The power of the Spirit

Luke 24:45-49

⁴⁵ Then he opened their minds so they could understand the Scriptures. ⁴⁶ He told them, “This is what is written: The Messiah will suffer and rise from the dead on the third day,⁴⁷ and repentance for the forgiveness of sins will be preached in his name to all nations, beginning at Jerusalem. ⁴⁸ You are witnesses of these things. ⁴⁹ I am going to send you what my Father has promised; but stay in the city until you have been clothed with power from on high.”

The Good News of repentance and forgiveness will be preached to all nations.

Preached - told - proclaimed – in whose name – in the name of Jesus.

You see this is the Good News that Jesus died and rose again.

And that when we repent of our sins we can have forgiveness because of what Jesus has done.

When Peter was with John before the Sanhedrin, he said:

Salvation is found in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given to mankind by which we must be saved.

The Good News is to be preached – we do it with our lips. The Gospel has to be spoken.

There is a disputed quote that is sometimes attributed to St Fancies of Assisi.

"Wherever you go, preach the gospel, and if necessary, use words."

Now I wouldn’t want to puff my self up by saying that I know better than St Francis of Assisi.

But I have to say that it is wrong.

According to Jesus in this passage the gospel has to be preached.

It’s our job to tell people about Jesus.

And how do we do it?

With the power of the Holy Spirit!

I am going to send you what my Father has promised; but stay in the city until you have been clothed with power from on high.

And Luke repeats this in Acts chapter 1:

Jesus says:

Do not leave Jerusalem, but wait for the gift my Father promised, which you have heard me speak about.  For John baptized with water, but in a few days you will be baptized with the Holy Spirit...
...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.

They had to wait for the power from on high.

Otherwise they couldn't have possibly fulfilled all that He had commanded them to do!

Without the Spirit our preaching, our witnessing, our evangelism – it’s all powerless to achieve its purpose.

And the Spirit came – at Pentecost.

You know when I was young, like most people I suppose, I used to really love Christmas. And I still do. But when I became a Christian Easter became much more important to me. 

But then, when I discovered the Holy Spirit, Pentecost became important for me and I still think it’s the most important day in the Christian calendar.

The birthday of the church – the empowering from on high.

The disciples had to wait in Jerusalem.

And when the Holy Spirit came they were able to speak God’s word with boldness.

On that first Pentecost Peter preached to the crowds just as Jesus had said:

He said:

“Repent and be baptised, 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. The promise is for you and your children and for all who are far off—for all whom the Lord our God will call.”

The waiting is over.

The Spirit has come.

The promise – is for you.

Look at this passage from the forward to a book by Bob George called Classic Christianity.

There are few things quite so boring as being religious, but there is nothing quite so exciting as being a Christian!

Most folks have never discovered the difference between the one and the other, so that there are those who sincerely try to live a life they do not have, substituting religion for God, Christianity for Christ, and their own noble endeavors for the energy, joy, and power of the Holy Spirit.

In the absence of reality, they can only grasp at ritual, stubbornly defending the latter in the absence of the former, lest they be found with neither!

They are lamps without oil, cars without gas, and pens without ink, baffled at their own impotence in the absence of all that alone can make man functional; for man was so engineered by God that the presence of the Creator within the creature is indispensable to His humanity.

Christ gave Himself for us to give Himself to us! His presence puts God back into the man! He came that we might have life - God's life!

There are those who have a life they never live.

They have come to Christ and thanked Him only for what He did, but do not live in the power of who He is.

Between the Jesus who "was" and the Jesus who "will be" they live in a spiritual vacuum, trying with no little zeal to live for Christ a life that only He can live in and through them, perpetually begging for what in Him they already have!

The waiting is over!

The Spirit has come.

To fill us

To give us gifts.

To guide us

To heal us

To produce fruit in us

To teach us

To strengthen us

To give us power from on high!

Now I don’t know where you are in your relationship with the Holy Spirit.

Maybe you've never received Holy Spirit power

Then this is your opportunity to ask Him to come.

Maybe you do know the power of the Holy Spirit in your life

Then now is the time to ask for more.

When Paul says be filled with the Spirit in his letter to the Ephesians he uses the present continuous tense – be being filled – go on being filled with the Spirit.

So you can come to Him again right now and ask for a fresh outpouring.

Sometimes we make it difficult for ourselves. Things can get in the way.

Things like fear.

            But perfect love casts out all fear. And Jesus says fear not.

It might be unbelief and doubt.

But Jesus says to you – just like he said to Thomas - Stop doubting and believe

Or it may be unconfessed sin. Sin from some time ago – repeating sin – addictions

Bring it to Jesus

He says: my yoke is easy and my burden is light

He died to bring you forgiveness of sins.
Confess it now and ask Him to take it away.

Earlier in Luke Jesus says:

"Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you. For everyone who asks receives; he who seeks finds; and to him who knocks, the door will be opened. "Which of you fathers, if your son asks for a fish, will give him a snake instead? Or if he asks for an egg, will give him a scorpion? If you then, though you are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father in heaven give the Holy Spirit to those who ask him!"

So why don’t ask Him now?