THE BAPTISM OF THE HOLY SPIRIT

 

THE BAPTISM OF THE HOLY SPIRIT

 

 “And when the day of Pentecost was fully come, they were all with one accord in one place.  And suddenly there came a sound from heaven as of a rushing mighty wind, and it filled all the house where they were sitting.  And there appeared unto them cloven tongues like as of fire, and it sat upon each of them.

 

MEMORY VERSE:  And they were all filled with the Holy Ghost, and began to speak with other tongues, as the Spirit gave them utterance.”  (Acts 2:1-4)

 

INTRODUCTION

            Many today speak of being “spirit-filled” and “born again”.  But what are they talking about? 

 

I.          The term “born again” usually refers to Jesus’ conversation with Nicodemus, the Pharisee who came to him at night in John 3:5-6: “Jesus answered, Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born of water and of the Spirit, he cannot enter into the kingdom of God.  That which is born of the flesh is flesh; and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit.”   Nicodemus was having a difficult time understanding how someone who was grown could be “born again” so Jesus explained that the wind is real and you can feel and hear it but you can’t tell where it came from or where it is going - you can’t control it - so is every one that is “born again”.  (John 3:7)

 

II.         So, what do people mean by “spirit-filled”?

A.  More than one Old Testament prophet wrote of this phenomenon of God’s spirit actually living inside of us:

1)  Jeremiah wrote about it in his 31st chapter, verses 33 and 34: “But this shall be the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel; After those days, saith the Lord, I will put my law in their inward parts, and write it in their hearts; and will be their God, and they shall be my people.  And they shall teach no more every man his neighbour, and every man his brother, saying, Know the LORD: for they shall all know me, from the least of them unto the greatest of them, saith the LORD: for I will forgive their iniquity, and I will remember their sin no more.”

2)  Ezekiel, in the passage of his important prophecy about the New Testament Messiah       in chapter 36, even though the nation of Israel would not repent - for HIS NAME’S SAKE - He promises in verses 26 and 27:  “A new heart also will I give you, and a new spirit will I put within you: and I will take away the stony heart out of your flesh, and I will give you an heart of flesh.  And I will put my spirit within you, and cause you to walk in my statutes, and ye shall keep my judgments, and do them.”

3)  Probably the most well-known prophecy about being “spirit-filled” is found in Joel 2:28-29, “And it shall come to pass afterward, that I will pour out my spirit upon all flesh; and your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, your old men shall dream dreams, your young men shall see visions:  And also upon the servants and upon the handmaids in those days will I pour out my spirit.”

            B.   So, what does the New Testament say about this same phenomenon?

1)   Our memory verse  (Acts 2:4) clearly states that the Spirit gave the       disciples

      the utterance of “other tongues” - the initial sign manifesting His indwelling presence.

2)  When Peter told the Jews assembled in Jerusalem for the Feast of Pentecost that “this was that” spoken by the prophet Joel in Acts 2:16-18, his answer linked speaking with tongues to the gift of the Holy Ghost.

3)  Again, in Acts 2:33, later in his same sermon, Peter identified the sign of speaking with tongues as the evidence that the disciples had received the “promise of the Holy Ghost”.

            Both the Old and New Testaments agreed that God would fill His people with His Spirit, and when that happened, the initial evidence was speaking in tongues.

 

WHY DID GOD CHOOSE TONGUES?

            Fred Kinzie gives us several reasons in his tract about this subject:

 

I.          The Sovereignty of God - God is not accountable to us for what He chooses to do.  We have no reason to question His ways, nor to dispute His actions.  If you have any doubts that there is a decided connection between speaking with tongues and the baptism of the Holy Ghost, read the following scriptures:

1)  Isaiah 28:11-12

            2)  Mark 16:17

3)  Acts 10:46

4)  Acts 2:4

5)  Acts 19:1-6

 

II.         An External Evidence - There are many evidences of the operation of the Spirit of God in one’s life.  With some, it is a matter of time before they are manifest, such as the fruit of the Spirit.  These follow after the Holy Ghost comes to live in our heart and life and are results of it.  Peter and the six who went with him to Caesarea knew that the Gentiles had received the Holy Ghost, not because of long-suffering, gentleness, meekness or temperance but because they heard them speak with tongues and magnify God.  Such is an outward, external evidence, instantly observed and heard.

 

III.        A Uniform Evidence - In speaking about being born of the Spirit, Jesus states in John 3:8, “. . .so is everyone that is born of the Spirit.”  Certainly this is uniformity.  By carefully analyzing this verse, you will see that Jesus places emphasis upon the word “sound”.  You hear the sound of the wind blowing, and this is evidence of its presence.  It is not seeing nor feeling that is important, though these evidences may be present, but hearing the sound.  Some may conclude that this means the experience at Pentecost where they heard the sound as of a rushing mighty wind.  However, this rushing mighty wind was not spoken of in Acts 10:46 or in Acts 19:6, but speaking in tongues was.  We must conclude that the important part of the Spirit’s evidence at Pentecost was the speaking in other tongues.  The WIND was impersonal;  the SPEAKING was personal.

 

IV.        Complete Control - The speaking in tongues symbolized God’s complete control of the believer.  James teaches very revealing things about the nature of the tongue. 

