I AM Going To Send You What My Father Promised

Luke 24:50-53 When he had led them out to the vicinity of Bethany, he lifted up his hands and blessed them. While he was blessing them, he left them and was taken up into heaven. Then they worshiped him and returned to Jerusalem with great joy. And they stayed continually at the temple, praising God.

Worship Set: Micah D.

Congregational Prayer: Kevin

Children's Message Video: Lydia

Scripture Reading: Luke 24:36-53

While they were still talking about this, Jesus himself stood among them and said to them, “Peace be with you.”

They were startled and frightened, thinking they saw a ghost. He said to them, “Why are you troubled, and why do doubts rise in your minds? Look at my hands and my feet. It is I myself! Touch me and see; a ghost does not have flesh and bones, as you see I have.”

When he had said this, he showed them his hands and feet. And while they still did not believe it because of joy and amazement, he asked them, “Do you have anything here to eat?” They gave him a piece of broiled fish, and he took it and ate it in their presence.

He said to them, “This is what I told you while I was still with you: Everything must be fulfilled that is written about me in the Law of Moses, the Prophets and the Psalms.”

Then he opened their minds so they could understand the Scriptures. He told them, “This is what is written: The Messiah will suffer and rise from the dead on the third day, and repentance for the forgiveness of sins will be preached in his name to all nations, beginning at Jerusalem. You are witnesses of these things. I 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.”

When he had led them out to the vicinity of Bethany, he lifted up his hands and blessed them. While he was blessing them, he left them and was taken up into heaven. Then they worshiped him and returned to Jerusalem with great joy. And they stayed continually at the temple, praising God.

Message Intro/Review:

Alright my friends, as many of you know we've been studying and learning about the identity and character of The Great I Am. This is the translation of the name God chose for himself when he encountered Moses at the burning bush, and it's also a phrase that Jesus often identified himself with. So this morning we're going to look at one final "I Am" statement from the lips of Jesus, found in Luke 24:49.

Ref. Luke 24:49 I am going to send you what my Father has promised.

Let me tell you a little story about a man of God who personally discovered the secret of this promise.

Illustration: Charles Finney’s Personal Pentecost

THIS REMARKABLE man of God, who might truly be called an Apostle of revival, was born at Warren, Conn., in 1792. In all probability he was one of the most Spirit-filled ministers and marvelously used evangelists in the history of the Christian Church. For more than forty years he labored in the United States and Great Britain. Everywhere he went sinners were converted and revival fires were kindled.

Mr. Finney's Autobiography describes in his own deeply impressive style how, through reading the Bible he became convicted of sin, was some time after this soundly converted to God. and then filled with the Holy Ghost. In describing this experience, he says;

"There was no fire, and no light, in the room; nevertheless it appeared to me as if it were perfectly light. As I went in and shut the door after me, it seemed as if I met the Lord Jesus Christ face to face. It did not occur to me then, nor did it for some time afterward, that it was wholly a mental state. On the contrary, it seemed to me that I saw Him as I would see any other man. He said nothing, but looked at me in such a manner as to break me right down at His feet. I have always since regarded this as a most remarkable state of mind; for it seemed to me a reality, that He stood before me, and I fell down at His feet and poured out my soul to Him. I wept aloud like a child, and made such confessions as I could with my choked utterance. It seemed to me that I bathed His feet with my tears.

"As I turned and was about to take a seat by the fire, I received a mighty baptism of the Holy Ghost. Without any expectation of it, without ever having the thought in my mind that there was any such thing for me, without any recollection that I have ever heard the thing mentioned by any person in the world, the Holy Spirit descended upon me in a manner that seemed to go through me, body and soul. I could feel the impression, like a wave of electricity, going through and through me. Indeed it seemed to come in waves and waves of liquid love; for I could not express it in any other way. It seemed like the very breath of God. I can recollect distinctly that it seemed to fan me, like immense wings.

"No words can express the wonderful love that was shed abroad in my heart. I wept aloud with joy and love; and I do not know but I should say, I literally bellowed out the unutterable gushings of my heart. The waves came over me, and over me, and over me, one after the other, until I recollect I cried out, 'I shall die if these waves continue to pass over me.' 1 said, 'Lord, I cannot bear any more'; yet I had no fear of death.

