The Power of the Gift
Sermon • Submitted • Presented
0 ratings
· 4 viewsNotes
Transcript
The Feast of Weeks - Shavuot
The Power of the Gift
Mark 16:19-20; Acts 2:1-8; Jeremiah 31:31-34; Judges 6:17-40
So then the Lord Jesus, after he had spoken to them, was taken up into heaven and sat down at the right hand of God. And they went out and preached everywhere, while the Lord worked with them and confirmed the message by accompanying signs.
When the day of Pentecost arrived, they were all together in one place. And suddenly there came from heaven a sound like a mighty rushing wind, and it filled the entire house where they were sitting. And divided tongues as of fire appeared to them and rested on each one of them. And they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in other tongues as the Spirit gave them utterance.
“Behold, the days are coming, declares the Lord, when I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel and the house of Judah, not like the covenant that I made with their fathers on the day when I took them by the hand to bring them out of the land of Egypt, my covenant that they broke, though I was their husband, declares the Lord.
For this is the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel after those days, declares the Lord: I will put my law within them, and I will write it on their hearts. And I will be their God, and they shall be my people. And no longer shall each one teach his neighbor and each his brother, saying, ‘Know the Lord,’ for they shall all know me, from the least of them to the greatest, declares the Lord. For I will forgive their iniquity, and I will remember their sin no more.”
Point: The baptism of Holy Spirit was given so that one would be an effective witness to the Lordship of Jesus Christ. It is the writing of the Law on the hearts of man, the Living Spirit. Fulfillment of the promise of Jeremiah in 31:31-34.
Today is Pentecost
Today is the day in the Christian and Jewish calendar we celebrate Pentecost or The Feast of Weeks, or Shavuot. The Jewish people celebrated it 50 days after the Feast of Firstfruits. It is the 2nd major feast of the Jewish Feast seasons instituted by God. It was to be a time of rejoicing, to celebrate the many blessings that Yahweh had bestowed upon them. It was to be a time of remembrance and thanksgiving of God’s provision as they had been strangers in a foreign land; and so likewise they were to share their abundance with those less fortunate (Lev. 23:22; Deut. 16:11-12). The background of The Feast of Weeks is found in Leviticus 23:15-22. The main activity of this time was to present a “wave offering” to the LORD. The “wave offering” expressed Israel’s dependence on God for the harvest and their daily bread; essentially it was a thanksgiving offering. Over time though, as the Jewish nation had become scattered amongst the nations, it became a time of memorial, the Jewish sages taught, for the time God gave the Torah to Israel, through Moses, at Mount Sinai; recounting the story from Exodus 19:16-20. It no longer was a harvest festival of thanksgiving any more. Today, born again believers of Christ, celebrate Pentecost as the remembrance of the Holy Spirit of God coming upon the disciples of Jesus, in the upper room, in the temple, in tongues of fire and power recorded in Acts 2. It is when Peter gives the first sermon of his ministry, testifying to the truth of Christ and calling people to repentance, baptism and the receiving of the Holy Spirit (Acts 2:38-39). Pentecost is the day when God sent His Holy Spirit as proof that Jesus was indeed His Son and had been exalted as LORD at His right hand. It is also the first day of the establishment of the church body of Christ found in Acts 2:42-47.
What is the indicator when you have made contact with something or someone?
A spark of power? The answer of “hello”? A smile or some other physical indicator of “welcome”; maybe eyes that hold a gaze a little longer than is comfortable. Or the delicious sweet snap of the ball or puck from perfect contact with that little o’tree limb in one’s hand. Your airbag spontaneously goes off in one’s car indicating you have just added a new facial feature that you can be proud of.
How do you know when you have made contact with something or someone?
Usually there is some sort of indelible mark left behind.
How does one know when they have made a connection with God?
