This transcript was generated automatically and may contain minor errors.

Would you take out your bible, please, and turn to Matthew chapter three? Matthew chapter three. It's so good to see all of you here this evening, and I would encourage you to turn to Matthew chapter three. We'll also have some passages on the screen behind me as we go through these things. But Matthew chapter three is where we will begin here in just a second.

Matthew chapter three and verse 11, although we'll be reading a number of verses there from Matthew chapter three. On Wednesday nights, we've been studying the holy spirit in that adult class. And as I've said, we're coming to the end of that study, and there's still a number of things that we need to try and cover. And so I'm gonna be using some wind some Sunday nights in order to talk about some of those things. And so this evening, I'm gonna jump right in with this idea, thinking about baptism with the holy spirit, what that is, when it happened, what it looks like, and those sorts of things this evening.

And so as we think about baptism with the Holy Spirit, there are six passages to consider. Six passages that explicitly refer to Holy Spirit baptism. Six passages on four occasions. And every other passage that we might, you know, infer or think might be referring to holy spirit baptism, well, we should interpret those passages in light of these six that do explicitly refer to it. This is what we know holy spirit baptism is.

And anything that doesn't fit what we find in these six passages has to be something else. So let's go through them in order, both biblically and chronologically, and see if we can make some applications to this idea of baptism with the holy spirit. So the first occasion is John's prophecy, and this is found in all three of the synoptic gospels, Matthew chapter three and verse 11, Mark chapter one and verse eight, and Luke chapter three and verse 16. And what we see here is that John is differentiating himself and who he is and his work and ministry with Jesus who is coming and his work and ministry. I put this up on the screen.

I'm not sure if that's big enough for everybody to read, but you can read along there in Matthew chapter three beginning in verse 11, and you can see this. So we've got Matthew three, Mark one, and Luke three kinda right here beside one another where we can see what it is that he's saying here. So John says, I baptize you with water for repentance unto repentance. In other words, you're baptized and then going out to live this repentant life that you've promised to live. Okay?

So you're baptized. Now you're gonna live a new repentant life, But after me will come one who is more powerful than I. So me and this more powerful one, the Messiah. He's showing there's a distinction here, whose sandals I am not fit to carry. Mark actually says, I'm not even worthy to stoop down and untie them.

Well, why would you take somebody's sandals off? Why would you untie somebody's sandals? Because you're gonna wash their feet. John says, I'm not even worthy to wash the feet of this other one. I'm baptizing unto repentance, but there's one coming.

I can't even wash his feet. I'm not worthy to do that. He will baptize you with the holy spirit and with fire. Mark just says he will baptize you with the holy spirit. His winnowing fork is in his hand, and he will clear his threshing floor gathering his wheat into the barn and burning up the chaff with unquenchable fire.

Okay. So this is our first occasion where we see holy spirit baptism being explicitly mentioned. And I think the first thing we need to point out is that John was not discussing the subjects of holy spirit baptism. In other words, who was going to be baptized with the holy spirit, But he's particularly talking about the administrator who's gonna give this baptism with the holy spirit. Who's gonna do it?

He contrasted himself. I'm baptizing with water with the Messiah, this greater one who would baptize with the Holy Spirit. And that contrast, I think, is seen really clearly in the next passage that we might consider, and that's John's testimony in John chapter one and verse 33. You may turn over there if you want, but I'm gonna put it on the screen behind me. So remember, this is the occasion where John sees Jesus walking, and he says, behold the lamb of God who takes away the sins of the world.

And this is what he says about Jesus, that Messiah, that lamb of God who takes away the sins of the world. And John bore witness saying, I saw the spirit descending from heaven like a dove, and he remained on him. I did not know him, but he who sent me to baptize with water said to me, upon whom you see the spirit descending and remaining on him, we remember that happened, right, at the baptism of Jesus. This is he who baptizes with the Holy Spirit, and I have seen and testified that this is the son of God. So John, by saying this one is baptizing with the Holy Spirit, is identifying Jesus as the Christ, the Messiah, and that Jesus is the one who has the right and the power and the authority to administer this baptism of the Holy Spirit.

