WEBVTT 00:00:00.000 --> 00:00:02.660 Today, for a little while, I'm going to do something. 00:00:03.240 --> 00:00:08.580 I seldom do just this very thing, but I thought 00:00:08.580 --> 00:00:12.439 it would be most interesting to you because the 00:00:12.439 --> 00:00:16.100 questions that I'm going to answer are questions 00:00:16.100 --> 00:00:19.780 that have been asked by some of our listeners. 00:00:20.899 --> 00:00:25.859 I'm going to combine two questions today, both 00:00:25.859 --> 00:00:30.820 regarding water baptism. They do not come from 00:00:30.820 --> 00:00:35.700 the same person. One writes and asks, does one 00:00:35.700 --> 00:00:40.299 have to be immersed in water before one can be 00:00:40.299 --> 00:00:44.880 filled with the Holy Spirit? Another listener 00:00:44.880 --> 00:00:49.820 writes and asks, what is the meaning of immersion, 00:00:50.060 --> 00:00:55.200 of water baptism? All right, follow me very closely, 00:00:55.320 --> 00:01:02.240 and I'm going to... answer these questions with 00:01:02.240 --> 00:01:04.719 the very word of God. How often you've heard 00:01:04.719 --> 00:01:09.540 me say that if I say something and the Bible 00:01:09.540 --> 00:01:14.780 teaches differently than that which I tell you, 00:01:14.819 --> 00:01:20.359 I'm wrong. If your pastor, your rabbi, your priest 00:01:20.359 --> 00:01:25.060 tells you one thing and the Bible teaches something 00:01:25.060 --> 00:01:29.430 else, the word of God is wrong. always right. 00:01:30.390 --> 00:01:35.670 Let me take this first question. Does one have 00:01:35.670 --> 00:01:40.689 to be immersed in water before one can be filled 00:01:40.689 --> 00:01:46.209 with the Spirit? Now, just before I give you 00:01:46.209 --> 00:01:53.329 two scriptures, again, I want you to hear something 00:01:53.329 --> 00:01:59.349 that I say over and over and over again. And 00:01:59.349 --> 00:02:01.969 I pray that you shall never forget it. And it's 00:02:01.969 --> 00:02:08.969 just this. Any truth, no matter how good, if 00:02:08.969 --> 00:02:13.189 emphasized to the exclusion of all other truths 00:02:13.189 --> 00:02:20.469 of equal importance, is practical error. Any 00:02:20.469 --> 00:02:27.349 truth, no matter how good it is, if it's... emphasized 00:02:27.349 --> 00:02:32.509 to the exclusion of all other truth of equal 00:02:32.509 --> 00:02:39.110 importance is practical error. Never forget that, 00:02:39.210 --> 00:02:43.030 alright? Now we come to the answer to this question. 00:02:43.250 --> 00:02:48.590 Does one have to be immersed? Does one have to 00:02:48.590 --> 00:02:53.250 be baptized in water before one can be filled 00:02:53.250 --> 00:02:57.039 with the Holy Spirit? Before when can we see 00:02:57.039 --> 00:03:01.240 the baptism of the Holy Spirit? Let me read you 00:03:01.240 --> 00:03:03.680 a personal word of God. It's on the second chapter 00:03:03.680 --> 00:03:08.960 of Acts. And it's Peter. It's after that wonderful 00:03:08.960 --> 00:03:13.080 experience in the upper room. They were all with 00:03:13.080 --> 00:03:18.219 one accord. The Holy Spirit filled them with 00:03:18.219 --> 00:03:22.340 himself. Oh, it was glorious. Believe me. It 00:03:22.340 --> 00:03:27.780 was glorious. After that wonderful experience, 00:03:28.120 --> 00:03:32.099 Peter goes out and under the anointing of the 00:03:32.099 --> 00:03:36.080 Holy Spirit, having just been filled with the 00:03:36.080 --> 00:03:39.659 Holy Spirit, knowing that the Holy Spirit himself 00:03:39.659 --> 00:03:46.900 was now speaking through lips of clay. We hear 00:03:46.900 --> 00:03:54.669 Peter saying unto them, Repent. And be baptized, 00:03:54.689 --> 00:03:57.610 every one of you, in the name of Jesus Christ 00:03:57.610 --> 00:04:01.669 for the remission of your sins. There we have 00:04:01.669 --> 00:04:06.550 immersion. We have water