Summary: Very practical and balanced sermon on the baptism in the Holy Spirit.

The Spirit Filled Life (part 3)—The Baptism of the Holy Spirit

Acts 1:4,5,8 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. 5 For John baptized with water, but in a few days you will be baptized with the Holy Spirit." 8 But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you; and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth."

I. The Importance of the Baptism in the Holy Spirit.

A. Jesus had given the apostles the Great Commission—to go into all the World.

B. With such a great task, one might expect a command to get started right away.

C. But Jesus tells them to wait—because it was that important.

D. It was the waiting in Jerusalem that enabled them to leave Jerusalem… had they left without the Promise, they would have left for nothing.

E. When we try to fulfill the Great Commission—or do the work of God—without the empowerment of the Baptism of the Holy Spirit, we cannot find success, because we are ill-equipped to do the job.

PS 127:1 Unless the LORD builds the house, its builders labor in vain. Unless the LORD watches over the city, the watchmen stand guard in vain.

Time spent seeking the Spirit is NOT time wasted… Labor without the Spirit is labor wasted!

II. Purpose of the Baptism in the Holy Spirit.

A. The Baptism of the Holy Spirit is an empowerment to be.

1. We often think of just the Power as in the manifestation gifts, but a part of the power God gives is power to BE something.

2. We often use the term “witness” as a verb. I’m going to witness to someone. However, here “witness” is a noun. It’s not something you do, but something you ARE.

3. Here we receive the power to live right—to develop the Fruit of the Spirit—not just to demonstrate the Gifts of the Spirit.

B. As we know what we are is witnesses. When we are witnesses that will naturally include speaking, and manifestations of the Holy Spirit.

C. The witnessing we do is not apart from what we are, but flows out of what we BECOME by the power of the Holy Spirit.

III. How can we be baptized?

A. We must wait.

1. The baptism in the H.S. is the Promise of the Father. It is for every believer.

2. However, we cannot manufacture it—therefore we will be baptized on God’s timetable.

Example: I waited for many years.

B. However, it’s not just passive waiting—it includes prayer and seeking the H.S.

1. The disciples obviously took this command to wait as an “active” command, because

Acts 1:14 They all joined together constantly in prayer, along with the women and Mary the mother of Jesus, and with his brothers.

2. And there they were praying when the Holy Spirit came down.

C. We must pray and seek the Holy Spirit.

1. AC 8:14 When the apostles in Jerusalem heard that Samaria had accepted the word of God, they sent Peter and John to them. 15 When they arrived, they prayed for them that they might receive the Holy Spirit, 16 because the Holy Spirit had not yet come upon any of them; they had simply been baptized into the name of the Lord Jesus.

2. Some say “Seek not… forbid not…” but that becomes “Seek not… receive not!”

D. Those who have already been baptized in the H.S. should pray for us.

1. Notice that it’s not coaching them on how to be filled—it’s simply praying for them to receive!

IV. What is the sign of the baptism in the Holy Spirit?

A. The initial physical sign is speaking in tongues. Acts 2:4, Acts 10:4, Acts 19:6

1. This was proof enough to Peter to accept Gentile believers into the faith.

46 For they heard them speaking in tongues and praising God. Then Peter said, 47 "Can anyone keep these people from being baptized with water? They have received the Holy Spirit just as we have."

2. There may or may not be other signs, like wind and fire, but speaking in tongues is repeated over and over—so we must use this as the sign.

B. There is also more evidence—obviously if one has been baptized in the Holy Spirit we will also see them Being a witness.

C. We often put so much emphasis on the “speaking in tongues,” but remember that although it is the sign, it is not the end, or even the purpose, of the baptism in the Holy Spirit.

D. We must seek the Spirit—not the tongues!

V. What happens after the baptism?

A. A baptism is an initiation.

1. Your water baptism is not the fullness of your Christian walk. It merely marks the beginning of your Christian walk.

2. You still must take advantage of that initiation every day, by continuing in the Christian life.

3. Likewise, the baptism in the Holy Spirit is not the end-all to your experience of the Holy Spirit. Instead, it marks the beginning of your living in the fullness of the Spirit.

In Acts 2:4, all of them were “filled with the Holy Spirit.” In Acts 4:31, some of the same people were praying, and the Bible says they were “filled with the Holy Spirit.”

4. Every day you must continue to walk in the Holy Spirit.