At a certain Christian school, the teacher taught her class to recite the Apostle’s Creed, clause by clause, with each pupil having his own clause to recite. They would begin class each day with the
recitation of the Apostle’s creed in this manner. In this unique way, she took role each day. One morning, they began, as usual, with the first boy, who said, “I believe in God, the Father almighty, maker of heaven and earth.”
The second boy continued, “I believe in Jesus Christ, His only son, our Lord.”
A sudden silence interrupted the roll call. As the teacher looked up to see the reason for the delayed response of the third boy, one of his classmates said, “Teacher, the boy who believes in the Holy Spirit isn’t here today.”
That is a good description of the twelve men that we are told about in Acts 19:1-7.
1. A spiritual conversation - vs. 1-2
These men referred to themselves as “disciples.” They had taken a title, however, which wasn’t rightly theirs. How do we know this? Because they had no knowledge of the Holy Spirit.
“If anyone does not have the Spirit of Christ, he does not belong to Christ.” - Romans 8:9 (NIV)
When does one receive the Holy Spirit? Upon their acceptance of Christ as their personal Savior. True salvation involves a personal commitment to Jesus Christ as Savior that results in the assurance of the Holy Spirit.
“And you also were included in Christ when you heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation. Having believed, you were marked in him with a seal, the promised Holy Spirit, who is a deposit guaranteeing our inheritance until the redemption of those who are God’s possession - to the praise of his glory.” - Ephesians 1:13-14 (NIV)
Notice the two-fold work the Holy Spirit performs when one hears and believes the Good News that results in a double assurance of salvation.
A. The Holy Spirit places us “in Christ.”
“you also were included in Christ” “you were marked in him with a seal”
"In Christ" is one of Paul’s favorite terms to use to describe our union with Christ and our identification with Him as believers. When we trusted Christ as our Savior, the Holy Spirit baptizes us into the body of Christ (1 Corinthinas 12:13), which refers, not only to our being part of the universal church (the body of Christ) but also to our identification with our Savior victory won through His death, burial, resurrection, and ascension. Our victory in Christ is based on His victory over sin, death, and Satan.
"But because of his great love for us, God, who is rich in mercy, made us alive with Christ even when we were dead in transgressions—it is by grace you have been saved. And God raised us up with Christ and seated us with him in the heavenly realms in Christ Jesus." - Ephesians 2:4-6 (NIV)
Because of our Savior’s death for our sins, we are now dead to sin, because of our Savior’s victory over death (through HIs resurrection), we have victory over death (the result of sin), and because of our Savior’s victory over Satan (through His ascension), we have victory over Satan, as, from the standpoint of eternity, we are seated with Christ in heavenly places.
If I were to place my sermon notes in my Bible, where are my sermon notes? They are wherever my Bible is. If I place my Bible on the pulpit, my notes are there. If i place my Bible on a table, my notes are there. Whatever is true of my bible is true of my sermon notes because my notes are in my Bible.
Now, through the work of the Holy Spirit, I have been placed "in Christ." In Him, I am seated in heavenly places! Talk about eternal security! How do I know I will be in heaven one day? As far as God is concerned, i am already there! I am simply waiting for the day when my personal experience catches up with what god says in my eternal reality "in Christ!"
B. The Holy Spirit takes His place in us.
“The promised Holy Spirit, who is a deposit guaranteeing our inheritance”
1) The Spirit assures us of our salvation by His presence -
“The Spirit himself testifies with our spirit that we are God’s children.” - Romans 8:16 (NIV)
2) The Spirit assures us of our salvation through God’s word -
“The sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God.” - Ephesians 6:17 (NIV)
“My purpose in writing is simply this: that you who believe in God’s Son will know beyond the shadow of a doubt that you have eternal life, the reality and not the illusion.” - 1 John 5:13 (The Message)
3) The spirit assures us of our salvation by means of peace -
“Therefore, since we have been justified through faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have gained access by faith into this grace in which we now stand. And we rejoice in the hope of the glory of God. Not only so, but we also rejoice in our sufferings, because we know that suffering produces perseverance; perseverance, character; and character, hope. And hope does not disappoint us, because God has poured out his love into our hearts by the Holy Spirit, whom he has given us.” - Romans 5:1-5 (NIV)
When the Holy Spirit dwells within us by virtrtue of our being geninely saved, he provides a peace that no difficulty or dissapointment in life can ever take away. It is a peace that transcends our external circumstances which might cause us to doubt God’s love for us or our relationship with God.
