TITLE: God’s Power in You
TEXT: Acts 1:1-8
Theme: What’s the Big Deal About the Holy Spirit
INTRODUCTION
The story is told of a logging foreman who sold a city slicker a chainsaw guaranteed to cut down fifty trees in a single day. A week later, a very unhappy city slicker came to report that the power saw must be faulty – it averaged only three trees a day. The foreman grabbed the saw, pulled the cord, and the saw promptly went, “Bzzzzzzz.” The startled city slicker demanded, “Hey what’s that noise?”
We laugh at the naïveté of the city slicker. But, how many of us have had a similar experience when it comes to living the Spirit filled life? At first we respond with great joy and enthusiasm, but after a while, we think that we have been had. “This is hard. This is tough. I feel like a failure. I can’t do this!”
But, the Spirit can help us do it, if we ask Him to! He is the power source to live for God. We must plug into Him if we are going to live for Him! This is why Jesus promised that His followers would be baptized in the Holy Spirit.
In order for us to fulfill the mission Jesus has given the church, The power and promise of the baptism in the Holy Spirit is not a luxury it is a complete necessity
But Pastor, have you not said that we receive the Holy Spirit when we are saved? Then, why do I need anything more?
Again, let me repeat, when you received Jesus as your savior you were born again by the Holy Spirit. You became a temple of the Holy Spirit as He now dwells within your spirit. This work is referred to as the REGENERATING work of the Holy Spirit.
The baptism is not the same as salvation. The baptism is the EMPOWERING work of the Holy Spirit. Someone has tried to explain the difference this way,
When you were born again, you have the Spirit. The question remains, how much of you does the Holy Spirit possess and control?
Perhaps an analogy will best clarify this. As Christians we may be compared with a reservoir for producing electrical power, like one of those you see when you drive past a Hydro electrical facility or even 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. ...
That is what you and I need in order to be effective as ministers for Jesus. Fresh Power. So, then what exactly is the baptism in the Holy Spirit?
The Baptism as we have said is not the same as salvation. It is subsequesnt to salvation.
This teaching is not exclusive to traditional Pentecostals. The famous fundemetnalist Baptist preacher, Dr. John R. Rice, said, “There is an experience after Salvation, called the Baptism with the Holy Ghost. All Saved people do have the Holy Spirit. When someone is saved, the Holy Spirit puts him into the Body of Christ. But besides that, Christians ought to be filled with the Holy Spirit and special Soul-Winning Power.
And Dr.R.A.Torrey, one of the founders of the Missionary Alliance movement once said, the‘infilling of the Holy Spirit is a definite and distinct experience. A Christian will know whether he has received the Spirit or not.’
But, what did Jesus teach? On one occaision following the resurrection, the disciples were hiding away in an upper Room. There, John records that Jesus suddenly appeared bodily before them and His disciples were indwelled by the Holy Spirit. In John 20, John recors this scene,
When He had said this, He showed them His hands and His side. Then the disciples were glad when they saw the Lord.21 So Jesus said to them again, "Peace to you! As the Father has sent Me, I also send you."22 And when He had said this, He breathed on them, and said to them, "Receive the Holy Spirit."
It is without question that this passage clearly says that they received the Holy Spirit, but the real power was to come later. Several ays later, as the disciples were gathered to listen to Jesus, the Lord gave this promise,
“you shall be baptized with the Holy Spirit not many days from now” (Acts 1:5).
Now, if they had received the Holy Spirit earlier, than what was it Jesus was referring too? This what we call the baptism in the Holy Spirit, or God’s power in the believer.
It would not be until the day of Pentecost that the power of the Holy Spirit fell upon them and these fearful disciples would turn the world upside down for Christ.
What is the baptism in the Holy Spirit then?,
It is the Fullfillment of God’s PROMISE to every believer, that they would receive POWER, in order to fulfill God’s PURPOSE to be witnesses
Notice the thre words, PROMISE, POWER, and PURPOSE. It is these three words that are key to understanding the baptism in the Holy Spirit.
1. The PROMISE of the power of the Holy Spirit is for every believer.
Jesus PROMISED it both before and after his resurrection:
Luke 24:49I am going to send you what my Father has promised; but stay in the city until you have been clothed with power from on high."
Jesus demonstrated the importance of this Baptism by commanding his followers to wait in Jerusalem, ( Acts 1:4)
4On one occasion, while he was eating with them, he gave them this command: "Do not leave Jerusalem, but wait for the gift my Father promised, which you have heard me speak about.
