The New Testament - 5
Notes
Transcript
Key Verse
Key Verse
15 Therefore he is the mediator of a new covenant, so that those who are called may receive the promised eternal inheritance, since a death has occurred that redeems them from the transgressions committed under the first covenant.
The Resurrection
The Resurrection
Water baptism was for our burial with Christ,
But we shouldn’t stay buried...
4 We were buried therefore with him by baptism into death, in order that, just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, we too might walk in newness of life.
5 For if we have been united with him in a death like his, we shall certainly be united with him in a resurrection like his.
When we die to our sins and are buried with Christ in water baptism,
we don’t stay dead.
And we don’t stay buried
Just like Jesus, we must follow Him out of the grave.
Jesus was only in the tomb for three days.
On the third day he rose again.
And we should rise again after our burial in baptism too.
How do we rise again?
Paul tell us in Romans 8:
9 You, however, are not in the flesh but in the Spirit, if in fact the Spirit of God dwells in you. Anyone who does not have the Spirit of Christ does not belong to him.
10 But if Christ is in you, although the body is dead because of sin, the Spirit is life because of righteousness.
11 If the Spirit of him who raised Jesus from the dead dwells in you, he who raised Christ Jesus from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies through his Spirit who dwells in you.
In this passage we can confirm two things
Romans 8:9 says you don’t even belong to God if you don’t have His Spirit in you.
2. When we have God’s Spirit in us, we are resurrected just like He was. (Romans 8:11).
So, we are crucified with Christ through repentance,
we are buried with Christ through water baptism,
and we are resurrected with Christ
by His Spirit living in us.
Having the Holy Spirit live in you is essential!
How do I know I have His Spirit?
How do I know I have His Spirit?
I know I have repented because the Bible teaches us how to do this.
I know I’ve been baptized
because the Bible teaches us how to do this as well.
But how do I know I’ve been filled with His Spirit?
To find out, we need to go back to the beginning of the church.
Back to the first out pouring of the Holy Spirit.
I want to see how they knew they were filled with God’s Spirit.
What is the Sign?
What is the Sign?
What is the Sign?
Now, Most Christians agree
that you must receive the Holy Spirit to be saved
and have eternal life in Heaven.
However, many disagree about the manner in which the Holy Spirit is received.
Every time someone received the Holy Spirit in the Bible,
it was always accompanied by an outward sign
to show that they had in fact received the Holy Spirit.
It would be illogical for God to give us multiple different signs
So, let’s look at the 4 Biblical examples
Of people being Spirit Filled.
Examples in Acts
Examples in Acts
We will look at every example in the Book of Acts
of someone being filled with the Holy Spirit.
And we will start with the first time it happened
Which was on…
The Day of Pentecost
The Day of Pentecost
About 2000 years ago Jesus Christ was resurrected from the dead. He was then seen alive by
many witnesses for approximately 40 days. During this time, He left very important instructions
for His closest followers. One of the last things that He told His disciples can be found in the
first chapter of the book of Acts.
1 In the first book, O Theophilus, I have dealt with all that Jesus began to do and teach,
2 until the day when he was taken up, after he had given commands through the Holy Spirit to the apostles whom he had chosen.
3 He presented himself alive to them after his suffering by many proofs, appearing to them during forty days and speaking about the kingdom of God.
4 And while staying with them he ordered them not to depart from Jerusalem, but to wait for the promise of the Father, which, he said, “you heard from me;
5 for John baptized with water, but you will be baptized with the Holy Spirit not many days from now.”
In Acts 1:4, Jesus tells the disciples to wait in Jerusalem for the promise of the Father.
Jesus then elaborates on what that promise is in Acts 1:5 stating,
“…you will be baptized with the Holy Spirit not many days from now.”
So, in Acts 1:1-5, we find the real theme of this book:
baptism with the Holy Spirit.
So, Jesus said, wait a few days and you will receive the baptism of the Spirit
And that is what they did.
and then a few days later
Jest as Jesus promised…
1 When the day of Pentecost arrived, they were all together in one place.
2 And suddenly there came from heaven a sound like a mighty rushing wind, and it filled the entire house where they were sitting.
