What Is the Nature of the Baptism of the Holy Spirit — Derek Prince

The External and Internal Aspects of Spirit Baptism

We're going to pursue, continue with a study that we have been going through. This is really the relationship between the baptism in the Holy Spirit and the fullness of the Holy Spirit. We pointed out that the baptism really contains two essential aspects.

There's the external and the internal. External is the Holy Spirit coming over people, overshadowing them, immersing them, enveloping them. That's the baptism. There's the internal, the drinking in of the Holy Spirit, the taking, as I said, through the mouth.

That's what the Bible says, and the Bible means what it says. Open my mouth wide, saith the Lord, and I will fill it. These two together we have in the New Testament, being baptized in the Holy Spirit.

Essentially, I believe, from the point of view of what we're going to consider this morning, we could take the key word as receiving the Holy Ghost. Receiving a divine person into our life in a new relationship.

Of course, we have known the Holy Ghost, the Holy Ghost that sanctified us. That drew us. We are elect through the foreknowledge of God, according to the foreknowledge of God, through sanctification of the Spirit, unto obedience and sprinkling of the blood of Jesus Christ.

The Spirit begins to sanctify us before we know Jesus as the Saviour. Some people are sanctified from the mother's womb, the scripture says, but they're not saved from the mother's womb. The Holy Spirit sanctifies us, draws us, begins to set us aside, draws us out from the things of the world, speaks to us of the things of God, begins to reveal Jesus to us.

The Holy Spirit convicts us of sin. When we come to the cross and receive Jesus, the Holy Ghost administers to us the new life which is in Jesus Christ. We are born of the Spirit. But the baptism of the Spirit is a new relationship to the Holy Spirit, in which he as a person is given a special position within us, which is his by right, and which shouldn't be given to anybody else.

The Holy Spirit as the Indwelling Presence of God

Corresponding to the Shekinah glory which in the tabernacle came in, to occupy the place over the mercy seat where the blood had been sprinkled under the wings of the cherubim that overshadowed. And when the presence of God came there into the tabernacle then a voice spoke out from inside the holiest place.

And Moses who was on the other side of the veil and couldn't see into the holiest place knew that the Lord was there personally because he heard the voice of the Lord speaking to him. Likewise within you and me there is a place corresponding to the holiest of all.

The very center of our being and personality. The Holy Spirit desires to occupy that place. And when he comes in personally to occupy that place, through the veil, that is through the flesh, we will hear the voice of the Spirit speaking.

This is the evidence that he has come in. He gives an utterance which no human being could give. An utterance in an unknown tongue, in a language we haven't heard and haven't learned. And then we know that the Lord, the Spirit, has suddenly come into his temple.

The scripture says. This is, I believe, the essential nature of the baptism of the Holy Spirit. Now then, yesterday we went through the 14 cases in the New Testament where we find the phrase used, being filled with the Spirit or full of the Spirit.

We're not going to go through those again this morning. But we now find 21 instances where the Bible, the New Testament, speaks of either being baptized in, or being filled with, or being full of the Holy Spirit.

Seven places where it speaks of being baptized in the Spirit. Fourteen places where it speaks of being filled with or full of the Spirit. Now this morning, let's relate the two together. This is very interesting.

How often do they coincide? This is a kind of mathematical question. I mean there's nothing subjective about it at all. Purely objective. We just have to look at the text. And this is the most remarkable thing.

Acts 2 and Acts 9: Spirit Baptism and Spirit-Filling

Only one place, absolutely, clearly and definitely coincides. And that's Acts chapter 2 and verse 4. And began to speak with other tongues, the Spirit gave them utterance. We know that that was the baptism of the Holy Spirit.

Jesus had told them. John indeed baptized with water, but ye shall be baptized in the Holy Ghost not many days hence. This was fulfilled on the day of Pentecost. They were baptized in the Holy Ghost. It says they were also all filled with the Holy Ghost.

