Jesus = Spirit Baptizer
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Intro:
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.
5 for John truly baptized with water, but you shall be baptized with the Holy Spirit not many days from now.”
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.”
As we continue our discussion on Jesus, I want us to see this morning that, [Jesus = Spirit Baptizer].
Last years I heard a pastor reference a book entitled, Does God Have a Big Toe?I purchased the book and read through the stories.
I purchased the book and read through the stories. It was written by a Jewish Rabbi who took prominent stories of the Old Testament who wanted to make the memorable for children.
It was written by a Jewish Rabbi who took prominent stories of the Old Testament who wanted to make the memorable for children.
Does God Have a Big Toe- page 43-45
Now that is not really how it happened, but it does present a greater truth. There are some stories of the Old Testament that are simply hard to understand.
Why did Cain kill Abel?
Why did God HAVE to flood the entire world?
Why did they try to construct the tower of Babel?
Why did Abraham lie and say that Sarah was his sister?
Why did Isaac try the same thing with Rebekah?
Why did Laban trick Jacob into marrying Leah instead of Rachel?
If anyone has tried to read Genesis, I am sure you have had similar questions. Truthfully, reading through the Old Testament leaves a lot of unanswered questions.
But everything changes when we are introduced to the man named Jesus. When we read the Old Testament in light of the cross, we realize that humanity has hope because of the sacrifice of Jesus.
Before Jesus came the world was in rebellion, after Jesus came we can have a relationship.
Before Jesus came the world was gripped in sin, after Jesus came we can be saved.
Before Jesus came God’s righteous anger judged us, after Jesus came we can be justified of our sins, receiving God’s grace.
Before Jesus came God revealed Himself to a select few, after Jesus came God has been revealed to all flesh and we can come boldly before Him!
For the past two weeks we have started in Genesis and ended up in the Gospels. When we think of Jesus we should think: Savior and Healer.
This morning, I want to look at another facet of Jesus’ ministry in our lives, Jesus = Spirit Baptizer. When John the Baptist introduced Jesus, he declared, He will baptize you in with the Holy Spirit and with FIRE!
Then, right before Jesus ascended to heaven, He promised, you will be baptized in the Holy Spirit.
Our belief in the baptism in the Holy Spirit is so important to our Pentecostal faith that it is one of our four core doctrines: We believe in Salvation, Healing, the Baptism in the Holy Spirit, and the Blessed Hope.
We believe: All believers are entitled to and should ardently expect and earnestly seek the promise of the Father, the baptism in the Holy Spirit and fire, according to the command of our Lord Jesus Christ.
Today, I want us to look at two stories that are separated by thousands of years. We will look at the story of the Tower of Babel and the Day of Pentecost.
I have two points, [The Problems with Pride] and [The Honor of Humility].
Let’s begin
1. The Problems with Pride
1. The Problems with Pride
1 Now the whole earth had one language and one speech. 2 And it came to pass, as they journeyed from the east, that they found a plain in the land of Shinar, and they dwelt there. 3 Then they said to one another, “Come, let us make bricks and bake them thoroughly.” They had brick for stone, and they had asphalt for mortar. 4 And they said, “Come, let us build ourselves a city, and a tower whose top is in the heavens; let us make a name for ourselves, lest we be scattered abroad over the face of the whole earth.”
By the time we get to , the world went through the Flood. God spared Noah and his family. They have now repopulated the earth and spread throughout the Middle East.
We see that the whole earth spoke ONE language. They determined to do something that had never been accomplished. they were going to build a tower so that they could make a name for themselves.
Notice a few key words in these four verses: US and OURSELVES. Instead of looking to the Lord for help, they were prideful and arrogant. They were content to exalt themselves.
They wanted everyone around to see their tower and to be impressed with their exploits. They longed for people to declare, “did you see what the people of Babel did? There is not group of people as great as they are!”
They would hear the praise of everyone because they all spoke the same language. However, what they did in the meantime was leave God out of the equation.
They did not consult God as to when and how they should build this tower. Furthermore they were told to be fruitful, multiply, and fill the earth.
Instead, they wanted to congregate in one central location and miss God’s help in their life. They wanted to build a monument to the people of Babel. The entire process and time God was nowhere in the mix, because they did not consult or invite Him.
What was God’s response?
5 But the Lord came down to see the city and the tower which the sons of men had built. 6 And the Lord said, “Indeed the people are one and they all have one language, and this is what they begin to do; now nothing that they propose to do will be withheld from them. 7 Come, let Us go down and there confuse their language, that they may not understand one another’s speech.” 8 So the Lord scattered them abroad from there over the face of all the earth, and they ceased building the city. 9 Therefore its name is called Babel, because there the Lord confused the language of all the earth; and from there the Lord scattered them abroad over the face of all the earth.
