Setting The Stage For The Spirit Of God-4 Series

B-SETTING the STAGE for the SPIRIT-IV—Acts 1:4-8

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?

11 acts setting the stage for the Spirit of God are...

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—Setting the stage for the Spirit are

Acts of RESTORATION(:6)

Explanation:(:6) Questioning / Inquiry

:6—“Therefore, when they had come together, they asked Him, saying, “Lord, will You at this time restore the kingdom to Israel?””

“Restore”—apokaqisthmi—To restore to a former state; To be in its former state.

Isa. 49:6—“Indeed He says, ‘It is too small a thing that You should be My Servant To raise up the tribes of Jacob, And to restore the preserved ones of Israel; I will also give You as a light to the Gentiles, That You should be My salvation to the ends of the earth.’””

—Surely since He had been resurrected, this miraculous event would signal the ushering in of the kingdom. They did not yet recognize the global work which the Spirit of God was compelled to do in His people & in the world.

—Desire for the restoration of the kingdom to Israel is a limitation to nationalistic representations to ‘the ‘glory days of David & Solomon.’....

1Kgs. 4:21—“So Solomon reigned over all kingdoms from the River to the land of the Philistines, as far as the border of Egypt. They brought tribute & served Solomon all the days of his life.”

....Miniscule in comparison to the new kingdom’s global presence & impact.

—‘An earthly & national kingdom was recast...as the spiritual kingdom of God, to be entered thru repentance & faith in Christ.’—FF Bruce

— ‘The restoration of the kingdom involves a worldwide mission.’—John Polhill

—Dare we forget the rest of the world by focusing upon what God is going to do locally?

—The apostles recognized that the restoration of Israel was dependent upon Jesus.

Thus what He determined should be heeded!

Argumentation:

Lk. 2:25-32—“And behold, there was a man in Jerusalem whose name was Simeon, & this man was just & devout, waiting for the Consolation of Israel, & the Holy Spirit was upon him. And it had been revealed to him by the Holy Spirit that he would not see death before he had seen the Lord’s Christ. So he came by the Spirit into the temple. And when the parents brought in the Child Jesus, to do for Him according to the custom of the law, he took Him up in his arms & blessed God & said: “Lord, now You are letting Your servant depart in peace, According to Your word; For my eyes have seen Your salvation Which You have prepared before the face of all peoples, A light to bring revelation to the Gentiles, And the glory of Your people Israel.””

Consolation involves restoration of Israel to Kingdom status! .... BUT kingdom status requires spiritual kingdom status!

Illustration:

McDonald’s/Ruined/Burnt to ground/Restored with power in vastly different way/ACTS OF RESTORATION

Return to Church’s glory days/‘Glory Days’ existed because people were repentant & serious about walking with Jesus/Those Glory Days could be quadrupled today!ACTS OF RESTORATION

Model ‘T’ Hot Rod/No way that an original model ‘T’could have performed like a model ‘T’ hot rod/ACTS OF RESTORATION

Application:

?The Stage been Set thru your ACTS OF RESTORATION?

?You Set the Stage for the Holy Spirit?

13—Setting the stage for the Spirit are

Acts of ACCOMMODATION(:7)

Explanation:(:7) Acceptance

:7—“And He said to them, “It is not for you to know times or seasons which the Father has put in His own authority.”

“Know”—ginwskw—To learn to know, come to know, get a knowledge of, perceive, feel. A knowledge grounded on personal experience.

“Times or seasons”—The actual calendar setting of God’s plan is irrelevant to the faithful. The act of Restoration itself, as it involves the faithful, however, is vital!

“Seasons”—kairoV—Due measure; A measure of time, a larger or smaller portion of time—A definitely limited portion of time with the added notion of suitableness.

“Authority”—exousia—Power of choice, liberty of doing as one pleases.; Physical or mental power; Power of authority(influence) & right(privilege). Primarily liberty of action; then authority -- either as delegated power, or as unrestrained, arbitrary power.

:8—“But you shall receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; & you shall be witnesses to Me in Jerusalem, & in all Judea & Samaria, & to the end of the earth.””

*“But”—A key word in facing uncertainty & lack of clarity in God’s refusal.

—Rather than into restored kingdom in the sense of a politically & geographically limiting restoration of the kingdom, they will instead “receive” something of greater importance as far as concerns them 7 their role in that kingdom.