it speaks of the doctrines of baptisms, doctrines of baptisms. I want to ask you, I asked you two weeks ago, Hebrews 6:2, then in Ephesians 4:5, speaks of One Lord, one faith, one baptism. I want you to tell me, those of who weren t here two weeks ago are there baptisms or one baptisms? Yes you all were here. If you don t understand it, its yes. That s what Scriptures says. Hebrews 6:1-2 (NKJV) 6 Therefore, leaving the discussion of the elementary principles of Christ, let us go on to perfection, not laying again the foundation of repentance from dead works and of faith toward God, 2 of the doctrine of baptisms, of laying on of hands, of resurrection of the dead, and of eternal judgment. Ephesians 4:5 New King James Version (NKJV) 5 one Lord, one faith, one baptism; We spoke of the one baptism being the overarching baptism of your identity being baptized into Christ. When everything changes, you are baptized into Christ. We used the analogy of my son who went to a high school and he already signed when he was in grade seven, a contract that said, I agree. I accept everything the school is about. It sill takes a year once he s in to become a Boishaaier. It takes a full year to go through the full baptism but there are many baptisms you go through in grade eight. Then the matrics cut off the button on the tie which says, You are now a Boishaaier. Coming into Christ is the baptism, the one baptism but there are many baptisms which will take place within that baptism of Christ. So, when you are baptized in Christ, the Holy Spirit then comes and indwells you. When you are born again, born of the Spirit, the Holy Spirit comes in as a gift from God and seals you into Sonship.

2 Galatians 3:26-29 (NIV) 26 So in Christ Jesus you are all children of God through faith, 27 for all of you who were baptized into Christ have clothed yourselves with Christ. 28 There is neither Jew nor Gentile, neither slave nor free, nor is there male and female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus. 29 If you belong to Christ, then you are Abraham s seed, and heirs according to the promise. We do not have the right to maintain and retain your identity as I am a colored, I am white and this is our culture and our struggles and you people and us. That thing is finished. You are now baptized into Christ. Carry on. Galatians 3:28, 29 (NIV) 28 There is neither Jew nor Gentile, neither slave nor free, nor is there male and female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus. 29 If you belong to Christ, then you are Abraham s seed, and heirs according to the promise. So when that happens, when you become a son, because you are now in Christ; the Holy Spirit comes and indwells you. Today I will speaking about the role of the Holy Spirit and the different roles of the Holy Spirit in these baptisms. Is that alright? When we are baptized in Christ, the baptism, the Holy Spirit then comes and indwells us and He is the spirit of adoption. He is the one who confirms with our spirits that have now been born again that we are sons of God. We are created in the image and likeness of God. He created us as Spirit (the image of God); likeness, we have to grown into the nature and character of God being formed in us. But, before you are born again, your spirit is dormant. It s not like your spirit is inhabited by evil spirits. We spoke about that little bit a few weeks ago. Your spirit is created for God. Your spirit s antennas, the receptors in your Spirit are fashioned by God, only to receive His Spirit. Until you are born again, born of the spirit, those receptors are just lying there dormant; for all intents and purposes you are dead while alive. Your spirit has not yet been born again of the Spirit of God. When this happens, your spirit now comes alive and

3 connects with the Spirit of God for whom you were created to be connected with; then you are sealed in this union, in this fellowship, which says, you are now a son and sealed in the house of God. Romans 8:15-16 (NIV) 15 The Spirit you received does not make you slaves, so that you live in fear again; rather, the Spirit you received brought about your adoption to sonship. [a] And by him we cry, Abba,[b] Father. 16 The Spirit himself testifies with our spirit that we are God s children. That is not yet baptism of the Holy Spirit. That is when we are baptized in Christ, when we are born of the Spirit, we are born again, the Holy Spirit comes and indwells us, confirming that we are sons and sealing us into the household of God. There is this mutual fellowship of your Spirit with the Spirit for God. Ephesians 4:30 (NIV) 30 And do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, with whom you were sealed for the day of redemption. That translation, for the day of redemption some of your translations say, unto the day of redemption ; is not a really good translation. That word is EIS which is more accurately translated into then for. It s not something that is going to happen. It denotes movement into, actually penetration and union. You are sealed by the Holy Spirit into your salvation, into your union with God and that seal is like a signet ring. That word, seal is like a signet ring that is placed to attest ownership. When you are born again the Holy Spirit comes and is like the signet ring to attest ownership. That ownership can only be attested by the authority who has the power to says, You are mine. It is God s authority that seals you by the Holy Spirit into Sonship, into your union with God. It is an entrance into your union with God. That word, redemption let s look at Ephesians 1 verse 13 and 14 quickly.

