93-17 – Do You Know Your Spiritual Birth Line? – The Sealing of the Holy Spirit

In this scripture-packed series, Dr. Betters discusses regeneration, effectual calling, conversion, justification, adoption, sanctification, perseverance and glorification. Come along on this journey and find great joy in discovering many treasures in your journey along your spiritual birthline. Peter’s spiritual journey is a clear picture of a man intrigued by the Messiah, but not converted. In this message we watch as God removes Peter’s spiritual blindness. Peter’s journey helps us see our own spiritual birthlines unfold.

Transcript

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Welcome to In His Grip with Dr. Chuck F. Betters, produced by Mark Inc. Ministries. Each in his grip message is designed to help turn your hearts toward Jesus and equip you to walk by faith. Let's join Dr. Betters as he preaches the series, Do You Know Your Spiritual Birth Line?

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I don't believe that I ever remember in all of the years that I have been preaching, struggling over Scripture the way I have struggled over these scriptures this morning. I think it is very important that you understand that I honestly believe in my heart, and this is not to be dramatic, but it is certainly a dramatic statement, that when and if you come to understand the doctrine that I am about to teach you, perhaps today and even next Sunday, that it could very well break open your spiritual life in a way that it's never been broken open before. I think that's perhaps why I have been so burdened by this message. You might even want to call it oppression. I'm not quite sure what to call it, except to say that it's like a festering boil that just has to come open. And yet I know that even as I share this message, there are going to be misconceptions and misunderstandings simply because the enemy will not want the truth to be made known. What I am talking about today is the sealing of the Holy Spirit. And in the process of talking about the sealing of the Holy Spirit, we're always going to be prone to excesses or misconstructions of the doctrine, errors, extremes. Over the years, I have tried to be very careful in illustrating that I do not believe in a second work of grace. And yet, in a very real sense of the word, we have differing aspects of the same work of grace all the way through the process of salvation. But it's not a different grace, it's the same grace. It's the only grace, it's the foundational grace of Jesus Christ that regenerates us, that effectually calls us, that converts us. It is grace that gives us repentance and faith to believe. And it is by grace we are sanctified. It is by grace we will be glorified. And yet there is a teaching that has been around now for many years: charismatic doctrine that tells us that God not only works the grace in our conversion, but then subsequently he works another grace, another act of grace, where he baptizes us with the Holy Spirit, and the evidence of which is the speaking in tongues. And you can go to charismatic churches today and find that during the altar call there are two lines: one to get healed, and the other one to be taught how to get the baptism of the Holy Spirit and how to speak in tongues. Now, over the years I have consistently, consistently preached against that. And I want to assure all of you as you sit here today or listen by radio, that is not changing. I do believe with all of my heart that God does do a work. And that work of the Holy Spirit, or the baptism of the Holy Spirit, or the sealing of the Holy Spirit, all of which I am using interchangeably, is a very special work of God's grace that He does in His adopted children. And that that sealing of the Holy Spirit can and will revolutionize your life. When large chunks or masses of people receive that outpouring of God's Spirit, revival sets in. History proves that. Now, having said that, preliminarily, I want to say something else. What I am about to teach you is not new. I believe it has been overlooked. And the reason it has been overlooked is because we have been afraid of the excesses. We have reacted, perhaps in a backlash sort of way, to what the charismatics have done with the baptism of the Holy Spirit. And in so doing, we have robbed ourselves of one of the great doctrines of Scripture and one of the great experiences that you can and will ever have. John Owen, in his work on the Holy Spirit, perhaps the standard bearer of Reformed doctrine, clearly enunciates this doctrine. So also does Jonathan Edwards. So also does our Westminster Confession of Faith. And sadly, many of us overlook this and misunderstand it and read something else into it because we have been so conditioned by the excesses that we have reacted to the other extreme and have missed one of the great blessings that God wants to give to us. John Flavell, Thomas Goodwin, many other of the great reformers, many other of the great expositors of Holy Scripture have spoken about this particular doctrine, and yet we miss it. And it can change your life. I don't know where this is going to go, but I can tell you this I don't ever remember in all of my years of preaching feeling so compelled to be very, very careful with what I say than I have with this message. For that reason, I would ask you to pray with me at this time. Father, I pray that you would send your Holy Spirit into this place and that we would understand like we've never understood before who we are in Jesus Christ. Help us as we open this scripture and all these scriptures to keep our hearts and our minds and our tongues fixed on you. In Jesus' name. Amen. Before we open that Matthew scripture, I want you to listen carefully to three scriptures that I've used before in the