When the writer of Genesis included this part of the story, he employed a bit of humor. They wanted to build a tower that reached to heaven.
The tower was complete and they were proud of their work. It was big in their eyes, but we see God had to “come down” to inspect what they did. They fell short of their desired goal.
God saw that they reverted to pagan ways, so He made a decision: We will change their languages. Imagine the confusion that followed when one person spoke in Hebrew, but there answered by someone speaking Spanish?
People began to group together with people they could understand and they were forced to settle throughout the earth.
When I read through this story in preparation for this message, I thought, what is one word to describe what took place. The word I decided on is PRIDE.
Pride is a mindset that determines, I want my way above God’s way. Not once did the people consult God or call on His name. Instead they wanted it to be all about them!
They followed the lead of the enemy who declared:
12 “How you are fallen from heaven, O Lucifer, son of the morning! How you are cut down to the ground, You who weakened the nations! 13 For you have said in your heart: ‘I will ascend into heaven, I will exalt my throne above the stars of God; I will also sit on the mount of the congregation On the farthest sides of the north; 14 I will ascend above the heights of the clouds, I will be like the Most High.’
The problems that followed pride were life-changing. Pride destroyed their understanding as people groups were forced to go throughout the world.
It is interesting to note from this point forward, God turns His focus on Noah’s second son Shem’s genealogy. From Shem eventually came Abraham.
Babel made God turn His focus on the Hebrew people. He made a promise to Abraham that his descendant would be like the stars in the sky and the sand on the shore.
Pride made God divide people as they exalted themselves. But what happened in history when people looked to the Lord...
2. Hope in Humility
2. Hope in Humility
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.” 6 Therefore, when they had come together, they asked Him, saying, “Lord, will You at this time restore the kingdom to Israel?” 7 And He said to them, “It is not for you to know times or seasons which the Father has put in His own authority. 8 But you shall receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you shall be witnesses to Me in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth.”
I have read this passage of scripture so many times, but I think it is hard for us to grasp how the followers of Jesus felt. They left everything to follow Him and now He was going to leave.
How would they move forward? Would they stay together? How were they to go to nations of the world and tell them about the resurrection? How were they to break through cultural and language barriers?
They had a seemingly impossible task and they did not know how they could fulfill their assignment. They even focused on temporary issues.
How were they to break through cultural and language barriers?
Is this the hour of Israel to become a great nation again? Will we rise to our place of power in the world? Jesus reminded them God has that under control. They simply need to wait to be empowered by the Holy Spirit!
So they did just that, the waited. This is another hard thing for us to grasp. Many Christians have a hard time waiting ten minutes on God let alone ten days.
But they were desparate because they were powerless. They knew they needed God’s help. So for ten days they exalted the Lord. They included God in their waiting time because they did not want to miss God’s help!
What was God’s response to their humility?
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. 5 And there were dwelling in Jerusalem Jews, devout men, from every nation under heaven. 6 And when this sound occurred, the multitude came together, and were confused, because everyone heard them speak in his own language.
12 So they were all amazed and perplexed, saying to one another, “Whatever could this mean?” 13 Others mocking said, “They are full of new wine.”
;
No
I know you have heard me preach from this chapter before, but I want us to think of this in light of . Look at some of the similarities between the Tower of Babel and the Day of Pentecost.
There was a tall tower and an upper room.
There was intervention from heaven.
There was was confusion because of different languages.
However, there is one MAJOR difference. The difference is Jesus. The people in were consumed with sin and rebellion. Whereas the people in Acts to were in relationship with the Father through Jesus!
Because they had repented of their sin, the pride and rebellion that separated them from God had been forgiven. The result? They came to God in humility!
6 But He gives more grace. Therefore He says: “God resists the proud, But gives grace to the humble.”
Since they were humble before the Lord, God reversed what happened in . Instead of coming to investigate their pride, God responded to their humility!
Instead of coming down in disappointment, He was delighted to come down to the Upper Room. Instead of separating them in their rebellion, He drew them together in unity!
As they were in unity, suddenly, they began speaking in a new language, they spoke in tongues. Now think about that, the same thing that He used to divide the pagan people of Genesis, He used to unite His church!
The crowds outside gathered, many who were bilingual. And they heard these people in the Upper Room who were uneducated and couldn’t speak more than one language.
But these Hebrew men and women from Galilee were speaking in sixteen different languages, perfectly, without an accent. Now God was speaking through them in tongues to the people who needed to hear about Jesus.
Peter stood to provide some clarity to what God was doing.
