Are you trying your hardest to be just like Jesus? It turns out that can be a dreadful mistake and it's one that well-meaning individuals have made often since the days of the early church. Today on Truth for Life, we'll hear about the dangers of this approach and we'll see what genuine believing faith actually entails. Alistair Begg is teaching about the Apostle Paul's encounter with a group of almost Christians in chapter 19 of Acts. These people were almost Christians. They weren't Christians. The Spirit of God did not live in them. And if the Spirit of God does not live in you, says the Bible, you do not belong to Jesus. It's an amazing question. Did you receive the Holy Spirit when you believed? And the answer is as striking as the question. In fact, the answer might even be more striking. No, we haven't even heard that there is a Holy Spirit.
Wow! That takes it up a notch, doesn't it? I mean, did you receive the Holy Spirit when you believed?
No, absolutely not. In fact, we don't really know much about the Holy Spirit at all. We hadn't heard. Now, I think there is a little hyperbole in their response. There has to be, doesn't there? And this is where, again, in the reading of the Bible, we need to read it in a way that takes into account the genre and the way in which people express themselves, so that they will express themselves in a more dramatic way to make the point.
Again, you must figure this out, but I can't understand it any other way. Because I don't understand how anybody who knew about the baptism of John doesn't know about the Holy Spirit. I don't know anybody who's been around the events of first-century Christianity without knowing at least that the Holy Spirit did certain things in the Old Testament and came on kings and anointed them and so on. In fact, John the Baptist has said, you know, I baptize you with water, but the one who comes after me, he will baptize you with the Holy Spirit. So when they say, no, we hadn't even heard that there was, that there is a Holy Spirit. My best explanation of this is that what they are actually saying, in essence, is that we have no knowledge of the Holy Spirit in the Christian sense of the term. We have no knowledge of the Holy Spirit apart from John's prophecy concerning it, but we did not know that John's prophecy has been fulfilled. If you like, they did not realize that what Jesus promised in John chapter 7 had in Pentecost actually taken place. You remember in John chapter 7, Jesus is there for the feast in the temple, and on the last and greatest day of the feast, he stood and said in a loud voice, If anyone's thirsty, let him come to me and drink. And whoever believes in me, as the Scripture has said, streams of living water will flow from within him.
What did he mean by this? Well, John tells us, by this he meant the Spirit whom those who believed in him were later to receive. Up to that time, the Spirit had not been given, because Jesus had not yet been glorified. Now, my best guess at this is that these folks hadn't understood that that expectation made there by Jesus had been fulfilled in Pentecost.
And they're very honest in their response. No, we don't know anything about the Holy Spirit in these terms. So Paul gives his follow-up question. Well then, what baptism did you receive? Because remember, in Paul's mind, he's got it clear, doesn't he? Because he's been baptized, and he knows that when he professed faith in Jesus Christ, and Ananias came and laid hands on him, and he received his sight, and then he said, What am I supposed to do now? And Ananias said, You better get yourself baptized. And he had found out that what Peter had said on the day of Pentecost was really clear, when the people were cut to the heart, and said, What are we supposed to do? If Jesus of Nazareth really is the Messiah and has died for our sins, what are we supposed to do? And Peter had said, Repent and be baptized, every one of you, for the forgiveness of your sins, and you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.
The whole package was right there. So Paul then says, Okay, I'm asking you a question that links the Spirit with faith. Now let me ask you a second question that links the Spirit with baptism. What baptism did you receive? Well, they said, John's baptism. John said, I am here as a voice crying in the wilderness. And I urge you to turn away from your sins and get in the tub and show everybody that you're prepared to turn away from your sins by getting in the tub. Well, not the tub, but you know what I mean—in the pond, in the pool, in the water. Get in here and show everybody that you're turning your back on all of this. And while this was going on and people were becoming the disciples of John, another person begins to make his journey, as it were, across the horizon, and some of the disciples of John begin to go and follow this other fellow, and other disciples come to John and say, Hey, John, you're starting to lose some boys.
There's a big drift over the river, too. Jesus from Nazareth has got quite a following. And what did John the Baptist say? He said, fine, I'm a voice crying in the wilderness. I'm actually here. I'm preparatory. I'm not the bridegroom. I'm the best man. My job is to stand up, speak up, and shut up. I'm only here in order to say, Here!
