Setting The Stage For The Spirit Of God-6 Series

C-SETTING the STAGE for the SPIRIT-VI—Acts 1:9-14

Luke recorded for Theophilus an account of those acts which preceded the coming of the Holy Spirit in Jesus’ physical absence.

How is the stage set for the acts of the Holy Spirit?

17 acts setting the stage for the Spirit of God are Acts of...

1. FRIENDSHIP(:1)

2. INITIATION(:1)

3. EXPLANATION(:2)

4. SENDING(:2)

5. CHOOSING/CHOICE(:2)

6. RESURRECTION(:3)

7. SUFFERING(:3)

8. MINISTRY(:3)

9. COOPERATION(:4)

10. ANTICIPATION / EXPECTATION(:4-5)

11. BAPTISM(:5)

12. RESTORATION(questioning / inquiry)(:6)

13. ACCOMMODATION(:7)

14. POWERLESSNESS(:8)

15. INDEPENDENCE / MISUSE(:8)

16. INADEQUACY / IMPERCEPTION(:8)

17. LIMITATION(:8)

18—Setting the stage for the Spirit are

Acts of EMPTINESS / SEPARATION(:9-11)

Explanation:(:9-11)

:9—“Now when He had spoken these things, while they watched, He was taken up, & a cloud received Him out of their sight.”

I cannot put my hand upon Jesus

Lk. 24:50-51—“And He led them out as far as Bethany, & He lifted up His hands & blessed them. Now it came to pass, while He blessed them, that He was parted from them & carried up into heaven.”

“Taken up/Lifted up”—epairw—To lift up, raise up, raise on high.

“Received”—upolambanw—to take up in order to raise, to bear on high; To receive hospitably, welcome; To take up; To take up in the mind.

:10—“And while they looked steadfastly toward heaven as He went up, behold, two men stood by them in white apparel,”

“Steadfastly”—atenizw—To fix the eyes on, gaze upon; To look into anything.

“Went up/Departing”—poreuomai—To lead over, carry over, transfer. Expresses motion in limits, or giving prominence to the bearing; hence the regular word for the march of an army.

“Stood by/Beside”—paristhmi—To place beside or near; To stand beside, stand by or near, to be at hand, be present.

“White”—leukoV—Light, bright, brilliant.

:11—“who also said, “Men of Galilee, why do you stand gazing up into heaven? This same Jesus, who was taken up from you into heaven, will so come in like manner as you saw Him go into heaven.”

“Why do you stand gazing”—

—“Gazing/Looking”—blepw—To see, discern, of the bodily eye.

“This same Jesus,....will so come in like manner”—

—Jesus Himself would return in a “manner” consistent/ analagous/equivalent/ corresponding/ coextensive with the way in which He had ascended.

—Their Messiah was not lost. He would return at an undisclosed time ...

—But His return would be both visible & recognizable.

Argumentation:

Eph. 4:7-17—“But to each one of us grace was given according to the measure of Christ’s gift. Therefore He says: “When He ascended on high, He led captivity captive, And gave gifts to men.” (Now this, “He ascended”--what does it mean but that He also first descended into the lower parts of the earth? He who descended is also the One who ascended far above all the heavens, that He might fill all things.) And He Himself gave some to be apostles, some prophets, some evangelists, & some pastors & teachers, for the equipping of the saints for the work of ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ, till we all come to the unity of the faith & of the knowledge of the Son of God, to a perfect man, to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ; that we should no longer be children, tossed to & fro & carried about with every wind of doctrine, by the trickery of men, in the cunning craftiness of deceitful plotting, but, speaking the truth in love, may grow up in all things into Him who is the head--Christ-- from whom the whole body, joined & knit together by what every joint supplies, according to the effective working by which every part does its share, causes growth of the body for the edifying of itself in love.”

Jn. 14:15-18—““If you love Me, keep My commandments. “And I will pray the Father, & He will give you another Helper, that He may abide with you forever-- “the Spirit of truth, whom the world cannot receive, because it neither sees Him nor knows Him; but you know Him, for He dwells with you & will be in you. “I will not leave you orphans; I will come to you.”

Lk. 21:22-28—“For these are the days of vengeance, that all things which are written may be fulfilled. “But woe to those who are pregnant & to those who are nursing babies in those days! For there will be great distress in the land & wrath upon this people. “And they will fall by the edge of the sword, & be led away captive into all nations. And Jerusalem will be trampled by Gentiles until the times of the Gentiles are fulfilled. “And there will be signs in the sun, in the moon, & in the stars; & on the earth distress of nations, with perplexity, the sea & the waves roaring; “men’s hearts failing them from fear & the expectation of those things which are coming on the earth, for the powers of heaven will be shaken. “Then they will see the Son of Man coming in a cloud with power & great glory. “Now when these things begin to happen, look up & lift up your heads, because your redemption draws near.””