Sunday, March 3, 2013
SHALL WE ASK FOR THE SPRIT?
Luke 11:1-13
*NOTE: I will most
often be using the phrase "immersed in" rather than "baptized
with." We have talked about this in
the past. The English word
"baptize" is a transliteration of the Greek "baptizo," and
it does not tell us what the word means.
The Greek word means "to immerse."
The title of the message last week was "Where's the
Fire?" I hope you listened to it --
not because I want you to listen to my preaching, but because it described
where I and many of us are. We have wrapped our minds around some truths about
the Holy Spirit, but we are in danger of missing what He has for us. We have a tendency to be slowly hypnotized by
that skillful trio of devil, world, and flesh until we slumber through the
current crisis. Make no mistake about
it, we are in a crisis. We have a few short
days on this earth and all of eternity will be influenced by what happens in
those days. As we trust God and the
power of His Spirit, we have nothing to fear, but we must understand that we
can be deceived about the degree to which we are trusting Him. The enemy can be devouring us and we not even
realize it.
Last week
we read those well-known words of Jesus from Acts 1:8, "But you
shall receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you shall be
witnesses to Me in Jerusalem, and in all Judaea and Samaria, and to the end of
the earth." Many of us have long
been taught that the Holy Spirit came upon us at our conversion, and now we are
His witnesses in this world. Surely that
is good news. But when we keep reading
and see the demonstration of that power through those early disciples, we want
to ask, "Where's the power?"
It doesn't seem that we are experienc-ing the power of which Jesus
spoke.
We know
that in fulfillment of this promise the Holy Spirit came upon them ten days
later on the Day of Pentecost. Go back
to verse 5 and you see that Jesus described this event in the words, "You
shall be immersed in the Holy Spirit not many days from now."
I. Scriptures -- Baptism in the Spirit
I want to
take time this morning to briefly read again the passages that speak about
being baptized in the Spirit. We read
most of them last Sunday, but the repetition will not hurt us. It is not difficult to get in our minds the
seven times this phrase is used in the New Testament. The first three are found in the first three
gospel writers and are almost identical...
Matthew 3:11..."I indeed immerse
you in water unto repentance, but He who is coming after me is mightier than I,
whose sandals I am not worthy to carry. He will immerse you in the Holy Spirit
and fire."
Mark 1:8... "I indeed immersed you in water, but He will immerse
you in the Holy Spirit."
Luke 3:16 "John answered,
saying to all, 'I indeed immerse you in water; but One mightier than I is coming,
whose sandal strap I am not worthy to loose. He will immerse you in the Holy
Spirit and fire.'"
In each
case John said that while he immersed in water, Jesus would immerse in the
Spirit ("and fire" in Matthew and Luke. It is a little bit different in John's account. Let's read it...
John 1:32-33...And John bore
witness, saying, "I saw the Spirit descending from heaven like a dove, and
He remained upon Him. I did not know Him, but He who sent me to immerse in
water said to me, 'Upon whom you see the Spirit descending, and remaining on
Him, this is He who immerses in the Holy Spirit.'"
So now we
see that John got his message that Jesus would immerse in the Spirit directly
from God the Father Himself. He was the
One who told John this great truth.
Then we
come back to Acts 1. Let's read it again
in Acts
1:4-5 "And being assembled together with them, He commanded them
not to depart from Jerusalem, but to wait for the Promise of the Father, 'which,'
He said, 'you have heard from Me; 5 for John truly immersed in water, but you
shall be immersed in the Holy Spirit not many days from now.'"
So we have
encountered this idea that Jesus will immerse in the Spirit five times. While Jesus is not named as the immerser here
in Acts 1:5, we know He is because John has told us three times and God the
Father has told us once. For the sixth
instance we go to Acts 11. The actual
event took place in Acts 10, as Peter went to Cornelius and a house full of
eager seekers and shared with them about Jesus.