past. Second Corinthians chapter 1, verse 22 says that he has set his seal of ownership on us and put his spirit in our hearts as a deposit guaranteeing what is to come. The Holy Spirit has sealed us with a mark of ownership that is a down payment on what is to come. That is our glorification. Secondly, Ephesians 1, verse 13 says, and you also were included when you heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation. Now listen carefully. Having believed, you were marked in him with a seal, the promised Holy Spirit. Did you catch the sequence? Having believed, that's step one, you were then marked with the seal of promise. That's step two. The marking or the sealing is something that comes after you have been saved, after you have been converted. Thirdly, Ephesians 4.30 says, and do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God with whom you were sealed for the day of redemption. Now, in all three of those passages, a word is used. The word is sealed with the Holy Spirit, the Spirit of promise. This sealing, if you will, is, I believe, interchangeable with the baptism with the Holy Spirit. And we're going to talk about that in a minute. In order to understand what the word seal means, I believe it's important that we go to what happened at the baptism of Jesus Christ. Before we do that, I want to say that the word seal in its New Testament sense of the word can mean one of three things, or it can mean all of three things. Number one, the word seal means that which authenticates or conveys authority. For example, Pontius Pilate sealed the tomb. That is, he placed his mark, imprinted his mark, the mark of the Roman governor on the tomb of Jesus, and thus that mark authenticated and gave authority to the guards that were standing there to kill anybody who tried to break that seal. So there's a sense of authority and a sense of authentication in the use of the word seal. That's meaning number one. Meaning number two is the word seal can mean a proof of ownership. In other words, let's just say, for example, that I buy a piece of ground from you, and you and I sign the documents, and I have a piece of paper that has your seal on it that says, yes, now you own that land. So somebody comes along and disputes my ownership of that property. I can then produce that document that says, this seal proves that I own that property. Now the Holy Spirit seals us in the sense that he proves his ownership over us so that when his ownership over us is disputed, either by the accuser or by my own internal doubts, God the Father produces the Holy Spirit as the proof of ownership. I own that child. That's meaning number two. Meaning number three is perhaps best explained this way: a seal is something that provides me with security and assurance, or safety, if you will. Not only do I have that document in my hands that says I own this land, but that document has been filed with all the legal authorities, so that if you dispute my document, I can then take that same document to the authority structure of government and prove to you that it has been properly filed, that I own the land. In other words, it gives me assurance or it attests to the fact that I can be secure in my ownership of that property. And in a very real sense of the word, the seal becomes the witness of assurance that a legal act has taken place. Now I want you to look on your charts that I've given you in your bulletin, the birth line, and I want you to see at the point of conversion two legal acts take place. Legal act number one, we've already talked about, that's justification. And I won't go into that any further. Get the tape if you want to understand it even more. But it's a legal act that takes place whereby the righteousness of Christ is imputed to me. That is a legal declaration that as far as the standards of the law are concerned, I am a forgiven man. A second legal act takes place, and that is called adoption. I am an adopted child of God. Now you will see that out of the legal adoption that takes place at our conversion, I have marked the sealing of the Holy Spirit with a dotted line that goes the entire length of sanctification. You say, why did you do it that way? Because at any given point, after our conversion, that sealing can occur. But note this, it does not necessarily occur at the point of conversion. It can, but not necessarily occur at the point of conversion. And we'll aim to prove that in just a moment. But note what the seal is now in the sense of the word, in the sense of how it's used in the New Testament. The sealing of the Holy Spirit is the authenticating, the witness, the proof of ownership, the authority of God impressed on my soul that I have legally been adopted in Jesus Christ. That He is my Father, I am His Son, and that mark of ownership is a work of the Holy Spirit, whereby at some point, after my conversion, or even simultaneous with my conversion, that assurance, that peace, that pouring out of the Holy Spirit takes place in my life. And that's where the great abuses of the doctrine have taken place. You can illustrate it this way: an adopted child does not know when he or she is adopted that a legal transaction has taken place, do they? You bring the baby home. You have legal rights over the child. Does the child know that he or she is an adopted child? As a baby, of course not. At some given point in that person's life, in that child's life, at some given point, he grows to understand and appreciate that he was not a naturally born child of yours, that he or she was an adopted child. At some given point, the identity of the person needs to come out. That's why you have so many young adults who, when they come to understand that they were adopted, they begin to search for their roots, if you will. That's a natural thing to happen. But