In the above verse, John the Baptist was referring to Jesus Christ the Messiah. John was filled with the Holy Ghost while still in his mother's womb. God had chosen him specifically to be the forerunner of Christ. John had no illusions about his own importance; he was not puffed up and full of pride. All that he did was under the unction of the Holy Spirit, and glorified God. Note that in the above verse he said, "he shall baptize you with the Holy Ghost and with fire."
John 3:6 That which is born of the flesh is flesh; and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit. John 6:63 It is the spirit that quickeneth; the flesh profiteth nothing: the words that I speak unto you, they are spirit, and they are life.
We need to pay close attention to each and every word our Lord spoke. Here he points out the distinction between our flesh (our physical body operating from the realm of carnal appetites and our reasoning mind) and the Spirit (breath of life that comes from God). Our natural man has inherently tasted of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. Just as Satan tempted Adam & Eve in the garden by appealing to their carnal reasoning (logic, understanding), so do we come under the same kind of attack today. Jesus said his words are Spirit and Life. Only as we partake of (become one with) Christ's Words, (Spirit, Life) will we be conformed into His Likeness.
When we are born again, it is our Spirit that is reborn. Our flesh is still our flesh. By our acceptance of Jesus Christ as our Lord and Savior, our spirit has been birthed into the Family, (household) of God. Here we must confront one of the greatest deceptions ever perpetrated on the church. Many today are taught that they have already arrived, when in fact they have just begun. We will never mature into full stature Sons by becoming religious. We will never unravel and comprehend the mysteries of God by applying and interpreting scriptures within the limited scope of our reasoning mind. We have been born into the spiritual; we must grow up and learn to be guided by the Spirit instead of and in opposition to the flesh.
When Christ says "the flesh profiteth nothing"... He means it. Romans 8:13,14 For if ye live after the flesh, ye shall die: but if ye through the Spirit do mortify the deeds of the body, ye shall live. For as many as are led by the Spirit of God, they are the sons of God. Romans 8:6 For to be carnally minded is death; but to be spiritually minded is life and peace. We see from these verses, that there is a distinction between those who live after the flesh, and those who live after the Spirit. There is little taught today regarding living by the Spirit. Regular church attendance and paying of tithes is represented as fulfilling the commandments of Christ, when it is simply fulfilling the requirements of men and organizations, and will not increase your spiritual development in the way God intended.
Our entire grasp of what it means to be a Christian is clouded by denominational doctrines and ordinances of men. It is time to listen to what Jesus said. The trouble in this world is only going to increase. Unless we are living by the Spirit instead of the flesh, we will not be able to stand in the days ahead. Jesus did not die for our sins just so that we could have a warm feeling inside. He never said that because he paid the price for our redemption back to God, we could take our ease. 2 Timothy 3:12 Yea, and all that will live godly in Christ Jesus shall suffer persecution.
Romans 12:1 I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service.
Mark 9:49,50 For every one shall be salted with fire, and every sacrifice shall be salted with salt. Salt is good: but if the salt have lost his saltiness, wherewith will ye season it? Have salt in yourselves and have peace one with another.
Matthew 5:13 Ye are the salt of the earth: but if the salt have lost his savour, wherewith shall it be salted? It is thenceforth good for nothing but to be cast out, and to be trodden under foot of men.
We are to present our bodies, (our flesh nature) as a living sacrifice to God. This is our reasonable service, to live according to the dictates of the spirit and not the flesh. The teachings of Christ, every word that he spoke are the salt. We must possess Christ within; we must believe and apply all of his teachings, if we will be the salt of the earth. If we only have the words without the life, we have no savour, and are of no value to God or man. 1 Peter 1:12 That the trial of your faith, being much more precious than of gold that perisheth, though it be tried with fire, might be found unto praise and honour and glory at the appearing of Jesus Christ. We are called to believe in that which we cannot see with our natural eyes; to walk by faith, believing that which God reveals to our spirit. Romans 8:1 There is therefore now no condemnation to them which are in Christ Jesus, who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit. There is no other way to be acceptable before God. We were not born into the spirit so that we could become religious and spiritualize our flesh. Galatians 3:3 Are ye so foolish? Having begun in the Spirit, are ye now made perfect by the flesh? We must reject our flesh and live under the guidance of the Spirit. This is little taught and little understood. 1 Corinthians 2:14 But the natural man receiveth not the things of the Spirit of God: for they are foolishness unto him: neither can he know them, because they are spiritually discerned. Only the Holy Spirit can lead us into all Truth.