4 Ephesians 1:13-14 (NIV) 13 And you also were included in Christ when you heard the message of truth, the gospel of your salvation. When you believed, you were marked in him with a seal, the promised Holy Spirit, 14 who is a deposit guaranteeing our inheritance until the redemption of those who are God s possession to the praise of his glory. Redemption means re-purchasing what was lost. So the Holy Spirit comes as a seal from the one who purchased you and by His authority purchases what was lost. What was lost? Sonship was lost. This thing is about sonship. It s not about, We are going to hell and that s why we are lost. The opposite of lost is not going to heaven. The opposite of lost is sonship, being found in Him, being found in union with Him. This is what the Holy Spirit comes and confirms. It denotes entrance into the union with the Father with a seal. Okay? Jesus interestingly enough, it was said of Jesus that He would come and baptize you with the Holy Spirit and with fire. Jesus never baptized anyone while He was on the earth, not with water, fire, not while He was on the earth. As soon as Jesus has paid the price on the cross and raised from the dead, He has not yet gone to the Father. Can you figure out when we are talking about? Jesus was raised from the dead. He s not yet ascended to the heavens. Now He s on the earth for these forty days. We celebrated Ascension this last week. Before He ascends to His Father, before He ascends to Heaven, from when He will do the baptisms that He said He will do. He will still do the baptisms that He said that He will do but He will do it from Heaven. Now that He paid the price; He s gone down and paid the price, He has conquered sin and death, now He has the right to reconcile us to our Father. In fact, He says to Mary and the disciples let s read its John 20:17. This is what He s doing now, that He s conquered sin and death.

5 John 20:17 (NIV) 17 Jesus said, Do not hold on to me, for I have not yet ascended to the Father. Go instead to my brothers and tell them, I am ascending to my Father and your Father, to my God and your God. Before Jesus paid the price, there was no reconciliation. Now, immediately, after He s paid the price for us to be reconciled to God; what He does, He says, Now I m bringing you into sonship because I ve paid the price. He says to Mary, My Father and your Father. As the Father has sent Me, I am now sending you. John 20:21-22 (NIV) 21 Again Jesus said, Peace be with you! As the Father has sent me, I am sending you. 22 And with that he breathed on them and said, Receive the Holy Spirit. When we come into sonship, the Holy Spirit comes as a gift from God as the seal, sealing us into that union with the Father confirming our Sonship. That s what happens there. In fact, Jesus speaks to them in Acts 1 verse three to eight. Acts 1:3-8 (NIV) 3 After his suffering, he presented himself to them and gave many convincing proofs that he was alive. He appeared to them over a period of forty days and spoke about the kingdom of God. 4 On one occasion, while he was eating with them, he gave them this command: Do not leave Jerusalem, but wait for the gift my Father promised, which you have heard me speak about. 5 For John baptized with[a] water, but in a few days you will be baptized with[b] the Holy Spirit. 6 Then they gathered around him and asked him, Lord, are you at this time going to restore the kingdom to Israel? 7 He said to them: It is not for you to know the times or dates the Father has set by his own authority. 8 But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit

