Let us turn to the book of Acts, Acts 1:4.
And, being assembled together with them, He commanded them not to depart from Jerusalem, but to wait for the promise of the Father, “which,” He said, “ye heard from Me:
for John indeed baptized with water; but ye shall be baptized in the Holy Spirit not many days hence.”
We need to pay attention to this phrase: “Ye shall be baptized in the Holy Spirit.”
Let us now turn to Acts 11:15.
And as I began to speak, the Holy Spirit fell on them, even as on us at the beginning.
And I remembered the word of the Lord, how He used to say, “John indeed baptized with water; but ye shall be baptized in the Holy Spirit.”
Again, here we have the phrase, “Ye shall be baptized in the Holy Spirit.”
In the book of Acts, we keep hearing the phrases being filled with the Holy Spirit and the Holy Spirit came upon the apostles. But only twice does it mention being baptized in the Holy Spirit.
Let us turn to Acts 2:33.
Being therefore by the right hand of God exalted, and having received of the Father the promise of the Holy Spirit, He hath poured forth this, which ye see and hear.
Here we see the pouring out, or outpouring, of the Holy Spirit.
Now let us turn to Acts 10:44.
While Peter yet spake these words, the Holy Spirit fell on all them that heard the word.
And they of the circumcision that believed were amazed, as many as came with Peter, because that on the Gentiles also was poured out the gift of the Holy Spirit.
At Pentecost and in the house of Cornelius, we see baptism in the Holy Spirit. At the same time, we see the pouring out of the Holy Spirit.
In the book of Acts, apart from Peter’s quotation of Joel, the pouring out is mentioned only twice. Yet the ministry of the Holy Spirit, or being filled with the Holy Spirit, is mentioned many times.
We want these words to make an impression upon our lives. Brother Nee once said that when you find the facts in the Bible, you have already seen half of the light. When we see the facts in the Bible, may He speak to us so that our hearts may be enlightened.
We need to have a further word of prayer.
Dear Lord, when we speak on this matter of baptism in the Holy Spirit, we can only declare that it is the Holy Spirit Who will guide us into all truth.
We pray that You would empty us so that You can fill us. May You empty what we think we already have, and may the Holy Spirit have an opportunity to speak to us.
May it not be because we feel that we are already full that we cannot hear Your word. May it not be because You have given us such abundance that we cannot hear Your word.
Lord, this morning we ask for Your enlightening. You know how much we err. Many times we err a lot. Lord, we do pray for Your mercy.
May Your Holy Spirit speak to us so that we can understand Your truth. Lord, we look to You in the desolate situation of the church today and amid the many views concerning the Holy Spirit.
May You do a work of enlightening. Man cannot do this; only You can. So, Lord, we pray that we may be reminded of the words You are speaking to us.
May those who have an ear hear what the Holy Spirit speaks to the churches. Listen to our prayer. In Jesus’ precious name. Amen.
Yesterday we spoke of two great occurrences that happened on the day of Pentecost: first, baptism in the Holy Spirit; secondly, the anointing of the Holy Spirit.
These two things are actually one. We make them into two different occurrences in order to make the matter clearer, but they are like the two sides of a coin.
When we read Acts, we are very amazed. After the day of Pentecost, we see the presence of the Holy Spirit and feel the Holy Spirit’s power. Brothers and sisters, the early church was full of life and power. It had power because it was full of life.
The Bible keeps saying how they were filled with the Holy Spirit, especially after the day of Pentecost. When we read Acts 13, 14, and 15, we see how the Spirit of Jesus guided Paul and did not allow him to do certain things.
Ever since the day of Pentecost, the church was full of life and power. The disciples did indeed experience the Holy Spirit.
When we speak of the Holy Spirit, of course we speak of experience. The Holy Spirit has given us fellowship with the Father and with Jesus Christ.
Christ has already ascended into heaven, and all the fullness of God is in Him. How do we experience this today? He is in heaven. How can we enter into His fullness? How do we enter into the unsearchable riches of Christ?
Brothers and sisters, thank the Lord: it is because of the fellowship of the Holy Spirit.
The Bible speaks not only of the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ and the love of God, but also of the fellowship of the Holy Spirit. If we are to understand His ministry, we need to know the fellowship of the Holy Spirit.
