The Baptism of John | Pastor Daniel Batarseh (Gospel of Mark Bible Study Series)

The Gospel According to Mark chapter 1, please meet me there.

Mark 1 · chapter mention

The Gospel According to mark. In verse 4.

Lord, as we prepare to unpack your word, we asked with great

humility and with great need, please help us with the

scriptures. Lord, we pray that there would

be a sense of your power sense of your presence.

Lord draw our affections for Christ give understanding where

there is confusion. Let There Be Clarity, Let There

Be edification, Let There Be comfort that there be

conviction. Lord we just we recognize that

if you're not here with us we will fail.

And the purpose of this meeting will fail.

And so Lord we humbly tell you that we hunger.

We really hunger. For righteousness, we thirst for

holiness. And we are in need of Greater

revelation of Christ. Help us now in Jesus name, amen.

Mark 14. John appeared baptizing in the

wilderness and proclaiming a baptism of repentance for the

Forgiveness of sins and all the country of Judea and all

Jerusalem were going out to him and were being baptized by him

in the River, Jordan confessing their sins.

Now John was clothed with camels hair and wore a leather belt

around his waist and ate locusts and wild honey.

And he preached saying after me comes he who is mightier than I

the strap of whose sandals. I am not worthy to stoop down

and untie. I have baptized you with water

but he will baptize you with the Holy Spirit.

There was a time in history when the God who spoke creation into

existence. And The God Who commissioned

meant to declare divine revelation on his behalf, chose

not to speak to his people for a startling, for centuries.

For 400 years, the people of Israel did not hear once a

genuine, thus, saith the Lord for 400 years.

God did not Inspire any man to record scripture.

For 400 years. There is no prophetic leadership

to help the nation of Israel, know what God desire for them.

In that moment, a people who were in Covenant with the Living

God, and that stretch of Silence defines the time, between the

Testaments in your Bible, it is known as the intertestamental

period and it really says something about why God did that

We may not know all of it, but we know to certain extent that

this world at that time, knew great shifts politically,

socially, even religiously. Because Israel throughout that

time was occupied by one nation after the other.

And this is what the Prophet Daniel foretold that, this would

happen. And we see that fulfillment

during that period where God seemed to be mute.

And with all the Transitions and wars and alterations that

Israel, There was no man, there was no guidance.

There was no voice, not one profit on the scene to bring

some kind of direction to God's people.

And this must have been a very strange thing for the nation of

Israel because they were used to Moses and they were used to

Elijah's and they were used to Isaiah's coming to the scene and

bringing some kind of light especially when there is

darkness and difficulty for the people of All.

But all for a sudden, It seems as though in that Bleak and dark

interval period. Everything changed, everything,

changed drastically, by two. Simple words that we have read

in our reading and verse 4, John appeared.

John appeared. And as we heard last week, the

significance of this man. John who appeared at this time?

Was that he had fulfilled some ancient prophecies many years

ago and that truth alone should tell us as the people of God,

Who Loved God's word, that who this man was and what kind of

ministry that he accomplished in the name of God was very

important to God. And if it was very important to

God to prophesy about and in to write about in terms of its

fulfillment, then it Be important to us.

And you and I got a glimpse of the importance of it.

When we just looked at the one, just one prophecy, just two,

that were so similar about how understanding who John was

helped us confirm the deity of the Lord Jesus Christ.

John's Ministry was so unique. It's almost like a flash in the

pan. It's almost like a firework in a

dark sky. He's there one moment and then

he seems to just disappear within a few pages.

But that Ministry, the ministry that this man, fulfilled was a

hinge between two eras. When he came on the scene, the

door of the law and Moses clothes, and this man paved the

way for the grace that is known in the Lord, Jesus Christ to be

ushered into the world. This man was so important.

Great significance. And as we look here, we realize

that we have great motivation. Great Motivation by the fact

that this is brought before us to discover what it is that God

has to say to us pertaining to this man.