the proof or the authentication of their adoption is what? In you saying so? You have to produce something, and what do you have to produce? Legal evidence that says this is an adopted child. Likewise, a legal transaction takes place at your conversion where God grafts you into his family legally and morally. You now stand before him as a child rightfully entitled to all the privileges and inheritances that have been given to the Son. Now, to understand the use of the word seal in the context of our birth line, we kind of need to trace its origins in Scripture. And the best place to begin is the baptism of Jesus. So I'd like you to look at Matthew chapter 3. Now I want you to follow this very carefully. If you stay with me, if you listen closely, this could change your life. No, this will change your life. I believe with all of my heart it will change your life. Matthew 3 16. As soon as Jesus was baptized, he went up out of the water. At that moment, heaven was opened. And he saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove and lightning on him. And a voice from heaven said, This is my son, whom I love. With him I am well pleased. Now just listen as we go to Mark's gospel. Same account, chapter 1, verse 10. As Jesus was coming up out of the water, he saw heaven being torn open, and the spirit descending on him like a dove. And a voice from heaven came saying, You are my son, whom I love, with you I am well pleased. Got the picture? Luke's gospel. Interesting, by the way, when all four gospels record the event. Luke's gospel, chapter 3, verse 22. And the Holy Spirit descended on him in bodily form like a dove. And a voice came from heaven. With you I am well pleased. John's Gospel, chapter 1, verse 32. Then John gave this testimony. Now, of course, he was there. John the Baptist says, I saw the Spirit come down from heaven as a dove and remain on him. I would not have known him, except that the one who sent me to baptize with water told me. Now watch this carefully. The man on whom you see the Spirit come down and remain. Now who is that? That's Jesus. He is the one who will baptize you with the Holy Spirit. Notice who the baptizer is. Jesus is baptizing with the Holy Spirit. The prophecy of John is the one you see the Holy Spirit coming down on is the same one that is going to baptize you with the Holy Spirit. That's very important. Well, Jesus submitted to baptism. And then after that, Luke chapter 4, verse 1. In fact, turn to Luke chapter 4. We have several verses there. In Luke chapter 4, something happens. Luke chapter 4, verse 1. Jesus, this is after his baptism now, Jesus, full of the Holy Spirit, returned from the Jordan and was led by the Spirit into the desert. Jesus, full of the Holy Spirit, was led by the Spirit into the desert. Then verse 14. And news spread throughout the whole countryside about him. Then verse 17. Unrolling it, he found the place where it is written, The Spirit of the Lord is on me, because he has anointed me to preach good news to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim freedom for the prisoners and recovery of sight for the blind, to release the oppressed, to proclaim the year of the Lord's favor. Then he rolled up the scroll, gave it back to the attendant, and sat down. The eyes of everyone in the synagogue were fastened on him, and he began by saying to them, Today, this scripture is fulfilled in your hearing. John chapter 6 and verse 27. Very important verse that kind of starts bringing all of these other verses together. What do we have so far? We have the baptism of Jesus, the heavens are opened, the Holy Spirit descends upon Jesus, and he is empowered at that point, led by the Spirit into the wilderness. He then sits down before the synagogue teachers and quotes this passage out of the prophets that speaks of the Spirit of the Lord anointing him to preach the good news, to proclaim freedom for the prisoners, recovery of sight for the blind. He rolls up the scroll, looks them straight in the eye, and says, Today this scripture is fulfilled right before your eyes. John chapter 6, verse 27. Do not work for food that spoils, but for food that endures to eternal life, which the Son of Man will give you. Here's the key now. On him. God the Father has placed his what? Seal of approval. Now, when did God place his seal of approval upon Jesus? When did the heavens open? When was the voice heard from heaven? This is my son. In you I am well pleased. When was the ministry of Jesus publicly affirmed? When was the outpouring of the Holy Spirit in the life of Jesus? It was at his baptism. And so what have we concluded so far? The baptism of Jesus was his entrance into the public priesthood. And in order to confirm that work, God the Father baptized him with the Holy Spirit, which John calls in chapter six the seal of approval that came from the Father. Now, certainly, there wouldn't be anyone sitting here today that would say that when Jesus was Baptized, he was an unconverted man. Jesus was in every sense of the word fully God and fully man. He certainly was a sinless person at that point, and all the way through his earthly existence. We cannot say that he was unconverted. He was fully God and fully man. Now here's the key. Yet, even in that condition, he needed the outpouring of the Holy Spirit into his life to set him apart for public ministry. This is my son. In you I am well pleased. Upon you, the seal of approval exists. Upon you the power exists. I want the whole world to know on you, the Son, I have poured out my spirit. Now go over to John chapter 20. We're still tracing this doctrine through scripture. John chapter 20. Now, this is after Jesus has been crucified and has been risen from the dead, but he has not yet ascended into heaven. This is during that time when