The Baptizing Work of the Spirit

Transcript

GR 1345
02-18-07
The Baptizing Work of the Spirit
I Corinthians 12:12-13
Gil Rugh

We're in I Corinthians 12. We're talking about the gifts of the Spirit, absolutely crucial section of the Word of God for understanding what the church is and how the church is to function. We've referred to the fact that there are all kinds of books being written, conferences being produced to tell the church what it is to do and how it can be effective and so on. We need to be sure that we are looking for the Word of God to find out what God says His plan for the church is. And He has made every provision for the church to function in accomplishing all that He intends it to accomplish to bring honor and glory to Himself and to be prepared to be presented in the glory of His presence.

We're not necessarily going verse by verse in order. When we're done we will have covered all the verses, but in our last study together we looked at verses 7, 11, 18. We selected those three because they are very similar in content and emphases and they help tie things together. There were five key points that we noted about the spiritual gifts that we want to have fixed in our mind in those three verses. 1) The recipients of the gifts are all believers and not just all believers collectively, but all believers individually and personally. We noted that repeated emphases, verse 7 to each one, verse 11 distributing to each one individually, verse 18 each one of them. We also noted in the other passages on spiritual gifts you have that same personal individual emphases. So the recipients of the gifts, all believers individually and personally. 2) The nature of the gifts, they are a manifestation of the presence and work of the Spirit of God in a life. Verse 7, to each one is given the manifestation of the Spirit. So spiritual gifts are simply a manifestation of the Spirit's presence and work in the life of a child of God. And we function together as a church, and all the individual parts work and that manifests the presence of the Spirit in each of our lives individually. 3) Third, the purpose of the gifts, they are for the benefit of the body of Christ. Verse 7, they are for the common good. The common good refers to the good of the body. We looked at other passages on spiritual gifts on this. My spiritual gift is not primarily given to me for my personal benefit, it's not so that I can study the Word, organize my thoughts on the passage and my understanding and then stand up in my room by myself and teach it to myself. That's not the purpose of the gift. Now there are always benefits and blessings that come to the individual exercising their gift, because the Spirit of God is using them. But the purpose of the gifts is for the benefit of others, and that's important and will become more evident even as we move through our study. 4) Fourth, the source of the gifts, they come from the sovereign God. He gives the gifts and that was emphasized in verses 11 and 18. He is the source of the gifts. Verse 11, they are a manifestation of the Spirit's work in the life. So He bestows the gifts. They are different than natural talents and abilities. We talk about the gifts, sometimes they seem to overlap. Spiritual gifts are unique. 5) The fifth point we noted was that the determination of the gifts is the will of God. Now the gifts not only come from a sovereign God, but He determines what your gift will be. So it's not a matter, well the gift comes from God and oh, Lord, I would like to have this gift. No, the sovereign God determines what gift you get and places you in the body accordingly. Verse 18, now God has placed the members, each one of them, in the body just as He desired.

Now we back up and pick up with verse 12. Now we haven't looked at verses 8-10, and what we're going to do is look at the spiritual gifts together. You have some of the spiritual gifts mentioned as examples in verses 8-10. We'll come back and look at those in connection with other of the gifts that are mentioned later in chapter 12 and tie them together and show how they relate and what differences are to be drawn, or distinctions.

The analogy in all of this is the human body and Paul will belabor this point and elaborate on it. He's going to compare the human body, its one body with many parts. So look at verse 12, for even as the body is one and has many members, many parts, all the members of the body, though they are many, are one body. So that's our physical body. There are a variety of parts in the body. But the body is one and you'll note that back and forth emphases that we have seen in each of our studies and each of our sections in chapter 12. Verse 12 says, the body is one. One body that you have. I have a body, it's just one body. We say, bring your body over here. Well, which one? You only have one body, but you have various parts of your body—fingers, hands, ears, eyes, nose and so on. So that's verse 12 on the physical body, the body is one, it has many members. Now that's been his stress, because what has happened in the church at Corinth? It is fragmenting and dividing over the matter of spiritual gifts. Instead of them working together in a unified way as the body of Christ in that place, they are dividing and having conflict and division and so on. He's stressing this, you only have one body, it has many parts. And all the members of the body, the middle of verse 12, though they are many are one body. I don't know how many parts they would add up to make up a body. When you get down to all the individual minute parts internally and externally, that would be quite a list. But they all go together to make up one physical body.

And now the comparison, the end of verse 12. So also is Christ. Interesting he puts it here, he didn't say so also is the body of Christ, that will be the idea. But so also is Christ. We're talking about becoming part of Him, spiritually connected to Christ Himself and His body. It will be called His body in verse 13 when he says, by one Spirit we were all baptized into one body. As we move through this chapter clearly we're talking about the church, the body of Christ.

