Acts 19:1-6
While Apollos was in Corinth, Paul traveled through the interior provinces. Finally, he came to Ephesus, where he found several believers. [2] "Did you receive the Holy Spirit when you believed?" he asked them. "No," they replied, "we don't know what you mean. We haven't even heard that there is a Holy Spirit." [3] "Then what baptism did you experience?" he asked. And they replied, "The baptism of John." [4] Paul said, "John's baptism was to demonstrate a desire to turn from sin and turn to God. John himself told the people to believe in Jesus, the one John said would come later." [5] As soon as they heard this, they were baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus. [6] Then when Paul laid his hands on them, the Holy Spirit came on them.
Have you received the Holy Spirit since you believed?
God saves men frm sin to holiness through faith in Jesus Christ by the inward action of the Holy Spirit in two works of grace and in susequent supervision and discipline
1. God saves men.
A. God’s plan for man is to be redeemed.
B. God provides for a salvation from sin that man could never achieve by himself.
C. Preaching holiness is God oriented.
D. It comes from a reverence for God’s love, holiness and sovereignty.
2. From sin.
A. Man’s eternal lostness away from God is helplessness.
B. From God’s view sin is the only thing really wrong with man.
C. Everything else is side effects.
D. Without sin there could be no hell; with sin there could be no heaven.
E. God does not want man to be in sin or else He would not have sent His Son.
3. To holiness.
A. Salvation in man includes not only a cure but a return to wholeness. In Adam all die but in Christ all are made alive.
B. Holiness is to the soul what is what health is to the body and sanity is to the mind.
C. Deliverance from sin is on the negative of salvation as holiness is on the positive side. Holiness makes a Christian a while person as God desires.
4. Through faith in Jesus.
A. In Jesus Christ, God revealed himself to men and it is through His death and resurrection has given us the means of complete redemption.
B. Christ is our access to the Father and the basis for our justification, sanctification and glorification.
C. Acceptable faith in Christ involves repentance, surrender, obedience and walking in the light. Acts 16:31 And they said, Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and thou shall be saved, and thy house. John 8:24 I said therefore unto you, that you shall die in your sins: for if you believe not that I am he, you shall die in your sins. Romans 10:9 That if you shall confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus, and shall believe in your heart that God hath raised him from the dead, you shall be saved. Our faith is not dependant on our own good works, our goodness, our efforts, our growth and improvement. It is not dependant on church membership, church activities, taking sacraments or being baptized.
D. Our faith must be completely Biblically and doctrinally sound centered in Christ.
5. By the inward action of the Holy Spirit.
A. We are regenerated and sanctified through the blood of Jesus and influence of the Holy Spirit. 1 Thes. 5:23 And the very God of peace sanctify you wholly; and I pray God your whole spirit and soul and body be preserved blameless unto the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ. 2 Thes. 2:13 But we are bound to give thanks always to God for you, brethren beloved of the Lord, because God hath from the beginning chosen you to salvation through sanctification of the Spirit and belief of the truth: Titus 3:5 Not by works of righteousness which we have done, but according to his mercy he saved us, by the washing of regeneration, and renewing of the Holy Ghost; 1 Peter 1:2 Elect according to the foreknowledge of God the Father, through sanctification of the Spirit, unto obedience and sprinkling of the blood of Jesus Christ: Grace unto you, and peace, be multiplied.
B. Before our conversion the Holy Spirit only could convict us of our sin so that we might come to salvation in Jesus Christ. Once we come to Christ the Holy Spirit supervises, teaches, illuminates, checks growth and helps the fruit of the Spirit to grow in our lives.
C. We also must be careful that we walk in the fullness of the Spirit or we might come into resisting, quenching, despising and grieving the Holy Spirit.
6. In two works of grace.
A. In light of Scripture there are three works of Grace that are from God and in His plan. Those being salvation, Sanctification and Glorification. The first two are given us in this life and the last is our reward in heaven.
B. A believer is not sanctified wholly when he is born again. There is the birth of the Spirit and then the baptism of the Spirit. The promise of a Comforter is made to believers and not to the world. Acts 2:38-39 “Then Peter said unto them, Repent, and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins and you will receive the gift of the Holy Ghost. For the promise is unto you, and to your children, and to all that are afar off, even as many as the Lord our God shall call.”
C. The prayers in the N. T. for sanctification are only made for believers. John 17:17 Sanctify them through thy truth: thy word is truth. 1 Thes. 5:23 And the very God of peace sanctify you wholly; and I pray God your whole spirit and soul and body be preserved blameless unto the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ. Believers are urged to consecrate not to repent. Romans 12:1, 2 “And so, dear brothers and sisters, I plead with you to give your bodies to God. Let them be a living and holy sacrifice, the kind he will accept. When you think of what he has done for you, is this too much to ask? Don't copy the behavior and customs of this world, but let God transform you into a new person by changing the way you think. Then you will know what God wants you to do and you will know how good and pleasing and perfect his will really is.”