Let's read about what happened in Acts 10:44-47...
While Peter was still speaking these words, the Holy
Spirit fell upon all those who heard the word. 45 And those of the circumcision
who believed were astonished, as many as came with Peter, because the gift of
the Holy Spirit had been poured out on the Gentiles also. 46 For they heard
them speak with tongues and magnify God. Then Peter answered, 47 "Can
anyone forbid water, that these should not be immersed who have received the
Holy Spirit just as we have?"
Though
there is nothing mentioned specifically here about being immersed in the
Spirit, we do read that the Holy Spirit fell on them and the Jewish believers
noted that the Holy Spirit had been poured on those Gentiles. In chapter 11 Peter gave an account of the
event to those leaders back in Jerusalem.
What he said is recorded in...
Acts
11:15-17 ... "And as I
began to speak, the Holy Spirit fell upon them, as upon us at the beginning. 16
Then I remembered the word of the Lord, how He said, 'John indeed immersed in
water, but you shall be immersed in the Holy Spirit.' 17 If therefore God gave
them the same gift as He gave us when we believed on the Lord Jesus Christ, who
was I that I could withstand God?"
Now we see
again that Jesus Himself spoke about them being immersed in the Spirit. As a matter of fact, we might translate it
more literally as, "Then I remembered the word of the Lord, how He used to
say, 'John indeed immersed in water, but you shall be immersed in the Holy
Spirit'" (see NASV). On a number of
occasions Jesus talked about this. And
clearly Peter is saying that what happened to Cornelius and the others was
nothing less than being immersed in the Spirit.
The seventh
occurrence of this phrase is found in I Corinthians. The first six are all recorded by the gospel
writers, as we know that Acts is just an extension of the book of Luke. But now we find the phrase in Paul's first
letter to the Corinthians. It is in
chapter 12, where Paul speaks of various gifts of the Spirit and then how unity
and diversity in the body of Christ. Now
let's read it in...
1
Corinthians 12:13... "For by one Spirit we were all immersed into
one body--whether Jews or Greeks, whether slaves or free--and have all been
made to drink into one Spirit."
Some of you
will notice immediately that here it is "by one Spirit" instead of
"in one Spirit" or "with one Spirit." On the surface it certainly states that this
is not Jesus immersing now, but it is the Spirit doing the immersing. However, you should understand that the word
is exactly the same as in the other six occurrences. It is the Greek word "en," which
can be translated "in," "with," of "by,"
depending on the context. The ESV
translates it "in," but most other translations render it "by
one Spirit."
II. Two Different Views
There are
two basic viewpoints. We don't have time
to get into the details this morning, but I would be happy to sit down and
discuss the details in anyone, or we could do it as a group. For now, let me just give you the two general
views.
1. We have all been immersed in the
Spirit. That is the same as receiving
the Spirit, receiving the gift of the Spirit.
It happened at conversion.
However, we are commanded to be filled with the Spirit, as Paul later
states in Eph. 5:18. That is, we are to
allow the Spirit to direct our lives and empower us to do God's will. There is no baptism in the Spirit subsequent
to conversion. Since we were immersed in
the Spirit when we were converted, we need not and cannot be immersed in the Spirit
at some later time. This view finds
support in the fact that nowhere is any believer commanded to be immersed in
the Spirit.
2. While all believers have received the
Spirit, there is a need for greater fullness of the Spirit. Yes, we were all baptized into the body of Christ at conversion, but there is
still a greater fullness which we as believers can enter into. We can
refer to it as fullness of the Spirit, but the first experience of that is what
John called baptism in the Spirit. Some
would say this can happen at conversion, but not necessarily so.
I want to
be very up front with you. I have long
been taught and have long embraced the first view, that the only baptism in the
Spirit took place at conversion. I know
how to explain that view and defend it.
The key question is simply this:
Is the baptism in I Cor. 12:13 the same as in the other six
occurrences? If it is, then the only
baptism in the Spirit occurs at conversion, because Paul emphasizes that all
believers have received this baptism.
