The Promise Of The Father
Text: Acts 1:1-11;2:1-4
Introduction
1. Although this week in the A.D. series you will watch the arrival of the Holy Spirit at Pentecost, the Holy Spirit has always been working.
2. From the beginning, Scripture says, "The Spirit of God was hovering over the waters" (Genesis 1:2). In the Old Testament, we frequently read about the actions of the Holy Spirit. He would come upon people, such as judges, kings, and prophets.
3. In the New Testament, the Spirit of God conceived Jesus in the womb of Mary (Luke 1:35), descended upon Him bodily as a dove at His baptism (Luke 3:22), anointed His preaching ministry (Luke 4:16), and gave Him supernatural power to perform signs and wonders (Matthew 12:28).
4. And then after His resurrection, Jesus promised His disciples, "You will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes upon you; and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth" (Acts 1:8).
5. Jesus kept His promise on the Day of Pentecost, when God poured out the Holy Spirit upon the believers gathered in Jerusalem (Acts 2:1-4).
A. The impact of the arrival of the Holy Spirit was so powerful that, as you will see in this week's episode, it galvanized Peter and gave him and the other disciples the courage to preach openly (Acts 2:14) ”resulting in a great revival (Acts 2:47) and a great missions movement that took the Gospel from Jerusalem to Rome (Acts 28:14) and, over the centuries, from Rome to us.
B. The Holy Spirit has always been working. But His work is not aimless. In fact, He has a job description.
C. In reading Scripture, you can count on finding clear descriptions of the Spirit's various tasks. Scripture does not leave the works of the Spirit to our imagination. The Spirit of God has specific work to be done, and Scripture clearly teaches us about that work.
6. Pentecost shows us…
A. The Promise Of The Holy Spirit
B. The Power Of The Holy Spirit
C. The Pouring Out Of The Holy Spirit
7. Let's stand together as we read from Acts 1:1-11;2:1-4.
Proposition: The Holy Spirit is the catalyst by which the church accomplishes its mission.
Transition: First we see the fulfillment of...
I. The Promise Of The Holy Spirit (1-5).
A. The Gift He Promised
1. The Book of Acts can be summed up in two things; the Father fulfilling his promise and what that gift did in and through the early church.
2. First, however, we must understand exactly what we mean when we say promise.
A. In classical literature promise is actually a legal term for a “declaration of a claim.” It further progressed to mean an “offer” or a “promise,” which approximates the New Testament usage (The Complete Biblical Library Greek-English Dictionary – Delta-Epsilon, 1845).
B. In Luke's writings it is defined even more clearly as "the promise of the Father."
C. 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.”
D. Acts 1:4 (NLT)
Once when he was eating with them, he commanded them, “Do not leave Jerusalem until the Father sends you the gift he promised, as I told you before.
E. Acts 2:39 (NLT)
This promise is to you, and to your children, and even to the Gentiles—all who have been called by the Lord our God.”
3. But what is this promise?
A. 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.
B. In the OT God was very selective about whom he gave his Holy Spirit; like priests, prophets, and kings.
C. However, God promised that there would come a time when he would no longer be selective, but rather he would pour out his Spirit on all of his people.
4. Luke tells us, "Once when he was eating with them, he commanded them, “Do not leave Jerusalem until the Father sends you the gift he promised, as I told you before. 5 John baptized with water, but in just a few days you will be baptized with the Holy Spirit.”
A. In Acts 1:4 Luke again goes to the time immediately preceding the Ascension. Jesus was "eating with them."
B. At that time He repeated the command, emphasizing that they were not to leave Jerusalem. This was very important. The Day of Pentecost would have had little effect if only two or three of them had remained in Jerusalem.
C. Further, Jesus began His ministry in the power of the Spirit; so must they. It is especially significant to the "the gift he" (meaning the Father) promised" that Jesus gave His instructions through the Holy Spirit.
D. The resurrected Jesus was still full of the Spirit, as He had been during all His previous ministry. Just as the Father bore witness to His Son when the Spirit came upon Him (and into Him) in a special way, so the Father bore witness to the faith of the believers by pouring out the promised Holy Spirit giving them power for service.
E. That the gift of the Spirit is the Father's promise also relates it to the Old Testament promises. The idea of promise is one of the bonds that unite the Old and New Testaments.
F. Jesus had already promised this mighty outpouring of the Spirit to His followers. So Jesus further promised that it would occur soon.
