Immersed and Revealed by the Spirit
Key Scripture: Matthew 28:19b–20
“Baptising them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. And remember! I am with you always, even to the end of the age.”
INTRODUCTION – THE POWER OF ALIGNMENT
Our Alignment
In my first sermon, I spoke about the authority we have when we align ourselves with the Lord and co-mission with Him.
When we come into agreement (sumphōneō), we speak the things He has already spoken and declared, bringing them into being on earth as they are in heaven.
The key to authority and power is choosing to align ourselves with the mission of the Lord Jesus and collaborate with the Holy Spirit.
Our Positioning
In my second sermon in this series, I spoke about how authority and power are demonstrated through our willingness and readiness to share the Gospel as we go about our everyday lives and make disciples.
When we position ourselves alongside the Holy Spirit on mission, we must be willing and intentional about placing our lives in the hands of the Lord, allowing the Holy Spirit to guide and direct our steps.
Today, in this third sermon, I want to explore another dimension of the Great Commission: the power of being baptised, immersed and empowered by the Holy Spirit.
Our Flow
I want to show you how the Holy Spirit, as our great revealer and teacher, brings about a depth of individual and corporate growth that cannot be achieved through human wisdom or natural understanding alone.
Ultimately, this is about our willingness to flow with the Holy Spirit, surrender control and die to ourselves so that Christ might live and work through us.
1. THE BARRIERS TO THE HOLY SPIRIT
One of the greatest barriers to experiencing the fullness of the Holy Spirit is our own will, intellect and reliance on human understanding.
Paul rebukes the Galatians because they had begun their journey in the Spirit but were attempting to continue in their own strength and through human effort.
Galatians 3:3: “After beginning by means of the Spirit, are you now trying to finish by means of the flesh?”
Isn't that often our problem?
We begin with the Spirit, but somewhere along the way we become dependent on our own abilities, knowledge, experience and understanding.
We start trying to accomplish in our own strength what can only be accomplished through the power of the Holy Spirit.
The danger is that our intelligence, education and experience, which can be wonderful gifts, can also become obstacles when we allow them to take the place of dependence on God.
2. THE REVELATION AND IMPARTATION OF THE SPIRIT
I have two degrees, one in psychology and one in theology. I have spent literally years studying, researching and learning.
And whilst I value education immensely, I have discovered that no level of academic study can replace the growth, revelation and impartation that comes when we submit ourselves to the Holy Spirit.
The day of Pentecost is absolute evidence of this.
A relatively small group of unlearned and relatively ordinary men and women, many without formal religious education, chose to wait upon the promise of the Father.
And what happened?
They were filled with the Holy Spirit and went on to change the world.
When I was filled and baptised in the Holy Spirit, something happened to my understanding. My eyes were opened. My knowledge and understanding of the Kingdom of God expanded exponentially, beyond what I could have achieved through natural learning alone.
I am not suggesting that education is unimportant. Far from it.
But there is a difference between knowing about God and receiving revelation from God.
There is a difference between studying the things of the Kingdom and allowing the King Himself to reveal His Kingdom to you.
We need both the Word and the Spirit. But we must never allow our knowledge of the Word to replace our dependence on the Spirit who inspired it.
3. WHAT DOES IT MEAN TO BE BAPTISED?
Let's return to the Great Commission.
Jesus says:
“Baptising them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit.”
Interestingly, this is the clearest explicit baptismal formula in the New Testament that names all three persons of the Trinity.
Elsewhere in Acts, we find references to baptism in the name of Jesus.
There are theological discussions around why Jesus specifically emphasises the Father, Son and Holy Spirit here.
I believe the context is important. Jesus is commissioning His disciples into the fullness of the life and mission of God, and this commission is followed by the promise of the Holy Spirit and the events of Pentecost.
The word used for baptising is the Greek word baptizō.
It carries the meaning of immersing, dipping or plunging into something such as when we dye garments, the garment is immersed and comes out transformed.
It is a picture of being completely surrounded, covered and immersed.
Let me give you an illustration.
If you're anything like me and enjoy a good Sunday roast, you'll know that the secret is often in the marinade.
You can sprinkle a little seasoning or sauce over the meat after it has been cooked, and it might taste nice.
But it simply cannot compare with the flavour when the meat has been immersed in the marinade beforehand.
The flavour goes right through it!
And I wonder whether sometimes we are content with a little sprinkling of the Holy Spirit when God is inviting us into a life of complete immersion.