On the day of Pentecost, when the fulfillment of the promise happened, Peter stood before the crowd gathered at the temple and proclaimed, that what had happened was the fulfillment of the promise, which the prophet Joel had prophesied many years before,
this is what was spoken by the prophet Joel: 17" ’In the last days, God says, I will pour out my Spirit on all people. Your sons and daughters will prophesy, your young men will see visions, your old men will dream dreams.
18Even on my servants, both men and women, I will pour out my Spirit in those days, and they will prophesy. 19I will show wonders in the heaven above and signs on the earth below, blood and fire and billows of smoke. 20The sun will be turned to darkness and the moon to blood before the coming of the great and glorious day of the Lord. 21And everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.
Furthermore, Peter explained, that this promise, was meant for every gengeration to follow,
38Peter replied, "Repent and be baptized, every one of you, in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins. And you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. 39The promise is for you and your children and for all who are far off—for all whom the Lord our God will call."
We read this following 200 years of Church history, and our response is, “So, I know that” But for the people to hear this for the first time, it was an incredible statement.
Up till then, the Holy Spirit was only available to Kings, Spiritual leaders, and prophets. Joel envisioned, and Peter proclaimed that the time was now that all people, regardless of age, social status, or gender to now enter into this glorious relationship with the Holy Spirit.
The prophet Ezekiel also prophesied of the outpouring of the holy Spirit ( 39:28-29),
I will no longer hide my face from them, for I will pour out my Spirit on the house of Israel, declares the Sovereign LORD."
Now, today the PROMISE of God’s Spirit is available to every believer who calls on the Lord.
2. Every believer can be EMPOWERED by the HOLY SPIRIT
In his book, Want More?, author and teacher Tim Enloe gives writes,
The baptism in the Holy Spirit is the primary empowering from God that all New Testament believers can experience.”
According to the Bible, all new testament followers of Jesus should follow the Lord’s command and be baptized in the Holy Spirit.
In our text this morning we read Jesus promise,
8But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you;
Jesus promises POWER. The greek word is Dynamis. It is where we get our word dynamite from. It is also translated ability, efficiency, and might.
The power of the Holy Spirit also involves courage, boldness, confidence, insight and authority. The disciples would need all these gifts in order to fulfill their mission.
Unlike dynamite or nitro glycerin, which is unstable power and has the potential to be destructive and deadly, the holy Spirit imparts is power that is under control.
For example, Power can be used in at least 2 ways. It can be unleashed or it can be harnessed. Drop an atomic bomb and just watch as raw power is unleashed or harness the power of the atom and it will produce energy to make enough electricity for an entire country.
So, how does this power function in my life? Jesus said those who receive the Holy Spirit, receive Power to WALK, power to WITNESS, and power to WORK miracles. In short it is the power to live like Jesus in our world.
First of all it is power to WALK like Jesus. It is Power to emulate Him with our lives.
How can we live for Jesus in this world? With the help of the Holy Spirit equipping us. With our immersion into the Holy Spirit comes an opportunity to be clothed in power from above.
Jesus prophesied to His disciples,
For John baptized with water, but in a few days you will be baptized with the Holy Spirit."
Here Jesus parallels John’s water baptism with a baptism or immersion in the Holy Spirit. John the Baptist prophesied,( matthew 3:11)
"I baptize you with[a] water for repentance. But after me will come one who is more powerful than I, whose sandals I am not fit to carry. He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and with fire.
The greek word for ‘baptize’ is a word that literally means to be immersed or covered over. It means to be totally submerged.
It was also a word used to describe how some people would dye their cloths. A piece of cloth would be immersed into a coloured dye, and come out a different colour, totally immersed and changed by the dye
Now lets back up the train for a moment. Remember that God is one Being, yet HE is revealed in three eternally distinct Persons: Father, Son and Holy Spirit. When Jesus said that His disciples would be baptized in the Holy Spirit, it means that God wants to IMMERSE you in HIMSELF
The baptsm in the Holy Spirit produces change. It changes our purpose in life and how we walk in life. How am I able to live for Jesus? Not in my power, but in the power of the Holy Spirit,
Since we live by the Spirit, let us keep in step with the Spirit. (Gal. 5:25)
It is the power of the Holy Spirit which enables believers to live for Jesus.
Secondly we receive Power ... TO WITNESS for Jesus
... you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you; and you will be my witnesses...
This is less of a comamnda and more of a promise. The greek word is translated ‘martyr.’ It was a legal term used to describe someone who is brought before a court to bear witness.