It is the Holy Spirit Who brings heaven down to earth. It is the Holy Spirit Who enables all the riches of Christ to be yours and mine. For this reason, the Holy Spirit guides us into all truth.
What does this mean? The truth is not merely objective; we can experience it. What we hear, what we see—the glorious Christ—we can experience.
If we do not read the Bible carefully, we can confuse and mix up certain terms.
For example, we have already mentioned two terms. One is baptism in the Holy Spirit. In English, we often say “baptism of the Holy Spirit,” but in the original Greek the preposition is in, not of. Therefore, the more accurate expression is baptism in the Holy Spirit.
This is something very great. We also hear of the outpouring of the Holy Spirit. Then there is the filling of the Holy Spirit, and there is also the receiving of the Holy Spirit.
So now we have at least these terms:
If we do not pay attention, we may think they are all the same because they appear similar. But if we carefully read spiritual books, we will be amazed. Many great scholars, men who know the Bible, seem to mix these terms together when they speak on this matter.
The subject we are sharing this morning is something very great because there is much misunderstanding in the church today.
We cannot simply interchange baptism in the Holy Spirit and the filling of the Holy Spirit. If we are not careful, we will take what has already happened in history and make it our experience today. Naturally, we will want it to happen again.
For example, the cross was an event in history. Does that mean we want our Lord to be crucified again? Many things cannot be repeated. In history, they happened once.
Does that mean we cannot experience them today? No. Today we experience the redemptive work of the cross.
Many times the Holy Spirit uses a term for something that happened as an event in history, while other terms refer to our experience. Therefore, we have to be careful. If we are not careful, we will not hear the Lord’s words clearly.
When I first considered the work of the Holy Spirit, I heard that the children of God had many different views. I tried to understand why there were so many views, so I collected books by many different authors.
When I was reading Revelation, I also collected many books because Revelation is one of the most difficult books to read. But when we speak of the ministry or work of the Holy Spirit, there are also many books.
The amazing thing is that these authors were not only Bible scholars; they were men who had been filled with the Holy Spirit. If we hear their names, we know that God used them greatly in church history.
These men stood up and told us what it meant to be baptized in the Holy Spirit. When you read their books, you see that the church is indeed rich. Our Lord has raised up those who knew the Holy Spirit, and they have given us what they knew and experienced.
This is the richness of the church. Those who loved the Lord and were filled with the Holy Spirit not only experienced Him, but also shared their experience with us.
We need to be humble. We cannot compare with their knowledge. Some people are merely Bible scholars: they have a large head full of knowledge, but their life is very small. But these men had not only great minds; they were full of life.
One of them was William Kelly. Spurgeon said that William Kelly’s mind was as great as the universe. These men were mightily used by God. Whether you like Kelly or not, you have to admit that he was indeed a Bible scholar.
These authors wrote what they had seen and put it in book form. Such books should help us. We need to humble ourselves. Not only has the Lord given us the Word, but through the riches of the church we are helped.
Let us not be proud. We need to ask the Lord to give us a spirit of humility and to open our eyes. If the Holy Spirit is to fill us, He needs to empty us first.
Brothers and sisters, let us not be proud people. Let us be those who have ears to hear. The church today does not have an ear to hear concerning the Holy Spirit. May we be those who have an ear to hear.
When you read these books, you encounter names such as R. A. Torrey, W. H. Griffith Thomas, Andrew Murray, G. Campbell Morgan, A. T. Pierson, F. B. Meyer, A. J. Gordon, Dr. Martyn Lloyd-Jones, Watchman Nee, Lewis Sperry Chafer, Oswald Sanders, W. G. Scroggie, William Kelly, and J. I. Packer.
All these men not only knew the Holy Spirit; they also experienced the Holy Spirit. For them, we thank God. If we have even a little understanding of the Holy Spirit today, it is because we are standing on their shoulders and can see more clearly.
Among them were Reformed believers, dispensationalists, those associated with the holiness movement, Catholics, and Puritans. God gave them knowledge of the Bible, and they told us things concerning the Holy Spirit.