What is it that we can discover about our faith?

What can we told about this historic moment for our lives

now today, and be assured that we will know something about our

faith in Christ. We will know something about our

walk, in our practice, for the name of Jesus Christ as well.

And we will do that by doing Being very simple as you and I

come to this text, we will understand it.

In three ways we will look at it through the ministry of, John,

the Baptist. And then after understanding

something of his ministry will know, something about his

manners, why are his manners important for us to understand?

And after his manners, we will know something a little bit

about his message. So we come to verse 4 and 5 and

we see the ministry or the Mandate of John, the Baptist.

There are many John's in the Bible you know that but there is

only one John the Baptist. The First Baptist really and the

original language would help us clarify it more and seeing that

it was actually John the baptizer.

That was his identity, that is what he was known for that.

The simple reason that people saw that the main tenets of this

man's Ministry was that he had his radical charge for people to

join this. Fire-breathing profit in water

and it to be immersed in that water as a sign of something

that is very significant to the Jewish people especially And it

was really a symbol of people saying something happened here,

I'm participating because there's something that happened

here first and I want to show that and declare that and it's

so so incredible. When we really understand the

significance of this man's mandate because I hope you and I

would be able to answer as Christians.

Why baptism is important? I hope you would be able to

answer that and I hope your answer would be something along

the lines of well, Jesus commanded us to be baptized and

it's a way of identifying with his death burial and

resurrection and that would be right.

And they'll baptism is a non-negotiable ordinance for the

Christian, and in the Christian faith, it did not begin with

Christians. Didn't start with Christians the

series. Simple reason that John here

seems to introduce the concept and the physical act of baptism

is very similar to the same drama that we experience.

When a Believer gets baptized, the very word, baptism means to

be immersed to be, dipped to be consumed, to be enveloped by a

substance. And the substance is water, John

was doing that and if you've been baptized, you know what

that's like, But I want you to think for a moment without

answering out loud. What is the difference between

John's baptism and the baptism that we partake in the name of

Jesus Christ? Is it important to know that

distinction? Well, it was important to Paul

because he found some disciples In Acts 19.

Remember that, and he asked them.

What baptism were? You baptized into?

Well, John's and he goes well, that was a baptism of repentance

and then he baptizes them in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ.

So, clearly clearly there is some kind of distinction between

the two and does it really matter to know, if you want to

know God's word, it does. And I think there is one way of

knowing at least being guided into the direction of Greater

Clarity and it is by understanding the primary

audience of John's Ministry. John the Baptist his ministry

was targeted towards like the Lord.

Jesus Christ in his initial arrival towards the Jewish

people primarily not Gentiles and when John here is preaching

to these Jews This call to baptism was absolutely

scandalous. Because these Jews in Jesus time

believe that their access to God's favor and then being able

to secure, his saving work, was completely connected to their

race. Everything about their stand,

everything about their security, everything about their their

enjoyment of God and their minds was completely connected to.

The fact that Abraham was our father God, call the man Abraham

and he called them. Yes.

But he also made a covenant with his descendants and we are his

descendants, and because we are his descendants, we enjoy

certain Privileges and certain promises, that's it.

They boasted in that they taught that they believed that it was a

cultural thing. It was even a spiritual thing,

those false. So when John comes on the scene

he's calling the chosen people of God to do what?

Repent Repent and confess your need to be forgiven by God and

Johnson just say repent. You're going to experience the

wrath of God, hold on for a second where the people of God

you're telling us that God will pour out his wrath on us.

Who do you think you are? And so this is startling, this

was this was something that really shook the nation and

actually brought the nation to its knees.

And so when he, when he calls them to do this, you have to

understand that there was a great sacrifice, a great

humility to respond to it. And I looked, and I said, well,

haven't many prophets in the Old Testament called the same Nation

to repentance? Haven't they call them to

confess their sins? What's different with John isn't

John? Just like any other man?