7 and in ensuing supervision and discipline.
A. We do not see two works of grace as an ending of personal salvation but the beginning. We are told we are in a race in HB 12:1-3 Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a huge crowd of witnesses to the life of faith, let us strip off every weight that slows us down, especially the sin that so easily hinders our progress. And let us run with endurance the race that God has set before us. We do this by keeping our eyes on Jesus, on whom our faith depends from start to finish. He was willing to die a shameful death on the cross because of the joy he knew would be his afterward. Now he is seated in the place of highest honor beside God's throne in heaven. Think about all he endured when sinful people did such terrible things to him, so that you don't become weary and give up.
B. This second work of grace removes the hindrances that are a result of the fall of Adam and Eve.
C. The person who is sanctified has the promptings, desires and desirability to pursue living a holy life.
1 John 1:7 But if we are living in the light of God's presence, just as Christ is, then we have fellowship with each other, and the blood of Jesus, his Son, cleanses us from every sin.
This letter was written to new born Christians who wanted to have victory over sin. We see the source and power of an inward cleansing for the believer.
I. We have a promised cleaning. It says, “the blood of Jesus, his Son, cleanses us from every sin.”
A. We inherited a sinful nature from being born into the human race. We are born with a bent toward sinning. In salvation we are saved from our past sins but in or hearts there remains a rebellious nature against God.
I TH 4:1 Finally, dear brothers and sisters, we urge you in the name of the Lord Jesus to live in a way that pleases God, as we have taught you. You live this way already, and we encourage you to do so even more. 2 For you remember what we taught you by the authority of the Lord Jesus. 7 God has called us to live holy lives, not impure lives. 8 Therefore, anyone who refuses to live by these rules is not disobeying human teaching but is rejecting God, who gives his Holy Spirit to you.
HB 3: 12 Beware, brethren, lest there be in any of you an evil heart of unbelief in departing from the living God; 13 but exhort one another daily, while it is called “Today,” lest any of you be hardened through the deceitfulness of sin. 14 For we have become partakers of Christ if we hold the beginning of our confidence steadfast to the end, 15 while it is said: l“Today, if you will hear His voice, Do not harden your hearts as in the rebellion.”
B. It says “cleanses us from every sin.” This word cleanses is in the continuous present tense. So we are being cleansed all the time.
C. It says “the blood of Jesus,” which means His blood is the cleansing agent.
II. We have a Precious Companion. “His Son.”
A. It says “we have fellowship with each other.”
B. We can never be bored in His company.
C. In His company we shall never be defeated or disappointed.
III. A Positive Condition. “If we are living in the light of God's presence.”
A. The Bible tells us that God is light and so to walk in the light is to walk in the direction God wants us to go. It is to walk without sin dominating our lives.
B. As we walk in the light we walk in holy living and in not being controlled by that which wants us to sin.
Why Do We Need Salvation and Forgiveness of Sins by the Blood of Jesus?
If you've asked Christ to be your Savior, but battle with times you doubt your salvation, then your whole life can be thrown off balance. Key areas of faith begin to crumble, and you limit the Holy Spirit's work in your life.
It's impossible to live an effective, empowered life if you're always facing doubts about your salvation. Why do believers doubt? Here are five key reasons:
First, disobedience! Sin hurts our prayers and spiritual understanding. So it's understandable how sin can confuse our understanding of salvation.
Second, deception! False teachings. If you've been taught that salvation is dependent upon good works, then you've been misled. Read the Bible! Christian books, and CDs, and listening to the sermon at church are all good – but they are no substitute for personal Bible study!
Third, distractions! When you allow yourself to focus more on the things around you than on the things of the Lord, you can be distracted from what the Lord is saying to you. Also, if you depend upon your emotions or feelings, you will be distracted. This leads many people to doubt their salvation during times of life's natural "emotional lows."
Fourth, disbelief! Acts 16:31 clearly states, "Believe in the Lord Jesus, and you will be saved." If you've made this saving confession, then you're saved. When you doubt the truth of this statement, you fail to take God at His word.
Fifth, the devil! Demonic attacks. The Enemy's goal is to alienate us from God. One of his most effective tactics is to cause us to question our standing with the Lord.
If you doubt your salvation, prayerfully examine your heart. Are any of these five deceptions corroding your faith? If so then allow the Lord to comfort you with His love and the truth of your salvation.