When I read all these books, on one hand I felt greatly helped. But the more I read, the more confused I became. These were great and spiritual men. We respect their knowledge and have been helped much by their knowledge of the Holy Spirit.
Yet when they spoke of baptism, the filling of the Holy Spirit, and the coming of the Comforter, their views were quite different. They based their views on the Bible and could stand strongly for what they saw because they were faithful to God’s Word.
When we are faced with such riches in the church, what do we do? For this reason, the Holy Spirit wants us to be even more humble before Him.
Many times our understanding of a book of the Bible is shaped by the first reference book we read. That book may help us, but it often impresses us so strongly that we cannot get rid of its influence.
But it is only the Holy Spirit Who can guide us into all truth. So I asked the Lord, “What should I do?”
First, I had to be honest with myself. Secondly, I had to be honest with all the brothers and sisters. If the Lord gives me grace to stand up here, I feel that I am not worthy. But should I not speak the truth, brothers and sisters?
I made one decision: at most, I can be like a bee. From one flower I get some pollen, and from another flower I get a little more pollen. There are so many riches here. I can only gather these different portions and share them with the brothers and sisters.
If all the views were the same, this would not be difficult at all. But the majority of authors believe that baptism in the Holy Spirit is a historical event, while some do not. These are Bible scholars who know the Bible.
Under these circumstances, I can only come to the Word of God. According to the limited knowledge I have of the Bible, I believe this is what the Bible means. I will share with you what I have learned.
Perhaps this morning you will not agree with what I share. May the Lord bless you, and may the Lord enable you to support what you believe from the Scriptures. I do ask for your patience. Perhaps my view will change to yours.
But today, I cannot help but share with you what is in my heart. All these authors are among the best authors. Yet one author differs from another, though they were all filled with the Holy Spirit, had experienced the Holy Spirit, and knew the Word of God.
Brothers and sisters, what do we do? We can only return to the Scriptures. Do not merely accept the sermons you hear today. Search the Scriptures for yourselves.
I am only here to help you gather some things and put them together. Forgive me for saying that I have never prepared for a special conference as much as I have for this one.
I can only give you the little portion that the Lord has given me. That is the most I can do. I cannot give what I do not have. I cannot give something outside of what the Lord has given. I can only give you what I have seen.
When you return to the Word of God, you can see whether these things are indeed the revelation of the Holy Spirit. Forgive me for saying this, but I must share what I can share.
Among all the conferences we have, especially in the fellowship groups, this is probably the most difficult subject for fellowship because one person’s view differs greatly from another person’s view.
Some may say, “I do not agree with what the speaker says.” Let us be humble. If we are to know the Holy Spirit, may the Holy Spirit lead us and guide us into all truth so that the eyes of our hearts may be enlightened.
The Holy Spirit uses these terms with great care: baptism in the Holy Spirit, the outpouring of the Holy Spirit, the filling of the Holy Spirit, and receiving the Holy Spirit.
With regard to baptism in the Holy Spirit, the term appears only seven times in the Bible.
We have already seen two occurrences this morning. Four occurrences are in the Gospels, and one is in 1 Corinthians 12. If we put all seven verses together, we can naturally divide them into three categories.
Before baptism in the Holy Spirit happened, the Bible prophesied that it would happen. Therefore, in the four Gospels, baptism in the Holy Spirit is prophetic.
If it is prophetic, when was it fulfilled? The Lord said that in not many days they would be baptized in the Holy Spirit. About ten days later, the Holy Spirit descended upon them.
Therefore, when Acts speaks of baptism in the Holy Spirit, it is speaking of history. It is a historical event that had already happened.
The other occurrence was in Cornelius’s house. Cornelius was a Gentile. When the Holy Spirit descended upon the Jews, they never expected that He would also descend upon the Gentiles.
You know the story of what happened in the house of Cornelius. The Holy Spirit gave a vision to Peter. Peter was a Jew and had never associated with Gentiles. Yet the Lord sent him to the house of Cornelius.
The Bible tells us that, as Peter was preaching, the Holy Spirit was poured forth upon those who were listening to the word.
This is one of the best sermons in the Bible. What is the best sermon in the Bible? You are speaking a sermon, and in the middle of it the Holy Spirit interrupts you. Are you willing to have the Holy Spirit interrupt your sermon today?
