Sermon – What You Believe Is Important!
Scripture Acts 19:1-7 “While Apollos was in Corinth, Paul traveled through the interior regions until he reached Ephesus, on the coast, where he found several believers. 2 “Did you receive the Holy Spirit when you believed?” he asked them. “No,” they replied, “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 called for repentance from sin. But John himself told the people to believe in the one who would come later, meaning Jesus.” 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, and they spoke in other tongues and prophesied. 7 There were about twelve men in all.”
Introduction: After the defeat of the Jews before the judgment seat of Gallio, Paul remained at Corinth for some time, and then sailed to Ephesus, where they desired him to remain; but he thought fit to proceed by vessel to Cesarea, and onward to Jerusalem. He traveled again to Antioch and set out on His third missionary journey. This determined apostle was always at work, spending and being spent for the Lord Jesus. Paul was always interested in what people believed. What you believe determines how you live, what you do and what you can receive. Spirit-filled Christians live different from culture, customs, and surroundings. They live as lights in a dark world. We are not told what prompted Paul to ask the question, but something did.
This event occurs 26 years after Pentecost, nearly a thousand miles from Jerusalem, when information traveled slowly, and travel was limited and dangerous. Paul finds a group of religious disciples in Ephesus who have an imperfect understanding of faith in Christ. There are even now professing Christians who have limited knowledge of the Holy Ghost, of repentance, of the new birth, of adoption, of holy joy, and of what it means to be a part of the sanctified fellowship. How would you have answered Paul’s question about the Holy Spirit? “Have ye received the Holy Ghost since you believe?
It is likely that these disciples at Ephesus were Jews who had heard the preaching of John, and received John’s baptism, and believed in the coming Christ, John was preaching. Excited about their new found faith, returned to Ephesus without farther instruction in the Christian religion. They did not experience the earthly ministry of Jesus, his death, burial, and resurrection. They did not experience Pentecost and the birth of the Church. They had repented of their sin, lived in harmony with others, believed in God and his coming Messiah. 26 years later, they are still faithful. John the Baptist was quite a preacher!
Paul, perceiving all this, asked them if they had received the Holy Ghost since they believed? For it was the common privilege of the disciples of Christ to receive, not only the ordinary graces, but also the extraordinary gifts of the Holy Spirit that was available to every disciples of Christ. Paul explains John baptized with water, but the Messiah, Jesus Christ has come and baptizes with the Holy Ghost. And to this day the genuine disciples of Christ are distinguished from the religious or nominal Christians, by being made partakers of the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit enlightens the mind, and convinces of sin, righteousness, and judgment. He quickens the soul, witnesses to their conscience that they are the children of God and purifies their hearts. Those who have not received these blessings from the Holy Spirit, whatever their profession may be, know nothing better than John's baptism: good, excellent in its kind, but ineffective in the work of the ministry. The work of the Holy Spirit includes empowerment for personal transformation and making us God’s agents of transformation in the world. What You believe is important because…
1. What You Believe Determines What You Receive. Acts 19:5 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, and they spoke in other tongues and prophesied.”
This faithful group of twelve had not so much as heard whether the Spirit had come not whether the Holy Spirit’s power, particular gifts and graces were available to be received. They probably heard John mention it, the Prophets mentioned it but they did not know the Holy Spirit was announced and promised by Christ as a free gift for believers. They simply meant that they had not heard that this Spirit, in his gifts, had been given to or received by anyone until Paul. For years, power has been available, lives have been changed, healing and deliverance abounded, but they had no clue.
No doubt Paul explains accepting Christ as your Savior is essential for salvation. He is the one John preached about; receive Him by faith. Now that you are saved, God has this wonderful gift of the Holy Ghost available to you! After they were water baptized again, Paul prayed for them and laid hands on them that the Spirit of God would come upon them, and they were filled with the Holy Ghost. As soon as they were filled, they began to speak in tongues and to prophecy. They experienced the gifts of the Holy Spirit for the first time. Accepting Christ as your Savior is essential for salvation. But, once you are saved, God then has the wonderful gift of the Holy Ghost available to you!
This is what God had promised through the prophets. Joel 2:28,29 “God says, “I will pour out My Spirit on all flesh. Your sons and daughters will prophesy, your old men will dream dreams, your young men will see visions. And on My menservants and on My maidservants, I will pour out My Spirit in those days.”
