Today, I’m going to post the last of my “Born into the Kingdom" series. The series is based on Peter’s preaching in Acts Chapter 2, specifically:
Acts 2:38 (NKJV)
2:38 Then Peter said to them, "Repent, and let every one of you be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins; and you shall receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.
The first post dealt with repentance, the second was on the
topic of baptism and this, the third, will deal with the gift of the Holy
Spirit. So, let’s begin:
Acts 1:4-5 (NKJV)
1:4 And being assembled together with them, He commanded them not to depart from Jerusalem, but to wait for the Promise of the Father, "which," He said, "you have heard from Me; 5 for John truly baptized with water, but you shall be baptized with the Holy Spirit not many days from now."
The Great Anticipation
In our text Jesus is telling the disciples to stay in
Jerusalem and wait for the gift of the Holy Spirit. He calls it the promise of the Father; the Comforter;
the Helper. “Go and wait. Something is going to happen, something that
God has promised. There’s a sense of
anticipation.
Have you ever had to wait for something that:
1)
You were expecting or excited about?
2)
You know is going to be great?
3)
The closer it gets the more excited you are?
4)
That’s anticipation!
This anticipation didn’t start right then, though. It didn’t start when Jesus told them to go
and wait. It started about a thousand
years before that.
Joel 2:28 (NKJV)
2:28 "And it shall come to pass afterward That I will pour out My Spirit on all flesh; Your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, Your old men shall dream dreams, Your young men shall see visions.
So, the prophet Joel prophesied all of this, a thousand
years before Jesus! People had been
waiting and anticipating it since then.
That’s why Peter said to them.
This is what was spoken of by Joel.
“This is what you’ve been waiting for!”
When Jesus came this started to get more attention. It was accelerated, as they say. For example, John the Baptist was filled with
the Hoy Spirit, even before he was born.
Luke 1:41 (NKJV)
1:41 And it happened, when Elizabeth heard the greeting of Mary, that the babe leaped in her womb; and Elizabeth was filled with the Holy Spirit.
John’s Spirit recognized Jesus’ mother. John’s preaching increased the anticipation,
even more.
Matthew 3:11 (NKJV)
3:11 I indeed baptize you with water unto repentance, but He who is coming after me is mightier than I, whose sandals I am not worthy to carry. He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and fire.
So, he’s saying, “I will baptize with water, a part of your
repentance, but one is coming who will baptize you with the Holy Spirit! This is not the end! There’s more, immersion in the Holy Spirit.” (paraphrased) That word translated as baptism literally
means immersion. “Repent and be baptized…but it’s going to get even better.
Jesus came to John to be baptized and as He came up out of
the water, the Holy Spirit descended on Him and remained on Him!
Luke 4:1 (NKJV)
4:1 Then Jesus, being filled with the Holy Spirit, returned from the Jordan and was led by the Spirit into the wilderness,
After this Jesus Himself, begins to excite this
anticipation. He was constantly talking
about the Holy Spirit.
John 7:38-39 (NKJV)
7:38 He who believes in Me, as the Scripture has said, out of his heart will flow rivers of living water." 39 But this He spoke concerning the Spirit, whom those believing in Him would receive; for the Holy Spirit was not yet given, because Jesus was not yet glorified.
“If you believe in Me, you will receive the Holy Spirit, but
not yet just wait…It’s coming. He even
goes so far as to say, “you should be glad that I’m leaving because after I
leave, I’ll send the Holy Spirit.”
John 16:7 (NKJV)
16:7 Nevertheless I tell you the truth. It is to your advantage that I go away; for if I do not go away, the Helper will not come to you; but if I depart, I will send Him to you.
“If I don’t go, He doesn’t come to you…but if I go, I’ll
send Him.” They were really looking
forward to this. They couldn’t wait for
that day. They knew this was going to
happen, and they didn’t want to miss it.
The Day Finally Comes
Acts 1:4 (NKJV)
1:4 And being assembled together with them, He commanded them not to depart from Jerusalem, but to wait for the Promise of the Father, "which," He said, "you have heard from Me;
So, Jesus told them to wait for the Holy Spirit in
Jerusalem. Don’t leave, don’t go anyplace
else; Wait there, it will be soon. So,
they stay in Jerusalem and have a prayer meeting.
Acts 2:1-4 (NKJV)
2:1 When the Day of Pentecost had fully come, they were all with one accord in one place. 2 And suddenly there came a sound from heaven, as of a rushing mighty wind, and it filled the whole house where they were sitting. 3 Then there appeared to them divided tongues, as of fire, and one sat upon each of them. 4 And they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak with other tongues, as the Spirit gave them utterance.