There is usually some sort of un-erasable mark left behind from one’s encounter. Jacob wrestled with God at the Jabbok River, recorded in Genesis 32, leaving him with a limp, but also a blessing. He was renamed Israel which means “He strives with God” and the place he named Peniel meaning “the face of God”. Moses countenance was different after being on Mount Sinai with God for 40 days and 40 nights where he received the ten commandments. It was so radiant that people could not look Moses in the face, they were scared, and of which he would then cover with a veil (Ex. 34:29-35). The apostle Paul, who was Saul, the persecutor and murderer of Jesus’ disciples, met Jesus on the road to Damascus and never was the same. He ended up being an apostle of Jesus, preaching and teaching the love and words of Christ, and ultimately being beheaded for his commitment. The rest of the Apostles after Jesus’ ascension to heaven proclaimed boldly His message of love and redemption, in the face of severe opposition, eight dying as martyrs (2 crucified, including the Apostle Peter, who requested to be crucified upside down because he did not think himself worthy to be crucified in the same way as Christ. What would motivate such men to willingly put themselves in such harm that they could not keep quiet about Jesus. What else could it be but the result of an indelible mark and encounter with the living God in human flesh. The Bible says,
For one will scarcely die for a righteous person—though perhaps for a good person one would dare even to die—
For a righteous person, one most definitely would not die, but one possibly may die for a good person, but still highly unlikely. What changed these men, who scattered at the arrest of Jesus, to boldly preach and teach his ways in spite of certain death? What made Peter, who abandoned and denied Jesus three times, all of a sudden become bold and unquenchable in his demeanour and dedication to spreading the words of His Messiah and request to be crucified upside down? What was the connection? What was the difference? Why did their connection with Christ and His mission become so unstoppable and indomitable? Why, when you accepted the gift of Jesus’ life for you, where you on such fire that you could not help but tell everyone about His story, His life and His love for them? I remember vomiting the Gospel of Jesus all over people and trying desperately to convince them that Jesus loved them, that Jesus is God and that He was the answer to the questions of life they were asking or looking for. Remember that? Remember that fire? How is that fire today? Is it still there? Is it still burning? Have you taken care of the burn? Does it still exist? Or is it mere ambers or just smoke, barely visible? If you were put on the stand and accused of being a follower of Christ, would the evidence convict you? Is there still a connection with God? Is there power?
Do we have a powered connection with God?
Jesus is recorded as speaking in The Gospel of Mark this:
Whoever believes and is baptized will be saved, but whoever does not believe will be condemned. And these signs will accompany those who believe: in my name they will cast out demons; they will speak in new tongues;
they will pick up serpents with their hands; and if they drink any deadly poison, it will not hurt them; they will lay their hands on the sick, and they will recover.” So then the Lord Jesus, after he had spoken to them, was taken up into heaven and sat down at the right hand of God.
And they went out and preached everywhere, while the Lord worked with them and confirmed the message by accompanying signs.
In Acts 2:1-4 we read:
When the day of Pentecost arrived, they were all together in one place. And suddenly there came from heaven a sound like a mighty rushing wind, and it filled the entire house where they were sitting.
And divided tongues as of fire appeared to them and rested on each one of them. And they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in other tongues as the Spirit gave them utterance.
What was the message? That Jesus is God. God come down in the form, and birth of a man, for the express purpose to pay for the sins of mankind that have separated man from God and condemned one to death. Jesus dying a sinless death for man, makes perfect payment of the bill that man owes God, for worshiping, loving, obeying and giving glory to anything and anyone else other than God, Himself. This message, the Gospel, accompanied by signs of healing, deliverance, safety, speaking of tongue and language unknown before, of power, is from Jesus, and is true. This was, and is, evidence of the truth of Jesus’ message. Is this still true today? The Bible says, that Jesus is the same today as He was yesterday and will be tomorrow…He is constant and consistent (Hebrews 13:8). If this is indeed the case, then displays of power, healing, deliverance, safety, language should still happen today. And indeed it does. But why not with everyone, everywhere? Why not with me?
The question is: What is my connection with God like?
Jesus came to re-establish man’s connection with God. The telephone line was cut. Man could not and would not hear God. But man has to accept His connection and also maintain the connection on His end; this is called salvation and sanctification - accepting and believing Jesus as Saviour and Son of God and following Him as Lord. How one follows Him as Lord is by having and submitting to the leading of the Holy Spirit in one’s life, given by Christ, as power for living a life separate unto Christ. That life lived is for the witness and testimony of who Jesus is, what Jesus did, why and who we are in Him. One’s life lived in Jesus is for the express purpose of pointing the world to the witness of Jesus’ love, for the glory of God the Father, for the redemption of man from death and sin. This is only possible by the indwelling Holy Spirit, whose purpose, among many things, is to witness and lead man into the truth of Christ.
Jesus answered him, “If anyone loves me, he will keep my word, and my Father will love him, and we will come to him and make our home with him. Whoever does not love me does not keep my words. And the word that you hear is not mine but the Father’s who sent me.
“These things I have spoken to you while I am still with you. But the Helper, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, he will teach you all things and bring to your remembrance all that I have said to you.
