Jim Harper – The Work of the Holy Spirit in New Testament Times – Class 4 – Miraculous Spirit Gifts

1
00:00:01,800 –> 00:00:07,080
This is day four of the 2007
Palm Springs Bible School and

2
00:00:07,080 –> 00:00:09,760
our second period speaker is our
brother, Jim Harper.

3
00:00:10,640 –> 00:00:14,640
His overall theme for the week
is the work of the Holy Spirit

4
00:00:14,640 –> 00:00:21,160
in the New Testament and today’s
topic, Miraculous Spirit Gifts

5
00:00:21,600 –> 00:00:36,110
of the Gym.
Of necessity, brothers and

6
00:00:36,110 –> 00:00:42,870
sisters, this is going to be
rather general if you go to

7
00:00:42,870 –> 00:00:47,430
Romans 12 or you go to 1st
Corinthians 12, or if you go to

8
00:00:47,430 –> 00:00:50,790
Ephesians 4 and you look at the
the gifts there.

9
00:00:52,730 –> 00:01:00,930
They defy any kind of
comprehensive coalition, they

10
00:01:00,930 –> 00:01:02,770
just defy that brothers and
sisters.

11
00:01:02,770 –> 00:01:05,970
So of necessity this will be
rather general.

12
00:01:05,970 –> 00:01:08,930
I just hope that it won’t also
turn out to be rather vague in

13
00:01:08,930 –> 00:01:16,930
the process, and I attempted
when I started on this to make a

14
00:01:16,930 –> 00:01:20,510
definition statement.
And after I’ve reviewed it with

15
00:01:20,510 –> 00:01:22,750
you, I’ll tell you I’m not
terribly happy with it.

16
00:01:25,550 –> 00:01:30,470
It’s probably not adequate, but
I felt compelled to try to say

17
00:01:30,470 –> 00:01:33,670
something miraculous.
Spirit gifts and New Testament

18
00:01:33,670 –> 00:01:40,950
times enabled the believers who
received them to do things in

19
00:01:40,950 –> 00:01:45,510
the name of Christ that they
could not otherwise have done.

20
00:01:47,640 –> 00:01:54,280
And then I struggled with this
because when in history, New

21
00:01:54,280 –> 00:01:59,680
Testament times or not, have we
not been able to do things in

22
00:01:59,680 –> 00:02:02,200
the name of Christ that we could
not otherwise do?

23
00:02:04,160 –> 00:02:09,639
And isn’t that also miraculous?
You know, and I struggled with

24
00:02:09,639 –> 00:02:13,800
this kind of thing at home.
These have had a bit of airing

25
00:02:13,800 –> 00:02:16,840
with the with our adult Sunday
School class.

26
00:02:17,470 –> 00:02:21,070
And Brother Dave Stiles came to
me after one Sunday morning.

27
00:02:21,110 –> 00:02:24,070
And some of, you know, Dave and
Connie, and, I mean, they’re

28
00:02:24,070 –> 00:02:26,270
just wonderful contributors to
the Meriden meeting.

29
00:02:26,950 –> 00:02:31,910
And Dave said, look, he said
there are natural miracles and

30
00:02:31,910 –> 00:02:38,110
there are supernatural miracles.
He said you’re basically trying

31
00:02:38,110 –> 00:02:40,110
to focus on the supernatural
miracles.

32
00:02:40,110 –> 00:02:41,870
And I said, yeah, you know,
that’s right.

33
00:02:42,230 –> 00:02:44,630
So that’s very helpful.
Can I quote you on that?

34
00:02:49,780 –> 00:02:56,700
And I now have, because when
brothers and sisters, has God

35
00:02:56,700 –> 00:02:59,460
not worked in our lives in
miraculous ways?

36
00:02:59,460 –> 00:03:05,140
And so I am looking at some of
the more overtly miraculous

37
00:03:05,140 –> 00:03:06,460
things.
Brother Jeff and I were just

38
00:03:06,460 –> 00:03:10,100
talking a little bit about this
before, You know, you can merge

39
00:03:10,100 –> 00:03:12,420
from these New Testament
miracles into our own

40
00:03:12,420 –> 00:03:16,140
experiences and and and the
areas Gray a bit.

41
00:03:17,740 –> 00:03:20,700
But what I’m thinking about for
the moment is this kind of

42
00:03:20,700 –> 00:03:24,340
thing.
By the empowerment of heaven,

43
00:03:25,220 –> 00:03:30,140
men spoke with other tongues.
The mysteries of God were

44
00:03:30,140 –> 00:03:32,900
revealed and their meanings were
expounded.

45
00:03:33,380 –> 00:03:36,780
That’s a a marvelous, marvelous
area to explore.

46
00:03:37,420 –> 00:03:40,500
Remember Paul’s expression in
First Corinthians 14?

47
00:03:41,020 –> 00:03:43,820
In the tongue they speak
mysteries.

48
00:03:45,520 –> 00:03:48,320
And you know, he’s not just
referring to the fact that the

49
00:03:48,320 –> 00:03:52,520
tongue itself was enigmatic, but
he’s saying something, I

50
00:03:52,520 –> 00:03:56,360
believe, about the content of
what was being spoken as well.

51
00:03:57,320 –> 00:04:00,160
And those things were being
revealed and their meanings

52
00:04:00,160 –> 00:04:04,880
could be expounded and men
prophesied.

53
00:04:05,880 –> 00:04:10,800
We we saw a couple of examples
of that yesterday and.

54
00:04:11,950 –> 00:04:15,390
The net result of many of these
things was that listeners were

55
00:04:15,390 –> 00:04:20,829
compelled to heart searching
response, and heaven is the

56
00:04:20,829 –> 00:04:27,710
driving force behind it.
People were healed of physical

57
00:04:27,710 –> 00:04:31,470
and mental afflictions, and so
there is a microcosm of

58
00:04:31,470 –> 00:04:37,910
salvation being set before us.
In the New Testament times, the

59
00:04:37,910 –> 00:04:44,680
dead were raised to life again.
And over against those wonderful

60
00:04:44,680 –> 00:04:49,240
blessings, words of divine
judgment were pronounced against

61
00:04:49,240 –> 00:04:52,800
unrepentant sinners, and
punishments followed with

62
00:04:52,800 –> 00:04:56,720
frightening swiftness.
The hand of the Lord is upon

63
00:04:56,720 –> 00:05:03,480
you, and immediately a mist fell
upon him from heaven, and he

64
00:05:03,480 –> 00:05:07,000
went about seeking someone to
lead him by the hand.

65
00:05:09,330 –> 00:05:14,690
Or anioniasis of Fira in the
process of all of this in the

66
00:05:14,690 –> 00:05:21,490
New Testament context.
And then we want to think about

67
00:05:21,490 –> 00:05:28,250
the fact that it still happens.
Maybe not with the same tongues

68
00:05:28,250 –> 00:05:31,730
or healings or raisings of the
dead, but this can be

69
00:05:31,730 –> 00:05:36,770
extrapolated in the process.
Faithful men preached the gospel

70
00:05:36,770 –> 00:05:39,380
of salvation.
Throughout the Jewish and

71
00:05:39,380 –> 00:05:46,460
Gentile worlds and believers
edified fellow believers in the

72
00:05:46,460 –> 00:05:49,300
things that pertain to life in
Christ.

