If you know anyone making the same mistake as the people in this story then I hope you will want to warn them. You will hear how terrible it will be for them if they continue in the wrong way.
When John the Baptist was sent out by God as His messenger many people had very wrong ideas about him. "They were waiting expectantly and were all wondering in their hearts if John might possibly be the Christ." 1*.
John said, "I baptize you with water, but One more powerful than I will come...He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and with fire." 2*.
Like John, every true servant of God will be eager to tell you about the power and grace of Jesus the Saviour. But no true servant of God will ever suggest that he can take Jesus' place as your priest and saviour! 3*.
The baptism Jesus would give to those who would trust in Him would be very different to what John was doing. John's baptizing with water was only an act of witness. The repentant person who was trusting in Jesus for forgiveness was baptized to show that he or she now intended to live a new life. 4*.
John told them that Jesus would do much more for them than baptize them with water; He would baptize those who trusted in Him with the Holy Spirit. By giving them the Holy Spirit it would mean they would then have the power to be able to live that new life pleasing to God. John could not give anyone the power needed to live that new life. God would do this for those who would trust and obey Jesus by baptizing them by His Holy Spirit. 5*.
But John spoke of another very different baptism that Jesus would also bring - a baptism of fire! He compared Jesus to the farmer sorting out his harvest. "His winnowing fork is in His hand to clear His threshing floor and to gather the wheat into His barn, but He will burn the chaff with unquenchable fire". 6*.
The people who will not let Jesus forgive their sins and change their lives will have to be rejected by God as the useless chaff - only fit to be thrown into the unquenchable fire of Hell!
Remember God has NEVER said He is going to forgive everyone - He can only forgive everyone who trusts Jesus to forgive his or her sins. 7*.
If you don't like this message you might try to do something like King Herod did. He did not want to change his sinful ways, and did not like John's warnings of God's judgment, so "he locked John up in prison", and continued to live as he pleased! 8*.
Don't be as foolish as evil Herod and just try to silence God's warnings. The Holy God must punish sin! Your only hope is to turn away from sin and have faith in Jesus Christ who took all the punishment your sins deserved from God. 9*. Jesus will immediately baptize you with His Spirit and you will have power to live to please God. 10*.
Read about these two baptisms Jesus has for mankind in Luke chapter 3, verses 15-20, and tell others about them.
Bye for now, John Nixon, Ballincollig, Cork, Ireland. P31HD98. Contact: jnixonj@gmail.com
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Bible quotations from N.I.V.
1 Luke 3:15.
2 Luke 3:16.
3 Hebrews 7:24. Acts 4:12.
4 Acts 19:4. Romans 6:1-4.
5 1 Corinthians 12:13. Acts 5:31-32.
6 Luke 3:16-17. Revelation 21:8. 20:11-15.
7 John 3:16-19, 36.
8 Luke 3:19-20.
9 Acts 20:21. 26:20.
10 Ephesians 1:13-14. Romans 8:9.