Gtcotr/ws120121
Two weeks ago we talked about Luke who wrote both the Gospel according to Luke and the book of Acts. Luke was very plain as to why he spent time researching and documenting the testimonies we read in both books. He intended the first letter to be an account of the things Jesus did while He was living and ministering on earth before He was taken up into heaven 40 days after His resurrection.
Luke recorded the last instructions Jesus gave His disciples in:
Luke 24:49 “Behold, I send the Promise of My Father upon you; but tarry in the city of Jerusalem until you are endued with power from on high.”
A few years later, Luke wrote his second letter to document all that disciples did after they were “endued” with that “power from on high.” The Holy Spirit used Luke’s gifting, skills, attention to detail, and reputation to connect the work Jesus did by His own hands to the continuing work of the Church in the earth through disciples of Christ.
The connection between what Jesus did and what His disciples were able to do was simply and without argument, the Power of the Holy Spirit. Specifically the Baptism of Power to Be a witness. Jesus was the witness of God’s love towards man, as confirmed by the Apostle John. The Church is now the continuing witness of God’s love towards man, confirmed by Acts.
In other words: You have the same calling Jesus had while He was on the earth, (except for the single perfect sacrifice He was for all sin). His calling was to show the Father. The calling of every Born-Again Believer is to show the love of God to the world. In order to be what we need to be, Jesus said we need to have the power He had. He was talking about the Baptism of the power of the Holy Spirit. (Acts 1:5)
That’s why the last instructions Jesus gave His disciples was to wait in Jerusalem until they received the Baptism of the Holy Spirit. Luke picks up on this central theme in his second letter.
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.”
This bridge between the earthly life and ministry of Jesus as recorded in Luke, and the ministry of Believers in the Book of Acts, is clearly the power of the Holy Spirit.
Because I know you to be students of the Word of God, I am going to share some scripture references and make commentary without reading each and every account in full this evening. Please either write these references down or you can access my notes at ezsermons.com, and there is also the opportunity to go to our website or COTR App and listen to me preach this sermon again.
Let’s all make a trail in our Bibles so we can share this truth with others.
·
Acts
2:1-4
o
The Day of
Pentecost
o
All filled
with the Holy Spirit
o
They
immediately went outside and became witnesses with power from on high.
·
Acts
2:16-21
o
This is that
which was spoken by the prophet Joel
o
Pour out of My
Spirit on sons and daughters
o
Handmaids and
menservants
o
All who call
on the name of the Lord will be saved
·
Acts
2:38
o
This can
happen to you
o
You can
receive the gift of the Holy Spirit
o
Because your
sins have been forgiven
o
You and your
children and those far off …
·
Acts
8:4-8
o
Those who were
scattered went everywhere preaching the word
o
Phillip went
down to Samaria and preached Christ to them
o
They listened
and were saved, and water baptized
o
There was
great joy in the city
·
Acts
8:14-17
o
When the
Apostles at Jerusalem heard Samaria had received the Gospel
o
They sent
Peter and John to check it out
o
They found
that people who believed the Gospel of Christ had been saved and water baptized
but had not yet received the Holy Spirit.
o
Peter and John
laid their hands on water baptized Believers and they received the baptism of
the power of the Holy Spirit.
·
Acts
10:44-48
o
While Peter
was preaching at the house of a Gentile Roman soldier, those listening were
baptized with power from on high and began to speak in tongues and prophesy
like the Jews in the upper room had one on the day of Pentecost.
o
Then Peter
asked for water so those who had been saved and filled with the Holy Spirit
could be baptized in Jesus’ name.
·
Acts
11:15-18
o
Peter explains
Gentiles receiving salvation and the Baptism of the Holy Spirit to the Apostles
in Jerusalem.
o
“The Holy
Spirit fell on them just like it did on us at Pentecost”.
o
God gave them
the same Gift … Who am I to withstand God?
·
Acts
19:1-6
o
Paul found
disciples of Jesus in Ephesus he thought were saved
o
He asked them:
“Have you received the Holy Spirit since you believed?”
o
They
responded: “We didn’t even know there was a Holy Spirit”
o
Paul continues
and ends up baptizing them in water in the name of Jesus and then lays hands on
them …
o
These 12 men
received the Baptism of Power from on high and began to speak in tongues and
prophesy just like what happened on the day of Pentecost to those 120 in that
upper room … in which … Paul was not present but was rather violently and dead
set against it at that point.
·
How does a
person today receive the Power to be a Witness?
o
Acts
5:32
§ The willingness to follow Jesus and obey Him
§ Are you willing?
o
Luke
11:13
§ How much more shall the Father give the Holy
Spirit to those who ask Him …
§ Just ask!
Let’s pray to be baptized and rebaptized with
the power to show the love and the goodness of God towards man! Let’s pray for
the Power to Be a representative of Christ.
