Luke 3:16
"John answered their questions by saying, "I baptize you with water; but someone is coming soon who is greater than I am-so much greater that I'm not even worthy to be his slave and untie the straps of his sandals. He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and with fire."
Many of us have heard the news that Jesus saves and it's good news! In fact it's The Good News! It truly is.
However, the statement that we need saving implies there are a lot of bad things going on, and not just bad things, life-threatening things! Jesus saves us from all of these things, the Bible talks about them as the effects of and the nature of sin and rebellion. The payment we earn from sin and the payment others earn from sin is pain, loss, confusion, and ultimately death.
We all have the effects of our sin and the sins of others swirling around in our hearts and minds. So how does all of this hurt, pain and loss get removed from our nature!? How can we be washed clean?
The Holy Spirit.
He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and with fire.
So often we think of the washing and purifying in our life as a soapy watery type of wash. But that is not the picture that God wants us to see. The scripture uses fire and pressure, the kind needed to mold and shape precious metals as the image of washing in our life. Maybe look up a video of a jeweler making a gold ring. You need to see two things from this.
1st God has made you precious, beautiful, full of potential and unstainable, all by his grace not your works.
2nd in order to make jewelry out of precious metal (if we are the metal) you must be melted, refined, hammered, sanded and shaped.
It's an uncomfortable process, and we will be burned, but precious things are only made more beautiful by the pressure and the fire of God's holy spirit! I encourage you to yield to the hands of Jesus and let the master craftsman make you into the beautiful masterpiece that he desires for your life. Free from sin, washed and purified from guilt and shame! Ready to follow the Lord into every good work.
I love you with the love of Jesus,
~ Pastor Eddie
