A NEW PEOPLE – Pt 1
Acts 1:3-8
* Do you ever feel like you need something NEW? A deer hunter may need a new bow, a woman may need new clothes, a golfer may need new clubs, or even a person may need a new JOB! To look on the ‘national political’ scene is to understand the need for “NEW.” The new not only has an appeal but an effect. When you look at this culture, you get the feeling that without a new approach to life and living, as a society, we will get more of what we have & it won’t be good.
* This world needs a ‘New type of people’ who sees things differently than the norm. We need a people who will give rather than take, who will be unselfish rather than be uncaring, and those who will love rather than hate.
* Jesus knew if this world would ever be reconciled to the Heavenly Father, then what would be needed was indeed a different, a changed, and a new people. He came to transform lives. Plus His entire life was spent developing His disciples into this new type of person. He taught them to be people of faith, that is, people who lived, walked, talked, and acted on faith.
* Knowing Jesus’ desires, take a peek inside of today’s church and ask yourself this, “Do I see a new type of people inside the church?” Are we (am I) a people who is being used of God to change this culture? The world still needs this ‘New People’ and God has called US to be just what the world needs! Let’s read about Jesus’ last moments on earth & hear Him clearly.
* (READ TEXT) Consider some context of this scripture; after the crucifixion, all the ‘believers’ headed for cover. They were afraid and, in that condition, were not going to change anything! They were on the run!
* After the resurrection they became a little bolder. Now they had seen the living Christ & were their courage was returning. Jesus knew that ‘fraidy-cat followers’ were not going to cut it. Because there was a big job to be done & it was going to take ‘brave’ people to do it. Jesus’ crash course had begun in the upper room and concluded right here.
* Jesus’ message is the same as to us today. The world is on a collision course with God and eternal destruction – and you, my people, new people, are the only hope for the world. It takes a new people with a new outlook, a new inlook, and a new uplook to make a difference in this world. We discern two thoughts from these verses and they connect with each other.
1. God’s Promise – The text says, “Wait for the Father’s promise” and many ask, “What is that?” Turn to John 14-6 (I.E. 14:15-18, 25; 15:26; 16:5-15) Our Lord gave us the promise that, as His children, we would not be left alone. But we are told to wait! We know about waiting (or at least we think we do). Doc Blakely tells about a fellow who walked into a doctor’s office and the receptionist asked him what he had. He said, “Shingles.” So she took down his name, address, medical insurance number and told him to have a seat. Fifteen minutes later a nurse’s aide came out and asked him what he had. He said, “Shingles.” So she took down his height, weight, a complete medical history and told him to wait in an examining room. A half-hour later a nurse came in and asked him what he had. He said, “Shingles.” So she gave him a blood test, a blood pressure test, an electrocardiogram, told him to take off all his clothes, and wait for the doctor. An hour later the doctor came in and asked him what he had. He said, “Shingles.” The doctor said, “Where?” He said, “Outside in the truck. Where do you want ‘em?”
* We are not big on waiting, in fact most of us are impatient and yet, Isaiah tells us, “They that wait on the Lord will be renewed.” Jesus tells them to return home and wait. Why are we told to wait? There are at least 3 reasons; it makes us seek God, walk by faith, & produces perseverance in us. These believers spent 10 days together in the upper room praying and seeking God. Perhaps this is what is lacking in our church, country, and culture today; a group of people who seek God. If you seek Him;
a. He will find you – Jesus says, “This is what you have heard from me, I have promised you the comforter, companion & guide; if you will wait, He will find you & come to you.” The Old Testament confirms this; Jeremiah 29 says, “You will seek me and find me when you search for me with all of your heart.” Isaiah 55 says, “Seek the Lord while He may be found, call upon Him while He is near.” Matthew 6 say, “Ask, and it will be given to you, Seek, and you shall find, Knock and the door will be opened.” Psalm 91 says, “When he calls out to me, I will answer Him.” He will find you to save you. He did it with the disciples (“Come, follow Me”), He did it with Paul (“Damascus Road”), and He’ll do it with you. How long has it been since God the Spirit has found you? But He will also find you to fill or refill you.
