Acts of the Apostles
Book of Acts selected verses
Introduction-
This week our leaders spent 2 ½ days at District convention.
It was a great time of refreshing.
It was a time to hear God’s Word from someone other than me. That is good for them and good for me.
If we are not careful, even the careful can fall into a rut.
The apostles spent time with Jesus yet they had their problems and they had many times of struggling.
The difference for the apostles is the same that will be a difference for you. Spending time with the Holy Spirit.
Not doing things in your own strength.
I talked last week about Believe, Receive, and Belong. I am continuing that sermon this week. Too many times, we expect people to know what to do to live a life that is effective, productive, and fulfilling.
When we do that by ourselves, most will get one or more of those elements wrong and live below where God wants us.
“Yet to all who receive him, to those who believe in his name, he gave the right to become children of God.”
I have memorized that verse. I will do what I can to get that scripture down in my Spirit.
I will do whatever I can to live my faith, to receive what God has for me and be a part of something that is bigger than me.
I will live like a child of God. If that doesn’t scare you, you have not grasped unto the truth yet. I know without a shadow of a doubt that I cannot do that without God’s help.
Everything happened for a reason. God did not let anything happen by chance, contrary to those that believe we have what we have by chance. It is impossible that we evolved into man the way we are without a creator God in control of things.
He had to come
He had to die
He had to be resurrected.
He had to be seen by witnesses.
He had to ascend so that the Holy Spirit of God could come.
The power comes from on high, the power comes from outside of yourself.
The power is not your own, it is the power of God working in you, at least that is what has to happen if you want to live a Godly life.
You cannot live a Godly life without God.
He says to follow Him.
The only way to have God’s power is to be God’s child. Many say they want it, but few will take the time to follow God and allow God access to their lives to be empowered by God.
Many talk a good game, but few have the fruit.
Last week 3 words- Believe, Receive, and Belong.
Today, I would like to add 2 more words to your spiritual vocabulary.
The words dwell, and the word empower.
Background
Before Jesus death, He told his followers, his disciples that He must die and he would be resurrected. The same power that resurrected Jesus is the same power that Jesus wants to dwell in you. Three weeks in a row I have given you that phrase. I pray that that sinks deep into your spirit. He says that there is more for a believer than eternal live and that is amazing and complete in itself, but says that we can here and now be empowered by God’s Spirit to live a life that is fulfilled and abundant right now and right here.
In fact, Jesus dare say that we could do more amazing things here on earth than he did Himself if we would only allow God’s Spirit to dwell and occupy our lives and surrender to Him.
Acts 5:27-42 Text we will come back too several times.
What would this community look like if even 5 of you would take him serious on his promises?
God could turn this town upside down and we would see people saved and lives changed by His power. If 5 would take him to heart.
What would this town like if a church caught on fire and allow God into their lives and their families and their church?
My God would be glorified and evil would be horrified.
Wait here until you receive the power of the Holy Spirit.
They are obedient and Jerusalem is never the same.
They took God’s promise of “I will pour out my Spirit” serious.
You will fill me with joy and with your presence!
The people when they heard this and saw them were cut to the heart- What do we do?
Peter easy response is to repent and turn your life over to Jesus.
All who called upon the name of the Lord were saved.
They were empowered.
They were given the promise of His presence.
How were they able to pray and be effective? They had Jesus.
How were they able to share what God gave them and not hoard it for themselves. They had Jesus.
How were they able to witness to people they did not know? They had Jesus.
It was easy for them to share what they had. It is hard to share something you don’t have.
The problem in this world is not Jesus.
Though the world wants to blame him and religion for all it problems.
The problem with this world is that they are pushing Jesus away and you cannot push the answer to your problems away and expect anything good would come out of it.
The word tells us that there will be terrible times.
This world will go down the tube, the answer that is still out while you have breath in your body is weather you will go down the tubes with it.
The apostles went out and made a difference after they were empowered.
They had tried to do it before they were filled and you saw how well that worked out for them. That is why Jesus said to wait for the power of the Spirit.
They went out and reached people for God.
They were persecuted but were willing to die for Him because they knew the truth and the truth lived inside of them.
The apostles were persecuted. They were attacked and beaten for their faith. That has happened in other countries and it will one day soon happen here. We are not above the persecution that will come to believers for their faith and the ones that are doing it in their own faith will struggled and the bible says some will fall away because they will not be able to handle the pressure of persecution.
How do you do what God desires for our lives and live in this fallen world that has evil and temptations that will keep you far from God if you let it?
The two new words this morning
Dwell- Webster verb definition of dwell;
“ To remain as a resident, to live within, and to exist in the heart of the matter.”
The difference from living mediocre Christian life and an abundant productive life is that the Holy Spirit of God dwells in you.
To take up residence- to be invited in and allowed to guide your life.
To exist in the heart of the matter which is the center of your life.
To take up habitation. First, we are invited to know Christ as Lord and Savior and then we are invited to allow God a dwelling place in your life and the difference is some are saved and on their way to heaven but they have no power in their life because they have not allowed Jesus that privilege of dwelling.
Exodus 31:3
"I have filled him with the Spirit of God in wisdom, in understanding, in knowledge, and in all kinds of craftsmanship,
John 6:12
When they were filled, He said to His disciples, "Gather up the leftover fragments so that nothing will be lost."
Even when Jesus fills us with necessities of life, He desires that it would be abundant and overflowing and that none of His blessings are wasted.
Baptized in the Spirit
Filled with the Spirit
The Spirit dwelling; they are ways to say that God desires to do more than save us, He wants to live with us as close as living inside.
Acts 4:31
“And when they had prayed, the place where they had gathered together was shaken, and they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak the word of God with boldness.”
When God is in your life, your life will be changed! And so will the lives of those around you.
The second word today is Empowered-
Empowered
it is giving someone the power or authority to do something.
Holy Spirit of God wants to regenerate you – to turn you back toward God
Empower you to live more like Jesus- Because you cannot do that on your own.
Empower you to endure suffer and set backs because we live in a fallen world and there is so much more.
Empowers us to deny ourselves and follow Jesus we can get a little selfish with what God has given us.
Let me wind this down to decision time-
The disciples were able to do what they did because the Holy Spirit of God dwelled inside of them and empowered them to do amazing things for God.
While the disciples were filled to overflowing with God’s Spirit, the religious unbelievers were filled with jealousy! (Repeat)
The angel of the Lord took them out of the prison cell.
He directed them to go right back to the market place and preach the gospel and be recaptured for their faith.
They did not know what to do with these Jesus fanatics-
Peter says – we must obey God rather than human beings.
We are witnesses- we have experienced God and we want more.
They were not going to be stopped by man because they were going to obey their God!
Gamaliel, a smart Pharisee- Read 5:33-39 slowly to sink in!
If it is man’s origin- it will fail. It will fall apart at time of trouble.
If it is of divine origin- you will not be able to stop it and you will be fighting God Himself!
This is a God thing! You cannot stop it- they could not stop it. The question for us this morning is if we want to be a part of it and do we allow that excess into the whole of your life.
It is in the power of Almighty God that you (we) will do amazing things for the kingdom.
Do you want that this morning?
Prayer
