A Prelude to Power

Introduction

Thanks for Christmas and New Year’s Messages

We are beginning a new series today, that will have us spending some time studying one particular book. Our one word theme for 2021 is restoration and we want to restore living out something that is vivid in the book of Acts.

We are going to take our time studying Acts, so that we can live out Acts. There is something in Acts that demands restoration.

The book of Acts is an account of the believers of Jesus Christ following the resurrection and ascension of King Jesus. It details the rapid growth of the early church and their spreading of Jesus’ Kingdom Agenda across the known world.

In Acts, we see how ordinary people did extraordinary things through the power of the Holy Spirit.

As we study, you will meet a lot of people, but the main character is not any of the humans we will encounter. The main character is the Holy Spirit. It is about how the Holy Spirit worked through ordinary people and allowed them to do extraordinary things.

It is about the Holy Spirit’s power being put on display through people. It is about people displaying the power of the Spirit.

So, I want to introduce this new series today, entitled Spiritual Power. This Spiritual Power must be restored in our lives today.

Truth be told, the power hasn’t really gone anywhere, Our recognition and reliance on Spiritual Power must be restored.

In 2021, I want you to do like He-Man did in the old cartoon, He held up a sword and said, “I have the power!”

We are going to call this first installment of this series, “A Prelude to Power.”

Background Material

The book of Acts was compiled by the evangelist and gospel writer, Luke.

Luke is a communicator and a scholar of the life and times of Jesus and the early church.

He has written two NT books. The first was an account of Jesus’ life in the book that bears his name. The book of Acts is a sequel to the book of Luke.

Both books are likely written to a Greek Christian by the name of Theophillus.

According to Luke 1:4, he wanted Theophillus to have certainty concerning the the things he had been taught.

By composing this two-volume work, Luke obviously wanted Theophillus to really know Jesus and to know the Holy Spirit.

Luke understood the close connection between the two. Because of Jesus, I believe Luke had come to know, Spiritual Power.

v.1-2

The Greek order is strange. It could read, “After He had given commands to the apostles, whom He had chosen through the Holy Spirit.”

The order of the words likely doesn’t matter as much as what Luke is likely seeking to emphasize, and that is the intimate connection between Jesus and the Holy Spirit, between the second and third parts of the Triune God of Heaven.

Within the first two verses of the book, Luke communicates the main character of this book - the Holy Spirit. The main character of the book of Luke was Jesus, here it is the Holy Spirit, but just because it is about the Holy Spirit, doesn’t mean it isn’t about Jesus, because the two are inextricably connected.

As the Father and the Son are one, so are the Son and the Spirit. So close a connection that sometimes the Holy Spirit is referred to biblically as the Spirit of Christ,

Romans 8:9 - You, however, are not in the flesh, but in the Spirit, if in fact the Spirit of God dwells in you. Anyone who does not have the Spirit of Christ does not belong to Him.

Philippians 1:19 - for I know that through your prayers and the help of the Spirit of Jesus Christ, this will turn out for my deliverance.

1 Peter 1:11 - inquiring what person or time the Spirit of Christ in them was indicating when He predicted the sufferings of Christ and the subsequent glories.

And it was the Holy Spirit who empowered the earthly ministry of Jesus of Nazareth.

Luke 3:22 - The Holy Spirit descended upon Him at His baptism.

Luke 4:1- The Spirit fill Jesus as He returned from the Jordan and it was the same Spirit that led Him into the wilderness.

In Luke 4:18, Jesus acknowledged that the Spirit was upon Him and anointed Him to proclaim good news to the poor, liberty to the captives, recovering of sight to the blind, to set at liberty those who were oppressed and to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor.

What Luke wants Theophillus and any other subsequent reader of Acts to know is this...

The same Spirit who empowered Jesus, empowers me.

That should change your whole perspective on life.

Planned

v.3

Jesus presented Himself alive by many proofs (tekemerion). Convincing proof.

Which they needed, because not all of them could grasp it. Couldn’t they just see it? They could see it, but they couldn’t grasp it.

Matthew 28:17 - And when they saw Him they worshiped Him, but some doubted.

Luke 24:36-41 - go there

This affects their senses.

Them believing Jesus rose from the dead was going to be part of the subject of their messaging. Nothing would happen unless one had an internal belief based upon an external reality.

This has to affect our senses. Penetrate every fiber of our being.

You have to have an internal belief based upon an external reality. A man named Jesus lived, died, was buried, rose on the third day and that proved He was the Son of God.

It is still the most relevant, spectacular thing that has ever happened in the history of humankind.

That’s something that they would have to run and tell.

Someone today needs to run tell that.

During a 40 day time with them, He was further instructing them on the Kingdom of God.

This was the subject Jesus spent the most time on before His crucifixion, so it seemed natural that He would continue afterward.

The Kingdom of God is the reign and rule of God through Jesus. Full restoration would take place in the Kingdom. Things are made right in the Kingdom.

For Jesus it was all about the Kingdom. So much so that the power that was about to come to the believers is really purposed for the the Kingdom.

Spiritual Power is purposed for the Kingdom of God

Not just so we have the Holy Spirit, but to help us live Kingdom lives.