We don't need just a Sunday experience. We need a life immersed in the presence, power and person of the Holy Spirit.
The river of immersion
In Ezekiel 47, the prophet is given a vision of a river flowing from the temple of God.
He is led into the water.
First, it reaches his ankles.
Then his knees.
Then his waist.
Finally, the water becomes so deep that he can no longer stand and must swim.
What a picture!
There is a progression from standing in the water to being completely surrendered to the current.
At first, we can still stand in control. We can decide where we go and how far we venture.
But eventually, there comes a point where we must surrender our footing and allow the river to carry us.
This is the picture of a life surrendered to the Holy Spirit.
Not simply visiting the river, but being immersed in it.
Not simply experiencing Him occasionally, but allowing Him to influence every part of our lives.
4. THE PROMISE OF THE HOLY SPIRIT
Throughout the Old Testament, water baptism and ritual washing were associated with cleansing and purification. John the Baptist then came baptising people in water as a sign of repentance, preparing the way for Jesus.
But John made an extraordinary declaration.
Matthew 3:11:
“I baptise you with water for repentance. But after me comes one who is more powerful than I... He will baptise you with the Holy Spirit and fire.”
John was pointing beyond his own ministry.
Water baptism was significant, but Jesus was coming to baptise people with the Holy Spirit.
Jesus Himself spoke repeatedly about this coming promise.
In John 20:22, after His resurrection, Jesus breathed on His disciples and said, “Receive the Holy Spirit.”
Yet in Luke 24:49, He instructed them to wait in Jerusalem until they were clothed with power from on high.
And in Acts 1:4–5, He again commanded them not to leave Jerusalem but to wait for the promise of the Father.
Why?
Because something extraordinary was about to happen.
Jesus had to be glorified, and the promised outpouring of the Spirit would follow.
In John 7:37–39, Jesus stood up during the Feast of Tabernacles and declared:
“Let anyone who is thirsty come to me and drink. Whoever believes in me, as Scripture has said, rivers of living water will flow from within them.”
John explains that Jesus was speaking about the Spirit, whom those who believed in Him were later to receive, because Jesus had not yet been glorified.
Notice the language.
Jesus doesn't simply promise a drink of water.
He promises rivers of living water flowing from within us!
This is more than a personal experience. It is an overflowing experience.
The Spirit does not simply come to satisfy our thirst. He comes to make us a source of life and blessing to others.
5. REGENERATION, SANCTIFICATION AND EMPOWERMENT
I want to make an important distinction here.
When we talk about the work of the Holy Spirit, we need to understand that Scripture reveals different dimensions of His work in our lives.
In the New Testament, we see different prepositions used to describe the Spirit's relationship with believers:
• En – in or within.
• Para – with or alongside.
• Epi – upon.
These expressions help us understand the different ways Scripture describes the Spirit's work.
Regeneration – The Spirit working in us
The Holy Spirit is the one who draws us to Christ and brings about the new birth.
Jesus said in John 3:3 that unless someone is born again, they cannot see the Kingdom of God.
We are made alive through the regenerative work of the Spirit.
We cannot even confess Jesus as Lord except through the work of the Holy Spirit (1 Corinthians 12:3).
The Spirit has been at work from creation itself. In Genesis, we see the Spirit of God hovering over the waters.
He has always been active, bringing life, revealing truth and drawing humanity towards God.
Sanctification – The Spirit continuing to work within us
The Holy Spirit doesn't simply bring us into relationship with Jesus and then leave us to work things out.
He continues to transform us.
He sanctifies us, changes our character and shapes us into the image of Christ.
He convicts us of sin and righteousness, leads us into truth and produces His fruit within us.
I sometimes think of the Holy Spirit as the hound of heaven, pursuing us, convicting us and continually drawing us closer to the Father.
Yet He is also gentle as a dove.
He does not force us into surrender. We must be willing to respond to His leading.
We can grieve the Holy Spirit (Ephesians 4:30), and we can quench the Spirit (1 Thessalonians 5:19).
God has sealed us with His Spirit, marking us as belonging to Him (Ephesians 1:13).
Nothing can separate us from the love of God, but we must never take lightly our responsibility to remain surrendered and responsive to His Spirit.
Empowerment – The Spirit coming upon us
But there is another dimension of the Spirit's work that Jesus specifically told His disciples to wait for.
Acts 1:4–8:
Jesus commanded them not to leave Jerusalem but to wait for the promise of the Father.