Now before we look a little more into detail on this, I want to make a couple of points. What he's going to talk about is how you get into Christ and His body. We know how we become a physical body—through conception and development in the womb and so on, all the parts are there. He picks that up, but how then do you become part of the body of Christ? He assumes the knowledge of how you get the physical body, you were born with all the parts, one body with all the parts. How do you become part of the body of Christ? That's the first statement that we just alluded to in verse 13. For by one Spirit we were all baptized into one body. The one body, being baptized into one body is the same thing as being in to Christ. So also is Christ. That's how His body is, it's one body with many parts.

Now there are two aspects to the body of Christ, the church. There is the universal dimension which is comprised of all believers in Jesus Christ everywhere at any time. That includes believers in Jesus Christ sitting in this auditorium, and that includes believers in Jesus Christ who have experienced physical death and are now in the realms of glory. Together we are part of the bride of Christ, the body of Christ, we belong to Him. So the universal church, that includes everybody as we'll see as we proceed in our study here, from Acts 2 down to the rapture of the church. That's the body of Christ.

Now many people today often run their thinking immediately to the universal church, and we read a passage like verse 13, for by one Spirit we were all baptized into one body. We think we're talking about the universal church and if we could get all believers from everywhere in the world and gather them together we would have all the parts that make the body go. But that's not the emphasis. Many of you are aware the word for church is used about 112-114 times in the New Testament, but around 90 of those uses refer to the local church. The overwhelming use of the word church in the New Testament is on the local church. When Paul talks about the gifts of the Spirit being given to the church, the body of Christ, he's talking about in the context of the local church. The issue is the local church at Corinth.

Back up to I Corinthians 1, we've been here before but I want to remind you. Verse 2, Paul is writing to the church of God which is at Corinth. And those who make up the church of God at Corinth are those who have been sanctified in Christ Jesus, they are saints by calling. Now they are also joined together with all who in every place call on the name of the Lord Jesus Christ. So this local church is not all there is to the body of Christ, the universal dimension. But the local church at Corinth was a complete church. Look at verse 7, he says, you are not lacking in any gift, awaiting eagerly the revelation of our Lord Jesus Christ. So as he writes to this local church he tells them they do not lack in any of the spiritual gifts necessary for them to function as God intends them to function. And that local church at Corinth is a manifestation on earth of the universal church. And local churches comprised of believers in Jesus Christ wherever they are, are a manifestation of the body of Christ in that place. I want you to be clear, when we talk about these gifts, we're talking about God making provision for His body wherever it is assembled, wherever it is He has called them together, if you will.

All right, come back to I Corinthians 12:13. We're going to look at this subject somewhat topically and we're not going to get through it all today, on the baptism of the Spirit. And we'll say some things that we'll get into in more detail in our next study and following studies. But we're going to look into the matter of the subject of the baptism of the Spirit and we need to move beyond the letter to the Corinthians to get something of a grasp of this. But look at verse 13, for by one Spirit. So again you see that unity. It is the Spirit Himself, the Spirit of God who is seen emphasized in previous verses. For by one Spirit we were all baptized into one body. So all of us who are believers in Jesus Christ have experienced this. He writes to the church at Corinth and he talks about the universal experience they have had. And it's true of all believers in Jesus Christ. We are baptized into the body of Christ, all of us who are believers. And it's into one body. Now you'll note that stress. You have one Spirit, one body and all of us individually who are believers in Christ included.

Now note the middle of the verse, whether Jews or Greeks, slaves or free. He's going to elaborate on the spiritual gifts and how they contribute to the unity of one body, even with its diversity. But it's important for you to remember and understand the things that divide in the world do not divide in the body of Christ. It doesn't matter whether you are a Jew or a Greek, it doesn't matter whether you are a slave or a master. In the body of Christ those distinctions are non-issues. Spiritually we are one in Christ. I realize the church tends to gravitate together in certain strata, you know certain social levels. Churches tend to assemble together racially. When I studied church growth many years ago they taught homogeneous units where everybody wants to be together with their own kind. And so we ought to build churches for those kinds of people, for this racial group and this social group. But it's contrary, that's like the world does. We get divided socially and where we are on the financial scale, we belong to these organizations and these groups. I mean, the church, there is something beautiful that happens. Doesn't matter your race, doesn't matter your nationality, doesn't matter whether you are a Jew or a non-Jew, doesn't matter whether you're the lowest slave or the wealthiest master. Those don't divide in the body. So very healthy things in the body of Christ, the local church, is to have diversity and to manifest that diversity—the very poor and the very rich. We shouldn't have two different churches. I shared with you when I was candidating at churches before I came to Indian Hills, one of the churches I candidated at was a church that had recently been started by wealthy people and they said our goal is to have a church for the wealthy people in our city, they don't have a place to go and call their church. Well, no wonder. The Bible doesn't make such a provision. So it's important we realize these distinctions that become important in the world. And we have a lot of race wars and conflicts between nationalities and different kinds of groups in the world. Should have no place in the body of Christ. So we are one body, whatever our nationality, whatever our standing in the world.