G. This promise that Jesus would baptize in the Spirit indicates, "the Pentecost narrative was a part of the plan for their ongoing ministry in the Spirit.
H. In other words, from the day of Pentecost onwards they are the end times community of Spirit-baptized, Spirit-empowered and Spirit-filled prophets."
I. Notice that Jesus draws a clear distinction between water baptism and Holy Spirit baptism.
J. While some churches believe that water baptism and Spirit baptism are the same, as Pentecostals we believe that Scripture teaches that they are two separate events in the life of a believer (Horton, 36).
B. Promise Fulfilled
1. Illustration: A promise from God is a statement we can depend on with absolute confidence. You can't break God's promises by leaning on them!
2. The Father promised that he would send us the Holy Spirit; and he always keeps his promises!
A. Acts 2:16-18 (NLT)
No, what you see was predicted long ago by the prophet Joel: 17 ‘In the last days,’ God says, ‘I will pour out my Spirit upon all people. Your sons and daughters will prophesy. Your young men will see visions, and your old men will dream dreams. 18 In those days I will pour out my Spirit even on my servants—men and women alike— and they will prophesy.
B. There is one thing that you can count on in this life, and that is the promises of God.
C. He has promised not to leave us or forsake us.
D. He has promised to protect us.
E. He has promised to provide for us.
F. He has promised to comfort us.
G. So when he promises to fill you with his Holy Spirit you can bank on it!
H. He promised to send the Holy Spirit to lead us and guide us.
I. He promised to send the Holy Spirit to teach us.
J. He promised to send the Holy Spirit to work in and through us.
K. He has and he will keep that promise!
L. Lean on the promise, go ahead, it won't break!
Transition: Along with the promise of the Holy Spirit comes...
II. The Power Of The Holy Spirit (6-11).
A. You Will Receive Power
1. It's refreshing to know that the apostle's were a lot like we are sometimes...clueless! And this was one of those times.
2. Luke tells us, "So when the apostles were with Jesus, they kept asking him, “Lord, has the time come for you to free Israel and restore our kingdom?”
A. In Acts and the Epistles we find a great deal more about the Holy Spirit and the Church than we do about the Kingdom. But the Kingdom was an important part of Jesus' teaching.
B. Jesus in Luke 12:32 also assured the disciples that the "'Father has been pleased to give you the kingdom.'"
C. The word "kingdom" in the New Testament deals primarily with the king's power and rule. "Righteousness, peace and joy in the Holy Spirit" are evidence that God is ruling in our lives, and that we are in His kingdom.
D. Jesus did not rebuke the disciples, nor did He deny that it was still in God's plan to restore the Kingdom to Israel. But here on earth they would never know the times and the dates of that restoration.
E. These the Father "has set by his own authority [Gk. exousia]." He is the only One who knows all things and has the wisdom to take all things into account.
F. Therefore, the times and dates are His business, not ours (Horton, 38-39).
3. This is how Jesus responds to them, “The Father alone has the authority to set those dates and times, and they are not for you to know. 8 But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes upon you. And you will be my witnesses, telling people about me everywhere—in Jerusalem, throughout Judea, in Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.”
A. What was their business? __Acts1__Verse 8 gives the answer: They were to "receive power" (Gk. dunamin, "mighty power") when the Holy Spirit came on them.
B. Then their business was to be witnesses to tell what they had seen, heard, and experienced of Jesus.
C. This program for witnessing also gives us a virtual table of contents for the Book of Acts: Beginning in Jerusalem (chaps. 1 through 7) they would carry their witness through Judea and Samaria (chaps. 8 through 12) and would continue "to the ends of the earth" (chaps. 13 through 28).
D. It also indicates that Luke, inspired by the Holy Spirit, selected and limited the content of Acts, with the major portion of the book showing Paul's mission to the Gentiles, climaxing in his ministry in Rome.
E. Luke did not mean, however, that when Paul reached Rome the commission to be witnesses was fulfilled.
F. Rome was the center of the empire, not the ends of the earth. "The ends of the earth were yet to be reached, and thus Acts ends in an open-ended way" so that we are drawn into the mandate to continue to be witnesses everywhere.
G. As Christians we need not fail. The baptism in the Spirit is available as an empowering experience.
H. "You will receive power" (Gk. dunamis, "mighty power").
I. He also emphasized that His followers could not wait for ideal conditions before spreading the gospel to the nations.
J. This age would be characterized by wars, rumors of wars, famines, and earthquakes.
K. The Greek word for witness, marture, is the word from which we get "martyr."
L. As His witnesses, believers must go out and spread the gospel to all nations in the midst of all these natural calamities and political upheavals, regardless of the cost.
