The Power of Water Baptism

There are no examples of infants being baptized in the Bible because baptism is an expression of our repentance and
faith in Jesus Christ. The Bible teaches about infant dedication which is an act of faith by the parents.
*Baptism, Strong’s # 908; Greek baptisma (bap-tis-ma): From the verb baptize, to dip or immerse. In Christian baptism
the emphasis is on the baptized person’s identification with Christ in death, burial, and resurrection. The word describes
the experience of a convert from initial acceptance of Christ to initiation into the Christian community. *From Word
Wealth SFLB.
Gal 3:26-29 For you are all sons of God through faith in Christ Jesus. 27 For as many of you as were baptized into Christ
have put on Christ. 28 There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free, there is neither male nor female; for
you are all one in Christ Jesus. 29 And if you are Christ's, then you are Abraham's seed, and heirs according to the
promise.
Salvation puts Christ in us and water baptism puts us in Christ and allows the Holy Spirit to rest or alight upon us. In
Christ we become joint heirs with Jesus and walk in His authority as kings and priests.
Gal 4:6-7 And because you are sons, God has sent forth the Spirit of His Son into your hearts, crying out, "Abba, Father!"
7 Therefore you are no longer a slave but a son, and if a son, then an heir of God through Christ.
Once we give our life to Jesus Christ, and ask Him into our heart, we are given the Holy Spirit to help us understand who
we are “in Christ.” To be “in” something means to be surrounded and totally immersed. The ritual we do by faith to be
“immersed” in Christ is water baptism. Rituals are something we do by faith in the physical realm to connect us to the
spiritual realm, allowing the Holy Spirit to empower us. ***The spiritual realm controls the physical realm.
Jesus did not perform any miracles until He was baptized and filled with the Holy Spirit’s power. This is when His ministry
officially began. He received His “anointing” as Messiah through the empowering of the Holy Spirit in order to fulfill
prophecy and declare “Repent, for the Kingdom of Heaven is at hand,” (Matt 4:17). Jesus demonstrated the Kingdom of
Heaven by signs and wonders through the power of the Holy Spirit. We walk in the same power! This is The Power, The
Promise, The Holy Spirit to build and advance the Kingdom of God! We walk in resurrection power.
Jesus went through the ritual of water baptism, the heavens opened, and He was empowered by the Holy Spirit and the
voice of God manifested into this physical realm.
Matt 3:13-17 Then Jesus came from Galilee to John at the Jordan to be baptized by him. 14 And John tried to prevent
Him, saying, "I need to be baptized by You, and are You coming to me?" 15 But Jesus answered and said to him, "Permit
it to be so now, for thus it is fitting for us to fulfill all righteousness." Then he allowed Him. 16 When He had been
baptized, Jesus came up immediately from the water; and behold, the heavens were opened to Him, and He saw the
Spirit of God descending like a dove and alighting upon Him. 17 And suddenly a voice came from heaven, saying, "This is
My beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased."
On the Day of Pentecost Peter preached his first message under the power of the Holy Spirit and said, “Repent, and let
every one of you be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins” (Acts 2:38). Paul wrote in Rom 6:2-3
that when we are baptized our sinful nature is shattered. Jesus did not need to repent; He was sinless, so why did He
need to be water baptized?
Answer: to fulfill prophecy and to be filled (and led) with the power of the Holy Spirit. To show us there is a water
baptism that includes a Holy Spirit baptism.

Luke 4:1 Then Jesus, being filled with the Holy Spirit, returned from the Jordan and was led by the Spirit into the
wilderness, After Jesus was water baptized, He was filled and led by the Holy Spirit into the wilderness where He fasted
and prayed 40 days and at the end Satan came to tempt Him, but every time Jesus replied “It is written!” and quoted
Scripture to Satan.
Water baptism does not remove our sin, but it shatters our sinful nature as we now walk in the revelation of God’s
grace; the power of the Holy Spirit not only in us (salvation) but on us (Kingdom power). Being “filled with the Spirit”
means He permeates every area of our lives; nothing is hidden. Once we are filled with the Holy Spirit, there is no longer
room for sin and we are made pure of heart. This allows us to be and walk in the righteousness of God.
The Prophecies: The Spirit of the Lord Upon the Lord
Isa 61:1-3 "The Spirit of the Lord God is upon Me, Because the Lord has anointed Me To preach good tidings to the poor;
He has sent Me to heal the brokenhearted, To proclaim liberty to the captives, And the opening of the prison to those
who are bound; 2 To proclaim the acceptable year of the Lord, And the day of vengeance of our God; To comfort all who
mourn, 3 To console those who mourn in Zion, To give them beauty for ashes, The oil of joy for mourning, The garment of
praise for the spirit of heaviness; That they may be called trees of righteousness, The planting of the Lord, that He may
be glorified."
God’s righteousness has 2 main components; His grace and His judgment. These 2 work together to bring justice.
Acts 10:36-39 Jesus Christ — He is Lord of all — 37 that word you know, which was proclaimed throughout all Judea,
and began from Galilee after the baptism which John preached: 38 how God anointed Jesus of Nazareth with the Holy
Spirit and with power, who went about doing good and healing all who were oppressed by the devil, for God was with
Him.
To be “oppressed by the devil” means to suffer mentally or physically by demonic forces, not necessarily the Devil
himself. Sickness, pain, fear, anxiety, depression, anger, lust, poverty, curses, and other bondages are oppression by evil
forces. Not every issue that causes us to suffer is from the devil, but every issue we suffer, is destroyed by the blood of
Jesus because He came to give us life, and give it more abundantly (Jn 10:10).
1 John 3:8-9 For this purpose the Son of God was manifested, that He might destroy the works of the devil.
2 Cor 1:21-22 He who establishes us with you in Christ and has anointed us is God, 22 who also has sealed us and given
us the Spirit in our hearts as a guarantee.
In Christ we are anointed from God; empowered by the Holy Spirit. We destroy the works of the devil! We set free all
those who are “oppressed” by the devil. We expose (reprove; convict, convince, tell a fault, admonish, warn) the
unfruitful works of darkness.
John the Baptist prophesied that Jesus will baptize us with the Holy Spirit and fire so we can demonstrate (just like Jesus
did) the Kingdom of Heaven is at hand! We are to “give witness” of God’s mighty power.
BUT, we have to first see it, believe it, receive it and speak it.
Matt 3:11 I indeed baptize you with water unto repentance, but He who is coming after me is mightier than I, whose
sandals I am not worthy to carry. He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and fire. -John *fire is boldness and zeal of the
Holy Spirit.
Acts 1:5,8 for John truly baptized with water, but you shall be baptized with the Holy Spirit not many days from now.…8
But you shall receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you shall be witnesses to Me in Jerusalem, and
in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth." These were the last words Jesus spoke before He ascended into
Heaven. John baptizes with water, but Jesus with the Holy Spirit.
Have you been water baptized with the knowledge and expectation of the Holy Spirit coming upon you?