Acts || Promise
When you know where you want to go and what you want to accomplish, you take a look at those who have already done it. You find those who succeeded and set a precedence to find what worked, we learn from them. You find the keys that unlocked what you are trying to find and live out.
We can recognize today that we are in need of something, in need of transformation personally, boldness, unity, serving those who are in need, and alignment with one another under a common goal that doing something powerful. We can see that our community could use something they don’t even know is available to them. We can see that our lives and our ministry need to do more than just coming and being, but lives need to be changed, hope needs to be found, and something powerful needs to happen.
These are the things that the New Testament church needed too.
Over the next serveral weeks, we are going to looks at what happened to the believers once Jesus died, rose and went to be with the Father in Heaven. What happened to the disciples, the church, and how did they have such a rapid impact on Jerusalem and really the entire world at that time?
PROMISE
Over the last couple of weeks, we have looked at and experienced the Holy Spirit and our need for Him. This was a promise from Jesus to the believers that the Father was going to send something to them and that they needed to wait.
The Holy Spirit with us, in us, upon us, and leads us.
Prior to this though, there was a promise. A promise from Jesus to each and every one of us.
Think about what took place leading up to the promise. Try to process what it would have been like to walk with Jesus for 3 years of ministry seeing so many things happen, powerful encounters.
What they must have seen in a 3yr span was mind-blowing. Things happened daily that would have caused them to see Him in power and exercising compassion for others in ways they had never seen before.
So, we look at all Jesus did and accomplished, and that would seem like enough, but we have to remember that it was just the beginning, there was a promise for more.
Can you imagine that, MORE?
JOHN 14:12-21, 25-29 (NLT)
12 “I tell you the truth, anyone who believes in me will do the same works I have done, and even greater works, because I am going to be with the Father. 13 You can ask for anything in my name, and I will do it, so that the Son can bring glory to the Father. 14 Yes, ask me for anything in my name, and I will do it!
15 “If you love me, obey my commandments. 16 And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another Advocate, who will never leave you. 17 He is the Holy Spirit, who leads into all truth. The world cannot receive him, because it isn’t looking for him and doesn’t recognize him. But you know him, because he lives with you now and later will be in you. 18 No, I will not abandon you as orphans—I will come to you. 19 Soon the world will no longer see me, but you will see me. Since I live, you also will live. 20 When I am raised to life again, you will know that I am in my Father, and you are in me, and I am in you. 21 Those who accept my commandments and obey them are the ones who love me. And because they love me, my Father will love them. And I will love them and reveal myself to each of them.”
v.25-29
25 I am telling you these things now while I am still with you. 26 But when the Father sends the Advocate as my representative—that is, the Holy Spirit—he will teach you everything and will remind you of everything I have told you.
27 “I am leaving you with a gift—peace of mind and heart. And the peace I give is a gift the world cannot give. So don’t be troubled or afraid. 28 Remember what I told you: I am going away, but I will come back to you again. If you really loved me, you would be happy that I am going to the Father, who is greater than I am. 29 I have told you these things before they happen so that when they do happen, you will believe.
ACTS 1:4-5
4 Once when he was eating with them, he commanded them, “Do not leave Jerusalem until the Father sends you the gift he promised, as I told you before. 5 John baptized with water, but in just a few days you will be baptized with the Holy Spirit.”
After all Jesus had done and taught, it is hard to believe that there is more.
We just spent the last several weeks getting to know the Holy Spirit and the why behind the Holy Spirit but as the church and followers of Jesus we must constantly remember the promise of the Holy Spirit and our need for the promise every single day.
So many times we give our lives to Jesus, and start going to church, but then we put on cruise control and just stay in our lane. If we start to think about what is ahead, we start to get uncomfortable and begin to question whether we are ready for it. We begin to doubt our ability to accomplish anything for God because of our own limitations or struggles. However, the promise is from Jesus and it's available to each of us.
The disciples weren’t the ones to determine the promise or when it was received, it was the Father who was sending it in His time and His way.
If there is more, if there is greater, if there is power, if there is a promise, if there is something that will transform everything within us and around us; I’m pretty sure that is something we need to remember and hunger for.
Jesus didn’t just tell them to remember what He had promised but to go wait for it, and get ready to receive it.
ACTS 1:6-9
6 So when the apostles were with Jesus, they kept asking him, “Lord, has the time come for you to free Israel and restore our kingdom?”
7 He replied, “The Father alone has the authority to set those dates and times, and they are not for you to know. 8 But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes upon you. And you will be my witnesses, telling people about me everywhere—in Jerusalem, throughout Judea, in Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.”
