2025.11.30. Sermon Notes. Jesus the King Empowering His Church (Pentecost)
William Akehurst, HSWC
SERIES: JESUS THE KING
KEY WORD: Pentecost, Empowerment, Holy Spirit, Witness, Kingdom, Promise, Power (dýnamis), Unity, Revival, Mission, Authority, Boldness
SCRIPTURE:
Acts 2:1-4, Acts 2:14-21, Acts 2:37-41, Acts 1:4-8, Joel 2:28-32,
John 14:16-18, John 16:7-15, Ephesians 1:18-23, Galatians 5:16-25, Acts 4:31, 1 Peter 2:9
BIG IDEA:
JESUS the KING, having ascended to the Right hand of the FATHER, now empowers HIS Church with the HOLY SPIRIT, granting divine authority, boldness, and power to continue HIS mission on earth. At Pentecost, the Kingdom came within us, making us a Spirit-filled people who declare that Jesus is Lord.
1. THE PROMISE OF THE KING
JESUS PROMISED THE HELPER
John 14:16-18 16 And I will pray the Father, and He will give you another Helper, that He may abide with you forever— 17 the Spirit of truth, whom the world cannot receive, because it neither sees Him nor knows Him; but you know Him, for He dwells with you and will be in you.
18 I will not leave you orphans; I will come to you.
I WILL COME TO YOU
“I will not leave you orphans; I will come to you.” (John 14:18)
WAIT FOR THE POWER OF THE PROMISE
Acts 1:4-8 The Holy Spirit Promised
4 And being assembled together with them, He commanded them not to depart from Jerusalem, but to wait for the Promise of the Father, “which,” He said, “you have heard from Me; 5 for John truly baptized with water, but you shall be baptized with the Holy Spirit not many days from now.” 6 Therefore, when they had come together, they asked Him, saying, “Lord, will You at this time restore the kingdom to Israel?” 7 And He said to them, “It is not for you to know times or seasons which the Father has put in His own authority. 8 But you shall receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you shall be witnesses to Me in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth.”
I WILL SEND HIM
John 16:7-15 7 Nevertheless I tell you the truth. It is to your advantage that I go away; for if I do not go away, the Helper will not come to you; but if I depart, I will send Him to you. 8 And when He has come, He will convict the world of sin, and of righteousness, and of judgment: 9 of sin, because they do not believe in Me; 10 of righteousness, because I go to My Father and you see Me no more; 11 of judgment, because the ruler of this world is judged.
12 “I still have many things to say to you, but you cannot bear them now. 13 However, when He, the Spirit of truth, has come, He will guide you into all truth; for He will not speak on His own authority, but whatever He hears He will speak; and He will tell you things to come. 14 He will glorify Me, for He will take of what is Mine and declare it to you. 15 All things that the Father has are Mine. Therefore I said that He will take of Mine and declare it to you.
THE KING’S GUARANTEE – THE HOLY SPIRIT
The Spirit is not an optional enhancement; it is the King's guarantee of His ongoing presence and power.
2. THE POWER DEFINED
ACTS 1:8 But you shall receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you shall be witnesses to Me in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth.”
“You shall receive power (dýnamis) when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you shall be witnesses to Me…”
• Power = divine enablement, not human ability.
• Witnesses = martýres… willing to lay down their lives for the King.
• Location: Jerusalem - Judea - Samaria - Ends of the earth - Kingdom expansion strategy.
3. THE PENTECOST EVENT - ACTS 2
Acts 2:1-4 Coming of the Holy Spirit
1 When the Day of Pentecost had fully come, they were all with one accord in one place. 2 And suddenly there came a sound from heaven, as of a rushing mighty wind, and it filled the whole house where they were sitting. 3 Then there appeared to them divided tongues, as of fire, and one sat upon each of them. 4 And they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak with other tongues, as the Spirit gave them utterance.
• Unity: “They were all with one accord in one place.” (v. 1)
• Suddenly: wind (power), fire (purity), tongues (proclamation).