3 And divided tongues as of fire appeared to them and rested on each one of them.
4 And they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in other tongues as the Spirit gave them utterance.
In Acts 2, we find the initial occurrence of the outpouring of the Holy Spirit that Jesus told His
disciples to wait for in Acts 1. The supernatural sign that let them know that they were being
“baptized with the Holy Spirit” was the fact that they all spoke in tongues. (Acts 2:4). This
means they all spoke in another language other than their own. Notice the conjunction “and” in
this verse, which links being filled with the Spirit and speaking in tongues. These two things
occurred simultaneously because speaking in tongues was given as a sign that a person had
received the Holy Spirit.
Acts 2:4 explains that it was the Holy Spirit that gave them the “utterance.” According to the
Oxford dictionary, the word utterance means, “a spoken word, statement, or vocal sound.” So
in other words, God was giving them the ability to make the sound of words from another
language as they received the gift of the Holy Spirit. This supernatural sign is the only recurring sign that
is given by scripture to signify someone being baptized by the Holy Spirit as we will see in later
events that occur in the book of Acts.
Read Acts 2:5-8
5 Now there were dwelling in Jerusalem Jews, devout men from every nation under heaven.
6 And at this sound the multitude came together, and they were bewildered, because each one was hearing them speak in his own language.
7 And they were amazed and astonished, saying, “Are not all these who are speaking Galileans?
8 And how is it that we hear, each of us in his own native language?
The commotion of 120 people being filled with God’s Spirit was so loud that it could not be
contained within the walls of the upper room that they were praying in. There were people
outside that began to gather, People from all over the world, People who were traveling to Jerusalem for the Pentecost holiday, and they were wondering what was going on (Acts 2:6).
So, they asked this question in verse 12:
Acts 2.12
12 And all were amazed and perplexed, saying to one another, “What does this mean?”
What does THIS mean?
Peter then stood up to address the crowd and answer this question about what was happening (Acts 2:14).
14 But Peter, standing with the eleven, lifted up his voice and addressed them: “Men of Judea and all who dwell in Jerusalem, let this be known to you, and give ear to my words.
15 For these people are not drunk, as you suppose, since it is only the third hour of the day.
16 But this is what was uttered through the prophet Joel:
17 “ ‘And in the last days it shall be, God declares, that I will pour out my Spirit on all flesh, and your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, and your young men shall see visions, and your old men shall dream dreams;
Now, The crowd asked how and why the people were speaking in many different languages and
Peter answered them by saying that what they were hearing was the fulfillment of Joel 2:28, which states, “…I will pour out my Spirit on all flesh” (Acts 2:16-17).
When Peter said the words “this is what” in verse 16,
it proves that speaking in tongues
is the sign of receiving the gift of the Holy Spirit.
16 But this is what was uttered through the prophet Joel:
Let me break it down even more if you didn’t catch it.
Their Question was : “What does this mean?” in Acts 2:12.
Peter’s Answer: “This is What” Acts 2:16
What is the word “This” referring too? in verse 12 and verse 16?
This = 120 people speaking in many different languages that they could not have learned.
What does the word “What” refer to in verse 16?
What = God pour out His Spirit on all humanity (fulfilment of Joel 2:28)
Peter went on to explain that when you receive the Holy Spirit, you can see and hear it happen
(Acts 2:33).
And recall the words of Jesus in John 3:8
8 The wind blows where it wishes, and you hear its sound, but you do not know where it comes from or where it goes. So it is with everyone who is born of the Spirit.”
In Acts 2, Peter then explained that they had crucified Jesus,
who was the Lord and messiah,
but that God had raised him up again and he was seen alive by many witnesses,
proving he was the messiah.
When the crowd of people heard this first Gospel sermon in Acts 2,
the Bible says that they were, “pierced or cut to the heart,”
and they asked Peter what they should do.
36 Let all the house of Israel therefore know for certain that God has made him both Lord and Christ, this Jesus whom you crucified.”
37 Now when they heard this they were cut to the heart, and said to Peter and the rest of the apostles, “Brothers, what shall we do?”
Peter responded in the very next verse
that if they all repent and are all baptized in
Jesus’ name, they will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit too
38 And Peter said to them, “Repent and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins, and you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.
We’ve come across this verse a few times in this series
Because it is connect to the 3 elements of Salvation
That we have proven are essential
Repent, be baptized in Jesus’ Name
And now, finally, receive the Gift of the Holy Spirit.