Then He said:
“But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes upon you; and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.”
The Greek word for power here is dunamis.
It speaks of supernatural power, ability and might.
Notice the language Jesus uses: the Holy Spirit comes upon them.
In Luke 24:49, Jesus uses the imagery of being clothed with power from on high.
What a beautiful picture!
To be clothed means to be covered. It means something comes upon you and surrounds you.
Jesus was promising His disciples an empowerment beyond their natural ability.
And notice what this power was for.
It was not simply for personal enjoyment, spiritual excitement or an extraordinary church service.
It was for witnessing.
It was for making Jesus known.
I remember Phil Baker sharing an illustration comparing this to a brown Hyundai and a red Ferrari.
Both might get you from A to B, but there is a significant difference in the experience and the capacity of what you are driving.
The point is that we can belong to Jesus, be saved and be indwelt by the Holy Spirit, yet still fail to experience the fullness of the empowerment Jesus promised.
Why would Jesus command His disciples to wait if there was nothing more to receive?
He wanted them to understand that the mission He had given them could not be fulfilled through their natural abilities alone.
They needed the power of the Holy Spirit.
And so do we!
6. THE DAY OF PENTECOST – CLOTHED WITH POWER
In Acts 2, we finally see the fulfilment of this promise.
The disciples are gathered together, waiting as Jesus commanded.
Suddenly, a sound like a mighty rushing wind comes from heaven and fills the house.
What appeared to be tongues of fire rested upon each of them.
They were all filled with the Holy Spirit and began speaking in other tongues as the Spirit enabled them.
Notice the imagery.
Wind and fire.
The same Spirit who hovered over creation is now moving among the disciples.
The wind speaks of the powerful and unseen movement of God.
The fire speaks of His purifying presence, transforming and empowering His people.
And the fire rested upon each of them.
Not just Peter.
Not just the apostles.
Not just the educated or the spiritually mature.
Each of them!
The promise was no longer limited to a select few.
The Spirit was being poured out upon all who would receive Him.
The promise of Joel
This was exactly what had been prophesied generations earlier.
Joel 2:28:
“And afterward, I will pour out my Spirit on all people. Your sons and daughters will prophesy, your old men will dream dreams, your young men will see visions.”
Under the Old Covenant, we see the Spirit coming upon particular individuals, such as kings, priests and prophets, for particular purposes.
But Joel prophesied a remarkable shift.
The Spirit would be poured out upon all people.
Sons and daughters.
Young and old.
Servants and free.
The promise was no longer restricted to a select few.
And Peter stood up on the day of Pentecost and declared that what they were witnessing was the fulfilment of this very prophecy.
7. THE PURPOSE OF THE POWER – TO BE WITNESSES
Let's look again at Acts 1:8.
Jesus says:
“You will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes upon you; and you will be my witnesses...”
The Greek word for witness is martys, from which we derive the English word martyr.
It speaks of someone who testifies, bears witness and gives evidence.
The Holy Spirit empowers us to testify about Jesus.
To speak about what He has done.
To declare who He is.
To share our testimony and make the Gospel known.
This is precisely what happened on the day of Pentecost.
These ordinary men and women, who had previously been hiding behind closed doors, suddenly found themselves declaring the mighty works of God.
At Pentecost, they spoke in other tongues as the Spirit enabled them. People from different nations heard them declaring God's wonders in their own native languages.
This was an extraordinary supernatural demonstration.
And what happened next?
They moved from the upper room into the streets.
Peter stood up and preached Jesus.
He declared His death, resurrection and Lordship.
And on that very day, around three thousand people were added to their number!
Think about that.
A group of ordinary people, empowered by the Holy Spirit, became the beginning of a movement that would transform the world.
This is what the power was for.
Not simply to have an experience, but to become witnesses.
Not simply to be filled, but to overflow.
Not simply to receive, but to give.
The Spirit empowers us again and again
We also see this throughout the book of Acts.
In Acts 4:31, the believers gathered together and prayed.
The place where they were meeting was shaken, and they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and spoke the word of God boldly.
Notice that these were believers who had already experienced Pentecost.
Yet they experienced another fresh filling and empowerment.
The result?
Boldness.
They continued to proclaim the Word of God.
They shared their possessions.
They demonstrated extraordinary generosity and unity.
Their lives were transformed, and the Gospel continued to spread.
This is important.
The Holy Spirit's empowerment is not simply a one-off experience that we look back on.
We need to continually yield ourselves to Him.
