THE HOLY SPIRIT PART 8: THE POSSESSION OF THE GIFT OF THE HOLY SPIRIT PART 2

THE HOLY SPIRIT PART 8: THE POSSESSION OF THE GIFT OF THE HOLY SPIRIT PART 2

THE BAPTISM IN THE HOLY SPIRIT Matt. 3:12, 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.

THE BAPTISM IN THE HOLY SPIRIT Isaiah 4:4, When the Lord has washed away the filth of the daughters of Zion and purged the bloodshed of Jerusalem from her midst, by the spirit of judgment and the spirit of burning. 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.

THE BAPTISM IN THE HOLY SPIRIT Galatians 3:13-14, Christ has redeemed us from the curse of the law, having become a curse for us (for it is written, Cursed is everyone who hangs on a tree ), that the blessing of Abraham might come upon the Gentiles in Christ Jesus, that we might receive the promise of the Spirit through faith.

THE BAPTISM IN THE HOLY SPIRIT When Peter was retelling the events of the conversion of the household of Cornelius in Jerusalem he said: The Spirit told me to go with them without misgivings. These six brethren also went with me and we entered the man s house. And he reported to us how he had seen the angel standing in his house, and saying, Send to Joppa and have Simon, who is also called Peter, brought here; and he will speak words to you by which you will be saved, you and all your household

THE BAPTISM IN THE HOLY SPIRIT 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 11:12-16 The verb that Peter used in verse 16 is a present imperfect which signifies continuous action in the past, and suggests that Jesus said this frequently, and they probably puzzled over it when He said it. But at the time of Peter s speech in Acts 11, we see that Peter finally understood it. -John Reuther

THE BAPTISM IN THE HOLY SPIRIT- BAPTISM INTO THE BODY OF CHRIST 1 Cor. 12:12-14, For even as the body is one and yet has many members, and all the members of the body, though they are many, are one body, so also is Christ. 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. For the body is not one member but many.

THE BAPTISM IN THE HOLY SPIRIT- BAPTISM INTO THE BODY OF CHRIST This is an absolutely remarkable text. The imagery is unique. It signifies burial, washing, and renewing (Romans 6:8-11). But Paul adds an added dimension concerning baptism in this statement. As we are thus buried in baptism into the Holy Spirit, we now drink together of this water that represents (or is represented by) the Spirit. Whenever we think of the Spirit, we think of water: the streams of living water that Jesus talked about in John 7:37-39

THE BAPTISM OF THE HOLY SPIRIT- BAPTISM INTO THE BODY OF CHRIST And here Paul says- we were all made to drink of one Spirit. It reminds us of his command in Eph. 5:18- do not get drunk with wine, but be filled (water, not wine) with the Holy Spirit. In other words, we are drinking together of this one supply (stream) of water that you were all baptized into- the Holy Spirit. - Reuther

THE BAPTISM IN THE HOLY SPIRIT- BAPTISM INTO THE BODY OF CHRIST Be a peacemaker and strive for unity without compromising the truth Be patient with all in the church and wait upon God when difficult matters surface. Do not make hasty judgments. Give time for the Spirit to work things out in time. Imbibe all that the Spirit is saying through the preached word and the lessons learned in the life of the congregation. Do not be an absentee member, a sleepy hearer, a slow learner. Be sharp, and you will be in step with the rest.

THE BAPTSIM IN THE HOLY SPIRIT- BAPTSIM INTO THE BODY OF CHRIST Don t let yourself be the wet blanket on every warm idea. Don t tell yourself that the church needs a person like you to be a check and balance in enthusiasm and legitimate creative thinking (The Church Watch-Dog ). Trust God and don t be a skeptic, doubting and questioning everything in the name of caution. Don t be a perfectionist who is not happy unless everything is right up to the level of the norm.

THE BAPTISM IN THE HOLY SPIRIT- BAPTISM INTO THE BODY OF CHRIST Don t live with the thought that new ideas are always the need of the hour. Recognize that many things fall under the banner of personal preference, and such things often can be set aside for the greater good. Become a member of the church with a desire to conform, rather than simply to display areas where you believe you are different.-reuther

THE BAPTISM IN THE HOLY SPIRIT- SUMMARY It is Definitive: You were baptized - aorist/ past tense Jn. 1:33; Gal. 3:27. There is no command to be baptized in the Spirit because the baptism has been accomplished. It is Declarative: Just as Jesus was declared to be Son of God at His baptism, so we become sons of God through Spirit-baptism. Our identity in Christ is through the Spirit.