God can interrupt man’s words and take over. The Holy Spirit took over and descended upon the house of Cornelius. They spoke in tongues.
Peter said that the same things had happened to them as had happened to us. The Lord gave grace to the Jews and also to the Gentiles.
When Peter explained this to the brethren in Jerusalem, he said:
And as I began to speak, the Holy Spirit fell on them, even as on us at the beginning.
And I remembered the word of the Lord, how He used to say, “John indeed baptized with water; but ye shall be baptized in the Holy Spirit.”
It is very clear. When we speak of baptism in the Holy Spirit as history, the Holy Spirit mentions it only twice: at Pentecost and in the house of Cornelius.
This does not mean that believers did not need to be filled with the Holy Spirit. Peter was filled; Paul was filled. But the Bible does not say that they were baptized in the Spirit. Baptism in the Holy Spirit happened at Pentecost and in the house of Cornelius.
These are the two occasions on which the Bible speaks of baptism in the Holy Spirit. The interpretation is found in 1 Corinthians, and we will speak of that later.
Of the seven references, two are historical events, one is doctrinal, and the other four are in the four Gospels.
The first reference is Matthew 3:11.
I indeed baptize you in water unto repentance: but He that cometh after me is mightier than I, Whose shoes I am not worthy to bear: He shall baptize you in the Holy Spirit, and in fire.
You see that this is prophetic. Here is One Who is coming after John. Remember, John is a forerunner. John the Baptist and Jesus were separated in age by only a few months. The One Who was coming would baptize them in the Holy Spirit.
Not only is this prophetic; it does not suggest that it would take a long time to be fulfilled. This is the testimony of John the Baptist.
Then we have Mark 1:8.
I baptized you in water; but He shall baptize you in the Holy Spirit.
Again, this was spoken beside the Jordan.
Then Luke 3:16:
John answered, saying unto them all, “I indeed baptize you with water; but there cometh He that is mightier than I, the latchet of Whose shoes I am not worthy to unloose: He shall baptize you in the Holy Spirit and in fire.”
Matthew, Mark, and Luke are much the same. John is a little different. Let us see the difference in John 1:33.
And I knew Him not: but He that sent me to baptize in water, He said unto me, “Upon Whom thou shalt see the Spirit descending, and abiding upon Him, the same is He that baptizeth in the Holy Spirit.”
If you collect all seven verses that speak of baptism in the Spirit, you find that the four Gospel references are not only prophetic, but they also give us a picture of what baptism in the Holy Spirit means.
Let me remind you that it was in two places—the day of Pentecost and the house of Cornelius—that the Holy Spirit speaks both of baptism in the Spirit and of the Holy Spirit being poured forth from heaven.
Because Christ was exalted at the right hand of the Father and had received from the Father the promise of the Holy Spirit, He poured forth that which they could see and hear.
The outpouring of the Holy Spirit happened once at Pentecost and once in the house of Cornelius. That is all.
On one hand, we speak of baptism; on the other hand, we speak of outpouring. There are two ends to this matter. As far as the Lord Jesus is concerned, when He baptizes us, He pours out the Holy Spirit.
This morning, when we came to the meeting, we saw people irrigating the ground. The sprinklers were pouring forth water. If we walked underneath them, the water would cover us, and we would become completely wet.
Being completely wet means that we have been baptized. On the day of Pentecost, they all became completely wet, so to speak.
It is as though our Lord is the Gardener. He is irrigating and pouring forth the Holy Spirit, and we have been baptized.
As far as the Lord is concerned, it is the pouring forth; as far as the church is concerned, it is baptism. These are one thing. One is the beginning, and the other is the result.
The Holy Spirit is poured forth from heaven until He reaches the earth, and then we are baptized in Him.
Not only is there the outpouring of the Holy Spirit and baptism in the Holy Spirit; there is another description: the fellowship of the Holy Spirit.
The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, and the love of God, and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit, be with you all.
On the day of Pentecost, it was very clear that the fellowship of the Holy Spirit was with the church.
When you see the situation in heaven, it is outpouring. When you see the situation on earth, it is baptism. How does heaven come to earth? That is the fellowship of the Holy Spirit.
