R531 The Power of The Holy Spirit

Today, as we open God's Word, know that we're open to you as well on our phone at 866-899-WORD.

That's 866-899-9673 or online at www.tewonline.org. And now, Dr. Don Wilton. Take your Bibles this morning and turn with me to the book of Acts in the New Testament, the book of Acts in chapter 2. I really want to encourage you to have your Bibles open.

The book of Acts in chapter 2, Back to the Future, is our series in the book of Acts. Now friends, I want to say a couple of things to you this morning before I read this passage. We are about to read and to study what is considered to be one of the most critical of all passages in Scripture. Now, all of Scripture is critical. It's vital. Every single word from Genesis to Revelation is vital to your and my life. There's not a single word in God's Word that is not vital and critical. But I'm going to say to you that there are some events and some happenings in Scripture that are so critical. In fact, for the next maybe two or three weeks, I'm going to be camping right here in Acts chapter 2.

And there's a reason for it. Acts chapter 2 is probably the one passage of Scripture that has spawned as many denominations, religious groups and Christian organizations as you could ever imagine have come out of the book of Acts in chapter 2. People with different beliefs because Acts chapter 2 deals with the coming of the Holy Spirit. And so I want to spend some major time as we go back to the future, laying the groundwork and helping us to understand some of these things that are so vital and so critical.

I don't want us to just gloss over this section, not that we would ever do that. But as we study this passage of Scripture today, I want you to ask God to speak to your heart. I've entitled our message this morning, The Power of the Holy Spirit. We're going to be looking at the work of the Holy Spirit and the power of the Holy Spirit and the coming of the Holy Spirit.

And so I want you to read with me and I am going to stop a number of times. So just get ready, don't close your Bibles, not at any time. Acts chapter 2 and verse 1, When the day of Pentecost came... Now let's just stop right there. The Bible is going to teach us and show us about a specific day and a specific moment. It was called the day of Pentecost. The word Pentecost, and I'm going to describe that to you in a later message, was one of the festivals in the Old Testament. And I'm not going to talk about it today, we're going to look at it perhaps next week or the week after.

But I want you to know this. It was a specific time and a specific event ordained by God. When the day of Pentecost came, the Bible says, they were all together in one place. Now, where were they?

Well, we've already looked at that. You go back to chapter 1 and verse 13, the Bible says, When they arrived, they all went to the upper room. Now remember what happened here, friends. Remember that Jesus Christ had risen from the dead. He spent 40 years on the earth after his resurrection. And then in Acts chapter 1, he did a couple of things. He first of all told his disciples some things. And then he ascended from the Mount of Olives to be seated at the right hand of the Father.

And before he ascended to be with God the Father in heaven, he turned to his disciples and he told them a number of things. He said, Listen, I want you to know that I want you to go back to Jerusalem. I don't want you to run and hide in the mountains. I want you to go back to Jerusalem. And there I want you to do what? Excuse me.

Wanted to do what? All right. This is a word we all struggle with. Let's all say it together on three. I want you to go back to Jerusalem. And one, two, three. I want you to go back to Jerusalem. We struggle with that, don't we? Now I'm going to show you something very interesting here in this passage of Scripture.

It's remarkable really. God, Jesus Christ, told the disciples to go back to Jerusalem and wait. But what did they have to go and wait for? Well we find out about that in chapter 1. We've already read that. It's right there in verse 4. He said, Do not leave Jerusalem, but wait for the gift of the Holy Spirit, which my Father has promised to you.

Now remember this is a promise. Jesus is about to leave. And Jesus says to his disciples, I promise you from the heart of God the Father that my Spirit is going to come and is going to be with you. And I want you to go to Jerusalem and I want you to wait for Him to come.

You're going to see something very interesting that happened here. You see friends, the time between the death of Jesus Christ on the cross and His ascension from the Mount of Olives to go to be with God was a period of 40 days. And the time between the promise of the Holy Spirit and the actual coming of the Holy Spirit was 50 days. These people had to wait for 50 days.

That would kill some of our teenagers, wouldn't it? Right there. 50 days they had to wait. If you want to put it into your Bible between Acts chapter 1 and verse 26 and Acts chapter 1 and verse 26 and Acts chapter 2 and verse 1, 50 days goes by. 50 days between the promise of the Holy Spirit and the actual coming of the Holy Spirit. And one of the things that we're going to discover is that 50 days was the most useless, unproductive period in the history of the New Testament church.

Nothing happened. Listen to me. What the Bible is going to show to us is this, if you do not have the Spirit of God living in you, you are going to be rendered useless and powerless. It is the Spirit of God who empowers you and me to be able to do what we cannot do for ourselves. Now I want you to really stick with me this morning because these truths are going to be fundamentally important.