he appeared in different places to different people. Now in John chapter 20, what do we read? Verse 21. Again, Jesus said, Peace be with you. As the Father has sent me, I am sending you. And with that, he breathed on them and said, Receive the Holy Spirit. In the same way as the Father sent Jesus at his baptism, he is now sending his disciples. Notice, he breathed on them and they received the Holy Spirit. In this receiving, they are totally passive. They did not ask for it, they did not request it. He simply breathed on them and commanded them to receive that spirit, and they were passive in the act. It is not something that they do in order to receive, but something he does in them, and as the result of that they receive. But they still have not received the baptism of the Holy Spirit. How do I know that? Because several days later, just before he ascended into heaven, he gives them final instructions. Turn over to Acts chapter 1. He's about ready to ascend into heaven. He's already told them to receive the Holy Spirit. Now in Acts chapter 1, verse 1, we read this. In my former book, Theophilus, Theophilus was the man to whom the book was written. His mother named him that way because when he was born, she looked at him and said, This has to be the awfulest human being I've ever seen. Who would name their kid Theophilus? In my former book, Theophilus, I wrote about all that Jesus began to do and teach until the day he was taken up to heaven. After giving instructions through the Holy Spirit to the apostles, he has chosen. After his suffering, he showed himself to these men and gave them convincing proofs that he was alive. He appeared to them over a period of 40 days and spoke about the kingdom of God. On one occasion, while he was eating with them, he gave them this command. Now, underscore this to not leave Jerusalem, but wait for the gift my Father promised, which you have heard me speak about. For John baptized with water, but in a few days you will be baptized with the Holy Spirit. Notice he promises them a baptism with the Holy Spirit. He says, now wait. Sit here and wait. You say, Well, did they have the Holy Spirit yet? John chapter 20 says, they already received the Holy Spirit. But now, right before he ascends, he says to them, You sit here and wait, so that you may receive the baptism of the Holy Spirit. Notice the use of the word baptism. Now go over to Acts chapter 2 and look with me at verse 1. When the day of Pentecost came, they were all together in one place. Suddenly, a sound like the blowing of a violent wind came from heaven and filled the whole house where they were sitting. They saw what seemed to be tongues of fire that separated and came to rest on each of them. All of them were, what's the next word? Filled, filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in other glossalalia, other languages. Known discernible dialects, not ecstatic babblings that you learn in your bathtub, but known discernible dialects, languages that were not inherent to them but alien to them, so that the gospel could be communicated to other people. All of them were filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in other tongues as the Spirit enabled them. Now they were staying in Jerusalem, God-fearing Jews from every nation under heaven. When they heard this sound, a crowd came together in bewilderment because each one heard them speaking in his own, what's the next word? Language. I've yet to hear a charismatic answer to that question. What languages did they speak at Pentecost? And you always hear this while they spoke in the tongues of men and of angels. They spoke an angelic heavenly language. That's not what it says. It says they spoke in languages that were known to the people who were listening. Now, I want you to notice something here. In John 20, before he ascends into heaven, he says, receive the Holy Spirit. And he breathed on them, and they received the Holy Spirit. Then he says, Now you go and wait for the baptism of the Holy Spirit. He ascends into heaven. Ten days later at Pentecost, Acts chapter 2 tells us that they were filled with the Holy Spirit. Notice the use or the choice of the words. That work of the Holy Spirit, the sealing of the Holy Spirit, the baptism of the Holy Spirit are used interchangeably in these passages to speak of the same thing. That is, to converted men, to people who already have the Holy Spirit, God is saying, I am going to mark you out in a special way that is different from the time when you were converted. Now let's see if we can prove that. Acts chapter 2, verse 14. Peter stands up and explains what's going on. He raised his voice and addressed the crowd, fellow Jews and all you who live in Jerusalem. Let me explain this to you. Isn't it great? Let me explain this to you. You don't even need Chuck Betters to explain this to you. Listen carefully to what I say. These men are not drunk as you suppose. Obviously, there was some physical, demonstrable evidence that something different had happened to these men. Listen carefully to what I say. It's only nine in the morning. No, this was what was spoken by the prophet Joel. In the last days, God says, I will what? Pour out my spirit. Your sons and daughters will prophesy, your young men will see visions, your old men will dream dreams. Even on my servants, both men and women, I will what? Pour out my spirit. Then he goes on and talks about what will happen in the end times, the clouds and the fire and all that stuff that I don't want to get into at this point. The point I want to make is now what we've added is another term, the pouring out. We now have the filling, the pouring out, the sealing, the baptism all used interchangeably. All speaking of the same event, that is the Holy Spirit coming upon men, coming upon women