6 comes on you; and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth. Immediately after Jesus ascends, not ascends to Heaven, after He is raised from the dead, He has paid the price; He reconciles us to the Father. He says, Receive the Holy Spirit. Receive the seal of Sonship what the Holy Spirit comes indwelling you, sealing you into the household as a son. Then He says to them, don t leave Jerusalem because the promise of the baptism of the Holy Spirit is still to come. He never baptized them of the Holy Spirit when He breathed on them and said, Receive the Holy Spirit. They were receiving sonship. Then He ascends. Once He ascends He is now in Heaven with His Father. Now He is with His Father. He baptizes them from heaven with the Holy Spirit. Why I am going to speak on three things. 1) I just spoke on now is the indwelling of the Holy Spirit when you come into Sonship. Okay? See it. When you are born again, you receive the gift of Sonship. The gift of the Holy Spirit seals you in the household of God as a son, the indwelling of the Holy Spirit. 2) Then Jesus says, I will baptize you. Jesus baptizes you with the Holy Spirit. I ll tell you what that s about and why He baptizes us with the Holy Spirit. It s not for Sonship but for power. 3) Then the Holy Spirit baptizes us into the Body. Who baptized us into the Holy Spirit? Jesus. Then the Holy Spirit baptizes us into the Body. I will speak of these three today. Can you see them? Born again, not a baptism, it s a baptism into Christ. It s part of the whole picture but when that happens when your spirit is born again, the Holy Spirit seals us in Sonship. The promise of sonship, our inheritance, He seals us in this. Then Jesus ascends to Heaven and from Heaven, He baptizes us with the Holy Spirit; or, in the Holy Spirit or of the Holy Spirit. Okay? Then, the Holy Spirit baptizes us in the Body.

7 Sealed by the Holy Spirit - the result - Sonship. Baptized by Jesus of the Holy Spirit - the result - power. Baptized by the Holy Spirit into the Body - the result - Identity change. We cannot live this life in our own strength. When you are born again, you are born again in a warfare, into a battle. Many of you don t know what spiritual warfare is about. In a nutshell, spiritual warfare is about that you were chosen as a son and he wasn t. He wants to prove that you are not worthy to be a son. He attacks in the area of your soul. That is where you are the most vulnerable. That is why you are susceptible to the systems of the world and the things of this world that he has crafted to ensnare you by your soul. That is why his weapon are formed to ensnare you by your soul. If you live by your pwn strength and own soul, you have no ability to fight him. In fact, you cannot come against any angel or demon in your own strength. He will take you out in a week. You have no strength to come against him in this way. You need the power of One who has all authority. He baptizes you with this authority and power that He says is mine. It is given to Me by the Father. He gives to the Holy Spirit by delegation and the Holy Spirit gives it to you with the baptism that He baptized you in the Holy Spirit. So all baptisms and we are speaking of the doctrines of baptisms, all baptisms is an immersion of one thing into something else. Where that thing that is immersed is changed but hat which it was immersed into. You can t go back. It changes you and it s not just a once off change. It changes you. It becomes the foundation. You can t go back into what you were baptized into. It s the platform from which ongoing change takes place. Your working in the Spirit, your walking in the Spirit takes place from a platform of you were baptized of the Holy Spirit by Jesus. You were baptized in the power and the ability to do that which you have absolutely no ability to do by your own strength. That is meant to be a platform or foundation of a changed way of living. You are living from His strength and not your own. The change that takes place is from being powerless to powerful. Are you seeing the picture?

