Sermon Central
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The New Manifestation
Contributed by Jeff Hughes on Feb 8, 2003 (message contributor)
Summary: The Holy Spirit comes to the disciples at Pentecost
The New Manifestation
Jeff Hughes – February 2, 2003
Calvary Chapel Aggieland
I. Introduction
a. All of us have had something in our life that we’ve waited for. Maybe it was a job, maybe it was a raise or a promotion, and maybe it was for a child to be born. Or maybe, you were just waiting for your wife to get ready so you could come here today. Regardless of your age, economic standing, or shoe size, we have all had to wait. To me, waiting is one of those universal equalizers.
b. When you are standing in a line, you are just like the next guy in line. I remember my freshman year in college; the Aggies were going to the Cotton Bowl. We had just beaten Texas and we had a real good football team that year. Well, the story is, we wanted to get good Cotton Bowl tickets, so I camped out in front of G. Rollie White in late November / early December for tickets. We waited like a week for those tickets. To make a long story short, the game wasn’t that good. We lost. But the thing that stands out in my mind is the wait.
c. Jerry Seinfeld, the comedian, says in one of his stand-up routines that if he could have anything he wanted, he’d like to be perpetually next. Always next. That’s a good feeling, isn’t it? Being next?
d. What is it about being next that we enjoy so much? It is the anticipation. It’s the hope. You are hoping that you’ll get whatever it is you want. You’re hoping that the wait was worth it.
e. The disciples in Jerusalem were waiting. They were waiting out of obedience to the Lord’s command, but I can just imagine the anticipation of those guys. I would guess that they really had nothing more than guesses as to what actually would happen when the Spirit came upon them. But, that’s what made it exciting. It was new. It was a new manifestation of God on the earth. The Holy Spirit, the third person of the trinity was coming upon them, and they would never be the same.
f. Jesus told them just before He left that they would receive power when the Holy Spirit came upon them. They had no idea what that meant. But, they were obedient, and waiting, in anticipation of what would exactly happen.
g. Well, it feels good when a wait is finally over, and especially so if what we were anticipating either meets or exceeds or expectations. That is what we are going to look at this morning as we continue our journey through the book of Acts, but first, let’s bow our hearts before the Lord and ask His blessing on our study this morning.
II. PRAYER
III. Illustration
a. Several years ago there was a story about a speedboat driver who had survived a racing accident. He said that he had been at near top speeds when his boat veered slightly and hit a wave at a dangerous angle. The combined force of his speed and the size and angle of the wave sent the boat spinning into the air. He was thrown from his seat and propelled deep into the water—so deep, in fact, that he had no idea which direction the surface was. He had to remain calm and wait for the buoyancy of his life vest to begin pulling him up. Once he discovered which way was up, he could swim for the surface. Sometimes we find ourselves surrounded by confusing options, too deeply immersed in our problems to know “which way is up.” When this happens, we too can remain calm, waiting for God’s gentle tug to pull us in the proper direction. Our “life vest” may be other Christians, Scripture, or some other leading from the Holy Spirit, but the key is recognizing our dependency upon God and trusting him.
b. Similarly, G. Campbell Morgan writes - Waiting for God is not laziness. Waiting for God is not going to sleep. Waiting for God is not the abandonment of effort. Waiting for God means, first, activity under command; second, readiness for any new command that may come; third, the ability to do nothing until the command is given.
c. Sometimes when we take things before the Lord the answer is yes, sometimes, the answer is no, and sometimes, the answer is wait. I think in my life personally, the hardest one for me to take for a long time was the third one – wait. But, just like we are going to see in our study today, that best things come to us when we are obedient and wait. Scripture tells us Isaiah chapter 40 that those who wait on the Lord Shall renew their strength;