But if they are not the same, then there is room for another baptism in
the Spirit that brings greater power to the believer. I have viewed them as being the same because
the exact same words are used.
Having said
that, I am not convinced of that any more.
There are probably a number of reasons, but let me quickly give you
two. First of all, the fact that the
same words are used does not automatically mean they mean the same thing. Let me give you a biblical example of
that. When Paul uses the word
"justify," he does not mean the same thing as when James uses it in
chapter two of his letter. Paul
emphasizes that no one is justified by works.
James says that a man is justified by his works.
The second
reason I am not convinced that there is no baptism in the Spirit beyond
conversion is because of what I see in the lives of many servants of God. Whatever you want to call it, men like Hudson
Taylor and D. L. Moody had some kind of permanent, life-changing experience
long after their conversion, even after many years of ministry. Whatever they received at that time, there
was unquestionably a new sense of power for holy living and effective
service.
III. A Key Passage with Regard to the Spirit --
Luke 11:1-13
Now without
getting into a debate about those two views this morning, I would like us to
settle down and look at a wonderful passage we have examined before, but we
will look at it from a different angle this morning. Consider Luke 11:13, "If you then, being
evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your
heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to them that ask Him?" Regardless of how we interpret this verse, it
cannot be denied that Jesus spoke of asking for the Holy Spirit.
This is
most difficult for us because our logical minds immediately ask, "Why
would I ask for what I already have?"
Yes, that is a perfectly logical question, but it does not explain why
Jesus spoke of asking for the Holy Spirit.
Now let me
ask you a question: "Suppose I
prayed this prayer for _______: 'Father,
I pray that Christ would dwell in _______'s heart by faith.'" What do you think of that prayer? How many of you think that prayer would be
more appropriate for a person who isn't yet a Christian? Why?
Because Christ already dwells in ________'s heart by faith. When _________ came to the Lord in repentance
and faith, Christ came to dwell in him.
Who can argue with that kind of thinking? Nevertheless, that is exactly what Paul
prayed for the believers at Ephesus. Read
Eph. 3:14-17,
"For this reason I bow my knees to the Father of our
Lord Jesus Christ, 15 from whom the whole family in heaven and earth is named,
16 that He would grant you, according to the riches of His glory, to be
strengthened with might through His Spirit in the inner man, 17 that Christ may
dwell in your hearts through faith..."
Do you see? Though Christ already
dwelt in their hearts by faith, that is exactly what Paul prayed for them. Though Christ was dwelling in them, there
must have been the possibility that their experience of the living Christ
within could be much deeper and fuller than it was. And if that was true for them, then the same
is true for us. It is appropriate for me
to pray that prayer for _______ or any other believer.
That brings
us back to Luke 11:13. Do you see the
parallel? Is it appropriate for to pray
that God give me the Spirit? Before you
answer, "No," remember that we have just agreed that it is
appropriate to pray that Christ dwell in our hearts, though He already dwells
there.
Let's look
again at the context of Luke 11:13. Read
Luke11:1-13...
Now it came to pass, as He was praying in a certain
place, when He ceased, that one of His disciples said to Him, "Lord, teach
us to pray, as John also taught his disciples." 2 So He said to them,
"When you pray, say: Our Father in heaven, Hallowed be Your name. Your
kingdom come. Your will be done On earth as it is in heaven. 3 Give us day by
day our daily bread. 4 And forgive us our sins, For we also forgive everyone
who is indebted to us. And do not lead us into temptation, But deliver us from
the evil one." 5 And He said to them, "Which of you shall have a
friend, and go to him at midnight and say to him, 'Friend, lend me three
loaves; 6 'for a friend of mine has come to me on his journey, and I have
nothing to set before him'; 7 "and he will answer from within and say, 'Do
not trouble me; the door is now shut, and my children are with me in bed; I
cannot rise and give to you'? 8 "I say to you, though he will not rise and
give to him because he is his friend, yet because of his persistence he will
rise and give him as many as he needs. 9 "So I say to you, ask, and it
will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to
you. 10 "For everyone who asks receives, and he who seeks finds, and to
him who knocks it will be opened. 11 "If a son asks for bread from any
father among you, will he give him a stone? Or if he asks for a fish, will he
give him a serpent instead of a fish? 12 "Or if he asks for an egg, will
he offer him a scorpion? 13 "If you then, being evil, know how to give
good gifts to your children, how much more will your heavenly Father give the
Holy Spirit to them that ask Him.
