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June 15, 2025 Fathers Day Morning is a contiuation of the Acts study in chapter 2. Sermon notes to come.

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(John 8:30-47)

The themes of bondage and freedom run throughout the Scriptures. Salvation is often pictured as a move from bondage to freedom. Nothing is more valuable, and nothing better pictures salvation than the switch from slavery to liberty. Paul presents salvation as an allegory involving Abraham’s two sons: Ishmael born of the bondwoman Hagar and Isaac born of the free woman Sarah (Gal.4:21-5:1). One was born of a slave woman and so is perpetually in bondage to the law, while the other was born of the free woman, picturing the freedom from the law we have in Christ. Paul declares that Christians are not in bondage to the law but we are born free.

It would be good to establish what freedom is. It is not a license to sin. Freedom gives you the supernatural ability to obey and trust God. Those who practice sin are slaves to sin. “Whoever commits sin is a slave of sin. And a slave does not abide in the house forever, but a son abides forever.” (v.34-35)

Freedom depends on how you were born. Everybody does the deeds of their father. Like father – like son (v.41). The whole book of First John has this as a proof that you have eternal life – you behave like your father. Jesus said, “You are of your father the devil, and the desires of your father you want to do.” (v.44)

If you are born of the flesh you are in bondage to the law of sin and death, but if you are born again of the Spirit, you are born free. Free from sin! “Whoever has been born of God does not sin; and he cannot sin because he has been born of God. In this the children of God and the children of the devil are manifest.” (1Jn.3:9-10) Born living under the law produces sin in a person’s life; but the new birth by the Spirit produces freedom from sin and the law. “Where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is liberty.” (2Cor.3:17)

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“Now when the Day of Pentecost had fully come, they were all with one accord in one place.” (Acts 2:1)

“And it shall come to pass in the last days, says God, that I will pour out My Spirit on all flesh.” (Acts 2:17)

I was first filled with the Spirit as I was reading John R. Rice’s book The Power of Pentecost and the Fullness of the Spirit. Being a Baptist myself I thought this was strange because Rice was the ‘godfather’ of the Independent Baptists, and this book went against Baptist beliefs. I was attending Emmanuel Baptist College at the time and so I asked my professor if he agreed with Rice and he said, “Certainly not! I do think this power is for special people marked out by God as evangelists, missionaries and maybe pastors.” But this is not what Rice was saying, and it certainly is not what the Bible says. Note the texts. The fullness of the Spirit and the power of Pentecost is for all, for every born again believer. (Acts 2:38-39) Acts 10:44-48 declares, “While Peter was still speaking these words, the Holy Spirit fell upon all those who heard the word.” You can’t receive something you’ve heard nothing about. You need to say loudly, “This is for me! God has not left me out of this precious and powerful promise. The baptism with the Spirit is for me! Praise God.”

What exactly is this fullness of the Spirit the Scriptures speak of? The name tells us what it is. It is you being filled with God! Your spirit, soul, and body becomes saturated with the Holy Spirit. He fills your inside and comes upon your outside with an anointing that gives you the power of God to be like Jesus and do the things He did. It makes you more like Jesus.

People sometimes say things like, “I don’t want all that Pentecost stuff. I just want to be like Jesus.” Well, Jesus was baptized with the Holy Spirit at the River Jordan right after John baptized Him in water. Does God want every believer to be baptized in water? Yes, That’s a clear. Then God wants you to be baptized with the Holy Spirit as well, just like Jesus was. Jesus received both water baptism and Spirit baptism (Lk.3:21-22). So, if you’re going to be like Jesus you need both. We all do.

What most people mean when they say they want to be like Jesus is Mister Nice Guy. They want to have a nice life, get along with everybody, work a good job, make enough money to take care of their family, and be a good citizen and neighbor. Love thy neighbor and all that. That is their view of what Jesus was like. But is it a Scriptural view? Is that what Jesus was really like? Consider this. Is the following description of Jesus what you are talking about when you say you just want to be like Jesus? Probably not, but it is the Bible view of Him.

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Dive deeper into sermon notes and see how Christ is moving in our community by visiting our website: https://sites.google.com/view/gracehouseclinton/sermons

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