Every one of those people who were there, and praying were
filled with the Holy Spirit. Every one
of them began speaking in tongues. This
is a Biblical pattern, speaking in tongues is evidence of the baptism of the
Holy Spirit. We know and can trust that
Jesus is alive, because He sent the Holy Spirit just like He promised. After He left, He sent the Holy Spirit.
The baptism of the Holy Spirit is for every believer. Every one of us who believes can be filled
with the Holy Spirit. It’s not just a
select few. Jesus told us that in Luke chapter
11:
Luke 11:13 (NKJV)
11:13 If you then, being evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to those who ask Him!"
The Holy Sirit is a gift for every believer that asks for
it.
Peter tells us this in Acts chapter 2:
Acts 2:39 (NKJV)
2:39 For the promise is to you and to your children, and to all who are afar off, as many as the Lord our God will call."
The promise is to you, your children and to all who are afar
off, as many as are called. It didn’t
die off with the Apostles. When he says
afar off, he’s not talking about distance, he’s talking about generations. This whole thing is about ALL who were
called. You are called, so, it’s for you,
as well.
The baptism of the Holy Spirit was a critical part of the
early church. Philip was having revival in
Samaria (just before he met the Ethiopian).
The apostles heard about the revival and went to see it and pray for
the people to receive the Holy Spirit. (Acts 8:14-15) They understood the need for the power of the Holy Spirit to embolden those
people to reach others and to build the church.
When Paul met up with the disciples in Ephesus he asked, “Did
you receive the Holy Spirit when you believed?” (Acts 19:2) It’s normal next step. That’s
what was supposed to happen. What does
the scripture say? “Repent, be baptized
and receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.”
They’re curious, because that’s what happened to them. Those twelve disciples received the Holy Spirit
and spoke in tongues.
Finally, receiving the Holy Spirit became a requirement of
ministry.
Acts 6:3-4 (NKJV)
6:3 Therefore, brethren, seek out from among you seven men of good reputation, full of the Holy Spirit and wisdom, whom we may appoint over this business; 4 but we will give ourselves continually to prayer and to the ministry of the word."
They wanted men who
had the Spirit of God in them; men who relied on the wisdom of God when making
decisions.
Maintaining the Temple
The baptism of the Holy Spirit is when He comes into your
life. He indwells in us. So, we are like a temple for Holy
Spirit. It’s the place where He dwells,
like the temple in Jerusalem where God dwelt.
It’s up to us to keep the temple clean.
We do that by keeping ourselves free of sin.
1 Corinthians 3:16-17 (NKJV)
3:16 Do you not know that you are the temple of God and that the Spirit of God dwells in you? 17 If anyone defiles the temple of God, God will destroy him. For the temple of God is holy, which temple you are.
We can’t earn the Holy Spirit by righteousness. It’s a gift, but righteousness in our lives
can maintain His presence. Remember God
can’t dwell where sin is!
1 Corinthians 6:18-19 (NKJV)
6:18 Flee sexual immorality. Every sin that a man does is outside the body, but he who commits sexual immorality sins against his own body. 19 Or do you not know that your body is the temple of the Holy Spirit who is in you, whom you have from God, and you are not your own?
Flee sexual immorality!
Why? Because you are a temple of
the Holy Spirit. He is indwelling in you. Do you want to bring God there?
2 Corinthians 6:16 (NKJV)
6:16 And what agreement has the temple of God with idols? For you are the temple of the living God. As God has said: "I will dwell in them And walk among them. I will be their God, And they shall be My people."
Flee Idolatry! Why? The temple of God shouldn’t have idols.
We need the Holy Spirit in our lives. It is an essential part of the Christian experience.
It’s much easier to serve God when you have the Holy Spirit. Sometimes, though, we need a refill.
In Acts chapter four, Peter and John are arrested and
threatened not to preach Jesus anymore.
They prayed for boldness and how did God answer that?
Acts 4:31 (NKJV)
4:31 And when they had prayed, the place where they were assembled together was shaken; and they were all filled with the Holy Spirit, and they spoke the word of God with boldness.
They were filled with the Holy Spirit. They got a refill. We all need that from time to time. We are leaky vessels.
I close with this:
Baptism of the Holy Spirit is the initial step. It’s the beginning of a deeper relationship with
Jesus, but it’s not enough to just receive the gift. Now we have to learn to lie it; to walk in
the Spirit!
Galatians 5:16 (NKJV)
5:16 I say then: Walk in the Spirit, and you shall not fulfill the lust of the flesh.
The reason some Christians don’t look like Jesus, don’t live
as a real Christian should, is because they don’t walk in the Spirit. They’re walking in the world and all its
lusts. The Holy Spirit descended on Jesus
and remained on Him. He was living out
God’s will. If we want to be like Jesus,
and by the way, that’s what Christian means, then we also need to live out God’s
will and walk in the Spirit.
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