What is the fellowship of the Holy Spirit? We are on earth, yet it is as though we are in heaven. We did not climb up to heaven; the Holy Spirit brought heaven down to us.
The day of Pentecost was a great day in the history of mankind. That is why Peter took the keys and opened the kingdom of heaven.
Why are the keys plural? On the day of Pentecost, Peter opened the door for the Jews. In the house of Cornelius, he opened the door for the Gentiles.
Therefore, we have three very important matters: the outpouring, baptism, and fellowship.
The best illustration of baptism is what John the Baptist shows us. All went to the Jordan, and John the Baptist was baptizing men.
He said, “I baptize you in water, but He shall baptize you in the Holy Spirit.” What does it mean to be baptized in water? John baptized people into the water.
In the same way, the Lord baptizes us into the Holy Spirit. John the Baptist baptized people into the Jordan; now the Lord baptizes us into rivers of living water.
What is the source of the rivers of living water? When our Lord was glorified, He received the promise of the Holy Spirit from the Father and poured Him out.
The rivers of living water flow from the throne because our Lord ascended into heaven and poured them forth.
Did not the Lord say:
If any man thirst, let him come unto Me and drink.
He that believeth on Me, as the Scripture hath said, from within him shall flow rivers of living water.
When the Lord spoke those words, He was in the temple, in the court of the women. The people could see the temple, and they could also think of rivers of living water. Naturally, they would remember Ezekiel 47.
Ezekiel 47 tells us that, when the glory of God returns, water will flow from the threshold of the temple. If you go to Jerusalem today, the temple is no longer there, and there is no river flowing from it. But when Jesus returns, you will see a river in Jerusalem.
What is the relationship between the temple and living water? How do you know that God’s glory has returned? When you read Ezekiel 47, you see that because God’s glory returns, living water flows out.
The people of Israel are still waiting for that glory to return. Why did Jesus stand up and cry out? He was telling them that God’s glory had already returned.
What did John say?
And the Word became flesh, and dwelt among us (and we beheld His glory, glory as of the only begotten from the Father), full of grace and truth.
God’s glory had already returned, but they were still waiting. The Lord said, “If any man thirst, let him come unto Me,” because the glory had already returned.
All who believe in Him will have rivers of living water flowing from within them.
When you see the picture in Ezekiel, you see water flowing out of the temple. But now we believe in Jesus Christ. What does the Bible say? You are the temple of God. You are the temple of the Holy Spirit.
The Lord Who abides in us is the glorified One. This temple is different from all others. From our innermost being shall flow rivers of living water.
This is a very clear picture. The Holy Spirit adds an explanation:
But this spake He of the Spirit, which they that believed on Him were to receive: for the Spirit was not yet given; because Jesus was not yet glorified.
Brothers and sisters, it could not be clearer. It is the Holy Spirit Who tells us that the Spirit is like the river of living water. When Christ was glorified and received the promise of the Holy Spirit, He poured Him out. Now the rivers are flowing down.
It is like the river of life in Revelation flowing from the throne, from the holy of holies.
When the Lord was crucified, He was the Lamb of God. This whole earth was like the outer court. Then the Lord ascended. Revelation 1 through 3 shows Him in the holy place; Revelation 4 and 5 show Him in the holy of holies.
The Lamb of God, Who had been slain, has seven horns and seven eyes, which are the seven Spirits sent forth into all the earth.
The Lamb of God was glorified. The Lamb of God and the Holy Spirit are united as one. When the Holy Spirit descended, the fellowship of the Holy Spirit also brought Christ down.
Therefore, in the Holy Spirit, Christ returned. The Acts of the Apostles shows what Christ continued to do and teach.
Where is the source of the Jordan? The source of the Jordan River is Mount Hermon.
If you go to the Jordan today near Jericho, you may be disappointed. When you read the Bible, you may imagine that the Jordan is like a great river, but near Jericho it is not very wide, and its water is yellow.
It is because the river has reached its low point. But if you go to the upper source of the river, you will see fish, and the water is very clear. The water is as clear as the water on Mount Hermon.
If someone baptized us into the Jordan today, that Jordan would have fellowship with Mount Hermon because its water is connected all the way to the mountain.