We need fresh encounters, fresh filling and fresh boldness.
We must not live on yesterday's experience.
8. RIVERS OF LIVING WATER – THE WORK OF THE SPIRIT IN US
So what does a life immersed in the Holy Spirit actually look like?
It is not simply about speaking in tongues or having an emotional experience.
It is about the ongoing, transforming and empowering work of the Spirit in every part of our lives.
The Spirit is a river within us that continually renews.
He nourishes our souls, just as God provided manna for the Israelites in the wilderness.
He sustains us when we are weary.
He refreshes us when we are dry.
He brings life where there has been spiritual barrenness.
The Spirit sets us apart from the ordinary and enables us to live extraordinarily.
Not because we become something special in ourselves, but because the extraordinary God chooses to work through ordinary people.
The Spirit gives us life.
He was present in creation, He brings us into new life through salvation, and He continually renews us through His presence.
The Spirit bestows gifts and abilities that are supernatural.
First Corinthians 12 tells us about the gifts of the Spirit.
These are not simply natural talents or abilities that can be developed through education and experience.
They are gifts distributed by the Spirit for the common good.
The Spirit produces fruit within us.
Galatians 5:22–23 describes the fruit of the Spirit:
Love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control.
There is no law against these things!
The Spirit doesn't just empower us to do extraordinary things; He transforms us into people who reflect the character of Jesus.
The Spirit sets us free.
Second Corinthians 3:17 says:
“Where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom.”
Freedom from the bondage of sin.
Freedom from condemnation.
Freedom from the limitations of our own strength.
Freedom to become who God has called us to be.
And ultimately, freedom to flow with Him.
9. HAVE WE LOST OUR FIRE?
I want to bring this message to a close by asking you some questions.
Have you lost your passion and zeal for the lost?
Has the fire of the Holy Spirit been quenched by the worries, distractions and troubles of this world?
Has your boldness to share the Gospel diminished?
When was the last time you shared your testimony with someone?
When was the last time you told somebody what Jesus has done in your life?
When was the last time you stepped out in faith, trusting the Holy Spirit to guide you?
Jesus warned in Matthew 24:12 that because of the increase of wickedness, the love of many would grow cold.
And I wonder whether, sometimes, the very thing that happens to us is that our love grows cold.
We become comfortable.
We become distracted.
We become consumed by the ordinary things of life.
We begin to rely on our own strength, wisdom and experience.
And slowly, without even realising it, we lose our dependence on the Holy Spirit.
We still attend church.
We still read our Bibles.
We still know the language.
But where is the fire?
Where is the passion?
Where is the boldness?
Where is the burden for those who do not yet know Jesus?
We cannot afford to become a church that simply remembers what the Holy Spirit did yesterday.
We must be a church that is hungry for what He wants to do today.
10. CONCLUSION – GET BACK INTO THE RIVER
Let's go back to Ezekiel 47.
The river is flowing.
The invitation is there.
But the question is: how far are we willing to go?
Are we content to stand ankle deep, where we can still control everything?
Are we willing to go deeper, even when the water reaches our knees?
Are we willing to go deeper still, until the water reaches our waist?
Or are we willing to surrender completely, until we can no longer stand on our own strength and must trust the current to carry us?
Church, Jesus did not commission us to fulfil His mission in our own strength.
He promised us the Holy Spirit.
He promised us power.
He promised that we would be His witnesses.
The same Spirit who came upon the disciples at Pentecost is the Spirit who is at work in His Church today.
We need to stop trying to accomplish God's mission through human strength alone.
We need to stop relying solely on yesterday's revelation, yesterday's experience and yesterday's manna.
We need to become hungry again.
Hungry for His presence.
Hungry for His power.
Hungry for His Word.
Hungry for the lost to come to know Jesus.
And hungry for the Holy Spirit to move through us in ways that go beyond our natural ability.
Let the Holy Spirit immerse you again today.
Let Him renew your passion.
Let Him restore your boldness.
Let Him awaken your gifts.
Let Him transform your character.
Let Him empower you to be a witness.
Don't settle for a sprinkling when Jesus has invited you into the river.
Don't settle for knowing about the Spirit when you can walk in relationship with Him.
Don't settle for what you can achieve in your own strength when God has promised you supernatural power.
The Great Commission was never intended to be accomplished by ordinary people relying on ordinary strength.
It was always about ordinary people surrendering to an extraordinary God.
So let the river flow. Let the fire burn. Let the Spirit empower you. And let the world see Jesus through your life.