73
00:05:49,860 –> 00:05:55,100
And that’s still happening.
It just doesn’t happen with my

74
00:05:55,100 –> 00:06:00,740
ability to stand up here and
speak Hebrew to you, or to put

75
00:06:00,740 –> 00:06:07,420
my hands on someone and make
them walk again.

76
00:06:09,100 –> 00:06:12,180
Or heal them in some other
physical way.

77
00:06:13,580 –> 00:06:19,180
Those things will ultimately
have their fulfillment and the

78
00:06:19,260 –> 00:06:24,300
best that’s yet to come.
But still we preach and we

79
00:06:24,300 –> 00:06:28,380
edify.
We’re going back to the New

80
00:06:28,380 –> 00:06:31,980
Testament context, the saving
purposes of God.

81
00:06:32,980 –> 00:06:39,870
We’re served among men on Earth.
And the glorified Christ,

82
00:06:41,550 –> 00:06:43,710
through whom the gifts were
given.

83
00:06:43,710 –> 00:06:47,350
And This is why, brothers and
sisters, I’m so I don’t know

84
00:06:47,350 –> 00:06:51,390
whether adamant is too strong a
word, but but so positive in

85
00:06:51,390 –> 00:06:56,230
wanting to say to you these
gifts came from heaven always,

86
00:06:57,030 –> 00:07:01,110
and even when they came in
punctuated ways, there was the

87
00:07:01,110 –> 00:07:04,230
prayer from earth, and there was
the answers to the prayer that

88
00:07:04,230 –> 00:07:08,550
came from heaven.
Because this is important.

89
00:07:08,910 –> 00:07:13,910
The glorified Christ, through
whom the gifts were given, was

90
00:07:13,910 –> 00:07:20,790
shown for all time.
He was shown to them then, and

91
00:07:20,790 –> 00:07:27,270
it’s documented for us.
He was shown for all time to be

92
00:07:27,270 –> 00:07:35,430
the Savior of mankind, the
minister of God’s grace to men.

93
00:07:41,300 –> 00:07:44,980
And so, brothers and sisters,
what purposes did Holy Spirit

94
00:07:44,980 –> 00:07:47,540
gifts serve a New Testament
times?

95
00:07:48,940 –> 00:07:52,380
And how are the same purposes
served in Christ’s ecclesia

96
00:07:52,380 –> 00:07:54,700
today?
And we’ll just kind of weave the

97
00:07:54,700 –> 00:08:00,300
thoughts together and we’ll
never finish, but we’ll stop

98
00:08:00,300 –> 00:08:07,460
when 45 minutes come.
And I want to begin in those New

99
00:08:07,460 –> 00:08:13,620
Testament contexts where gifts
were given that I’m inclined to

100
00:08:13,620 –> 00:08:18,820
call baptismal gifts, the kind
of thing that happened when

101
00:08:18,900 –> 00:08:24,100
believers first believed,
responded to the gospel, and

102
00:08:24,100 –> 00:08:27,540
were baptized into the Lord
Jesus for the remission of their

103
00:08:27,540 –> 00:08:31,060
sins.
And we saw plenty of evidence.

104
00:08:31,830 –> 00:08:36,909
Already that heaven often, if
not always, responded.

105
00:08:38,230 –> 00:08:41,429
We can read about it now, but
they couldn’t necessarily.

106
00:08:41,429 –> 00:08:46,750
And heaven often responded with
a wonderful, reassuring response

107
00:08:46,750 –> 00:08:49,470
to those believers.
So I want to explore the gifts

108
00:08:49,790 –> 00:08:51,710
in that heading when we
believed.

109
00:08:51,710 –> 00:08:56,150
And if we get to the second
heading, then I want to talk

110
00:08:56,150 –> 00:08:59,950
about life after baptism.
All right.

111
00:09:01,370 –> 00:09:05,570
For the edification of the
Church and the third is really

112
00:09:05,570 –> 00:09:08,890
just an extension of the second.
Whether we get there or not, let

113
00:09:08,890 –> 00:09:20,730
us go on to perfection.
Let me just back up here when we

114
00:09:20,770 –> 00:09:23,770
believed.
And that’s picking up Peter’s

115
00:09:23,770 –> 00:09:29,290
words in defense of having gone
into Cornelius and the Gentiles.

116
00:09:31,120 –> 00:09:37,240
We’ll take our illustrations
across the New Testament world,

117
00:09:37,440 –> 00:09:41,280
almost following brothers and
sisters, the the plan of the

118
00:09:41,280 –> 00:09:47,200
Great Commission from Jerusalem
to Samaria to Caesaria to

119
00:09:47,280 –> 00:09:52,720
Ethicis, and when I see examples
coming in the Book of Acts from

120
00:09:52,760 –> 00:09:58,420
a widespread area like that.
It says to me that this may be a

121
00:09:58,420 –> 00:10:02,380
lot more common place and
experience in New Testament

122
00:10:02,380 –> 00:10:07,100
times than we think or are
inclined to think.

123
00:10:09,540 –> 00:10:12,940
Because it strikes me that
across the New Testament world,

124
00:10:14,340 –> 00:10:21,100
heaven responded in dramatic
fashion at the time of a

125
00:10:21,100 –> 00:10:26,250
believer’s baptism into Christ.
A Holy Spirit baptism.

126
00:10:26,850 –> 00:10:31,410
And I just say possibly a one
time gift of miraculous

127
00:10:31,410 –> 00:10:34,690
utterance.
And I only have really Acts 10

128
00:10:34,690 –> 00:10:41,530
and Acts 19 to go on.
But a Holy Spirit baptism sealed

129
00:10:41,570 –> 00:10:49,690
the life of the new convert in
the love of Christ, and just as

130
00:10:49,690 –> 00:10:53,450
surely brothers and sisters, as
we read about this now.

131
00:10:53,850 –> 00:11:01,010
We can be sure that in our own
response to the truth, that same

132
00:11:01,010 –> 00:11:07,290
love of Christ is vouchsafed to
us, even though we may not have

133
00:11:07,490 –> 00:11:12,690
an overt Holy Spirit baptism.
And now, at the time of our

134
00:11:12,770 –> 00:11:21,760
belief, it provided.
As and as the language says, and

135
00:11:22,480 –> 00:11:24,960
Brother Randy Davenport was
saying to me yesterday, are you

136
00:11:24,960 –> 00:11:28,320
going to get to these passages
that speak about the earnest and

137
00:11:28,320 –> 00:11:30,520
so on?
And at that time I couldn’t

138
00:11:30,520 –> 00:11:31,960
remember what I was going to be
getting to.