If you have repented, don’t stop there
Get baptized in Jesus’ Name
If you’ve been baptized
Can I tell you that there is a gift waiting for you?
A gift from God
The Gift of the Holy Spirit
Then Peter emphasized that
the gift of the Holy Spirit is a gift for everyone,
everywhere (Acts 2:39
39 For the promise is for you and for your children and for all who are far off, everyone whom the Lord our God calls to himself.”
The Samaritans
The Samaritans
In Acts 8, the revival of the early church was beginning to spread outside of the full-blooded
Jews, just as Jesus had foretold in Acts 1:8. We can learn many things from the outpouring of
the Spirit on the Samaritans, who were half Jewish.
Some people claim that the evidence that you have been given the gift of the Holy Spirit
Is not speaking in tongues like it was on the Day of Pentecost
Even though Jesus said that you would always hear the speech
of someone being born of the Spirit in John 3.8.
Still people claim that you receive the Spirit during water baptism
Some claim that you it is when you hear the Gospel
Some claim it is when you believe in Jesus
Some claim that it is when you have fruit of the Spirit,
like kindness or joy
But Acts chapter 8 disproves all of those ideas easily
3 But Saul was ravaging the church, and entering house after house, he dragged off men and women and committed them to prison.
4 Now those who were scattered went about preaching the word.
5 Philip went down to the city of Samaria and proclaimed to them the Christ.
6 And the crowds with one accord paid attention to what was being said by Philip, when they heard him and saw the signs that he did.
7 For unclean spirits, crying out with a loud voice, came out of many who had them, and many who were paralyzed or lame were healed.
8 So there was much joy in that city.
So, persecution from Saul,
Who in the next chapter is converted on the road to Damacus
And became a great apostle of Christ
Here in acts 8, He is running Christians out of Jerusalem
And we find Phillip, one of the 7 men who were helping tend to the widows of the Church
He goes to Samaria to hide from Saul
And he preaches the Gospel to them in verse 5
And they didn’t ignore him according to verse 6
and yet… we will see in just a moment
That despite hearing the gospel
and paying attention to it
They were not filled with the Spirit
In verse 6 and 7 we also see many miracles happening
And yet, this was not evidence of the people being filled with the Spirit
And in verse 8
We see they had much joy in the city
And yet, this was not evidence of the people being filled with the Spirit
How do i know this?
Let’s read on..
12 But when they believed Philip as he preached good news about the kingdom of God and the name of Jesus Christ, they were baptized, both men and women.
Here we can confirm
That the Samaritans didn’t just hear and pay attention to the gospel
They believed the Gospel
And they responded to the Gospel
By being baptized in the name of Jesus Christ
All of them
Both men and women.
But not the children, recall our discussion about infant baptisms.
So, they hear, pay attention to, and believe the Gospel.
They had many miracles
They had much Joy, which is fruit of the Spirit, right?
They were baptized in Jesus’ Name
Many church today would say this is more than enough evidence
to prove that you have the Spirit living inside you…
But what does the Bible say?
14 Now when the apostles at Jerusalem heard that Samaria had received the word of God, they sent to them Peter and John,
15 who came down and prayed for them that they might receive the Holy Spirit,
Wait a minute?
You mean they don’t have the Holy Spirit yet?
Nope.
16 for he had not yet fallen on any of them, but they had only been baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus.
Miracles, Gospel, Belief, Baptism, but not one single person there had the Holy Spirit.
He had not yet fallen on ANY of them… it says.
But let’s read on…
17 Then they laid their hands on them and they received the Holy Spirit.
So, this passage doesn’t say they spoke in tongues
That is correct
But it is still very important
Because:
It proves water baptism alone is not Spirit baptism.
Joy is not evidence
Miracles are not evidence
Hearing, paying attention to, receiving, and believing the Gospel are not evidence
So, then what is the evidence?
what is the Sign?
The only sign we had in Acts 2 was speaking in tongues
Are we to believe that God did something else here
and then didn’t tell us what it was
and we are just left clueless forever?
Or do we go off of what we have already read Peter say in Acts chapter 2
Which is that speaking in tongues was the fulfillment of Joel 2 about the outpouring of the Spirit?
Furthermore, we have some context clues
That indicate that the gift of the Spirit in Acts 8
Was a visible outward sign.