Amen.
“Baptising them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. And remember! I am with you always, even to the end of the age.”
INTRODUCTION – THE POWER OF ALIGNMENT
Our Alignment
In my first sermon, I spoke about the authority we have when we align ourselves with the Lord and co-mission with Him.
When we come into agreement (sumphōneō), we speak the things He has already spoken and declared, bringing them into being on earth as they are in heaven.
The key to authority and power is choosing to align ourselves with the mission of the Lord Jesus and collaborate with the Holy Spirit.
Our Positioning
In my second sermon in this series, I spoke about how authority and power are demonstrated through our willingness and readiness to share the Gospel as we go about our everyday lives and make disciples.
When we position ourselves alongside the Holy Spirit on mission, we must be willing and intentional about placing our lives in the hands of the Lord, allowing the Holy Spirit to guide and direct our steps.
Today, in this third sermon, I want to explore another dimension of the Great Commission: the power of being baptised, immersed and empowered by the Holy Spirit.
Our Flow
I want to show you how the Holy Spirit, as our great revealer and teacher, brings about a depth of individual and corporate growth that cannot be achieved through human wisdom or natural understanding alone.
Ultimately, this is about our willingness to flow with the Holy Spirit, surrender control and die to ourselves so that Christ might live and work through us.
1. THE BARRIERS TO THE HOLY SPIRIT
One of the greatest barriers to experiencing the fullness of the Holy Spirit is our own will, intellect and reliance on human understanding.
Paul rebukes the Galatians because they had begun their journey in the Spirit but were attempting to continue in their own strength and through human effort.
Galatians 3:3: “After beginning by means of the Spirit, are you now trying to finish by means of the flesh?”
Isn't that often our problem?
We begin with the Spirit, but somewhere along the way we become dependent on our own abilities, knowledge, experience and understanding.
We start trying to accomplish in our own strength what can only be accomplished through the power of the Holy Spirit.
The danger is that our intelligence, education and experience, which can be wonderful gifts, can also become obstacles when we allow them to take the place of dependence on God.
2. THE REVELATION AND IMPARTATION OF THE SPIRIT
I have two degrees, one in psychology and one in theology. I have spent literally years studying, researching and learning.
And whilst I value education immensely, I have discovered that no level of academic study can replace the growth, revelation and impartation that comes when we submit ourselves to the Holy Spirit.
The day of Pentecost is absolute evidence of this.
A relatively small group of unlearned and relatively ordinary men and women, many without formal religious education, chose to wait upon the promise of the Father.
And what happened?
They were filled with the Holy Spirit and went on to change the world.
When I was filled and baptised in the Holy Spirit, something happened to my understanding. My eyes were opened. My knowledge and understanding of the Kingdom of God expanded exponentially, beyond what I could have achieved through natural learning alone.
I am not suggesting that education is unimportant. Far from it.
But there is a difference between knowing about God and receiving revelation from God.
There is a difference between studying the things of the Kingdom and allowing the King Himself to reveal His Kingdom to you.
We need both the Word and the Spirit. But we must never allow our knowledge of the Word to replace our dependence on the Spirit who inspired it.
3. WHAT DOES IT MEAN TO BE BAPTISED?
Let's return to the Great Commission.
Jesus says:
“Baptising them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit.”
Interestingly, this is the clearest explicit baptismal formula in the New Testament that names all three persons of the Trinity.
Elsewhere in Acts, we find references to baptism in the name of Jesus.
There are theological discussions around why Jesus specifically emphasises the Father, Son and Holy Spirit here.
I believe the context is important. Jesus is commissioning His disciples into the fullness of the life and mission of God, and this commission is followed by the promise of the Holy Spirit and the events of Pentecost.
The word used for baptising is the Greek word baptizō.
It carries the meaning of immersing, dipping or plunging into something such as when we dye garments, the garment is immersed and comes out transformed.
It is a picture of being completely surrounded, covered and immersed.
Let me give you an illustration.
If you're anything like me and enjoy a good Sunday roast, you'll know that the secret is often in the marinade.
You can sprinkle a little seasoning or sauce over the meat after it has been cooked, and it might taste nice.
But it simply cannot compare with the flavour when the meat has been immersed in the marinade beforehand.
The flavour goes right through it!
And I wonder whether sometimes we are content with a little sprinkling of the Holy Spirit when God is inviting us into a life of complete immersion.
We don't need just a Sunday experience. We need a life immersed in the presence, power and person of the Holy Spirit.