who already have in one form the Holy Spirit, but are now being given the Holy Spirit in another form, not more of the Holy Spirit, but authentication of the Holy Spirit and proof of ownership that the Spirit of God has truly grafted you in and adopted you into the body of Christ. Now, when this occurs, it's called a pouring out. That is an overflowing, a drenching. Now, whether we use the term baptism, sealing, filling in the sense of pouring out or drenching, it all means the same thing. The impartation of the Holy Spirit to already converted people for a specific purpose. These were saved men, converted men who had already received the Holy Spirit, yet men who had not been baptized with the Holy Spirit, similar to what occurred to Jesus at his own baptism. They were justified men, adopted men, saved in every sense of the word. Their salvation would not depend upon any further work of the Holy Spirit, for God does not impart his Holy Spirit and apply his blood to lost men, but to saved men. What am I talking about here? Here's the vital principle. Listen carefully. The baptism of the Holy Spirit and the sealing of the Holy Spirit are the same thing. Yet the sealing or baptism is the proof, affirmation, authentication, assurance of our actual adoption in Christ. Now listen, and does in no way, no shape, no form, cause or hinder our salvation. I'm not talking about people getting a part of the Holy Spirit. When you are a regenerated person, you are brought into contact with all of the Holy Spirit you're ever going to get. But the authentication or work of the Spirit in you, affirming and confirming and assuring and authenticating and proving in such a way so as to revolutionize and change your life is something that happens after your conversion. Well, some people say, well, what do you do with 1 Corinthians 12, 13? For we were all baptized by one spirit into one body, whether Jews or Greeks, slave or free, and we were all given the one spirit to drink. You know, I think it's sad that in evangelical circles we have to make a word that means many different things always mean the same thing. Baptism is one of those words. Baptists do this. They say, well, the word baptize means to immerse. And I say to them, well, yeah, it does mean to immerse. But it also means to die, Dy E. It also means to sprinkle, it means to pour, it means to drench, it means to moisten, it means to soak, it means to wet, it means all kinds of things. In fact, there are 140 some different uses of the word baptism, but they say it has to mean immersion, therefore they justify the position of immersion baptism, which nowhere is taught in Scripture. But the whole basis or the whole case of their theology is that the word baptize, baptizo, has to mean to immerse, and it doesn't. And it doesn't. And likewise, in this particular case, the use of the word baptism does not necessarily imply to us the same thing we've been talking about concerning this work of the Holy Spirit in assuring us of our salvation. Here in 1 Corinthians 12, 13, he is referencing what happens at conversion. The Holy Spirit who regenerates you, effectually calls you, gives you faith and repentance, and thus converts you, there is a legal act that takes place at that point whereby you are grafted into the very body of Christ, adopted fully as his child, and nothing that happens subsequent to that changes that. Please do not understand that after you are converted, there is something more that has to be done in order to get your sins forgiven or in order to be converted or saved. That is not true. At the point of conversion, the Holy Spirit transfers you from that which is alien and orphaned to that which is legally adopted and justified in Jesus Christ. And you have all of the Holy Spirit at that point, not a part of it, but all of the Holy Spirit that you're going to get. But just like that adopted child, your own sense of identity has to be confirmed. Through the process of growth, through the process of sanctification, and as we proceed along that birth line, God works that work in you. Well, when we talk about the Holy Spirit who regenerates, we talk about the Holy Spirit who effectually calls, we talk about the Holy Spirit who gives faith and repentance, we talk about the Holy Spirit who converts us, we talk about the Holy Spirit who justifies and adopts us. These are all works that are done by the Holy Spirit. He is the agent who does that. You say, Why are you saying that? Remember what I read to you earlier in referencing the baptism of the Holy Spirit. Notice what John the Baptist said. It is not the Holy Spirit who's going to baptize you with the Holy Spirit, it is Jesus who's going to baptize you with the Holy Spirit. You say, well, now wait a minute, you're picking, you're grabbing at straws. Jesus and the Holy Spirit are one and the same thing. Whenever Scripture makes a distinction, it makes a distinction for a reason. And the reason in this particular case is because the baptism that takes place at your conversion, that is by the Holy Spirit, when you're brought from death into life and grafted into the family of God, is different from the sealing of the Holy Spirit, which is used interchangeably with the reference of baptism of the Holy Spirit later on. That work is done by Jesus, who uses the agency of the Holy Spirit to accomplish it. Otherwise, what do you do with all the Old Testament men? You say, What are you talking about? Turn to John chapter 7. Let me show you again, a little bit further, what's going on here. Follow along. John chapter 7. On the last day, verse 37, the greatest day of the feast, Jesus stood and said in a loud voice, Anyone is thirsty, let him come to me and drink. Whoever believes in me, as the scripture has said, streams of living water will flow from