B-Setting The Stage For The Spirit Of God-3 Series

B-Setting the Stage for the Spirit-III—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?

17 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—Setting the stage for the Spirit are

Acts of BAPTISM(:5)

—Explanation:(:4)

:5—“for John truly baptized with water, but you shall be baptized with the Holy Spirit not many days from now.””

“Baptized”—???????—To dip repeatedly, immerse, submerge; To overwhelm.

—John’s baptism was simply an immersion in & symbolic cleansing “with water.” This was dependent upon the believer to recognize & act in repentance toward his own sin. However, Jesus promised a baptism “with the Holy Spirit” which would come upon them shortly. This obviously was vastly different from John’s baptism. One was human & the other is divine....One is admition/recognition & the other empowering.

Mat. 3:11; Mk. 1:8; Lk. 3:16—“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 & fire.”

Acts 19:1-6—“And it happened, while Apollos was at Corinth, that Paul, having passed through the upper regions, came to Ephesus. And finding some disciples he said to them, “Did you receive the Holy Spirit when you believed?” So they said to him, “We have not so much as heard whether there is a Holy Spirit.” And he said to them, “Into what then were you baptized?” So they said, “Into John’s baptism.” Then Paul said, “John indeed baptized with a baptism of repentance, saying to the people that they should believe on Him who would come after him, that is, on Christ Jesus.” When they heard this, they were baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus. And when Paul had laid hands on them, the Holy Spirit came upon them, & they spoke with tongues & prophesied.”

—Argumentation:

Rom. 6:3-14—“Or do you not know that as many of us as were baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into His death? Therefore we were buried with Him through baptism into death, that just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, even so we also should walk in newness of life. For if we have been united together in the likeness of His death, certainly we also shall be in the likeness of His resurrection, knowing this, that our old man was crucified with Him, that the body of sin might be done away with, that we should no longer be slaves of sin. For he who has died has been freed from sin. Now if we died with Christ, we believe that we shall also live with Him, knowing that Christ, having been raised from the dead, dies no more. Death no longer has dominion over Him. For the death that He died, He died to sin once for all; but the life that He lives, He lives to God. Likewise you also, reckon yourselves to be dead indeed to sin, but alive to God in Christ Jesus our Lord. Therefore do not let sin reign in your mortal body, that you should obey it in its lusts. And do not present your members as instruments of unrighteousness to sin, but present yourselves to God as being alive from the dead, & your members as instruments of righteousness to God. For sin shall not have dominion over you, for you are not under law but under grace.”

Acts 8:30-38—“So Philip ran to him, & heard him reading the prophet Isaiah, & said, “Do you understand what you are reading?” And he said, “How can I, unless someone guides me?” And he asked Philip to come up & sit with him. The place in the Scripture which he read was this: “He was led as a sheep to the slaughter; And as a lamb before its shearer is silent, So He opened not His mouth. In His humiliation His justice was taken away, And who will declare His generation? For His life is taken from the earth.” So the eunuch answered Philip & said, “I ask you, of whom does the prophet say this, of himself or of some other man?” Then Philip opened his mouth, & beginning at this Scripture, preached Jesus to him. Now as they went down the road, they came to some water. And the eunuch said, “See, here is water. What hinders me from being baptized?” Then Philip said, “If you believe with all your heart, you may.” And he answered & said, “I believe that Jesus Christ is the Son of God.” So he commanded the chariot to stand still. And both Philip & the eunuch went down into the water, & he baptized him.”