Here he is! I'm a voice crying in the wilderness. I'm a light that shines for a little while.
I am a finger that is pointing. And if you'll look across there, you will see the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world. Therefore, if he is the sin-bearer, then he is the answer to your sinful heart. And you have said, I am interested in turning from all of my sin. How is it to be forgiven?
It is to be forgiven in the one who is the Lamb of God. Now, somehow or another, this little group in Ephesus had part one, but they didn't have part two. They had never understood that Jesus came to blot out their transgressions, that Jesus is the one who can give somebody a fresh start and a clean page and a new opportunity, that Jesus is the one who by his death was bearing the condemnation upon him, God's condemnation on sin, making it possible for those who trusted in him to live without condemnation on account of what Jesus had accomplished.
And when that divine transaction took place, then not only was the individual's status changed and they became the sons of God, but the individual's experience was transformed, because God the Holy Spirit came to live in their lives. And they were new. And they knew they were new not because they had embraced an externalism but because they had new desires. They had new interests. I mean, watch your children grow, and watch them have their first crush on the girl up the street or their friend in high school. Watch your son or your daughter go out on their first date.
And if they don't tell you where they're going, which of course they should, you will get an inkling of it. All of a sudden, the boy's car is clean. The passenger side, the mat, he's out there shaking it. You say to yourself, why is he shaking that mat? What's he doing with that? And then he comes down the stairs, he just looks just that little bit tidier. And is that my cologne?
What is that? What's going on here? It's a new affection. It's a new affection. And when that affection, when that friendship grows to love, it is a life-transforming encounter. And when we think in terms of genuine discipleship, there's all the difference in the world between the embrace of an external existence and the chattering of Christian terminology, and the expulsive power of a new affection set within our hearts so that we're saying to ourselves, why do I like these songs?
I've always hated these songs. Why do his sermons seem more understandable? They've always been completely double Dutch to me. And you know what? He seems to be speaking much shorter than he used to.
I remember they went on forever and ever. But no, there's something gone wrong with him. No, there's something gone right with you. You have been made a new person, but only by the work of the Spirit of God. Paul shows up, the group of twelve or so are there. They appear to be disciples. Did you receive the Holy Spirit?
No. How about your baptism? John's baptism? Well, says Paul, you need to understand that John was pointing forward. And what he actually does, starting where these people are, is explain to them what he's been doing in the synagogues all the time. Remember, he goes into the synagogue, and he takes up the Bible, and he says, Now, I want to argue for the next few weeks with you about the fact that the Messiah had to suffer. And so he goes through the Old Testament, and he shows the passages on the suffering of the Messiah. And then when he has brought them to a conviction regarding that truth, then he lowers the boom on them, the coup de grace, and he says, And this Jesus is that Messiah.
That's essentially what he's doing here. He told people—John did, verse 4—he told people to believe in the one coming after him, that is, Jesus. And what they needed to know was that Jesus had poured out his Spirit, and life was available in him. Now, verse 5 is equally straightforward. On hearing this, they said, Fine. And they were baptized into the name of the Lord Jesus. This is quite an encounter, isn't it? You'd almost think that God had planned this. Little group of guys who've got half the picture sitting there, all talking to one another, having their little times. Along comes the apostle Paul, first clans. It seems like they're all in. Then he says, Maybe they're not all in. Maybe I should ask them a couple of questions. And, Tell me, did you receive the Holy Spirit? No, no, no, no.
We don't have that package. And what about your baptism? How did that go? Well, we were baptized according to John. Well, don't you realize what John was doing? That he was pointing to the Lamb of God who is to come. And somebody said, No, we didn't realize that. But you know what?
That makes perfect sense. And another one said, That explains the missing piece. We couldn't put this jigsaw together.
You have just dropped the last piece in for us. And someone else says, And I'll tell you something else. That explains my struggle. And his friend said, What struggle? And he said, My struggle to be like Jesus. I've been trying like crazy to be like Jesus. I have been trying so hard to be a Christian. That's why I come to these meetings, so that I might get souped up and shaken up and ready to go, so that I might try my best. The almost Christian is always trying their best.