1)  It is capable of defiling the whole body

2)  Though it is a small member, it has never been tamed of mankind

            Since these things are true about the tongue, doesn’t it need to be tamed before the whole body could be consecrated to God?  In Matthew 12:29, Jesus tells us that before you can enter a strong man’s house and spoil or plunder his goods, you must first bind the strong man.  The STRONG MAN OF YOUR HOUSE IS YOUR TONGUE.  When God tames your tongue, you are under the control of the great God of the heavens, you are endued with a spiritual force from on high and empowered for His service.

 

V.         The tongue is man’s greatest expression of his spirit - The ability and power to coordinate thought and tongue into intelligent speech is one of the highest prerogatives of man and elevates him above the beasts of the field - it makes him superior to any of God’s creation.  Therefore, the tongue is the vehicle of expression for the spirit. 

            It is not difficult, after realizing these things about my tongue to understand why God would use the speaking in tongues to express the greatest, most wonderful experience that mere man could receive.  In the baptism of the Holy Ghost, God’s Spirit and yours become one.  He uses your tongue and voice to express it,  and it is the wonder chosen by God - the sovereign ruler of the universe!

 

WHO NEEDS THE HOLY GHOST?

            There are six categories of Bible people who needed the Holy Ghost.  By studying them, we can see who needs the Holy Ghost even in our modern society:  Bro. Simeon Young wrote an excellent article on this subject, and he says:

 

I.          Religious Activists Need the Spirit - even the twelve apostles who had been with Jesus for three and a half years - healing the sick, casting out devils - still needed the Holy Ghost so much that Jesus told them to wait in Jerusalem until they were given the “power from on high”  (Luke 24:49).  In the book of Acts, Luke tells us that these 12 men received the Holy Ghost with the evidence of speaking with other tongues as the Spirit gave them utterance  (Acts 1:13-14; 2:1-2).

 

II.         Highly Favored and Blessed People Need the Spirit -  Even Mary, the mother of Jesus who had been called “highly favored” and “blessed” at least five times in the first chapter of Luke needed the Holy Ghost.  Her name was listed with the names of the 12 apostles  and other family members of Jesus who were waiting in the Upper Room when the Holy Ghost first fell on the Day of Pentecost.  Just because God blessed her and favored her did not mean that she was okay without God’s spirit living inside of her.

 

III.        Those Healed and Delivered Need the Spirit - “Unclean spirits, crying with a loud voice, came out of many (Samaritans) that were possessed with them: and many taken with palsies, and that were lame were healed.  And there was great joy in that city” (Acts 8:7,8).  Peter and John still came from Jerusalem and “prayed for them that they might receive the Holy Ghost:” because even with the divine touch of God in healing, they still needed His Spirit dwelling inside  (Acts 8:15-17).

 

IV.        Sincere, But Misguided, Religious Zealots Need the Spirit - Saul, of Tarsus was ALL of these things, but he desperately needed God’s Spirit living inside of him.  God sent him a preacher and Saul became Paul with a NEW BIRTH!  (Acts 9:17)

 

V.         Prayerful, Generous Friends of the Church Need the Spirit - Cornelius was very generous, and he prayed so hard, God sent an angel to speak to him!  But this God-fearing Gentile STILL needed the Spirit of God dwelling within!  (Acts 11:14)

 

VI.        Long-standing Church Members Need the Spirit - Paul found 12 men in the city of Ephesus who had been followers of John the Baptist for years.  It was obvious that these men were true believers.  But Paul STILL asked them, “have ye received the Holy Ghost since ye believed?”  (Acts 19:2).  After Paul baptized them again - this time in the name of the Lord Jesus - he “laid his hands upon them, the Holy Ghost came on them:  and they spake with tongues, and prophesied”  (Acts 19:5,6). 

 

            These six examples from God’s Word cover just about everybody you can think of - ANYBODY WHO DOESN’T HAVE THE HOLY GHOST NEEDS IT!

 

 

WHAT DOES THE HOLY GHOST DO FOR YOU?

 

I.          John 14:26        tells us that the Holy Ghost will teach us all things and bring all     things to our                                          remembrance, and we will have an understanding of the Word of God.

 

II.         Isaiah 28:12       lets us know that the Holy Ghost is the refreshing and gives rest to the weary.

 

III.        John 16:13        says that the Spirit of truth lets us know things to come in the future.

IV.        Acts 1:8 here we are told that the Spirit gives us power for witnessing.

 

V.         Romans 8:11     helps us understand that the spirit is our promise that we will be

                                    resurrected!

 

VI.        Romans 8:26     gives us assurance that the Spirit even helps us to pray - through

                                    intercession.

 

VII.       Isaiah 59:19       says that the Spirit of the Lord will raise a standard against the enemy of our                                               soul.

 

VIII.      Romans 8:9       Christ places His seal of ownership on us by His Spirit IN US. 

           

If someone were offering you a gift that would reap all of these benefits, would you actually REFUSE it?  The Gift of the Holy Ghost is a WONDERFUL thing - needed by all, and with TREMENDOUS benefits!  If you want this gift, just obey Peter’s instructions, given on the Day of Pentecost:

 

 

“. . .Repent, and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ

for the remission of sins, and ye SHALL receive the GIFT OF THE HOLY GHOST!

For the promise is unto you, and to your children,

and to all that are afar off, even as many as the Lord our God shall call.”

(Acts 2:38-39)

 

.

. .RECEIVE YE THE

HOLY GHOST!