And the fact that John is considering who is baptizing, not who is being baptized, is further seen by the general way he's talking about the recipients of this baptism. In other words, when John said, I baptize you with water for repentance, Who's he talking about? Another way of asking that question, when he says, I baptize you, and that's a plural, I baptize y'all with water for repentance, did he mean he was baptizing every person who heard that, every person in his audience? No. That's exactly right.

He wasn't. And we know that because we read the context. Go back to Matthew chapter three. Begin reading with me in verse five. Matthew chapter three in verse five.

Then Jerusalem, all Judea, and all the region around the Jordan went out to him and were baptized by him in the Jordan confessing their sins. Now first of all, we see that he's talking about people from these areas, but what he actually says is, then Jerusalem, all Judea, and all the region of Jordan went out to him and were baptized by him. Did every single person in those regions get baptized by John? Of course not. We know that.

But they came, some of them did, and were baptized by him in the Jordan confessing their sins. Verse seven. But when he saw many of the pharisees and sadducees coming to his baptism, he said to them so glad you're here. No. Brood of vipers, who warned you to flee from the wrath to come?

Therefore, bear fruits worthy of repentance. And do not think to say to yourselves, we have Abraham as our father. Lord. The of not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire. I indeed baptized y'all.

Who's he talking to? These very ones who were rejecting his baptism. So when he says, I baptized y'all with water unto repentance, he's saying, I'm the one who's doing this kind of baptizing. I'm administering this baptism. But he who is coming after me is mightier than I, whose sandals I am not worthy to carry, he will baptize y'all people with the holy spirit and with fire.

This is who he was talking to, but they wouldn't be baptized by John nor would they actually be baptized with the Holy Spirit. And, certainly, not all believers for all time are gonna be baptized with the Holy Spirit, but the emphasis is this, Jesus will be the one who administers this baptism. And whoever it is that receives it, as we're gonna talk about here in just a second, Jesus is the one who has the right to administer that baptism. Jesus administers baptism with the Holy Spirit. Now another question that I've received is about this idea of he's baptizing with the Holy Spirit and with fire.

What's talked about with fire there? Well, there are a couple of possibilities. It could be talking about the refining process of the holy spirit. I think, certainly, there's an argument to be made by for that, but I don't think that's what it's talking about. Instead, when he's talking about baptism with the holy spirit and baptism with fire, what he's really doing are given the two choices.

Do you wanna be part of what's happening over here with the holy spirit, or do you wanna be part of what's happening with fire? And, again, we see that by looking at the context. Matthew, Mark, and Luke all talk about baptism with the holy spirit. But isn't it interesting? You look back up here, Mark does not include this section that we just read.

The axe is already at the root of the trees, and every tree that that does not produce good fruit will be cut down and thrown into the fire. Neither does Mark include this part. His winnowing fork is in his hand, and he will clear his threshing floor, gathering his wheat into the barn and burning up the chaff with unquenchable fire. So we have fires three times. Time one and time three are clearly talking about the same thing, the judgment that will come upon people who reject Jesus Christ.

I think it's very, very likely that this middle time in Luke and in Matthew is talking about that same thing. But it's talking about the judgment, the immersion in judgment that will come upon those who reject Jesus Christ. In other words, baptism with the holy spirit brought forth gracious words by which people would be saved. It was the beginning of this new covenant in Jesus Christ. And those who accepted those gracious words could be saved.

But those who rejected those words, they would only bring upon themselves baptism with fire, and baptism with fire is this idea of judgment, the separation in judgment where those people will be burned up. So that's my interpretation of what we see with John's words. But wouldn't it be awesome if it wasn't just my understanding when I read all of this and see this in the context? Wouldn't it be awesome if Jesus interpreted John's words for us? Would that be awesome?

Yes. Well, he does. And that's exactly what we see in our fifth passage of six, Our third occasion, Jesus' interpretation in Acts chapter one and verse five. Whoo. We're through five of six of the passages.

I mean, we are on number five of six. Don't get your hopes up. Go to Acts chapter one if you would. Acts chapter one. Don't be fooled.

That's laying the groundwork because Acts one and Acts two is really where we're gonna focus the rest of our time, then we'll get to Acts ten and eleven right at the end of our lesson, as kind of a postscript. So Acts chapter one. Acts chapter one. We see that Jesus himself is gonna quote from John the Baptist. But what I want us to do is I want us to read Acts chapter one verses one through eight.

