C-SETTING the STAGE for the SPIRIT-VI—Acts 1:9-14
Luke recorded for Theophilus an account of those acts which preceded the coming of the Holy Spirit in Jesus’ physical absence.
How is the stage set for the acts of the Holy Spirit?
17 acts setting the stage for the Spirit of God are Acts of...
1. FRIENDSHIP(:1)
2. INITIATION(:1)
3. EXPLANATION(:2)
4. SENDING(:2)
5. CHOOSING/CHOICE(:2)
6. RESURRECTION(:3)
7. SUFFERING(:3)
8. MINISTRY(:3)
9. COOPERATION(:4)
10. ANTICIPATION / EXPECTATION(:4-5)
11. BAPTISM(:5)
12. RESTORATION(questioning / inquiry)(:6)
13. ACCOMMODATION(:7)
14. POWERLESSNESS(:8)
15. INDEPENDENCE / MISUSE(:8)
16. INADEQUACY / IMPERCEPTION(:8)
17. LIMITATION(:8)
18—Setting the stage for the Spirit are
Acts of EMPTINESS / SEPARATION(:9-11)
Explanation:(:9-11)
:9—“Now when He had spoken these things, while they watched, He was taken up, & a cloud received Him out of their sight.”
I cannot put my hand upon Jesus
Lk. 24:50-51—“And He led them out as far as Bethany, & He lifted up His hands & blessed them. Now it came to pass, while He blessed them, that He was parted from them & carried up into heaven.”
“Taken up/Lifted up”—epairw—To lift up, raise up, raise on high.
“Received”—upolambanw—to take up in order to raise, to bear on high; To receive hospitably, welcome; To take up; To take up in the mind.
:10—“And while they looked steadfastly toward heaven as He went up, behold, two men stood by them in white apparel,”
“Steadfastly”—atenizw—To fix the eyes on, gaze upon; To look into anything.
“Went up/Departing”—poreuomai—To lead over, carry over, transfer. Expresses motion in limits, or giving prominence to the bearing; hence the regular word for the march of an army.
“Stood by/Beside”—paristhmi—To place beside or near; To stand beside, stand by or near, to be at hand, be present.
“White”—leukoV—Light, bright, brilliant.
:11—“who also said, “Men of Galilee, why do you stand gazing up into heaven? This same Jesus, who was taken up from you into heaven, will so come in like manner as you saw Him go into heaven.”
“Why do you stand gazing”—
—“Gazing/Looking”—blepw—To see, discern, of the bodily eye.
“This same Jesus,....will so come in like manner”—
—Jesus Himself would return in a “manner” consistent/ analagous/equivalent/ corresponding/ coextensive with the way in which He had ascended.
—Their Messiah was not lost. He would return at an undisclosed time ...
—But His return would be both visible & recognizable.
Argumentation:
Eph. 4:7-17—“But to each one of us grace was given according to the measure of Christ’s gift. Therefore He says: “When He ascended on high, He led captivity captive, And gave gifts to men.” (Now this, “He ascended”--what does it mean but that He also first descended into the lower parts of the earth? He who descended is also the One who ascended far above all the heavens, that He might fill all things.) And He Himself gave some to be apostles, some prophets, some evangelists, & some pastors & teachers, for the equipping of the saints for the work of ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ, till we all come to the unity of the faith & of the knowledge of the Son of God, to a perfect man, to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ; that we should no longer be children, tossed to & fro & carried about with every wind of doctrine, by the trickery of men, in the cunning craftiness of deceitful plotting, but, speaking the truth in love, may grow up in all things into Him who is the head--Christ-- from whom the whole body, joined & knit together by what every joint supplies, according to the effective working by which every part does its share, causes growth of the body for the edifying of itself in love.”
Jn. 14:15-18—““If you love Me, keep My commandments. “And I will pray the Father, & He will give you another Helper, that He may abide with you forever-- “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 & will be in you. “I will not leave you orphans; I will come to you.”
Lk. 21:22-28—“For these are the days of vengeance, that all things which are written may be fulfilled. “But woe to those who are pregnant & to those who are nursing babies in those days! For there will be great distress in the land & wrath upon this people. “And they will fall by the edge of the sword, & be led away captive into all nations. And Jerusalem will be trampled by Gentiles until the times of the Gentiles are fulfilled. “And there will be signs in the sun, in the moon, & in the stars; & on the earth distress of nations, with perplexity, the sea & the waves roaring; “men’s hearts failing them from fear & the expectation of those things which are coming on the earth, for the powers of heaven will be shaken. “Then they will see the Son of Man coming in a cloud with power & great glory. “Now when these things begin to happen, look up & lift up your heads, because your redemption draws near.””
Illustration:
Application:
?The Stage been Set thru your ACTS OF SEPARATION?
?You Set the Stage for the Holy Spirit?
