Do You Have the Power

Acts 1:4–8 “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”

THE COMMAND TO WAIT (v4-5):

A) Jesus Instruction: “Do not depart from Jerusalem”

Jesus command them to wait- not an option

Waiting is hard, but essential for preparation

To Wait means that it was worth waiting for

To Wait means they had a promise it would come

To Wait means they must receive it; they couldn’t create it themselves

To Wait means that they would be tested by waiting, at least a little

B) The Promise of the Father

It is significant that this coming, filling, and empowering of the Holy Spirit is called “the Promise of the Father”

It shows that we should wait for it with eager anticipation; a “Promise of the Father” could only be good

It shows that it is reliable; the Father would never Promise something He could not fulfill

It shows that the Promise belongs to all His also, since it comes from God as our Father

It shows that it must be received by faith, as is the pattern with the promises of God throughout the Bible

“The promise of the Father” now became also the promise of the Son

The gift of the Holy Spirit (John 14:16-17; Luke 24:49)

The Spirit is not a force but a person - God Himself dwelling in us

C.) Baptized with the Holy Spirit