The river of immersion
In Ezekiel 47, the prophet is given a vision of a river flowing from the temple of God.
He is led into the water.
First, it reaches his ankles.
Then his knees.
Then his waist.
Finally, the water becomes so deep that he can no longer stand and must swim.
What a picture!
There is a progression from standing in the water to being completely surrendered to the current.
At first, we can still stand in control. We can decide where we go and how far we venture.
But eventually, there comes a point where we must surrender our footing and allow the river to carry us.
This is the picture of a life surrendered to the Holy Spirit.
Not simply visiting the river, but being immersed in it.
Not simply experiencing Him occasionally, but allowing Him to influence every part of our lives.
4. THE PROMISE OF THE HOLY SPIRIT
Throughout the Old Testament, water baptism and ritual washing were associated with cleansing and purification. John the Baptist then came baptising people in water as a sign of repentance, preparing the way for Jesus.
But John made an extraordinary declaration.
Matthew 3:11:
“I baptise you with water for repentance. But after me comes one who is more powerful than I... He will baptise you with the Holy Spirit and fire.”
John was pointing beyond his own ministry.
Water baptism was significant, but Jesus was coming to baptise people with the Holy Spirit.
Jesus Himself spoke repeatedly about this coming promise.
In John 20:22, after His resurrection, Jesus breathed on His disciples and said, “Receive the Holy Spirit.”
Yet in Luke 24:49, He instructed them to wait in Jerusalem until they were clothed with power from on high.
And in Acts 1:4–5, He again commanded them not to leave Jerusalem but to wait for the promise of the Father.
Why?
Because something extraordinary was about to happen.
Jesus had to be glorified, and the promised outpouring of the Spirit would follow.
In John 7:37–39, Jesus stood up during the Feast of Tabernacles and declared:
“Let anyone who is thirsty come to me and drink. Whoever believes in me, as Scripture has said, rivers of living water will flow from within them.”
John explains that Jesus was speaking about the Spirit, whom those who believed in Him were later to receive, because Jesus had not yet been glorified.
Notice the language.
Jesus doesn't simply promise a drink of water.
He promises rivers of living water flowing from within us!
This is more than a personal experience. It is an overflowing experience.
The Spirit does not simply come to satisfy our thirst. He comes to make us a source of life and blessing to others.
5. REGENERATION, SANCTIFICATION AND EMPOWERMENT
I want to make an important distinction here.
When we talk about the work of the Holy Spirit, we need to understand that Scripture reveals different dimensions of His work in our lives.
In the New Testament, we see different prepositions used to describe the Spirit's relationship with believers:
• En – in or within.
• Para – with or alongside.
• Epi – upon.
These expressions help us understand the different ways Scripture describes the Spirit's work.
Regeneration – The Spirit working in us
The Holy Spirit is the one who draws us to Christ and brings about the new birth.
Jesus said in John 3:3 that unless someone is born again, they cannot see the Kingdom of God.
We are made alive through the regenerative work of the Spirit.
We cannot even confess Jesus as Lord except through the work of the Holy Spirit (1 Corinthians 12:3).
The Spirit has been at work from creation itself. In Genesis, we see the Spirit of God hovering over the waters.
He has always been active, bringing life, revealing truth and drawing humanity towards God.
Sanctification – The Spirit continuing to work within us
The Holy Spirit doesn't simply bring us into relationship with Jesus and then leave us to work things out.
He continues to transform us.
He sanctifies us, changes our character and shapes us into the image of Christ.
He convicts us of sin and righteousness, leads us into truth and produces His fruit within us.
I sometimes think of the Holy Spirit as the hound of heaven, pursuing us, convicting us and continually drawing us closer to the Father.
Yet He is also gentle as a dove.
He does not force us into surrender. We must be willing to respond to His leading.
We can grieve the Holy Spirit (Ephesians 4:30), and we can quench the Spirit (1 Thessalonians 5:19).
God has sealed us with His Spirit, marking us as belonging to Him (Ephesians 1:13).
Nothing can separate us from the love of God, but we must never take lightly our responsibility to remain surrendered and responsive to His Spirit.
Empowerment – The Spirit coming upon us
But there is another dimension of the Spirit's work that Jesus specifically told His disciples to wait for.
Acts 1:4–8:
Jesus commanded them not to leave Jerusalem but to wait for the promise of the Father.
Then He said:
“But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes upon you; and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.”