We cannot live without them. So let's see what happened here when the Spirit of God came. Now remember Acts chapter 2 is the day of Pentecost. It is a specific day in time. It is a specific moment in time.

It is a specific event in time. And it was at the day of Pentecost that the Spirit of God arrived, said, hello, I'm here, excuse me. Knock, knock, knock. I'm coming in.

Open the door. Here I am. I've come. I am the very fulfillment of the promise that Jesus Christ gave to you. Watch what happened.

It makes for remarkable reading. When the day of Pentecost came, they were all together. Who was there? All of them were together.

Who were they? All together. All believers were together.

All those believers, there was nobody left out of it. Suddenly a sound like a blowing of a violent wind. Now what was the sound? The sound was the wind.

Just remember this. Came from heaven. Where did it come from?

It came from heaven. It filled the whole house where they were, excuse me, what were they doing? They were sitting. Now just think about, you know, I can just imagine that those disciples, they tried to preach. They had a church meeting, you remember, last week, and they suddenly said to themselves, wait a minute, what are we going to do?

And one of them once said, well, Jesus said, we need to wait. They said, well, why don't you just all take a seat? They were sitting. They were inactive. The Bible says, you know, they just sat down.

They were sitting. Folks, they weren't walking down to the front of the church to ask for the Holy Spirit to come. They weren't praying for the Holy Spirit to come. They weren't doing anything to make the Holy Spirit come. They were just simply sitting and waiting for the fulfillment of the promise of God. That is Pentecost.

Now watch what happens. The Bible says, suddenly a sound like the blowing of a violent wind came down from heaven and filled the whole house where they were sitting. They saw what seemed to be tons of fire that separated and came to rest on every one of them. There is no exception here. No one was left out. There was not a single person here who was given special treatment. There was no one in this sense that became a first-class Christian because they were baptized in the Holy Spirit and somebody else wasn't.

Now watch what happens here. All of them, verse 4, all of them were filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in other tongues. And the word tongues there, literally my friend, has only one translation, other languages. Intelligible, understandable languages. That's what tongues means in Scripture.

It is the ability to speak in a language not your own that is intelligible and understandable to others who hear it. It has a specific purpose in mind as the Spirit enabled them. Now let's watch the explanation in verse 5. Now they were staying in Jerusalem, God-fearing Jews from every nation under heaven. When they heard the sound, a crowd came together in bewilderment because, here it is, each one heard them speaking in his own language, utterly amazed. They asked, are not all these men who are speaking Galileans?

Now let's just stop there for a moment. These people were prejudiced. They were no different to us in South Carolina. They were a prejudiced people.

They were no different to people in New York City and London, England. They were a prejudiced people. Do you remember when Philip and Nathaniel were talking and they said, can there any good thing come out of Nazareth?

Do you remember the battles that the Jews had with the Samaritan woman because she came from Samaria? Do you know that the region of Galilee, that most of the people of the then modern world believe that Galileans were just a bunch of dummies, a bunch of bushwhackers who sat around feeding fish, eating fish, catching fish and repairing nets and they gathered together in this place in Jerusalem which was the learned center of the universe and they heard people speaking their own languages and they said, what in the world is this? How can uneducated men from Galilee who don't even have proper schools and education, where in the world could they have learned how to speak our languages?

I don't have a university up there. They were absolutely amazed. Look at verse 8, then how is it that each of us hears them in his own native language? And we even list them for anyone who's going to argue where these people came from, Parthians, Medes and Elamites, residents of Mesopotamia, Judea, Cappadocia, Pontius, Asia, Phrygia and Pamphylia, Egypt and parts of Libya near Cyrene, visitors from Rome, both Jews and converts to Judaism, Cretans and Arabs, we hear them declaring the wonders of God in our own tongues. Blessed and perplexed they asked one another, how can this be?

What does this mean? Some however made fun of them and mocked them and said they've had too much wine. So good old Peter couldn't restrain himself. He was the preacher, the pastor among the group.

He couldn't stand it anymore. He waited for other people to get up and finally he stood up and he said with the 11 he raised his voice and addressed the crowds, fellow Jews and all of you who live in Jerusalem, let me explain this to you, listen carefully to what I say, these men are not drunk as you suppose, after all it's only 9 o'clock in the morning. May the Lord write his word upon our hearts. You know that the work of the Spirit is mentioned over 56 times in the book of Acts? Luke who wrote the book of Acts refers to the Spirit's work. He refers to the Spirit's role. He talks about the Spirit's responsibilities in the lives of God's people.