To help us help others live Kingdom lives. So that we can live Kingdom lives here, so that we can live in an eternal kingdom.

Spiritual power is purposed.

How does one receive this power?

Positioning

Spiritual Power is determined by your positioning.

A restoration of your spiritual power is determined by your positioning underneath the commands of Jesus.

The believers of Jesus are going to receive power, but the power is determined by their positioning .

v.4

They were going to receive power, but they had to position themselves in Jerusalem.

This is an order by the King.

Luke 24:49 - Stay in the city until you are clothed with power from on high.

If you want Spiritual Power, you have to have to be in the right position to receive it.

The positioning has to do with your obedience.

Acts 5:32 - The Holy Spirit is given to those who obey. The power which comes through the Spirit, comes by way of obedience.

No obedience - no power.

Spiritual power is purposed; it comes through positioning; but now I want you to see it is based on a promise.

Promise

v.4b-5

Wait for the promise of the Father.

The power of the Holy Spirit is a promise from God. God keeps promises. He is a promise keeping God.

John 15:26 - But when the Helper comes, whom I will send to you from the Father, the Spirit of truth, who proceeds from the Father, He will bear witness about Me.

Luke 24:49

This is a baptism of the Holy Spirit.

The water baptism of John was a consuming of water and repentance. Overwhelming. The Holy Spirit baptism for the believer was a consuming with the Spirit.

Water baptism, repentance, and the Holy Spirit are our access to Spiritual Power. What He wanted the apostles to know was that the Holy Spirit was going to come upon them in a baptismal form. The promise was they would be overwhelmed by the Spirit.

A Spiritually-Powerful life is a Spirit-consumed life.

Having the Spirit indwell your life as an obedient believer is one thing. Letting Him fill your life is what makes you Spiritually Powerful. I can move in with you and dwell with you, but if you let me bring all my stuff, then I can fill your house.

He lives with you, but you have to move your “stuff” out and let Him fill you with His “stuff.”

Ephesians 5:18 - it is the filling of the Spirit, the relinquishing of our will in favor of His will, which can guide our very speech and actions.

The power comes through yielding.

In life, power is exerted and displayed by taking. Spiritual power comes through yielding and surrendering.

Only by getting weak can you be made strong. Only by letting go can you really have control.

Ask the Lord to fill you with the Spirit.

Stop trying so hard. The more you rely on your power, the less you can rely on the Spirit’s power.

Purposed

v.6-7

The apostles wanted to know if all that Jesus was saying about the Kingdom of God and the Spirit was going to be when the Kingdom and power would be restored to Israel.

Was Israel going to have their land, their identity, their physical and political prowess restored.

Jesus wasn’t after physical restoration, but spiritual restoration.

They didn’t get that at first.

The Rabbis of the day said that the restoration of Israel’s political fortunes would be marked by the revived activity of God’s Spirit. The question is natural, but he answer wasn’t something that Jesus wanted them to focus upon.

He wanted them to focus on power.

v.8

The promise is of spiritual power; it is based upon positioning and it is planned for the Kingdom, but specifically purposed to help them be witnesses.

You have no real need of the power, if you aren’t going to speak Jesus.

This proclamation by Jesus would have brought with it incredible excitement, but also trepidation.

Jerusalem and all Judea (that’s the place where Jesus was crucified)

Samaria (hated half-breeds/arch-enemies)

To the end of the earth (Gentiles).

To walk in Spiritual Power, you must overcome your limited thinking.

To carry out what Jesus demanded would require more more than they currently had.

But if they could just do what Jesus said, the power would come.

Conclusion

If they could just position themselves as Jesus said, power would come.

If they could just believe in the promise of the Father, power would come.

If they could just wait on the promise, power would come.

If they could just be willing to be used for the Kingdom’s purpose, power would come.

Is there anyone that wants to position themselves under the Lord’s command today? Is there anyone who still believes in the promise of the Father, today?

Is there anyone who is willing to be used for the Kingdom’s purpose today?

There is still power today!

Power that can still explode on this earth.

Acts 2:1-11

This power is giving supernatural ability to unlearned, and untrained men and allowing them to speak in languages that they’ve never studied before.

Through power, these fearful and unsure apostles boldly stood up to the very folks responsible for the crucifixion of Jesus.

Telling them about a King who was willing to save their brokenness. Telling them about a Kingdom of God. Telling them about a man who died and rose on the third day.

Telling them in such a way that they asked, what should they do.

Through Spiritual Power, they told them to repent and be baptized, and they too would receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.

This was an invitation to power. An invitation that is still for men and women today! An invitation for Spiritual Power!

To folks who are willing to position themselves underneath the commands of King Jesus.

To folks who believe in the promises of the Father.

To folks who are willing to be used for Kingdom Purposes

To folks who are willing to speak the name of King Jesus

To folks who are willing to change their ways

To folks who are willing to be baptized

To folks who are willing to be weak so that they can be strong

To folks who are willing to let go and Let God.

To folks who are willing to be consumed for His glory.

These folks can have true, lasting, sustainable, consumable Spiritual Power.

“I want the power!”

Focus on this...

1. Believe in the plan

Put yourself in the right position

Embrace the purpose

Live in Spiritual Power