Now the only other place where we could assume that these two things were simultaneous and coincidental. Would be in Acts 9 and 17. Now this is in some measure an assumption. But I think most of you here this morning would go along with it.

Some might not. Plymouth Brethren would probably not agree. But Acts 9 17. Jesus went his way and entered into the house. And putting his hands on him said brother Saul. The Lord even Jesus that appeared unto thee in the way as thou camest hath sent me.

That thou mightest receive thy sight and be filled with the Holy Ghost. So we know that at that time. Paul was filled with the Holy Ghost. Did he speak in tongues? Well if you don't want to believe that no one can force you to.

But to me it seems the only reasonable conclusion. We know that his testimony after that was. I thank my God I speak in tongues more than all of you put together. Which is what it means in 1st Corinthians 14 18.

However I'm not contending for that this morning. I'm just pointing out that these are the only two places. Directly related to what we would call the baptism in the Holy Spirit. This is remarkable. Out of 21 and even one of them is not absolutely certain.

Spirit Baptism Does Not Guarantee Spirit-Filling

We're coming to a conclusion if you've followed me. That you may have genuinely received the baptism in the Holy Spirit. But that is not sufficient evidence that you're filled with the Holy Spirit. I'm perfectly well aware probably better than most of you.

Of the serious significance of what I'm saying. But I believe that this is the time. That the Pentecostal movement has got to face this time. It has been assumed generally. I don't know that it's always been preached.

But by and large it has been assumed. That everybody that had the baptism in the Holy Spirit. And spoke with other tongues. Was necessarily filled with the Holy Ghost. They know they have received. How much of them the Holy Ghost has actually taken possession of.

Is another matter. In the Pentecostal movement that have almost gone out of the movement. Because they've been so tremendously disappointed. With the result of people being baptized in the Holy Ghost.

They've said well we don't see much change. They still live carnal lives. They're still bickering and envy and jealousy and backbiting. And carnality in many forms in their lives. There are things in their lives they say which are positively satanic.

And I have encountered ministers. That have actually lost all confidence. With baptism in the Holy Spirit. Because they say we've seen things in people's lives afterwards. Which simply cannot be equated.

With the fullness of the Holy Spirit. I imagine any minister that has been in this experience five years or longer. Would have to say that's true. I can think of cases. I think the only mistake is. That we assume that everybody that has spoken with tongues.

And received the baptism was necessarily filled. I say no. There's no evidence in the New Testament. To cause us to say that. If we examine the New Testament in an objective way. The conclusion is no.

Some were. Some weren't. The mere fact that they spoke in tongues. Is tremendously significant. On the basis of that I believe we have the right to say. They have been baptized in the Holy Ghost. They have received the Holy Ghost.

He's come into them. To dwell in them personally. In a new relationship. No matter what they had before. This is something new. The results that will follow are not guaranteed. They are highly conditional.

They're conditional on our relationship to the Holy Ghost. After he has come in. And there is no guarantee of anything except one thing. That the person that's had this experience. Has a much greater responsibility toward God and man.

Than they had before. That's all. That's the only one thing you can guarantee. So let's be practical for a few moments. Let's look at things. The people in the upper room on the day of Pentecost. Who were baptized in the Holy Ghost.

Comparing Pentecost and Cornelius

And filled with the Holy Ghost. Let's think about them for a moment. These were, we believe, approximately 120 people. Most of them renounced all to follow Jesus. Most of them had followed him. Witnessed his ministry.

And heard his teaching for probably three or more years. They had been witnesses of his death. And of his resurrection. On top of that. They had spent ten days together. In prayer. In the upper room. Until they came to the place where they were of completely one accord.

No wonder they were filled with the Holy Ghost. Contrast the people in the household of Cornelius. Who were Gentiles. With pagan traditions and backgrounds and associations. Maybe some of them had got several wives.

Some of them were living with women that were not their wives. They never heard the Christian gospel. Before the day that Peter went to the house of Cornelius. They only heard maybe ten minutes of preaching.