9 After saying this, he was taken up into a cloud while they were watching, and they could no longer see him.
It isn't uncommon for believers to look for a promise that was never there because we think it should look one way but His promise is His design, not ours. The disciples continued to have a hope that Jesus would set up an earthly kingdom when Jesus wants to empower us to bring His kingdom to earth. When we keep looking for His promise that He said to pursue and receive it in faith because He said it, we can’t help but receive it.
Receiving the gift of the Holy Spirit comes from hunger and passion to receive what Jesus had promised.
It’s not about receiving a gift from the church, the Pastor, or someone else in your life. It’s about receiving a gift that was promised from Jesus, the Savior of the world, the hope of all the world.
Are you up for receiving that kind of Gift? I am
It’s not a gift I can give you or convince you to receive, you have to want it, pursue it, wait for it, persevere for it, and then keep receiving it day after day.
This is what made the church, the church. They received the promise and then they gave what they had, power, healing, forgiveness, grace, mercy, and even stuff.
ACTS 1:14-16
14 They all met together and were constantly united in prayer, along with Mary the mother of Jesus, several other women, and the brothers of Jesus.
15 During this time, when about 120 believers were together in one place, Peter stood up and addressed them. 16 “Brothers,” he said, “the Scriptures had to be fulfilled concerning Judas, who guided those who arrested Jesus. This was predicted long ago by the Holy Spirit, speaking through King David.
Yes, they were constantly united in prayer while they waited for the gift to come but if you keep reading in Acts and what happened in the weeks and months to come, this was a pattern that didn’t stop. As soon as the Holy Spirit showed up in power, it caused them to hunger for more and they continually met together in prayer and worship.
We have forgotten what it means to persevere, to fight, to stay, to stick it out, to remain and that could be the very reason we don’t receive the promises God has for our lives. Continually or constantly in prayer requires us to be committed and prioritize pursue Him no matter what comes. Persevering isn't always comfortable or convenient but the outcome will change everything. Believers who learn to fight for it, stick with it, and remain in His presence will begin to walk out greater things.
He gave them a command and they followed, they were constantly united in prayer.
We can recognize today that we are in need of something, in need of transformation personally, boldness, unity, serving those who are in need, and alignment with one another under a common goal that doing something powerful. We can see that our community could use something they don’t even know is available to them. We can see that our lives and our ministry need to do more than just coming and being, but lives need to be changed, hope needs to be found, and something powerful needs to happen.
These are the things that the New Testament church needed too.
Over the next serveral weeks, we are going to looks at what happened to the believers once Jesus died, rose and went to be with the Father in Heaven. What happened to the disciples, the church, and how did they have such a rapid impact on Jerusalem and really the entire world at that time?
PROMISE
Over the last couple of weeks, we have looked at and experienced the Holy Spirit and our need for Him. This was a promise from Jesus to the believers that the Father was going to send something to them and that they needed to wait.
The Holy Spirit with us, in us, upon us, and leads us.
Prior to this though, there was a promise. A promise from Jesus to each and every one of us.
Think about what took place leading up to the promise. Try to process what it would have been like to walk with Jesus for 3 years of ministry seeing so many things happen, powerful encounters.
- Jesus taught about the Kingdom of Heaven
- Jesus taught about internal transformation leading to external transformation
- Jesus healed the sick
- Jesus showed grace to those in sin and gave them a way out of that sin
- Jesus brought the dead back to life
- Jesus fed the hungry and freed the oppressed
- Jesus gave identity to those who were outcasts and sight to the blind
- Jesus provided salvation because our works and efforts never could
What they must have seen in a 3yr span was mind-blowing. Things happened daily that would have caused them to see Him in power and exercising compassion for others in ways they had never seen before.
So, we look at all Jesus did and accomplished, and that would seem like enough, but we have to remember that it was just the beginning, there was a promise for more.
Can you imagine that, MORE?
JOHN 14:12-21, 25-29 (NLT)
12 “I tell you the truth, anyone who believes in me will do the same works I have done, and even greater works, because I am going to be with the Father. 13 You can ask for anything in my name, and I will do it, so that the Son can bring glory to the Father. 14 Yes, ask me for anything in my name, and I will do it!
15 “If you love me, obey my commandments. 16 And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another Advocate, who will never leave you. 17 He is the Holy Spirit, who leads into all truth. The world cannot receive him, because it isn’t looking for him and doesn’t recognize him. But you know him, because he lives with you now and later will be in you. 18 No, I will not abandon you as orphans—I will come to you. 19 Soon the world will no longer see me, but you will see me. Since I live, you also will live. 20 When I am raised to life again, you will know that I am in my Father, and you are in me, and I am in you. 21 Those who accept my commandments and obey them are the ones who love me. And because they love me, my Father will love them. And I will love them and reveal myself to each of them.”
v.25-29
25 I am telling you these things now while I am still with you. 26 But when the Father sends the Advocate as my representative—that is, the Holy Spirit—he will teach you everything and will remind you of everything I have told you.
