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April 20, 2008
Spirit Baptism – Part 3
Today we heard a testimony from Tom Brown: I’ll have no more than Jesus – but I’m in desperate need of Jesus. Can Jesus of Nazareth cross your moat? We teach our children to build good, safe, sound moats with draw bridges. We teach them to keep out bad language, too much of this or that, drugs, cigarettes, etc.
There is a caravan coming. In the carriages are nice, clean, well-behaved Christians, as well as well-dressed men of good repute. But there are also carriages with rough-looking men in ragged clothing, a little smelly; some possible ‘scoundrels’ with bad language who may soil the furniture. And then there are the dirty, rowdy, scruffy children. They may embarrass us with our neighbors. Do I lower my drawbridge and let THEM in, too? All I have to do is lower the draw bridge to the caravan, then raise after the nice Christians are in.
But look! Who is leading the caravan? It’s Jesus of Nazareth. They are ALL with him- let them ALL in!
Tom then spoke of his salvation: He had “messed up” the inside of his spiritual “house. As he was reading the book of John, “something” stopped him and he prayed for Jesus to save him. Tom then experienced a one month “honeymoon” followed 3 months later by a brutal nervous breakdown. Tom then spoke of the “awesome, brutal love of God.” Some time later, he was listening to a sermon on Spirit Baptism and Jesus touched him – something changed. “The more I praised God, the heavier the ‘anointing’”.
He said, “I accept Jesus and all that are with him – the whole caravan – all of Him!”
Pastor Scott spoke of the parallels, the examples, between God’s release of His Covenant people from slavery in Exodus and our rescue from the bondage of “The Sin”: of man’s reign, of man’s self-rule. God sent one man, Moses, to release a nation from the bondage of Egypt, the superpower of the earth at the time. Moses was a type of Christ who went back into the old realm, with God’s Power, to release God’s people of Israel out of Egypt. “I will redeem you … I will take you to be my people” (Exodus 6:6-7). Just as God sent Jesus back to release us. The Power of the age to come is reaching back into our age. This Kingdom Power is setting the captives free!
The main points of Scott’s message are to:
<!--[if !supportLists]-->(1.) <!--[endif]-->LET IN.
<!--[if !supportLists]-->(2.) <!--[endif]-->LET GO.
<!--[if !supportLists]-->(3.) <!--[endif]-->LAY DOWN.
1. LET IN the Holy Spirit of God, the Power of God. Let down your “drawbridge” and let ALL of Jesus’ caravan cross your “moat” – let ALL of Jesus in to every room of your “house.”
In Matthew 12:28 Jesus said, “If I cast out demons by the Spirit of God (figuratively, the Power of God), then the Kingdom of God has come.” The Power of the age to come is here. Wherever the Reign of the Kingdom of God comes, the power of darkness must cease!
In Jesus’ teaching of the Kingdom of God, He says this power shall be yours. In Acts 1:8, Jesus said “You will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you.” The word “receive” in the original Greek in verse 8 means to TAKE – it’s yours!
2. LET GO. Do it now! Delayed obedience is DISobedience. Partial obedience is DISobedience. The Holy Spirit is not a step-child. He will not share your “house”; He will not mix Himself, with any other or with you. Be willing to be made willing. Surrender fully – “Fill me with the Spirit”.
Our pastor again illustrated that to receive what God has for us, we have to let go of some things. He quoted F.B. Meyer who said “There were some things in our lives that make it difficult for us to surrender our whole nature to Christ. Lord, I am willing to be made willing.” We must be willing to say to God, “I will give them up. My will is surrendered.”
Many of us are experiencing little “trickles” – but we want the dam to burst! The Holy Spirit takes up residence in every believer – He wants to take to take up residence in every room of our lives. But there are walls in the way: “I”, “me”, “my …”. Our soulishness gets in the way. The Holy Spirit is waiting for me to give Him the keys to my “house”, to every room, so that He may permeate my whole life. We want to be carried away by a raging River!
Are you doing “church work” or work empowered by the Holy Spirit?
3. LAY DOWN. The disciples were looking on as Jesus was “lifted up and a cloud took Him out of their sight … two men stood by them in white robes, and said, Men of Galilee, why do you stare into the sky?” (Acts 1:9-11) Jesus had told them that they have the Holy Spirit and “not many days from now you shall receive Power!” Immediately “they went up to the upper room” and “All these with one mind were devoting themselves to prayer.” (Acts 1:13,14) Throughout the New Testament you will see references to Christians being “together”, “in unity”, “of one accord”, “having all things in common.”
Our selfishness tends to rise to the surface. Let the Spirit conquer you! Surrender to the on-going filling of the Spirit. Look closely into your lives, into your heart: What are the things in the way of our surrendering to receive the Power?
Again the question is asked: What do you propose to lay down in order that you may receive this promised gift of the Holy Spirit? Be willing to be made willing … to lay down ….
As Pastor Scott observed, “Prayer is the great unifier. It is hard to be mad at someone when you pray for them.”