Dakota Community Church
October 26, 2008
Foundational Truth 2
(Week 3)
Introduction & Review:
Christians are to grow up spiritually.
Repentance from acts that lead to death.
Faith in God.
Let’s resume our study of foundational truth by reading Hebrews 5:11 - 6:3
Hebrews 5:11-14
We have much to say about this, but it is hard to explain because you are slow to learn. In fact, though by this time you ought to be teachers, you need someone to teach you the elementary truths of God’s word all over again. You need milk, not solid food! Anyone who lives on milk, being still an infant, is not acquainted with the teaching about righteousness. But solid food is for the mature, who by constant use have trained themselves to distinguish good from evil.
Hebrews 6:1-3
Therefore let us leave the elementary teachings about Christ and go on to maturity, not laying again the foundation of repentance from acts that lead to death, and of faith in God, instruction about baptisms, the laying on of hands, the resurrection of the dead, and eternal judgment. And God permitting, we will do so.
This week we are going to focus on gaining a solid understanding of:
1. Baptisms
I am going to skim over water baptism because we studied it in detail recently in a sermon entitled "Open Heaven".
A.) Water baptism
Matthew 3:13-17
Then Jesus came from Galilee to the Jordan to be baptized by John. But John tried to deter him, saying, "I need to be baptized by you, and do you come to me?"
Jesus replied, "Let it be so now; it is proper for us to do this to fulfill all righteousness." Then John consented.
As soon as Jesus was baptized, he went up out of the water. At that moment heaven was opened, and he saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove and lighting on him. And a voice from heaven said, "This is my Son, whom I love; with him I am well pleased."
Romans 6: 1-7
What shall we say, then? Shall we go on sinning so that grace may increase? By no means! We died to sin; how can we live in it any longer? Or don’t you know that all of us who were baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into his death? We were therefore buried with him through baptism into death in order that, just as Christ was raised from the dead through the glory of the Father, we too may live a new life.
Nobody slipped into the early Church without knowing what he was doing. Nobody was born Christian. There was no "better life bait and switch" evangelism.
God still has no grandchildren!
B.) Spirit and fire baptism
Let me begin by saying that I received the baptism in the Spirit the same night I was born again.
I was more open to the idea because of an event which occurred a few months earlier and which involved my then 12 year old brother Chris. I heard him speaking in another language loudly in his sleep.
I believe in this, I pray in tongues fairly regularly but intensely when I am in trouble.
I have seen many abuses of the Holy Spirit and His gifts, I have seen counterfeits and I have fought a naturally skeptical view of life where any of the supernatural is concerned.
That said, you should know that I am a Spirit filled Christian who believes whole heartedly in the Spirit realm both Godly and demonic. These things are true.
The infilling at salvation and the baptism are not the same thing.
1 Corinthians 6:19
Do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit, who is in you, whom you have received from God? You are not your own; you were bought at a price. Therefore honor God with your body.
1 John 3:9
No one who is born of God will continue to sin, because God’s seed remains in him; he cannot go on sinning, because he has been born of God.
Now look at these to messages Jesus gives to His disciples:
John 20: 21-22
Again Jesus said, "Peace be with you! As the Father has sent me, I am sending you." And with that he breathed on them and said, "Receive the Holy Spirit.
Acts 1:4-5
On one occasion, while he was eating with them, he gave them this command: "Do not leave Jerusalem, but wait for the gift my Father promised, which you have heard me speak about. For John baptized with water, but in a few days you will be baptized with the Holy Spirit."
How about this example:
Acts 8:14-17
When the apostles in Jerusalem heard that Samaria had accepted the word of God, they sent Peter and John to them. When they arrived, they prayed for them that they might receive the Holy Spirit, because the Holy Spirit had not yet come upon any of them; they had simply been baptized into the name of the Lord Jesus. Then Peter and John placed their hands on them, and they received the Holy Spirit.
Acts 19:1-2
While Apollos was at Corinth, Paul took the road through the interior and arrived at Ephesus. There he found some disciples and asked them, "Did you receive the Holy Spirit when [after] you believed?"
They answered, "No, we have not even heard that there is a Holy Spirit."
So the apostles met with believers and asked them if they had received the baptism in the Holy Spirit, this would make no sense if the two were synonymous.
Christians are supposed to be filled with the Spirit.
Ephesians 5:17-20
Therefore do not be foolish, but understand what the Lord’s will is. Do not get drunk on wine, which leads to debauchery. Instead, be filled with the Spirit. Speak to one another with psalms, hymns and spiritual songs. Sing and make music in your heart to the Lord, always giving thanks to God the Father for everything, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ.
I think it is interesting that this connection between the Spirit and wine is made. Jesus talked about the "new wine", on Pentecost the apostles were accused of having had too much wine. Why do people drink wine; to enhance a good mood, to celebrate or maybe to forget bad things? Wine is a poor substitute for the presence of God.
Message to be continued next week!
PowerPoint available (Free of charge) on request dcormie@mts.net