within him. By this he meant the Spirit, whom those who believed in him were later to receive. Already converted men, and then he says this up to that time the Spirit had not been given, since Jesus had not yet been glorified. So what do you do with all the Old Testament men who were saved men, Abraham and David and Moses and all the others who were living on the other side of Pentecost, had not received the Holy Spirit in this way? Are we going to say that they were not converted men? If conversion and the baptism and sealing of the Holy Spirit that I'm referring to all takes place at the same time, the Holy Spirit had not yet been given. So how then were these men saved? There it is. Does this mean that David and Abraham and all the Old Testament saints were not saved? Of course not. They had received the implanting of the Holy Spirit in their regeneration as well. They were effectually called to faith and repentance to Christ the same way that we are, and converted by God's grace the same way that we're converted. But they were not yet given this ceiling. Why? Because the baptism of the Holy Spirit and the Spirit of God had not yet been given that would happen at Pentecost. Well, go over two Acts. Let's follow this and see how it works its way out in specific circumstances. Turn to Acts chapter 8. Occurrence number one, Acts chapter 8. The Samaritan dogs, the half-breeds, Jew Gentile half-breeds, if you will, the most hated people by the Jews. Acts chapter 8, verse 12. Guess what's happening? Philip's preaching to them. And as he preached the good news of the kingdom of God, verse 12, in the name of Jesus Christ, they were baptized, both men and women. Now let me ask you a question. Would Philip have baptized unconverted people? All first generation Christians in the book of Acts were baptized. That's why we baptized all first generation adults and their offspring. These are adult men and women who are hearing the preaching of the word. They're converted, and Philip says, Why shouldn't we baptize? These are first generation Christians, and he baptizes them. So we're talking about converted men. Simon himself believed and was baptized. Now that's a story within the story about the man who tries to buy it, etc. But we're not going to follow that right now. When the apostles in Jerusalem heard that Samaria had accepted the word of God. Are these Christian people? Now they've been baptized, they've accepted the word of God. Are these converted men? Of course they are. They sent Peter and John to them, and when they arrived, they prayed for them that they might receive the Holy Spirit, because the Holy Spirit had not yet come upon any of them. They had simply been baptized into the name of the Lord Jesus. Then Peter and John placed their hands on them and they received the Holy Spirit. Now, of course, we know what the charismatics do with this, they teach a doctrine of subsequence. That you're saved here and that you're baptized somewhere down the road is a second work of grace, and the evidence or proof of that is that you speak in tongues. But that's not what I'm talking about. What I'm talking about is that these are no doubt believers who had not yet been baptized in the same way that the apostles were baptized at Pentecost. How do we know they were believers? Because they were baptized as believers. But it was at some later point that they were baptized, sealed with the Holy Spirit of promise. They were already saved, but not yet assured. Go over to Acts chapter 10 and look with me at verse 44. Acts chapter 10, verse 44. While Peter was still speaking these words, the Holy Spirit came on all who heard the message. The circumcised believers who had come with Peter were astonished that the gift of the Holy Spirit had been poured out even on the Gentiles, for they heard them speaking in tongues and praising God. Then Peter said, Can anyone keep these people from being baptized with water? They have received the Holy Spirit just as we have. So he ordered that they be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ, and they asked Peter to stay with them for a few days. Here is a case in the household of Cornelius where conversion and the baptism of the Holy Spirit occur at the same time. Here is a case where as he was preaching and as they were believing, the Holy Spirit falls on them. No real period or no real gap, if you will, between their conversion and this outpouring of the Holy Spirit. So now we have two different examples, don't we? Well, go over to Acts chapter 15. The council at Jerusalem is convened. And they are discussing whether or not what happened to the Gentiles is legitimate. Is this legitimate? Are they truly saved people now? Acts 15, verse 7. After much discussion, Peter got up and addressed them, brothers, you know that some time ago God made a choice among you that the Gentiles might hear from my lips the message of the gospel and believe. God, who knows the heart, showed that he accepted them. And how did he show it? By giving the Holy Spirit to them, just as he did to us. There it is. What could Peter possibly be referring to here but Pentecost? The same outpouring of the Spirit that was given to Cornelius, that was given at Pentecost, that was given at Samaria, Peter now stands up before the council and says, We now know for a certainty, because the same Holy Spirit That baptized us at Pentecost, baptized them exactly the same way. Acts chapter 19. The last occurrence in the book of Acts. Look with me at verse 1. While Apollos was at Corinth, Paul took the road through the interior and arrived in Ephesus. There he found some disciples. And he asked them, Did you receive the Holy Spirit when you believed? They answered, No. Now you say, Well, now wait a minute. I've heard that explained before. Most scholars