(Read Acts 19:1-6)
This morning we continue our series “Grace that is Simply Amazing.” Acts 19 marks the beginning of Paul’s third missionary journey. Paul traveled to Ephesus. Ephesus was a coastal city that lies on the western edge of modern day Turkey. It is about five miles inland from the Aegean coast. In Paul’s day the city was a center of travel and commerce. It was a bustling town with heavy Greek and Roman influences.
In Ephesus Paul met a group of 12 men who had been followers of John the Baptist. These men heard John preach, they accepted John’s message, and they were baptized with John’s baptism. However, while John was preaching of a coming Messiah, the 12 men had no idea that the Messiah had already come. They were will waiting and no one had given them the news about Jesus. So when Paul asked them, “Did you receive the Holy Spirit when you believed?” the men had no idea what the Apostle was talking about. They did not know about Jesus, about the Holy Spirit being given on the Day of Pentecost — which basically birthed the New Testament church — or anything of the sort.
Paul explained to the group of men that John’s baptism called for repentance from sin. But John could not offer forgiveness of sin. John himself told the people to believe in the one who would come later, but when John spoke to the men Jesus had not yet come. So when Paul told them about Jesus the men immediately believed on Jesus as Lord, they were baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus, and when Paul laid his hands on them, the Holy Spirit came upon them and they spoke in other tongues and prophesied.
So what does this mean to you today? A few things:
1. Jesus came to get us out of everything Adam got us into. Because of Adam, satan’s dynamic-duo were introduced into the world: sin and death. In the Old Testament God’s followers killed a lamb for sin on the Day of Atonement (Yom Kippur) and a lamb for death during the Feast of Passover. Jesus came as the Lamb of God. Once Jesus died He paid the penalty for sin and death. No more animals have to die. In one fell swoop Jesus got us out of everything Adam got us into. When we receive Jesus we are redeemed all the way back to Adam and the relationship and power he had in the Garden of Eden.
2. When Adam ate the forbidden fruit he died a spiritual death. When Adam ate the fruit the eyes of both of them (Adam and Eve) were opened and they realized they were naked. Prior to that they were living in the Spirit. God promised they would die if they ate. They did die, but not a physical death. Adam and Eve were stripped of God’s indwelling and it took Jesus to come and pay for what Adam did, to get the Holy Spirit back inside of man.
3. In the Old Testament they could only visit the Holy Spirit in the temple. In the Old Testament the Holy Spirit lived above of the Ark of the Covenant, behind the veil, in the temple. The only person who could visit the Holy Spirit was the High Priest, and even then, only once a year. They had to visit what Adam had 24/7. Guess what? Jesus came to get the Holy Spirit back. In the Old Testament the Holy Spirit would come upon people, but in the New Testament He lives INSIDE of us. We are now the temple of God and God’s Spirit lives IN us! Not because we deserve it, but only because of His Grace!
Closing Confession: Father, I thank You for sending Your Son Jesus to die in my place. Because of Adam I was born without Your precious Holy Spirit inside of me. Because of Adam I was born under the dominion of sin and death. But because of Jesus, I was redeemed from everything Adam did. In Jesus I have been forgiven of sin; ALL my sin. Past sin, present sin and future sin. I am in Christ and Christ is in me. Under this New Covenant You are merciful to my unrighteousness and my sins and iniquities, you remember no more! Not only that, but Jesus came to deal with death. Jesus took the sting out of death and robbed the grave of its victory. I am not afraid of dying, because I already died to self. My old man is dead and I alive in Christ. Death has no power over me. When I die physically, I will simply move from earth to glory, from mortal to immortality, from time to eternity! My old man is already dead and my new man shall live forever with You! And lastly Father, Jesus came to get Your precious Holy Spirit back! You were inside of Adam, but he severed the relationship. Under the Old Covenant You were not inside of men. Under the New Covenant You are back inside. I don’t have to visit Your presence in a temple… I AM THE TEMPLE and Your Holy Spirit lives in me. Not because I deserve His presence, but because You are committed to living in me by Grace! Thank You Father for being so good to me! In Jesus’ name. Amen.
This is Today’s Word! Apply it and Prosper.