Now this statement, we were all baptized into one body. The baptism of the Holy Spirit. Come back to Matthew 3. We'll just take Matthew, but each of the four gospels, in the beginning of the gospels—Matthew, Mark, Luke and John—all record this information. John the Baptist has come on the scene and it's a remarkable event. For the first time in 400 years there is a prophet in Israel and he has come preaching in the wilderness. Repent, verse 2, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand. And his message is the kingdom of heaven is at hand, means it's on the brink. The Messiah will be coming to set up His kingdom. In verse 3 he quotes from Isaiah saying, I have come to prepare the way for the Messiah. You need to repent. Why do you need to repent? What is going to happen when the Messiah comes? He is going to set up His kingdom. What happens in connection with the establishing of His kingdom on earth? He is going to divide among people. And so John sees the religious leaders, Pharisees and Sadducees in verse 7, coming out and wanting to be baptized by him. And he said to them, you brood of vipers, who warned you to flee from the wrath to come? How would you like it if you had some of your most religious friends come and they're sitting right down (I don't want to say in the front because that will put the people in the front on the spot), and I stood up and looked them in the eye and said, I recognize you. Who warned you to flee from the wrath to come, you brood of vipers. You'd say, oh, no, he drove some more people off. But that's what John does. Confronts them head on. Why? He's preparing the way for the Messiah. And what's going to happen when the Messiah comes? He's going to judge, He's going to judge people. So he warns us, don't think because you're descendants of Abraham you're going to go into the kingdom. Verse 10, the ax is already laid at the root of the tree. There is the ax lying there. You know what the Messiah is going to do when He comes? He's going to pick up that ax and chop down the unfruitful tree, the tree is not bearing good fruit. They'll be thrown into the fire, destruction. Look at verse 12, his winnowing fork is in His hand, He will thoroughly cleanse his threshing floor. He'll gather the wheat into the barn and cast the chaff into the fire to be burned. So two analogies. The fruit tree, the tree bearing fruit. That demonstrates true repentance, that they had turned from their sin and placed their faith in Jehovah and His Messiah as their only hope. The unfruitful tree, they haven't truly repented and placed their faith in Jehovah and His Messiah, and they are going to be destroyed. Another of the same point, different analogy, wheat and chaff. When the Messiah comes He is going to separate the wheat and the chaff and the wheat will be gathered into His barn, they'll go into the kingdom. The chaff will be burned up in the fire.

Now John is baptizing in the wilderness. People are coming out for him to baptize. He wouldn't baptize the religious leaders because he said there is no evidence of true repentance in your lives. So in verse 11, as for me, I baptize you with water for repentance. In other words, as a demonstration of genuine repentance those being baptized with me are declaring and demonstrating that they have repented of their sins, turned from their sin and placed their faith in Jehovah God, the God of Israel and His Messiah that will soon appear. But He who is coming after me is mightier than I, that's the Messiah. And I am not fit to remove His sandals. He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and fire. Now here we have the baptism with the Holy Spirit. When the Messiah comes he'll baptize you with or in the Holy Spirit. That word baptize with the Holy Spirit or in the Holy Spirit or by the Holy Spirit, Greek preposition used here. Could be translated in, with or by. You'll be baptized with the Holy Spirit and with fire. In other words, baptism of the Holy Spirit is for those who repent and believe. They will receive the baptism of the Holy Spirit. Those who have not repented will receive the baptism of fire. What is the baptism of fire? Well we read about it at the end of verse 10, we read about it at the end of verse 12. That's the unbeliever being cast into hell, coming under the judgment of God and being consigned to hell, unquenchable fire.

Now we're here to look at the work of the baptism of the Holy Spirit. I Corinthians 12:13 said, for by one Spirit we were all baptized into one body, into the body of Christ, the church. How did John the Baptist know anything about the church? He comes preaching repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand and when the Messiah comes He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit. He didn't know anything about the church. Up to this point in time God had not revealed anything about the church. John the Baptist will die before there is anything said about the church. So he's not talking about the church, he's talking about an activity of the Messiah in preparation for the setting up of His kingdom on earth. Now be careful here, the kingdom is not the church. They are two distinct entities. This whole area gets to be exceedingly important. I'll say more about that, unless it slips my mind, and then I'll say it in the next study, understanding the uniqueness of the church.