baptism. It's as plain 00:04:06.550 --> 00:04:14.229 as can be. Repent and be baptized. In other words, 00:04:14.229 --> 00:04:17.209 be immersed, every one of you, in the name of 00:04:17.209 --> 00:04:21.790 Jesus Christ for the remission of sins. And ye... 00:04:22.379 --> 00:04:27.160 shall receive the gift of the Holy Ghost. There 00:04:27.160 --> 00:04:30.540 you have the confession of one's sins, the new 00:04:30.540 --> 00:04:35.040 birth experience. You have water baptism. And 00:04:35.040 --> 00:04:38.420 then you have the fullness of the Holy Spirit, 00:04:38.560 --> 00:04:43.279 the baptism with the Holy Spirit. Now there are 00:04:43.279 --> 00:04:49.220 those who say one must be immersed before one 00:04:49.220 --> 00:04:52.689 can be filled with the Holy Spirit. but follow 00:04:52.689 --> 00:04:58.149 me don't stop there whatever you do don't do 00:04:58.149 --> 00:05:04.189 it something happened oh i'll tell you something 00:05:04.189 --> 00:05:10.310 happened at the household of carnelius turn to 00:05:10.310 --> 00:05:13.790 the tenth chapter of acts this is thrilling i 00:05:13.790 --> 00:05:19.800 never read it but what i get so thrilled And 00:05:19.800 --> 00:05:24.480 I'm only sorry I missed it. Oh, I'm so sorry 00:05:24.480 --> 00:05:28.379 I missed it. It must have been wonderful. But 00:05:28.379 --> 00:05:30.980 you want to know something? I am expecting this 00:05:30.980 --> 00:05:33.360 very same thing to happen one of these days. 00:05:34.639 --> 00:05:37.199 And I believe it's going to happen before the 00:05:37.199 --> 00:05:40.480 great catching up. I believe it. Let me read 00:05:40.480 --> 00:05:47.019 it to you. While Peter yet spake these words, 00:05:47.839 --> 00:05:51.639 The Holy Ghost fell on all them which heard the 00:05:51.639 --> 00:05:57.439 word, and they of the circumcision which believed 00:05:57.439 --> 00:06:02.459 were astonished, as many as came with Peter, 00:06:02.660 --> 00:06:07.019 because that on the Gentiles also was poured 00:06:07.019 --> 00:06:11.519 out the gift of the Holy Ghost. And they heard 00:06:11.519 --> 00:06:16.360 them speak with tongues and magnify God. Then 00:06:16.360 --> 00:06:21.019 answered Peter, Peter, can any man forbid water 00:06:21.019 --> 00:06:24.899 that these should not be baptized which have 00:06:24.899 --> 00:06:28.980 received the Holy Ghost as well as we? And he 00:06:28.980 --> 00:06:32.060 commanded them to be baptized in the name of 00:06:32.060 --> 00:06:37.620 the Lord. Do you see what happened? Do you see 00:06:37.620 --> 00:06:43.560 what happened? Here was Peter, having been filled 00:06:43.560 --> 00:06:45.970 with the Holy Spirit himself. preaching under 00:06:45.970 --> 00:06:51.089 the anointing of the Holy Spirit. Oh, sure. The 00:06:51.089 --> 00:06:55.889 120 in that upper room. Not a Gentile among them. 00:06:57.550 --> 00:07:00.829 All having been filled with the Holy Spirit, 00:07:00.949 --> 00:07:05.790 baptized in the Spirit, in that upper room. And 00:07:05.790 --> 00:07:11.990 now, Peter and those who went with him were in 00:07:11.990 --> 00:07:17.720 the... House of Cornelius. And Peter began to 00:07:17.720 --> 00:07:20.600 speak under the anointing of the Holy Spirit. 00:07:21.040 --> 00:07:25.939 And suddenly, the Holy Ghost, the Holy Spirit, 00:07:26.079 --> 00:07:32.560 fell on all them which heard the word. And those 00:07:32.560 --> 00:07:35.959 who were with Peter couldn't believe it. They 00:07:35.959 --> 00:07:42.449 couldn't believe their ears. They just couldn't 00:07:42.449 --> 00:07:46.329 believe it because that on the Gentiles also 00:07:46.329 --> 00:07:50.189 was poured out this wonderful gift of the Holy 00:07:50.189 --> 00:07:54.029 Ghost. They never thought it was possible for 00:07:54.029 --> 00:07:57.790 the Gentiles to receive this wonderful gift of 00:07:57.790 --> 00:08:01.709 the Holy Spirit. And they heard them speak with 00:08:01.709 --> 00:08:07.509 tongues and magnify God. Then Peter suddenly 00:08:07.509 --> 00:08:11.709 realized that these Gentiles hadn't been immersed 00:08:11.709 --> 00:08:16.129 in water yet. They haven't been baptized in water. 