M. How would this be possible? They would receive power as a result of being filled with the Spirit (Horton, 40-41).
B. Power To Serve
1. Illustration: In a seminary missions class, Herbert Jackson told how, as a new missionary, he was assigned a car that would not start without a push. After pondering his problem, he devised a plan. He went to the school near his home, got permission to take some children out of class, and had them push his car off. As he made his rounds, he would either park on a hill or leave the engine running. He used this ingenious procedure for two years.
Ill health forced the Jackson family to leave, and a new missionary came to that station. When Jackson proudly began to explain his arrangement for getting the car started, the new man began looking under the hood. Before the explanation was complete, the new missionary interrupted, "Why, Dr. Jackson, I believe the only trouble is this loose cable." He gave the cable a twist, stepped into the car, pushed the switch, and to Jackson's astonishment, the engine roared to life. For two years needless trouble had become routine. The power was there all the time. Only a loose connection kept Jackson from putting that power to work.
2. God the Father gives us the power to get the job done!
A. Zechariah 4:6-7 (NLT)
Then he said to me, “This is what the LORD says to Zerubbabel: It is not by force nor by strength, but by my Spirit, says the LORD of Heaven’s Armies. 7 Nothing, not even a mighty mountain, will stand in Zerubbabel’s way; it will become a level plain before him!...
B. What a huge task God has given to us; to preach the Gospel to the whole world.
C. How can we accomplish it? I mean we have trouble talking to the people next door!
D. He knew that it was a difficult task that he had given us, but he gave us everything we need in sending the Holy Spirit.
E. The Holy Spirit gives us the power over our limitations.
F. He gives us the power over obstacles; he makes us overcomers!
G. He gives us the power over shyness; he gives us holy boldness!
H. He gives us the power over words; he gives us the words to say!
I. Operating in the power of the Holy Spirit there is nothing, not even a mighty mountain that will stand in our way!
Transition: The promise and power of the Holy Spirit are seen in...
III. The Pouring Out Of The Holy Spirit (2:1-4).
A. Filled With The Holy Spirit
1. It was like a little kid waiting for Christmas. It seems like December is the longest month of the year. It's like that day will never come, and then finally it arrives! That's what Pentecost was like...finally the waiting was over.
2. Luke tells us, "On the day of Pentecost all the believers were meeting together in one place."
A. The 120 continued in prayer and praise about ten days after the ascension of Jesus, until the Day of Pentecost.
B. This was a harvest festival among the Jews. It was also called the Feast of Weeks as there was a week of weeks (seven weeks) between it and Passover.
C. When the Day of Pentecost came the period of waiting was coming to an end. The Old Testament prophecies and the promise of the Father were about to be fulfilled.
D. The 120 were still in one accord and all were "together in one place." None were missing (Horton, 53).
3. Then, "Suddenly, there was a sound from heaven like the roaring of a mighty windstorm, and it filled the house where they were sitting."
A. "Suddenly," surprisingly and without warning, a sound came from heaven like "the blowing of a violent wind," or tornado. But it was not an actual wind; it was only its sound that filled the house where they were sitting, overwhelming them.
B. That the sound came "suddenly" and "from heaven" highlights "divine, not human, control of the Spirit's action."
The sound of wind would remind them of powerful Old Testament divine manifestations. Wind was also a frequent symbol of the Spirit in the Old Testament. Jesus also referred to wind in speaking of the Spirit.
C. The sound was undoubtedly loud enough to attract the attention of the crowds that filled Jerusalem at the Pentecost season.
D. The sound of the wind indicated to those present that God was about to manifest himself and His Spirit in a special way.
E. That it was the sound a wind with carrying power would make also spoke of the empowering Jesus promised in Acts 1:8, an empowering for service.
4. Next, "what looked like flames or tongues of fire appeared and settled on each of them."
A. Just as suddenly, "what seemed to be tongues of fire" appeared and "separated" (were distributed).
B. That is, something that looked like a ball or mass of flames appeared over the whole group.
C. Then it broke up, and a single tongue that looked like a flame of fire settled on the head of each one of them, both men and women. There was, of course, no actual fire, and no one was burned.
D. But fire and light were common symbols of the divine presence, as in the case of the burning bush that Moses saw, and also the Lord's appearance in fire on Mount Sinai after the people of Israel accepted the old covenant.