And this is something that we actually did in our Bible class. So for some of you, this is gonna be repeat. For others of you, I want you to go through this exercise. So, for high school kids and that sort of thing, I want you to ask yourself these questions as we read Acts chapter one verses one through eight. Okay?

Here are the questions. Who was to receive this promise? Where were they to receive it? When were they to receive it? Why were they to receive it?

And what were they to do when they receive this promise of baptism, of the holy spirit? K. So those are the questions. Let's see if we can answer those questions because Jesus makes the application from what we just read in the gospels as the book of acts is introduced. Read with me beginning in verse one.

The former account I made, old Theophilus, of all that Jesus began both to do and to teach, what we know is the gospel of Luke. So this is volume two of Luke's account of the works of Jesus, his apostles, and the holy spirit. Up until the day which he was taken up, after he, through the holy spirit, had given commandments to the apostles whom he had chosen, To whom, the apostles, he also presented himself alive after his suffering by many infallible proofs, having been seen by them during forty days and speaking of things pertaining to the kingdom of God. Verse four. And being assembled together with them, them whom?

The apostles. He commanded them, the apostles, not to depart from Jerusalem, but to wait for the promise of the father, which he said, you have heard from me. That promise of the father are are all of those passages in John 13 through 16 where he says to the 12, the 11 on that occasion. He says, you wait, and I'm gonna send the helper. I'm gonna send the holy spirit.

He'll guide you into all truth. Verse five, four, Jesus says, John truly baptized with water, but you shall be baptized with the holy spirit not many days from now. Therefore, when they had come together, they asked him saying, Lord, will you at this time restore the kingdom of Israel? And he said to them, it is not for you to know times or seasons which the father has put in his own authority, but you shall receive power when the holy spirit has come upon you, and you shall be witnesses of me in Jerusalem and in all Judea and Samaria and to the end of the earth. So what's the answer to our first question?

Who was to receive this promise? Very clearly, it was the apostles. This is the you that he keeps referring to through all of this. And we see that that's even the case if we keep reading in verse nine. Now when he had spoken these things while they watched, he was taken up and a cloud received him out of their sight.

And while they looked steadfastly toward heaven as he went up, behold, two men stood by them in white apparel, who also said, men of Galilee, shorthand for the apostles, why do you stand gazing up into heaven? This same Jesus who was taken up from you into heaven will also come in like manner as you saw him go into heaven. Then they returned to Jerusalem from the mount called Olivet, which is near Jerusalem, a Sabbath day's journey. And when they had entered, they went up to the upper room where they were saying, who is the they? It's the apostles.

In fact, he names them Peter, James and John, and Andrew, Philip and Thomas, Bartholomew and Matthew, James the son of Alphaeus, and Simon the Zealot, and Judas the son of James. These all continued with one accord in prayer and supplication with the women and Mary and the mother of Jesus and with his brothers. It was the apostles, the men of Galilee who were listed on this occasion. And where were they to receive this promise? In Jerusalem.

When were they to receive it? Not many days. Why were they to receive it to be witnesses, and what were they to do when they received the baptism of the Holy Spirit? Well, they were to have power from the Holy Spirit so that they might be these witnesses in Jerusalem, Judea, and Samaria even to the end of the earth. And what if a witness forgets something?

Well, it'd be helpful if you could remember the source of all of those things, and that's what the holy spirit was coming to do. That's what Jesus promised, and that's exactly what we're gonna see happen in Acts chapter two. So Acts chapter one and what we see here is going to be fulfilled in Jerusalem, not very many days later as they receive power from the holy spirit. Now I want you to go there to Acts chapter two. This is just kind of an aside, and this is helpful.

Some questions have been asked about this idea of filled with the holy spirit. And as we talk with people, a lot of times because filled with the holy spirit is sometimes used with baptism of the holy spirit, I think it's important to point out. Baptized with the holy spirit and filled with the holy spirit are not always the same thing. Put it another way, everyone who is baptized with the holy spirit is also filled with the holy spirit, but not everybody filled with the holy spirit is baptized with the holy spirit. We see that in a number of different ways we can we can come to that conclusion.