14 But Peter, standing up with the eleven, raised his voice and said to them, “Men of Judea and all who dwell in Jerusalem, let this be known to you, and heed my words. 15 For these are not drunk, as you suppose, since it is only the third hour of the day. 16 But this is what was spoken by the prophet Joel: 17 ‘And it shall come to pass in the last days, says God, That I will pour out of My Spirit on all flesh; Your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, Your young men shall see visions, Your old men shall dream dreams. 18 And on My menservants and on My maidservants I will pour out My Spirit in those days; And they shall prophesy.
On the day of Pentecost God empowered His church with the Holy Spirit, enabling them to fulfill their assignment to reach the entire world for Jesus!
Where rebellion separated them in Genesis, grace and salvation united them in the book of Acts. The difference between the two audiences? Jesus!
Close:
What God used to divide in the Old Testament, now He used to bring people. And today, there are people on every continent, of every tribe, tongue, and nation who know about Jesus!
Why? Because God responds to those who humble themselves before the Lord!
The people of Babel exalted self, left God out of the picture, and missed God’s help.
But the church in Acts exalted the Lord, realized God was their only hope, and He sent His help through the Holy Spirit!
Everything we read in the New Testament is a direct result from what took place on the Day of Pentecost. Had Jesus not baptized His church in the Holy Spirit, they would not have had the necessary power to fulfill their assignment!
Now I want to take this ancient story and bring it home to 2019. We have a choice to make, we can go through this life without God’s help or we can go through this life with God’s help!
In the genius of God, He decided to use people to fulfill His purpose. But as we see in Genesis, people fail. People are selfish. People are rebellious by nature.
So He determined, I will send MY Son. He will be the substitute for their sins. And after they have repented of their sins, He will give them a separate but equally important gift, the baptism in the Holy Spirit.
I will give them the same power Jesus had while He walked on earth! The same Jesus that forgives our sins, the same Jesus that heals us, is the same Jesus that wants to empower us with His Spirit!
And when He does, He will give us a new language. And the only person it will confuse is the devil, for when we speak in tongues, we speak to God and God alone!
Jesus is the baptizer in the Holy Spirit!
But I have a concern on my heart and it has to do with the baptism in the Holy Spirit. As we look at God’s blessings upon our church and other Pentecostal churches we must know that what got us here is the power of the Holy Spirit!
I was thinking of some of the things I know we like about our church, this is based on my observation and what people have told me.
In our church we have:
The presence of the Lord. I have watched at different times when people will be refreshed, finding solace and peace in God’s presence.
An effective prayer ministry. We know where to go when we have tragedies or difficulties. Let me ask, who has had a need met supernaturally at this altar or through our church?
Experienced healing, where God has inexplicably intervened on our behalf helping and healing.
Joy, people get along. There is unity. We are not a church of grumblers and complainers, but a church that has a Kingdom vision!
In our church is anointed prayer, worship, (i think) preaching, peace, joy, help, happiness, blessings, and favor from God!
Now what I am about to say I say in humility and I say it based on the word of God. The things we love about our church are rooted and founded on the fact that we desire to follow God’s pattern for the church to be filled with power from heaven!
Should we forsake, neglect, or determine we do not need the baptism in the Holy Spirit with the initial physical evidence of speaking in other tongues, then what has made our church what it is today will cease to function!
If we neglect our Pentecostal identity, then we risk losing on the supernatural experiences and supernatural blessings that define our church!
Let me summarize my thoughts and feelings on this topic with a poem I learned from Pastor Davis:
A lion met a tiger while drinking at the pool Said the lion to tiger, why do you roar like a fool I am not a fool said the lion with a twinkle in his eye They call me king of the beast because I advertise
Said the lion to teh
A rabbit heard them talking and ran home like a streak He thought he’d try the lions plan, but his roar was just a squeak A fox came to investigate and had rabbit lunch in the woods So next time you advertise my friends, make sure you have the goods
I am concerned that if we are not careful we can become Pentecostal in name only. We will advertise that we can pray, we can touch heaven, and we can experience God’s power.
But if we neglect the baptism in the Holy Spirit with speaking in tongues, then we attempt to circumvent and go around God’s plan for our lives!
And should we attempt to do what God wants us to do without His Spirit, then we are walking in pride and problems will soon follow.
However, if we will look to Jesus, the same one who saved us and who has healed us, He will come down and baptize us in His Spirit. He will respond to our humility.
Pride says I can do it in my own strength and power.
Humility says, God I need you, come fill me with your Spirit!
What is the solution?
We need to pray that God give us a personal Pentecost. What I have felt in our services, let me have that in my heart and life. I want to be filled with your Spirit, I come humbly before you!