God did a supernatural miracle of grace. They believed the record that through the name of Jesus. Whosoever believes on him shall receive remission of sins. That's at that point. That the Holy Ghost started.

He couldn't have fallen a moment before that. Because their sins were remitted at that point. See, you don't have to go forward to an altar. All you have to believe is that in his name there is remission of sins.

And you have remission of sins. At that moment you'd be sitting in your chair. It doesn't matter. As soon as their sins were remitted. The Holy Ghost fell. They all began to speak with other tongues. They were baptized in the Holy Ghost.

They received the gift of the Holy Ghost. The Doria that is spoken of up there. But it never says they were filled with the Holy Ghost. And it's really utterly illogical to suppose. That exactly the same results would follow in the lives of those people.

Who had never heard the gospel message ten minutes before. As would follow in the lives of Jews that had known the scriptures. Since childhood. And had spent three and a half years in consecrated following of Jesus.

Listening to his teachings. And then got together for ten days in an upper room. And spent ten days waiting upon God. It would be totally illogical to suppose. That all the effects would be the same. In the household of Cornelius.

As they were in the upper room. The Bible doesn't say they were. Furthermore we don't know very much more that happened in Caesarea. We know from history. Not from, really hardly from the Bible. That there was a Christian church in Caesarea.

But how much of an impact there really was. We do not know. But we know that when the Holy Spirit fell in the upper room. In Jerusalem. There was such an impact that the whole of Jerusalem was shaken.

The Public Impact of Spirit-Filled Ministry

And I pointed out to you yesterday. And you can check for yourself. There's scarcely one place. In the New Testament. Where the phrase to be filled with or full of the Holy Spirit is used. Where there is not a very definite and positive marked impact.

I don't believe that it's scriptural to speak about people being filled with or full of the Holy Ghost. If there's no impact. That's my firm conclusion. And there are places today. Where the Pentecostal movement is in existence.

And people have been baptized in the Holy Ghost. But there is virtually no impact. Jerusalem is one of them. Some places there have been Pentecostal assemblies. Ten, twenty, thirty years. That haven't grown to more than thirty people.

And they meet on Sunday mornings. And they have the gifts of the Spirit. And they prophesy in speaking tongues. And shake one another by the hand. And go out and come back next Sunday and do the same thing.

And the people just down the street don't even know they exist. I don't believe that's the fullness of the Holy Ghost. Wherever there is the fullness of the Holy Ghost. There's going to be an impact. Things are going to happen.

Satan's going to get mad. The world is going to be turned upside down. Things are going to happen. One of our brother missionaries in Kenya. Canadian. Brother in the Lord. He said. When we arrive in a place.

Let, let people be mad or let them be glad. But let them know we're there anyhow. And I say the same. If they don't know we're there. We're failing. Something wrong. I've come to this conclusion. Actually it's quite interesting.

The Cost and Opposition of Spirit-Filled Witness

If you look at the cases of the people. Of whom it is stated that they were filled with or full of the Holy Ghost. There are eight individuals mentioned. Just in the order in that they come. It's John the Baptist, Elizabeth the mother of John, Zacharias the father of John.

Peter, Paul, Jesus, Stephen, Barnabas. Out of those eight people. We know at least five sealed their testimony by their death. So there's quite a lot being involved. Involved in being filled with the Holy Ghost.

It's not exactly the easiest kind of life to live. You're going to challenge the very gates of hell. And hell is going to fight back. Don't be in any doubt about that. If you don't want opposition. Don't be filled with the Holy Ghost.

But there'll always be opposition. Things will always happen. It says Jesus full of the Holy Ghost walked into a synagogue in Capernaum. It wasn't more than many minutes before there was a demon possessed man in the synagogue.

Saying what am I going to do with thee O Jesus of Nazareth. We know thee who thou art. I don't doubt that man had sat in that synagogue. Every Saturday for months and years passed. But nothing had ever happened until Jesus walked in full of the Holy Ghost.