8 He has to baptize you, all of you, all of you. You can t be sprinkled in the Holy Spirit. All of you needs to come under the control of the Spirit! All of you must be washed by the Spirit - your heart, your mind, your soul; you can t do it by your own strength or you are toast. Neh? The result of the baptism in the Holy Spirit is power. If you don t believe it, you can remain a son. Yes, you have the Holy Spirit, no, you don t have the baptism of the Holy Spirit in which you operate in power. How do we know if someone has been baptized in the Holy Spirit? There s no power, there are no gifts of the Holy Spirit visible in their lives, You have to die to do anything for God. God isn t interested in what you can do for Him. He s only interested in that you can do is submit your soul to His Spirit. He wants to do it in you and through you. I am not to do anything of myself. He wants access to my body and my life to do the work through me. There must be accessibility to all the gifts of the Spirit to which God wants to work. If you say, I don t believe in that. You make a human natural decision. You can t work through me because I don t want that part of the gifts. I only want tongues. It s for the work that God wants to work through us by His Spirit and He empowers us. We are foolish if we want to resist the fullness of the Holy Spirit working through us. We must say, Lord if there is more of Your Spirit that You want to work through me, baptize all of me! Baptize all of me! Wash all of me! I don t want to retain any of me. Wash me! He wants to do the work. Obey Him. Obedience needs you to surrender and receive the baptism of the Holy Spirit The baptism and the power of the Holy Spirit isn t because its useful to you but its useful to Him. That s not the purpose It s useful to Him. 1 Corinthians 4:20 (NIV) 20 For the kingdom of God is not a matter of talk but of power. 1 Corinthians 12:12-13 (NIV) 12 Just as a body, though one, has many parts, but all its many parts form one body, so it is with Christ. 13 For we were all baptized by[a] one Spirit so

9 as to form one body whether Jews or Gentiles, slave or free and we were all given the one Spirit to drink. He places you in the Body where you are supposed to be. He places you as the part you are supposed to be. There where in the Body and how in the body that the Holy Spirit places you in the Body. God knows His purpose and His intent for your life, He k nows where you should function and how. 1 Corinthians 2:10-11 (NIV) 10 these are the things God has revealed to us by his Spirit. The Spirit searches all things, even the deep things of God. 11 For who knows a person s thoughts except their own spirit within them? In the same way no one knows the thoughts of God except the Spirit of God. 1 Corinthians 12:18 (NIV) 18 But in fact God has placed the parts in the body, every one of them, just as he wanted them to be. 27 Now you are the body of Christ, and each one of you is a part of it. Hebrews 10:25 (NIV) 25 not giving up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing, but encouraging one another and all the more as you see the Day approaching. It s about how you are to gather in the Body. Don t forsake how God has connected you in the Body. Imagine an orchestra. God is the one who orchestrates. If He says, now is the time you play flute, it is a part of the song. It s not a solo, it s an orchestra. God has orchestrated where you are to sound in the Body. That sound then reverberates through the Body. It s a way of life. Where are you connected in the Body and how do you function in it. There is only one Body. There is only one Body. You and I are baptized in the Holy Spirit in that specific place where we are to function and give life.

10 God has placed you in a particular place where God has connected you. I can t place a tooth on my toe and think it will work. That s not what it was designed to do and it won t work there. You can only mature there in the place where God has called you to function. There is only one Body. Which means, you do not have the right to identify with anything else as who you are. You have no right. You are not colored and you are white. We must honor.our past.you can t identify that with your soul because that s who you become. When you identify with Christ, you can t speak of us and them. You people are privileged. What Body are you in, brother? Theres only one body! In that Body, we identify with Christ. We cannot hold onto any identity. Amen or Eina? That is it. How can you be baptized into one body and speak of them? How? And hold onto hurts and grudges. The only us you are a part of is the body of Christ,. That s the only us you are a part of. If you speak of you, you speak of me. When you speak of I, you speak of me. We are in the same Body. How can I be jealous of something that operates in you because its mine. It is one body! What do you think you will accomplish? One body, identity in Christ; I am going to wrap up, conclude. When you are born of the Spirit, the Spirit comes and indwells and seals you into the household of God, confirming sonship. Jesus goes to Heaven and now baptizes you with the Holy Spirit and the result is power. You will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes upon you. He does the work. It s not your own strength. Now the Holy Spirit baptizes you into the Body. It s no longer us and me. It s the Body of Christ. That is my identity. That is the place where you find your corporate identity and your functional order. The finger won t say to the body, I ll never scratch you again. We are baptized into one Body. The Holy Spirit is involved in the one baptize coming into Christ. The Holy Spirit baptizes himself into the Body. Don t deny the work of the Holy Spirit. Don t deny the power God wants to work through you. Don t do it in your own strength. Find you identity in the body and in Christ. Next week, we will talk about the Baptism of fire and water.