What this in verse 18
18 Now when Simon saw that the Spirit was given through the laying on of the apostles’ hands, he offered them money,
I don’t have time to get into who Simon is
We are already going to go late tonight
But the point I want to show here
Is that Simon SAW the Spirit was given
What did he see?
Something other than what happened at Pentecost?
Why would God not tell us if it was something different?
Wouldn’t we need to know if it was something different?
Since we need to have this gift to belong to Christ?
9 You, however, are not in the flesh but in the Spirit, if in fact the Spirit of God dwells in you. Anyone who does not have the Spirit of Christ does not belong to him.
and Oh, by the way… I’m not telling you how to know that you have it.
That part is a secret.
That would be ridiculous.
We know what happened
Because we just read about it a fews pages before this event in Samaria
They spoke in tongues
And if that is not enough
We have another example a couple pages later
that is very clear what the sign is when you receive the gift of the Spirit.
Cornelius’ House
Cornelius’ House
Read Acts 10:1-2 and Acts 10:44-48
1 At Caesarea there was a man named Cornelius, a centurion of what was known as the Italian Cohort,
2 a devout man who feared God with all his household, gave alms generously to the people, and prayed continually to God.
From this we learn
Fearing God is not evidence of Spirit baptism
Giving to charity is not evidence of Spirit baptism
Praying all day every day continually is not evidence of Spirit Baptism.
Now, later in this chapter,
In Acts 10:44, the Holy Ghost fell on the Gentiles, or non-Jews, for the first time.
It is stated in Acts 10:45 that the Jews were amazed by this because up until this point they had never seen a non-Jew receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.
How did the Jews know they receive the Holy Spirt?
The answer is in Acts 10:46.
44 While Peter was still saying these things, the Holy Spirit fell on all who heard the word.
45 And the believers from among the circumcised who had come with Peter were amazed, because the gift of the Holy Spirit was poured out even on the Gentiles.
46 For they were hearing them speaking in tongues and extolling God…
When the Gentiles spoke in tongues,
this showed the Jews that receiving the Holy Spirit was for everyone,
not just them.
And not just for the Samaritans who were half-Jew
There was no doubt that the Gentiles had received the Holy Spirit because of the outward sign
of speaking in tongues, which was the same way the Jews had received the Holy Spirit.
God gave us one outward physical sign to show that a person has received the Holy
Spirit: speaking in tongues.
In the next chapter
The other apostles didn’t believe that non Jews were Spirit-filled
And Peter says…
15 As I began to speak, the Holy Spirit fell on them just as on us at the beginning.
16 And I remembered the word of the Lord, how he said, ‘John baptized with water, but you will be baptized with the Holy Spirit.’
17 If then God gave the same gift to them as he gave to us when we believed in the Lord Jesus Christ, who was I that I could stand in God’s way?”
So, they got the same gift as Peter did on the day of Pentecost
This proves that speaking in tongues is the evidence of “THE SAME GIFT”
That was poured out at Pentecost
The Gift that Peter said..
39 For the promise is for you and for your children and for all who are far off, everyone whom the Lord our God calls to himself.”
John’s Disciples
John’s Disciples
One final example, that I’ll just touch on briefly
Because of time constraints:
2 And he said to them, “Did you receive the Holy Spirit when you believed?” And they said, “No, we have not even heard that there is a Holy Spirit.”
6 And when Paul had laid his hands on them, the Holy Spirit came on them, and they began speaking in tongues and prophesying.
Conclusion
Conclusion
The evidence is clear. In every case of God pouring out His Spirit in the book of Acts, it
either directly or indirectly verifies that speaking in tongues is the sign that one has received
this gift. It could not have been an inward only sign like joy or belief, because the scriptures
shown have eliminated those possibilities. It can’t be the same as water baptism based on multiple examples in Acts. It can’t be because you fear God, pray a lot, or give to the poor.
Jesus even says that one of the signs of a true
believer is speaking in tongues (Mark 16:17).
The Holy Spirit is a gift that was promised to you.
If you repent and are baptized in the name of Jesus,
you can have this gift.
It will happen just like it did on the day of Pentecost
many years ago when God first poured out his spirit.
He didn’t change the sign of speaking in tongues in the Bible
And He hasn’t changed it since.
