Why Are You Standing Around?
Acts 1:4-11
Jesus Christ gave the church her marching orders before ascending into Heaven.
He did not intend for His followers to idly stand around but to be busy carrying out the great commission to go into all the world with the life-changing message of Christ. In Acts 1, we see that the Lord has made provision not only to enable but to achieve the execution of this commission along with a promise of a coming reunion with the risen Lord.
I. The provision to carry out the commission – achieving power.
A. Acts 1:8a “ye shall receive power, after that the Holy Ghost is come upon you…”
B. There are two New Testament words that convey the idea of power, exousia and dunamis. In Acts 1:8 the word is dunamis, which refers to intrinsic power, the power to carry out some function or an ability to accomplish a task. It means to have achieving power.
C. This achieving power given by the Holy Ghost includes:
1. Moral and spiritual power to live a victorious Christian life
2. Persevering power to withstand and overcome temptations, and to do right at all times
3. Enduring power to stand fast for Christ through the harshest adversity
4. Reflective power to show men the indwelling Christ
5. Conquering power to overcome all enemies and obstacles.
D. Ephesians 3:20 “Now to Him Who is able to do far more abundantly beyond all that we ask or think, according to the power (dunamis) that works within us.”
E. A J Gordon said, “Before Pentecost the disciples found it hard to do easy things; after Pentecost they found it easy to do hard things.”
F. Since the time of the Day of Pentecost, every born-again Child of God, every true believer has been "baptized” with the Holy Spirit at the time of their conversion or new birth.
G. 1 Corinthians 12:13 “For by one Spirit are we all baptized into one body, whether we be Jews or Gentiles, whether we be bond or free; and have been all made to drink into one Spirit.”
H. They have been sealed by the Holy Spirit, God placing His mark of ownership on them.
I. 2 Corinthians 1:21-22 “Now he which establishes us with you in Christ, and has anointed us, is God; Who hath also sealed us, and given the earnest of the Spirit in our hearts.”
J. A person does not possess the Holy Spirit is not born again.
K. Romans 8:9b (ESV) “Anyone who does not have the Spirit of Christ does not belong to him.”
L. Not only are we to possess the Spirit, but we are to be filled to overflowing with the Holy Spirit. That is the only way that you and I can be equipped to carry out the work Christ has given us to do.
M. Paul commands in Ephesians 5:18 to “be filled with the Spirit “
N. It is sad that while all believers have been baptized by the Holy Ghost very few believers are filled by the Holy Ghost.
O. D. L Moody in his book Secret Power wrote, “Nine-tenths, at least, of the church members never think of speaking for Christ. If they see a man, perhaps a near relative, just going right down to ruin, going rapidly, they never think of speaking to him about his sinful course and of seeking to win him to Christ. Now certainly there must be something wrong. And yet when you talk with them you find they have faith, and you can not say they are not children of God; but they have not the power, they have not the liberty, they have not the love that real disciples of Christ should have. A great many people are thinking that we need new measures, that we need new churches, that we need new organs, and that we need new choirs, and all these new things. That is not what the Church of God needs to-day. It is the old power that the Apostles had; that is what we want, and if we have that in our churches, there will be new life.”
P. Concerning Ephesians 5:18 Charles Swindoll made this statement: “I don’t know of a more important verse in the New Testament for the Christian than Ephesians 5:18—honest, no exaggeration. This verse tells the believer how to live an authentic, empowered life: “And do not get drunk with wine, for that is dissipation, but be filled with the Spirit.” It begins with a negative command: “Don’t get drunk with wine, for that is dissipation” (which means excess, existing hopelessly out of control). When you’re drunk with alcohol, you lose control. You also lose self-respect and the respect of others. “Don’t get drunk.” A positive command follows: “But be filled with the Spirit.”...This is a command, not a suggestion. It’s an urgent imperative, not a casual option...“Be filled” is a command, which means I play a part in it. For example, I cannot be filled with the Spirit while I have unconfessed sin within me. I cannot be filled with the Spirit while at the same time conducting my life in the energy of the flesh. I cannot be filled with the Spirit while I am resisting God’s will and relying only on myself. I need to be sure that I have taken care of the sins that have emerged in my life, that I have not ignored the wrong that I have done before God and to others. I need to walk in conscious dependence on the Lord on a daily basis. Many a morning I begin my day by sitting on the side of the bed, saying: This is your day, Lord. I want to be at Your disposal. I have no idea what these next twenty-four hours will contain. But before I sip my first cup of coffee, and even before I get dressed, I want You to know that from this moment on throughout this day, I’m Yours, Lord. Help me to lean on You, to draw strength from You, and to have You fill my mind and my thoughts. Take control of my senses so that I am literally filled with Your presence and empowered with Your energy. I want to be Your tool, Your vessel today. I can’t make it happen. And so I’m saying, Lord, fill me with Your Spirit today.”
Q. If we do not obey this command, we cannot obey any other.”
R. There is a parallel between being drunk with wine and being filled with the Spirit. When a person is under the influence of alcohol all their faculties are controlled by the alcohol experiences altered behavior. Their mind, body and emotions are being yielded and controlled by the alcohol. Likewise being the filled by the Holy Spirit is allowing the Holy Spirit to influence and control body, mind and soul. The result will be a change that is evidenced by both an inner joy and an outward witness of Christ’s transforming power.