This body that we are so attached to is only temporal. It will wear out and return to dust. Our spirit however, is eternal. We determine where we will spend eternity by what we do with the Gospel of Christ. Partial acceptance of Jesus' Words will not get us partially into heaven. Now is the time to seek God with your whole heart. Dying to our flesh is a long and painful process. It is not accomplished in the twinkling of an eye, but is something that we must strive to put down daily. Paul addressed this issue in Galatians 5:16,17 This I say then, Walk in the Spirit, and ye shall not fulfill the lust of the flesh. For the flesh lusteth against the Spirit, and the Spirit against the flesh: and these are contrary the one to the other: so that ye cannot do the things that ye would.
We all face the same battles. Do not get your eye on man, but keep it centered on Christ. Man cannot save you, but Jesus can. Philippians 4:13 I can do all things through Christ which strengtheneth me. Jesus paid the price for mankind's redemption back to God. He set the example we are called to follow (emulate). Any time that we attempt to walk in our own strength, we will fall. We cannot keep the commandments of Christ in our own power. Only as we die to our flesh, and live by the Spirit within will we taste of the victorious life. We call ourselves believers.
Note what Jesus said to the disciples when he appeared to them following his resurrection. Mark 16:16-18 He that believeth and is baptized shall be saved: but he that believeth not shall be damned. And these signs shall follow them that believe; In my name shall they cast out devils; they shall speak with new tongues; they shall take up serpents; and if they drink any deadly thing it shall not hurt them; they shall lay hands on the sick, and they shall recover. These are the signs of believers.
Note he did not stipulate that these would be the signs of the Apostle's, or just certain leadership members. These are the signs of any believer. Remember that we cannot merit anything from God by any of our own efforts. We deserve the fires of hell. But God's grace and love for us is so great that Jesus gave his own life for us. "Freely you have received, freely give." When we are operating from the carnal level, we want to take credit from others and be admired. When we are operating from the Spirit, we will abhor attention drawn to ourselves. All of our focus and attention will be directed to God, and we will point others to the Lord of Glory.
We say that we believe, so why aren't these signs following us? We need to recognize that there is nothing more critical than our believing. Our belief is going to determine whether we are saved or damned. We cannot cast out devils with an "I think I believe" relationship to God. To walk with Christ requires total commitment. "They shall speak with new tongues," is not limited to the gift of tongues received with the infilling of the Holy Spirit. By the operation of the Spirit we can speak the things that the Spirit reveals to us. There is no edification for the unbeliever when they hear someone speak in a language that they cannot understand, but when they hear words spoken under the unction of the Holy Spirit their hearts are pierced and their eyes are opened.
Down through time some have carnally interpreted "they shall take up serpents" to mean the literal handling of snakes. If you will go to the concordance you will realize that this portion is speaking symbolically. "Take up" (make to doubt, put away, remove) "serpents" (to give sharpness of vision, a malicious person). The only way we as believers can obtain knowledge concerning another individual is by spiritual discernment. There are many counterfeits throughout Christendom. The true believer will be able to expose and repudiate these false ones for what they are; deceivers. Our entire walk is dependent upon the Spirit. All of our growth hinges on what we choose to believe.
Hebrews 12:6-11 For whom the Lord loveth he chasteneth (train, educate, discipline), and scourgeth (to flog) every son whom he receiveth (accept near, admit, delight in). If ye endure (remain, undergo, bear) chastening (correction), God dealeth with you as with sons; for what son is he whom the father chasteneth not? But if ye be without chastisement, whereof all are partakers, then are ye bastards (illegitimate) and not sons. Furthermore, we have had fathers of our flesh which corrected us, and we gave them reverence: shall we not much rather be in subjection unto the Father of Spirits and live? For they verily for a few days chastened us after their own pleasure; but he for our profit, that we might be partakers of his holiness. Now no chastening for the present seemeth to be joyous, but grievous: nevertheless afterward it yieldeth the peaceable fruit of righteousness (right standing with God) unto them which are exercised thereby.
If we rebel against correction, we will never grow spiritually. If our desire is to die to our flesh: if our desire is to live in and operate from the Spirit of Christ within we must endure being chastened of the Lord. Our flesh is never going to lie down peacefully; it is going to kick and scream all the way. Walking in the spirit is not something that we can put on and take off as it suits us. Either we abide in the spirit or we abide in the flesh.