E. Fire is also connected with the Old Testament prophecies of the outpouring of the Spirit in Isaiah, Ezekiel, Joel, and Zechariah.
F. Tongues also indicated speech—the fiery, powerful, prophetic witness that the Holy Spirit would give.
5. Then, finally, "And everyone present was filled with the Holy Spirit and began speaking in other languages, as the Holy Spirit gave them this ability."
A. Now that God had acknowledged the Church as the new temple, the next thing was to pour out the Holy Spirit on the members of the Body.
B. Remember, too, that since the Holy Spirit is a Person, we are talking about an experience that brings a relationship.
C. Each term brings out some aspect of the Pentecostal experience, and no one term can bring out all the aspects of that experience.
D. It is clear also, since they were all together and in one accord, that when Acts 2:4 says, "all of them were filled," the entire 120 is meant.
E. Some writers suppose that only the 12 apostles were filled. However, more than twelve languages were spoken.
F. Moreover, Peter, speaking in the gift of prophecy, quotes Joel, who wrote of sons and daughters prophesying.
G. This suggests that the Spirit fell in the same way not only on the 12 but also on the 120 and also on the 3000 who believed on the Day of Pentecost. Clearly, the experience was and is for all.
H. This, however, was a New Testament experience. In the Old Testament, only selected individuals were filled.
I. As soon as they were filled, the 120 began to speak (and continued speaking) in other tongues (languages).
J. "Began" is significant. It shows, as in Acts 1:1, that what was begun was to continue.
K. This indicates that speaking in other tongues was the normative accompaniment of the baptism in the Holy Spirit.
L. It continued to be a gift that brought edification and blessing on other occasions.
M. This speaking came "as the Spirit enabled them." That is, they used their tongues, their muscles; they spoke.
N. However, the words did not come from their own minds or thinking. The Spirit gave them what to speak—and they expressed it boldly, loudly, and with obvious anointing and power.
O. This was the one sign of the baptism in the Holy Spirit that was repeated (Horton, 57-60).
B. Out Pouring
1. Video
2. The initial, physical sign of this mighty Baptism in the Holy Spirit is speaking in tongues.
A. Acts 10:45-47 (NLT)
The Jewish believers who came with Peter were amazed that the gift of the Holy Spirit had been poured out on the Gentiles, too. 46 For they heard them speaking in tongues and praising God. Then Peter asked, 47 “Can anyone object to their being baptized, now that they have received the Holy Spirit just as we did?”
B. This is not the only sign, but it is the initial sign.
C. Yea, that speaking in tongues business is weird, isn't? Only if you make it weird!
D. Since when is a gift from God weird? The way I read the book, the gifts of God are blessings from heaven.
E. If God wants to give you a gift...take it!
F. If I was to tell you that I could give you the ability to learn something that you'd never studied, and you didn't have to memorize anything, you'd say, "Awesome, when can we start?"
G. So why when wants to give you spiritual power beyond your wildest dreams, and give you a special language so that you could talk to him in a intimate and passionate way, don't run from it...run to it!
Conclusion
1. In his article "Five Faces of Pentecost," Dean Merrill, an award-winning author, shares about his visit to an immigrant church in Amsterdam, Holland. It was a dynamic service, and even though he couldn't understand the language spoken, the Spirit's presence was very strong. He kept looking at a banner across the front of the sanctuary where the choir sat. It read, "Geef de Heilige Geest ruimte." He finally turned to a young man next to him and said, "Do you read Dutch?" “Some," he replied.
"What does the sign say?" Dean asked, pointing to the stage. He gave the translation: "Give the Holy Spirit room."
2. And I thought, That's right. That's what we need to do in our personal lives.
A. That's what we need to do in our families.
B. That's what we need to do in the body of Christ, in our church services, in our prayer meetings.
C. It can't just be scripted. It can't just be a schedule.
D. It can't just be, "Well, we're doing this out of routine and habit."
E. There has to be openness, a sense that we're making room for the Spirit.
3. The Spirit who hovered over the chaos and breathed into it the creation, the Spirit through whom Jesus was conceived in the womb of Mary, the Spirit through whom we are born again; this creative, dynamic Spirit wants to be birthed into time and space in our lives today.
4. The Spirit who was poured out on the disciples on the Day of Pentecost wants to be poured out on your life today.
5. For that to happen, we must give the Holy Spirit room.