19—Setting the stage for the Spirit are
Acts of DISCIPLING / CAMARADERIE(:12, 13b)
Explanation/Argumentation:(:12, 13b)
—Share a common experience & calling—
:12—“Then they returned to Jerusalem from the mount called Olivet, which is near Jerusalem, a Sabbath day’s journey.”
—They were somewhere(?Bethany?) on Mount Olivet just outside of Jerusalem as they witnessed Jesus’ ascension.
—The far side of Mount Olivet is a Sabbath day’s journey. 2000 cubits was set as a “Sabbath Day’s journey”(about 0.57 miles).
:13—“And when they had entered, they went up into the upper room where they were staying: Peter, James, John, & Andrew; Philip & Thomas; Bartholomew & Matthew; James the son of Alphaeus & Simon the Zealot; & Judas the son of James[Lebbaeus, whose surname was Thaddaeus].
‘We have tied up all our hopes in this Jesus. He is gone, what are we to do now?’
—The church today is composed of individuals who may, in their indecision, blame the church or others, for their lack of direction....& miss the opportunity for ministry.
—Their uniquely common & exclusive calling, relationship & teaching authority.
3 other LISTS OF APOSTLES:
Mat. 10:2-4—“Now the names of the twelve apostles are these: first, Simon, who is called Peter, & Andrew his brother; James the son of Zebedee, & John his brother; Philip & Bartholomew; Thomas & Matthew the tax collector; James the son of Alphaeus, & Lebbaeus, whose surname was Thaddaeus[Judas son of James]; Simon the Canaanite, & Judas Iscariot, who also betrayed Him.”
Mk. 3:16-19—“Simon, to whom He gave the name Peter; James the son of Zebedee & John the brother of James, to whom He gave the name Boanerges, that is, “Sons of Thunder”; Andrew, Philip, Bartholomew, Matthew, Thomas, James the son of Alphaeus, Thaddaeus, Simon the Cananite; & Judas Iscariot, who also betrayed Him. And they went into a house.”
Lk. 6:12-16—“Now it came to pass in those days that He went out to the mountain to pray, & continued all night in prayer to God. And when it was day, He called His disciples to Himself; & from them He chose twelve whom He also named apostles: Simon, whom He also named Peter, & Andrew his brother; James & John; Philip & Bartholomew; Matthew & Thomas; James the son of Alphaeus, & Simon called the Zealot; Judas the son of James[Lebbaeus, whose surname was Thaddaeus], & Judas Iscariot who also became a traitor.”
—‘They certainly struggled with pride & arrogance like every fallen human being. But the driving passion of their lives became the glory of Christ. And it was that passion, subjected to the influence of the Holy Spirit—not that innate skill or human talent—that explains why they left such an indelible impact on the world.’—John MacArthur, Jr. in Twelve Ordinary Men
Illustration:
Application:
?The Stage been Set thru your ACTS OF DISCIPLING?
?You Set the Stage for the Holy Spirit?
20—Setting the stage for the Spirit are
Acts of CONFIRMATION / AFFIRMATION(:14)
Explanation:(:14)
:13—“And when they had entered, they went up into the upper room where they were staying: Peter, James, John, & Andrew; Philip & Thomas; Bartholomew & Matthew; James the son of Alphaeus & Simon the Zealot; & Judas the son of James.
“Upper room”—uperwon—The highest part of the house, the upper rooms where the women typically resided. A room in the upper part of a house, sometimes built upon the flat roof of the house, where Orientals were accustomed to retire in order to eat, meditate, pray.
“Staying”—katamenw—To remain permanently, to abide.
:14—“These all continued with one accord in prayer & supplication, with the women & Mary the mother of Jesus, & with His brothers.”
“Continued”—proskarterew—To adhere to one, be his adherent, to be devoted or constant to one; To be steadfastly attentive unto, to give unremitting care to a thing; To continue all the time in a place; To persevere & not to faint; To show one’s self courageous for; To be in constant readiness for one, wait on constantly.
“One Accord”—omoqumadon—With one mind, one accord, one passion. A compound of two words meaning to "rush along" & "in unison"
“Prayer”—proseuch—Prayer strictly addressed to God; A place set apart or suited for the offering of prayer.
“Supplication”—dehsiV—Need, indigence, want, privation, penury; A seeking, asking entreating, entreaty, petitionary entreaty to God or man. Gives prominence to the expression of personal need/benefits.
“The women”—
Lk. 23:48-56—“And the whole crowd who came together to that sight, seeing what had been done, beat their breasts & returned. But all His acquaintances, & the women who followed Him from Galilee, stood at a distance, watching these things. Now behold, there was a man named Joseph, a council member, a good & just man. He had not consented to their decision & deed. He was from Arimathea, a city of the Jews, who himself was also waiting for the kingdom of God. This man went to Pilate & asked for the body of Jesus. Then he took it down, wrapped it in linen, & laid it in a tomb that was hewn out of the rock, where no one had ever lain before. That day was the Preparation, & the Sabbath drew near. And the women who had come with Him from Galilee followed after, & they observed the tomb & how His body was laid. Then they returned & prepared spices & fragrant oils. And they rested on the Sabbath according to the commandment.”