It's always an uphill struggle. Until they realize that genuine, believing faith is all about who Jesus is and what he has accomplished, rather than about who we are and how well we're trying and doing. Now, don't get stalled by the unique and public and visible demonstration of the inrush of the Holy Spirit here in verse 6. Paul placed his hands on them. Throughout the Acts of the Apostles, there are these encounters, particularly post-Pentecost. You remember in Acts chapter 8, when the gospel goes to Samaria, the Spirit of God, like the wind blowing, gives unique signs. And the evidences of the Spirit's work are expressed here. Any careful reading of the Acts of the Apostles makes it obvious that there is no real way of universalizing this or putting it together in a way that we can build a pattern on.
It is so multivarious. It may well be that these particular evidences were necessary in order to convince this little group and the bystanders that what had taken place here on this day was their integration as full members into Christ's body. But let me finish by pointing out to you not what we see as evidence of the Spirit's work in a sporadic and intermittent way, but what is clearly the evidence of the Spirit's work in Christian experience always, all the time, everywhere. There are four things that are here, and I'm not going to expound them, so don't get upset. Let me tell you what they are—repentance, faith in the Lord Jesus, baptism, and the gift of the Holy Spirit. No matter where you go, you will discover that these are, if you like, the hallmarks of Christian initiation. That the perceived order of these things may vary a little, but all four of them belong together. They are universal—repentance, faith in Jesus, baptism, and the gift of the Holy Spirit.
Oh, just a word by way of application to close. Somebody's sitting and saying to themselves, Well, what possible relevance does this have? I'm not a disciple of John the Baptist.
This is an interesting anecdote, but I don't really know how it relates to me. No, I'm pretty convinced that I'm not speaking to disciples of John the Baptist right now, but I'm equally convinced that I am speaking to some who, like this little group of twelve or so, are almost Christians. I'm speaking to individuals who are almost Christians—individuals who have been awakened to the truth of who Jesus is. They would not want to deny it.
They would not want to argue against it. Who may actually also have been awakened to their own sense of sinfulness—that they've no longer seen sin as some generic problem, but they see sin in its ugly terms in their own lives. And they may even have come, under the teaching of the Bible and their own reading, to agree with what the Bible says—namely, that sin deserves God's punishment. But it is at that point that things go dreadfully wrong.
Because it is at that point that self-effort kicks in. And the person says, Well, okay, I am a mess. I have sinned. I am a sinner.
I do deserve God's judgment. So let me handle this the way I handle everything else. Let me get down to it, and let me get it fixed. What do I need to do?
Tell me the things I need to do. I'm going to start by attending Christian activities, I'm going to continue by using Christian language, and I'm going to pull my socks up and do a very good job. And such self-effort leads to one of two things.
Pride, whereby we convince ourselves we're doing very well, or despair, as we acknowledge that no matter how well we're doing, we just can't do well enough. And that individual has never come to see that in Christ our condemnation is annulled, our sins are forgiven, and in Christ God comes to live in us by his Spirit. Well, how about you? I think the average person coming into this room, especially on a Sunday morning like this on the east side of Cleveland, walk in and say, Well, I was there. There was a big crowd of them. Three times the group came in and left again.
They all sang in the songs. They seemed to be fairly attentive. Apparently there's just thousands of Christians in that Parkside church.
Apparently. But the Spirit of God searches our hearts and asks us these questions and says, What about you? Did you receive the Holy Spirit? And you have to say, Well, no, I've been trying to read my Bible and do good things. I even started in a prayer journal. But no, I haven't received the Holy Spirit.
I'm as on my own as I ever was. And what about your baptism? Have you been baptized? Did you ever profess faith in Jesus?
No, I haven't. I don't like that. I saw one of those, and I'm not doing that.
I have no interest in that. And are you relying entirely on Jesus for your salvation so that if you died this evening and stood before the bar of God's judgment and someone said, Why should I welcome you into heaven? Or, Why would you be acceptable to God? You're able to say, Well, actually, in myself, I'm completely unacceptable to God.