Were people filled with the holy spirit before the day of Pentecost? Absolutely. Lots and lots and lots of people in the Old Testament and the New Testament. I've given you three examples there in Luke chapter one verse fifteen forty one and sixty seven. You can read that on your own time.

Do we see the apostles being filled with the holy spirit after the baptism of the holy spirit there in acts chapter two? Yes. Acts chapter four and verse eight and verse 31 are occasions where the apostles are then filled with the holy spirit so that they can prophesy or do other things. They've already been baptized, and it's not like they're getting baptized over and over and over again. Right?

That makes sense. And so let's not conflate these two terms as if they're always talking about the same thing. So who experienced power of the holy spirit on Pentecost? Well, what we've seen already should show us it's going to be the apostles. But let's actually read what the text says and see the fulfillment of these things in Acts chapter two.

Read with me. Acts chapter two beginning in verse one. I hope you were buckled up tonight. I mean, this is this is kind of fun, isn't it? I mean, ain't it a little fun to talk about these things and see exactly I mean, one of the things that people talk to me you're like, Reagan, you gotta go.

You gotta go. But one of the things people talk to me in this class is, like, I just wanna feel more comfortable about these things. Well, we shouldn't be scared of these things. We should feel comfortable and understanding of what we know. An acknowledgment of all of the things that we don't know should make us more comfortable.

So baptism of the holy spirit, let's see it happen. Acts chapter two beginning in verse one. When the day of Pentecost had fully come now the day of Pentecost was fifty days. That's what Pentecost means, fifty. Right?

So it's fifty days after Passover. And to be honest, we're not a 100% sure exactly everything that it commemorated. What we do know is that it was a feast that was even more observed by the Jews than the Passover feast. People would come to Pentecost sometimes even if they didn't come for Passover. And this feast was a feast of first fruits.

And so the first offerings that you give to God, those first fruits on all of the things that you're growing that you give to God, this feast was that occasion where you're giving these first fruits to God. Well, I mean, that makes perfect sense for the holy spirit to come and for the church to begin on this day. And so they were all with one accord in one place, and suddenly there came a sound from heaven as of a rushing mighty wind, and it filled the whole house where they were sitting. Then there appeared to them divided tongues as of fire and one sat upon each of them. And they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak with other tongues as the spirit gave them utterance.

Now we don't have time this evening to talk about all of the echoes that go back to the Old Testament and this idea of the mighty rushing wind and it's filling the house, and we think about God's presence coming into the tabernacle and the temple. This idea of tongues of fire, just like there was a pillar of fire above the tabernacle, tongues of fire now are above each one of them, but this is the holy spirit, and holy spirit is giving them utterance. Keep reading. Verse five. And there were dwelling in Jerusalem Jews, devout men from every nation under heaven.

And when this sound occurred, the multitude came together, and they were confused because everyone heard them speak gibberish. No. Unknown tongues. No. Speak in his own language.

Then they were all amazed and marveled saying to one another, look. Are not all those who speak Galileans, men of Galilee? Now, technically, that wasn't exactly right, but that's where Jesus was from. That's where his apostles primarily were from, and that's where they'd spent the last three years with Jesus, in Galilee primarily. Are they not Galileans implying, you know, these are just a bunch of rednecks from the woods.

Like, how are they knowing all of these other languages besides just the languages everybody knows? How is it that we hear each in our own language in which we were born? And then what Luke does, no doubt talking about the real occasion in these people, he starts going around the compass of the ancient world about where these people were from. Parthians and Medes you see the stars? Alright.

Watch the stars. Parthians and Medes, Elamites, those dwelling in Mesopotamia, Judea, and Cappadocia, Pontius and Asia, Pergia and Pamphylia, Egypt, and all parts of Libya adjoining Cyrene, visitors from Rome, both Jews and proselytes. Cretans and Arabs, we hear them speaking in our own languages the wonderful works of God. So they were all amazed and perplexed saying to one another, whatever could this mean. Now these points on the compass are just saying now there's some overlap in some of these languages, obviously, but it's just saying people were from everywhere.

And though you probably know some Hebrew as a Jew, you probably knew Greek because that was the language of the world at that time. You had the language that you grew up speaking. And here, the apostles are speaking in different languages, real languages, the language that you yourself grew up speaking. And so they're amazed by that. We hear them speaking in our own tongues, our own languages, the wonderful works of God.