And then the opposition manifested itself. I say praise the Lord. That's one of the greatest compliments the devil can give us. Take note of the fact that we've arrived. If he ignores us. That's an insult.

That's condemnation. If the devil can afford to ignore us. We're not where we ought to be. I don't know whether I've succeeded in making this plain to you or not. Because I have been into this subject for the past say 12 months.

Very very carefully. I've studied the scripture. Prayed over it. Meditated on it. And tested it out. In experience. Various different ways. I want to come back and make this statement. Which I believe I've started with.

That the Holy Ghost is not a dictator. He doesn't come in and automatically take control. And I'll do this. And clear this out. And move over there. No. Some Pentecostal people have acted and spoken as if he was a dictator.

You heard Pentecostal people doubtless disturb a meeting. And exercise the gifts out of order. And somebody reproves them. They say brother I couldn't help it. The Holy Ghost made me do it. I don't believe that.

I don't believe the Holy Ghost makes anybody do it. If you've been moved by a spirit that makes you do things. You're moved by the wrong spirit. The Holy Ghost is a comforter. He's a teacher. He's the spirit of grace.

See we've got. You must acknowledge. I know the Pentecostal movement in fine art. And I'm identified with it. But you must acknowledge. Many of us have had a false picture of our relationship with the Holy Ghost.

The Holy Ghost takes what you give. You don't give. He doesn't take. Now in the experience of a Christian. There are various different things. That we cannot ignore. I have a little list of them somewhere.

If I can find it. I'll read it out. If I won't. I don't. I can't. So it doesn't matter. But let's just take some obvious examples. One thing important in the Christian life is obedience. Another is consecration.

Another is the study of God's word. Right fellowship. Pursuing the wrong fellowship. And keeping the right fellowship. Now the baptism in the Holy Ghost is no substitute for any of those things. In God's provision.

One thing is not a substitute for another. Here's another tremendous area of loose and sloppy thinking. People assume. And most of all today I'm praying. When they get the baptism in the Holy Spirit. Speak with other tongues.

That's it. Now I've got it. Well you've got that. But what else have you got? If you consider just a little picture. The armor of the Christian. Maybe we should look at that. In Ephesians chapter 6. This is just a little example of this.

The Armor of God and the Girdle of Truth

And we could read verse 12 through 17. Ephesians 6 reading verses 12 through 17. Not against flesh and blood. But against principality. Against powers. Against the rulers of the darkness of this world.

Against spiritual wickedness in high places. But the Bible says spirits of lawlessness in heavenly places. Wherefore take unto you the whole armor of God. That ye may be able to withstand in the evil day.

And having done all to stand. Now the armor is enumerated and consists of six pieces. Therefore having your loins girt about with truth. Having on the breastplate of righteousness. Your feet shod with the preparation of the gospel of peace.

Above all taking the shield of faith. Wherewith ye shall be able to quench all the fiery doubts of the wicked. And take the helmet of salvation. And the sword of the spirit. Which is the word of God. Now there are six pieces of armor.

The first is the girdle of truth. And I do believe that this is basic. We, when we want anything from God. We've got to begin on the basis of truth. As a minister that's often asked to help and counsel people with their problems.

I've learned one thing. The person that's fully honest. Is the easiest to help. The person that's completely frank. Covers nothing up. Excuses nothing. Calls nothing by the wrong name. But just puts all the cards on the table.

You can guarantee that God will help them. There's no question. The moment a person becomes really honest. God is going to do something in their life. But the trouble is. Religious people are the people that are least prone to be honest.

That may sound hard. But it's true. Religion tends to give people a double standard. One is what they believe. And the other is what they live. And it's very hard to get them to see the conflict. And the discrepancies between the two.

I'm a religious person myself. So I'm speaking just as much about myself as anybody else. I was a pagan. I was a Christianized educated pagan for years. And I laughed at religious people. I could see their inconsistencies.

