SETTING THE STAGE FOR THE SPIRIT OF GOD—Acts 1:1-3
Luke recorded for Theophilus an account of Jesus earthly acts/ministry.
There is an account of Jesus’ acts which precedes the acts recorded in this account.
How do Jesus’ prior acts prepare us for what the Spirit will do in His absence?
8 ways in which the Stage is Set for the Spirit of God.
1—Setting the stage for the Spirit are
Acts of FRIENDSHIP(:1a)
—Explanation:
:1—“The former account I made, O Theophilus, of all that Jesus began both to do & teach,”
“Theophilus”—????????—Friend of God. The person to whom Luke addressed His Gospel & Acts.
—Argumentation:
Jas. 2:23—“And the Scripture was fulfilled which says, “Abraham believed God, & it was accounted to him for righteousness.” And he was called the friend of God.”
Jas. 4:4-8—“Adulterers & adulteresses! Do you not know that friendship with the world is enmity with God? Whoever therefore wants to be a friend of the world makes himself an enemy of God. Or do you think that the Scripture says in vain, “The Spirit who dwells in us yearns jealously”? But He gives more grace. Therefore He says: “God resists the proud, But gives grace to the humble.” Therefore submit to God. Resist the devil & he will flee from you. Draw near to God & He will draw near to you. Cleanse your hands, you sinners; & purify your hearts, you double-minded.”
Rom. 5:1-2—“Therefore, having been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom also we have access by faith into this grace in which we stand, & rejoice in hope of the glory of God.”
Php. 4:6-7—“Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer & supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God; & the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts & minds through Christ Jesus.”
—Illustration:
A friend knows your deepest difficulties—& offers real help
A friend knows you intimately—& shares themself w/ you
A friend knows your faults—& loves unconditionally
—Application:
?Your Stage been Set thru FRIENDSHIP?
?You Set the Stage for the Holy Spirit?
2—Setting the stage for the Spirit are
Acts of INITIATION(:1b)
—Explanation: Beginning
:1—“The former account I made, O Theophilus, of all that Jesus began both to do & teach,”
“Began”—???????—To be the first to do anything, to begin; To be chief, leader, ruler; To begin, make a beginning.
“Do”—?????—To make; To do.
“Teach”—???????—To teach.
Jesus began these things...They are continued in the ministry of the Holy Spirit working thru the faithful in christ.
—Argumentation:
Jn. 14:26—“But the Helper, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in My name, He will teach you all things, & bring to your remembrance all things that I said to you.”
—Illustration:
McDonald’s/Established years ago/Now worldwide/Initiated by few—Continued thru others/ACTS OF INITIATION
—Application:
?Your Stage been Set thru ACTS OF INITIATION?
?You Set the Stage for the Holy Spirit?
3—Setting the stage for the Spirit are
Acts of EXPLANATION(:2a)
—Explanation/Illustration:
:2—“until the day in which He was taken up, after He through the Holy Spirit had given commandments to the apostles whom He had chosen,”
—Argumentation:
Jn. 13:33-35—“Little children, I shall be with you a little while longer. You will seek Me; & as I said to the Jews, ‘Where I am going, you cannot come,’ so now I say to you. “A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another; as I have loved you, that you also love one another. “By this all will know that you are My disciples, if you have love for one another.”
Rom. 13:8-11—“Owe no one anything except to love one another, for he who loves another has fulfilled the law. For the commandments, “You shall not commit adultery,” “You shall not murder,” “You shall not steal,” “You shall not bear false witness,” “You shall not covet,” & if there is any other commandment, are all summed up in this saying, namely, “You shall love your neighbor as yourself.” Love does no harm to a neighbor; therefore love is the fulfillment of the law. And do this, knowing the time, that now it is high time to awake out of sleep; for now our salvation is nearer than when we first believed.”
Mat. 28:18-20—“And Jesus came & spoke to them, saying, “All authority has been given to Me in heaven & on earth. “Go therefore & make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father & of the Son & of the Holy Spirit, “teaching them to observe all things that I have commanded you; & lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age.” Amen.”