K. Now Peter in verse 14 is gonna stand up with the 11 and tell them to heed my words and preach this sermon. We'll get back to that here in just a second. But here's what I want us to do right now. We think about baptism with the holy spirit.

In acts two, all of those passages are fulfilled that we read back there in the gospels. And what we read there in acts chapter one is fulfilled in acts chapter two. And there are four markers for this event. Here is what happened that we see with this event. Number one, this baptism was not administered by a human agent, but by Christ.

I struggled with the wording here a little bit. A human agent, you know, thinks makes us think double o seven or something. I'm just saying there's somebody doing baptism. If we were to baptize someone in this baptistry right here, the person doing the baptizing doesn't really matter, but somebody has to be there to actually administer. Have to be an agent to administer that baptism.

Right? That's not the case here. Jesus himself is baptizing them with the holy spirit. Number two, it was seen and it was heard. This is not something that nobody knew what was going well, they were confused about what was going on, but they saw what was going on, and they heard what was happening.

This was not behind closed doors. No. Oh, somebody got baptized with the holy spirit. Really? How did that happen?

No. Everybody saw and heard what was happening. Number three, a group, the apostles, experienced it at the same time. This was not something where it was just one person was baptized and then another person was baptized and another person was baptized kind of in order. The wind came into the house.

Everybody received this baptism at the same time. And then number four, as we've already talked about, they spoke in real languages that they had not learned, that they did not personally know, and yet now they know those things and they're able to speak those things. I want us to see that the apostles received this baptism, and it was not all those who were saved on this occasion who received it. In fact, the baptism is not what saved them, not the baptism of the holy spirit itself, but what came from that baptism that is speaking these words of salvation by which they were saved. And I think we see that by the contrast between the apostles and the other people who were there on that occasion.

So let me ask you a few questions, and we can answer this in the text. If this was bible class, you'd have some time to talk to your neighbor. Don't have that time. Instead, I want you to just answer these in your own mind. Who did the speaking on this occasion, and who did the listening?

Well, verse 14, but Peter standing up with the 11 raised his voice and said to them, men of Judea and all who dwell in Jerusalem, let this be known to you and heed my words. The apostles are doing the speaking. Who's doing the listening? These men of Judea and all who dwell in Jerusalem. We drop down to verse 36.

Who's doing the speaking? Therefore, let all the house of Israel know assuredly that God has made this Jesus whom you crucified both Lord and Christ. Peter is with the 11. But who's doing the listening? Verse 37.

Now when they heard this, they were cut to the heart. They were the ones listening, the ones who were going to be saved. Who had the answers and who had the questions? Well, we see who had the question in verse 37. They said to Peter and the rest of the apostles, men and brethren, what shall we do?

They needed to know what it was they needed to do in order to be saved, in order to make right what they had done. And who had the answer? The apostles. And Peter said to them, repent, and let every one of you be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins, and you shall receive the gift of the holy spirit. The gift that the holy spirit is giving of salvation.

The holy spirit came in Acts chapter two to empower these apostles so that they might preach these words so that these people might accept it, obey it, and receive salvation that was offered by the Holy Spirit. And that fulfills all of the promises in the Old Testament made to Abraham and others that through the seed of Abraham, all nations are going to be blessed. Who did the teaching? Who taught on this occasion? Well, it was the apostles.

Look there in verse 42. And the other side of that, who continued steadfastly in what was taught. In verse 40, with many other words, he testified and exhorted them saying, be saved from this perverse generation. Then those who gladly received his word, who heard and obeyed that teaching were baptized. And that day, about 3,000 souls were added to them.

And they, these 3,000 souls, continued steadfastly in the apostles' doctrine. Maybe your translation says the apostles' teaching. The apostles were doing the teaching, and those who devoted themselves to this teaching, who continued steadfastly in it, were those who were saved. And we read in verse 43, we answer another question. Who worked miracles and who feared because of those miracles being worked?