II. The result of availing oneself of the power – living testimonies
A. Acts 1:8b “...and ye shall be witnesses unto me both in Jerusalem, and in all Judaea, and in Samaria, and unto the uttermost part of the earth.
B. The nature result of being filled with the Holy Spirit, of having a close relationship with the risen living Lord is telling others about Christ in word and action..
C. Dr. Howard Hendricks comments that “...often we spend a lot of time trying to urge people to witness concerning the faith. Yet nothing inside of them would ever warrant their doing that. They have nothing to share with others, and if they tried, they would be doing nothing but putting on an act. By contrast, suppose one of my female seminary students gets engaged over the summer. In the fall, she walks into my class, and the first thing you know she’s waving her ring finger in front of my face. I never have to beg her to show me her ring. No, there’s something inside that compels her to take the initiative. She’s in love with a man, and she’s got co share it. She can’t keep it to herself. That’s the kind of dynamic Luke wants us to see in this passage. As a result of what the apostles receive, they are going to be witnesses. But whose witnesses? Christ’s witnesses. His by personal identification. They are going to represent Him.” (Living by the Book).
D. Eerdman's Dictionary of the Bible states that a witness is one who helps establish the truthfulness of a matter by testifying firsthand about what was seen or heard.
E. A Witness - about Christ , telling the story of Jesus to those who have never heard of Him and demonstrating and telling of what Christ has done in your life as your Savior and Lord.
F. An example of this is given by the blind man in John 9:25 when he declares to his interrogators “…One thing I know: that though I was blind, now I see.”
G. Mark 5:19-20 Christ told the maniac of Gadara whom he had healed “...‘Go home to your friends, and tell them what great things the Lord has done for you, and how He has had compassion on you.’ And he departed and began to proclaim in Decapolis all that Jesus had done for him; and all marveled.”
H. There was a court case that was lost because of the silence of an attorney. The distinguished lawyer Samuel Hoar (1778-1856) was representing the defendant. When it was time to present his case, he told the jurors that the facts favoring his client were so evident that he would not insult their intelligence by arguing them. The jury retired to deliberate and returned in a few minutes with a verdict of guilty. Samuel Hoar was astonished! “How,” he asked, “could you have reached such a verdict?” The foreman replied, “We all agreed that if anything could be said for a case, you would say it. But since you didn’t present any evidence, we decided to rule against you.” Silence had lost the case. How many are lost because we have never presented the case for Christ to them? – copied
I. Matthew 5:13-16 “You are the salt of the earth: but if the salt has lost his savor, wherewith shall it be salted? It is thenceforth good for nothing, but to be cast out, and to be trodden under foot of men. You are the light of the world. A city that is set on a hill cannot be hid. Neither do men light a candle, and put it under a bushel, but on a candlestick; and it gives light unto all that are in the house. Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father which is in heaven.”
J. Where we are to witness is spelled out: “in Jerusalem, and in all Judaea, and in Samaria, and unto the uttermost part of the earth.”
K. Our Jerusalem – our immediate community; Our Judea – our state; Our Samaria – our neighboring states, America; The uttermost part of the earth – the nations and people groups of the world.
L. Mark 16:15 “And he said unto them, Go ye into all the world, and preach the gospel to every creature.”
III. The promise of reunion with the risen Lord – accountability and reward
A. Acts 1:10-11 “And while they looked steadfastly toward heaven as he went up, behold, two men stood by them in white apparel; which also said, ‘Ye men of Galilee, why stand ye gazing up into heaven? This same Jesus, which is taken up from you into heaven, shall so come in like manner as ye have seen him go into heaven.’”
B. Acts 1:9 tells us that Jesus was caught up in a cloud and taken to heaven. The writer of the Book of Acts, Luke tells us in Luke 21:27 that Jesus will return “in a cloud with power and great glory.”
C. When He returns a number of things will take place:
1. The dead in Christ will be raised from the dead - 1 Thess. 4:16.
2. All believers will be raptured and transformed - 1 Thess. 4:17
3. Christ will reward his faithful servants – 2 Cor. 5:10
4. Those having refused the Gospel will be lost – 2 Thess. 2:7-12
D. The New Testament teaches that the Christ’s return is both certain and imminent. “Scripture speaks forcefully of Christ's return as a fact that should be directing how we live now. Christians are to be motivated by the certainty of this future event.” (copied)
E. Therefore three words echo through the pages of Scripture – Watch – You know not when your Master returns; Work –while it is called day for the night is coming when no one can work ; Witness – ““Why do you stand here looking into the sky?”…“Don’t spend your days looking at the clouds, aimlessly dreaming and drifting along.” Before He left, He told us exactly what to do. We are to be witnesses for Christ to the ends of the earth. Are you standing idly around?
F. Luke 12:43 “Blessed is that servant, whom his lord when he cometh shall find so doing.” – Will you be ready when He comes?