I could see that the moment I believed, all sense of condemnation had entirely dropped out of my mind; and that from that moment I could not feel a sense of guilt or condemnation by any effort that I could make. My sense of guilt was gone; my sins were gone; and I do not think I felt any more sense of guilt than if I never had sinned.

"After receiving these baptisms of the Spirit I was quite willing to preach the Gospel. Nay, I found that I was unwilling to do anything else. I had no longer any desire to practice law. Everything in that direction was shut up, and had no longer any attractions for me at all. I had no disposition to make money. I had no hungering and thirsting after worldly pleasures and amusements in any direction. My whole mind was taken up with Jesus and His salvation; and the world seemed to me of very little consequence. Nothing, it seemed to me, could be put in competition with the worth of souls; and no labor, I thought, could be so sweet, and no employment so exalted, as that of holding up Christ to a dying world.

"I spoke with many persons that day, and I believe the Spirit of God made lasting impressions upon every one of them. I cannot remember one whom I spoke with who was not soon after converted. Just at evening I called at the house of a friend, where a young man lived who was employed in distilling whiskey.

"I sat down with them to tea, and they requested me to ask a blessing. It was what I had never done. I had scarcely more than begun before the state of these young people rose before my mind, and excited so much compassion that I burst into weeping. Every one around the table sat speechless for a short time. The young man moved back from the table and rushed out of the room. He fled to his room and locked himself in, and was not seen again till the next morning, when he came out expressing a blessed hope in Christ. He has been for many years an able minister of the Gospel.”

Charles Finney’s remarkable ministry was entirely based upon the power of the Holy Spirit at work in his life.

He took the promise of Luke 24:49 and personalized it.

Here’s how I would sum up the revelation that Jesus' promise in Luke 24:49 offers us:

Message Point 1 (Revelation): The LORD's promise to send his followers the power of the Spirit is just as essential for us as it was for them.

This last "I Am" statement that we're going to focus on together is not a description of Jesus' character like many of the others. This one is simply a promise. This is a promise in some ways already fulfilled. Jesus did send his Spirit, which is what we remember and celebrate on the Day of Pentecost, also known as the Hebrew festival of Shavout. But in my mind key point of revelation here is not about what has already happened... it's about what is yet to happen. It's about the personal fulfillment of this promise in the lives of each and every follower of Jesus.

When I was back at Lakeshore Vineyard working as an Associate Pastor many moons ago, I worked with a man named Paul Bradford whose father had written a little booklet about Pentecost. Paul referred to it often in his teaching and preaching, and his Father, known as "Brick" Bradford, was a pioneer in the renewal movement among Presbyterian and Reformed churches. That little booklet was titled "How to Have Your Own Personal Pentecost".

That's the idea I am inspired to put before you this morning. We all need the Holy Spirit's power, not simply his presence. We all have his presence, if we have confessed Jesus as our Lord and Savior. But not all who follow Jesus have encountered or learned to live by the power of the Spirit.

Why is this important?

Consider the example of those first disciples, which Luke describes for us.

Let me share with you a few important differences that the power of the Holy Spirit made in their lives.

The first one was to override their fear with increased faith. Faith is not static. It's not like we either have it or we don't. Some people have it in greater measure than others. How is that possible?, you ask. Only by the power of the Holy Spirit.

Consider some of the insights Luke offers about the power of fear. Those first disciples had just lost their leader. They were afraid for their own lives... wondering if they would be hunted down and crucified too. As we saw last week, fear was a big part of the reason that Peter denied even knowing Jesus three separate times.

Here is Luke 24, the first thing that comes to our attention is the palpable sense of fear the disciples were gripped with. What Luke is describing for us is how they reacted the very first time they encountered Jesus after his resurrection from the dead. The women had seen him at the tomb. Two other men had seen him on the road to Emmaus. But the 11 disciples had to yet to encounter the Lord in person. They were discussing what to make of the reports when suddenly Jesus appeared among them.