Mount Hermon is full of snow. When the snow melts, all the water is poured forth, flowing downward toward the upper stream of the Jordan.
To be baptized in the Jordan is like being baptized in the waters of life. John the Baptist baptized people in the Jordan, but our Lord Jesus baptizes us in the river of life.
Every time I read the Gospel of John, I remember Psalm 42:
As the hart panteth after the water brooks,
So panteth my soul after Thee, O God.
If you read all of Psalm 42, Bible scholars tell us that the deer was probably near Caesarea Philippi, at the foot of Mount Hermon.
The deer sees the water in the mountains and desires that its thirst may be quenched. John 1 tells us that life is in Him. There is only one life in the whole universe, and that life is in the Son, Who is in the bosom of the Father.
My soul pants after Thee. I see Your glory. All the fullness of God dwells in Him. But that life is in Him, just as the water is high in the mountains. How can my thirst be quenched?
This psalm was written by the sons of Korah. The area around Galilee is volcanic, with black rock and dark soil that absorbs sunlight quickly.
At some point, perhaps through earthquakes and volcanic activity, a great rock on Mount Hermon was cleft. It may have been the rock that formed the background when Jesus said, “Upon this rock I will build My church.”
Of course, the Lord was not referring to a physical rock. That Rock is our Lord Jesus Christ. But Mount Hermon formed the background.
One day the rock was cleft. That rock beneath Mount Hermon is one of the oldest rocks in all Canaan. It is a rock of ages.
Because it was cleft, water from that mountain flowed forth and came down to the upper stream of the Jordan. Now the deer can drink of that water.
Before, the water was in the mountains and the life was not the deer’s. But when the deer drinks the water, it comes into him.
John 1 says that life is in Him. In John 4, the water within us becomes a well of water springing up unto eternal life. In John 7, from within us flow rivers of living water.
Before, the water was out of reach. But when the deer drinks the water, the minerals in the water from Mount Hermon become part of it.
The life of Christ in us today is the same life as the One seated upon the throne. That water flows through fellowship.
But Psalm 42 also says:
All Thy waves and Thy billows are gone over me.
As the water keeps increasing, first it is at the ankles, then the knees, then the waist. Finally, the breakers and waves roll over us.
The deer wants to drink the water, but on the other hand it enters into the water. This is important for the deer. Many times the deer is being chased by hunting dogs. What does it do? It looks for water.
It needs not merely a little water, but deep water—water whose waves and breakers can roll over it. When it enters the water, the hunting dogs cannot detect its scent and cannot find it.
When the breakers and waves roll over me, what does that mean? It means that I have been baptized.
The water poured forth from Mount Hermon enables the deer to be baptized into that water. Here we see two different things.
When I am baptized, I am in the water. But when I drink the water, the water is in me.
Do you not read in the Bible that we are in Christ and that Christ is in us? How can we experience this?
The Bible tells us that we have been baptized into one body, and we drink of one Spirit. When you are baptized, you enter into the Holy Spirit.
When you are baptized into water, you only need to open your mouth, and you can drink the water. When you drink the water, that is what the Bible calls being filled with the Holy Spirit.
What does it mean to be filled? Something comes into me. What does it mean to be baptized? I enter into something.
Now you see the picture. On one hand, there is the pouring out; on the other hand, there is baptism; and on the other hand, there is fellowship.
The words of John the Baptist give us a picture so that we can clearly see what happened on the day of Pentecost.
There are three points. First, our Lord is already glorified. If we are baptized in the Spirit, it is not because we are great, but because the Lord is great. He is the Head.
How did the disciples know that the Lord had already been glorified? Remember the story of Jacob. Jacob thought that Joseph had been torn by wild beasts. Then someone told him, “Joseph is still alive, and he has become governor over all Egypt.”
Joseph not only did not die; he was seated upon the throne. Joseph had gained glory. But Jacob’s heart fainted because he could not believe it.
How did Jacob finally believe? He saw the wagons Joseph had prepared. These were not ordinary wagons but chariots sent from the palace. When he saw the chariots, he knew Joseph was sitting upon the throne.
Why did the Lord pour forth the Holy Spirit? Because God had made Him both Lord and Christ.