27 “I am leaving you with a gift—peace of mind and heart. And the peace I give is a gift the world cannot give. So don’t be troubled or afraid. 28 Remember what I told you: I am going away, but I will come back to you again. If you really loved me, you would be happy that I am going to the Father, who is greater than I am. 29 I have told you these things before they happen so that when they do happen, you will believe.
- REMEMBER THE PROMISE
ACTS 1:4-5
4 Once when he was eating with them, he commanded them, “Do not leave Jerusalem until the Father sends you the gift he promised, as I told you before. 5 John baptized with water, but in just a few days you will be baptized with the Holy Spirit.”
After all Jesus had done and taught, it is hard to believe that there is more.
We just spent the last several weeks getting to know the Holy Spirit and the why behind the Holy Spirit but as the church and followers of Jesus we must constantly remember the promise of the Holy Spirit and our need for the promise every single day.
So many times we give our lives to Jesus, and start going to church, but then we put on cruise control and just stay in our lane. If we start to think about what is ahead, we start to get uncomfortable and begin to question whether we are ready for it. We begin to doubt our ability to accomplish anything for God because of our own limitations or struggles. However, the promise is from Jesus and it's available to each of us.
The disciples weren’t the ones to determine the promise or when it was received, it was the Father who was sending it in His time and His way.
- We often try to reformat His promise to be our design and that is not the way it works.
If there is more, if there is greater, if there is power, if there is a promise, if there is something that will transform everything within us and around us; I’m pretty sure that is something we need to remember and hunger for.
Jesus didn’t just tell them to remember what He had promised but to go wait for it, and get ready to receive it.
- RECEIVE THE PROMISE
ACTS 1:6-9
6 So when the apostles were with Jesus, they kept asking him, “Lord, has the time come for you to free Israel and restore our kingdom?”
7 He replied, “The Father alone has the authority to set those dates and times, and they are not for you to know. 8 But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes upon you. And you will be my witnesses, telling people about me everywhere—in Jerusalem, throughout Judea, in Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.”
9 After saying this, he was taken up into a cloud while they were watching, and they could no longer see him.
It isn't uncommon for believers to look for a promise that was never there because we think it should look one way but His promise is His design, not ours. The disciples continued to have a hope that Jesus would set up an earthly kingdom when Jesus wants to empower us to bring His kingdom to earth. When we keep looking for His promise that He said to pursue and receive it in faith because He said it, we can’t help but receive it.
Receiving the gift of the Holy Spirit comes from hunger and passion to receive what Jesus had promised.
It’s not about receiving a gift from the church, the Pastor, or someone else in your life. It’s about receiving a gift that was promised from Jesus, the Savior of the world, the hope of all the world.
- From the one who did all the miracles, taught about compassion, exemplified the Father in word and action, and the one who promised the Holy Spirit and that He would empower us to do even greater things than He accomplished.
Are you up for receiving that kind of Gift? I am
It’s not a gift I can give you or convince you to receive, you have to want it, pursue it, wait for it, persevere for it, and then keep receiving it day after day.
This is what made the church, the church. They received the promise and then they gave what they had, power, healing, forgiveness, grace, mercy, and even stuff.
- CONTINUALLY PURSUE THE PROMISE
ACTS 1:14-16
14 They all met together and were constantly united in prayer, along with Mary the mother of Jesus, several other women, and the brothers of Jesus.
15 During this time, when about 120 believers were together in one place, Peter stood up and addressed them. 16 “Brothers,” he said, “the Scriptures had to be fulfilled concerning Judas, who guided those who arrested Jesus. This was predicted long ago by the Holy Spirit, speaking through King David.
Yes, they were constantly united in prayer while they waited for the gift to come but if you keep reading in Acts and what happened in the weeks and months to come, this was a pattern that didn’t stop. As soon as the Holy Spirit showed up in power, it caused them to hunger for more and they continually met together in prayer and worship.
We have forgotten what it means to persevere, to fight, to stay, to stick it out, to remain and that could be the very reason we don’t receive the promises God has for our lives. Continually or constantly in prayer requires us to be committed and prioritize pursue Him no matter what comes. Persevering isn't always comfortable or convenient but the outcome will change everything. Believers who learn to fight for it, stick with it, and remain in His presence will begin to walk out greater things.
He gave them a command and they followed, they were constantly united in prayer.
- REMEMBER YOUR PROMISE, FIRST THE HOLY SPIRIT, BUT ALSO WHAT HE HAS SPOKEN OVER YOUR LIFE
- RECEIVE YOUR PROMISE, HOLY SPIRIT
- CONTINUALLY PURSUE YOUR PROMISE -
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