Paul knew by the fact that these men had never heard of the Holy Spirit that they were not true disciples, regardless of what they claimed.
The only true source of assurance of salvation is the presence of the Holy Spirit in my life, giving me peace regardingm y relationship with God every time I examine my salvation in light of the Scriptures.
Nothing else is a true assurance of our salvation. Not baptism, church membership, the fact that I onc recited the "sinner’s prayer," or the the opinion of others. Only God can assure you of the genuineness of your salvation, and He does this through the presence of the Holy Spirit, who uses God’s Word to minister God’s peace to your heart.
Are you a true possessor or only a professor of salvation today?
2. A spontaneous conversion - vs. 3-5
John taught that salvation was only through the Messiah, that is Christ.
Here is a second reason why Paul knew that the profession of these so called “disciples” was false - they didn’t understand the message.
“This is how much God loved the world: He gave his Son, his one and only Son. And this is why: so that no one need be destroyed; by believing in him, anyone can have a whole and lasting life. God didn’t go to all the trouble of sending his Son merely to point an accusing finger, telling the world how bad it was. He came to help, to put the world right again. Anyone who trusts in him is acquitted; anyone who refuses to trust him has long since been under the death sentence without knowing it. And why? Because of that person’s failure to believe in the one-of-a-kind Son of God when introduced to him.” - John 3:16-18 (The Message)
Here is the essence of the gospel:
1) Repent of your sins and your trust in good works, religion, etc. as the way to compensate for your sins;
2) Believe that Jesus’ sacrifice on the cross is the only sufficient payment for our sins;
3) Receive the forgiveness and the gift of eternal life offered by the resurrected, glorified Christ by faith.
these "disciples" didn’t understand the message, and because they didn’t understand the message, they misunderstood the meaning of baptism.
We aren’t baptized in order to be saved, we are baptized because we have been saved!
“Those who accepted his message were baptized, and about three thousand were added to their number that day.” - Acts 2:41 (NIV)
Baptism is an outward expression of an inward reality!
If I wee to show you a picture of myself and ask you what it was, you might be inclined to say, "That’s you!" however, you would be incorrect, for what I had just showed you was not me, it was a PICTURE of me.
Now, that’s the same relationship between salvation and baptism. Baptist isn’t salvation, it is a picture of what happend to me when I was saved. I am saved, when I repent of my sins and self-sufficiency, believe that Christ and His sacrifice is the only adequate provision for my forgiveness and salvation, and personally choose to receive God’s gift of eternal life through faith in Christ.
These twelve guys were trusting in their baptism (a false source of
security) for their salvation. Consequently, even though they had been baptized by the greatest practitioner of baptism the world has ever known, John THE Baptist, they were baptized AFTER they were truly saved.
There are two things that comprise Biblical baptism:
A) The Biblical method - immersion
1) Jesus was baptized by immersion.
2) Every baptism in the New Testament was by immersion.
3) The Greek word that has been tranliterated “baptize” in English (baptizo) literally means “to dip under water.”
B) The Biblical message - a testimony of one’s salvation
1) One’s belief in the death, burial & resurrection of Christ
2) One’s testimony of a personal commitment to Jesus Christ as Savior that has resulted in the assurance of the Holy Spirit.
3. A special confirmation - v. 6
These new believers had the truth of Paul’s testimony and their conversion confirmed through the miracle of speaking in tongues and prophesying. Now, without getting into the subject of spiritual gifts this morning, allow me simply to point out that Paul was coming to Ephesus for the first time. God provided, therefore, a miracle to affirm the genuineness of Paul’s message for the Ephesian Jews, just as He had provided the miracle of tongues to affirm the genuineness of Peter’s message for the Jews in Jerusalem on the day of Pentecost.
I believe this was a unique sign for a unique purpose in God’s work through Paul at Ephesus.
Conclusion: However, every time a person comes to faith in Christ and professes their faith publicly in the unique way Christ has commanded - through baptism - you and I have confirmed to us just what a wonderful thing salvation is.
“No one is able to come to Me unless the Father Who sent Me attracts and draws him and gives him the desire to come to Me.” - John 6:44 (Amplified)
“For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this not from yourselves, it is the gift of God—not by works, so that no one can boast.” - Ephesians 2:8-9 (NIV)