139
00:11:31,960 –> 00:11:43,080
But anyway, here it is, a seal,
a guarantee, and we just have to

140
00:11:43,080 –> 00:11:49,760
read this passage slowly.
We can read through this.

141
00:11:49,760 –> 00:11:52,160
I know Esther and I can read
through this in a matter of

142
00:11:52,160 –> 00:11:58,000
seconds in the daily readings
twice a year and every phrase of

143
00:11:58,000 –> 00:12:02,160
this passage in Ephesians
chapter one is absolutely

144
00:12:02,160 –> 00:12:08,720
powerful, brothers and sisters,
absolutely powerful in Christ.

145
00:12:10,080 –> 00:12:15,840
The context allows me to to to
to put that in in Christ.

146
00:12:17,170 –> 00:12:27,810
You also trusted after you heard
the word of Truth, Remember?

147
00:12:27,810 –> 00:12:35,370
Now we’re talking about those
moments when people believed in

148
00:12:35,370 –> 00:12:38,010
Christ.
You also trusted, after you

149
00:12:38,010 –> 00:12:43,170
heard the word of truth, the
gospel of your salvation.

150
00:12:45,730 –> 00:12:51,690
In whom?
Also in Christ, also having

151
00:12:51,690 –> 00:12:59,290
believed you were sealed with
the Holy Spirit of promise.

152
00:13:00,970 –> 00:13:06,610
Now I infer from that that Paul
has something overt in mind.

153
00:13:11,670 –> 00:13:15,230
The fact that God has touched
our life also has enduring,

154
00:13:15,270 –> 00:13:19,150
enduring effects.
But I infer that Paul has

155
00:13:19,150 –> 00:13:24,270
something overt in mind that has
happened when they’ve heard the

156
00:13:24,270 –> 00:13:28,110
word of truth, when they’ve put
their trust in Christ, when

157
00:13:28,110 –> 00:13:32,190
they’ve believed you were sealed
with the Holy Spirit of promise,

158
00:13:32,550 –> 00:13:38,150
which is the guarantee of our
inheritance.

159
00:13:39,730 –> 00:13:45,410
Until the redemption of the
purchased possession, which is

160
00:13:45,410 –> 00:13:52,930
us, to the praise of his glory,
there’s not a praise of that

161
00:13:53,370 –> 00:13:58,650
that isn’t just powerful.
I read that.

162
00:13:58,650 –> 00:14:00,770
And if I read it slowly,
brothers and sisters, my

163
00:14:00,770 –> 00:14:03,490
reaction is Step aside,
Shakespeare.

164
00:14:06,170 –> 00:14:08,690
This is this is marvelous,
marvelous stuff.

165
00:14:13,250 –> 00:14:17,370
The baptismal gift was an
earnest of eternal life, a

166
00:14:17,370 –> 00:14:24,050
literal foretaste of the powers
of the age to come, a person who

167
00:14:24,050 –> 00:14:30,290
heard the gospel of salvation
and put his trust in Christ by

168
00:14:30,290 –> 00:14:36,050
obedient baptism.
In that day and age, many of

169
00:14:36,050 –> 00:14:41,610
them quickly learned how
trustworthy Christ truly is.

170
00:14:46,730 –> 00:14:52,530
And so Paul can go on to say in
Ephesians for do not grieve the

171
00:14:52,530 –> 00:15:00,090
Holy Spirit of God, by whom by
God you were sealed for the day

172
00:15:00,090 –> 00:15:05,960
of redemption.
And I think the Ephesians could

173
00:15:05,960 –> 00:15:11,800
have thought back on the
experience of their baptisms and

174
00:15:11,800 –> 00:15:14,320
known something of the truth of
this.

175
00:15:15,800 –> 00:15:20,480
And we can understand that God
is no less, no less desirous of

176
00:15:20,480 –> 00:15:25,760
our understanding these things,
now that we in our baptism, have

177
00:15:25,760 –> 00:15:30,340
entered into Christ.
And while the experience of an

178
00:15:30,340 –> 00:15:36,060
overt confirmation was not
given, the word is sufficient to

179
00:15:36,060 –> 00:15:40,100
tell us we’ve been sealed for
the day of redemption, our Holy

180
00:15:40,100 –> 00:15:42,380
Spirit.
Baptism, and there’s in the

181
00:15:42,380 –> 00:15:47,860
greater sense, is still to come.
Second Corinthians.

182
00:15:48,780 –> 00:15:52,820
And again, I think Paul has
something overt here in mind.

183
00:15:54,110 –> 00:15:58,030
Even though the lasting effects
of the work of the Holy Spirit

184
00:15:58,270 –> 00:16:06,150
has got to be on our hearts, the
frightening thing from Hebrew

185
00:16:06,150 –> 00:16:09,790
sex is it is possible for us to
have tasted of the heavenly gift

186
00:16:09,830 –> 00:16:17,190
and to fall away.
So that’s not even ruled out

187
00:16:17,190 –> 00:16:19,390
here.
I think Paul has something overt

188
00:16:19,390 –> 00:16:26,640
in mind and he desires that.
Not only that be remembered, but

189
00:16:26,640 –> 00:16:30,960
that we go on to perfection, and
the gifts will continue to fuel

190
00:16:31,000 –> 00:16:37,160
that transfiguring process, just
as the Scriptures fuel it for us

191
00:16:37,160 –> 00:16:41,120
today.
Now he who establishes us with

192
00:16:41,120 –> 00:16:48,200
you in Christ, and has anointed
us, is God, who also has sealed

193
00:16:48,200 –> 00:16:54,330
us and given us the Spirit.
In our hearts as a guarantee.

194
00:16:54,330 –> 00:16:57,250
And there, there Paul gets, may
I say to the heart of the

195
00:16:57,250 –> 00:17:02,490
matter, because it’s while it
seems to be something overt,

196
00:17:02,730 –> 00:17:06,730
they could understand what was
meant when we were told we’ve

197
00:17:06,730 –> 00:17:08,650
been anointed, we’ve been
sealed.

198
00:17:10,530 –> 00:17:13,890
But yet, at the same time, if
that hasn’t come to reside on

199
00:17:13,890 –> 00:17:19,730
our hearts, it’s it’s it’s
wasted what God has done.

200
00:17:21,510 –> 00:17:26,710
Has gone for naught, and we’ve
not, in our response, justified

201
00:17:26,829 –> 00:17:32,030
God.
The anointing the ceiling of the

202
00:17:32,030 –> 00:17:36,950
believer was a singular gifting
act at the time of baptism into

203
00:17:36,950 –> 00:17:42,230
Christ.
And I say that cautiously, but I

204
00:17:42,230 –> 00:17:45,470
think there’s a fair bit of
evidence for it in New Testament

205
00:17:45,470 –> 00:17:48,270
times.
But Paul makes a vitally

206
00:17:48,270 –> 00:17:52,910
important point.
The lasting effect of the gift

207
00:17:53,150 –> 00:18:01,990
had to be on the believer’s
heart, Holy Spirit gifts.