Why? Because Acts is a book about acts and activities. It is a book about events and experiences and what God is going to show us primarily is listen, when the Spirit of God came, the Spirit of God empowered believers to do what God expected them to do. God by his Spirit. You're listening to Dr. Don Wilton.

Don't go away. We'll be back with the rest of today's message in just a moment, but as he speaks about the Spirit of God empowering us to do what God wants us to do, many times God uses the specific passages in his word or even studies on God's word to help empower us. We have wonderful resources available. If you haven't heard about the great opportunity to stock up on some wonderful resources, here's Liz with all the details. The Encouraging Word is having a summer book sale. Book prices will start at $6.

That's right, only $6. Visit us online at www.tewonline.org and click the Store tab located at the top of the page. We appreciate your support. The Encouraging Word is a viewer and listener supported ministry. Thank you for listening today. Now back to today's great teaching with Dr. Don Wilton on the power of the Holy Spirit. Friends, you and I can have all the budgets and programs and ministries in this church that we ever want to have, but if we remove the Spirit of God from the equation, we will be rendered useless. We cannot do it.

We can drive buses all over the place and back. It's not going to make any difference. We can sing all the songs we want.

It's not going to make any difference. We can preach all we want to. Not going to make any difference if we are not empowered by the Holy Spirit. And guess what? God says, my Spirit is in you and He will empower you and the moment you accept me as your Savior, you are baptized in the Spirit and your mandate is to continually be filled in my Spirit. That's what you've got to be about. Your walk in Christ is a continual infilling of the Spirit of God, but every one of you who have trusted in my name have been completely 100% baptized in the Holy Spirit.

Why? Because you cannot separate God the Father, God the Son and God the Holy Spirit. They are three in one and when I trust Jesus Christ as my Savior, I receive all of God. I receive all of Jesus Christ. I receive all of His Spirit. I don't wait until some subsequent experience in order to grow my legs and arms.

I'm born with my body, but I, by virtue of what God has given to me, I've got to allow myself by God's grace to develop this body into full maturity. Why did Jesus tell them to wait? Well there's no doubt to test their obedience and we've already discovered they've hovered and wavered a little bit, but I think it was also to prove their powerlessness is to show these disciples, listen gentlemen, without me you're nothing.

Doesn't matter how much you've done, whatever you've done, without me you're nothing. It was to test their obedience and it was to prove their powerlessness and so we come down to the power of the Holy Spirit. Every major event after Acts chapter 2 and Pentecost from then on is accompanied by the leadership and the power of the Holy Spirit.

In fact there are three dynamics of the power of the Holy Spirit. The power of the Holy Spirit, the Spirit of God empowers the believer to do three things. Number one, to worship Him. Number two, to serve Him. And number three, to live for Him.

That's what the Spirit of God does. He empowers me. He empowers me to worship Him, to serve Him, and to live for Him. Let's look first of all at what it means to be empowered to worship Him. The most important thing, the number one thing we've got to do is we've got to worship God. How do we worship Him?

Through singing, through prayer, through preaching, through our inner thoughts and meditation, through love, through giving, through ministry. That's how we worship Him. We give everything to Him and God says to us, the way in which you worship me in the way in which I want you to worship me is through the power of my Holy Spirit. And if you don't have my empowerment, your worship is going to be null and void.

Do you know that from this point in the book of Acts? The compulsion of the Holy Spirit to worship God is repeated time without number. The Holy Spirit tells us how to worship God. Now just listen with me, don't try and write this down because I'm going to be quick.

I'm going to take you for a journey. You see in Acts chapter 4 and verse 21, we're told to worship God as the God of creation. In chapter 4 and verse 25, we're told to worship God as the God of revelation. In Acts chapter 3 verse 17, the God of information. In Acts chapter 2 and verse 47, the God of adoration.

In Acts chapter 4 and verse 11, the God who is the foundation, He's the head cornerstone. In Acts chapter 2 and verse 23, the God of determination. In Acts chapter 3 and verse 14, the God of humiliation. In Acts chapter 2 and verse 36, the God of the crucifixion. In Acts chapter 4 and verse 2, the God of resurrection power. In Acts chapter 1 and verse 4, the God of the ascension. In Acts chapter 2 and 33, we're told to worship Him as the God of exaltation.

