The Promise Of The Father Series

Intro: A web search or general browsing of TV commercials tells us that life at its best is found in anything from nutrition to air fresheners. Culture tells us that life at its best is looking a certain way physically, wearing certain clothes, having a particular attitude. We are told that life at its best is about being famous or infamous.

Athletes and actors feed our appetites but never satisfy them with any real substance. Our culture and country promise life at its best but never really delivers. What we find in Acts 1 today is the promise of Life at its best. Jesus has told the disciples and apostles to wait for the promise of the Father. The promise of the father is the promise of the Holy Spirit. This is where Life at its best is delivered. Why are there churches and Christians that seem so lifeless? Because there are churches and Christians that have never received the promise of the father which is the sealing and saturating of the Holy Spirit.

The Holy Spirit is the essential element of a New Testament Church. If you honestly read the New Testament you cannot miss this. The church begins when the Holy Spirit falls on the apostles and disciples at Pentecost. Before the Spirit came they misunderstood and missed His teachings on the Kingdom of God. If you read Dr Luke’s account of the early church it begins with the Holy Spirit invading the lives of the early church like a “mighty rushing wind” then it moved them to the corners of the known world to make know the Kingdom of God. The early church was an example of the Holy Spirit of God at work in the life of the church.

I. The promise of a person (you will be my witnesses)

Who is the Holy Spirit? The third person of the trinity that moves and is active in and among God’s people called the church.

A) A person of the Trinity (John 14.6)

B) God’s gift to every believer (Acts 2.38-39)

C) God’s seal of ownership of the believer (Ephesians 1:13-14)

D) The believer’s Helper (John 14:16, 15:26, 16:7)

D) The believer’s Teacher (John 14.26, John 2.27, 2 Timothy 2.2)

E) The believer’s Guide (John 16.13, Acts 16.7)

F) The believer’s source of spiritual power (Acts 1.8, Luke 24.48 -49)

Life at its best is a moment by moment surrender to the direction and control to the Holy spirits leading. As we daily give our lives over to His control we find that He is completely trustworthy and capable of empowering us to live in truth, love, and control of our old nature.

When the Holy Spirit is living in you if you defer to His truth, direction, etc it will defeat the desire to live outside the will of God.

Why is there defeat in the Body of Christ? Why do we look different then the early disciples of Jesus? Why does it seem like sin is the pattern of Christians lives instead of Spirit filled power? Two realities give this result. First we do not have the Holy Spirit of God dwelling within us. Second we are not surrendering our will to the Holy Spirits control.

II. The promise of power (Acts 1.8 read, 1 Corinthians 4.20,

1 Corinthians 4.18-20 “I know there are some among you who are so full of themselves they never listen to anyone, let alone me. They don't think I'll ever show up in person. But I'll be there sooner than you think, God willing, and then we'll see if they're full of anything but hot air. God's Way is not a matter of mere talk; it's an empowered life.” The Message

Here in acts God the father has promised if we receive the gift of the Holy Spirit we will have powerful lives. The promise is not different for us than for the early church. In Acts 2.38 Peter makes it clear that if we turn from sin, self and rebellion against God that we will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. When the Holy Spirit comes upon you, you will receive power. What does the Holy Spirit empower us to do?

A) Power to obey the commands of Jesus

The Holy Spirit did not come to make His church cool or accepted by culture. He came to empower us to obedient to the commands of our King. Jesus is not just savior and friend He is master and king. Paul clearly told the church and Rome and us in Romans 10.9 “If you confess with your mouth Jesus as Lord and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead you will be saved.”

Confess here means to say the same thing as to agree with. It also in context carries the idea to declare you allegiance to the person of Christ. The word translated confess is a judicial term that indicates the binding and public declaration which settles a relationship with legal force. The word kurios translated Lord means one who has absolute ownership.