What You believe is important because it determines what you can receive and what you can become.
2. What You Believe Determines What You Become. Ac 1:8 “But ye shall receive power, after that the Holy Ghost is come upon you: and ye shall be witnesses unto me both in Jerusalem, and in all Judaea, and in Samaria, and unto the uttermost part of the earth.”
Then Paul must have explained the purpose of the Spirit. Joh 1:12 “But as many as received him, to them gave he power to become the sons of God, even to them that believe on his name:” The Holy Spirit transform us into sons of God and empowers us for the service of God. Acts 1:8 Jesus says, “You will receive power when the Holy Ghost has come upon you and you will be witnesses to Me in Jerusalem and in all Judea and Samaria and to the end of the earth.”
Matt 28:18-20 And Jesus came and spake unto them, saying, All power is given unto me in heaven and in earth. 19 Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost: 20 Teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you: and, lo, I am with you alway, even unto the end of the world. Amen.”
What you believe determines what you receive; what you believe determines what you become; and finally, what you believe determines the Holy Spirit’s potential within us.
3. What you believe determines the Holy Spirit’s potential within us. Holy Spirit’s potential is defined as His abilities that lead to future success or usefulness. Holy Spirit knows how to maximize our abilities and usefulness. He knows where our ministry can be more successful. As we allow the Holy Spirit to have more control of our lives, we begin living a Spirit-filled life. What You believe is important because it determines what you can receive, what you can become and what the Holy Spirit can do within us. The Holy Ghost can move upon the chaos of your life and create order out of the chaos of your life!
As you begin living the Spirit-filled life, you should expect the Holy Ghost to speak through you! There will be a supernatural enabling that the Spirit gives you to speak at times when you would normally be silent. There will be times when you will have absolutely no idea what you are supposed to say. But those are precisely the times when the Holy Ghost will give you the right words!
John 7:37-39 says, “Jesus said, ‘If anyone thirsts, let him come to Me and drink. He who believes in Me, as the Scripture has said, out of his heart will flow rivers of living water.’ But this He spoke concerning the Spirit.”
As you begin living the Spirit-filled life, rivers of living water will flow from your life. God will give you sustainability and strength to keep going.
As you begin living the Spirit-filled life, you’ll be able to defeat the temptations that come your way. Not only can you face the devil’s trials, being filled with the Holy Ghost you will finish strong.
Rom 8:26 says, “When we do not know what we should pray for, the Spirit Himself makes intercession for us with groanings which cannot be uttered.”
As you begin living the Spirit-filled life, even if you have no idea what you should be praying about, the Holy Ghost will begin to pray through you! There will be times that God will bring someone or some situation to your mind and all you’ll be able to do is pray in the Holy Ghost!
2 Cor 3:17 says, “Now the Lord is the Spirit and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is liberty.”
As you begin living the Spirit-filled life, you’ll begin to enjoy a new level of liberty or freedom that you’ve never known! And there’s nothing quite like freedom!
Jude 20 says, “Build yourselves up on your most holy faith praying in the Holy Ghost.”
As you begin living the Spirit-filled life, you will build up your faith by praying in the Holy Ghost! 1. What You Believe Determines What You Receive 2. What You Believe Determines What You Become 3. What you believe determines the Holy Spirit’s potential within us. When we believe the promises of God and receive the person of the Holy Spirit, we allow Him to take control of our lives. He is in control; not us. Then we can experience his full potential working within our lives. Paul wanted these disciples at Ephesus to be empowered, and enabled to be and do all that God has designed and destined them to be and do.
That’s my desire for each one of us to live spirit-filled lives of victory. Being agents of transformation, bringing salvation, healing, and wholeness to a broken world. What you believe is vitally important. What you believe determines what you receive; what you believe determines what you become; and finally, what you believe determines the Holy Spirit’s potential within us. Our goal should be to keep being filled with the Spirit. The Greek word translated as “filled” literally means “to fill to the top so that nothing can be added,” or maintain spiritual fulness. As you use your gifts, depleting your resources, keep drinking from your river of life so you can stay full and finish strong. John 7:37-39 says, “Jesus said, ‘If anyone thirsts, let him come to Me and drink. He who believes in Me, as the Scripture has said, out of his heart will flow rivers of living water.’ But this He spoke concerning the Spirit.” Amen.