Who said, Isaiah Ezekiel, Jeremiah, repent, repent you

have turned from God one main difference.

Yes, repent. But get in this water.

Get in this water and declare your repentance.

Meaning what? You're going to have to, you're

going to have to participate in a symbol.

You're going to have to participate in a sign and what

is that sign? Remember, he's speaking to a

people who already have his sign and the sign was circumcision.

We are connected to God through that and now for a sudden, John

comes and he speaks about this other side baptism.

And what does it signify that you must renounce any trust that

your entrance into the kingdom of heaven?

What's secure because of your ethnicity or your ancestral

identity. That as you come into this

place, you are instead making a personal commitment to God and a

declaration to everybody else that I am dependent alone upon

the mercy of God, the mercy of God, not because of Abraham, not

because of the covenant, not? Because of the things that we

have in history. No.

Simply because I need his mercy. And that was the sign-in.

Autism. That was what John was calling

him to do, and the purpose. There was to invite people to no

longer rely on the false. Hope that just because they were

born into a Jewish family that they could evade God's Wrath.

And they automatically had the kingdom of heaven. and so you

can imagine how this was so stirring and upsetting to some

John said, the Messiah is coming and your good standing with the

Jewish Messiah is not because you're Jewish You're standing

before the Messiah will be dependent upon your realization.

That you need to be forgiven for your sins and despite your

lineage, you will come personally and say I repent and

I will get into this water and make it a sign to whoever wants

to see it that I do. Need God's mercy.

So this is contrary to the common false concept that each

son of Abraham, each son of Abraham needed to make that

decision. And join this man to participate

in this wonderful act. Perhaps we may not see that but

you actually do, I'm not reading that into the text and we you

see it in Matthew's gospel, turn there, just to just to get a

final confirmation of why John's baptism has a different emphasis

than Jesus is baptism. At least baptism in Jesus name.

In Matthew 3. Look at verse 7.

Matthew 3729. But when he saw many of the

Pharisees and Sadducees coming to his baptism, he said to them,

you brood of vipers who warned you to flee from the Wrath to

come? I love John.

I love this guy. We can use a few of them today.

I don't know about you. This man saw these pompous

Pharisees. These religious leaders and

teachers nicely dressed with their groom beards and their

head stuffed with Theology. And here they are attending, the

baptism service. And John looks at them.

He said, doesn't say, welcome to Maranatha.

Bible Church? hey, you snakes who warned you

to flee from the Wrath to come? Can you imagine These men were

at John service but they had no intention to change.

Do you think that's common in church services today?

You think that it's possible that today there are people who

like to hear in your face preaching but have no desire to

be conformed to Christ likeness. I think, you know, the answer to

that. John confronts them.

And look what he says in verse 8, bear fruit in keeping with

repentance and do not presume to say to yourselves, we have

Abraham as our father For I tell you God is able from these

stones to raise up children for Abraham.

That is exactly what was going on through their minds as they

were seeing this strange man in water, plunging people one.

After the next we have Abraham our fuck.

We have circumcision. We are Jews.

We are God's chosen people. And then this man, the son of a

priest looks at me says, are you, are you relying on the fact

that you are son of Abraham? You're a brood of vipers instead

get in this water. Declare your need for the mercy

of God to be shown on you. some did some didn't Now to make this

message even stronger, when you go back to verse 4 of Mark 1, we

read John appeared baptizing in the wilderness.

In the wilderness. Probably because nobody would

invite this guy to their conferences or their synagogues.

More than that. Not just because there was

plenty of space for people to come.

There was no padded pews in the wilderness.

My brother, my sister. But Israel was very familiar

with wildernesses weren't they did a history with the desert.

It covers most of the themes of the Old Testament.

