The Holy Spirit’s Work • 11.10.24
Nick Lees   -   November 10, 2024

The Holy Spirit’s Work
Various Texts

Cultivating awe of God the Holy Spirit

  1. Recognize the Holy Spirit’s work in the Old Testament era
  2. Rejoice in the Holy Spirit’s work in the New Testament era

 

Good morning church family! (Welcome guests, introduce self)

Dismiss 4th + 5th graders

Ushers + Bibles

As I mentioned last week, the month of November is Stewardship Month in our church, where we focus on the concepts of biblical stewardship. Last week I shared four principles that drive our understanding, do you recall what they are?

  • God owns everything, I own nothing
  • God entrusts me with everything I have
  • I can either be a wise or poor steward of what God has entrusted to me; He wants me to be a wise steward
  • God can call me to give an account at any time and it could be today

We see these principles established in both the Old and New Testament.

I also want to remind you of the resources the church has provided to help you grow as faithful stewards this month. (Stewardship Resources Slide)

Share the 7-day Stewardship Study + the other online resources that we have compiled for their benefit. (https://www.harvestdesmoines.org/stewardship-resources/)

Please take advantage of these tools. They are for your spiritual growth and the glory of God.

In our sermon series this November, we are focusing on Stewardship of the Holy Spirit. Let’s turn our attention to our topic today: The Holy Spirit’s Work. Our aim is…

Cultivating awe of God the Holy Spirit

I want to start by sharing our church’s doctrine statement related to the Holy Spirit. Here is what we believe about God the Holy Spirit.

Holy Spirit

We believe in the total deity of the Holy Spirit and that His ministry is to glorify the Lord Jesus Christ (John 16:14). The Holy Spirit regenerates the sinner upon belief in Christ, baptizing the believer into one body of which Christ is the head. The Holy Spirit indwells, guides, instructs, fills, comforts and empowers the believer for godly living (Mark 13:11; John 14:26; John 16:13; Romans 5:5; 1 Corinthians 3:16). The Holy Spirit convicts the world of sin, of God’s righteousness and of coming judgment (John 16:8-11).

Last week we discussed the first sentence of this doctrine statement as we looked at the Holy Spirit’s deity and mission. Today we are focused on the rest of the statement, which concerns itself with the work of the Holy Spirit.

It is my belief that most Christians are quite unaware of how much God the Holy Spirit is actively at work in our daily lives. I anticipate that as we go through our study this morning, your mind will be blown as you hear and consider all that He does in, through, and for you. I have been eager to preach this sermon, knowing just how sweet of a meditation it will be on this person of the Godhead. I am praying that it will lead each one of us to worship God more passionately and seek him more fervently. That it will help us cultivate awe of God the Holy Spirit. *pause*

Now, the way the sermon is laid out today is that we will begin by:

  1. Recognize the Holy Spirit’s work in the Old Testament era

After taking time to understand how the Holy Spirit worked in the Old Testament era, we will then aim to:

  1. Rejoice in the Holy Spirit’s work in the New Testament era

Many of these works the Holy Spirit still carries out in the church and Christians to this day.

So, without further ado, let’s tackle our first way of cultivating awe of God the Holy Spirit as we:

  1. Recognize the Holy Spirit’s work in the Old Testament era

This begins at the beginning… Genesis 1 and the Creation account. We heard this passage last week, along with Psalm 33:6. Here is what they said:

Genesis 1:1–2 (ESV)

In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth. 2 The earth was without form and void, and darkness was over the face of the deep. And the Spirit of God was hovering over the face of the waters.

Psalm 33:6 (ESV)

By the word of the Lord the heavens were made,

and by the breath of his mouth all their host.

Just as God the Holy Spirit is co-eternal, co-existent, and co-equal with God the Father and God the Son, so He was present and active in the work of Creation. The details of how all of this played out are not spelled out in Scripture, but the reality is that He was involved. Elihu, in the book of Job would testify:

Job 33:4 (ESV)

The Spirit of God has made me,

and the breath of the Almighty gives me life.