208
00:18:01,990 –> 00:18:04,630
The New Testament times,
brothers and sisters, I’m

209
00:18:04,630 –> 00:18:10,350
convinced, were intended to have
a transfiguring effect on those

210
00:18:10,350 –> 00:18:16,270
who received them and used them
and benefited from them.

211
00:18:19,200 –> 00:18:23,920
Or else all the work of Christ,
who is the administer of God’s

212
00:18:23,920 –> 00:18:36,400
grace to man, is in vain.
And, you know, just exploring

213
00:18:36,400 –> 00:18:41,280
and contemplating this, my mind
went back to this rebuke which

214
00:18:41,280 –> 00:18:47,120
Jesus issued amongst some of
those with whom he’d spent the

215
00:18:47,120 –> 00:18:52,560
most time the towns of Carrazin
and Beth Seda.

216
00:18:53,470 –> 00:18:59,030
Around the Sea of Galilee, woe
to you to Raisin, woe to you

217
00:18:59,030 –> 00:19:05,310
Beth Seda, For if the mighty
works which were done in you had

218
00:19:05,310 –> 00:19:11,430
been done, and Tyre and Siden,
they would have repented long

219
00:19:11,430 –> 00:19:18,550
ago in sackcloth and ashes.
And if that isn’t saying to us?

220
00:19:18,940 –> 00:19:23,620
That what Jesus had done, not
just within the city precincts

221
00:19:23,620 –> 00:19:28,100
of careason or but seda, but the
mighty works were done in you.

222
00:19:30,980 –> 00:19:34,460
He’s not just talking about a
geographic place, He’s isn’t he.

223
00:19:34,460 –> 00:19:38,540
He’s talking about people.
If the mighty works that were

224
00:19:38,540 –> 00:19:43,300
done in you had been done in
Tyron Sidon, there’d have been

225
00:19:43,300 –> 00:19:48,100
some effect on their hearts.
They would have repented.

226
00:19:49,040 –> 00:19:57,440
Long ago, in sackcloth and
ashes, miraculous Holy Spirit

227
00:19:57,440 –> 00:20:03,960
gifts came from God with His
intent, with His desire that

228
00:20:03,960 –> 00:20:10,120
they should have a moral impact
on the lives of sinful human

229
00:20:10,120 –> 00:20:12,800
beings.
And that’s me.

230
00:20:18,250 –> 00:20:26,010
And this, too, is eternal life.
So while the gift may be a

231
00:20:26,010 –> 00:20:33,930
foretaste of eternal life, in
some powerful sense, the powers

232
00:20:33,930 –> 00:20:40,650
of the age to come, it’s the
lasting effect that is also

233
00:20:40,650 –> 00:20:50,710
eternal life even now.
A seal, a guarantee.

234
00:20:51,830 –> 00:20:57,030
Second Corinthians and we can
relate to this, brothers and

235
00:20:57,030 –> 00:21:00,070
sisters.
So I find myself constantly

236
00:21:00,070 –> 00:21:02,110
starting in the New Testament
and lapsing to us.

237
00:21:02,110 –> 00:21:06,550
But that’s okay stepping out
into our times.

238
00:21:07,110 –> 00:21:12,150
We who are in this tent groan
being burdened.

239
00:21:14,630 –> 00:21:18,430
And as I reviewed these thoughts
this morning, I thought to

240
00:21:18,430 –> 00:21:24,830
myself, you know, as I stand up
here and I look out across all

241
00:21:24,830 –> 00:21:31,150
of your brothers and sisters, we
have an accumulated age, and we

242
00:21:31,150 –> 00:21:37,710
have an accumulated experience
in life that can relate to this.

243
00:21:38,950 –> 00:21:59,060
We who are in this tent groan,
being burdened not because we

244
00:21:59,060 –> 00:22:05,980
want to be unclothed, but
further clothed, that mortality

245
00:22:05,980 –> 00:22:14,700
may be swallowed up by life.
Now he who has prepared us for

246
00:22:14,700 –> 00:22:22,650
this very thing is God, who also
has given us the Spirit as a

247
00:22:22,650 –> 00:22:26,170
guarantee.
And the Corinthians could

248
00:22:26,170 –> 00:22:29,290
reflect on what had happened in
their lives.

249
00:22:29,810 –> 00:22:34,610
They could perhaps put their
finger on the time of their

250
00:22:34,610 –> 00:22:41,970
belief and heaven’s response.
And we have to convince our

251
00:22:41,970 –> 00:22:45,050
children and our friends when
they go into the waters of

252
00:22:45,050 –> 00:22:48,170
baptism.
The heavens may not open up

253
00:22:48,170 –> 00:22:51,570
again, and the Spirit fall on
us, the same as it did in the

254
00:22:51,570 –> 00:22:55,570
household of Cornelius, or
amongst on those disciples of

255
00:22:55,570 –> 00:22:59,570
Ephesus.
But nevertheless, rest assured,

256
00:23:00,490 –> 00:23:08,850
we have the guarantee of this
burdened life being swallowed up

257
00:23:09,090 –> 00:23:15,930
by life.
But I think, brothers and

258
00:23:15,930 –> 00:23:19,090
sisters, for our benefit as we
read of these things and for

259
00:23:19,090 –> 00:23:22,490
their benefit as they
experienced them, that believers

260
00:23:22,490 –> 00:23:26,970
in New Testament times were
openly given a down payment on

261
00:23:26,970 –> 00:23:31,050
eternal life when they openly
put their trust in Christ.

262
00:23:33,770 –> 00:23:40,220
There’s something else, I think
wonderful that happens here, and

263
00:23:40,220 –> 00:23:43,820
that is not only not only is
Heaven giving them a foretaste

264
00:23:43,820 –> 00:23:51,220
of of eternal life, but in the
baptismal gifting process that I

265
00:23:51,220 –> 00:23:56,980
think took place in many, many
instances, Heaven was saying to

266
00:23:56,980 –> 00:24:00,460
these people who’ve just learned
the gospel of salvation in

267
00:24:00,460 –> 00:24:09,830
Christ and responded to it, yes,
your faith is acceptable, your

268
00:24:09,830 –> 00:24:18,390
repentance is acceptable, your
sins are forgiven, they’re

269
00:24:18,390 –> 00:24:25,310
washed away, and you are indeed
the heirs of eternal life.

270
00:24:25,790 –> 00:24:29,350
I believe those baptismal gifts
that came along were a

271
00:24:29,350 –> 00:24:34,070
confirmation as well of the
forgiveness of sins, and I just

272
00:24:34,070 –> 00:24:37,590
want to take one or two examples
to illustrate the point.