And the significance of the Wilderness was that God I one

point called the nation of Israel out of slavery,

delivering them from Pharaoh's grip and brought him into this

Wasteland so that he can make a covenant with them so he can

bring them to a certain mountain and appear on that mountain and

give a law and give instructions to this people who have known

their redemption. In this, God can be identified

with him in a certain way and it was it was external. and here's

John, after 400 years of Silence, and the streets of

Jerusalem can hear the echo of a wild, man.

Who's preaching in the desert and drawing people out of their

homes, drawing people out of the temple drawing people out of

this synagogue to see this man who was on fire preaching fire.

And as they come perhaps not knowing the significance of

what's happening. I believe to a certain extent

here is God through his Prophet, John leading His People Israel

again Into the Wilderness not for the old Covenant but to

establish a new one. I'm ready to make a New Covenant

with my people. And I'm going to send my

4Runner, he's going to be in the wilderness.

I'm going to bring my people there and hopefully they'll

catch on So, John here in his baptism. is very important

because it has a different emphasis, very similar in many

ways, but still a different emphasis, it had a shock value

to the Jewish people and in Christ comes and he gives new

instructions to his church. And we are baptized in the name

of the father, Son and the Holy Spirit and we identify with his

work on this side of the Cross. Now, hopefully that brought

about some clarity to you. And I just because we want to be

sharper and truth but I would like to take this time to speak

on something. Else.

I would like to take this time to mention a point of where we

stand as a church and why we believe and Believers baptism,

one of the reasons why we do not hold to infant baptism.

And there are many reasons for that is because that practice of

baptizing, a child or a baby in, in particular, sends a message

that God is establishing a covenant with a new people in

the same way that he formed a people in the old Covenant Let

me say that again. When we practice the baptism of

infants, many reasons why I believe theologically it doesn't

line up. And one of them is that we are

conveying a message that God in the New Covenant is forming a

people and a very similar way that he did in the old.

What do I mean by that? In Jesus Christ, God has been

and continues to gather people from All Nations.

We sang it all tribes all tongues different, cultures,

different backgrounds, Who all share one thing in common faith,

in the Son of God trust and his saving work.

But in the Old Testament, God primarily had a people with one

specific race who identified with them through familial

descent. if you were born to a son of Abraham, if you were born

to this specific Nation, then you automatically at least if

the parents are faithful. Are in Covenant with God.

And that Covenant is in a sense sealed through at least for the

male's circumcision. Now here's the point, I'm trying

to make if water baptism as the argument often goes is a

continuation. Of circumcision from the old,

right? It replaces that sign of the

Covenant and now it becomes something that Believers partake

and and initiate With their own children.

Then what are we telling to a watching World about how God

forms a covenant with his people?

I argue that we send a very similar message that

circumcision did which is what He belongs to Christ.

She is identified with Christ. He or she has died with Christ.

Why? Because they were born to

Christian parents. There are born to Christian

parents. I'm not saying that those who

hold to that view paedo. Baptism, are intentionally

conveying that message? What I am saying is that the

practice can send a confusing idea.

And we have to understand that we may be undermining a certain

element of gospel witness. That is very powerful when it is

honored in the right way. So, if we can all agree that

Covenant with Christ in the New Covenant is exclusively for

those who are born again. They can.

We all agree that the New Covenant, Covenant sign should

be reserved for those who have proven evidence of a spiritual

rebirth And so I'm persuaded that if we do not interpret

baptism correctly, not just in its definition, but in its

application that we might, we might be blurring something that

God intended to be. A dramatic demonstration of

awesome witness to his saving power and what it means to be in

Covenant with him. It's not through familial

descent, it's not through. What kind of home you were born

into It's because you were born again.

And here's the sign that someone has been born again.

More of that to come in a future time.

John called this people to be baptized and it was a very

public thing very public. And he was speaking to a people

who already had tradition who had a sign.

And so there was friction there but there are people who felt

the piercing conviction of his word.

And so they flooded Into the Wilderness, they came to receive

this at the participate in it. And though, the emphasis is

different, may I bring this to you as well, the challenge is no

different in the New Covenant. It's still a challenging call to

be baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ.