The Greek word for power here is dunamis.
It speaks of supernatural power, ability and might.
Notice the language Jesus uses: the Holy Spirit comes upon them.
In Luke 24:49, Jesus uses the imagery of being clothed with power from on high.
What a beautiful picture!
To be clothed means to be covered. It means something comes upon you and surrounds you.
Jesus was promising His disciples an empowerment beyond their natural ability.
And notice what this power was for.
It was not simply for personal enjoyment, spiritual excitement or an extraordinary church service.
It was for witnessing.
It was for making Jesus known.
I remember Phil Baker sharing an illustration comparing this to a brown Hyundai and a red Ferrari.
Both might get you from A to B, but there is a significant difference in the experience and the capacity of what you are driving.
The point is that we can belong to Jesus, be saved and be indwelt by the Holy Spirit, yet still fail to experience the fullness of the empowerment Jesus promised.
Why would Jesus command His disciples to wait if there was nothing more to receive?
He wanted them to understand that the mission He had given them could not be fulfilled through their natural abilities alone.
They needed the power of the Holy Spirit.
And so do we!
6. THE DAY OF PENTECOST – CLOTHED WITH POWER
In Acts 2, we finally see the fulfilment of this promise.
The disciples are gathered together, waiting as Jesus commanded.
Suddenly, a sound like a mighty rushing wind comes from heaven and fills the house.
What appeared to be tongues of fire rested upon each of them.
They were all filled with the Holy Spirit and began speaking in other tongues as the Spirit enabled them.
Notice the imagery.
Wind and fire.
The same Spirit who hovered over creation is now moving among the disciples.
The wind speaks of the powerful and unseen movement of God.
The fire speaks of His purifying presence, transforming and empowering His people.
And the fire rested upon each of them.
Not just Peter.
Not just the apostles.
Not just the educated or the spiritually mature.
Each of them!
The promise was no longer limited to a select few.
The Spirit was being poured out upon all who would receive Him.
The promise of Joel
This was exactly what had been prophesied generations earlier.
Joel 2:28:
“And afterward, I will pour out my Spirit on all people. Your sons and daughters will prophesy, your old men will dream dreams, your young men will see visions.”
Under the Old Covenant, we see the Spirit coming upon particular individuals, such as kings, priests and prophets, for particular purposes.
But Joel prophesied a remarkable shift.
The Spirit would be poured out upon all people.
Sons and daughters.
Young and old.
Servants and free.
The promise was no longer restricted to a select few.
And Peter stood up on the day of Pentecost and declared that what they were witnessing was the fulfilment of this very prophecy.
7. THE PURPOSE OF THE POWER – TO BE WITNESSES
Let's look again at Acts 1:8.
Jesus says:
“You will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes upon you; and you will be my witnesses...”
The Greek word for witness is martys, from which we derive the English word martyr.
It speaks of someone who testifies, bears witness and gives evidence.
The Holy Spirit empowers us to testify about Jesus.
To speak about what He has done.
To declare who He is.
To share our testimony and make the Gospel known.
This is precisely what happened on the day of Pentecost.
These ordinary men and women, who had previously been hiding behind closed doors, suddenly found themselves declaring the mighty works of God.
At Pentecost, they spoke in other tongues as the Spirit enabled them. People from different nations heard them declaring God's wonders in their own native languages.
This was an extraordinary supernatural demonstration.
And what happened next?
They moved from the upper room into the streets.
Peter stood up and preached Jesus.
He declared His death, resurrection and Lordship.
And on that very day, around three thousand people were added to their number!
Think about that.
A group of ordinary people, empowered by the Holy Spirit, became the beginning of a movement that would transform the world.
This is what the power was for.
Not simply to have an experience, but to become witnesses.
Not simply to be filled, but to overflow.
Not simply to receive, but to give.
The Spirit empowers us again and again
We also see this throughout the book of Acts.
In Acts 4:31, the believers gathered together and prayed.
The place where they were meeting was shaken, and they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and spoke the word of God boldly.
Notice that these were believers who had already experienced Pentecost.
Yet they experienced another fresh filling and empowerment.
The result?
Boldness.
They continued to proclaim the Word of God.
They shared their possessions.
They demonstrated extraordinary generosity and unity.
Their lives were transformed, and the Gospel continued to spread.
This is important.
The Holy Spirit's empowerment is not simply a one-off experience that we look back on.
We need to continually yield ourselves to Him.
We need fresh encounters, fresh filling and fresh boldness.
