From the Cross to Pentecost: Part Two

Empowered: A Comprehensive Study of the Holy Spirit  •  Sermon  •  Submitted
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Part two focuses on what the cross to Pentecost means for all people.

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In our last study, we looked at the work of the Spirit in the life of Christ from the cross to Pentecost.
Looking back, we saw how active the Spirit was in the life of Jesus and how Jesus interacted and depended on the Holy Spirit. We landed on the main point that The Church must strive to operate in ministry as Christ operated in ministry - under the influence, the leading, and in the empowerment of the Holy Spirit. We also concluded that God does not intend for His church to be powerless… but powerful or full of His power!
What Christ did on the cross through His death and resurrection, and what Christ did at Pentecost through the baptism in the Holy Spirit, led to the birth and the sending forth of God’s church - the body of Christ - that is the extension of Jesus’ ministry until He returns.
Now, before we continue to move forward, I want us to stay where we are for a moment. Tonight we are going to look at the same topic: From the Cross to Pentecost, but from a different perspective.
Tonight, we are going to talk about how the work of Christ we just mentioned opened the door for a change of reality… for any and all who would believe.
The Spirit was at work in and through the life of Jesus as He opened the door for salvation or for the forgiveness of sin.
With this in mind, tonight we are going to see how the Spirit is working in the lives of people to draw them to a point of salvation. Tonight we look at the cross and Pentecost from the perspective of a world that desperately needs a Savior.
Our main text this evening reveals our main point that salvation is the result of the work of the triune God. The Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit are all involved in the salvific work of God. Our passage is found in Ephesians 2:18.

18 For through him we both have access to the Father by one Spirit.

We notice from this text the involvement of all three persons of the Trinity. The believer’s relationship is with all three persons. Most often we hear of our relationship with Christ and the Father, but salvation also begins a relationship with the Spirit of God. Through Christ (the Son) we have access to the Father by one Spirit.
This evening, we are going to focus on the role of the Spirit regarding salvation. We will see He plays a role in drawing people to Christ and He is involved in a person’s union with Christ. Lastly, we will see how the the Spirit of God indwells the heart of the believer. And in all of this, I hope we see that a person’s relationship with the Holy Spirit is both personal and experiential.
There are two terms we are going to see pop up frequently this evening that I want to make clear from the beginning.
First… what is salvation? Salvation, simply put, is rescue. Salvation is deliverance. Salvation is NOT something that can be done on our own, but rather it requires assistance from outside of ourselves.
What is it that a person needs rescued from? What is it that a person is delivered from? Sin and all of its effects. Sin is a universal problem and an inescapable reality. Outside of Christ, there is no way a person can be rescued from or delivered of sin.
Salvation is FAR more than an escape from sin. Salvation delivers a person from sin while it also delivers that same person into the arms of Christ.
Secondly, what does it mean to “receive” the Holy Spirit? How is the Spirit received and can He be “received” more than once?
As we will break down in a moment, salvation is the key to receiving the Holy Spirit and yes, we believe He is “received” or is receivable on more than one occasion.
There is a difference between the indwelling of the Spirit that comes at salvation and the baptism in the Holy Spirit as seen in Acts 2 at Pentecost. But in both instances, Salvation is the gateway, if you will, that opens to receiving as Christ is acknowledge as Lord and Savior.
Again, we are going to look at the role of the Spirit in God’s salvific work and in the reception of the Spirit.

The Persuasive Power of the Spirit

Is the Spirit of God working in the lives of those who have yet to call on the name of Jesus to be saved? Are the un-reached of this world left alone or is something else taking place behind the scenes that is important to note?
The Holy Spirit is presented by John in his gospel as a very powerful persuader. According to John, the Spirit is the Spirit of truth - or as I like to think of Him - the voice of truth.
There are a lot of voices out there trying to convince this world of truth… but only ONE voice comes in the form of the Spirit of God and yes church… he is speaking loudly and clear! Let’s look at what John records Jesus saying in John 16:8-11:

8 When he comes, he will prove the world to be in the wrong about sin and righteousness and judgment: 9 about sin, because people do not believe in me; 10 about righteousness, because I am going to the Father, where you can see me no longer; 11 and about judgment, because the prince of this world now stands condemned.

