Is Your Baptism unto Salvation?

Scripture:

I baptize you with water for repentance, but he who is coming after me is mightier than I, whose sandals I am not worthy to carry. He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and fire. His winnowing fork is in his hand, and he will clear his threshing floor and gather his wheat into the barn, but the chaff he will burn with unquenchable fire." Matthew 3: 11-12

Study:

In the previous passage John the Baptist was teaching and baptizing with water. He explained the value of water baptism to represent the believer's confession and repentance of sin. This sounds as though John was teaching a two step process of being saved, first, confession and repentance, then later, something else.  However, "John's baptism" was before Jesus had begun his ministry and before the giving of the Holy Spirit. Therefore, he explained that his baptism was to prepare the way for "the ONE coming after him, who would baptize with the Holy Spirit and fire," and that His (Jesus) work was superior to his (John's)," actually, completing God plan of salvation. 

In the previous passage he told the the Pharisees and Sadducees that their baptism was nothing more that being "dunked" in the water. Maybe they had confessed and were sorry for their sins but there was no evidence of turning away from their sin. John told them, (paraphrased), "Unless there is evidence, producing "good" fruit, you are not "saved" and "you will burn with the chaff and surely die." However, if you truly repent, you will be given the Holy Spirit and fire. 

Many people go into the water and are "dunked" but come out of the water, living no different from when they went in. Maybe they confess their sins, and for the moment are sorry for having lived a sinful life. They have good intentions to live the Christian life but turning from their old life is another story. Most want to claim the reward of being saved without turning away from the old habits and lifestyle and turning to Jesus' way. In fact, many have no intention of submitting to the Holy Spirit's working in their life to enable them to resist the temptation to sin. Unless  faith becomes active in our lives we have been deceived and have not been truly "saved." 

Application: If we want to lead others to Christ our lives must be convincing that Jesus is alive. in our lives. Repentance means to "turn around and not go back." If baptism represents the inward change, and the way we live our lives is the outward evidence of the Holy Spirit working in our life, then why aren't we seeing evidence in the lives of those who profess to be Christian? How can we live life WORTHY of our calling? 

Prayer: 

Dear Father, help me to submit to be obedient to the prompting of the Holy Spirit, to truly turn from my old ways and not look back. Holy Spirit come. To you Father in the name of Jesus I pray, Amen.

If the Holy Spirit can Conceive a Child, He can...

Scripture:

“Now the birth of Jesus took place in this way. When his mother Mary had been betrothed to Joseph, before they came together she was found to be with child from the Holy Spirit. ...Behold, the virgin shall conceive and bear a son, and they shall call his name Immanuel (which means God with us)..." Matthew 1: 18-25.

Study:

For many, getting pregnant out of wedlock is not such a big deal. In fact, many believe whether or not to have a child is strictly a woman's choice, whether she is married or not. However, not so in Mary's day. Joseph, her husband to be, could have had Mary stoned. Can you imagine having to tell Joseph this news and explaining how she had not been with another man. We can see the tell-tell eyes of the community saying, "Mary is not as sweet and innocent as we thought." 

The Old Testament people knew God but he was a God that existed and dealt with man on the outside. When he did deal with man it was as in a burning bush, a vision, or or in the case of the Israelites as a cloud that led them. However, in this scripture we see for the first time the power of God in the body of the Holy Spirit moving literally on the inside to radically transforming a person. 

Jesus virgin birth is the first and foremost truth we must believe about Jesus. He was conceived not from man but the Holy Spirit accomplishing in Mary the very work he has purposed for her life to birth the Christ Child, the promised Messiah. This child's name was to be Immanuel, meaning, God with us. God in his majesty, was coming as a child to be with us, to live among us, to show us a different way. In this whole process of Christ coming, God reveals to us how he unites with our very nature. God is with us by the influence of the Holy Spirit within us. 

The one thing that resonates so loudly with me, in this scripture, is that, as a follower of Christ, God through the Holy Spirit is in us, acting and moving in us. He accomplishes what we cannot do alone. Mary accepted God's way, God's plan, not only influencing her life but that of mankind.  

We can say we believed Mary's story, but, how quick would we believe if we had been Mary's mother, sister, friend, boyfriend or spouse?  We have the advantage of many biblical accounts and evidences in our faith community of the Holy Spirit's working in people's lives, healing, comforting, enlightening, defending, and protecting us from Satan, his demons, and.... our own selfish desires. Before we come down on the people for not believing, we need to realize that we deny that Jesus can heal. We do not see miracles today because we do not want to believe that the Holy Spirit can perform miracles. That miracle were only in biblical days. 

We are not so different from the community in Mary's day. Why do we deny the power of the Holy Spirit to do the miraculous things like transforming, the addict, the murder, liar, adulterer, and... all sorts of other sins like jealously, envy, pride, and hypocrisy. Why do we deny his ability to provide us with the things we so desire, such as health, family, and financial stability. Instead of allowing the Holy Spirit to come over us, to indwell us, to heal us of any sins that controls, binds us from, or separated us from God, we choose to deny God power and ability to work in our lives. 

Application: What would our home, churches, marriages, and neighborhoods be like if we truly had the power of the Holy Spirit living in us? Do you need a Messiah? What do you need in your life? If the Holy Spirit can conceive a Child, He can.... 

Prayer: 

Dear Father, if the Holy Spirit can conceive a Child, He can _______ in my life. Holy Spirit make yourself known in my life. In Jesus name I pray, Amen.

But God…

Scripture: Acts 9:15-18 " But Ananias answered, "Lord, I have heard from many about this man, how much evil he has done to your saints at Jerusalem. And here he has authority from the chief priests to bind all who call on your name." But the Lord said to him, "Go, for he is a chosen instrument of mine to carry my name before the Gentiles and kings and the children of Israel. For I will show him how much he must suffer for the sake of my name." So Ananias departed and entered the house. And laying his hands on him he said, "Brother Saul, the Lord Jesus who appeared to you on the road by which you came has sent me so that you may regain your sight and be filled with the Holy Spirit." And immediately something like scales fell from his eyes, and he regained his sight. Then he rose and was baptized.

When was the last time you responded to the urging voice of the Holy Spirit, "But God... ? We all have at one time or another. 

Many times we focus on the man Saul, possibly a member of the Sanhedrin court, a high Roman official, in route to Damascus to persecute those who "belonged to the Way" in other words, those followers of Jesus. However God had another plan, a plan that would change his whole life. But I think the lesson for us as followers of Jesus is in Ananias. 

When was Saul converted? God put Saul in a position and readied him to receive the Holy Spirit in his life. But, notice, He told Ananias to go to him,"So Ananias departed and entered the house. And laying his hands on him he said, "Brother Saul, the Lord Jesus who appeared to you on the road by which you came has sent me so that you may regain your sight and be filled with the Holy Spirit. God uses us to reach out to those around us to lead them to our Lord Jesus, to show "them" the way. 

Application: 
1) What excuses have you given for not responding to the assignments God has called you to do? It may not be too late to respond.
2) Can you imagine the wonderful reward of being the very instrument that God would use to call such a mighty man of God as Saul? Any gain will be so much greater than the loss. 

Prayer: Father, as you are passing out assignments for the day, do not pass me by. Give me the courage and strength to respond to your call, facing any danger along the way knowing that it is you that will perform any good word or deed that comes from within us. May I glorify you. In Jesus name I pray. Amen