Now let's
look carefully at how verse 13 fits into the context of this passage. This asking for the Holy Spirit is in the
context of...
1. Prayer
Jesus'
disciples came to Him with a specific request.
And what was He doing when they made this request? He was praying. And what exactly as their request? "Lord, teach us to pray." And when Jesus answered, what did He say,
"When you pray..." Then He
gave them what we know as the model prayer.
Many of us are more familiar with this prayer from Matthew 6, where the
model prayer is a part of His Sermon on the Mount. These are not parallel passages; Jesus gave
us the model prayer on two different occasions.
They are not identical. The
wording is a bit different, but that doesn't concern us, because this isn't a
formula, but simply a model. What is
clear is that it is a prayer.
2. Genuine Need
Now we see
that verse 13 is in the context of genuine need. When Jesus finished giving them the model
prayer in answer to their specific request, He continued. It would seem that He had sufficiently
answered the question, but He had more to say.
Jesus gave them a little illustration about a man who had learned that a
friend was about to arrive from a journey.
That presented a problem, because he didn't have sufficient resources to
set before his friend. His friend would
need to be refreshed and nourished, but the cupboards were bare. Apparently, he didn't have much notice. He didn't want to disappoint his friend, so
what could he do?
Though it
might not have been the ideal, the most natural thing was to go to the friend
next door and see if he could borrow some supplies. Of course, he would repay his friend later
on, but his need was immediate and urgent.
He didn't have time to wait until everything opened in the morning, go
out to the market, etc. If he was going
to be ready for his traveling friend, he had to act and quickly.
What I want
us to understand is that he had a need.
He wasn't going to knock on the door of this neighbor friend for no
reason or with some no-account, trivial request. Not only did he have a need, but it was an
unselfish need. The supplies he would
request were not for himself, but for another.
3. Persistent Asking
Now we see
that Jesus' reference to asking for the Holy Spirit is in the context of
persistent asking. Follow the
story. Because he has a genuine need,
this man goes out on a limb and knocks on the door of his neighbor friend at
midnight. "What do you
want." "It's Bill. I just found out I have a friend coming in
and I need to borrow some bread from you."
But the door doesn't open; instead he hears the voice from inside: "Don't bother me now. I have already shut the door; my whole family
is bedded down; and I cannot get up and get the bread you need." You can understand this man's reluctance to
grant his request. Remember that he
couldn't just flip a switch and say, "Let there be light." He would have to get up, get the lamp lit,
tiptoe between his sleeping children, and then move one of them out of the way
to give room for the door to open. Then
he would have to go and get the bread...
You get the idea. By the time he
had done all of this, everyone would be awake.
He had a hardworking family. They
rose at dawn to work in the fields, etc.
He couldn't disturb his entire family because this neighbor friend didn't
have the foresight to keep some extra food on hand.
At this
point, Jesus discontinues the story and simply gives a summary of how it turned
out. That neighbor wouldn't give him his
bread just because he was a friend, but because he kept on knocking, he finally
got up and gave him the bread. After a
while he must have figured something like this:
"I will probably wake everyone up getting him the bread, but if I
don't, he will without question wake everyone up with his persistent
knocking. Might as well get him what he
wants, get it over with, and try to get back to sleep."