In a passage reflecting on the greatness of Yahweh, the Psalmist writes:

Psalm 104:30 (ESV)

When you send forth your Spirit, they are created,

and you renew the face of the ground.

He is speaking of the creation of the innumerable creatures that fill the earth and sea. God the Holy Spirit is instrumental in the creation of everything!

  • Creates and sustains life

Elihu affirms this in a negative statement:

Job 34:14–15 (ESV)

14      If he should set his heart to it

and gather to himself his spirit and his breath,

15      all flesh would perish together,

and man would return to dust.

A removal of God’s Spirit from created things results in death.

Already the testimony of Scripture about the Holy Spirit’s work is of the utmost importance and relevance for you and for me! He is the reason we continue to exist. The reason our hearts beat and our lungs draw breath. He is the creator and sustainer of the life of the beautiful creation all around us. The Spirit is sent by the Father to create life – and this is yet another reason why we have the conviction that life begins at conception. The Spirit of God has already been at work in creating life and it is sacred and worthy of our protection.

But that is not all we learn about God the Holy Spirit in the Old Testament. We also see him at work as he:

  • Empowers people for specific tasks

Consider the process of calling David as a king.

1 Samuel 16:11–13 (ESV)

11 Then Samuel said to Jesse, “Are all your sons here?” And he said, “There remains yet the youngest, but behold, he is keeping the sheep.” And Samuel said to Jesse, “Send and get him, for we will not sit down till he comes here.” 12 And he sent and brought him in. Now he was ruddy and had beautiful eyes and was handsome.

And the Lord said, “Arise, anoint him, for this is he.” 13 Then Samuel took the horn of oil and anointed him in the midst of his brothers. And the Spirit of the Lord rushed upon David from that day forward. And Samuel rose up and went to Ramah.

God’s Spirit upon David was his calling and equipping as king.

Let me give you another example. Nebuchadnezzar, the pagan King of Babylon, recognized the Holy Spirit at work in Daniel.

Daniel 4:8–9 (ESV)

8 At last Daniel came in before me—he who was named Belteshazzar after the name of my god, and in whom is the spirit of the holy gods—and I told him the dream, saying, 9 “O Belteshazzar, chief of the magicians, because I know that the spirit of the holy gods is in you and that no mystery is too difficult for you, tell me the visions of my dream that I saw and their interpretation.

Daniel was quick to give God the glory for any interpretation of dreams that he might do. He knew God the Holy Spirit was at work in and through him.

Or how about the calling of Joshua to lead the nation of Israel upon Moses’ death?

Numbers 27:18 (ESV)

18 So the Lord said to Moses, “Take Joshua the son of Nun, a man in whom is the Spirit, and lay your hand on him.

Joshua’s qualification was that he was a man in whom is the Spirit. God was empowering him for the task of leading the nation. Or how about the Spirit’s empowering of Bezalel to create the tabernacle for God:

Exodus 31:1–5 (ESV)

The Lord said to Moses, 2 “See, I have called by name Bezalel the son of Uri, son of Hur, of the tribe of Judah, 3 and I have filled him with the Spirit of God, with ability and intelligence, with knowledge and all craftsmanship, 4 to devise artistic designs, to work in gold, silver, and bronze, 5 in cutting stones for setting, and in carving wood, to work in every craft.

The Holy Spirit was present and at work in the lives of Old Testament saints in a variety of ways. We could also go to the book of Judges and hear of the Spirit empowering these judges so that they might deliver the nation from their oppressors. Time and again, God the Holy Spirit worked through fallible men and women to accomplish the plan and purposes of God.

One thing to note about the Holy Spirit’s work in the Old Testament is that it is spoken of in a more temporal nature. The Spirit works for a time in a person to accomplish a particular purpose. This is different than what we hear promised by God under the New Covenant.  For example, in the book of Ezekiel, God says through the prophet:

Ezekiel 36:26–27 (ESV)

26 And I will give you a new heart, and a new spirit I will put within you. And I will remove the heart of stone from your flesh and give you a heart of flesh. 27 And I will put my Spirit within you, and cause you to walk in my statutes and be careful to obey my rules.