The main point Jesus is wanting His followers to understand here is that the Spirit persuasively presents the truth, GOD’S TRUTH, to the unbeliever! The Spirit does this in three specific ways.
One, the Spirit presents the truth regarding sin. Why does the Spirit do this? Jesus says it is because the world does not “believe” in Him. The world does not believe in Christ as Savior because they do not understand the truth regarding their sin.
Two, the Spirit presents the truth regarding righteousness. Christ is now with the Father in a position the world cannot see. He is the ultimate example of righteousness - the very definition of righteousness! How can an unrighteous world come to a knowledge of what righteousness is… without the help of the Spirit of the righteous God?
Three, the Spirit presents the truth regarding judgement. Jesus says this is so because the “prince of this world now stands condemned.” Satan has been judged, darkness has been overcome, and the victory belongs to Christ and those who follow Him.
These three points help us to see the work the Holy Spirit does in “drawing” people to Jesus.
But are there other ways in which the Spirit works to draw the lost to Christ? So far, we have spoken of the inner voice of truth… the work of the Spirit on the hearts of the lost. But what of the verbally spoken voice of truth?
Paul makes a point to highlight the role of Spirit-empowered preaching in bringing people to Christ. We see this in 1 Thessalonians 1:5-6. He states,

our gospel came to you not simply with words but also with power, with the Holy Spirit and deep conviction. You know how we lived among you for your sake. 6 You became imitators of us and of the Lord, for you welcomed the message in the midst of severe suffering with the joy given by the Holy Spirit.

Not only is the Spirit working within the hearts of the un-reached, but He also empowers preaching and teaching that people might come to know the Lord! When we stand in pulpits, when we teach a class, as we lead a Bible study, the Spirit empowers the Word that it might compel hearts to draw nearer to God. Again, this is why it is so important that believers depend on the Spirit in all things.
The Spirit of God is a powerful persuader! He works to convict or convince the world of its need for a Savior.
And this leading goes further than just developing an understanding of this need. The Holy Spirit leads a person to do something very significant that serves as the next point in our teaching tonight.

The Spirit Leads to the Doorway of Faith

The Spirit is leading to the Spirit’s receiving through salvation… but FAITH is the gateway through which a person must walk in order to make that transition… Faith in Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior.
The Spirit helps get us to Christ - to a saving knowledge that leads to faith. Then, the Spirit helps us to remain in Christ as He indwells the hearts of those who place their faith in Jesus.
When faith is established and salvation is achieved through grace, the now new believer receives what we might call a double gift because of their faith.
First, that person is now brought back to union with Jesus or is reunited with Christ. The blood of Christ becomes our atonement or new covering - it now covers the all the sins of the new believer. We are united with Him in both death and resurrection. Romans 6:5-7 sums this up nicely.

5 For if we have been united with him in a death like his, we will certainly also be united with him in a resurrection like his. 6 For we know that our old self was crucified with him so that the body ruled by sin might be done away with, that we should no longer be slaves to sin—7 because anyone who has died has been set free from sin.

Secondly, the one who comes to faith is indwelt with the Spirit. This is made possible because the blood of Christ has cleansed them from all sin. As sin moves out, God’s Spirit moves in!
Ephesians 1:13

And you also were included in Christ when you heard the message of truth, the gospel of your salvation. When you believed, you were marked in him with a seal, the promised Holy Spirit,

Acts 2:38

Peter replied, “Repent and be baptized, every one of you, in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins. And you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.

In this sequence we can see how Salvation truly is a reality change! The Holy Spirit leads the un-reached to faith in Christ, which results in the atonement of their sins, reunification with Christ, and an infilling of the Spirit!
And… His work is far from over at this point. Remember, the title of the message is from the cross… to Pentecost. What Christ did on the cross is what opened the door for what we have talked about so far… but what significance does our relationship with Jesus, the Spirit, and Pentecost have?