Then fear became came upon every soul, and many wonders and signs were done through the apostles. Because the apostles were the ones who had been baptized in the holy spirit and had the power to do this very thing. No one except the apostles received the power from the holy spirit to speak in tongues on Pentecost. What's the point of all of this? Well, we actually live in a part of the world where the Pentecost experience is something that is suggested that people need to need to have in order to be saved, to speak in tongues or whatever case it might be.

But to urge all believers to seek the Pentecost experience as it occurred at Pentecost in Acts chapter two is based on the false assumption that all or many believers were baptized in the holy spirit, were able to speak in tongues, were able to do the teaching that the holy spirit gave them so that others might receive that teaching and then do it. That is just the opposite of what we see in the text, that the apostles received this. They spoke in tongues. They did the teaching, and everyone else did the listening, the hearing, and the obeying to continue in the things that were taught as the holy spirit gave them utterance. It misunderstands what happened, but also why it happened, that these things happened to reveal and confirm the gospel of the risen king.

And though Christ had the power to give these gifts directly to the apostles, what we then see through the rest of the book of Acts is not many occasions where the holy spirit is is baptized, where Jesus is baptizing people in the Holy Spirit to receive these miraculous gifts. Instead, we see the apostles passing on these miraculous gifts by the laying on of hands. Who could pass on the gifts? The miraculous gifts of the holy spirit and working miracles and speaking in tongues. It was the apostles.

We've been going fast enough. I think we have time. Very quickly go to Acts chapter eight. Acts chapter eight. Philip was a devout man, a gospel preacher.

He had the holy spirit. He had the ability to work miracles. We see that hands were laid on him earlier in the book of Acts. But in Acts chapter eight, we see after the martyrdom of Stephen, verse four, therefore, those who were scattered went everywhere preaching the word. Verse five, then Philip went down to the city of Samaria and preached Christ to them.

And the multitudes with one accord heeded the things spoken by Philip, hearing and seeing the miracles which he did. Well, that's the purpose of the holy spirit. Right? To reveal the truth and to confirm that it is the truth by signs and wonders. For, hear the signs and wonders, unclean spirits crying out with a loud voice came out of many who were possessed, and many who were paralyzed and lame were healed, and there was great joy in that city.

Verse nine. But there was a certain man called Simon who previously practiced sorcery in the city and astonished the people of Samaria claiming that he was someone great. To whom they all gave heed from the least to the greatest saying, this man is the great power of God. Nope. Not so fast, my friend.

He seems like he is the great power of God until the actual power of God comes. They heeded him because he had astonished them with his sorceries for a long time. Verse 12. But when they believed Philip as he preached the things concerning the kingdom of God and the name of Jesus Christ, both men and women were baptized. Then Simon, the sorcerer himself, also believed.

And when he was baptized, he continued with Philip and was amazed seeing the miracles and signs which were done. Only God could convince somebody who was a sorcerer that this was true power. This really came from God. Now notice verse 14. Now when the apostles who were at Jerusalem heard that Samaria had received the word of God, they sent Peter and John to them.

Why? They've already received the word of God. What could Peter and John bring that Philip could not? Who, when they had come down, prayed for them that they might receive the Holy Spirit. For as yet, he, the holy spirit, had fallen on none of them.

They had only been baptized in the name of the lord Jesus. Then they laid hands on them, and they received the holy spirit. They received these this miraculous gift of the holy spirit, these gifts that the holy spirit would give. And when Simon saw that through the laying on of the apostles' hands, the holy spirit was given, he offered them money saying, give me this power also that anyone on whom I lay hands may receive the Holy Spirit. Now we know he was wrong in doing this, and Peter condemns him for it.

But our point this evening is that Peter and John came so that they could receive this power that Philip already had, but Philip couldn't pass it on to him. And Jesus did not baptize all of them in the Holy Spirit. Instead, through the laying on of the apostles' hands, these gifts were given, and that's how they were received by other people. The Samaritans didn't need the holy spirit in these miraculous gifts in order to be saved. They needed it to reveal and confirm the message that they would soon be preaching on their own.

Peter and John left. Philip was about to leave, and they needed the power of the holy spirit to confirm the message that would then be preached to others. K. So that's acts chapter two. Here's our postscript for the lesson this evening.

There's one more occasion that mentions baptism of the holy spirit explicitly. That's acts chapter 11. I want you to turn over there. Acts chapter 11. Let's read that first.

