Receive the Holy Spirit (John 20:19-22)

He Breathed on them the Holy Spirit

John 20:19–23 “On the evening of that day, the first day of the week, the doors being locked where the disciples were for fear of the Jews, Jesus came and stood among them and said to them, “Peace be with you.” When he had said this, he showed them his hands and his side. Then the disciples were glad when they saw the Lord. Jesus said to them again, “Peace be with you. As the Father has sent me, even so I am sending you.” And when he had said this, he breathed on them and said to them, “Receive the Holy Spirit. If you forgive the sins of any, they are forgiven them; if you withhold forgiveness from any, it is withheld.””

Acts 1:4–11 “And while staying with them he ordered them not to depart from Jerusalem, but to wait for the promise of the Father, which, he said, “you heard from me; for John baptized with water, but you will be baptized with the Holy Spirit not many days from now.” So when they had come together, they asked him, “Lord, will you at this time restore the kingdom to Israel?” He said to them, “It is not for you to know times or seasons that the Father has fixed by his own authority. But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you, and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth.” And when he had said these things, as they were looking on, he was lifted up, and a cloud took him out of their sight. And while they were gazing into heaven as he went, behold, two men stood by them in white robes, and said, “Men of Galilee, why do you stand looking into heaven? This Jesus, who was taken up from you into heaven, will come in the same way…”

[On the Ascension] 2 Promises we can be sure of….

#1) Jesus will Return.

Our spiritual tradition has emphasized that we are “living in the last days before his return” [Lots of books written predicting the date of his return]

Bishop Miller: “I don’t know if these are the last days before Jesus return…I just know they are YOUR LAST DAYS before Jesus returns!

Why should that matter???

Because there should be a sense of urgency in our hearts to get in on God’s worldwide salvation project while I still have days on this earth!

God created you with a part to play in “thy kingdom come thy will be done”

You are the body of Christ in the earth today.

Teresa of Avila (1515–1582)

Christ Has No Body

Christ has no body but yours, No hands, no feet on earth but yours, Yours are the eyes with which he looks with Compassion on this world, Yours are the feet with which he walks to do good, Yours are the hands, with which he blesses all the world. Yours are the hands, yours are the feet, Yours are the eyes, you are his body. Christ has no body now on earth but yours.

We were not meant to be Stargazers!

Acts 1:11 “and said, “Men of Galilee, why do you stand looking into heaven? This Jesus, who was taken up from you into heaven, will come in the same way as you saw him go into heaven.””

You were created to “Go into all the world…living the gospel…making disciples…being the body of Christ in the world today!

TRUTH: You (YES YOU!) were created to get in on what God is doing in these LAST DAYS!

#2) The Holy Spirit has been given to ALL believers until he returns. [Say ALL!]

Joel 2:28 ““And it shall come to pass afterward, that I will pour out my Spirit on all flesh; your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, your old men shall dream dreams, and your young men shall see visions.”

TRUTH: You cannot live the life God created for you WITHOUT THE HOLY SPIRIT.

You don’t just need him sometimes, you don’t just need him in a crisis, you don’t just need him when you need a miracle…

You need the Holy Spirit EVERY DAY! (365/7 days a week)

The problem is too many of us settle for nominal salvation when we were meant for abundant life!

John 10:10 “The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy. I came that they may have life and have it abundantly.”

You will Receive POWER!

I wanted to take a minute to draw our attention to this word POWER (dynamis) Jesus uses concerning the Holy Spirit. We like to think of it in terms of strength or might or force…but the word is better understood as the authority given that makes you able.

Spiderman Illustration: Peter Parker was just a normal guy until one day while visiting a science lad he was bitten by an experimental spider…giving him capabilities that he didn’t have before. Before he was just a normal guy. But when what was in the spider got into him, he received the same capabilities that were in the spider.

-or maybe better-

Some of you might know Officer Justin Owens, SC State Trooper in our church…Over the last few years he has been taking Alex and me through firearm safety and trained us for some local shooting competitions… So, I know about handling a firearm, I can tell you about eye sight on target, I can show you how to clear a misfeed, I can qualify for a shooting competition, but there’s a big difference between Officer Owens and me (besides he hits the target way more often than I do!)… The difference is his AUTHORITY. Unlike me, he has been authorized (deputized) with the authority to carry out protection and security for the state of SC. (I did qualify for the BSC security team, but besides that no one has authorized me to be a trooper at Bike Week in Myrtle Beach!)

When Jesus ascended he gave to the church (that’s you!) God’s AUTHORITY to exercise in the earth today. YOU’VE BEEN DEPUTIZED!!

That’s why it matters the words that come out of your mouth!

Your words are a place of agreement. That’s why Jesus tells his disciples “whoever you forgive will be forgiven whoever you withhold forgiveness from will live in bondage” …or again… “whatever you bind on earth will be bound because it is already bound by God’s authority in heaven.”

The POWER of the Holy Spirit is not so much about the power to do things or to have things. His power is about the authority to see God-things done in the earth today.

(Just a few examples…)

When there is chaos in my home, the Holy Spirit speaks the peace of God through me and calms the storm.

When my body needs healing, the Holy Spirit speaks through my prayers to the cells in my body.

When I am anxious and confused, the Holy Spirit speaks clarity and wisdom through my spirit and gives me confidence in Jesus.

When I don’t know what to do, the Holy Spirit does, and he guides me step by step to the promises of God.

When I don’t know what to say or don’t know how to pray, the Holy Spirit speaks through me in ways I can’t understand, but heaven does.

Where do you need the AUTHORITY of the Holy Spirit in your life today?

On your job, facing difficult circumstances?

In your home, where there is division and fighting?

For your future, uncertain, scared, anxious, don’t know what to do?

Over your body, your health

Over mind, battling depression, loneliness….