Their silliness. Their ineffectiveness. I laughed at them. And even after God saved me and baptized me in the Holy Ghost. I was still making fun of religious people. One day the Lord spoke to me and said.

Remember you're a religious person now. And you've been one for a long while. And I thought. Well I better be careful now. And it's true. The first thing is the girdle of truth. In Eastern land men as well as women wear long hanging garments.

And if ever a man is going to be active. The first thing he'll do is take the bottom of his garments. And tuck them up into his girdle. Then his legs are clear for action. And so Paul says until we become frank and honest.

Until we put away the little lies and hypocrisy and self-deception. We can't begin to move. Gird up your loins with truth. The next one is having on the breastplate of righteousness. Righteousness is a condition of the heart.

Therefore it's in the area of the breast. It's not a condition of the head. But the heart. With the heart man believeth unto righteousness. A lot of people believe with the head. But it doesn't produce righteousness.

It just produces a denominational label. That's 15. Your feet shod with the preparation of the gospel of peace. The shoes, boots, the preparation of the gospel. Don't run till you have a message. A lot of people leave Bible school.

They've been trained in Bible school. But they don't have a message. They've got nothing on their feet. They don't get far. You can't march without boots. Then we have verse 16. Above all taking the shield of faith.

The Shield of Faith, Salvation, and Hope

That's the great big. There are two Greek words for shield. This is the big one that will cover the entire person. To which you'll be able to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked. And take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the spirit.

Which is the word of God. The helmet covering for the head. Then the sword, the only weapon of attack. Every other one is a weapon of defense. Except the sword. Now you'll observe how wonderful the Bible is.

When you have all that. You are protected from the crown of your head. To the soles of your feet. But you leave off only one piece of armor. And your protection ceases to be complete. And no one piece is a substitute for any of the other pieces.

Now the way in which I've learned this. And seen it in the lives of so many Christians. Is they do not have the helmet. That means their head is unprotected. Their thought life is open to the enemy. And you see a person wounded in the head.

Becomes more or less incapable of wielding the sword. Or marching on his feet. This is happening to thousands and thousands of Christians. Even Christian worshippers, ministers and missionaries. Their thought life is unprotected.

And this wound in the head. Renders them incapable really of making full use of the other pieces of armor. I've learned all this by hard experience. I learned it the hard way. I learned it in my own experience.

The helmet of salvation. Now you might say as I said. Well what is the helmet of salvation? Just because there's a helmet of salvation. It doesn't tell us what it is. But it does. You keep your finger there.

And you turn to 1st Thessalonians 5 and verse 8. 1st Thessalonians 5 and verse 8. But let us who are of the day. Who are of the day. Be sober. Putting on the breastplate of faith and love. And for an helmet.

The hope of salvation. See so you are told what the helmet is. It's the hope of salvation. This is a wonderful truth. Which you can prove in your experience. It's not just a doctrine. The protection of the mind is hope.

The attitude of hope. The attitude of optimism. You become a pessimist. You're sunk. You'll be wounded in the head. No Christian has got a right to be a pessimist. All Christians have to be optimistic.

Amen. Now some of us like me. We were born pessimists. I was born a pessimist. It's in my family. It runs right back. I can trace it back. And that was one of my big problems. But God showed me that my head was unprotected.

I was open to thoughts of failure. And defeat. And discouragement. Continually. God showed me this isn't Christianity. You've got to be changed. Then I learned to put on the helmet. Particularly from tremendous moods of depression.

That used to come over me. And as I travel around. I meet one in every ten or twenty people. In every congregation that has the same problem. I learned through Isaiah 61 verse 3. That I was dealing with the spirit.

The spirit of heaviness. I wasn't wrestling with myself. I was wrestling with an enemy. An agent of Satan. It was troubling me. I then discovered Joel 2 32. It shall come to pass. But whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord.