“Mary the mother of Jesus &”—
Lk. 1:30-35—“Then the angel said to her, “Do not be afraid, Mary, for you have found favor with God. “And behold, you will conceive in your womb & bring forth a Son, & shall call His name JESUS. “He will be great, & will be called the Son of the Highest; & the Lord God will give Him the throne of His father David. “And He will reign over the house of Jacob forever, & of His kingdom there will be no end.” Then Mary said to the angel, “How can this be, since I do not know a man?” And the angel answered & said to her, “The Holy Spirit will come upon you, & the power of the Highest will overshadow you; therefore, also, that Holy One who is to be born will be called the Son of God.”
Lk.2:1-7—“And it came to pass in those days that a decree went out from Caesar Augustus that all the world should be registered. This census first took place while Quirinius was governing Syria. So all went to be registered, everyone to his own city. Joseph also went up from Galilee, out of the city of Nazareth, into Judea, to the city of David, which is called Bethlehem, because he was of the house & lineage of David, to be registered with Mary, his betrothed wife, who was with child. So it was, that while they were there, the days were completed for her to be delivered. And she brought forth her firstborn Son, & wrapped Him in swaddling cloths, & laid Him in a manger, because there was no room for them in the inn.”
“His brothers”
—Actually Jesus’ half-brothers—Seeing as Joseph did not impregnate Mary until after Jesus had been born to them(Lk. 3:23— “being (as was supposed)the son of Josaeph”).
Mat. 13:54-56—“And when He had come to His own country, He taught them in their synagogue, so that they were astonished & said, “Where did this Man get this wisdom & these mighty works? “Is this not the carpenter’s son? Is not His mother called Mary? And His brothers James, Joses, Simon, & Judas? “And His sisters, are they not all with us? Where then did this Man get all these things?””
Jn. 6:41-44—“The Jews then complained about Him, because He said, “I am the bread which came down from heaven.” And they said, “Is not this Jesus, the son of Joseph, whose father & mother we know? How is it then that He says, ‘I have come down from heaven’?” Jesus therefore answered & said to them, “Do not murmur among yourselves. “No one can come to Me unless the Father who sent Me draws him; & I will raise him up at the last day.”
Argumentation:
1Cor. 14:27-33—“If anyone speaks in a tongue, let there be two or at the most three, each in turn, & let one interpret. But if there is no interpreter, let him keep silent in church, & let him speak to himself & to God. Let two or three prophets speak, & let the others judge. But if anything is revealed to another who sits by, let the first keep silent. For you can all prophesy one by one, that all may learn & all may be encouraged. And the spirits of the prophets are subject to the prophets. For God is not the author of confusion but of peace, as in all the churches of the saints.”
1Cor. 5:1-5—“It is actually reported that there is sexual immorality among you, & such sexual immorality as is not even named among the Gentiles--that a man has his father’s wife! And you are puffed up, & have not rather mourned, that he who has done this deed might be taken away from among you. For I indeed, as absent in body but present in spirit, have already judged (as though I were present) him who has so done this deed. In the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, when you are gathered together, along with my spirit, with the power of our Lord Jesus Christ, deliver such a one to Satan for the destruction of the flesh, that his spirit may be saved in the day of the Lord Jesus.”
Mat. 18:18-20—“Assuredly, I say to you, whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven, & whatever you loose on earth will be loosed in heaven. “Again I say to you that if two of you agree on earth concerning anything that they ask, it will be done for them by My Father in heaven. “For where two or three are gathered together in My name, I am there in the midst of them.”
Illustration:
Application:
?The Stage been Set thru your ACTS OF CONFIRMATION?
?You Set the Stage for the Holy Spirit?
CONCLUSION
Setting the stage for the Spirit are Acts of....
EMPTINESS / SEPARATION(:9-11)
DISCIPLING / CAMARADERIE(:12, 13b)
CONFIRMATION(:14)
FRIENDSHIP(:1)
INITIATION(:1)
EXPLANATION(:2)
SENDING(:2)
RESURRECTION(:3)
SUFFERING(:3)
MINISTRY(:3)
COOPERATION(:4)
ANTICIPATION / EXPECTATION(:4-5)
BAPTISM(:5)
RESTORATION(questioning / inquiry)(:6)
ACCOMMODATION(:7)
POWERLESSNESS(:8a)
INDEPENDENCE / MISUSE(:8b)
INADEQUACY / IMPERCEPTION(:8c)
LIMITATION(:8d)
Presented 06/05/05pm to:
Richalnd Baptist Church
40510 Steart Rd.
Zephyrhills, FL 33540
