Feeling Empowered Series

Feeling Empowered

Text: Acts 1:8

Introduction

1. Video Clip

2. This morning we're going to talk about having a vision for our lost world.

3. We see this "world vision" mentality in the book of Acts throughout the TV series A.D. In virtually every episode, the church is acting upon the final words of Jesus, given to them on His last day on earth.

4. If you had one last message to convey to your loved ones, you would probably take the time to clearly communicate your final wishes, right? You would tell them the most important thing on your heart . . . your last will and testament.

5. Well, if you will stand with me this morning, I will tell you the last thing that Jesus said before he left this earth. Let's read Acts 1:8.

6. Jesus promised us we would…

A. Receive Power

B. Be Witnesses

C. Tell People

Proposition: Jesus has commissioned us and empowered us to tell the world about him.

Transition: In Jesus last words he gave his church three promises. The first promise is...

I. Receive Power

A. You Will Receive Power

1. As we have mentioned before, in the OT God was very selective as to whom he gave his Holy Spirit.

A. He only gave his Spirit to people like priests, kings, and prophets.

B. He occasionally gave his Spirit to people he needed to do specific tasks, like the craftsmen who worked on the Tabernacle while they were in the desert for 40 years.

C. However, he promised through the prophet Joel that a time would come when he would pour out his Spirit on everyone.

D. Joel 2:28-29 (NLT)

“Then, after doing all those things, I will pour out my Spirit upon all people. Your sons and daughters will prophesy. Your old men will dream dreams, and your young men will see visions. 29 In those days I will pour out my Spirit even on servants—men and women alike.

E. Of course, we know that on the day of Pentecost God fulfilled that promise.

2. Another thing that we need to keep in mind is that the disciples on the day of Pentecost already had the Holy Spirit living in them.

A. John 20:22 (NLT)

Then he breathed on them and said, “Receive the Holy Spirit.

B. Either Jesus was a liar or they received the Holy Spirit and he was living inside of them.

C. We call this the regeneration of the Holy Spirit.

D. What happened to these people on the day of Pentecost was a second work of the Holy Spirit we call the Baptism of the Holy Spirit.

3. So in his last words on earth to his disciples, Jesus made them three promises. The fist one was, "But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes upon you..."

A. This is the last recorded statement of Christ on earth. It is thus final, authoritative, and of utmost importance.

B. The Holy Spirit is a major theme in Luke and Acts and is the major point of continuity between the life of Jesus and the ministry of the church (Barton 474).

C. He had already commissioned them and given them the task of making disciples of all nations.

D. Yet he realized that this was an impossible task for them to accomplish on their own.

E. So he promised to send them all the power that they would need to accomplish the task that he had given them.

F. The word for "power" comes from a verb, which means "to be able," or "to have strength.

G. In Acts power refers to 1) the working of miracles, 2) power for bearing witness, and 3) power over the devil.

H. He knew that they were going to need the power to do all three of these things.

I. Luke 24:49 (NLT)

“And now I will send the Holy Spirit, just as my Father promised. But stay here in the city until the Holy Spirit comes and fills you with power from heaven.”

J. He is telling them don't try and do this on your own. Wait until I send the equipment that you will need.

B. Be Energized

1. Illustration: I want to share with you a question by Martyn Lloyd-Jones, who is certainly not known as a Pentecostal preacher. His doctrine and theology was that of the Reformed Church. When he was the pastor at Westminster Chapel in London, England, near the end of his life--and some say at the very pinnacle of his ministry--he asked his congregation a question. He said, "I want to talk to you today about the baptism of the Holy Spirit. You may call it what you want, but I want to know, have you experienced the fullness of the Spirit? I know all of you listening to me come as I do from a Reformed background. But it’s not good enough. I know that all of you would want to say to my question about the Holy Spirit, ’Well, we got it all at conversion; there’s no need for any more experience.’ Well," said Martyn Lloyd-Jones, "I have only one other question to ask you. If you got it all at conversion, where in God’s name is it?"