Luke describes it like this:

Ref. Luke 24:36-39 While they were still talking about this, Jesus himself stood among them and said to them, “Peace be with you.” They were startled and frightened, thinking they saw a ghost. He said to them, “Why are you troubled, and why do doubts rise in your minds? Look at my hands and my feet. It is I myself! Touch me and see; a ghost does not have flesh and bones, as you see I have.”

Did you hear that!? At first, they literally thought they had seen a ghost. Let's just say they were a bit jittery... spooked to be precise. And what does Jesus do then to calm their nerves. First he reassures them and invites them to touch him. Then he eats a piece of fish to prove that he's really alive. And then he makes them a promise that went something like this: I am not a ghost, but I am going to send you the Holy Ghost in a few days.

Let me put it this way: They weren't simply afraid they had seen a ghost. Their struggle with fear was deeper than that. Their fear was essentially about what life would be like without the presence of Jesus. His promise was meant to alleviate that fear! I am going away again, he would later say to them, but I won't leave you alone as orphans. I will still be with you always, by way of the presence of my Spirit.

So the first thing the Holy Spirit does for us in practical terms is to raise our faith so that we can overcome whatever fears might come our way. The Spirit in us is Jesus with us. He that is in us is greater than he that is in the world! That means if you're struggling with fear, the place to turn for help is to the Holy Spirit.

Now that's great news by itself, but here's a second aspect of what the power of the Holy Spirit offers us: Focus to overcome folly.

Do you know what folly is? It's a synonym of foolishness. It's the lack of understanding and respect for what God wants that leads people off in the wrong direction. It's the wasting of time and energy on things that really don't matter.

Folly leads people astray. It’s the absence of wisdom and understanding.

Ref. Proverbs 14:8. The wisdom of the prudent is to give thought to their ways, but the follyof fools is deception.

Forgive me friends for using all these fun words that begin with 'F', but I'm simply trying to make this lesson unForgettable.

Put another way, without all the F words, one of the critical roles of the Spirit of Christ is to do for us what Jesus himself did for those first disciples. It's to guide us into all truth. It's to grant us wisdom and revelation. That's the difference between living with a right focus and living in folly.

For example, look at how Luke describes what Jesus did for the disciples on this occasion alone. After he calmed their nerves and restored their faith, he renewed their focus. How did he do that?

Listen to how Luke describes it:

Ref. Luke 24:44-49 He said to them, “This is what I told you while I was still with you: Everything must be fulfilled that is written about me in the Law of Moses, the Prophets and the Psalms.” Then he opened their minds so they could understand the Scriptures. He told them, “This is what is written: The Messiah will suffer and rise from the dead on the third day, and repentance for the forgiveness of sins will be preached in his name to all nations, beginning at Jerusalem. You are witnesses of these things. I 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.”

So in short, Jesus renewed his disciples focus by opening their minds so that they could understand what the Word of God said about him. Then, he reiterated their mission (from the Word), to preach repentance and forgiveness of sins to all nations. And finally, he promised to send them the Holy Spirit to empower them to accomplish that mission. Basically, he was saying, Here's what I want you to know (the Word), here's what I want to do (the Mission), and here's how I want you to get it done (the power of the Spirit).

Listen closely my friends: I believe that is precisely what the Lord wants to do with each one of us too! By the power of the Holy Spirit, he wants to give us more wisdom and revelation so that we'll know him better, and know the Word of truth. In knowing Him and the Word better, he also wants us to understand our mission in the world as his followers. And finally, he wants to empower us - each and every one of us - to play our part, whatever it may be, in fulfilling that mission. All of this is accomplished by the power of his Spirit working in our lives!

In fact, let me draw your attention briefly to the last statement in verse 49. "Stay in the city", Jesus said to them, "until you have been clothed with power from on high." Obviously, Jesus was speaking about the city of Jerusalem and the coming of the Spirit at Pentecost, which Luke goes on to describe in Acts 2. But there are some great insights to found in Acts 1, which basically provides a review of this same occasion we're reading about in Luke 24. Let me give you just a few of the highlights.

Ref. Acts 1:4-5 On 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. 5 For John baptized with[ HYPERLINK "https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Acts%2B1&version=NIV#fen-NIV-26929a" a] water, but in a few days you will be baptized with[ HYPERLINK "https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Acts%2B1&version=NIV#fen-NIV-26929b" b] the Holy Spirit.”