say the word when should be since. Other scholars say the word when should be when. So which is it? You know what I want to say to you? It doesn't really matter. It really doesn't matter because no matter which interpretation you put on that word, whether it's when they believe or since they believe, the bottom line deduction you draw from it is this: it is indeed possible to be converted without receiving the Holy Spirit in the sense of the baptism. That's the point he's trying to make. No, we have not even heard that there is a Holy Spirit. So Paul asked, then what baptism did you receive? John's baptism. Paul said, John's baptism was a baptism of repentance. He told the people to believe in the one coming after him, that is in Jesus. On hearing this, they were baptized into the name of the Lord Jesus. Are these converted men? Of course they're converted men. Why? How do you know that? Because Paul baptized them. He baptizes them as converted men. Then notice when Paul placed his hands on them, the Holy Spirit came on them, and they spoke in tongues and prophesied. They're all in about twelve. Here are men who are baptized, and after they are baptized, Paul lays his hands on them and they receive the Holy Spirit. From all this, we draw a principle. The principle goes like this, and I'd like you to turn to 1 Peter chapter 1. I want you to listen very, very carefully as we bring this home. This is where I know I have to choose my words carefully, that's why I've written them. I want you to listen very carefully to what I'm saying. Everybody have 1 Peter chapter 1? Here's the principle. Listen to what I'm saying. We know that no man can be converted without the Holy Spirit who regenerates him, who effectually calls him, who gives him faith and repentance unto conversion, who justifies and adopts us into his family and grafts us into his body, the church. Up to that point, all of what I am saying that the Holy Spirit does is the work of the Holy Spirit and the Holy Spirit alone. And what happens at our conversion is what 1 Corinthians 12, 13 is explaining when it says we are baptized into the body of Christ. That I am distinguishing from what I'm going to say next. However, the sealing of the Holy Spirit, and the one who does this sealing now is who? Jesus does this sealing with the Holy Spirit. He is the one, Jesus, who's doing the sealing. The Holy Spirit is the agent. The sealing of the Holy Spirit, which I am calling the baptism of the Holy Spirit, does not automatically happen at conversion. There can be an interval, sometimes so short as to make it almost imperceptible. Sometimes it's even coincidental with conversion, as we saw in Acts. And sometimes even months or years before the converted man can express along with Peter what you see there in 1 Peter chapter 1. Peter, an apostle of Jesus Christ, to God's elect, strangers in the world, scattered throughout Pontus, Galatia, Cappadocia, Asia, Bithynia. These are persecuted people. And then verses 8 and 9, though you have not seen him, you love him. And even though you do not see him now, you believe in him and are underline these next words filled with an inexpressible and glorious joy. For you are receiving the goal of your faith, the salvation of your souls. An inexpressible joy. You can't even put words to it. What happens in regeneration is unknown to us. We've already taught that. It's a passive act of God. The Holy Spirit regenerates a dead nature. And so what happens in regeneration is unknown to us. We're passive in the process. But what happens to us in the sealing of the Holy Spirit is to us. And it is, in my opinion, the stuff that revivals are made out of. But when the sealing occurs, when the Holy Spirit is poured out, as he was at Pentecost, there is a marked, marked change in every believer. He is assured as he has never been assured before. He is full of inexpressible joy. He is overflowing with the love of God. He is burdened for the lost in a way he's never been burdened before. He is humbled before God as he has never been humbled before. He is so awed by what has happened to him that he does not boast of this experience, but instead is so filled to overflowing by the power and the presence of God that he becomes contagious to lost people. And when this happens in large groups, at the same time, revival lands. A supernatural visit from God lands on a society. Men are converted en masse. The life of the body of Christ is dramatically altered in a new direction, and the work of the kingdom of God invades the powers of hell itself, and the gates of hell are stormed by the church that up to that point remained powerless and ingrown. Is that your experience? Is that your desire? The great Bible expositor Andrew Murray was preaching. And his sermon was interrupted. And he gives this account. He says, the place where we were meeting began to rattle, began to shake. And God interrupted my sermon in a way I've never been interrupted before. And the Holy Spirit landed on the church. And by the way, there was no one more anti-emotionalism than Andrew Murray. A brilliant intellect. He interrupted their worship services. He interrupted their routine as usual. He interrupted their business protocol. He invaded the infrastructures of their spirits and said, You are my beloved sons and you are my beloved daughters, and in you I am pleased. And he fills you in a way that you've never been filled before by the power of the Holy Spirit. And that's contagious. Inexpressible joy. You know what inexpressible joy is? I can't explain it. The moment I try to explain inexpressible joy, it's not inexpressible anymore, is it? You have the absolute highest level of assurance that you've ever had before.

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Let me tell you something.