Shall be delivered. I called upon the name of the Lord. And I was delivered. Then I realized that I had to keep my deliverance. God showed me the two means to keep free. Isaiah 61 3. It says in place of the spirit of heaviness.

The garment of praise. Put on the garment of praise. The spirit of heaviness won't come near you. And then put on the helmet of hopeless salvation. Change your way of thinking. Be an optimist. All things work together for good to them that love God.

So how can you be a pessimist? See, it's unbelief to be a pessimist. Abraham, because of his faith. Which was in his heart. Against hope. Believed in hope. He had the helmet. See, as well as the breastplate.

Hope is a tremendously important thing. Up to this time, in my experience. I've never heard a sermon preached on hope in all my life. And I was just amazed to discover how much there was about hope. In the New Testament.

Colossians 1 27. Christ in you, the hope of God. No hope, no Christ. Romans 8, I think it's 28 or something like that. Not 28, but somewhere around there. We are saved by hope. And then Ephesians 2 12.

When we're without God and without Christ. We're without hope. Hebrews 5 at the end of the chapter. Which hope we have as an anchor of the soul. Steadfast and sure. And that entereth in within the veil.

See, not only is hope your helmet. It's your anchor. You, you can be tossed and buffeted to and fro in the ways of life. But if you've got hope, that anchor holds you firm. It's an anchor that's fastened in an eternal rock.

The path is out of time into eternity. You can't get on without hope. You put on the garment of praise. And that demon of heaviness comes back. You'll bother him, or he bothers you. You really want to bother the devil, you praise the Lord.

Amen. And I'll tell you one particular thing to praise the Lord for. That Jesus is exalted. Far above all principality, and power, and dominion, and might. And every name that is named, not only in this world, but also in that which is to come.

And if the devil is still hanging around, then you go on and remind him. That at the name of Jesus, every knee shall bow. Of things in heaven, and things in earth, and things under the earth. And every tongue shall confess that Jesus Christ is Lord to the glory of God the Father.

And you keep that up for a little while. The devil will find somebody else to bother. Because you bother him more than he bothers you. Amen. This is true. Amen. This is the garment of praise. The helmet of hope.

Spiritual Gifts Cannot Replace Obedience and Fellowship

But what I went into that study for, was not to tell you this. But to point out to you that in God's provision, one thing is not a substitute for another. This is perfectly true, the baptism of the Holy Ghost.

Fine, you've received the baptism of the Holy Ghost, you've spoken with other tongues. Thank God it's wonderful. It's the greatest single help that God can give a Christian, to be a good Christian. But it's no substitute for the other things that God requires of a Christian.

That's the point. No substitute for obedience, for consecration, for study of the Word of God, for right fellowship. You can't keep up wrong fellowship and have the right result. Come out from among them, be ye separate, touch not the unseen things of God.

You've got to have fellowship with somebody. So the choice is between having it with the right people and having it with the wrong people. And that's a clear choice. You couldn't be baptized in the Holy Ghost, but if you keep the wrong company, you'll lose all that God has given you, and more.

You'll be worse than you were before. Don't imagine that this does something that something else is intended to do. No. I understand it's a right, if we look at the history of the Pentecostal movement, and the Pentecostal movement has a history.

It's not a long history, but it has a history. And I think it's a pity sometimes that some people from the other denominations that are coming into this experience don't take a little while to study the history of the Pentecostal movement.

Because it's much less painful to learn by other people's mistakes than to make your own. But I find little evidence that most of them are learning by our mistakes. When the dramatic outpouring took place in Azusa Street in Los Angeles, which kind of marked the official beginning of the Pentecostal movement.

Although this thing had been going on for maybe 40 or 50 years before that. There had been outpourings in Russia, Armenia, Finland and so on. But nevertheless they didn't make the headlines in the religious news, but Azusa Street did in a way.

The Historical Context of Azusa Street

Now you consider the people that went to that Azusa Street prayer meeting. Because I wasn't there, I mean I'll tell you that. But on the whole, I think you could say they were the cream of the crop. They were people that had been in various different denominations.