But when the goodness and loving kindness of God our Savior appeared, he saved us, not because of works done by us in righteousness, but according to his own mercy, by the washing of regeneration and renewal of the Holy Spirit,
whom he poured out on us richly through Jesus Christ our Savior, so that being justified by his grace we might become heirs according to the hope of eternal life.
The Spirit himself bears witness with our spirit that we are children of God, and if children, then heirs—heirs of God and fellow heirs with Christ, provided we suffer with him in order that we may also be glorified with him.
The Apostle Peter preaches and calls the people to “repent and be baptized….for the forgiveness of your sins, and you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit” (Acts 2:39).
What does it mean to receive the gift of the Holy Spirit?
It means to be surrendered to Jesus; allowing Jesus to be one’s sanctifier - one’s sanitizer. It is to give one self up, yielding to God; relinquishing one’s right to control of one self. It is separation from the world and its wants, our wants and desires. It is sacrifice, self-denial, death. To surrender does not mean giving up things, but it means giving up self. One connects with God when one gives up one self to Christ. Romans 12:1-2 says,
I appeal to you therefore, brothers, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God, which is your spiritual worship. Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect.
Are you a living sacrifice to God? Is your heart divided in it’s loyalty? God does not accept a divided heart; is this the source of our power outage? What does one do with Galatians 3:1-7?
Galatians 3:1–7 (ESV)
O foolish Galatians! Who has bewitched you? It was before your eyes that Jesus Christ was publicly portrayed as crucified. Let me ask you only this: Did you receive the Spirit by works of the law or by hearing with faith? Are you so foolish? Having begun by the Spirit, are you now being perfected by the flesh? Did you suffer so many things in vain—if indeed it was in vain? Does he who supplies the Spirit to you and works miracles among you do so by works of the law, or by hearing with faith— just as Abraham “believed God, and it was counted to him as righteousness”? Know then that it is those of faith who are the sons of Abraham.
Is one’s connection with God, the power of the Holy Spirit, based on the exercising of one’s faith? It seems so. How is your connection? Are we connected? Are you and I exercising our faith?
Gideon’s Empowerment from God (Judges 6:34)
Gideon was able to deliver Israel from the Midianites for one reason - being empowered by God’s Holy Spirit. Judges 6:34
But the Spirit of the Lord clothed Gideon, and he sounded the trumpet, and the Abiezrites were called out to follow him.
In other translations the word לָבַשׁ lāḇaš, לָבֵשׁ lāḇēš [3847]: A verb meaning to wear, to dress, to put on clothing. It is also used figuratively in various ways: of the Lord or people being clothed with righteousness and other qualities (Ps. 93:1; 104:1; Isa. 51:9; 59:17); of the Spirit of the Lord “clothing,” coming upon a person (Judg. 6:34), as Gideon.
Warren Baker and Eugene E. Carpenter, The Complete Word Study Dictionary: Old Testament (Chattanooga, TN: AMG Publishers, 2003), 540.
In some translations the word “possession” (NRSV) is used or “took control” (HCSB) or “came upon” (NASB, ASV, KJV). “Possession” may be a poor word choice, or even “took control”, because we may misinterpret it to mean our being being overtaken. God is clear in Scripture that He will not, and does not violate a person’s “free will”, but will grant us faith to believe, by His grace.
For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, not a result of works, so that no one may boast.
For by the grace given to me I say to everyone among you not to think of himself more highly than he ought to think, but to think with sober judgment, each according to the measure of faith that God has assigned.
though formerly I was a blasphemer, persecutor, and insolent opponent. But I received mercy because I had acted ignorantly in unbelief, and the grace of our Lord overflowed for me with the faith and love that are in Christ Jesus.
The idea of free will is the truth that our wills have been warped at birth, under the curse of sin and death. We were in born under bondage from birth and are only truly liberated when granted faith by God to prefer that which is life instead of destruction, which is Jesus. Those who are born again, thus, truly only have free will.
But thanks be to God, that you who were once slaves of sin have become obedient from the heart to the standard of teaching to which you were committed, and, having been set free from sin, have become slaves of righteousness.