00:08:16.870 --> 00:08:20.870 He says, my goodness, life will have to do something 00:08:20.870 --> 00:08:26.069 about it. If they have been still with the Holy 00:08:26.069 --> 00:08:31.370 Spirit, then surely it's time to have them immersed 00:08:31.370 --> 00:08:33.789 in water. It was kind of getting the cart before 00:08:33.789 --> 00:08:36.889 the horse, you know. Because he had just said 00:08:36.889 --> 00:08:46.539 prior to this, He must repent, then be immersed 00:08:46.539 --> 00:08:50.860 in water for the remission of your sins, then 00:08:50.860 --> 00:08:57.440 receive the gift of the Holy Ghost. And now he 00:08:57.440 --> 00:08:58.940 finds those who have been filled with the Holy 00:08:58.940 --> 00:09:01.940 Spirit even before they were immersed in water. 00:09:02.919 --> 00:09:06.039 And he says, can man forbid water that these 00:09:06.039 --> 00:09:11.240 should not be baptized, which have received the 00:09:11.240 --> 00:09:19.500 Holy Ghost as well as we? No, do not be guilty 00:09:19.500 --> 00:09:23.820 of being dogmatic about this thing, saying that 00:09:23.820 --> 00:09:30.299 one must be immersed in water before one can 00:09:30.299 --> 00:09:35.100 be filled with the Holy Spirit. Do you understand 00:09:35.100 --> 00:09:40.259 why now I remind you over and over again that 00:09:40.259 --> 00:09:46.600 any truth, if emphasized to the exclusion of 00:09:46.600 --> 00:09:52.379 all other truths of equal importance, is practical 00:09:52.379 --> 00:09:58.879 error. And it's just like that. All right? Now 00:09:58.879 --> 00:10:05.929 we come to the meaning of water baptism. Do you 00:10:05.929 --> 00:10:10.230 realize, so far as I know, this is the very first 00:10:10.230 --> 00:10:16.169 time that I have really talked to you heart to 00:10:16.169 --> 00:10:20.629 heart regarding immersion, regarding water baptism, 00:10:20.830 --> 00:10:25.289 and what it really means, what it stands for. 00:10:25.389 --> 00:10:28.669 Pause a minute. And perhaps in the next several 00:10:28.669 --> 00:10:31.889 minutes, in answering this question, I can answer 00:10:31.889 --> 00:10:35.350 several questions for you. When the Holy Spirit 00:10:35.350 --> 00:10:39.509 does His work in the new birth or in regeneration, 00:10:39.909 --> 00:10:47.250 He relates us to a person. There is no life, 00:10:47.269 --> 00:10:54.409 beloved. Absolutely no life apart from a person. 00:10:55.210 --> 00:10:59.309 And the gift of eternal life centers in the person 00:10:59.309 --> 00:11:04.399 of Jesus Christ. There is no spiritual life. 00:11:04.500 --> 00:11:08.100 There can be no spiritual life. You can have 00:11:08.100 --> 00:11:14.700 no spiritual life apart from Jesus Christ, the 00:11:14.700 --> 00:11:20.299 very Son of the living God. The Word of God teaches 00:11:20.299 --> 00:11:25.659 us that a man receives life. You receive your 00:11:25.659 --> 00:11:30.100 spiritual life. You receive eternal life by receiving 00:11:30.100 --> 00:11:34.500 Jesus Christ as a personal savior. That's why 00:11:34.500 --> 00:11:41.259 our Lord said, I am the way, the truth, and the 00:11:41.259 --> 00:11:48.559 life. He did not say, I have the way. I have 00:11:48.559 --> 00:11:54.059 the truth. I have the life. As though it were 00:11:54.059 --> 00:11:57.379 a gift that he could give, a gift that he could 00:11:57.379 --> 00:12:03.009 dispense. as though he was simply the agent who 00:12:03.009 --> 00:12:08.029 gave eternal life. No. Let me remind you again. 