When we speak of the fellowship of the Holy Spirit, we must remember that the Lord has baptized us into the Spirit. This is a work of the Spirit and a historical reality.
In the Old Testament, wherever the Spirit came upon a person, that person could prophesy, fight, testify, and serve his generation. That was the Spirit of God.
But when our Lord baptized us into the Spirit, we received something more. There are two important verses that show us that baptism involves both giving and receiving.
Galatians 4:6 says:
And because ye are sons, God sent forth the Spirit of His Son into our hearts, crying, “Abba, Father.”
The Comforter was sent by God, and this is the Spirit into Whom our Lord Jesus baptized us.
What Spirit were we baptized into? God sent forth the Spirit of His Son into our hearts, crying, “Abba, Father.” Through this Spirit, we have fellowship.
When we are baptized into the rivers of living water, all the riches of Christ are ours. The Spirit is the Spirit of the Son.
The Spirit of the Son is the Spirit of obedience. But this is not only what God gives; it is also what we receive.
Romans 8:15 tells us:
For ye received not the spirit of bondage again unto fear; but ye received the spirit of adoption, whereby we cry, “Abba, Father.”
Here we see the Spirit of sonship. When our Lord gives us the Spirit of His Son, what do we receive? We receive the Spirit of sonship.
Sonship means being placed in the position of a son. First, we must be born again. But then, as sons, we must grow and mature.
When we are baptized into the Spirit, we receive the Spirit of sonship. Now we have the life of Christ. This life must grow, and we need to become like Him.
The Bible also calls Him the Spirit of Jesus. The Spirit of Jesus comes after Jesus has been glorified. We see the glory of the Son of Man: He was exalted by the Father and gained the glory of the Son of Man.
Jesus said that the glory given to Him was given to us. For this reason, we can be conformed to the image of His Son.
The more we are conformed to the image of the Son, the more we are like our Lord. The more spiritual we are, the more we should be like Him.
Some people think that being spiritual means becoming less human. But the more spiritual you are, the more you should become the kind of person who is a better husband, wife, child, or servant.
The command to be filled with the Holy Spirit is not given only when we work or preach the gospel. It is given in our relationships—as husbands, wives, children, and servants—because we must be conformed to the image of His Son.
John tells us that the Lamb of God has seven horns and seven eyes, which are the seven Spirits sent forth into all the earth.
The Holy Spirit is the Spirit of the Lamb. He is not only the Spirit of the Son, the Spirit of sonship, and the Spirit of Jesus; He is also the Spirit of the Lamb of God.
The cross brings us the Holy Spirit, and the Holy Spirit leads us back to the cross. Through the cross, the Holy Spirit works all things together for good.
When someone strikes us on one cheek, we do not want to turn the other cheek. But when we obey, we turn the other cheek, walk the second mile, and give the second garment. What does that mean? That is the Spirit of God.
If we are to live out the Spirit of the Lamb, that is the reality of Matthew 5, Matthew 6, and Matthew 7.
Matthew 5 through 7 gives us the reality of the kingdom of heaven. When we see that the outpouring of the Spirit includes the Spirit of the Lamb, we see that this life is kingdom life.
When we are baptized into the Holy Spirit, on one hand we see that the Lord is glorified. Through the fellowship of the Holy Spirit, heaven is brought to earth.
Peter had the keys to open the door. When the gate was opened, the kingdom of heaven officially began. This was the inauguration of the kingdom of heaven.
John the Baptist said, “The kingdom of heaven is at hand.” Jesus said the same thing.
On the day of Pentecost and in the house of Cornelius, Peter opened the kingdom of heaven with his keys.
Where is the kingdom of heaven? Though we are on earth, it is as though we are in heaven. The reality of the kingdom of heaven is in the church today.
For this reason, we have received the Spirit of sonship, the Spirit of Jesus, and the Spirit of the Lamb. Wherever the Lamb goes, we follow.
This is the meaning of being baptized in the Spirit.
My time is gone. I had three points, and I have spoken only two. Tomorrow evening we will continue.
Let us bow our heads for a further word of prayer.
Lord, we commit these words into Your hands. Lord, breathe upon these words. If You do not speak, we cannot understand.
Open our eyes. Empty us, and then fill us. In Jesus’ precious name. Amen.