Acts chapter 11, and it's Peter describing I put Peter's memory. He's recounting something that has just happened. It's not like years and years and years ago, but this has just happened. Now Peter's telling others in Jerusalem what happened to him at Cornelius' household. Now Cornelius was a good man, but he was a Gentile.

And the Holy Spirit is going to be proof, testimony that now the Gentiles as well can receive salvation in Jesus Christ. So here's what Peter says, Acts chapter 11 and verse 16. Then I remembered the word of the Lord. How he said, John indeed baptized with water, but you shall be baptized with the holy spirit. So Peter himself remembers what Jesus said in Acts chapter one.

He connects it to Acts chapter two, and now we find ourselves all of this time later, with the house of Cornelius. Remember our boxes? What I know, what I think I know, and what I don't know. I know Acts chapter two is baptism of the Holy Spirit. I think Acts chapter 10 is as well.

I haven't moved it into this box totally because there are some arguments to be made that, well, maybe this is something slightly different. But Peter himself, I think the strongest argument for it being baptism of the Holy Spirit is that Peter himself says, hey. I remembered what Jesus said. I remembered how the Holy Spirit fell on us at the beginning. I think this is Holy Spirit baptism.

It might not be, but I think it is. And part of the reason why I think it is is because those four markers, well, those four things are repeated in Acts ten and eleven. It's not administered by a human agent. Peter's there, but he doesn't do it. It's administered by Christ.

It was seen and heard. There's not tongues of fire explicitly mentioned in the text, but they're speaking in these tongues, these languages that they did not know. And there's a group of people who receive this pouring out of the holy spirit, this group of people, not the apostles on this occasion, but instead those of Cornelius' household. But whether what Cornelius received was holy spirit baptism or not, consider the following ideas with me. First, we know that this was not to save Cornelius.

The holy spirit coming upon him and him speaking in tongues was not to save him. We know that because the text tells us that over and over and over again. Maybe you're not familiar with Acts ten and eleven. In Acts 10, Peter sees this vision, and the sheet is being let down out of heaven and has clean and unclean animals down on it. Peter's told rise, kill, and eat.

And Peter's like, no, Lord. I've never eaten anything unclean. I'm not starting now. He says what? The Lord has called clean.

Don't call common. Don't call it unclean if I've made it pure. And he's like, that's weird. Well, Cornelius at the same time receives message from the holy spirit to send for this man Peter. He's gonna be in Simon the Tanner's house.

He's gonna come and he's gonna speak to you. And what is it that he's gonna speak to you? Well, let's look there. Acts chapter 10 and verse six. He is lodging with Simon, a tanner whose house is by the sea.

He will tell you what you must do. Drop down to verse 22. And they said, these messengers, Cornelius the centurion, a just man, one who fears God and has a good reputation among all the nations of the Jews, was divinely instructed by a holy angel to summon you to his house and to hear words from you. Drop down to verse 29. Therefore, I came without objection as soon as I was sent for.

I asked then for what reason have you sent for me, for Peter on this occasion? What was it that Peter came to do? Drop down to verse 33. So I sent to you immediately, and you've done well to come. Now, therefore, we are all present before God to hear all the things commanded you by God.

So what does Peter do? Well, Peter opened his mouth and said, in truth, I perceive that God shows no partiality. But in every nation, whoever fears him and works righteousness is accepted by him. Peter made the connection. He drew the inference from what God was implying with the whole vision, with the clean and unclean animals.

The Gentiles the Gentiles can be saved in Jesus Christ now just like the Jews can be saved. K? Go to chapter 11. We see that Peter, after the Holy Spirit falls upon them, he comes back to Jerusalem, and he has to defend the things that he did. So read with me beginning in verse 11.

At that very moment, three men stood before the house where I was, having been sent to me from Caesarea. Then the spirit told me to go with them doubting nothing. Moreover, these six brethren accompanied me, and we entered the man's house. And he told us how he had seen an angel standing in his house who said to me said to him, send men to Joppa and call for Simon, whose surname is Peter, who will tell you words by which you and all your household will be saved. And as I began to speak, Peter says, the holy spirit fell upon them as upon us at the beginning.