Now, in our day, we had different practices especially

in our evangelism, in one of them is inviting people to the

front if they want to receive Jesus Christ as Lord, some of

you have done that. Some of you have a testimony

where that is where you have received Christ and you have

people who debate that kind of model and one of the arguments

is you never see an altar call in the Bible.

You never see. People the pulsing, come forward

come to the front and you'll receive Christ and repeat after

me. And so there's great debate

about this. But if there is anything in the

Bible, in the New Testament, Are there being a public

demonstration or display of one's faith?

It was water baptism. It was water bath.

That's how your faith went public.

That's how, what God did in your heart.

Now goes before people. And so we need to be serious

about water. Baptism, it shouldn't be a side

issue. It's amazing how casual we

become with the ordinances of the Lord Jesus Christ for his

church. We become light with the

breaking of bread and we come almost become very loose about

what baptism is and and why we should take it as serious that

we have to take it seriously. Because the church took it

seriously, at least the early church.

Yes, it was a step of obedience but it was also a demonstration

to a watching world. I I mean, Covenant with this

Jesus. That was his mandate.

That was what really made him stand out as a prophet among

many other things. But we come to his manners and

verse 6. We're told that he called people

to be baptized but for some reason, the Holy Spirit wants to

tell us about his dress and his diet.

Now, John was clothed with camels hair.

That wasn't luxurious by the way, and wore a leather belt

around his waist and ate locusts and wild honey.

His manners, a short portrait, gives a student of the Old

Testament and understanding that John, the Baptist is following

in his footsteps of one of the greatest prophets that Israel

has ever known. Elijah Elijah you got a second

2 Kings 1 · chapter mention

Kings chapter 1. You see that Elijah where

similar a tire You see that even John?

Really Echoes Elijah's kind of preaching because he was

confrontational, he was bold. He was Fearless.

And so when we see that we go wow okay this is what we're told

about. John that he was the he was the

one who came into the spirit and power of Elijah.

He's gonna he's gonna preach like Elijah is going to minister

like Elijah. And would you know what?

He brought about various similar results as Elijah.

He brought a nation to its knees and mind you John the Baptist

never perform one miracle. You can't find one miracle that

John the Baptist performed and you have many people who think

that we're going to get the world's attention.

If we just have more miracles here, you have a man who is just

drenching the power of God, he spoke the word and the people

came. This man.

Was like, Elijah. But interestingly enough were

told that he ate locusts and honey.

We have no idea what Elijah date.

So why do we need to know that? And I believe the Holy Spirit

wants to tell us more than just. He was a fulfillment more than

just. He was like someone but there is

something here about his custom about his lifestyle that teaches

us. As Servants of God, the great

the Great Lengths that he went to to fulfill his calling for

the Lord. And that this man really, really

believe what he preached. Let me explain.

John's display here was not a call.

Then nor is it a call? Now that the children of God who

want to serve, God should deny any delight and material

blessings that God would gift and God would give that would be

wrong. To be Hermits or to just eat

crumbs off of Old piece of bread and water as your regular diet.

That is not, that's not what's happening here.

But at the same time, the strategy behind this man's

apparel and his appetite was a radical visualization to a

people who heard him preach that these things.

These disciplines were molded by a certain truth that I believe.

What was it that John believed, what was it that he was aware of

and made other people aware of Jesus coming?

The Lord of Isaiah 40. The Lord of Molokai 3 is on his

way. And John was.

So convinced of that, that even when he was arrested, you seem

to feel like this was a contradiction, because he

really, really trusted that the kingdom was going to be ushered

in his lifetime. He knew his call and though, his

understanding wasn't complete in the 1st and 2nd Avenue Christ,

he still had that Faith. The Messiah is on his way.

He's on his way in my lifetime. Time.

And perhaps she is doing what he is doing here in verse 6 to show

a people. That his life was not all about

what Jesus said, you and I can make our life all about.