The baptism in the Holy Spirit gives us the power to be witnesses for the Lord. The Great Commission tells us to make disciples of all nations ... teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. (Mt. 28:20) That is why Jesus instructs us to receive the Spirit.
Power ... To WORK MIRACLES of Jesus
It is Power to do the things He did - and even greater ones. I tell you the truth, anyone who has faith in me will do what I have been doing. He will do even greater things than these, because I am going to the Father. (Jn. 14:12)
When Jesus had gathered His disciples together, HE gave them this parting promise, and commission,
And these signs will accompany those who believe: In my name they will drive out demons; they will speak in new tongues; 18 they will pick up snakes with their hands; and when they drink deadly poison, it will not hurt them at all; they will place their hands on sick people, and they will get well. (Mk. 16:17-18)
Which, brings me to the third point. The baptism in the Holy Spirit, is the promise of God to every believer that He receive power in order to fulfill God’s purpose to be His witness.
3. The baptism in the Holy Spirit will make you effective for the Kingdom.
Jesus said, His followers would receive the holy Spirit: 2. He would give them power and,: 3. they would witness with extraordinary results.
Often we try to reverse the order and witness by our own power. Witnessing is not showing what we can do for God. It is showing and telling what God has done for us.
ILLUSTARTION: Everyone will have their own testimony, but for me the Lord Baptized me in the Spirit when I was 15. It was at a time in my life when I was making a choice as to what direction I was going to make in life.
I was an insecure teenager. I was tall, skinny with pimples larger than my head. I had a speech impediment that caused me great embarrassment.
Following my personal baptism something happened. The Lord healed my stuttering tongue. I became increasingly bolder in my testimony and witness. My prayer life changed, as I felt an increasing desire to pray for others, especially my unsaved friends. My walk changed as I became more confident in who I was in Christ. There was a closeness to God that I had never before experienced. And I wanted people to know Him.
I do not know all that the Lord will do in your life, but I do know that if you wish to have a deeper, life changing intimate relationship with God then you need to foolow Jesus command and be filled, or baptized in the Holy Spirit.
There is both an inner work and an external work which happens when a person is immersed in the Holy Spirit. When a person is baptized in the Holy Spirit it should be received with a thankful heart. What’s more, if a person has not yet received, then they do not need to feel guilty, Tim Enloe writes, ‘The Baptism does not make you any more or less a child of God. The Spirit baptism is all about greater spiritual INTIMACY and POWER!
It is not an either or proposition. You receive both. This immersion is first for our personal benefit. It is a spiritual experience that refreshes and blesses us internally, giving us an intimate encounter with God. While the first benefit is for you, the second benefit is for OTHERS. God not only wants to increase your intimacy with Him, but also your spiritual POWER to minister to others.
This baptism is not just for our personal spiritual blessing. It also EMPOWERS us to bless others! The baptism is not just something that happens too me. It is something that works THROUGH me! ( T.Enloe)
CONCLUSION: What about me?
I heard a speaker say this week “If you do not want to touch others with the love of Christ, then why do you want to be baptized in the Holy Spirit?”
That’s a good question. Why ask for something that you will not use to bless thers with?
All of this abounding power is available to every believer who simply asks and in obedience waits for God to fill or baptize him in the Holy Spirit.
With all this power available to every follower of Jesus, why are not more walking and living in the fullness of the Spirits power? Good question. I believe one answer is simply people have not asked. Jesus said,
You have not because you ask not… For everyone who asks receives; he who seeks finds; and to him who knocks, the door will be opened.
11"Which of you fathers, if your son asks for[a] a fish, will give him a snake instead? 12Or if he asks for an egg, will give him a scorpion? 13If you then, though you are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father in heaven give the Holy Spirit to those who ask him!"
The other option for not receiving is that a person has asked the WRONG question. Let me explain; I have had some Christians say to me, “Pastor, I understand about the Holy Spirit changing my life, but do I have to accept the power to work miracles; Or do I have to have tongues? Or can I have the power, but still live the same old life?
Listen, that’s the wrong question, because the Holy Spirit is a GIFT!!!!!!. At Christmas when you see all the presents under the tree, how many of you say, well I will take this present, but not that one.
No, we take it ALL
The question is not do I have to speak in tongues, or do I have to live a holy life. It is, rather I will take all that the Holy Spirit has to give me, because I know that the gifts He gives are ALL GOOD!
How do I receive? If you are wanting the Lord to Baptize you in the Holy Spirit,
1. ASK
2. CONFESS
3. THANK HIM, then open your mouth and
4. SPEAK OUT