Then Jesus
moves from illustration to definite principle in verses 9-10, "So I
say to you, ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock,
and it will be opened to you. For
everyone who asks receives, and he who seeks finds, and to him who knocks it
will be opened." Literally, it is,
"Keep on asking... keep on seeking... keep on knocking." When we really need something, we don't give
up after we have made one formal request.
When we really need something, we are persistent. That's the point Jesus is making.
4. Father-Child
Relationship
Finally,
notice that verse 13 is in the context of a father-child relationship. Let's read again verses 11-12, "If a
son asks for bread from any father among you, will he give him a stone? Or if
he asks for a fish, will he give him a serpent instead of a fish? Or if he asks for an egg, will he offer him a
scorpion?" Notice that the examples
of the things a son would ask for are things that he really needs, because they
are basic food items -- bread, a fish, an egg.
What parent would give him a rock?
Or slip him a snake instead of a fish?
Or suggest he take a scorpion, when he asks for an egg? Do you get the point? Even the worst of parents want to give their
children the basic necessities of life.
Even if the father is a murderer, he will do that. As a matter of fact, we wouldn't be surprised
to see a hardened criminal make sacrifices for his own child. He wouldn't do it for anyone else, but he
would for that son or daughter.
"If
you then, being evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much
more will your heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to those who ask
Him!" These words are vitally
connected to Jesus' teaching concerning prayer.
This is a request we can make in response to genuine need. Our
need for the work of the Holy Spirit is not selfish. We have people all around us who have are without
God and without hope. Except through the
work of the Spirit, we have nothing to offer them. This is so vital that we must not be content
to ask one time and forget it. No, we
must ask and keep on asking, seek and keep on seeking, knock and keep on knocking. Praise God that we are not knocking on the
door of a reluctant neighbor; we are sons and daughters of a heavenly Father
who is eager to give us what is good for us.
And there is nothing better for us than the Holy Spirit. Yes, we have the Spirit, but how we need the
Spirit to pour the life of Christ through us.
You say,
"So are we supposed to literally ask the Father for the Holy
Spirit?" Ask Him for the Holy
Spirit; ask Him for working of the Spirit; ask Jesus to immerse you in the
Spirit; ask the Lord to fill you with the Spirit. Don't be concerned about your
terminology. Be concerned about your
need and then ask and keep on asking. Don't
throw this passage away because you don't approve of Jesus' terminology,
because it is a critical passage to help us understand our need for the work of
the Spirit and the Father's willingness to make Him available.
Conclusion
My purpose
this morning is to challenge us to long for more of the Spirit. Some of you won't like those terms. You have heard people say, "You can't
get more of the Spirit, because God gave you all of Him when you were
saved. God doesn't give the Holy Spirit
on installments." If that is your
view, that's fine; I have no argument with that. Do you long for the power of the Spirit in
your life? Are do you think you can get
along fine the way things are now?
As for me,
I am content with the Lord Jesus Christ. Yes, He is all I need. I am complete in Him, but that doesn't change
the fact that I am not satisfied to stay where I am. I am still asking, "Lord, where's the
fire? Where's the power?" Jesus tells me to keep on asking, keep on
seeking, and keep on knocking, and those commands are in the context of the
Holy Spirit.
If you are more comfortable longing for more
of Jesus, great. Jesus said, "If
anyone is thirsty, let him come to me and drink (literally, "keep on
coming and keep on drinking"). How
who believes on me, as the scripture has said, out of his innermost being will
come rivers of living water" (John 7:37-38). But even then realize that in the very next
verse John tells us that Jesus was talking about the work of the Spirit. Don't be afraid of the Spirit, for He is the
Spirit of Christ.
Brothers
and sisters, let's keep on asking, keep on seeking, and keep on knocking, for
everyone that asks receives, and everyone who seeks finds, and to the one who
knocks the door will be opened.
No comments:
Post a Comment