A SECOND WORK OF GRACE
Text: Acts 1:4-11
Introduction
1. This series through the Book of Acts I am entitling “The Blueprint for the New Testament Church,” I believe it is God’s guidebook for what a New Testament Church should be. In other words, if we want what they got, we need to do what they did!
2. Luke’s second book, the Book of Acts, was his historically accurate account of the early Christian church. In addition to being a blueprint for the New Testament church, it is also an account of what the Holy Spirit did in the early church. It could easily be called “The Acts of the Holy Spirit.”
3. Illustration: It was John Wesley who coined the phrase “A Second Work of Grace.” He believed that there was an empowerment available to believers that was in addition to salvation. However, it was a Methodist Holiness preacher in the mid 1800’s named Phoebe Palmer who gave the term a more focused idea. She believed that this second work of grace, which was in addition to salvation, called the baptism of the Holy Spirit, which she believed was available to all believers, was an empowerment for ministry.
4. This second work of grace is…
a. In Addition To
b. An Empowerment for Ministry
c. Asks the question: What Are We Waiting For?
5. Read Acts 1:4-11
Transition: First, this second work of grace is…
I. In Addition To (4-5).
A. You Will Be Baptized
1. As I stated in the introduction, the Book of Acts is the blueprint for the NT church. This section of chapter 1 lays the foundation for the rest of the book and for the church itself.
2. Jesus spent a good portion of his last 40 days on earth teaching his disciples in order to prepare them for the mission he had for them. In vv. 4-5 it says, “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. First, you will notice that Jesus gives them a command, not a suggestion, that they stay in Jerusalem until the Father sends the gift he promised.
b. He impressed upon them that this was something that was so important that they could not fulfill the mission he was giving them without it.
c. But what did Jesus mean when he referred to “the Father sends you the gift he promised?” I mean, there are lots of promises in the bible, why is this one different? The promise that Jesus is referring to here has to do with the outpouring of the Holy Spirit.
d. “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. (Joel 2:28-29).
e. You see up until this time, the Holy Spirit was given only to certain people, like prophets, priests, and kings. But now the Holy Spirit would be available to all of God’s people.
f. Notice the inclusive language used by Joel, like, “all people,” “sons and daughters,” “old men and young men,” “men and women,” and “even on servants.”
g. God promises to pour out his Spirit on all who believe. Then Jesus reminds them that he had told them about this before.
h. “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.” (Luke 24:49).
3. So, Jesus reminds them not only about the promise, but also about the need for the promise.
a. Twice now he tells them not to go anywhere until the Spirit falls on them and fills them with power from heaven.
b. They would need this power to do what he was asking of them.
4. Then Jesus gives further explanation of this important gift. He says, “John baptized with water, but in just a few days you will be baptized with the Holy Spirit.”
a. In Scripture, the word “baptism” comes from a Greek word which means to “dip or immerse.”
b. Now in any baptism, there is the one doing the baptizing, something they are baptized in, and the candidate being baptized.
c. In the case of Holy Spirit baptism, Jesus does the baptizing, the Holy Spirit is what we are baptized in, and we are the one being baptized.
d. And if baptism means to immerse, we are surrounded, covered, and filled with the powerful presence of the Holy Spirit.
5. But we have a bit of a problem because these people already had the Holy Spirit living inside of them, didn’t they? Yes, they did! Turn back just a couple of pages to John 20:21-22.
a. “Again he said, “Peace be with you. As the Father has sent me, so I am sending you.” 22 Then he breathed on them and said, “Receive the Holy Spirit.”
b. The word breathed here is the same verb used in the Greek form of the OT, in Genesis, where it says God breathed life into the nostrils of Adam and he became a living being.
c. We all know that Adam was a living being, so if Jesus breathed on them and said, “receive the Holy Spirit,” didn’t they receive the Holy Spirit?
d. Yes, they did! So, if they had the Holy Spirit already, what happened on Pentecost? Something distinctly different.
e. You see, when we accept Jesus as our Savior and Lord of our lives, the Holy Spirit comes and lives inside of us making us new people. We call this regeneration. That had already happened to the disciples.
f. But they still needed this gift of the Father, to be baptized or immersed in the Holy Spirit.
g. It is a second work of the Holy Spirit, or as Phebe Palmer put it, a second work of grace.
h. This second work of grace is a supernatural, charismatic empowerment that equips the church to fulfill its mission in the world (Arringtom, 537).
B. Put His Spirit on Them All
1. Illustration: Billy Graham, that great and uncompromising preacher, once in a Revival meeting held at Los Angeles, shared a passionate message on the Early Church, outlining what needs to be done for the Churches of modern era to become more effective. While many were moved by it, some Christians criticized him of taking Christianity back by 100 years, to which he is said to have replied with wisdom borne out of a long, enduring relationship with Christ: "I did indeed want to set religion back, not just by 100 years but 1,900 years, to the Book of Acts when first century followers of Christ were accused of turning the Roman Empire upside down." Oh, for the first-century fire and passion of Christians!