The Spirit Empowers the Witnesses

We started off by defining two terms… now we look at one more. What is a witness?
Defined, a witness is a person who sees an event take place. it is a person that can give a first-hand account or testimony regarding what took place. This person knows it to be true because they were there.
Now, remember what we said regarding the relationship of the believer with the triune God? This relationship is both personal and experiential. When a person comes to Christ, they have a testimony that is unique to their experience, a personal account of what God did for them and within them.
As believers, we can give a first-hand account of what it is like to be led by the Spirit to place our faith in Christ, to have our fellowship restored with the Father and to have the Spirit of God dwell within our hearts!
At Pentecost, Jesus baptized His followers, for the first time, with the Holy Spirit for a very specific reason. We find this reason given by Christ Himself in 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.”

The Baptism in the Holy Spirit is not given for the result of speaking in tongues - although Scripture reveals such as the initial physical evidence. The Baptism is given that our speech… specifically our testimony might be empowered! The Spirit empowers us to be witnesses for Christ!
The Spirit of God is received at salvation as God moves in and dwells in the heart of the believer. The Spirit is again received through baptism for the purpose of empowering our witness for the cause of Christ.
One does not rule out the other, but complement each other in our walk and our witness for Jesus. The empowerment is given that we might reach the world for Jesus.
Notice what Christ does in Acts 1:8. The locations He gives, in a sense, starts as city, state, nation and world. Believers are to testify to the WORLD what Christ has done through the empowerment of the Spirit.
Listen, we have some powerful tools that help us broadcast the Word to the world.
We have a powerful team of volunteers that serve in powerful ministries. We have a powerful broadcast system that airs our services for anyone who wants to watch. We have powerfully talented people who can sing, greet, mix sound, lead children, teach adults, play instruments, and clean and repair our building. We have a powerful network of missionaries who have responded to the call to go and make disciples. BUT NONE OF THIS WOULD BE AS NEARLY EFFECTIVE AS IT IS WITHOUT THE EMPOWERMENT OF THE HOLY SPIRIT. No amount of earthly tools or human talent could ever substitute the power given through the Holy Spirit!

Closing Application

There is no question regarding the work and ministry of the Holy Spirit in these last days. Jesus’ death and resurrection opened the door for the Spirit to move in power in conjunction with the redemption plan of God.
The Holy Spirit IS moving on the hearts of the lost. Our world might deny this… but Scripture says it is so! The Holy Spirit is at work persuading the unreached of their need for a Savior. The level of brokenness in our culture is at an all time high… and I believe the Spirit of God is moving to bring an answer to the brokenness so many people are living in. Christ died for ALL people. God desires for ALL people to come to repentance. The Holy Spirit’s convincing voice is speaking...
The Holy Spirit is filling hearts of those who will place their faith and trust in Jesus. He moves in… as sin moves out! He becomes our helper, our advocate, who continues to lead us from sin. He leads us closer to God. He guides us and directs us. He gives us discernment and wisdom. He brings us peace, comfort and counsel. He is moving powerfully in the hearts of those living in faith!
The Holy Spirit is empowering the church to be witnesses for Christ in these last days! Through the Baptism in the Spirit, We see God’s power poured out through a supernatural boldness to speak His truth in love. As the Spirit works to persuade the unreached of their need for a Savior, He also empowers the church to testify of the goodness of our Savior!
All in all, he draws us in, moves within, and empowers to win!
God’s Holy Spirit is given that we might be led to the presence of God, filled with the presence of God, and empowered to lead others to the presence of God!
And at the center of it all is… Jesus - who is the sender of Spirit, who is the target of the Spirit’s leading, who is the One who baptizes believers in the Spirit as made clear by John the Baptist! Jesus opened this door of possibility that sin had so tightly shut!
And… because of what Jesus did… our fellowship with the Father has been restored! So let’s look back at our main verse once more. Ephesians 2:18

For through him we both have access to the Father by one Spirit.

And thus we fully see salvation as the work of the triune God.
Today is a day in which we need to embrace the work of the Spirit… not reject it.
Again, God is pouring out His Spirit in these last days because we need this outpouring in these last days! The more difficult our circumstances become, the more dependent on the Spirit we must be!
From the cross to Pentecost, The Holy Spirit is leading people away from sin to the redeemer - back to fellowship with the Father. We need to pray:
We need to seek and be sensitive to what the Spirit of God is doing in us and through us.
For a move of the Spirit through the land.
For a move of the Spirit through the church.
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