Remember what Jesus said is not life more than food and the body

more than clothing. Is not life more than some of

you need to hear this. Is not life more than food.

Is it not more than clothing and Our Generations?

Instagram would say otherwise Nothing wrong with food.

I love it. Nothing wrong with clothing, we

need it. But when life becomes about it,

then there is something wrong. John the Baptist had an

effective Ministry. And as strange as he might have

seemed when he approaches audience, he was a man who

showed them. I actually believe what I'm

saying. I don't get caught up in the

Comforts of this world of the luxuries of this world.

I really, really believe Jesus is on his way.

And so, and so look at my priorities, look at my proud

radical. Yes, And he never pushed that

standard on others, but he did teach it by way of example.

And I want to prove that to you Because there was a time, when

the people in the crowd asked, John, what do we need to do?

That's how you know, Revival has hit a place when the crowd

begins to ask the preacher. What do we need to do?

What do we need to do? And I want you to see it for

yourself and Luke chapter 3, how John begins to give instructions

Luke 3 · chapter mention

about how they should live in light of the fact that the

Messiah was coming in light of the fact that he was on his way

and he's going to usher in his kingdom and some will know the

Saving Grace and some will know his wrath.

So this crowd of people after hearing that, there was Wrath

coming in verse 9 and verse 10 of Luke 3, the crowds asked him,

what then shall we do? And he answered them.

Whoever has two tunics is to share with him.

Who has none? and whoever has food is to do

likewise, Tax. Collectors also came to be

baptized and sit down with tax collectors.

Come to your church. You know, the spirit of God is

moving Tax Collectors come. Okay.

What do we need to do the crowd already spoke up the general

public. Now the tax collectors, come the

cheaters, the ones who would take more than what was required

when they work for Rome so that they can have an extra buck in

their pocket. John looks them and he says,

collect no more than you are, authorized to do.

Soldiers and verse 14 soldiers, which soldiers Roman soldiers.

Roman soldiers, who could care less about Jewish.

Religion are now, so pricked in their hearts, by John's

preaching that they come and ask him and we and we, what shall we

do? And he said to them, do not

extort money from anyone by threats, or by false accusation

and be content with your wages, be content with your wages.

Notice that John didn't say to the crowds when they said, what

shall we do, sell all your tunics, and only have one outfit

like me. I didn't say that.

He's if you have more than you need, would you look Beyond

yourself and stop hoarding. Your possessions and be a person

who serves in sacrifices and helps others who may not be as

As prosperous as you would, you look Beyond yourself, which

tells me something very, very, very important about repentance.

Remember, that's what he preached and the general crowd

says, what shall we do in light of what, is it look like to

repent? John what does it look like to

be in right standing with the Lord.

And, you know what? He highlights out of everything,

he gets to the core of the matter.

The thing that the general public then, and today need to

continually repent of his selfishness.

Me me more more pilot, all up. And, you know, that a work of

repentance is becoming real in your life, when you begin to

look outward and you begin to see the needs of others and you

want to use your resources to be able to extend the grace of God,

to those who are in need of it. Then the tax collectors come and

they said, well, what do we need to do?

He didn't say quit your jobs, he didn't say, quit your jobs,

Leave everything. Sell your homes and come live in

the desert with me. There's plenty of space.

He didn't say that. And then the Romans come and

they say what do we need to do and he doesn't command them to

no longer work for Rome. Didn't say you work for an evil

government. Leave it even if you don't have

any income, just get out of there.

He doesn't say that. I mean, as radical as John, the

Baptist was, he was very realistic.

You know what he tells him to do just be content with your pay

man and stop manipulating the system and being ugly with

people so that you can get a promotion be content with your

wages. And I think this is a wonderful

insight to apply to my own life. Because I realized that, as John

Was preparing the way for the first coming.

Jesus is planning and preparing to come again.