2. The baptism in the Holy Spirit, which came on the Day of Pentecost, is a second work of the Holy Spirit.
a. Two men, Eldad and Medad, had stayed behind in the camp. They were listed among the elders, but they had not gone out to the Tabernacle. Yet the Spirit rested upon them as well, so they prophesied there in the camp. 27 A young man ran and reported to Moses, “Eldad and Medad are prophesying in the camp!” 28 Joshua son of Nun, who had been Moses’ assistant since his youth, protested, “Moses, my master, make them stop!” 29 But Moses replied, “Are you jealous for my sake? I wish that all the LORD’s people were prophets and that the LORD would put his Spirit upon them all!” (Num. 11:26-29).
b. You see, even as far back as Moses, we see the need for this second work of grace!
c. When a person is born again, the Holy Spirit comes and lives inside of them. We call this regeneration, becoming a new person in Christ.
d. However, the Bible also talks about a second work of the Spirit, which is separate from, and in addition to, regeneration.
e. It is a second work of grace, which enables us to do the work of the kingdom.
f. In OT times this was something reserved only for priests, prophets, and kings.
g. But now in the NT, and for us today, it is available to ALL BELIEVERS!
h. And think on this, if the disciples, who lived, ate, and ministered with Jesus needed it, then we certainly need it too!
Transition: This second work of grace is also…
II. Empowerment For Ministry (6-8).
A. You Will Receive Power
1. As usual, the disciples didn’t quite understand the message Jesus was trying to convey to them. It says in v. 6, “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. Jesus was trying to teach them about the Kingdom of God, and they were thinking about a political kingdom.
b. They wanted to know if he was going to restore the kingdom to Israel so that they could rule over the world the way they did under David and Solomon. But that’s not what Jesus was talking about.
c. They were thinking about politics, and he was talking about a spiritual kingdom.
d. The Kingdom of God is not as limited as an earthly political kingdom.
2. So, Jesus responded to them by saying, “The Father alone has the authority to set those dates and times, and they are not for you to know.”
a. While they failed to understand exactly what Jesus was talking about, they were right in one respect, there is a strong link between the Holy Spirit and the Kingdom of God.
b. God’s rule was initiated and set into motion by the Holy Spirit in the last days through the ministry of Jesus.
c. Jesus doesn’t deny that one day there will be a restoration of the kingdom to Israel, but he does indicate that it is secondary for right now. Their question was inappropriate.
d. The restoration of Israel and the things to come in the last days are secondary to what is going on right now. We tend to look at the end of the game, and yet forget that we must play the first three quarters.
e. There was a music group I used to know back in the day that had a song that went like this, “people say the world is coming to an end. The Bible says so, but it doesn’t say when. People say the human race is dying, but they sit around and do nothing but crying. But I want to live today for Jesus!”
3. Jesus continues his response by saying, “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. This verse is the key to the entire Book of Acts. Jesus starts out by using one of the most important words in the Bible...but! He is saying, what you are asking about is not important right now, but this, this is important.
b. He tells them that they will receive power, not power over nations, but power for service.
c. The Greek word for power, dynamis, means “to be able,” or “to have strength.” (Arrington, 538).
d. In Acts, power has to do with the working of miracles, power for being a witness for Christ, and power over the devil.
e. He tells them the Holy Spirit will empower them to be his witnesses. A witness is someone who testifies to something they have seen and experienced.
f. The Spirit gives us the power to testify to what Jesus has done in our lives.
g. Some people see Jesus calling his disciples to be his witnesses as a command, but it’s more of a promise. This promise is tied to be baptized in the Holy Spirit.
h. When they receive the baptism in the Holy Spirit they will be changed into witness to the transforming love of Christ.
i. So being a witness was not something Jesus was guilting them into, but rather it was something they naturally wanted to do.
j. He also told them that they would be witnesses to him in Jerusalem (where they were), in Judea and Samaria (where they had already been), and to the ends of the earth.
k. This is why I told you this verse is the key to the entire book. Chapters 1-7 talk about what they do in Jerusalem, chapters 8-12 talks about what they do in Judea and Samaria, and the rest of the book talks about taking the message of the Good News to the rest of the world, all the way to Rome.
l. This book tells us how the young church fulfilled their mission. They were Spirit-empowered people, who followed a Spirit-empowered Savior, by proclaiming his love to the world.