• Reversal of Babel (Genesis 11): languages divide, Spirit unites.
• Peter, once fearful, now stands boldly preaching Jesus is Lord and King. Acts 2:36 “Therefore let all the house of Israel know assuredly that God has made this Jesus, whom you crucified, both Lord and Christ.”
4. KINGDOM MANIFEST
Joel 2:28-32 God’s Spirit Poured Out
28 “And it shall come to pass afterward
That I will pour out My Spirit on all flesh;
Your sons and your daughters shall prophesy,
Your old men shall dream dreams,
Your young men shall see visions.
29 And also on My menservants and on My maidservants
I will pour out My Spirit in those days.
30 “And I will show wonders in the heavens and in the earth:
Blood and fire and pillars of smoke.
31 The sun shall be turned into darkness,
And the moon into blood,
Before the coming of the great and awesome day of the LORD.
32 And it shall come to pass
That whoever calls on the name of the LORD
Shall be saved.
For in Mount Zion and in Jerusalem there shall be deliverance,
As the LORD has said,
Among the remnant whom the LORD calls.
• Joel 2 fulfilled: “I will pour out My Spirit on all flesh…”
• Not just on prophets, priests, and kings - but NOW for all believers.
• The church becomes a royal priesthood, empowered to advance the King’s dominion.
5. THE PURPOSE OF THE SPIRIT
TO GLORIFY CHRIST
John 16:14 He will glorify Me, for He will take of what is Mine and declare it to you.
TO TESTIFY OF HIM
John 15:26 “But when the Helper comes, whom I shall send to you from the Father, the Spirit of truth who proceeds from the Father, He will testify of Me.
TO BUILD THE CHURCH
Ephesians 4:11-13 11 And He Himself gave some to be apostles, some prophets, some evangelists, and some pastors and teachers, 12 for the equipping of the saints for the work of ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ, 13 till we all come to the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to a perfect man, to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ;
TO ENABLE HOLY LIVING
Galatians 5:16-25 16 I say then: Walk in the Spirit, and you shall not fulfill the lust of the flesh. 17 For the flesh lusts against the Spirit, and the Spirit against the flesh; and these are contrary to one another, so that you do not do the things that you wish. 18 But if you are led by the Spirit, you are not under the law.
19 Now the works of the flesh are evident, which are: adultery, fornication, uncleanness, lewdness, 20 idolatry, sorcery, hatred, contentions, jealousies, outbursts of wrath, selfish ambitions, dissensions, heresies, 21 envy, murders, drunkenness, revelries, and the like; of which I tell you beforehand, just as I also told you in time past, that those who practice such things will not inherit the kingdom of God.
22 But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, 23 gentleness, self-control. Against such there is no law. 24 And those who are Christ’s have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires. 25 If we live in the Spirit, let us also walk in the Spirit.
TO EMBOLDEN MISSION
Acts 4:31 And when they had prayed, the place where they were assembled together was shaken; and they were all filled with the Holy Spirit, and they spoke the word of God with boldness.
REFLECT:
• Am I living in the empowerment of the Holy Spirit, or in self-effort?
• Have I positioned myself like the early disciples—in obedience, unity, and expectancy?
• Am I advancing the Kingdom - or simply observing it?
• Do my words and actions boldly testify of Jesus as King?
The church doesn’t just need more programs… it needs more Pentecost.
PRAYER
KING JESUS, thank YOU for sending the HOLY SPIRIT. Empower me afresh today to live boldly for YOUR Kingdom. Purify me like the fire that fell. Move me from fear to faith, from comfort to calling. Let me be a true witness of YOUR Reign. Come, HOLY SPIRIT, fill YOUR Church again for YOUR Glory. In JESUS' Name, Amen.
Be Blessed and Be a Blessing,
Bill
HYMNS
Spirit of the Living God, Fall Fresh on Me
Breathe on Me, Breath of God
Revive Us Again
Come Thou Fount of Every Blessing
Pentecostal Power