273
00:24:39,040 –> 00:24:43,280
I believe that the baptismal
gifts that came declared that

274
00:24:43,280 –> 00:24:50,120
God accepted the repentance of
the believer, that God forgave

275
00:24:50,120 –> 00:24:56,680
his sins, and that God justified
him unto eternal life, whether

276
00:24:56,680 –> 00:25:02,520
he was a Jew or a Gentile.
And we go to the House of

277
00:25:02,520 –> 00:25:09,860
Cornelius, and I’m going to
start in verse 44 of X10 in a

278
00:25:09,860 –> 00:25:12,220
moment.
We’re going to back up just a

279
00:25:12,220 –> 00:25:15,900
little bit from this so that I
can perhaps give some thrust to

280
00:25:15,900 –> 00:25:20,060
what I want to say.
But while you, you remember how

281
00:25:20,060 –> 00:25:23,340
it happens.
You know the the three men come

282
00:25:23,340 –> 00:25:27,980
from the household of Cornelius
and they find a Peter in Joppa

283
00:25:27,980 –> 00:25:32,670
and they bring him to Caesaria.
And when he comes in, you know,

284
00:25:32,670 –> 00:25:38,630
Cornelius falls down before him
and Peter says, get up man, I’m

285
00:25:38,630 –> 00:25:42,910
just the same as you are.
And Peter opens his mouth and

286
00:25:42,910 –> 00:25:48,350
begins to speak.
And as he goes along speaking,

287
00:25:49,550 –> 00:25:52,950
he arrives at this point, which
is in verse 43.

288
00:25:52,950 –> 00:25:56,630
And we’ll go back to that.
While Peter was still speaking

289
00:25:56,630 –> 00:26:01,110
these words, the Holy Spirit
fell upon all those who heard

290
00:26:01,110 –> 00:26:02,910
the word.
And how did they know?

291
00:26:02,910 –> 00:26:05,470
Well, there was a miraculous
baptismal gift.

292
00:26:05,830 –> 00:26:09,270
They heard them speak with
tongues and magnify God.

293
00:26:11,550 –> 00:26:14,270
What did it mean?
We’ve we’ve been there already

294
00:26:14,270 –> 00:26:20,830
this week.
But let’s just remember Peter

295
00:26:20,870 –> 00:26:25,430
and the six Jewish brethren that
went with him to Cornelius’s

296
00:26:25,590 –> 00:26:32,170
home in Caesarea had to go back
and answer to the brethren in

297
00:26:32,170 –> 00:26:34,650
Jerusalem.
For what had been done.

298
00:26:34,650 –> 00:26:40,850
They had gone into the Gentiles,
and Peter rehearsed what had

299
00:26:40,850 –> 00:26:46,850
happened, and they had to
conclude this is indeed of

300
00:26:46,850 –> 00:26:51,370
heaven.
If therefore, God gave them the

301
00:26:51,370 –> 00:26:56,550
same gift as he gave us when we
believed on the Lord Jesus

302
00:26:56,550 –> 00:27:03,910
Christ, then God has granted to
the Gentiles repentance to life

303
00:27:04,270 –> 00:27:08,070
that Holy Spirit baptism in the
household of Cornelius said,

304
00:27:08,470 –> 00:27:15,270
Your repentance is accepted.
You’re the heir of life.

305
00:27:20,990 –> 00:27:22,950
Have you ever read anything of
Clement of Rome?

306
00:27:26,920 –> 00:27:34,400
Incredible letter written near
the end of the 1st century and

307
00:27:34,720 –> 00:27:43,360
written to the Corinthians worth
reading and up to my mind?

308
00:27:43,360 –> 00:27:49,440
The pinnacle atonement statement
that Clement makes in there is

309
00:27:49,440 –> 00:27:55,960
when he says that the cross
gives to us the grace of

310
00:27:55,960 –> 00:27:59,600
repentance.
It is the way by which God has

311
00:27:59,600 –> 00:28:04,840
given to us the grace of
repentance, I thought to myself,

312
00:28:04,840 –> 00:28:08,000
Well, there’s a 1st century
appreciation of the cross.

313
00:28:11,280 –> 00:28:14,480
And so, in response to all the
things that God had done in the

314
00:28:14,480 –> 00:28:19,560
life of Cornelius, he has
granted to the Gentiles

315
00:28:19,560 –> 00:28:28,040
repentance unto life, and that
Holy Spirit baptism was an

316
00:28:28,040 –> 00:28:32,240
acceptance of their repentance,
which God had engendered in any

317
00:28:32,240 –> 00:28:36,280
respect, envy, and made them the
heirs of eternal life.

318
00:28:38,600 –> 00:28:41,760
The sequence of events at the
House of Cornelius is

319
00:28:41,760 –> 00:28:44,360
particularly instructive in this
regard.

320
00:28:46,040 –> 00:28:49,880
And now I want to go back just
one verse, because what was

321
00:28:49,880 –> 00:28:54,660
Peter saying when the Holy
Spirit suddenly fell on the

322
00:28:54,660 –> 00:28:57,780
Gentiles?
What was he saying?

323
00:28:57,780 –> 00:29:02,660
Well, here it is to him.
And now it’s the resurrected

324
00:29:02,660 –> 00:29:08,820
Jesus of Nazareth.
All the prophets witness that

325
00:29:08,820 –> 00:29:15,100
through his name, whoever
believes in him will receive

326
00:29:15,340 –> 00:29:19,820
remission of sins.
And while Peter was speaking

327
00:29:19,820 –> 00:29:22,900
these words, the Holy Spirit
fell upon those who heard the

328
00:29:22,900 –> 00:29:40,940
word,
and a double miracle happened.

329
00:29:41,180 –> 00:29:44,260
Just open up your Bibles.
It’s about time, huh?

330
00:29:49,280 –> 00:29:55,360
Talking yesterday.
And I have to say, brothers and

331
00:29:55,360 –> 00:30:00,320
sisters, what struck me
yesterday, Is there something to

332
00:30:00,320 –> 00:30:02,880
be said for just the man in the
book?

333
00:30:08,240 –> 00:30:12,320
And unless you’re comfortable
with this stuff, leave it alone.

334
00:30:15,560 –> 00:30:17,880
There’s a lot to be said for
just the man in the book.

335
00:30:17,880 –> 00:30:31,280
Acts 11 There’s a double miracle
at the at the House of

336
00:30:31,280 –> 00:30:34,560
Cornelius.
We know about the Holy Spirit

337
00:30:34,560 –> 00:30:40,480
Baptism of the Gentiles.
But I believe that Peter himself

338
00:30:40,480 –> 00:30:44,880
experienced a gift at this
moment too, and I just would

339
00:30:44,880 –> 00:30:54,890
draw your attention in Acts 11
to verse 15 and then verse 16.

340
00:30:57,730 –> 00:31:04,970
And as I began to speak, the
Holy Spirit fell on them as on

341
00:31:04,970 –> 00:31:11,010
us at the beginning.
And the conclusion, of course,

342
00:31:11,050 –> 00:31:19,130
is now that heaven has purified
the hearts of the Gentiles by

343
00:31:19,130 –> 00:31:24,420
faith.
So that’s another way of

344
00:31:24,420 –> 00:31:26,620
expressing the meaning of the
Holy Spirit.

345
00:31:26,620 –> 00:31:31,140
Baptism that took place then,
which resulted in speaking in

346
00:31:31,140 –> 00:31:35,860
tongues and magnifying God.
Can we go to about 1:00 today?