THE BAPTISM IN THE HOLY SPIRIT- SUMMARY It is Constitutive: Paul says that we are baptized into the body- 1 Cor. 12:13. We are constituted members of His body the Church. It is Transformative: We are baptized into a new life, placed, transferred, into the realm of the grace and power of God, which brings a progressive transformation into the image of God and Christ through the Spirit. Reuther

THE SEALING OF THE SPIRIT Eph.1:13-14, In Him, you also, after listening to the message of truth, the gospel of your salvation- having also believed, you were sealed in Him with the Holy spirit of promise, who is given as a pledge of our inheritance, with a view to the redemption of God s own possession, to the praise of His glory. Eph. 4:30, Do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, by whom you were sealed for the day of redemption.

THE SEALING OF THE SPIRIT 2 Cor. 1:22, who also sealed us and gave us the Spirit in our hearts as a pledge. 2 Cor. 5:5, Now He who prepared us for this very purpose is God, who gave to us the Spirit as a pledge. Rom. 8:23, And not only this, but also we ourselves, having the first fruits of the Spirit, even we ourselves groan within ourselves, waiting eagerly for our adoption as sons, the redemption of our body.

THE SEALING OF THE SPIRIT- GREEK TERMS Seal- sphragizo Pledge- arrabon First-Fruits- aparche

GALATIANS 3-5: LIFE AND LIVING BY THE SPIRIT The Reception of the Spirit: 3:2, 14; 4:6. Perfection by the Spirit: 3:3. The Provision of the Spirit: 3:5. The Protection of the Spirit: 5:16. Production of the Fruit of the Spirit: 5:22, 23.

GALATIANS 3-5: LIFE AND LIVING BY THE SPIRIT There are two parts to this exhortation, and they are mutually dependent. The verb translated live is in the indicative mood referring to that which is actual. The indicative mood affirms actuality or certainty, stating the fact of something. The if in if we live is not a denial of the assertion, but functions in Paul s exhortation as an if-then statement. Paul is saying We do live by the Spirit, so let us walk by the Spirit...

The second verb walk is the Greek stoicheia, which means to proceed in a row, go in order (Thayer). It refers to an orderly and prosperous walk of life (as in Acts 21:24- but that you yourself also walk orderly, keeping the Law ). The noun stoicheion refers to the letters of the alphabet, the elements from which things are derived, the heavenly bodies, and the elementary principles of the world and life (Col. 2:8, 20). Our English word walk certainly does not capture the rich significance of the term. I suggest that a better single-word translation is: order- If we live by the Spirit let us order our life by the Spirit.

The second verb is in the subjunctive mood. The subjunctive does not affirm reality or certainty, but points to the realm of possibility and potentiality. It is the realm of the possible or the probable, not the actual. The subjunctive has the force of the imperative in that the realm of possibility and potentiality is the realm of God s will and provision for us through the means of grace bestowed on us through Christ and His Spirit. -Reuther

IF WE LIVE BY THE SPIRIT/ LET US WALK BY THE SPIRIT If we Live by the Spirit: Regeneration, Spirit-Baptism, Sealing of the Spirit. Let us Walk by the Spirit: Illumination from the Spirit, Leading of the Spirit in God s Law, Witness of the Spirit to our Sonship, Filling and Fullness of the Spirit, Praying in the Spirit, Intimacy and Cooperation with the Spirit (not grieving or quenching the Spirit), Fruit of the Spirit, Gifts of the Spirit

GALATIANS 3-5: LIFE AND LIVING BY THE SPIRIT We have already seen that a repentant sinner receives all of the Holy Spirit when he believes. However, though we possess the Spirit in His fullness, He must possess us in our fullness. We must yield to Him. If we live by the Spirit, we are obliged to walk by the Spirit. This is why Eph. 5:18 says: be filled with the Spirit; and Luke 11:13 is so crucial: How much more will your heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to those who ask Him?

GALATIANS 3-5: LIFE AND LIVING BY THE SPIRIT A person might say then: so what difference does it make if we say that believers should seek a baptism in the Spirit or if we say that he must be filled with the Spirit? Isn t this just a matter of semantics, and aren t we ultimately saying the same thing? I respond: No we are not, because we are not defining, describing, or relating the different functions of the Spirit biblically and accurately if we just apply them loosely in this way. -Reuther

POSSESSION OF THE HOLY SPIRIT: CONVERSION- THE SINNER S PENTECOST Since we have these conversion blessings through the Spirit, we have the certain assurance of the continual, uninterrupted, supply of the Spirit for the living out of this new life to which we have been called (Phil. 1:19). It is not proper to ask the Spirit to baptize us since He has already done that. It is proper to ask Him to fill us with His power and the reality of His presence

POSSESSION OF THE HOLY SPIRIT: CONVERSION- THE SINNER S PENTECOST It is not proper to ask Him to set His seal upon us since He has already done that. It is proper to ask Him to help us to walk in the confidence of who we are: His purchased possession and dwelling-place. It is proper to ask God to give us the fullness of the power and provision that He gave us when He placed His own Holy Spirit upon and in us. - Reuther