00:12:08.970 --> 00:12:16.029 He did not say, I have the way. Jesus said, I 00:12:16.029 --> 00:12:25.309 am the way. I am the truth. I am the life. Do 00:12:25.309 --> 00:12:27.509 you remember what our Lord said after he'd worked 00:12:27.509 --> 00:12:32.500 the miracle of stealing the 5 ,000? I am the 00:12:32.500 --> 00:12:38.299 bread of life. He did not say, I have the bread 00:12:38.299 --> 00:12:45.279 of life. No. He said, I am the bread of life. 00:12:47.399 --> 00:12:51.080 Never once did he say, I have the bread of life. 00:12:51.299 --> 00:12:53.779 And anyone who wants it can come and get it from 00:12:53.779 --> 00:12:59.340 me. Just as though he was passing out the loaves. 00:13:00.559 --> 00:13:04.120 as he fed the physical body with the loaves and 00:13:04.120 --> 00:13:08.259 the fishes. No. After raising Lazarus from the 00:13:08.259 --> 00:13:16.039 dead, Jesus said, I am the resurrection and the 00:13:16.039 --> 00:13:20.700 life. He did not say, I have life to impart. 00:13:22.600 --> 00:13:28.320 He said, I am the resurrection. I am the life. 00:13:29.289 --> 00:13:32.090 Now this brings home to us the fact that if we 00:13:32.090 --> 00:13:35.850 are to have life, we must have Jesus Christ. 00:13:37.250 --> 00:13:41.470 Since Jesus Christ is the life, the Spirit must 00:13:41.470 --> 00:13:44.470 bring us into a living, vital union with Him. 00:13:45.789 --> 00:13:49.250 Now comes the question. How does the Holy Spirit 00:13:49.250 --> 00:13:57.490 make one alive in Christ Jesus? Paul did not 00:13:57.490 --> 00:14:04.009 say, if any man accept a gift from Christ. Paul 00:14:04.009 --> 00:14:13.629 said, if any man be in Christ, and again I remind 00:14:13.629 --> 00:14:19.990 you, there is no life apart from Christ Jesus. 00:14:21.250 --> 00:14:30.490 If any man be in Christ, He is a new creature. 00:14:30.889 --> 00:14:35.490 He is a new creation. There can be no eternal 00:14:35.490 --> 00:14:41.269 life. No man can be a new creation apart from 00:14:41.269 --> 00:14:46.769 the person of Jesus Christ who said, I am life. 00:14:47.389 --> 00:14:53.370 Now, why does Paul talk about us as being a new 00:14:53.370 --> 00:14:59.399 creation? Because we are exactly. that. As the 00:14:59.399 --> 00:15:05.200 Holy Spirit gave life to creation so that it 00:15:05.200 --> 00:15:08.320 could bring forth after its kind and manifest 00:15:08.320 --> 00:15:12.659 life, the Spirit of God produces a new birth 00:15:12.659 --> 00:15:18.120 that gives us a new life. And the new life is 00:15:18.120 --> 00:15:23.559 in Christ Jesus himself. And when we have that 00:15:23.559 --> 00:15:30.429 new life, In Christ Jesus, what happens? Old 00:15:30.429 --> 00:15:34.450 things are passed away. What are the old things? 00:15:35.350 --> 00:15:40.809 Spiritual deadness? The sinner existed before. 00:15:41.710 --> 00:15:47.750 Oh, sure to be sure he did. But he existed devoid 00:15:47.750 --> 00:15:55.379 of life. All things now are to become new. The 00:15:55.379 --> 00:16:00.419 new thing is life in Christ with all that that 00:16:00.419 --> 00:16:07.620 entails. You and I are new creatures in Christ 00:16:07.620 --> 00:16:14.179 Jesus. We have life in Him. For our very existence 00:16:14.179 --> 00:16:19.919 is in Him. Now let's come to the answering of 00:16:19.919 --> 00:16:27.090 that question regarding water baptism. Remember, 00:16:27.090 --> 00:16:33.470 water baptism does not give you eternal life. 00:16:34.710 --> 00:16:38.750 You are not born again because you are immersed 00:16:38.750 --> 00:16:43.629 in water. You are immersed in water because you 00:16:43.629 --> 00:16:52.169 have been born again. Just a moment ago, we saw 00:16:52.169 --> 00:16:56.139 from the Holy Scripture, that one can be immersed 00:16:56.139 --> 00:17:00.879 prior to receiving the baptism of the Holy Spirit, 00:17:01.000 --> 00:17:05.640 or one can be immersed following the experience 00:17:05.640 --> 00:17:09.900 of having been filled with the Holy Spirit. But 00:17:09.900 --> 00:17:14.819 if you are immersed in wetter before you've been 00:17:14.819 --> 00:17:18.680 born again, my friend, you've only gotten wet. 00:17:20.180 --> 00:17:26.680 And that's all. What a baptism has no meaning 00:17:26.680 --> 00:17:31.119 whatsoever. Until, first of all, you've had that 00:17:31.119 --> 00:17:34.819 wonderful experience of having been born again. 