Ref. Acts 1:8 But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you; and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.”

Ref. Acts 1:13-14 When they arrived, they went upstairs to the room where they were staying. Those present were Peter, John, James and Andrew; Philip and Thomas, Bartholomew and Matthew; James son of Alphaeus and Simon the Zealot, and Judas son of James. 14 They all joined together constantly in prayer, along with the women and Mary the mother of Jesus, and with his brothers.

So from the day they watched Jesus ascend into heaven until the day of Pentecost 10 days later, those disciples, both men and women who had followed Jesus, stayed in Jerusalem and they prayed intently Luke tells us, until they received the fulfillment of this promise Jesus had given them.

They simply waited and prayed expectantly, trusting that the Lord would keep his word.

By the way, while I'm on the subject, how many of you realized that Thursday (3 days ago) was ascension day? And how many of you realize that next Sunday is Pentecost? So at this precise time roughly 2000 years ago, the disciples were hunkered down in that upper room waiting and praying. Does that inspire you to try it too?

You see, here's the critical question for each one of us: Have you ever done that? That is, have you had your own personal Pentecost experience? Have you, at some time in your life, waited on God in prayer until you were clothed with power from on high?

As a follower of Jesus, If you want to walk in a measure of faith that will empower you to overcome fear, and walk in a measure of focus that will empower you to overcome folly, then you must walk in the power of the Holy Spirit, not in the flesh!

That brings me to the point of personal application I want to focus on with you:

Message Point 2 (Application): To break the power of fear and folly in our lives, we need to pray until we're clothed with greater power from on high.

Fear and folly are all around us. They are the way of the world we live in. In fact, to be even more blunt, they are the distraction of the Enemy, intended to keep us from being fruitful and effective as followers of Jesus.

Fear and Folly. They are like wonder twins, working together to waste our time and energy.

What are we afraid of? The same thing those first disciples were afraid of: Life without the discernible presence of Jesus. Life under threat from any number of enemies, including the Coronavirus.

Have you noticed that fear has gripped our nation in a new way over the last two months? Many people are listening to the voice of fear, and acting in fear. For example, if you’re wearing a mask when you take a walk outdoors that’s not wisdom… it’s fear.

Here’s another example of how we act in ways that do not submit to fear.

How many cases of Coronavirus in Michigan so far? Just over 50,000.

Do you know many people get into traffic accidents every year in Michigan? Over 300,000

Do you know many people get injured in those accidents? Over 75,000.

So you’re chances of getting into an auto accident this year are greater than your chances of getting COVID-19.

Question: How many of you have stopped driving because of the fear that you might get injured in an accident?

Quite frankly, taking our stand against fear is one of the key reasons why our PAC and Leadership team has determined it's time for us to start meeting together again. We need to break the power of fear over our own lives, over our city, over our state, and over our nation. We don't want to be cavalier in the face of an international pandemic, yet neither do we want to shirk our identity and calling as those who are in Christ. So we'll meet with some new safety precautions in place, as I explained in an email that went out on Friday, but we will meet.

As Ephesians 6 puts it so well, we need to be strong and in the Lord's mighty power, so that we can take our stand against the Enemy of God and all of his schemes. Friends, my conviction is that our nation is in the midst of a mighty spiritual battle right now, and our future hangs in the balance. This is not time to shrink back and let fear get the better of us. This is a time and season to Armor up, take our stand and fight in the Spirit. This is a time to pray like never before. In fact, listen again to Paul's description of the one offensive thing God has given us to do as we engage in spiritual warfare. The armor is to protect us, but this is how we take the offensive not the defensive:

Ref. Ephesians 6:18-20 And pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests. With this in mind, be alert and always keep on praying for all the Lord’s people. Pray also for me, that whenever I speak, words may be given me so that I will fearlessly make known the mystery of the gospel, for which I am an ambassador in chains. Pray that I may declare it fearlessly, as I should.

Paul knew prayer really works. He knew that it overcomes fear and folly.... that it would give him just the right words to speak to make mystery of the gospel known to others. Do you know that? Are you routinely inviting the peace of Christ to rule in your heart through prayer, and routinely asking for wisdom from heaven? If not, fear and folly will eat your lunch. If we want to make a difference in the world around us, and speak into the lives of those who are struggling, then we need to be filled the Spirit of Christ instead of the spirit of this world.

