Holy Water Series Part 9: Over Your Head

As Jews, members of the early church knew what the Old Testament said. They knew the law, the prophets and the symbols of the Holy Spirit we’ve talked about: water, fire, cloud, oil, and wind. They knew that He came upon people to empower them for serving the Lord and withdrew again. They knew that Joel prophesied that a time would come when the Spirit would be poured out on all flesh. Everything else they knew about the Spirit came from Jesus and John the Baptist. Too often, we approach a scene or topic in the Bible based on what we know now rather than what they knew then, which limits or clouds our understanding. This week’s sermon is the last message of the Holy Water series, and we’re going to talk about the baptism in the Holy Spirit. As we approach this topic, we’re going to strip away past experiences or testimonies we’ve heard and look at what they knew leading up to Pentecost. If it was enough for them, it ought to be enough for us.