They were consecrated, well-instructed Christians. Who were dissatisfied with the formality and the powerlessness of their own movement and were drawn to seek God for something more. Now when those people received the baptism in the Holy Spirit, remember what else they had.

They had a background of Bible-believing Christianity. They were consecrated. In many cases they were people with rich spiritual experience and the knowledge of the Word of God. But today, thank God for what God is doing.

But multitudes of people that are receiving the baptism in the Holy Spirit don't have any of those things at all. You couldn't, if you told them to look for epistles of the Hebrews, they'd look in the Old Testament.

It would be utterly foolish to imagine that the baptism in the Holy Spirit would produce the same results in the lives of those people as it did in the lives of the people of Azusa Street. It would be utterly inconsequential.

It will if it's united with the other things that the people had. God has got no favorites, he doesn't care about denominations. But he does impose conditions. And he does demand obedience. Now, this isn't aimed at people somewhere else.

Personal Yielding to the Holy Spirit

This is a personal issue for you and me here this morning. Just what is our relationship to the Holy Ghost? The Lord in our lives. We've received him, we've spoken with other tongues, maybe we speak with other tongues.

But does he really possess us? Somebody said, and it's quite a good way to put it. It's not a question of how much you have of the Holy Ghost. It's a question of how much the Holy Ghost has of you. Now, there is no question whatever.

That multitudes of people that have been baptized in the Holy Ghost are not fully yielded to the Holy Ghost. There's no doubt about that. The evidence is in their lives. The situation reminds me somewhat of Samuel when he came to see Saul.

After Saul had been sent off on a divine errand to wipe out the Amalekites. To kill their king and their cattle and their sheep. And Saul returned. And Samuel went to meet him. And Saul said, blessed be thou the Lord thy God.

I have fulfilled the commandment of the Lord. And Samuel said in a very simple practical way. Well then what meaneth the lowing of the oxen that I hear. And the bleeding of the sheep in mine ears. Dead oxen don't low and dead sheep don't bleed.

There's a very manifest, obvious evidence all around you that you haven't obeyed the commandment of the Lord. And that's true of multitudes of Pentecostal people. No matter what they say, the evidence is right there.

It's shouting at you. They aren't yielded to the Holy Ghost. He isn't effectively Lord of their lives. They've received him very graciously. Because his spirit of grace, he's come in. But what has, what has followed, what has transpired after that.

Differs in every case. Every person is an individual. To each one of us to decide personally. What is my relationship to the Holy Ghost. How much of me does he control this morning. What areas of my life have I excluded him from.

I believe you can speak about being filled with the Holy Ghost when every area of your personality and of your life is permeated with the spirit of grace. That's what I, that's how I understand it to mean the fullness of the Holy Ghost.

The Old Nature and the Necessity of the Cross

The logical application of the word. Going on further. If I have succeeded in convincing you, I don't know whether I have. That you can be baptized in the Holy Ghost. And yet not be filled with the Holy Ghost.

Or fully yielded to the Holy Ghost. Or not have the Holy Ghost in real control of every area of your life. We now face the next question. What about the areas of your life that aren't under the control of the Holy Ghost.

What about them? And I venture to suggest to you. When I suggest this on the basis of scripture and experience. There are two possibilities. With regard to those areas of your life that are not effectively under the control of the Holy Ghost.

One is simply the old fallen nature still prevails. The old, what the Bible calls the old man, the flesh or the body of sin. I believe those three phrases are used interchangeably. For what we are apart from the grace of God.

And the effective work of salvation in our lives. Or the old man is totally alien and opposed to God. Romans 8 says the carnal mind is enmity against God. The old man is corrupt according to the deceitful lie.

He's pictured in Isaiah as wounds and bruises and putrefying sores. From the crown of the head to the sole of the feet there is no songness in him. That's the old nature. So hopeless is the old nature that God decided not even to try to repair him.