b. He will fill you – When He finds you, He will fill you and even refill you (if need be). The text says, “You’ll be baptized with the Holy Spirit.” Southern Baptist gets nervous about this Biblical event. I don’t care what you call it, just get it! Please hear me; when you get saved, you receive the spirit of God; this is THE mark of your salvation. But it simply doesn’t stop there. Scripture tells us to be so filled the Holy Spirit that He controls us in the same way alcohol can control us. It seems to me that we need to be drunk ‘on’ the spirit of God. Baptize means (Grady Nutt) to “put’em under till they bubble.”
c. He will focus you – Verse 6 & 7 seem to be insignificant verse but we can learn much from this exchange. Even after the resurrection the disciples were focused on the things of the world, they were still focused on the power and control within it. Jesus said, “Quit worrying about such things because it’s none of your business.” Our sinful nature draws our attention and focus away from things of eternal consequence and directs our attention on things which matter little. Without the manifest presence of the Holy Spirit, we major on things which don’t matter or better said, only matter in this life. (Francis Chan’s – Rope illustration) What are you focused on?
d. He will “fire” you – This truth is getting into the message for tonight, but the first part of verse 8 is the exciting part, “You WILL RECEIVE POWER.” In Matthew 28 Jesus says, “All authority (and power) is given to me” and He implies that NOW He desire to transfer all He has to us. Think about it; after Pentecost Peter says, “I don’t have the things in this world, but what I do I have I give you.” We cannot give what we don’t have. If we are going to give this world Jesus, salvation, joy, peace, hope, and love, then we have to possess it. And all of these ‘sound’ like ‘new.’ When the Spirit comes in;
* He’ll change selfishness to unselfishness. Too many are like a couple of brothers that I read about. (A mother was preparing pancakes for her sons, Kevin, 5, Ryan, 3. The boys began to argue over who would get the first pancake. Their mother saw the opportunity for a moral lesson. "If Jesus were sitting here, he would say, 'Let my brother have the first pancake. I can wait.'" Kevin turned to his younger brother and said, "Ryan, you be Jesus!") While we laugh at the children, how many of us are like Kevin, we expect someone else to be like Jesus. Yet, when the Spirit fills you, things change.
* He’ll change passivity to passion – Far too many who claim to know Christ are too passive about eternity. Penn Gillette is someone that I’ve never met nor heard of until the Alabama Pastor’s Conference last week. He is an avowed atheist. A few years ago a Gideon gave Him a Bible. Watch & hear. (VIDEO) Do you know how much we can learn from this man? If such a gift can impact one so opposed to God, how can we impact one who is closer? One Holy Spirit powered encounter and passivity turns to passion. We all have passion – of some kind, for something, in some way, but what is it? Candidly, the new person will be the one who is passionate for the Father.
* He’ll change focus to faith – The Holy Spirit will adjust your seeing, hearing, and walking. Before being filled by Him, we see what we can’t do, we hear what is impossible, and we walk only where we can see. When the Spirit of God takes controls (baptizes us), all of this changes. We see the undoable as done, the impossible as normal, and we walk on water! Our focus is off the little things and placed on Him, His will, and His way in our life.
* In our next message we’ll see the changes in US! 2 Corinthians 5:17 – “If anyone is in Christ, He is a new creation, old things have passed away and the new has come.”
* If you are saved, the Spirit is present but is He president? Wait on the Lord.
* It may be difficult to wait on the Lord, but it is worse to wish you had.
* To wait on God is to be empowered by God and become one of those people who can change the world. Are you one of those new people? Do people see and sense the Holy Spirit in your life? When you leave their presence, has their encounter with you drawn them closer or moved them away from the Father?
* I read of the little boy who was on a train running the long trip between two Western cities. It was a hot, dusty day, very uncomfortable for traveling, and that particular ride was perhaps the most uninteresting day’s journey in the whole land. But the little fellow sat patiently watching the fields and the fences hurrying by, until a motherly old lady, leaned forward to ask with some sympathy in her voice, “Aren’t you tired of the long ride, dear, and the dust and the heat?” The little boy looked up brightly, and smiled, “Yes, ma’am, a little. But I don’t mind it much, because my father is going to meet me when I get to the end of it.”