347
00:31:38,460 –> 00:31:43,620
Never mind.
So that was the Holy Spirit

348
00:31:43,700 –> 00:31:49,080
Baptism of the Gentiles.
But then look at verse 16,

349
00:31:49,080 –> 00:31:53,600
brothers and sisters, we’ve been
emphasizing this kind of thing.

350
00:31:54,520 –> 00:32:00,560
Then remembered I the word of
the Lord.

351
00:32:00,560 –> 00:32:04,120
How he said, John indeed
baptized with water, but you

352
00:32:04,120 –> 00:32:06,520
should be baptized with the Holy
Spirit.

353
00:32:08,600 –> 00:32:11,400
We might miss that.
I don’t know how many years I’ve

354
00:32:11,400 –> 00:32:15,110
missed that.
I thought, well, you know, Peter

355
00:32:15,110 –> 00:32:17,790
saw them speaking tongues.
That’s what had happened to them

356
00:32:17,790 –> 00:32:19,990
on the day of Pentecost.
And what else?

357
00:32:20,030 –> 00:32:21,750
You know, his mind just went
back to Pentecost.

358
00:32:21,950 –> 00:32:25,990
His mind doesn’t actually go
back just to Pentecost, if

359
00:32:25,990 –> 00:32:30,350
you’ll notice.
His mind goes back to the words

360
00:32:30,350 –> 00:32:37,430
that Jesus spoke a few days
before Pentecost acts.

361
00:32:37,430 –> 00:32:39,990
One verse 5 is your cross
reference, isn’t it?

362
00:32:42,590 –> 00:32:46,510
You know, turn back to John 14
with me,

363
00:32:56,910 –> 00:33:13,220
verse 25, John 14, verse 25.
These things have I spoken unto

364
00:33:13,220 –> 00:33:19,540
you, being yet present with you.
But the Comforter, which is the

365
00:33:19,540 –> 00:33:25,500
Holy Spirit whom the Father will
send in my name, he shall teach

366
00:33:25,500 –> 00:33:31,940
you all things, and bring all
things to your remembrance.

367
00:33:32,500 –> 00:33:43,000
Whatsoever I have said to you,
then remembered by the words of

368
00:33:43,000 –> 00:33:49,960
the Lord Jesus how he said, John
indeed baptized with water, But

369
00:33:49,960 –> 00:33:52,600
you shall be baptized with the
Holy Spirit.

370
00:33:55,560 –> 00:33:58,440
And so Peter received a miracle
at that moment.

371
00:33:58,440 –> 00:34:01,840
And do you remember how he
processed that miracle?

372
00:34:02,040 –> 00:34:04,000
Do you remember how he responded
to it?

373
00:34:04,000 –> 00:34:07,240
Brothers and sisters, they come
back to Acts 10.

374
00:34:12,150 –> 00:34:14,110
If I get 2 locked in, I’m using
the scriptures.

375
00:34:14,110 –> 00:34:16,190
I’ll lose the PowerPoint.
Oh, happy day.

376
00:34:17,150 –> 00:34:28,429
Oh Happy Day.
Here’s how Peter responded.

377
00:34:29,710 –> 00:34:36,340
Look at this Acts 10, verse 46.
They heard them speak with

378
00:34:36,340 –> 00:34:39,780
tongues and magnify God, but
perhaps they didn’t know what

379
00:34:39,780 –> 00:34:48,219
was also going on within Peter
himself, then remembered I the

380
00:34:48,219 –> 00:34:51,179
word of the Lord Jesus.
Look at the rest of verse 46

381
00:34:51,460 –> 00:34:57,220
then answered Peter.
Can any man forbid water that

382
00:34:57,220 –> 00:35:00,780
these should not be baptized,
which have received the Holy

383
00:35:00,780 –> 00:35:05,260
Spirit as well as we?
And he commanded them to be

384
00:35:05,260 –> 00:35:08,420
baptized in the name of the Lord
Jesus?

385
00:35:09,740 –> 00:35:12,060
And I’ve attempted here,
brothers and sisters, just to

386
00:35:12,060 –> 00:35:17,580
paraphrase us a little bit, as
the Holy Spirit falls upon them

387
00:35:17,580 –> 00:35:22,700
and says that God has purified
their hearts by faith, yes, they

388
00:35:22,700 –> 00:35:25,020
have been granted repentance
unto life.

389
00:35:25,420 –> 00:35:28,380
Peter is having this experience
within himself.

390
00:35:28,500 –> 00:35:33,780
Yes, Peter, Gentiles can also
have their sins forgiven by

391
00:35:33,780 –> 00:35:35,420
faith.
In the last words you just

392
00:35:35,420 –> 00:35:43,100
spoke.
Gentiles can have their sins

393
00:35:43,100 –> 00:35:49,780
forgiven by faith in Me, the
glorified Jewish Messiah.

394
00:35:51,860 –> 00:35:56,940
And these Gentiles have faith
that justifies them in the sight

395
00:35:56,940 –> 00:35:58,660
of God.
You want to know what Peter

396
00:35:59,190 –> 00:36:02,630
they’ll show it to you when you
command them to be baptized.

397
00:36:09,390 –> 00:36:18,270
Ephesus Acts 19 and all we’re
going to get accomplished today

398
00:36:18,270 –> 00:36:24,510
and that’s enough.
Is that these baptismal gifts

399
00:36:24,510 –> 00:36:26,110
that came?
And this is not saying anything

400
00:36:26,110 –> 00:36:29,710
about the edifying work that
goes on in the Ecclesia after

401
00:36:29,710 –> 00:36:31,150
that.
A New Testament times.

402
00:36:31,150 –> 00:36:34,190
And I’m sorry that that’ll just
have to go.

403
00:36:34,910 –> 00:36:37,070
The notes are there, you can
read them for yourself.

404
00:36:39,070 –> 00:36:42,710
Paul, having passed through the
upper regions, came to Ephesus

405
00:36:43,390 –> 00:36:47,230
and finding some disciples, he
said to them, did you receive

406
00:36:47,230 –> 00:36:49,230
the Holy Spirit when you
believed?

407
00:36:49,230 –> 00:36:53,510
And whatever else that says to
you, brothers and sisters, it

408
00:36:53,510 –> 00:36:58,150
suggests to me that Paul
expected something like this to

409
00:36:58,150 –> 00:37:06,010
have happened, and that there
may have been more widely than

410
00:37:06,010 –> 00:37:10,330
we.
We tend to see the overt

411
00:37:10,330 –> 00:37:16,210
response of heaven to these
early believers after Christ’s

412
00:37:16,210 –> 00:37:21,930
glorification.
Maybe just the timing was wrong

413
00:37:21,930 –> 00:37:24,810
here for these people because
they end up being disciples of

414
00:37:24,810 –> 00:37:28,690
John and it’s hard to know when
they were baptized.