God is speaking of an entirely different type of relationship that he will have with his people. No longer will the Spirit’s work be temporary in their lives, but God will work in such a way that they will have his Spirit within them permanently. This is our final observation about God the Holy Spirit in the Old Testament for today:

  • God promises his indwelling Spirit to his people

This observation is different than the others coming before it because it does not find its fulfillment in the Old Testament era. This is a distinctly New Covenant promise that will be fulfilled through the finished work of Jesus Christ of Nazareth. It is foretold in the Old Testament but accomplished in the New Testament. The prophet Joel is another example of this foretelling:

Joel 2:28–29 (ESV)

28      “And it shall come to pass afterward,

that I will pour out my Spirit on all flesh;

          your sons and your daughters shall prophesy,

your old men shall dream dreams,

and your young men shall see visions.

29      Even on the male and female servants

in those days I will pour out my Spirit.

Joel’s message was one of warning followed by a call to repentance. He spoke of a time in the future when God would do an incredible work through His Spirit. One fulfillment of this prophecy was seen in the days of the early church at Pentecost. After Jesus’ ascension to heaven, he sent the Holy Spirit to be with his disciples as he had promised.

As this happened, the Apostle Peter, understanding Joel’s prophecy was speaking of a fuller and more powerful work of the Spirit in the new covenant age, preached the following message to the assembly in Jerusalem:

Acts 2:14–21 (ESV)

14 But Peter, standing with the eleven, lifted up his voice and addressed them: “Men of Judea and all who dwell in Jerusalem, let this be known to you, and give ear to my words. 15 For these people are not drunk, as you suppose, since it is only the third hour of the day. 16 But this is what was uttered through the prophet Joel:

17      “ ‘And in the last days it shall be, God declares,

          that I will pour out my Spirit on all flesh,

          and your sons and your daughters shall prophesy,

and your young men shall see visions,

and your old men shall dream dreams;

18      even on my male servants and female servants

in those days I will pour out my Spirit, and they shall prophesy.

 

19      And I will show wonders in the heavens above

and signs on the earth below,

blood, and fire, and vapor of smoke;

20      the sun shall be turned to darkness

and the moon to blood,

before the day of the Lord comes, the great and magnificent day.

21      And it shall come to pass that everyone who calls upon the name of the Lord shall be saved.’

Peter connects the dots between Old and New Testaments in the work of God the Holy Spirit. It was always God’s plan to send the Spirit not only to empower God’s people temporarily, but to indwell them so that they could live holy lives. The New Testament era is the fuller revelation of what God has always intended to do – create a holy people for Himself and be in relationship with those people!

So, now we seek to cultivate awe of God the Holy Spirit as we…

  1. Rejoice in the Holy Spirit’s work in the New Testament era

The Old and New Testament eras are two different yet interconnected parts of God’s grand redemption plan. They are called Old and New Testaments because they are focused on the Old and New Covenants that God made with his people. In the New Testament or New Covenant, God has promised to give them a new heart and a new spirit. Through Ezekiel he said, “I will put my Spirit within you, and cause you to walk in my statutes and be careful to obey my rules.” (Ezekiel 36:27) In Jeremiah he said, “I will put my law within them, and I will write it on their hearts. And I will be their God, and they shall be my people.” (Jeremiah 31:33)

These two different prophets are speaking of the same New Covenant work that God promised to his people. Yet this New Covenant work did not come to fulfillment until hundreds of years later through Jesus Christ’s life and ministry. In fact, Jesus promised during his ministry that he and the Father would send the Spirit as promised:

John 14:15–17 (ESV)

15 “If you love me, you will keep my commandments. 16 And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another Helper, to be with you forever, 17 even the Spirit of truth, whom the world cannot receive, because it neither sees him nor knows him. You know him, for he dwells with you and will be in you.

