THE EXPERIENCE OF THE HOLY SPIRIT
A Matter of Life Now and Forever (Heaven) and Death Now and Forever (Hell)
John 3:1-20
If you would understand the work of the Holy Spirit, you must begin with the New Birth, for the New Birth is a matter of life and death. In fact, life begins in the New Birth. Jesus compares our natural birth to the new birth. There is no physical life until one is conceived in his mother’s womb, and no one is born spiritually until he is re-born. Millions, like Nicodemus, think they are saved and going to heaven who have never experienced the new birth. Asked, “Why God would let them into His heaven, 80% reply, “I turned over a new leaf, I joined the church, was baptized, I attend church, etc.” Or, “I prayed a prayer asking Jesus to come into my heart,” but who never really died to sin, were never truly forgiven and experienced the new life -eternal life, the very life of God, the very life of Jesus through the work of the Holy Spirit.
John Wesley preached 3000 plus sermons on the new birth, and when asked, “Why?”, he replied, “Ye – everyone- must be born again.” When Malloy Owen, my best man and class mate at Duke, was asked to preach in York Chapel and he preached, “Ye must be born again,” and the faculty asked, “Malloy, why would you preach on the new birth to an audience of preachers,” he replied, “It’s simple – ye must be born again.” Three preachers came to the altar that day! I witnessed this with my own eyes.
So important is the new birth that Jesus did not only command it but also commanded that it be visualized by water baptism, so every person in the New Testament who heard the gospel of Christ, believed it, surrendered their lives personally to Christ, and then they were baptized.(immersed and emersed in water) “Baptism is the word in water” (Luther)
“Peter preaching at Pentecost told the crowd to “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.”( Acts 2:38.) The phrase “for the remission of sins” has led some in error to believe the act of baptism, not the blood of Christ, washes away sin. This understanding is contrary to the whole of the New Testament teaching of salvation. The word for refers to result. The people were to be baptized because their sins were remitted when they repented. A similar use is made by Jesus when He said, “The men of Nineveh will rise up in the judgment with this generation and condemn it, because they repented at the preaching of Jonah.” (Luke 11:32). These people repented because of the preaching of Jonah. A person is baptized because his sins have already been forgiven.”[1]
Believers Baptism can be likened to a Three-Act Play:
- Act One is Death – one turns from sin (repentance)
- Act Two is Burial – all sin forgiven and forgotten
- Act Three is Resurrection – New Birth.
Just as there are two parents in physical birth, there are two “parents” so to speak in Spiritual Birth – The Spirit of God (John 3:5) and the Word of God (1 Peter 1:23; James 1:18).
THE SPIRIT OF GOD TAKES THE WORD OF GOD AND WHEN THE SINNER TRULY TRUST CHRIST – TRUE FAITH IS:
FORSAKING
ALL
I
TRUST
HIM
The Holy Spirit, who is the Spirit of Jesus, enters into one’s heart, giving him God’s kind of life, “Partakers of the Divine Nature” (2 Peter 1:4), life from heaven (anothen (Gk)- meaning from above – translated “born again” in the KJV. (John 3:5) which results in his becoming a new person with an entirely new lifestyle, expressed by Paul in these words, “IF ANY (tis – anybody) be in Christ, he is a new person; old things are passed away, and behold all things are become new.” (2 Cor. 5:17) Personal Testimony: I could curse, fornicate, lie, and hate others as much as I “want to,” but praise the Lord my “want to” was changed when I was born again. Famous Vance Havner, “One thing is certain, if born again, you have been changed – no change – no new birth. Check out my sermon entitled “I’m Born Again RIGHT NOW AND TORMORROW LOOKS TERRIFIC” on the website.
Conclusion – Application to the 10 “I’s”:
- Positive – If you are truly saved, you have the Holy Spirit living on the inside of you, and if you will surrender to Him daily by obeying Jesus, He will empower you to obey the 10 “I’s” with joy. Nothing Legalistic. “His commandments are not burdensome.” (1 John 5:3) “If anyone does not love the Lord Jesus Christ, let him be accursed. O Lord, come! (1 Cor. 16:22).
- Suppose you have the Holy Spirit, but you don’t surrender, you grieve the Holy Spirit and live in defeat, frustration, up and down at best.
- You experience the manifestation of the indwelling Holy Spirit if you begin each day with heart felt prayer asking the Holy Spirit to guide you in every thought and action. “I love those who love me, And those who seek me diligently will find me.” (Prov. 8:17)
“Ephesians 5:18b, “…but be filled with the Spirit.” Paul is not speaking of the Holy Spirit’s indwelling (Romans 8:9) or the baptism by Christ with the Holy Spirit (1 Cor. 12:13), because every Christian is indwelt and baptized by the Spirit at the time of salvation. Rather, he is giving a command for believers to live continually under the influence of the Spirit by letting the Word control them, pursuing pure lives, confessing all known sins, dying to self, surrendering to God’s will, and depending on His power in all things. Being filled with the Spirit is living in the conscious presence of the Lord Jesus Christ, letting His mind, through the Word, dominate everything that is thought and done. Being filled with the Spirit is the same as walking in the Spirit. Christ exemplified this way of life (Luke 4:1).
Ephesians 5:19-21 – these verses summarize the immediate personal consequences of obeying the command to be filled with the Spirit, namely singing, giving thanks, and humbly submitting to others. The rest of the epistle features instruction based on obedience to this command.”[2]
[1] Bob Pearle, The Vanishing Church, Hannibal Books, Garland Texas, 2009, pp. 64-65.
[2] MacArthur Bible Commentary, p1700.