—Application:
?Your Stage been Set thru EXPLANATION?
?You Set the Stage for the Holy Spirit?
4—Setting the stage for the Spirit are
Acts of SENDING(:2)
—Explanation:
:2—“until the day in which He was taken up, after He through the Holy Spirit had given commandments to the apostles whom He had chosen,”
“Apostles”—?????????—A delegate, messenger, one sent forth with orders.
“Chosen”—?????????—To pick out, choose, to pick or choose out for one’s self.
—Argumentation:
Mat. 10:16-22—““Behold, I send you out as sheep in the midst of wolves. Therefore be wise as serpents & harmless as doves. “But beware of men, for they will deliver you up to councils & scourge you in their synagogues. “You will be brought before governors & kings for My sake, as a testimony to them & to the Gentiles. “But when they deliver you up, do not worry about how or what you should speak. For it will be given to you in that hour what you should speak; “for it is not you who speak, but the Spirit of your Father who speaks in you. “Now brother will deliver up brother to death, & a father his child; & children will rise up against parents & cause them to be put to death. “And you will be hated by all for My name’s sake. But he who endures to the end will be saved.”
Jn. 13:20—““Most assuredly, I say to you, he who receives whomever I send receives Me; & he who receives Me receives Him who sent Me.””
2Cor. 5:18—6:1—“Now all things are of God, who has reconciled us to Himself through Jesus Christ, & has given us the ministry of reconciliation, that is, that God was in Christ reconciling the world to Himself, not imputing their trespasses to them, & has committed to us the word of reconciliation. Now then, we are ambassadors for Christ, as though God were pleading through us: we implore you on Christ’s behalf, be reconciled to God. For He made Him who knew no sin to be sin for us, that we might become the righteousness of God in Him.” “We then, as workers together with Him also plead with you not to receive the grace of God in vain.”
Prov. 18:24—“A man who has friends must himself be friendly, But there is a friend who sticks closer than a brother.”
Jn. 15:15—““No longer do I call you servants, for a servant does not know what his master is doing; but I have called you friends, for all things that I heard from My Father I have made known to you.”
—Illustration:
Bread route/Flower’s Baking Co. Rep. of company consistency/SENDING
—Application:
?Your Stage been Set thru SENDING?
?You Set the Stage for the Holy Spirit?
5—Setting the stage for the Spirit are
Acts of CHOOSING/CHOICE(:2)
—Explanation:
:2—“until the day in which He was taken up, after He through the Holy Spirit had given commandments to the apostles whom He had chosen,”
Even Judas Iscariot was chosen. He had the same opportunity & responsibility with truth that the other 11 had. He responded differently than the 11.
—Argumentation:
Jn. 15:16-27—““You did not choose Me, but I chose you & appointed you that you should go & bear fruit, & that your fruit should remain, that whatever you ask the Father in My name He may give you. “These things I command you, that you love one another. “If the world hates you, you know that it hated Me before it hated you. “If you were of the world, the world would love its own. Yet because you are not of the world, but I chose you out of the world, therefore the world hates you. “Remember the word that I said to you, ‘A servant is not greater than his master.’ If they persecuted Me, they will also persecute you. If they kept My word, they will keep yours also. “But all these things they will do to you for My name’s sake, because they do not know Him who sent Me. “If I had not come & spoken to them, they would have no sin, but now they have no excuse for their sin. “He who hates Me hates My Father also. “If I had not done among them the works which no one else did, they would have no sin; but now they have seen & also hated both Me & My Father. “But this happened that the word might be fulfilled which is written in their law, ‘They hated Me without a cause.’ “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. “And you also will bear witness, because you have been with Me from the beginning.”
—Illustration:
Woodworking/Different woods for different purposes/Woodworker Cooses/ACTS of CHOICE
—Application:
?Your Stage been Set thru CHOICE?
?You Set the Stage for the Holy Spirit?
6—Setting the stage for the Spirit are
An Act of RESURRECTION(:3)
—Explanation:
:3—“to whom He also presented Himself alive after His suffering by many infallible proofs, being seen by them during forty days & speaking of the things pertaining to the kingdom of God.”