Jesus assured his disciples that the Spirit of truth would dwell within them, helping them live holy lives and carry on the mission of making disciples. He went on to say:

John 16:7–15 (ESV)

7 Nevertheless, I tell you the truth: it is to your advantage that I go away, for if I do not go away, the Helper will not come to you. But if I go, I will send him to you. 8 And when he comes, he will convict the world concerning sin and righteousness and judgment: 9 concerning sin, because they do not believe in me; 10 concerning righteousness, because I go to the Father, and you will see me no longer; 11 concerning judgment, because the ruler of this world is judged.

12 “I still have many things to say to you, but you cannot bear them now. 13 When the Spirit of truth comes, he will guide you into all the truth, for he will not speak on his own authority, but whatever he hears he will speak, and he will declare to you the things that are to come. 14 He will glorify me, for he will take what is mine and declare it to you. 15 All that the Father has is mine; therefore I said that he will take what is mine and declare it to you.

Jesus shares that the grand redemption plan is for him to leave and for the Helper, the Holy Spirit to come in a more powerful way. You also hear some of the ways that the Spirit will work in our world in this New Testament/church era. The Spirit convicts sinners. He guides us into the truth. And he glorifies Jesus. This is an introduction to some of the many important and beautiful works of God the Holy Spirit.

What I’d like to do at this point is talk through the many ways we see the Spirit at work in the New Testament era, as taught by the Scriptures. I think you are going to be blown away by all that this member of the Godhead does. As we’ve been doing throughout this sermon already, we’re going to be moving quickly through the Scriptures. This is a topical survey of the ways we see the Holy Spirit at work, so we’re going beyond a single passage to unpack.

I’ve grouped these into as much of a sequential order as possible. What I mean by that, is I am trying to share these wonderful works of the Spirit in the order they come into our lives.

First, we have the works of the Spirit related to our salvation. Did you realize that the Holy Spirit is the one who convicts you of your need for salvation?

  • Convicts us of our sin and need for forgiveness

Without his work in this way, you would never realize your need for a Savior, nor desire to trust in Jesus Christ as your Savior! This was the argument of Jesus in John 16:7-11. The Spirit comes to convict the world concerning sin and righteousness and judgment. If your faith is in Jesus Christ, then you have God the Holy Spirit to thank for convicting you of your sinful state and need for faith in Jesus. Your salvation is a work of God the Holy Spirit!

But how can a sinner’s heart be convicted unto repentance? Isn’t it hardened by rebellion against God? Yes. The Scriptures tell us that before faith in Christ, we are dead in our sin. Which is why the Spirit’s work of regeneration is also essential.

  • Regenerates the hardened heart

We hear this taught in passages like Titus 3, which says:

Titus 3:3–7 (ESV)

3 For we ourselves were once foolish, disobedient, led astray, slaves to various passions and pleasures, passing our days in malice and envy, hated by others and hating one another. 4 But when the goodness and loving kindness of God our Savior appeared, 5 he saved us, not because of works done by us in righteousness, but according to his own mercy,

 

by the washing of regeneration and renewal of the Holy Spirit, 6 whom he poured out on us richly through Jesus Christ our Savior, 7 so that being justified by his grace we might become heirs according to the hope of eternal life.

Our condition before faith in Jesus Christ was dead in our sin. Enslaved to it. Living in an ungodly manner. Humanly speaking, there was no way we would be able to make our spiritually dead hearts come to life. But God is good and kind and merciful, and he sent the Holy Spirit to regenerate our hearts. This is a powerful term that means to be born again or to experience new birth. The teaching of Scripture is that though we were dead in our sin, through the Holy Spirit we can be born again to new spiritual life (aka regenerated). This is exactly what Jesus told the Pharisee Nicodemus.