John the Baptist didn't know about the church but he did know about the fact that the Messiah when He came to set up His kingdom would pour out His Spirit on believers. Now in the Old Testament the expression baptism of the Spirit is not used, but the expression used is the outpouring or the pouring out of the Holy Spirit in connection with the Messiah's ministry. And that's what John is talking about. He uses the analogy of baptism here because he is baptizing with water. The Messiah will not be baptizing with water, he'll be baptizing with the Holy Spirit and with fire. Here you have three kinds of baptisms. Some people, every time they see the word baptism, it has to be water, but right here John talks about three kinds of baptism. I use water, He'll use the Holy Spirit and fire.

I want to look at a few passages with you in the Old Testament. Come back to Isaiah 44. We're going to look at several passages in different prophets so you see this emphases. The context will be the coming of the Messiah to set up His kingdom, because remember, John the Baptist is preaching, repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand. And that kingdom is the kingdom prophesied in the Old Testament where God's Messiah will come to earth and establish a kingdom and rule over the world. And we've looked at the details of that on other occasions and don't have time now. Verse 1, but now listen, oh Jacob, my servant and Israel whom I have chosen. Thus says the Lord who made you, formed you from the womb, who will help you. Do not fear, oh Jacob, my servant. You, Jeshurun whom I have chosen. I will pour out water on the thirsty land, streams on the dry ground. Remember Palestine is a desert land, and so water becomes that expression of that which refreshes, satisfies. When you go there to take a trip to Israel, one of the things you do, and often they give you there for advertisement, are bottles of water. The guide always says, you want to bring enough water with you, we're going to be out today, we're going to be in the sun. You need to drink enough water, bring your bottle of water. It's hot, dry land. So you have this expression, I will pour out water on thirsty land, streams on the dry ground. God is going to bring the refreshing. And what does he say in the next statement? I will pour out my Spirit on your offspring, my blessing on your descendants. Note that, I will pour out my Spirit on your offspring. He's talking about what John is talking about with the baptism of the Holy Spirit. Remember Jesus used this picture of water and the Spirit in John 7:37-39, that the one who believes in Christ, out of his innermost being will flow rivers of living water. And this He spoke of the Holy Spirit who was to be given, for the Spirit was not yet given, for Christ was not yet glorified. He's talking about what was prophesied here in connection with the coming of the Messiah. The Spirit would be poured out on them. And as John said, you will be baptized in the Holy Spirit like I am baptizing you in water. He will be poured out upon you.

Come to Ezekiel 39. Now remember John the Baptist comes as a prophet and he knows these Old Testament passages. He'll know this is why the Jewish leaders don't say to him, what are you talking about, John? Baptism of the Holy Spirit, we don't have any idea what that would be. They knew very well what it would be—the Messiah is coming. He will pour out His Spirit on you, baptize you in the Holy Spirit just like I'm baptizing you in this water. Look at the end of Ezekiel 39, verse 25. And if you're familiar with Ezekiel 38 and 39, very interesting chapters and especially in light of the day in which we live and the Muslim countries of Russia and the issues of their attack on Israel and so on. Events that take place in the coming 7-year tribulation, and then we come to the end of that in verse 25. Therefore thus says the Lord God, now I will restore the fortunes of Jacob, have mercy on the whole house of Israel. Remember Romans 11 says that when the time of the fullness of the Gentiles has come to an end, thus all Israel will be saved. And that's the promise of Ezekiel 39:25, I will have mercy on the whole house of Israel. And I will be jealous for my holy name. Interesting that that's put here. Why? Because God has put His name on the line, so to speak. He established a covenant with Abraham on the basis of His name, He signed it and guaranteed it. I am going to restore Israel and have mercy on the nation Israel because of my holy name. They will forget their disgrace, their treachery, their unfaithfulness to Him. Note the end of verse 26, when they live securely in their own land with no one to make them afraid. You watch the news lately, that's not going on today. Read what the leader of Iran wants to do to Israel? There's coming a day when they will live securely in their own land. Reading the writings of a well-known covenant theologian this past week. He's making the statement, now we don't want to take these passages on Israel having their own land literally. They are just spiritual blessing for the people of God. I think not. I think God's holy name is at stake here, and He guarantees that when Israel as a nation experiences God's salvation, they will be established in their own land with no one to make them afraid.

When I bring them back from the peoples, gather them from the lands of their enemies, I shall be sanctified through them in the sight of many nations. You understand that in the kingdom that Christ will establish on this earth, when He rules on the earth, Israel will be the central people, the central nation. The capital of the world will be Jerusalem. But there will be other nations who will be part of that kingdom and they, too, will honor Israel and honor the Messiah of Israel. Verse 28, then they will know that I am the Lord their God. Come down to verse 29, I will not hide my face from them any longer, for I will have poured out my Spirit on the house of Israel, declares the Lord God.