In Acts chapter 2 and 33, the God of elevation because He elevates all people, He picks us up. In chapter 4 and verse 12, the God of satisfaction. In chapters 8 and 9, the God of infiltration. Chapter 4 and verse 33, the God of impartation. In chapter 22 and verse 14, the God of distinction. In chapter 4 and verse 12, the God of salvation. Chapter 3 and verse 19, the God of condemnation. In chapter 3 and verse 13, the God of every generation. Chapter 4 and verse 25, the God of all nations. Chapter 2 and verse 1, the God of unification. In 4 and verse 11, the God of glorification. Chapter 3 and verse 1, the God of action. chapter five and verse 31, the God of invitation, chapter three and verse 10, the God of adulation. What God is saying to us, my friend, is you are empowered by the Holy Spirit of God to worship God in the beauty of His holiness and outside of my spirit who came at Pentecost. You will never worship God. You won't do it.

Draw a line, you and I will not do it. The Holy Spirit of God not only empowers the believer to worship Him but to serve Him with boldness. Probably best seen in the life of the apostle Peter.

If you want to have an interesting study and I've done this, I can only just touch on it today. Look at Peter prior to Pentecost and then Peter after Pentecost. Compare the life and ministry of Peter who walked around with Jesus and fished with Him and did things with Him before Pentecost. Then you see the Spirit of God comes down and then have a look at Peter after Pentecost. You see prior to Pentecost, Peter was an apology for a sinner saved by the grace of God.

Where do we find him? We find Peter whining and wimping his way around from one town in Judea and Samaria and Palestine to another. He was often contentious. He was arrogant, he was proud, he was mixed up, he was spoiled and it all culminated with his pitiful denial of the Lord Jesus Christ at the cross when he said, I don't know who he is and the cock crowed three times.

Do you remember that? Peter was consistently found wavering between his faith in God and his human inadequacies and fears. Before Pentecost, Luke chapter six, the 5,000 people gathered, Peter said, listen, send them away, we don't have any food for them.

That's what Peter said. In Matthew chapter 14, Jesus said, come on Peter, walk on the water, Peter did but he was so scared he sank. Prior to Pentecost in Luke chapter 13, the Lord said to him, Peter, let me wash you.

He said, Lord, you'll never wash me. In Luke chapter 18, he got so mad, he cut the ear of the priest off. In Luke chapter 27, Jesus Christ looked at his beloved disciple and he said, Peter, Peter, Peter, just get out there and feed my sheep.

I'm sure the Lord Jesus understood that his spirit was going to come and would radically transform his servant into someone who would serve him with great boldness. What happened after Pentecost? Chapter two in verse 14, Peter lifted up his voice. Chapter two in verse 38, Peter said, repent and be baptized for the remission of sins. Chapter three, it was Peter who by God's grace, healed the lame man. In chapter three in verse 12, preached that second sermon where he coined the phrase, what seems to be your problem, man. In chapter four, this same Peter, after Pentecost, stood up and preached in the Sanhedrin with all those critics. In chapter four in verse 20, Peter said, for we cannot but speak of the things which we have heard and seen. Chapter five, it was Peter who challenged Ananias and Sapphira. In chapter five in verse 29, Peter said, we ought to obey God rather than man. In chapter five in verse 41, it was Peter of all people who said that they rejoice because they were counted worthy to suffer shame for his name. This is the same fellow who denied the name of Jesus. Chapter nine in verse 32, Peter heals Lydia.

Nine and 36, he raises Dorcas at Joppa. In 10 and verse 33, he goes out and preaches to the Gentiles. And in chapter 15 and verse six, Peter says, there is salvation only through grace in Christ Jesus. Wow.

Wow is right. You've been listening to Dr. Don Wilton, our teacher here on the Encouraging Word. You've heard him teaching us through Acts chapter two, but right now as he steps into the studio, I pray you'd open your heart to what he wants to ask next. Are you ready to give your heart and life to the Lord Jesus Christ? Why don't you pray this prayer with me right now? Dear God, I know that I'm a sinner and I know that Jesus died for me on the cross. Today, I repent of my sin and by faith, I receive you into my heart. In Jesus' name. My friend, I welcome you today into the family of God. This is exciting news. It's our prayer that God has been moving in your life as we've studied the Word together and perhaps moments ago as Dr. Wilton was praying, you gave your life to Christ.

Maybe for the first time, maybe rededicating your life. Dr. Wilton has resources he wants you to have for free. If you've made those decisions, so call us at 866-899-WORD. That's 866-899-9673 or meet us online at tewonline.org. While you're there, sign up for the daily devotion from Dr. Wilton and discover more about who we are at The Encouraging Word and how God is using every single day the teaching of the Bible from Dr. Don Wilton to change lives. The Encouraging Word is brought to you by many friends like you who are prayerfully and financially supporting the ministry. Thank you so very much. The Encouraging Word