Ref. Colossians 3:15. Let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, since as members of one body you were called to peace. And be thankful.

How are you doing with this challenge right now? Is your heart full of peace and gratitude, or fear?

I love the way President Trump put it in his impromptu press conference on Friday. Did you hear what he said for the whole nation to hear? He said he's deeming places of worship as essential services that can operate even when other establishments are closed as a safety precaution.

To paraphrase portions of his speech, specifically, he stated, "Some governors have deemed liquor stores and abortion clinics as essential, but have left out churches and other houses of worship. It’s not right. So today I'm correcting this injustice and calling houses of worship essential. I'm calling upon Governors to allow churces and places of worship to open right now. If they don’t do it, I will override the governors. America, we need more prayer, not less.”

Perhaps some of you don't like this President, or don't agree with him on any number of policies, but at the very least that last statement ought to be irrefutable for any genuine follower of Jesus. We do indeed need more prayer, not less! And when we pray together, the power of our prayers is magnified and amplified.

So friends, let me encourage you to devote yourself to prayer this week in unity with those first disciples. Let me invite you to call upon heaven for a fresh outpouring of the Holy Spirit, both for our own personal benefit and blessing, and for sake of our nation and the world.

Illustration/Example: Prayerdemic, tomorrow at 12noon.

If you’re interested, you can find the Livestream on Facebook at LansingPrayerdemic

HYPERLINK "https://www.facebook.com/groups/LansingPrayerdemic/" https://www.facebook.com/groups/LansingPrayerdemic/

Illustration/Example: Transformation Michigan, Thursday from 12-2pm on the lawn of the State Capital.

Led by Rick Warzywak

Let me close this morning with another story from the life and ministry of Charles Finney.

What was Finney’s secret to fruitful ministry?

Illustration: The man behind Charles Finney:

In speaking of the beginning of his revival work, Finney says: "I had been in the habit of rising early in the morning, and spending a season of prayer alone in the meeting-house; and I finally succeeded in interesting a considerable number of brethren to meet me there in the morning for a prayer-meeting. This was at a very early hour; and we were generally together long before it was light enough to see to read. One morning I had been around and called the brethren up, and when I returned to the meetinghouse but a few of them had got there. My minister was standing at the door of the church, and as I came up, all at once the glory of God shone upon and around about me, in a manner most marvelous. The day was just beginning to dawn. But all at once a light perfectly ineffable shone in my soul, that almost prostrated me to the ground. In this light it seemed as if I could see that all nature praised and worshipped God except man. This light seemed to be like the brightness of the sun in every direction. It was too intense for the eyes. I recollect casting my eyes down and breaking into a flood of tears, in view of the fact that mankind did not praise God. I think I knew something then, by actual experience, of that light that prostrated Paul on his way to Damascus. It was surely a light such as I could not have endured long.

"I used to spend a great deal of time in prayer; sometimes, I thought, literally praying 'without ceasing.' I also found it very profitable, and felt very much inclined to hold frequent days of private fasting. On those days I would seek to be entirely alone with God, and I would generally wander off into the woods, or get into the meeting-house, or somewhere away entirely by myself.

"The spirit of prayer that prevailed in those revivals was a very marked feature of them. It was common for young converts to be greatly exercised in prayer; and in some instances, so much so that they were constrained to pray whole nights, and until their bodily strength was quite exhausted, for the conversion of souls around them. There was a great pressure of the Holy Spirit upon the minds of Christians; and they seemed to bear about with them the burden of immortal souls. They manifested the greatest solemnity of mind, and the greatest watchfulness in all their words and actions. It was very common to find Christians, whenever they met in any place, instead of engaging in conversation, to fall on their knees in prayer.