So for the Jews when John the Baptist comes in the wilderness and says, repent for the kingdom of heaven is at hand. I baptize you in water, but the one coming after me is so much greater than me, He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit. Everybody knew who he was talking about, because these Jews are familiar with the Old Testament prophets. Of course, the kingdom of heaven is at hand, the Messiah is coming. When the Messiah is coming, He's going to pour out the Spirit on those who are redeemed.

Go to Joel 2:28. I want you to note the context, verse 18. Joel has much to do with coming tribulation, the 7-year tribulation, and then the kingdom. Look at verse 18, then the Lord will be zealous for His land and will have pity on His people. And behold the Lord will answer and say to His people, behold, I am going to send you grain, new wine and oil. You will be satisfied in full with them. I will never again make you a reproach among the nations. You see that time when Israel is restored in the land and all their enemies are destroyed, they are restored and the enemies are destroyed, God's blessings are upon them. That will be the time when the lion will lie down with the lamb and they will not hurt or destroy in all my holy mountain and all the kingdom, says the Lord. So you read here about the animals and the abundance of grain. Verse 22 says, do not fear beasts of the field, the pastures of the wilderness have turned green. Isaiah tells us that the desert will bloom like the crocus. Verse 27, then you will know that I am in the midst of Israel, that I am the Lord your God. There is no other. My people will never be put to shame. It will come about after this that I will pour out my Spirit on all mankind. Your sons, your daughters will prophesy, old men dream dreams and so on. There's the pouring out of the Spirit. What is it in the context? The restoration of Israel, the coming of the Messiah. And you'll note verse 28 says, I will pour out my Spirit on all mankind, because we've noted the nation Israel will be the central nation on the earth. They will be the honored people. But there will be other nations that have experienced God's salvation that will be part of the kingdom. And the Spirit will be poured out on all believers in connection with the Messianic rule of Christ. This passage is going to be quoted in Acts 2, we will be there in a moment. I want you to note these promises, though, of the pouring out of the Spirit in the context of the Messiah's ministry.

One other Old Testament prophet, then we have to move to the New Testament. Zechariah 12. And great prophecies in Zechariah concerning the coming tribulation, seven years, 70th week of Daniel, seven years leading up to the return of Christ to earth to establish His kingdom. And then material on that kingdom. You read verse 2, the Word of the Lord who laid the foundation of the earth, forms the spirit of man within him. I am going to make Jerusalem a cup that causes reeling to all the peoples around. When the siege is against Jerusalem, it will be against Judah. There is coming a time in the tribulation when all the nations gather to try to destroy the Jews and Jerusalem. Then God's judgment will come as He intervenes on behalf of Israel.

Verse 4, I will strike every horse with bewilderment, his rider with madness. I will watch over the house of Judah while I strike the horses of the peoples with blindness. Verse 6, in that day I will make the clans of Judah like a firepot among pieces of wood and all that's going on as He defends Jerusalem in verse 8. I will destroy the nations that come up against Jerusalem, verse 9. Then look at verse 10, for I will pour out on the house of David and on the inhabitants of Jerusalem, the Spirit of grace and of supplication. He's going to pour out the Spirit on them. They will look on Me whom they have pierced, they will mourn for Him as one mourns for an only son. They will weep bitterly over Him like the bitter weeping over a firstborn. This is the national salvation of Israel. Thus all Israel will be saved, as we refer to in Romans 11. That time as a result of this seven years of Jacob's trouble. Ultimately Israel is brought to their knees and ready to turn in repentance to their Messiah.

Now we're going to go 400 years after Zechariah, Malachi without a prophet in Israel. Then John the Baptist comes on the scene and he picks up with God's promises through the prophets. John the Baptist is the last of the Old Testament prophets. He appears in the opening of our New Testament, but he's the last of the Old Testament prophets. He's preaching the same message that God gave to the Old Testament prophets, except we've moved along in time. Now I'm the prophet who comes to tell you the Messiah is ready to appear on the scene. Repent, because when He comes He's going to pour out His Spirit and He's going to pour out His wrath. He's going to bring judgment. And those who haven't repented and believed in Him and the promises of God, they will be destroyed with fire. Those who have believed will receive the outpouring of the Holy Spirit, the baptism of the Holy Spirit. So that's the context of John's message. Very important.