B. Spirit Is Poured Out from Heaven
1. Illustration: As Christians we may be compared with a reservoir for producing electrical power, like one of those you see when you drive to Niagara Falls. When we accept Christ, construction of our reservoir is complete. We now have the potential to be useful and to affect lives. But until the flood gates are opened, and the cascading river waters pour through, no power is realized. So, it is when we are baptized in the Holy Spirit. We open our lives to God and the Holy Spirit pours into us and through us. It is then we become most effective in God’s service. As with the reservoir, this power-generating experience is not intended to be a one-time occurrence. It is to be an ongoing process. When our spiritual power runs low, we need to return to the Source and let the blessed Holy Spirit pour into us again, bringing fresh power.
2. This second work of grace gives us the power to be witnesses for Christ.
a. “until at last the Spirit is poured out on us from heaven. Then the wilderness will become a fertile field, and the fertile field will yield bountiful crops.” (Is. 32:15)
b. The most important thing about this second work of grace is that it gives us power.
c. It gives us power to tell people about Jesus.
d. If you think that telling people about Jesus is something beyond your capability, you’re probably right.
e. In your power, you can’t, but in the Holy Spirit’s power you can!
f. This second work of grace gives us the power to be his witnesses.
g. You receive not only the power to do what you’re not able to do, but the boldness to do something about it.
h. As we go further into the book of Acts you will see these disciples, the same guys who hid in the upper room because they were afraid, in particular Peter, who denied three times he knew Jesus, all of the sudden had the boldness to speak out for Jesus!
i. It will not only make you Jesus’ witnesses, but it will also make you want to be his witnesses!
Transition: So, this second work of grace is in addition to salvation, it empowers us to be Jesus’ witnesses, and now…
III. What Are You Waiting For? (9-11).
A. Why Are You Standing Here?
1. There is an important message for us in the last two verses in this section.
2. In vv. 10-11 it says, “As they strained to see him rising into heaven, two white-robed men suddenly stood among them. 11 “Men of Galilee,” they said, “why are you standing here staring into heaven? Jesus has been taken from you into heaven, but someday he will return from heaven in the same way you saw him go!”
a. Here we see the disciples standing there staring into heaven, like a bunch of county workers, and suddenly two white robbed men appeared (usually this indicates they were angels) and told them to get moving!
b. Jesus had told them what to do, and how to do it, so go do what he told you to do!
c. This what Jesus is telling us, church, it’s time to get to work! But we need to do it in the power of the Holy Spirit!
B. Go Therefore
1. Illustration: When you stop and consider the work of the Holy Spirit—and that’s what Pentecost is all about—there are three direct dimensions:
a. First, the Holy Spirit does an INWARD work in us. He is the One who administers justification, regeneration, and the new birth in our lives. He is the One who cleanses us within, who comforts us, and bears witness with our spirit that we are the children of God.
b. Second, the Holy Spirit does an UPWARD work in us. Jesus says of the Holy Spirit, “He will glorify Me, for He will take of what is Mine and declare it to you” (John 16:14). The Holy Spirit is ever pointing us heavenward, to glorify Jesus and the Father.
c. Third, the Holy Spirit does an OUTWARD work in us. The empowerment that took place on the day of Pentecost resulted in a powerful gospel witness and 3,000 people from a variety of backgrounds were radically saved!
2. If God has fulfilled this promise of a second work of grace, and if this second work of grace is available to all believers, then what are we waiting for?
a. “Therefore, go and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit. 20 Teach these new disciples to obey all the commands I have given you. And be sure of this: I am with you always, even to the end of the age.” (Matt. 28:19-20)
b. Have you received this second work of grace? If not, ask God for it!
c. “You fathers—if your children ask for a fish, do you give them a snake instead? 12 Or if they ask for an egg, do you give them a scorpion? Of course not! 13 So if you sinful people know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to those who ask him.” (Lk. 11:11-13).
d. If you have received this second work of grace, what are you doing with it?
e. Be his witnesses where you are today.
f. Be his witnesses wherever he takes you tomorrow.
g. Be his witnesses to the ends of the earth.
Conclusion
1. Illustration: It was John Wesley who coined the phrase “A Second Work of Grace.” He believed that there was an empowerment available to believers that was in addition to salvation. However, it was a Methodist Holiness preacher in the mid 1800’s named Phoebe Palmer who gave the term a more focused idea. She believed that this second work of grace, which was in addition to salvation, called the baptism of the Holy Spirit, which she believed was available to all believers, was an empowerment for ministry.
2. This second work of grace is…
a. In Addition To
b. An Empowerment for Ministry
c. Asks the question: What Are We Waiting For?
3. What’s the point preacher? If God wants to give you a gift, know that it is a good gift (it’s nothing to be afraid of), and if this second work of grace is going to make you a witness for Jesus, then use it for his glory.