00:17:37.160 --> 00:17:39.059 Let me read you a portion of the Word of God. 00:17:39.539 --> 00:17:44.839 It's found in the sixth chapter of Romans. Nothing 00:17:44.839 --> 00:17:48.779 is as powerful as the Word of God. There is no 00:17:48.779 --> 00:17:52.000 substitute for God's Word. Sometimes I think 00:17:52.000 --> 00:17:55.380 that we read... everything under the sun, except 00:17:55.380 --> 00:17:59.079 the word of God. And yet there is no greater 00:17:59.079 --> 00:18:04.119 authority than God's word. If only I could get 00:18:04.119 --> 00:18:09.619 men and women to read the word of God. Read it. 00:18:10.319 --> 00:18:14.500 Read it for yourself. All right, here it comes. 00:18:16.099 --> 00:18:21.809 Know ye not that... So many of us, as were baptized 00:18:21.809 --> 00:18:26.750 into Jesus, were baptized into his death. Therefore, 00:18:26.829 --> 00:18:31.089 we are buried with him by baptism into death, 00:18:31.250 --> 00:18:34.970 that like as Christ was raised up from the dead 00:18:34.970 --> 00:18:40.670 by the glory of the Father, even so we also should 00:18:40.670 --> 00:18:46.210 walk in newness of life. Sure, because we are 00:18:46.210 --> 00:18:49.509 a new creature in Christ Jesus. for the very 00:18:49.509 --> 00:18:54.009 first time. We've been born of the Spirit. We're 00:18:54.009 --> 00:19:01.069 new creatures. We have our life in Him. For if 00:19:01.069 --> 00:19:03.210 we've been planted together in the likeness of 00:19:03.210 --> 00:19:06.369 His death, we shall be also in the likeness of 00:19:06.369 --> 00:19:09.829 His resurrection, knowing this, that our old 00:19:09.829 --> 00:19:15.049 man is crucified with Him, that the body of sin 00:19:15.049 --> 00:19:18.480 might be destroyed. that henceforth we should 00:19:18.480 --> 00:19:24.819 not serve sin. For he that is dead is freed from 00:19:24.819 --> 00:19:29.200 sin. Now if we be dead with Christ, we believe 00:19:29.200 --> 00:19:32.799 that we shall also live with him, knowing that 00:19:32.799 --> 00:19:38.799 Christ, being raised from the dead, dieth no 00:19:38.799 --> 00:19:42.740 more, and death hath no more dominion over him. 00:19:43.059 --> 00:19:49.430 For in that he died, He died unto sin once, but 00:19:49.430 --> 00:19:55.569 in that he liveth, he liveth unto God. Likewise, 00:19:55.809 --> 00:20:01.609 reckon ye also yourselves to be dead indeed unto 00:20:01.609 --> 00:20:07.170 sin, but alive unto God through Jesus Christ 00:20:07.170 --> 00:20:13.700 our Lord. Let not sin therefore reign in your 00:20:13.700 --> 00:20:17.660 mortal body, that ye should obey it in the lusts 00:20:17.660 --> 00:20:25.079 thereof. Oh, sure, beloved. Water baptism is 00:20:25.079 --> 00:20:30.180 an outward sign of that glorious transaction 00:20:30.180 --> 00:20:33.640 that took place in that new birth experience. 00:20:35.359 --> 00:20:41.539 No man, no... woman saw that transaction. It 00:20:41.539 --> 00:20:46.859 was a personal transaction. When your sins were 00:20:46.859 --> 00:20:52.359 covered in blood, when your sins were blotted 00:20:52.359 --> 00:20:55.839 out, and you became a new creature in Christ 00:20:55.839 --> 00:20:59.660 Jesus, in that moment you stood justified before 00:20:59.660 --> 00:21:05.910 God by faith. But now, you stand justified before 00:21:05.910 --> 00:21:13.289 the whole world by the life that you live in 00:21:13.289 --> 00:21:13.890 him.