Now come over to Acts 1. I have to presuppose you've been here from previous studies. If not, there are tapes. Now remember Jesus said in John 7 that the one who believes in Him, out of his innermost being shall flow rivers of living water. This He spoke of the Holy Spirit who had not yet been given, had not yet been poured out, because Christ was not yet glorified. In John 14-16 Jesus talked about the fact that when He went back to the Father He would send the Holy Spirit, and the Holy Spirit who was with them would then be in them. And He would carry on a ministry that He has not carried on before, the Holy Spirit. Now when you come to Acts 1 Jesus is ready now, it's been 40 days since His resurrection from the dead, crucifixion and resurrection. He's been meeting with His disciples off and on over this time, instructing them, teaching them. Now He meets with them for a final time. Verse 4, gathering them together He commanded them not to leave Jerusalem, but to wait for what the Father had promised, which you have heard from Me. What had the Father promised? What did we read in the Old Testament? That in connection with the Messiah's coming, He would pour out His Spirit on those who believe. That's the same thing at the end of verse 4, Jesus said you heard from Me. Remember what I taught you about the Holy Spirit who is going to come, another Comforter, that it's better for you that I go because if I don't return to My Father the Holy Spirit won't come.

Now look what He says in verse 5. John baptized with water, but you will be baptized with or in or by the Holy Spirit not many days from now. So what John had been preaching several years earlier still had not happened. This is why John the Baptist got confused. He preached that Jesus was the Messiah, he introduced Him to the nation, behold the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world. Not long afterwards John ends up in prison. And while he's in prison he sent his followers to Christ and asked them, are you really the Messiah, or was I mistaken and there is someone else? I'm confused. Why was John confused? Well remember he's the last of the Old Testament prophets. What was going to happen when the Messiah came? He was going to set up a kingdom, He was going to destroy all His enemies, He is going to pour out His Spirit on all those who believe in Him. And He's going to rule over the whole world. Something is wrong, I'm in prison. The Spirit hasn't been poured out and you haven't destroyed the enemies. You see the Old Testament prophets, they talked about the coming of Christ to rule and reign in glory, they also talked about the coming of Christ to suffer and die. And Peter when he wrote his letter, said the Old Testament prophets couldn't understand how the Messiah could come and rule and reign in glory and also suffer and die and be rejected. The reason was the Old Testament prophets never realized there is a gap of about 2000 years in between the first coming of Christ to suffer and die and the Second Coming of Christ to rule and reign. Seems so clear to us, right? But you understand, those Old Testament prophets were looking ahead, and from where they were they couldn't see what was going on in between. So John was expecting the Messiah to set up a kingdom, destroy the enemies and pour out the Holy Spirit upon him and other believers. But it did not happen.

You get to Acts 1, the Spirit has still not yet been poured out. The kingdom that John offered, that Christ offered has been rejected, so it has been postponed. The kingdom has been put on hold, as far as we are concerned, not in the plan of God of course, but from what had been revealed to Old Testament prophets. They didn't understand there would be 2000 years between the coming, suffering and dying as Isaiah 53 talked about, and the coming to rule and reign as we read about in several prophetic passages just a moment ago. Now remember Jesus said for the Holy Spirit to come in the fullness of His ministry and power, I have to return to the Father. In Acts 1 He's ready to return to the Father. So He says, you will be baptized with the Holy Spirit not many days from now. What's the first thing that comes in to the disciples' minds? Must be going to set up the kingdom, now, finally. Put an end to this confusion. So when they had come together they were asking Him, verse 6, Lord, is it at this time you are restoring the kingdom to Israel. We knew you were going to do it, we just thought you'd do it sooner. So now you're going to set up the kingdom. So they still don't know anything about the church, they still don't know that we have a period ahead of us of 2000 years, as it has stretched out. Messiah, kingdom. Now we understand, you had to suffer and die and be raised from the dead. Now you've done that, now you can reign in glory. I mean, it's perfect. So you're going to set up the kingdom now, right?

Jesus answered, you don't need to know the timing of the kingdom. He said to them it's not for you to know the times or epochs which the Father has fixed in His own authority. So you think you have it figured out, but you understand it's on the Father's timetable. His authority has established when the kingdom will be established. Note He doesn't say, you don't understand, it's become a kingdom in your heart. There is no earthly kingdom now, it just exists in your hearts. No, He doesn't say that. You're right on the kingdom, but you're wrong on the time, and you're not going to know the time. The Father has established the time by His own authority. It's not the time for the kingdom. So I wish people wouldn't talk about being in the kingdom today, because we're not in the kingdom. Christ hasn't set up the kingdom. But you are going to get baptized with the Holy Spirit.

So verse 8, but you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes upon you. So now we find out something. The Holy Spirit is going to be poured out in connection with the Messiah's ministry, but it doesn't require the setting up of the kingdom. It just required the coming of the Messiah, His being rejected, suffering and dying and being raised as Isaiah had prophesied so clearly and fully. But the establishing of the kingdom is a yet future event.