These words that Peter spoke were gonna save Cornelius and his household. So what then was the purpose of the holy spirit? To testify that they had every right to be saved in the same way, that they were included in salvation in Jesus Christ just like the Jews. Let's go through chapter ten and eleven again. We remember there fourteen and fifteen.

Peter says when he sees this vision, not so, Lord, for I've never eaten anything common or unclean. And the voice spoke to him again the second time, what God has cleansed, you must not call common. Verse 28. Then he said to them, you know how unlawful it is for a Jewish man to keep company with or go to one of another nation, but God has shown me that I should not call any man common or unclean. God told me to come.

I'm coming. And that's exactly what he did. And as we read in verses thirty four and thirty five, he perceives, well, whoever fears God and works righteousness is going to be accepted by him. Drop down to verse 44. While Peter was still speaking these words, the holy spirit fell upon all those who heard the word.

Then those of the circumcision who believed were astonished as many came with Peter because the gift of the holy spirit had been poured out on the Gentiles also for they heard them speak with tongues and magnify God. Then Peter answered, can anyone forbid water that these should not be baptized who have received the holy spirit just as we? Then he commanded them to be baptized in the name of the lord, and he stayed with them a few days. And then we go drop down to chapter 11 and verse one. Now the apostles and the brethren who were in Judea heard that the Gentiles had also received the word of God.

And when Peter came up to Jerusalem, those of the circumcision continued with contended with him saying, you went in to uncircumcised men and ate with them. Yeah. That's exactly what he did, but for what purpose? He recounts what happens in verses eight and nine where God says what God has cleansed, you must not call common. Three times, Peter said, the Lord showed this same vision to me.

And so I went there without doubting with these six other men with me. And in verse 17, after he quotes Jesus, he says, if therefore God gave them the same, the like gift as he gave us when we believed on the Lord Jesus Christ, who was I? I could withstand God. And when they heard these things, they became silent, and they glorified God saying, then God has also granted to the Gentiles repentance to life. Repentance leading to life.

The purpose of the holy spirit baptism of the holy spirit, if indeed that's what it is here in acts ten and eleven, was to testify of the inclusion of the Gentiles. But to be saved, they still had to obey and be baptized in the name of the lord, verse 48. God has granted to the Gentiles repentance to life, they say in chapter 11 and verse 18. And we observe with Cornelius that this was something that was unique, Not to save him, but to testify that Gentiles will be included, and this was unique to these two occasions, Acts two and Acts 10. And we see that in a couple of places there.

We see the uniqueness of this account. In verse 45 of chapter 10, they were astonished. They were amazed, these six other men. Here's my question. If baptism of the holy spirit had been happening, as some would suggest, every day since acts chapter two.

Why would they be amazed on this occasion? It was something that they would have seen hundreds and hundreds of times. And Peter doesn't say, well, this is the same thing that's been happened to us all along. In chapter 11 and verse 15, he says, and I began to speak the holy spirit fell upon them as upon us at the beginning. At the beginning of what?

At the beginning of the new covenant, the beginning of Christ's kingdom here on Earth, the beginning of the church, they were baptized in the Holy Spirit. And now the Gentiles would be included in that as well. Six passages to consider, Matthew three, Mark one, Luke three. John one and verse 33 in John's testimony, Jesus' interpretation of what John said in Acts one and then Peter's memory of those things in Acts chapter 11. Just as on us at the beginning.

Well, that's what baptism is, isn't it? It's a new beginning, and baptism of the holy spirit was a new beginning for for all of us. And the ramifications and the working of that spirit continued on and continued to some degree even today, but it began there in this way and to this degree in Acts chapter two. It was a first fruit of this new manifestation of the spirit, And it is based on that baptism of the holy spirit that the apostles then were able to speak the things that god wanted them to speak and to bear witness to those things with signs and wonders and power. They wrote all of those things down so that we might have those very things.

It was a new beginning for all of mankind of God dwelling with us in a greater way even than he dwelt in the tabernacle in the temple. And as we think about baptism, well, baptism of the holy spirit happened to the apostles, but there is a new beginning, a baptism into Christ that is required for every one of us. And if you're here this evening and you are not yet a Christian, are you ready for that new beginning and all of the ramifications that will come from it? We can help you. Won't you come now?

But together we stand and while we sing.