Not only were prayer-meetings greatly multiplied and fully attended, not only was there great solemnity in those meetings, but there was a mighty spirit of secret prayer. Christians prayed a great deal, many of them spending many hours in private prayer. It was also the case that two or more would take the promise: 'If two of you shall agree on earth as touching anything that they shall ask, it shall be done for them of my Father which is in heaven,' and make some particular person a subject of prayer; and it was wonderful to what an extent they prevailed. Answers to prayer were so manifestly multiplied on every side, that no one could escape the conviction that God was daily and hourly answering prayer.

"I am convinced that nothing in the whole Christian religion is so difficult, and so rarely attained, as a praying heart. Without this you are as weak as weakness itself. With it you are irresistible. This, by some would be thought a strange remark, and to savor strongly of fanaticism, But I will tell you the Church will have to turn over a new leaf on this subject, and a new lesson on the subject of prayer. Frequent seasons of secret prayer are, in my own mind, wholly indispensable to keeping up with God. Let me say again and again, if you lose your spirit of prayer, you will do nothing, or next to nothing, though you had the intellectual endowment of an angel. I cannot contemplate a more loathsome and abominable object than an earthly-minded minister. The blessed Lord deliver and preserve His dear Church from the guidance and influence of men who know not how to pray,"

Here’s a seldom-seen partner of the great evangelist Charles Finney during the 2nd Great Awakening. His name was Daniel Nash, and he had had a lackluster record as a pastor in upstate New York. He finally decided, at the age of 48, to give himself totally to prayer for Finney’s meetings.

“Father Nash,” as some called him, would quietly slip into a town 3 or 4 weeks before Finney’s arrival, rent a room, find 2 or 3 other like-minded Christians to join him, and start pleading with God. In one town the best he could find was a dark, damp-cellar; it became his center for intercession.

In another place, Finney relates,

When I got to town to start a revival a lady contacted me who ran a boarding house. She said, “Brother Finney, do you know a Father Nash? He and 2 other men have been at my boarding house for the last 3 days, but they haven’t eaten a bite of food. I opened the door and peeped in at them because I could hear them groaning, and I saw them down on their faces. They have been this way for 2 days, lying prostrate on the floor and groaning, I thought something awful must have happened to them. I was afraid to go in and I didn’t know what to do. Would you please come see about them?”

“No, it isn’t necessary,” I replied. “They just have a spirit of travail in prayer.”

Once the public meetings began, Nash usually did not attend. He kept praying in his hideaway for the conviction of the Holy Spirit to melt the crowd. If opposition arose-as it often did in those ragged days of the 1820’s Finney would tell him about it and Father Nash would bear down all the harder in prayer

Shortly before Nash died in the winter of 1831, he wrote in a letter,

I am now convinced, it is my duty and privilege, and the duty of every other Christian, to pray for as much of the Holy Spirit as came down on the day of Pentecost, and a great deal more….My body is in pain, but I am happy in my God…I have only just begun to understand what Jesus meant when He said, “All things whatsoever ye shall ask in prayer, believing, ye shall receive.”

Within four months of Nash’s death, Finney left the itinerant field to become the pastor of a Church in New York City. His partner in cracking the gates of hell was gone. If you want to see Father Nash’s grave today, you will have to drive to northern New York, almost to the Canadian border. There, in a neglected cemetery along a dirt road, you will find a tombstone that says it all:

DANIEL NASH

Laborer with Finney

Mighty in Prayer

Nov 17, 1775 – Dec 20, 1831

Daniel Nash was a nobody to the elite of his time. They would have found this humble man not worthy of comment because he lived on a totally different plane. But you can be sure that he was known all too well in both heaven and hell.

God’s mighty men and women lay aside the distractions of life to do exploits in the spiritual realm. Whether or not they become famous on earth is beside the point. They are famous in heaven.

Let’s pray.

Important Reminders/Announcements:

Lansing Prayerdemic

Zoom Room Home Group on Weds. at 7pm - Last One before Summer Break!

Michigan Day of Prayer - Thursday from 12-2pm

Prayer Focus for May - Family Ministry & Lydia DeMass

⠀

Benediction:

The Aaronic Blessing from Numbers 6:24-26

"The Lord bless you and keep you;

The Lord make his face shine on you and be gracious to you;

The Lord turn his face toward you and give you peace."

————————

HYPERLINK "https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=John+1%3A29-34&version=NIV" https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=John+1%3A29-34&version=NIV