And I want to know, Lord, what do I need to do to prepare for

your arrival? Be less selfish.

Learn to be content in Christ. Do not do not be abusive to

people do not do not be harsh with people.

Do not try to trick people. Do not try to make this life

about how you can gain the most in this life live in light of my

return. and I tell you today, live in light of the return of

Jesus Christ, it will look like something But this was not

John's core message. John didn't come on the scene to

give behavioral modification tips.

People ask practical advice, he gave it.

John was very, very specific and how people should live and he

was inspired by the Holy Spirit but John's core message, was not

about you need to do this, it was about a person who will do

something in you. That's what he says in Mark,

178. We looked at his, his ministry,

we looked at his manners and now you and I look at his message

and Mark chapter 1 verse 7, And he preached.

Mark 1:7

And he preached saying, after me comes, he who is mightier than I

The strap of whose sandals, I am not worthy to stoop down and

untie. I have baptized you with water,

but he will baptize you with the Holy Spirit.

John as you can imagine was successful in his ministry but

as successful as he was never gave the impression that he was

somebody who was mighty. He never failed to clarify to

his people. Those who are even blessed by

his ministry, that there was somebody more significant and

more Mighty than him and he always pointed to him, he always

declared him in John's message, clarified, any confusion.

But additionally, as we read here, he never failed to

declare. Also not just the superiority of

Christ, but the superiority of his ministry.

His work. He says I baptize you with water

but he was coming. The Eternal King is on his way

and by position he is far greater than me and so great.

Is he that I not even worthy to take up the task of the lowest

slave and that was to untie the dusty shoe of a master and then

wash the feet. Of that man.

I can't even do that. That's how awesome Christ is to

me. I don't even deserve to serve

him in such a way. But he is also Superior and that

his baptism is much more powerful and needed than mine.

I baptize you with water. She will baptize you with the

Holy Spirit. In other words, I I do an

external symbolic work with you guys.

He's going to come in and do a spiritual work.

Inside of you guys. My work is symbolic Christ.

Work is Supernatural. And he's on his way to do it and

I'm trying to get you all ready for it to happen.

And so, as he looks to them, he is saying very clearly that I am

inferior that I am not the one that you are looking for.

I am not the Christ, I'm just the messenger, he made that

clear in different places and what's so important to

understand again with this audiences as they heard John the

Baptist declaring that there is this Messiah on his way, who

will do a baptismal work in the Holy Spirit?

It was not a foreign concept. They knew it because the

prophets declared as Joel did. For example, I will pour out my

spirit on All Flesh, that there would be a spiritual work in the

heart, that will take that Heart of Stone, and make it into a

heart of Flesh that the law will be written on your hearts.

They knew that and they knew that it wasn't just going to be

for a limited men. Limited people limited

Messengers that it was going to be available to all to servants

men and women, young and old So you can just imagine the

excitement in that desert in those Services is John would say

he's coming, the ones are the prophets said, would come, he's

on his way and he's going to baptize all of you at least

those who had believed on his name.

And this is what's so significant about the baptism of

Jesus, we do not have time today to dissect and to unpack all the

blessings of spiritual blessings that come from the gift of the

holy spirit, that is only accessible through faith in the

Lord Jesus Christ. Look at the imagery and consider

the implication of what would happen to someone who does

connect to this Messiah by faith and then receive the holy spirit

that is Promised through him. You will be baptized with the

Holy Spirit. It's the same word that you and

I believe about water baptism. and when you, and I understand

water baptism, which means to dip or to be immersed in, that

tells us something about what baptism in the holy spirit is It

means that the believer who is connected to Christ will be

immersed. With the Holy Spirit.

And the same way that every part of your body is drenched when

you get into a body of water, and somebody helps you obey the

Lord Jesus Christ, and that matter.

In other words, this work of Christ by the spirit, will

consume every part of Who You Are.