John 3:3–5 (ESV)

3 Jesus answered him, “Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born again he cannot see the kingdom of God.” 4 Nicodemus said to him, “How can a man be born when he is old? Can he enter a second time into his mother’s womb and be born?” 5 Jesus answered, “Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born of water and the Spirit, he cannot enter the kingdom of God.

Becoming a Christian, a follower of Christ, is a supernatural work of God in our lives. It cannot happen unless he first works in us to regenerate our heart and convict us of our sin. This should humble all of us immensely. We are utterly dependent on God to change us and to be rescued from sin and death.

No Christian has any right to be proud or boastful in their salvation. It is entirely a work of God’s mercy and grace! When you understand this, it motivates you to worship God all the more.

For those of you who are wrestling with what you believe and know that you have not placed your faith and trust in Jesus Christ for salvation, I would encourage you to take heed of what is being taught here today. You need God the Holy Spirit to regenerate your heart and convict you of your sin so that you might believe and be saved! I would encourage you to pray to him and ask him to do this supernatural work in your life today.

One of the beautiful realities is that the Holy Spirit’s conviction does not stop upon salvation. He continues this work of conviction in the life of believers. This is the process by which we are made holy. As we are made aware of sin in our lives by the Holy Spirit, we are then responsible for confessing it and fleeing from it. Paul speaks to the church in Philippi and calls them to cooperate with the work of God in them.

Philippians 2:12–13 (ESV)

12 Therefore, my beloved, as you have always obeyed, so now, not only as in my presence but much more in my absence, work out your own salvation with fear and trembling, 13 for it is God who works in you, both to will and to work for his good pleasure.

God works in us, and we are to cooperate with that work. To “work out our own salvation” means to do our part in pursuing holiness by forsaking sin and turning towards obedience to Christ.

In another letter, after speaking about the many ungodly behaviors and desires of false teachers, Paul commands his disciple, Timothy:

1 Timothy 6:11–12 (ESV)

11 But as for you, O man of God, flee these things. Pursue righteousness, godliness, faith, love, steadfastness, gentleness. 12 Fight the good fight of the faith. Take hold of the eternal life to which you were called and about which you made the good confession in the presence of many witnesses.

We must do our part in the work that God the Holy Spirit carries out in purifying believers. As promised in the New Covenant, God the Holy Spirit indwells and purifies believers.

  • Indwells and purifies believers

What a great reason to rejoice! Through faith in Christ, we have God the Holy Spirit living within us, making us spiritually alive, and purifying us unto holiness.

This is the teaching of Peter in his first sermon at Pentecost. After the audience was convicted of their sin, here is how they responded:

Acts 2:37–39 (ESV)

37 Now when they heard this they were cut to the heart, and said to Peter and the rest of the apostles, “Brothers, what shall we do?” 38 And Peter said to them, “Repent and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins, and you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. 39 For the promise is for you and for your children and for all who are far off, everyone whom the Lord our God calls to himself.”

Turn from sin and be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins and you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. The promise for all who believe is that you will be recipients of God the Holy Spirit. He will dwell within you. This is a far cry from being dead in our sins. Listen to the difference as Paul describes it in Romans 8:

Romans 8:8–9 (ESV)

8 Those who are in the flesh cannot please God.

9 You, however, are not in the flesh but in the Spirit, if in fact the Spirit of God dwells in you. Anyone who does not have the Spirit of Christ does not belong to him.

He goes on to say:

Romans 8:13–17 (ESV)

13 For if you live according to the flesh you will die, but if by the Spirit you put to death the deeds of the body, you will live. 14 For all who are led by the Spirit of God are sons of God. 15 For you did not receive the spirit of slavery to fall back into fear, but you have received the Spirit of adoption as sons, by whom we cry, “Abba! Father!”

16 The Spirit himself bears witness with our spirit that we are children of God, 17 and if children, then heirs—heirs of God and fellow heirs with Christ, provided we suffer with him in order that we may also be glorified with him.