You will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you, and you'll be my witnesses. That happens in Acts 2. How do we know that? It's the baptism of the Spirit. The expression the baptism of the Spirit is not used in Acts 2, but Jesus did say in Acts 1:5, you will be baptized with the Holy Spirit not many days from now. Ten days later we have Pentecost. That's pretty good.

Look down in Acts 2. After the Spirit is poured out and you have the evidence in speaking in tongues and so on, which we'll talk about in a future study, Peter stands up to give a sermon to explain what's going on. And you know what he quotes? He quotes one of the prophets we looked at, Joel 2:16. This is what was spoken of through Joel the prophet. And it shall be in the last days, God said, that I will pour forth of my Spirit on all flesh and all mankind. Your sons and daughters shall prophesy and so on. There is the pouring out of the Spirit. So Peter says that's the explanation, the Spirit was poured out. He's addressing Jews. You understand the prophecies of our Old Testament prophets, you understand Joel? Didn't he say in connection with the Messiah's ministry that God would pour out His Spirit on all flesh? Here we are, it happened.

Further evidence, come over to Acts 10. Peter is at the house of Cornelius, a Gentile. Now remember the church began in Acts with the baptism of the Holy Spirit because that's what places you into Christ, into the body of Christ, into the church. We are at Acts 10, and you know what? None of those Jews have gone and told the Gentiles the message of Christ. It's not until Acts 10 that a Jew goes and preaches the gospel to Gentiles. Peter is sent by God, and it takes a special divine intervention on God's part to send Peter to Gentiles. And He does it with a sheet in a vision descending from heaven and it's filled with all kinds of unclean animals. And a voice from heaven says, get up and eat. Peter says, no sir, I've never eaten unclean food and I won't start now. And finally God tells him, I've declared it clean. And what God has cleansed, don't you try to say is unclean. And then when a messenger comes and invites Peter to come and preach to Gentiles he knows what God meant. I have to go preach the message to those dirty, unclean Gentiles whom God is going to declare clean. So he goes and preaches the gospel to the Gentiles. And he's preaching the message of Christ, and in verse 44, while Peter was still speaking these words, the Holy Spirit fell on all those who were listening to the message. So now you have Gentiles who have been baptized, had the pouring out of the Spirit on them. The Jews are really upset about this.

And so in Acts 11:1, all the apostles and the brethren who were throughout Judea heard that the Gentiles also had received the Word of God. But Peter came to Jerusalem, those who were circumcised, that's the Jews, took issue with him and said, you went to uncircumcised men, you ate with them. What are you doing? You see at this point, here we are, halfway through the book of Acts relatively, the Jews still don't understand what God is going to do in building a church. They still think it's only Jews, we're only dealing with the nation Israel. So they called Peter on the carpet and said, we want to know what you're doing preaching and eating with Gentiles. So Peter explains how God gave him a vision and sent him to the Gentiles and then he tells them.......... He was preaching the gospel, verse 15, as I began to speak the Holy Spirit fell upon them just as He did on us in the beginning. And I remembered the Word of the Lord how He used to say, John baptized with water, you will be baptized with the Holy Spirit. If God gave to them the same gift as He gave to us after believing in the Lord Jesus, who was I that I should stand in God's way? In other words, they received the Holy Spirit just like we did. They were baptized with the Holy Spirit just like we were at the beginning in Acts2. In Acts 2 it's only Jews, now in Acts 10 you get Gentiles, and they received the Holy Spirit. It's God's doing, not mine. God declared them clean, what are we going to do. So now they rejoiced to know that God has granted to the Gentiles the repentance that leads to life, because they see the pouring out of the Spirit on them.

Okay, that's the baptism of the Spirit, that's how we know when it began. It began in Acts 2. There was no pouring out of the Spirit in that sense, no baptism of the Spirit. Now don't get confused. There was a ministry of the Holy Spirit before Acts 2, there was filling of the Holy Spirit, there was empowering by the Holy Spirit. There was no baptism of the Holy Spirit before Acts 2. In Acts 2 the baptism of the Spirit will continue on. I take it, it will continue on after the church is raptured, because what's going to happen to believing Israel after the church is removed in preparation for going into the kingdom that Christ will establish at His Second Coming? The Spirit is going to be poured out upon them. That's the promise of the Old Testament prophets. So we want to be careful here. Sometimes some dispensationalists have taught the baptism of the Spirit is only for the church age, and there have been some good men who have taught that. I may have even taught it at one time, but I quickly repented. But it seems that the clearer emphasis of scripture is the baptism of the Spirit will be for all regenerate people subsequent to Acts 2. Now the baptism of the Spirit for this period of time places you into the church. The church will be raptured, people baptized with the Spirit after that will be prepared for their participation in the kingdom, not as members of the church.

