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4 Sermon Illustrations on Baptism Of The Holy Spirit

4 illustrations

The baptism of the Holy Spirit signifies a profound immersion into God's presence, empowering believers beyond natural abilities for holy living and service (Acts 1:5). It is often depicted as a transformative flood or fire, illustrating the purifying and energizing work of the Spirit within the Christian life.

Power, Baptism of

True spiritual power depends on God's presence, not just external conditions or efforts.

One has asked, "Suppose I do receive the baptism of power, and no good results follow, what must I think?" A few years ago, a young engineer was being examined for graduation, when his examiner proposed the following question: "Suppose you have a steam-pump constructed for a ship, under your own supervision, and know that every thing is in perfect working-order, yet, when you throw out the hose, it will not draw. What would you think?"—"I should think, sir, there must be a defect somewhere."—"But such a conclusion is not admissible; for the supposition is, that every thing is perfect, and yet it will not work."—"Then, sir, I should look over the side to see if the river had run dry." So I should look to see if God had vanished from the universe. S. H. Platt.

Baptism of the Holy Spirit

Mark 1:8

Great confusion surrounds the doctrine of the baptism of the Holy Spirit. For some it is viewed as a subsequent work of grace in a believer’s life and is equated with the filling of the Holy Spirit. Others associate the baptism of the Holy Spirit with the gift of tongues. Still others diligently seek it as an unusual work of God in the life of the believer which confirms God’s power and allows a special closeness to God never before experienced.

The phrase “baptism of the Holy Spirit” does not appear in Scripture. Christ is always described as the baptizer in the Gospels (see for example Matthew 3:11) and Acts, and then the Holy Spirit is His agent in the epistles.

The only verse that actually deals with the doctrine of “the baptism of the Holy Spirit” is 1 Corinthians 12:13. There are narratives in the book of Acts that deal with encountering the Holy Spirit under special circumstances. Acts is a history book that details the supernatural origin of the church. It is a transitional book. It is descriptive, but not generally prescriptive. It describes that unique time in history when Jesus sent the Holy Spirit to be the Paraclete, comforter and companion. But Pentecost was not the beginning of the work of the Holy Spirit any more than the incarnation was the beginning work of Christ. We cannot build a theology of the Holy Spirit from the book of Acts.

One thing is very clear today. We need the Holy Spirit! We need Him now, we need Him desperately and we need Him always. There is an experience for believers that is called “the baptism of the Holy Spirit”. We need it and we need to understand it.

It is a misunderstood experience. We actually have misnamed it. We refer to the baptism “of” or “in” the Holy Spirit as if He is an impersonal substance. From Scripture it should be “by” or “with” the Holy Spirit. First Corinthians 12:13 is a good example. The Greek preposition “en” can be translated “in,” “by,” “with” or “of.” Here it is clearly instrumental and should be translated “by.”

The very meaning of the word “baptism” is often confused. The primary meaning of the word is “to immerse or submerge.” It also means “to be joined with.” It is a word used to describe the process of dyeing cloth. If you wanted a piece of cloth to be purple, you would dip it in purple dye. When the cloth came out of the dye, you had a different looking piece of cloth because it had been immersed or dipped into a colored dye. It was joined to the color. The baptism is not the dye; it is the act of immersing.

A redeemed sinner experiences a transformation when converted. God chose the imagery of baptism to explain the Spirit’s ministry of taking sinful people who believe on the Lord Jesus Christ and immersing them into a whole new dynamic of life, an entirely new realm called the “body of Christ.” The Holy Spirit is not the solution in which we are immersed; He is the agent by which we enter this experience.

When does the baptism occur? The clear teaching of the New Testament is that it takes place at conversion. Note our key verse again. The word “baptized” is in the aorist tense, which refers to a past completed action. It refers to a once-for-all experience that is not repeated. Ephesians 1:13 tells us that we were “sealed with the promised Holy Spirit” when we believed. Every believer has been baptized by the Holy Spirit, but only once. You may be filled with the Holy Spirit many times, but there is no scriptural indication that baptism by the Holy Spirit is ever repeated.

Some identify this experience with the “tongues of fire” described in Acts 2 and use John the Baptist’s statement in Matthew 3:11 and Luke 3:16 to substantiate that conclusion. But that is incorrect because it ignores the context of John’s statement. In both those passages John says that the One coming has a winnowing fork in His hand to clean out His threshing floor and He will gather the wheat into His barn, but the chaff He will burn up with “unquenchable fire.” Clearly the reference is to the fact that the coming Messiah will bring judgment as well as salvation and calls for a decision.

Nowhere are we commanded to be “baptized with the Holy Spirit.” We are commanded to be filled (Ephesians 5:18), but never to be baptized with the Holy Spirit. Surely if this was a necessary experience we could expect the Word of God to urge us over and over again to be baptized with the Holy Spirit. But the subject is never mentioned in Scripture -- not one time, in one syllable of one word in any sentence.

Baptism by the Holy Spirit is a wondrously unique experience. By that experience we are joined to the body of Christ (1 Corinthians 12:13, Romans 6:3, Galatians 3:27). It is personal, but it is also corporate. “We are all baptized.” There is only one body of Christ, one family, one church. Baptism by the Holy Spirit is not some extra-ordinary manifestation, for it happens to all believers.