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There's three levels of assurance. Level one is the lowest level. You know what that is? Somebody doubts your salvation. A well-meaning Christian who loves the Lord, and I've done this many times. I open up the book. I've done this with my son. I've done this with my daughter. I've done this with my children. I've done this with a lot of other people. People who are saved, and then they say, Well, I'm not sure I'm saved. And I open up the scriptures and I read Romans chapter 8. There is therefore now no condemnation to them who are in Christ Jesus. Do you believe that? Yeah, I believe that. I go over to 1 John chapter 5, verse 11. This is the record that God has given to them eternal life. This life is in the Son. Ye that have the Son have life. Ye that do not have the Son of God do not have life. These things have I written unto you that believe in the name of the Son of God, that you may know that you have eternal life. Do you believe that? Yeah, I believe that. And on and on we'll quote these different scriptures and we'll deduce from the scriptures that certain things need to be believed simply because the Bible says so, and people, as the product of that, gain assurance. But I want to tell you, that's the lowest form of assurance. As great as it is, it's the lowest form of assurance. Level two is what I call the test of life assurance. You'll find them in 1 John. We know that we love God because we love the brethren. In other words, there's evidence in my life, and John lists certain other tests in 1 John. He says, if this is happening in your life and this is happening in your life, and this is happening in your life, then you're a child of God. And so we have the test of life. That's a higher level of assurance. It's not just deducing from Scripture, it's actually living certain things out. That's a second level. But then there's a higher level. In fact, it's the highest level of assurance. It's the Romans 8, 15, and 16 level of assurance. Let me read it to you. Don't even turn to it, just listen. For if you live, verse 13, I'm starting with, according to the sinful nature, you will die. But if by the Spirit you put to death the misdeeds of the body, you will live. Because those who are led by the Spirit of God are the sons of God. Now listen, for you did not receive a spirit that makes you a slave again unto fear. But you, me, hold it, Lord. I received the spirit of sonship, whereby to him I cry, Abba Father. He's not done yet. Then the Spirit Himself testifies with my spirit that I am God's child. Now, if we are children, then we are heirs. If we are heirs, we are co-heirs with Christ, if indeed we share in his sufferings, in order that we may also share in his glory. That is the sealing of the Holy Spirit. That is the point in your life as converted men and women, whereby Jesus infuses into you a new understanding, a new authority, a new perspective of who you are. And when that lands, your life is changed forever. You can't be the same person and understand your sonship in that way. A sense of God's power and presence. Even amidst trial and pain. That's what Romans 5 says. For the love of God is shed abroad in my heart. Shed abroad in my heart. And now we stand, we rejoice in the hope of the glory of God, not only so, but we also rejoice in our sufferings. Are these people nuts? We rejoice in our sufferings because we know that suffering produces perseverance, perseverance character, character hope, and hope does not disappoint us, and it doesn't end there. It says, hope doesn't disappoint us because God has poured out his love. Are you sensing the awesome majesty of what I'm talking about here? But do you know what's so vital to me? I've read many of the great works. You want to get a headache? Read John Owen. You don't read more than one page at a time. You don't speed read John Owen. And our Westminster Confession. And the works of Jonathan Edwards. And people like D. Martin Lloyd Jones and others like them. I've read these guys a thousand times. And you know something? They've been saying this all along. They've been saying this stuff all along. And somehow or another, I skip right over it. And you know why we skip right over it? Because we're afraid we don't want to become like the charismatics. Take in great doctrines and abuse them with excesses that are unbiblical. May I suggest to you that if you're sitting here this morning and you don't have that inexpressible joy, am I saying you're not a Christian? Of course not. I've painfully, painfully tried to show you that we are not talking about anything that conditions your salvation. When you come to Christ, all your sins are forgiven. I am not talking about something that warrants or upon which your salvation is based. I'm talking about an adoption. And coming to understand what that adoption means. That sealing, that work of the Holy Spirit that falls and lands on you will revolutionize your life forever. And in my opinion, that's the stuff that revivals are made out of. Father, help us to understand this. Help us to be so troubled in our spirits. To do what Jacob did, to lay on our faces before you and to say we will not let you go until you bless us. Until you open the heavens. Until you fill us with that inexpressible joy. Lord, we'll sing our hymns differently. We'll pray our prayers differently. We'll witness to lost people differently. We'll do business around this church differently. We'll invest ourselves in ministry differently. We'll love our wives differently. We'll love our husbands differently. We'll raise our children differently. Lord, help us to see who we are. Authenticate that in each of us, Lord. Authenticate that in each of us. Confirm it in us. Fill us with that inexpressible joy. And Lord, as we said last week, it is not an experience we seek, it's you we seek. It's you, O God. It's your Son Jesus Christ and His great love for us that we seek. And so empower us to understand that as we've never understood it before.

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Now may the grace of God, the love of our Lord and our Savior, Jesus the Christ, the very presence, person, and power of his Holy Spirit, abide with each of you now until Christ comes again and forevermore. And all God's people said it.

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You have been listening to English script featuring the preaching and teaching ministry of Dr. Chuck F. Betters and produced by Mark Street. Mark Sistri exists to offer help and hope to hurting people by voicing the promises of God and the comfort of his work. Through scripts, ask Dr. Betters, failing treasure, and help us hope. We provide free, faith-based resources for those walking through suffering, grief, confusion, and learn more about after better. Even when you do not understand.