415
00:37:29,900 –> 00:37:32,220
And I would just say in passing,
brothers and sisters, there’s

416
00:37:32,220 –> 00:37:34,740
nothing deficient in John’s
baptism ever.

417
00:37:36,820 –> 00:37:42,540
The deficiency here is in these
people, and Paul sensed that,

418
00:37:45,660 –> 00:37:48,740
especially when they respond as
they do in the rest of verse

419
00:37:48,740 –> 00:37:50,700
two.
So they said to him, we’ve not

420
00:37:50,700 –> 00:37:54,220
so much as heard whether there’s
a Holy Spirit and that put the

421
00:37:54,220 –> 00:38:01,440
flag up and Paul’s thinking.
And so he raises the obvious

422
00:38:01,440 –> 00:38:05,400
next question into what then
were you baptized?

423
00:38:07,160 –> 00:38:09,640
So they said into John’s
baptism.

424
00:38:11,080 –> 00:38:15,760
Now I can’t get into the mind of
of Paul here, but I think if I

425
00:38:15,760 –> 00:38:19,800
were standing there with the bit
I know today, my response would

426
00:38:19,800 –> 00:38:28,200
be really what were you baptized
into into John’s baptism?

427
00:38:29,360 –> 00:38:36,520
Did you understand it?
Heaven had not confirmed that

428
00:38:36,520 –> 00:38:39,520
the faith of these disciples
when they believed or at any

429
00:38:39,520 –> 00:38:45,680
time since, and I think Paul
immediately inferred that their

430
00:38:45,680 –> 00:38:51,760
belief was faulty and that their
sins remained unforgiven because

431
00:38:51,760 –> 00:38:57,460
of that, whenever it was that
they’d been baptized.

432
00:38:57,460 –> 00:39:01,220
These disciples had not, I
believe, understood the

433
00:39:01,220 –> 00:39:05,580
repentant nature of baptism,
even John’s baptism.

434
00:39:05,580 –> 00:39:09,420
Because what does Paul Anguanda
say then?

435
00:39:09,580 –> 00:39:15,420
Paul said John indeed baptized
with the baptism of repentance.

436
00:39:18,100 –> 00:39:24,350
That’s hard to know exactly why
he says it that way, and what

437
00:39:24,550 –> 00:39:28,230
may have been in the minds of
these people, and why they had

438
00:39:28,230 –> 00:39:30,590
gone through the process of
baptism at all.

439
00:39:30,990 –> 00:39:33,390
But Paul is getting right to the
heart of it.

440
00:39:33,390 –> 00:39:35,350
Here.
John indeed baptized with the

441
00:39:35,350 –> 00:39:37,310
baptism of repentance.
Why?

442
00:39:38,190 –> 00:39:47,490
For the forgiveness of sins,
saying to the people that they

443
00:39:47,490 –> 00:39:51,530
should believe on him who would
come after him, that is, on

444
00:39:51,530 –> 00:39:56,260
Christ Jesus.
So in both of those clauses

445
00:39:56,260 –> 00:39:59,460
there, brothers and sisters,
Paul seems under inspiration to

446
00:39:59,460 –> 00:40:03,060
be getting at the heart of what
the problem was with.

447
00:40:03,060 –> 00:40:11,020
These would be disciples of John
at Ephesus, and neither had

448
00:40:11,020 –> 00:40:14,020
these disciples understood the
work of the mightier 1 to come

449
00:40:14,180 –> 00:40:18,300
of whom John had spoken.
He will baptize you with the

450
00:40:18,300 –> 00:40:24,110
Holy Spirit.
And so in response to that, very

451
00:40:24,110 –> 00:40:29,430
brief but I think very important
couple of statements that Paul

452
00:40:29,430 –> 00:40:35,830
makes when they heard this.
They were baptized in the name

453
00:40:35,830 –> 00:40:39,070
of the Lord Jesus.
Why?

454
00:40:42,590 –> 00:40:51,790
For the forgiveness of sins and
And here’s where in the New

455
00:40:51,790 –> 00:40:55,510
Testament times the paradigm
works out.

456
00:40:55,510 –> 00:41:02,950
So often this larger paradigm of
salvation that when the

457
00:41:02,950 –> 00:41:11,150
individual has responded by
faith to baptism for the

458
00:41:11,150 –> 00:41:15,470
forgiveness of sins, heaven
completed the paradigm as it

459
00:41:15,470 –> 00:41:22,500
were, with the overt
confirmation Proof positive,

460
00:41:22,500 –> 00:41:25,380
brothers and sisters, proof
positive that our Lord is going

461
00:41:25,380 –> 00:41:30,020
to come and give us eternal life
because that model has been

462
00:41:30,020 –> 00:41:33,500
filled out for us in the New
Testament that we read.

463
00:41:34,860 –> 00:41:41,260
And so when Paul laid hands on
them, the Holy Spirit came upon

464
00:41:41,260 –> 00:41:43,020
them.
Where did the Holy Spirit come

465
00:41:43,020 –> 00:41:46,940
from?
Well, you you may have your

466
00:41:46,940 –> 00:41:50,130
thoughts on this.
I don’t believe it came from

467
00:41:50,130 –> 00:41:55,930
Paul.
He is the agent of Christ.

468
00:41:59,490 –> 00:42:04,610
He is the agent through whom now
it is known amongst men that

469
00:42:04,610 –> 00:42:11,010
this glorified Messiah of Israel
works and proves to men that he

470
00:42:11,010 –> 00:42:15,250
is the Savior.
The Holy Spirit came upon him,

471
00:42:15,250 –> 00:42:20,120
surely from the Lord Jesus
himself, and they spoke with

472
00:42:20,120 –> 00:42:24,560
tongues and prophesied.
Now heaven openly confirmed that

473
00:42:24,560 –> 00:42:28,560
the sins of these repentant
believers were forgiven, and it

474
00:42:28,560 –> 00:42:31,160
was done by granting A baptismal
gift.

475
00:42:31,160 –> 00:42:35,720
They spoke with tongues and
prophesied, and only now did

476
00:42:35,720 –> 00:42:41,240
they become heirs of eternal
life, vouchsafe to them from

477
00:42:41,240 –> 00:42:43,680
heaven itself.
I’m just finished with this.

478
00:42:44,800 –> 00:42:48,280
Perhaps this will be have a
little bit of help and and lead

479
00:42:48,280 –> 00:42:52,360
us on to tomorrow.
The household of Cornelius

480
00:42:52,360 –> 00:42:55,000
spoken tongues and magnified
God.

481
00:42:55,000 –> 00:42:56,680
And I’ve given you the strong’s
number.

482
00:42:58,800 –> 00:43:02,200
The disciples at Ephesus spoken
tongues and prophesied.

483
00:43:02,200 –> 00:43:04,280
And I’ve given you the strong’s
number.

484
00:43:06,040 –> 00:43:11,040
Is there any hope, brothers and
sisters, of knowing what these

485
00:43:11,040 –> 00:43:13,280
baptismal gifts may have been
like?