What incredible news! Through faith in Christ, you have been transformed! By the Spirit’s work, you can put off sin. Those who have God’s Spirit and are led by Him will live out their identity as sons/daughters of God! They will desire to be holy as He is holy!

After all, this is the expectation of those who have the indwelling Holy Spirit:

1 Corinthians 6:19–20 (ESV)

19 Or do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit within you, whom you have from God? You are not your own, 20 for you were bought with a price. So glorify God in your body.

What a powerful reality! God has chosen to dwell within the Christian. We are to view ourselves as a temple of the Holy Spirit, which means we must live in a holy manner. Thank goodness that God the Holy Spirit is actively at work in helping us be holy as he is holy! We have divine enablement to pursue this calling.

If you haven’t noticed, we’ve transitioned from the work of the Holy Spirit in salvation into the work of the Holy Spirit in sanctification (or growth in godliness). For the sake of time, I’m going to share multiple related works of the Holy Spirit together, several of which we have heard about in previous passages:

  • Leads (Romans 8:14)
  • Guides into truth (John 16:13)
  • Gives assurance of adoption (Romans 8:16)
  • Counsels (John 14:16)
  • Intercedes in prayer (Romans 8:26-27)

Romans 8:26–27 (ESV)

26 Likewise the Spirit helps us in our weakness. For we do not know what to pray for as we ought, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us with groanings too deep for words. 27 And he who searches hearts knows what is the mind of the Spirit, because the Spirit intercedes for the saints according to the will of God.

Even when you are not sure what to pray, God the Holy Spirit prays on your behalf! He is with you in your weakness. That is how much God cares for you.

How incredible is it that God has provided such redemptive works through the Holy Spirit to believers?! It is because of his work that we can have great confidence in our faith and daily walk, even when we are struggling with temptation, suffering, or weakness. He is faithful to work in us for the glory of God. This is good news this morning!

And, the promise of Scripture, is that as we walk or live by the Spirit, we can expect to bear good fruit.

  • Bears fruit

Galatians 5:22–23 (ESV)

22 But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, 23 gentleness, self-control; against such things there is no law.

These are the types of qualities that will be increasingly yours as you cooperate with the work of God the Holy Spirit in your life. When you seek the things of God and actively put off the ways of the old man/woman (the ways of sin) God blesses that effort! He is actively at work in you to conform you to the image of His Son, Jesus Christ.

Now, we learned last month that the primary way that God is growing us up into maturity is through the teachings and application of His Word. As you are disciplined to study the Word and put it into practice in your life, God will grow you in holiness! The Holy Spirit is at work throughout that process. You see, he…

  • Illuminates the Word

This is a bit of a restatement of “guides into truth” that came up earlier. Illumination means that the Holy Spirit gives understanding of the text of Scripture. About this, Paul says:

1 Corinthians 2:12 (ESV)

12 Now we have received not the spirit of the world, but the Spirit who is from God, that we might understand the things freely given us by God.

Without the Holy Spirit, we are unable to understand what God’s Word says and unable to apply it accurately to our lives. That is why unbelievers are so frustrated by it and find it so uninteresting. But when a man or woman is saved by God, the Spirit now works in them to make the Scriptures come to life before their very eyes! Suddenly they can understand the truth that previously seemed so dull to them.

Now, this does not mean that you automatically understand everything the Scriptures say about every topic. Rather it means the spiritual blindness that was previously covering your eyes and mind has been removed such that you can now begin to see and learn for the very first time.

We are still called to devote ourselves to studying the Word and applying it to our lives. This is the process of gaining wisdom! But the guarantee for believers is that the Spirit is at work in you to allow that to happen. Are you allowing the Spirit to illuminate the Word to you regularly? This requires you to open up your Bible and prayerfully consider what is written within.

This brings me to another incredible work of the Spirit in the New Testament era. It is one that was limited in duration, but for our benefit.

  • Guided the apostles in writing Scripture

We heard this passage in our previous series, but here it is again:

2 Peter 1:21 (ESV)

21 For no prophecy was ever produced by the will of man, but men spoke from God as they were carried along by the Holy Spirit.