Gideon was not yet set free from the bondage of his fear of will. It took four acts of God in order for Gideon to believe, “have faith”, that God was indeed choosing to use Him to set Israel free from the Midianites. The angel of the LORD consumed the offering from Gideon and Gideon “perceived” that it was indeed the angel of the LORD (vv.19-22). Gideon then cries out to God to save him, because he looked upon the face of the angel of the LORD and would be struck dead (vv.22-24). The LORD declares that Gideon would not die. After Gideon obeys God and destroys the altar of Baal and the pole of Ashera, and his life is threatened with death, does the LORD God “cloth” Gideon with the Holy Spirit (v.34) to do what God desires. Gideon calls the men to arms with a trumpet blast of God, and follow him. Without God “coming upon” Gideon, Gideon would not have had the courage and boldness to blow that horn, and call the men of Israel to arms. But he was given the “faith” to do so by the empowering of the LORD God’s Holy Spirit. For each Judge, as needed, the power of the Holy Spirit came upon them to do what God needed done. Gideon…
But the Spirit of the Lord clothed Gideon, and he sounded the trumpet, and the Abiezrites were called out to follow him.
Othniel…
The Spirit of the Lord was upon him, and he judged Israel. He went out to war, and the Lord gave Cushan-rishathaim king of Mesopotamia into his hand. And his hand prevailed over Cushan-rishathaim.
Samson…
Then the Spirit of the Lord rushed upon him, and although he had nothing in his hand, he tore the lion in pieces as one tears a young goat. But he did not tell his father or his mother what he had done.
And the Spirit of the Lord rushed upon him, and he went down to Ashkelon and struck down thirty men of the town and took their spoil and gave the garments to those who had told the riddle. In hot anger he went back to his father’s house.
Interesting that Deborah, Shamgar, and Ehud are not mentioned, for example, because why? They had the faith in the LORD already to do what needed to be done? They did not doubt the LORD God? Seems so according to Jesus’ teaching -
And Jesus answered them, “Truly, I say to you, if you have faith and do not doubt, you will not only do what has been done to the fig tree, but even if you say to this mountain, ‘Be taken up and thrown into the sea,’ it will happen. And whatever you ask in prayer, you will receive, if you have faith.”
Did Gideon have the faith to do what God wanted him to do? No. It finally took Gideon hearing the dreams of the men of Midian to believe that God was indeed going to deliver Israel by Gideon’s hand…even after having asked God to give evidence of His favor by leaving the fleece wet and dry (Judges 7; 6:36-40).
As soon as Gideon heard the telling of the dream and its interpretation, he worshiped. And he returned to the camp of Israel and said, “Arise, for the Lord has given the host of Midian into your hand.”
As the Apostle Paul says to the Galatian church, he speaks to the Church for all time,
Does he who supplies the Spirit to you and works miracles among you do so by works of the law, or by hearing with faith—
Does God work amongest us by obeying the Law, or by believing in faith? Will God work in your life by following rituals and traditions of religion, or by believing His Word by faith of the Spirit living in you? Who will you give priority to: the old man or the Holy Spirit living in you? God will be gracious to you, merciful, and patient, as He was with Gideon. Four times Gideon needed God’s assurance that He was God’s chosen instrument to do His will, and God assured Gideon each time. Gideon knew he was pressing the limit though, He said, “Do not let your anger burn against me, let me speak one more time; let me, please, make trial with the fleece just once more” -Judges 6:39. To test God is to force His hand, which we are instructed not to do (Luke 4:12; Mt 4:7), Gideon was riding the edge, and he knew it. He was still a divided man in heart and belief.
Having declared faith in Christ, by the grace of Christ, we are to not doubt in Christ, even though we may.
Truly, I say to you, whoever says to this mountain, ‘Be taken up and thrown into the sea,’ and does not doubt in his heart, but believes that what he says will come to pass, it will be done for him.
Why? Because we have been given the gift of the Holy Spirit, to be empowered to believe, trust, and follow the LORD Jesus Christ and His Word. John 14:15-17
“If you love me, you will keep my commandments. And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another Helper, to be with you forever, even the Spirit of truth, whom the world cannot receive, because it neither sees him nor knows him. You know him, for he dwells with you and will be in you.
But the Helper, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, he will teach you all things and bring to your remembrance all that I have said to you.
Are you connected to the power of the Gift, the Holy Spirit of God? Have you truly believed and received the grace of God in Jesus Christ? Do you know the Gift of God, Jesus Christ, and the grace of His Holy Spirit? Ask God for the faith to do so, and be so, and live so. Othneil, Gideon, and Samson struggled with living wholly pure lives for God, yet God empowered them, clothed them with the Holy Spirit to do what He needed done. He will do the same for you, and set your will free to worship Him, live for Him, and do work for Him if you will simply ask Him to clothe you in the gift of His Spirit and to live truly free in the power and person of His grace. Amen.