486
00:43:15,700 –> 00:43:17,860
Well, obviously I wouldn’t lead
you on like that if I didn’t

487
00:43:17,860 –> 00:43:25,020
have something to suggest.
I hope I’ll end up taking an

488
00:43:25,020 –> 00:43:27,740
extra minute here, but I always
love it when speakers ask

489
00:43:27,740 –> 00:43:29,580
questions like this, because I
sit over there and I say to

490
00:43:29,580 –> 00:43:36,220
myself, I haven’t got a clue.
Tell me, please, is there any

491
00:43:36,220 –> 00:43:39,660
hope of knowing what these
baptismal gifts may have been

492
00:43:39,660 –> 00:43:42,620
right?
Well, first of all, I believe,

493
00:43:42,620 –> 00:43:44,780
brothers and sisters, and I’ll
say more about this tomorrow,

494
00:43:45,110 –> 00:43:51,350
that the gifts of utterance were
substantive, very

495
00:43:51,350 –> 00:43:56,310
comprehensible.
And I also believe that in these

496
00:43:56,310 –> 00:44:01,310
particular cases they have
redounded to the praise of God’s

497
00:44:01,310 –> 00:44:06,270
saving grace in terms that may
well have echoed his Old

498
00:44:06,270 –> 00:44:10,950
Testament promises.
Now that’s a breathtaking leap

499
00:44:10,950 –> 00:44:13,510
of logic.
How do I get there?

500
00:44:15,650 –> 00:44:17,930
Well, you may have already
discovered this for yourself.

501
00:44:18,890 –> 00:44:23,450
I find it more than coincidence
that Luke gives us specific

502
00:44:23,450 –> 00:44:28,010
examples of these very gifts at
the beginning of his gospel.

503
00:44:28,010 –> 00:44:30,410
I don’t know if you noticed
this.

504
00:44:30,650 –> 00:44:33,970
Here’s Luke 1 and it’s Mary’s
song.

505
00:44:36,010 –> 00:44:46,130
And Mary said, my soul magnifies
the Lord Strong’s number, and my

506
00:44:46,130 –> 00:44:51,090
spirit has rejoiced.
And God my Savior.

507
00:44:54,330 –> 00:44:59,210
Can you imagine Peter and the
six Jewish brethren listening to

508
00:44:59,210 –> 00:45:03,050
something like this in a tongue
that they understood?

509
00:45:04,330 –> 00:45:10,970
I think the tongue’s there for
them personally, and the message

510
00:45:10,970 –> 00:45:14,790
that they’re hearing Well, we’ve
got an expression for it.

511
00:45:15,270 –> 00:45:21,350
It blew them away.
My soul magnifies the Lord, and

512
00:45:21,350 –> 00:45:25,630
my spirit has rejoiced in God,
my Savior, and on down.

513
00:45:25,630 –> 00:45:28,630
Mary says.
He’s helped his servant Israel

514
00:45:28,630 –> 00:45:33,910
in remembrance of his mercy as
he spoke to our fathers, to

515
00:45:33,910 –> 00:45:36,470
Abraham, and to his seed
forever.

516
00:45:37,670 –> 00:45:40,950
Perhaps it wasn’t just words
like this, brothers and sisters.

517
00:45:40,950 –> 00:45:44,700
Perhaps it was something about
him being a light to the

518
00:45:44,700 –> 00:45:51,780
Gentiles that they would have
referred to, but can you think

519
00:45:51,780 –> 00:45:57,580
of any more lovely kind of
expression to come from the lips

520
00:45:57,620 –> 00:46:03,340
of one who has just been
baptized into the Jewish Messiah

521
00:46:03,540 –> 00:46:07,860
for the salvation of their very
lives?

522
00:46:08,900 –> 00:46:14,800
The same word in X10.
And lest we wonder about Acts

523
00:46:14,800 –> 00:46:20,720
19, in the very same chapter we
read about Zacharias filled with

524
00:46:20,720 –> 00:46:24,560
the Holy Spirit and prophesied
Same word.

525
00:46:25,760 –> 00:46:28,920
In fact, it’s Holy Spirit
baptism language.

526
00:46:29,960 –> 00:46:35,560
The grand difference between
Luke 1 and Acts 19 is that the

527
00:46:35,560 –> 00:46:39,840
Savior has not yet come.
He’s in prospect at this point.

528
00:46:42,680 –> 00:46:47,120
And so this Holy Spirit baptism,
if you will, of Zacharias has

529
00:46:47,120 –> 00:46:52,000
given to him from heaven, but
not from his Savior per se.

530
00:46:52,480 –> 00:46:54,520
Well, of course God is a savior,
isn’t he?

531
00:46:54,520 –> 00:47:01,470
But you know what I mean?
In Acts 19 one has come who has

532
00:47:01,470 –> 00:47:06,590
wrought the salvation of man in
himself, and been glorified, and

533
00:47:06,590 –> 00:47:11,270
is now showing to men that he
has the power to save them.

534
00:47:11,510 –> 00:47:16,670
And in their baptism they
receive a Holy Spirit gift of

535
00:47:16,670 –> 00:47:22,190
tongues, and they prophesy.
Zacharias was filled with the

536
00:47:22,190 –> 00:47:26,750
Holy Spirit and prophesied
saying blessed is the Lord God

537
00:47:26,750 –> 00:47:32,250
of Israel, for he has visited
and redeemed his people and has

538
00:47:32,250 –> 00:47:37,250
raised up a horn of salvation
for us and the House of his

539
00:47:37,250 –> 00:47:40,850
servant David.
And I don’t think in the early

540
00:47:40,850 –> 00:47:45,570
days Luke expected us to miss
the links between what he’s put

541
00:47:45,570 –> 00:47:49,610
in his gospel and what he’s put
in his historical record in Acts

542
00:47:49,610 –> 00:47:53,090
19.
And it’s hardly necessary to

543
00:47:53,090 –> 00:47:57,880
point out how appropriate
inspired confessions like these

544
00:47:58,000 –> 00:48:01,600
would be at the time of a
believer’s baptism into Christ.

545
00:48:01,600 –> 00:48:03,680
I just offered that as a
suggestion, brothers and

546
00:48:03,680 –> 00:48:06,600
sisters.
But I’m convinced in my own mind

547
00:48:07,600 –> 00:48:12,920
that those utterances were
substantive, they were relevant,

548
00:48:13,880 –> 00:48:19,440
and they were very godly.
And God, glorifying well our

549
00:48:19,440 –> 00:48:21,240
time, has more than run its
course.

550
00:48:24,480 –> 00:48:30,000
There was life after baptism,
and the Spirit of gifts were

551
00:48:30,040 –> 00:48:41,120
edifying there too, that these
babes in Christ might come to

552
00:48:41,120 –> 00:48:56,380
the measure of the stature of
the fullness of Christ, and that

553
00:48:56,380 –> 00:49:04,780
outworking process for each of
us will find its culmination

554
00:49:07,380 –> 00:49:14,580
when we shall be like him, for
we shall see him as he is.