No, part will be untouched. Nothing will be left out from

head to toe. You will be affected by the

influence of the Holy Spirit. Once Christ plunges, you in his

power and his presence. More specifically.

We learned later on that the Holy Spirit does many things and

he has a specific Mission and the main mission, the umbrella

mission of the holy spirit is that he will, what glorified me?

Jesus said he will glorify me. And so I like to take that truth

and related to this that when Christ will come and take that

heart of faith. And then pledge it completely

into the reality of the Holy Spirit, his power, his wisdom,

his grace His blessings, then every part of you will.

To glorify Christ. Okay, why am I bringing this up?

Let me tell you why I'm bringing it up because this is the

standard of the work of Christ. This is the extensive work of

Jesus Christ in a Believers life.

It's not a sprinkled work. It's not a part work.

It's not like some of you gets wet.

No, it's a plunging work. Where every part of you is

profoundly affected by God's power in the Holy Spirit.

And I bring that up because salvation is a miraculous work.

It's miraculous work. It affects everything about who

you are. and I want to ask you today according to John's word,

According To Jesus word. Echoing.

John's word, has that been true of you.

Could you say that when when I understood my need of Christ and

Christ took my heart and unified it and allowed the indwelling

work of the Holy Spirit to be real.

In me that from head, to toe something happened.

I think differently, I see differently.

I hear differently. I move differently.

I react differently, not perfectly differently.

The very suggestion of what will happen in relation to the Holy

Spirit suggest that it will be a wonderful thing.

An observable thing. A tangible thing.

A seeable thing. Somebody goes in the water and

comes out, you've seen it just a few weeks ago, you know, that

person just got baptized no question about it.

Should it be any different when somebody comes into Faith with

Christ? Something happened.

You were immersed. Who are you?

You are one person two weeks ago now you're someone else.

And yes it's not a perfect thing, but it is a new Direction

thing. And that you begin to grow and

walk in that more and more and more, and there is hours worth

of study to see the spiritual blessings that come that makes

this promise so exciting. But in summary, what John is

saying is that this reality this experiential thing in the Holy

Spirit can only be accessed by one person that is Jesus Christ.

This alteration this transformation.

This spiritual work. Cannot be known and less Christ

is known. He's the only one that can take

you and then baptize you in the Holy Spirit.

And I want to make that call to you today.

Because they're there could be some in here who are satisfied

in their tradition. Like the Jews were And there

could be some who who understand the principles of Christianity

and the tenets of the Christian faith.

But they cannot say That I've collided with the Holy Spirit.

That Jesus Christ changed me. He took me and he buried me and

he brought me up and there's something new in me.

We cannot minimize as simple as salvation is in terms of how we

come to it, we cannot minimize the miraculous in it.

John the Baptist. The ministry, the manners and

the message. May God use us to prepare people

for the return of the Lord. Let's pray.

For we ask In This Moment. That you helped us realize what

Christ has made possible. And then we thank you that there

is an indwelling work of the Holy Spirit, but you call us for

continual fillings of the Holy, Holy Spirit.

And Lord, if there's any part of us, that's dry. if there's any

part of us that has become contaminated or dominated by the

flesh, Lord Phyllis afresh, Phyllis afresh.

Lord help us live in light of your return.

Thank you for your clarity. Thank you o God for teaching us

what we need to know. Because with every detail of

this book, we realize that we have a greater understanding of

you and that is what we want in this life fellowship with you.

and so Lord, As we sing to you, we Rejoice, we rejoice in the

knowledge that there is a New Covenant people that you are

creating And it will not come through familiar this and it

will come through the rebirth by the spirit of God.

And Lord, you are still calling people.

To join your family. And if there's anyone in here

that there's a know, you may they know that they cannot rely

on their parents salvation is not a package deal.

They realize that they cannot rely on even tradition that they

have observed. But that it must come from a

work of the Holy Spirit and the heart.

You can make that known, we ask that you would in Jesus name.

Amen, standing Worship the Lord.