The salvation message presented today is incomplete. People are seldom taught that there are any requirements to meet following conversion. The focus is placed on supporting the organized religious institution, rather than on promoting personal spiritual growth. Jesus stated what would exclude someone from being his disciple in Luke 14:26,27,33.
If any man come to me, and hate not his father, and mother, and wife, and children, and brethren, and sisters, yea, and his own life also, he cannot be my disciple. And whosoever doth not bear his cross, and come after me, cannot be my disciple. So likewise, whosoever he be of you that forsaketh not all that he hath, he cannot be my disciple. God must have (even requires and demands) the preeminence in our lives. Over and above our love and devotion to family and friends, we must place the greatest importance on our relationship to our heavenly Father. To experience this kind of relationship, requires being more attentive to the Spirit than we are to the natural world.
For us to be able to live from the Spirit, we must daily (moment by moment) put down our flesh. We too, can come to the point where we can say "Not my will, but thine be done." Peter exhorts us in 1 Peter 4:12,13 Beloved, think it not strange concerning the fiery trial which is to try you, as though some strange thing happened unto you: but rejoice inasmuch as ye are partakers of Christ's sufferings; that, when his glory is revealed, ye may be glad also with exceeding joy. We shall experience fiery trials; our faith will be tested; to see whether we will serve God or not. Peter went on in this chapter to say, For the time is come that judgment must begin at the house of God: and if it first begin at us, what shall the end be of them that obey not the gospel of God? And if the righteous scarcely be saved, where shall the ungodly and the sinner appear? Wherefore let them that suffer according to the will of God commit the keeping of their souls to him in well doing, as unto a faithful Creator. The Word clearly states that all those who live righteously in Christ Jesus shall suffer. The flesh has an abhorrence of suffering, and will avoid it at all costs.
When the fiery trial comes to your life, rather than cry "why me?" ask "Lord, what do you want me to learn from this?" Once we realize that our own flesh is the greatest obstacle we will ever have to overcome, it becomes easier. We were never called to do the works of the Spirit from the strength of our flesh, but the exact opposite. The more we grasp those things that the Spirit will reveal to us, the more focused we will become on the things of heaven. The more we will desire to sit at the feet of Jesus, and learn of Him. These are the last days of fallen man's reign in this world. The kingdom of God is at hand, and it will first be manifest within the hearts and renewed minds of the believer, before it is established in this physical world. May we all be baptized with the Holy Ghost and with fire!
Luke 11:34-36 The light of the body is the eye: therefore when thine eye is single, thy whole body also is full of light; but when thine eye is evil, thy body also is full of darkness. Take heed therefore that the light which is in thee be not darkness. If thy whole body therefore be full of light, having no part dark, the whole shall be full of light, as when the bright shining of a candle doth give thee light.
As long as we are living according to the dictates of our flesh and our natural reasoning, we can be deceived. Many are convinced that they have the truth and are walking in the light, when in reality they are in darkness.
The upside of this is that once we have successfully put our flesh down, there is no more avenue for the enemy to attack us. Not only are we living in and walking by the Spirit, but we are inaccessible to the mental assaults that we once fell victim to.
Spiritual growth is evidenced in the lives of every believer. The apostle Peter loved the Lord, but he was still operating from the flesh in the Garden of Gethsemane when he cut off the soldier's ear. It was much later in life, after he received the baptism of the Holy Spirit and learned many lessons along the way, that people would actually bring their sick out into the streets when they saw him coming on the chance that the sick would be healed simply by Peter's shadow passing over them. We are called to the same walk that Jesus walked. We have been given the same accessibility to the Father. If we are not seeing the signs of believers manifest in lives today, then let us examine our relationship. What power are we operating under? The flesh or the Spirit? If doubts and fears assail us, then we need to press into knowing God in a greater measure than we have thus far. The Word tells us that "the steps of a righteous man are ordered of the Lord," that "we are made perfect through suffering."
May we all embrace the fire that comes from above. May we all be conformed to the image of the Son. May we all have the signs of the believer manifest in our own lives. May we heal the sick, set the captives free, and tear down the strongholds of the enemy. May we put down our flesh, and live according to the dictates of the Spirit of God in this fallen world.