We must not live on yesterday's experience.
8. RIVERS OF LIVING WATER – THE WORK OF THE SPIRIT IN US
So what does a life immersed in the Holy Spirit actually look like?
It is not simply about speaking in tongues or having an emotional experience.
It is about the ongoing, transforming and empowering work of the Spirit in every part of our lives.
The Spirit is a river within us that continually renews.
He nourishes our souls, just as God provided manna for the Israelites in the wilderness.
He sustains us when we are weary.
He refreshes us when we are dry.
He brings life where there has been spiritual barrenness.
The Spirit sets us apart from the ordinary and enables us to live extraordinarily.
Not because we become something special in ourselves, but because the extraordinary God chooses to work through ordinary people.
The Spirit gives us life.
He was present in creation, He brings us into new life through salvation, and He continually renews us through His presence.
The Spirit bestows gifts and abilities that are supernatural.
First Corinthians 12 tells us about the gifts of the Spirit.
These are not simply natural talents or abilities that can be developed through education and experience.
They are gifts distributed by the Spirit for the common good.
The Spirit produces fruit within us.
Galatians 5:22–23 describes the fruit of the Spirit:
Love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control.
There is no law against these things!
The Spirit doesn't just empower us to do extraordinary things; He transforms us into people who reflect the character of Jesus.
The Spirit sets us free.
Second Corinthians 3:17 says:
“Where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom.”
Freedom from the bondage of sin.
Freedom from condemnation.
Freedom from the limitations of our own strength.
Freedom to become who God has called us to be.
And ultimately, freedom to flow with Him.
9. HAVE WE LOST OUR FIRE?
I want to bring this message to a close by asking you some questions.
Have you lost your passion and zeal for the lost?
Has the fire of the Holy Spirit been quenched by the worries, distractions and troubles of this world?
Has your boldness to share the Gospel diminished?
When was the last time you shared your testimony with someone?
When was the last time you told somebody what Jesus has done in your life?
When was the last time you stepped out in faith, trusting the Holy Spirit to guide you?
Jesus warned in Matthew 24:12 that because of the increase of wickedness, the love of many would grow cold.
And I wonder whether, sometimes, the very thing that happens to us is that our love grows cold.
We become comfortable.
We become distracted.
We become consumed by the ordinary things of life.
We begin to rely on our own strength, wisdom and experience.
And slowly, without even realising it, we lose our dependence on the Holy Spirit.
We still attend church.
We still read our Bibles.
We still know the language.
But where is the fire?
Where is the passion?
Where is the boldness?
Where is the burden for those who do not yet know Jesus?
We cannot afford to become a church that simply remembers what the Holy Spirit did yesterday.
We must be a church that is hungry for what He wants to do today.
10. CONCLUSION – GET BACK INTO THE RIVER
Let's go back to Ezekiel 47.
The river is flowing.
The invitation is there.
But the question is: how far are we willing to go?
Are we content to stand ankle deep, where we can still control everything?
Are we willing to go deeper, even when the water reaches our knees?
Are we willing to go deeper still, until the water reaches our waist?
Or are we willing to surrender completely, until we can no longer stand on our own strength and must trust the current to carry us?
Church, Jesus did not commission us to fulfil His mission in our own strength.
He promised us the Holy Spirit.
He promised us power.
He promised that we would be His witnesses.
The same Spirit who came upon the disciples at Pentecost is the Spirit who is at work in His Church today.
We need to stop trying to accomplish God's mission through human strength alone.
We need to stop relying solely on yesterday's revelation, yesterday's experience and yesterday's manna.
We need to become hungry again.
Hungry for His presence.
Hungry for His power.
Hungry for His Word.
Hungry for the lost to come to know Jesus.
And hungry for the Holy Spirit to move through us in ways that go beyond our natural ability.
Let the Holy Spirit immerse you again today.
Let Him renew your passion.
Let Him restore your boldness.
Let Him awaken your gifts.
Let Him transform your character.
Let Him empower you to be a witness.
Don't settle for a sprinkling when Jesus has invited you into the river.
Don't settle for knowing about the Spirit when you can walk in relationship with Him.
Don't settle for what you can achieve in your own strength when God has promised you supernatural power.
The Great Commission was never intended to be accomplished by ordinary people relying on ordinary strength.
It was always about ordinary people surrendering to an extraordinary God.
So let the river flow. Let the fire burn. Let the Spirit empower you. And let the world see Jesus through your life.
Amen.