“Presented/Shewed”—?????????—To place beside or near; To stand beside, stand by or near, to be at hand, be present.
“Alive”—???—To live, breathe, be among the living.
“Infallible proofs”—?????????—That from which something is surely & plainly known; On indubitable evidence, a proof.
“Pertaining”—????—About, concerning, on account of, because of, around, near.
—Argumentation/Illustration:
Empty tomb—Guards(Mat. 27:62—28:1-4, 11-15)—Peter & John(Jn. 20:2-10)—Mary Magdalene(Jn. 20:11-18)—Appearance among the disciples(Jn. 20:19-20)—Thomas(Jn. 20:24-29)—Breakfast by sea(Jn. 21:1-14)
Road to Emmaus(Lk. 24:1-35—Handled Him(Lk. 24:36-43))
1Cor. 15:12-19—“Now if Christ is preached that He has been raised from the dead, how do some among you say that there is no resurrection of the dead? But if there is no resurrection of the dead, then Christ is not risen. And if Christ is not risen, then our preaching is empty & your faith is also empty. Yes, & we are found false witnesses of God, because we have testified of God that He raised up Christ, whom He did not raise up--if in fact the dead do not rise. For if the dead do not rise, then Christ is not risen. And if Christ is not risen, your faith is futile; you are still in your sins! Then also those who have fallen asleep in Christ have perished. If in this life only we have hope in Christ, we are of all men the most pitiable.”
—Application:
?Your Stage been Set thru RESURRECTION?
?You Set the Stage for the Holy Spirit?
7—Setting the stage for the Spirit are
Acts of Suffering(:3)
—Explanation:
:3—“to whom He also presented Himself alive after His suffering by many infallible proofs, being seen by them during forty days & speaking of the things pertaining to the kingdom of God.”
“Suffering/Passion”—?????—To be affected or have been affected, to feel, have a sensible experience, to undergo.
—Argumentation/Illustration:
Rom. 8:16-18—“The Spirit Himself bears witness with our spirit that we are children of God, & if children, then heirs--heirs of God & joint heirs with Christ, if indeed we suffer with Him, that we may also be glorified together. For I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory which shall be revealed in us.”
Php. 1:29—2:4—“For to you it has been granted on behalf of Christ, not only to believe in Him, but also to suffer for His sake, having the same conflict which you saw in me & now hear is in me.” “Therefore if there is any consolation in Christ, if any comfort of love, if any fellowship of the Spirit, if any affection & mercy, fulfill my joy by being like-minded, having the same love, being of one accord, of one mind. Let nothing be done through selfish ambition or conceit, but in lowliness of mind let each esteem others better than himself. Let each of you look out not only for his own interests, but also for the interests of others.”
2Tim. 2:2-6—“And the things that you have heard from me among many witnesses, commit these to faithful men who will be able to teach others also. You therefore must endure hardship as a good soldier of Jesus Christ. No one engaged in warfare entangles himself with the affairs of this life, that he may please him who enlisted him as a soldier. And also if anyone competes in athletics, he is not crowned unless he competes according to the rules. The hard-working farmer must be first to partake of the crops.”
—Application:
?Your Stage been Set thru SUFFERING?
?You Set the Stage for the Holy Spirit?
8—Setting the stage for the Spirit are
Acts of MINISTRY(:3)
—Explanation:
:3—“to whom He also presented Himself alive after His suffering by many infallible proofs, being seen by them during forty days & speaking of the things pertaining to the kingdom of God.”
"speaking of the things pertaining to the kingdom of God"
—Argumentation/Illustration:
—Application:
?Your Stage been Set thru MINISTRY?
?You Set the Stage for the Holy Spirit?
—CONCLUSION—
Action:
Setting the stage for the Spirit are Acts of....
FRIENDSHIP(:1)
INITIATION(:1)
EXPLANATION(:2)
SENDING(:2)
RESURRECTION(:3)
SUFFERING(:3)
MINISTRY(:3)
Presented 02/06/05am to:
Richland Baptist Church
40510 Stewart Road
Zephyrhills, FL 33540