All right, come over to Romans 6, we just have to mention this and this is where we stop. We almost made it halfway, so that's good. It doesn't matter to you because you didn't know where we were going anyway. Romans 6, what shall we say then? Are we to continue in sin so that grace may it increase? May it never be, magnoito. How shall we who died to sin still live in it? This is the issue here—can you continue to live in sin once you have come to trust in Christ. Do you not know that all of us who have been baptized into Christ Jesus have been baptized into His death? Some people read this and say, see, you're saved by water baptism. Well we already know there is more than one kind of baptism in the New Testament, because we read John who said I baptize in water and the Messiah will baptize you in the Spirit and in fire. So every time baptism is used, he's not talking about water. Now how do you get baptized into Christ? Well we read I Corinthians 12:13, for by one Spirit we were all baptized into one body. That followed verse 12 which talked about the human body and said, so also is Christ. So by one Spirit we were all baptized into Christ, into one body. So we're talking about the baptism of the Holy Spirit here. That's how you get into Christ.

What does that entail? We have been buried with Him through baptism into death so that as Christ was raised from the dead to the glory of the Father, we, too, might walk in newness of life. We have become united with Him in the likeness of His death, we will be in the likeness of His resurrection. Our old man was crucified with Him so that our body of sin, controlled by sin, dominated by sin might be done away with. So we would no longer be slaves to sin. Verse 9, knowing that Christ, having been raised from the dead is never to die again. Even so, verse 11, consider yourselves dead. You see what the baptism of the Spirit does? It's the pouring out of the Spirit upon you, and that act of the Spirit identifies you with Christ in His death, in His burial, and in His resurrection to newness of life. That's why God can declare you forgiven, He can declare me forgiven. The wages of sin is death, the soul that sins, it shall die. But Christ in His body on the tree bore our sins, so that we might die to sin and live to righteousness. How does that happen? There is a spiritual transaction. When you repent of your sin and place our faith in Christ, God views you and identifies you with the Spirit, by the Spirit with Christ so that God views you as having died when Christ died, having been buried when Christ was buried, and having been raised up now with a new life with the resurrection of Christ. So the old man died, I'm a new person, I'm new. That's a spiritual transaction. So by one Spirit we've all been baptized into one body. When the Spirit is poured out upon us His work is to identify us with Christ, so we are baptized into Christ, His death, His burial, His resurrection. The penalty for sin is death. I know, I died. God views me as having died with Christ. That's what happens when you place your faith in Christ, that spiritual transaction occurs.

That's the only way to get into Christ, that's what makes up the church. Remember the local church, that manifestation. So the members of this church are those who have been baptized into Christ by the Spirit of God as a result of repentance and faith in Christ. It's an important, important doctrine. We'll have to pick up here next time. This is the major difference in the doctrine of the church between covenantal people and dispensational people. Some of you come from a background—Presbyterian, Lutheran, Catholic—major difference in the doctrine of the church here and what they view comprising the church. Why don't we baptize infants? Didn't Israelites circumcise their male children at 8 days old? Why wouldn't we, then, baptize our children? We don’t discern this, we do baptism to symbolize they're a member................ Wait a minute, Israel is not the church, the church is not Israel. That's an error that Augustine developed and formulated, that the church is Israel and Israel is the church. But in Israel as a nation, how did you get into the nation Israel? Physical birth, right? So just by being born physically of the right parents, Jewish parents, you were a Jew. You're in the nation. Now within the nation there is also an elect group, saved people. But everybody is in the nation who is born a Jew. So you get the mark of the covenant as a baby. But you don't get physically born into the church. The church is not to be comprised of believers and unbelievers. The church is only comprised of believers. And so the identifying mark is only for believers.

We have to stop there. The question comes, you can come here and sit in a building. It's like John wouldn't baptize the Pharisees and Sadducees. Why? He says, you haven't repented. My baptism wouldn't do anything for you and it would be a lie, because you would be declaring something that wasn't true. So attending a church, experiencing water baptism doesn't save. It has to take the spiritual transaction that is a result of your faith in Christ. In conjunction with that you are identified with Christ in His death, burial and resurrection. Those are the people that comprise this local church, those who belong to Christ.

Let's pray. Thank you, Lord, for you grace. Thank you for the work of your Spirit in our lives as believers. Thank you, Lord, that it’s not by our work but it's by your grace. Thank you for the Savior that loved us and died for us. I pray these truths will become clearer and clearer in our thinking so that in our conduct we might live out the truth of your Word that you intend for your people, the church, today. In Christ's name, amen.