This is a work of the Spirit that has ceased with the closing of the canon of Scripture. Just as the apostles are gone, so has divine, authoritative revelation ceased with the closing of the Scriptures. However, we have a treasure trove at our fingertips to study and apply! Thank you, Holy Spirit, for making this possible!

Two more and then we’ll wrap it up for today. We also see the Holy Spirit:

  • Seals believers

We heard about this in previous weeks from Ephesians 1:13-14. When you believe in Jesus Christ for salvation, the Holy Spirit seals or protects your salvation, guaranteeing your inheritance in heaven with God. This is what gives believers great confidence of where they will spend eternity! God will complete the work he began in us and make us holy so we can be with him!

Finally, the last work of the Holy Spirit we will discuss today is that the Holy Spirit:

  • Gives gifts to believers

We will have an entire sermon on this on 11/24. For today, I will simply point out that the Holy Spirit gives gifts to believers for the edification or building up of the church. This includes calling and appointing some to lead. The Spirit knows how to strengthen and unify the church and gives the gifts necessary to accomplish this goal. In the sermon on the 24th, I’ll also address some of the false teachings surrounding this topic, including the idea of a second baptism in the Spirit.

I’ll close with this. God empowers his people through His Spirit to tell the whole world about Jesus, the risen King. As we heard last week, the mission of the Spirit is to glorify Jesus. We are to cooperate with that mission by submitting to the Spirit’s work in our lives. We cooperate with Him when he convicts us of sin and when he teaches us from the Word. We cooperate with Him by obeying the call to go and make disciples, baptizing them in the name of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. This is the calling for every Christian. Will you cooperate with the Spirit’s work in you? *pause*

Do you think it is possible to be a Christian without the help of the Holy Spirit? No, it is not! So, should we be incredibly thankful and in awe of the Holy Spirit today? Absolutely!

Let’s end our time together by rejoicing in the Spirit’s work in several people within our church body.

Baptism

I am excited to share with you that that we have three individuals who are publicly professing their faith in Jesus Christ through believer’s baptism today. They want the world to know that they have turned from sin and are following Jesus. What a privilege it is to end our service with these baptisms.

Baptism is an act of obedience for all who follow Jesus Christ. In fact, Jesus’ last command to his disciples was to go and make disciples of all nations by baptizing them in the name of the Father, Son and Holy Spirit and teaching them to observe all that Jesus taught.

As we see in Scripture, baptism is a public profession of a spiritual reality in a person’s life – namely that they have responded to Jesus Christ in faith for the forgiveness of their sins and that they desire to live for him. Baptism is not earning these folks any merit with God, but it is an act of obedience and worship. We have the privilege of witnessing this declaration, celebrating with these individuals, and partnering with them on the journey of a life of faithful service to Jesus.

In the Scriptures, we see that baptism is done after a person professes faith in Christ and it’s done by immersing them in water. The reason for this is that it symbolizes the person’s unity with Jesus’ own death, burial, and resurrection. Consider what Romans 6 teaches:

Romans 6:1–4 (ESV)

What shall we say then? Are we to continue in sin that grace may abound? 2 By no means! How can we who died to sin still live in it? 3 Do you not know that all of us who have been baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into his death? 4 We were buried therefore with him by baptism into death, in order that, just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, we too might walk in newness of life.

Going under the water symbolizes the person’s death to their sin (the old way of life) and coming back up again symbolizes their being raised from the dead to new life (following Christ).

If you realize that you do not have a testimony of faith like these individuals are about to give, I would love to talk with you about that after the service. If you’re here and you’ve never taken the step of obedience to be baptized as a believer, then I would encourage you to email the church and let us know that you’d like to do so as soon as possible!

At this time, I’d like to invite _________ forward to share a testimony of faith in Christ this morning.

  • Savanna Palmer
  • Levi Travnicek
  • Nella Travnicek