This baptism by the Holy Spirit is positional, not emotional or empowering. It places us in a position in Christ which makes it possible for us to receive power. It does not guarantee power in our lives. The Corinthians were baptized by the Holy Spirit, yet they were a very sensual and carnal church. They lived by the flesh, soaked in immorality, saw rampant litigation, conflicts and disputes between church members, and even abused the Lord’s Supper. Yet Paul said, “We are all baptized.” That baptism has to do with our position in Christ and it is universal for all believers.

This means that you don’t get a piece of Spirit baptism when you get saved and then more later. God does not baptize on an installment plan. All of the Holy Spirit you are ever going to get as a believer you got when Jesus baptized you by means of the Holy Spirit into His body at your salvation. The question is not, “How much of the Holy Spirit do you have?” Instead, you should be asking, “How much of me does the Holy Spirit have?”

A newborn baby has all he needs to be an adult. He will never get new parts as he ages; he simply grows in his ability to use the parts he has. The Spirit’s baptism is a unique, completed ministry. Thank God there are no second-class members of the body of Christ. None of us deserves to be in that body, but we are by His grace. All of us are joined to Him by the Spirit’s baptism and we all have access to the resources of the spiritual life that come through the continual filling of the Holy Spirit.

Thank God for this wonderful experience of the baptism by the Holy Spirit. It brings us new life, a new identity and a new nature.

from Baptist Press · Jimmy Draper via Kerux Sermon and Illustration Database

Is The Keswick Movement Biblical?

John 17:19

The Keswick movement, also called the Higher Life movement, is a theological movement that originated in England in the early 19th century. It was heavily influenced by the teachings of John Wesley, John William Fletcher, and Adam Clarke. Since 1875 promoters have organized the annual Keswick Convention. Various Christian leaders have been involved in the Keswick Convention through the years, including missionaries Hudson Taylor and Amy Carmichael, devotional writer Oswald Chambers, and evangelist Billy Graham.

Essentially, Keswick theology teaches that the Christian life consists of two primary crises (or major turning points): justification and sanctification, both of which happen at different times in the life of the believer. After salvation one must have another encounter with the Spirit; otherwise, he or she will not progress into holiness or the “deeper” things of God. This second encounter with the Spirit, in Keswick terminology, is called “entire sanctification,” “the second blessing,” or “the second touch.” This emphasis on a second, post-salvation experience corresponds with the Pentecostal idea of the “baptism” of the Spirit. Some Keswick teachers would even say that sinless perfection is possible after one receives the “second blessing.”

Although it is true that both justification (i.e., getting saved) and sanctification (i.e., becoming more like Christ) are vital aspects of the Christian life, overemphasizing the distinction between them tends to produce two different “classes” of Christian — those who are not being sanctified and those who are being sanctified. Moreover, according to Keswick theology, we can decide which camp we belong in, and the initiation of sanctification is something that depends on us after we are saved.

The tendency for theological error resulting from over-emphasizing one side of a debate versus another has been demonstrated time and time again throughout church history. For example, the well-known debate between Calvinists and Arminians is frequently seen (somewhat inaccurately) as a “conflict” between God’s sovereignty and man’s autonomous free will. Many on both sides of this debate have a tendency to overemphasize one side of this “conflict” to the exclusion of the other. Those who emphasize God’s sovereignty tend to minimize human volition, while those who emphasize man’s ability to choose end up burdening themselves and others with the charge to behave perfectly before the Lord. In reality, both God’s sovereignty and man’s volition must be held in tension with one another, because both are taught in Scripture.

In the same way, Keswick theologians take a very real and biblical distinction between justification and sanctification and press it too far. Scripture tells us that all those who are saved (justified) are also being sanctified. God promises to finish the work He began in us (Philippians 1:6).

“But now having been freed from sin and enslaved to God, you derive your benefit, resulting in sanctification” (Romans 6:22, NASB). We are freed from sin by Christ’s sacrifice on the cross, but our freedom must lead to holiness (sanctification), not further sin. Rather, Paul tells us earlier in the same chapter that we are “to consider yourselves to be dead to sin, but alive to God in Christ Jesus” (Romans 6:11, NASB). The picture that we see painted in these verses is that it is impossible for the believer to persist in sin, once he or she has truly entered into a relationship with Christ. Keswick theology says that one could be a genuine Christian and still say something like, “I have been justified, but I am not being sanctified, because I don’t see the need to be right now. I’m a Christian, surely; I’m just not as dedicated as others might be.” Of course, Scripture tells us that such an attitude is really evidence that the person speaking is not a believer (1 John 2:3–4). As a result, Keswick theology may give false assurance of salvation to those who refuse to submit to the Word of God but still want to think of themselves as truly saved.

Sanctification is a long, gradual, and sometimes tortuous process, and it something that all believers will experience, not just those who have a “second touch” of the Spirit. The Keswick movement has some commendable points — an emphasis on the lordship of Christ and personal holiness, discipleship, and a promotion of missionary activity. And some historic evangelistic efforts have begun at Keswick Conventions. However, Keswick theology’s insistence on a “second blessing,” its hierarchy of “sanctified” Christians vs. those who are “only justified,” and its bent toward the unbiblical doctrine of entire sanctification are causes of concern.

Preaching, John, a model preacher

Luke 3

John's preaching emphasized repentance, holy living, and the coming Savior's necessity.

Preached judgment on sin and fruitlessness (9:17). Heart repentance, condition of forgiveness (8). Holy living, evidence of true repentance (8, 11, 14). Coming Savior and necessity of faith in Him (Acts 19:4). Dignity of service (16). Baptism of Holy Spirit. Eternal blessedness of the saved (17)

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