But because of all that Jesus is and all that Jesus has done, and because I am resting in him as my Savior, I approach this gateway boldly. See, the biggest danger here at Parkside is that lots of people can just slide along with the group. Caught up in the crowd, singing the songs, saying the peace. Somehow or another, we think that if you hang around long enough, you've got membership. In the club, you know? In the Jesus club.
Well, I've been hanging around for twenty-two years in America, and they never gave me membership yet, until I put up my hand and said, Please, could I become a member? And then they put me through my paces, and then very graciously they said, Yes. Have you ever put up your hand and said, Lord Jesus Christ, please, could I become a member of your discipleship team? Would you forgive my sins and fill me with the Holy Spirit, because I'm making a hash of this?
I say again, the room is filled with almost Christians. We could do no better in a picture than take what Archbishop William Temple said on one occasion. Remember, he said, You can give me a Shakespeare play and ask me to write a play like that, and I can't do it. You can show me a painting by Turner and ask me to paint that, and I can't do it. And you can show me the life of Jesus of Nazareth and ask me to live a life like that, and I can't do it. But if the genius of Shakespeare could come and live in me, then I could write those plays. And if the power of Turner could come and live in me, then I could paint those paintings. And if the power of the risen Lord Jesus could come and live in me, then I could live that life.
See, we often ask the wrong questions. The real question is, do rivers of water flow from my life? Not, Have I signed up? Have I been baptized? Have I done whatever they told me? But is there any evidence that the Spirit of God actually lives in me?
That I'm a new person? And if not, then maybe I'm just an almost Christian. And almost Christians will almost get to heaven, but close isn't going to be close enough. You're listening to Truth for Life. That's Alistair Begg reminding us that genuine faith isn't about our best efforts. It's about trusting in who Jesus is and in what he has accomplished.
Stay with us. Alistair returns in just a moment to close today's program. Our current study is from a series titled, For the Sake of the Gospel. And if you'd like to dive deeper into the Apostle Paul's missionary journeys recorded in the book of Acts, there is a companion study guide available for free from Truth for Life. Alistair's 22 sermons in this series are paired with lessons in the study guide. As you listen to the messages and complete the lessons, you'll examine the Apostle Paul's preaching about the Gospel. You'll delve into his trial before royalty.
You'll see how he survived a storm at sea, a shipwreck, a poisonous snake bite, chains, even wrongful imprisonment. As you explore this story in depth, you'll find great encouragement from the way Paul remained zealous to make all his days and deeds count for the Gospel, even in the midst of extreme difficulty. You can hear the messages and download the study guide for free at truthforlife.org slash acts. Another way you can supplement our study in the book of Acts is to request today's featured book. It's written by Nancy Guthrie, a new release titled Saved, Experiencing the Promise of the Book of Acts. As you read this book, you'll focus on the Holy Spirit's work in the spread of the Gospel and in the growth of the early church.
You can ask for your copy of the book Saved when you donate to Truth for Life today online at truthforlife.org slash donate or call us at 888-588-7884. Now here is Alistair to close with prayer. Father, look upon us in your mercy today, we pray. Help us to search our own hearts before the all-seeing gaze of your Word. Help us to see in the person of Jesus, the one who bore our sins and took our punishment.
Help us to give up our self-reliance or our cozying up to the Christian group and the Christian lingo. Lest we live on the fringes of faith without ever being embraced by your love. Some of us, Lord, are just a step from you. And in some instances it is fear, what will people think, can I keep it up? Some it is pride, I don't want anyone to know.
Some it is I'm a private person, I don't need anybody finding out. But, Lord, we pray that the power of your love may break every barrier down and that there will be people throughout Parkside in these days who are prepared to say, Lord Jesus Christ, I admit that I'm weaker and more sinful than I ever before believed. But through you I'm more loved and accepted than I ever dared hope. And I thank you for paying my debt and bearing my punishment and offering me forgiveness.
And I turn from my sin and receive you as my Savior. Fill me with your Holy Spirit, I pray. Hear our prayers. Let our cries come unto you. For Jesus sake. Amen.
I'm Bob Lapine. Thanks for studying God's Word with us. Tomorrow we'll find out what made Paul's preaching so effective. The Bible teaching of Alistair Begg is furnished by Truth for Life where the Learning is for Living.
