Preparation for Service Acts 1:4-8
Sermon by Dennis Gleason, January 4, 2004
On Friday evening, my friend Mike reminded me of the story of Paderewski and Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star.
A mother, wishing to encourage her young son’s progress at the piano bought tickets for a performance by Ignace Paderewski, the famous Polish concert pianist. When the night arrived they found their seats near the front of the concert hall and eyed the majestic Steinway waiting on stage.
Soon the mother found a friend to talk to and the boy slipped away. When eight o’clock arrived, the spotlights came on, the audience quieted, and only then did they notice the boy up on the piano stool, innocently picking out "Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star."
His mother gasped, but before she could retrieve her son, the master appeared on stage and quickly moved to the piano.
"Don’t quit - keep playing" he whispered to the boy. Leaning over, Paderweski reached down with his left hand and began filling in a bass part. Soon his right arm reached around the other side, encircling the child, to add a running obligato. Together the old master and the young novice held the crowd mesmerised.
In our lives, unpolished though we may be, it is the Master who surrounds us and whispers in our ear, time and again, "Don’t quit - keep playing". And as we do he augments and supplements until a work of amazing beauty is created.
Our text today is found in Acts 1:4-8
4In one of these meetings as he was eating a meal with them, he told them, “Do not leave Jerusalem until the Father sends you what he promised. Remember, I have told you about this before. 5John baptized with water, but in just a few days you will be baptized with the Holy Spirit.”
6When the apostles were with Jesus, they kept asking him, “Lord, are you going to free Israel now and restore our kingdom?”
7“The Father sets those dates,” he replied, “and they are not for you to know. 8But when the Holy Spirit has come upon you, you will receive power and will tell people about me everywhere—in Jerusalem, throughout Judea, in Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.”
Last week I suggested to you that as the new year begins, there were two things that we need: First of all, we need a vision of God and we need to hear the voice of God. We looked at the vision of Isaiah in Isaiah 6.
This week we want to consider one more thing we need if we are to be successful in accomplishing what God intends for us in this new year. This passage in Acts tells us what that one thing is. We have to somehow obtain the power to serve Christ.
The disciples had been following Jesus for approximately 3 to 3 ½ years. One of the things that is very clear from our observation of them and their association with Jesus is that there were a lot of things that Jesus taught them that never registered with them. They were men who were devoted to Jesus. They loved Jesus very much. They were loyal to Jesus. But… It seems that time and time again, they just did not understand what he was saying to them. They had much to learn about the ways of God.
A case in point is found in our text: These disciples had been given the command to “go into all the world and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit.” Matthew 28:19-20. They had been given their marching orders. The future of the ministry of the Kingdom of God in the lives of men and women was up to them.
Just as they are on the verge of going out…Jesus says in effect “you can’t go.” “He commanded them not to leave Jerusalem, but to wait for what the Father had promised.” The King James Version uses the word “tarry”.
He is saying to them: You are not ready to serve me. You lack something you must wait for.
When Jesus was teaching them about the Cross, it is clear that they never understood its meaning. They had avoided it from the beginning, seeking to escape it. When Jesus was arrested, tried and crucified they had been scattered like chaff in the wind. The inexplicable glory of the resurrection had gathered them together again and as they meet with Jesus (Acts 1:6) they wanted to know if it was the time when Jesus was going to restore the kingdom to Israel.
Jesus’ answer was that he was not authorized to give them God’s calendar of events: “It is not for you to know times or epochs which the Father has fixed by His own authority.” (1:7). Israel will be restored; the kingdom will be established; the whole earth will be brought into submission to Jesus Christ the King; but it is not for you to know when these things are to come about….But what you really do need…you will receive.
Imagine if you will what has taken place in their lives over the past two months both spiritually and emotionally. They have endured the devastation of Jesus’ arrest, trial and crucifixion. Then there were the roller-coaster highs and lows of the news of Jesus’ resurrection, his appearances to them and the hope that all of this had engendered. Surely Jesus would now establish his kingdom and all that it meant to Israel. Their hopes were extinguished when he told them that he was going away where they could not yet follow.
They were to tarry in Jerusalem. They were to wait for the Holy Spirit to come upon them with the power they needed to be his witnesses in Jerusalem, Judea, Samaria and the uttermost parts of the earth. They were to wait for power. There were no programs, no details, no arrangements made for them to proceed on their course to tell the story of Jesus. All they had was an attitude, a duty, a responsibility and a resource. They were to witness about Jesus in the power of the Holy Spirit.
So it was that Jesus halted them on the verge of their going; at the very moment of their obedience to his calling them to the mission that would define their lives. They were prepared to go; but they were not really ready to go. You think you are ready to go, but you are not. You must wait here in Jerusalem for what is coming.
Why did they need to wait? Well, they were going to have to face two things as they obediently went out to tell the story of Jesus: the reality of a carnal life…a worldly life demanding their acquiescence to the important things of a worldly life and secondly, the forces of evil…the devil and all the demonic forces they would face in the world of men.
They were going to be called upon to live out before the world a life of spiritual victory. They had to be able to manifest before other men and women the fact that a life pleasing to God was possible…and could be lived successfully…which never answers the call of the flesh. This had always been God’s intention for his people…to live Godly lives before others so that they might be drawn to God. This was their responsibility and Jesus is saying to them: You are not equal to the task as things are presently constituted.
When Jesus was arrested they fled. They were protected by God’s power when the storm had broken upon them then. However, the storm was going to come upon them again and this time they would be in the center of it. The world would soon desire to crucify them as it had Jesus. The spirit of evil would be against them personally. If their old life was not enough to keep them loyal to Jesus when he was the focus of all this evil; how could they ever face the coming storms when the focus was on them?
What they needed was a new power to enable them to proclaim the good news, to bring men and women into the Kingdom, to compel wills to consider Jesus, to bring men and women into subjection to Jesus Christ. How were they to do this? By simply telling the story of Jesus, the crucified, risen and glorified King who came and who will come again to establish his kingdom. People who responded to the story would need other things to do organizationally, but the victories would be won by telling the story of Jesus.
When Paul went to Athens, they said “This babbler comes hither also…” The word “babbler” is a Greek word that indicates a teller of stories. They called him such because he told stories about Jesus and his resurrection.
What is the nature of this power? The word used here in Acts 1:8 “you shall receive power…” is a word that gives us our English word dynamite: dunamis. It is the Greek word for “inherent ability; power by virtue of one’s own ability and resources.” The source of this power is the Holy Spirit. This power is inherent within Himself by virtue of who He is…God, in Spirit.
There is an interesting correspondence that we need to note:
The Holy Spirit can only do the work of Christ through men.
Men can only do the work of Christ through the power of the Holy Spirit.
This is the equipping power of the Spirit of God. “The Holy Spirit shall come upon you and you shall receive power…” This is power for service. This is power to equip us to do God’s work. This is the power of God that takes our talents and gifts and produces fruit that will endure forever. This is the power that tears down strongholds that Satan has erected in our lives and the lives of others. This is the power that accomplishes spiritual results in the lives of men and women. This is the power that sets captives free in Christ. This is power to understand the Word of God and to act upon His leading in our lives in ways that bring men, women and children into the Kingdom of God.
And Jesus said they were to wait for it. Why?
Look at Peter:
In the presence of the cross, he said to Jesus: “spare yourself.” “Not that, anything but the cross.”
In Acts 5 we read that Peter counted it all joy that he was considered worthy to suffer for the Name of Jesus. We don’t read any more about the followers of Jesus running away from danger. We do hear about their troubles from false brothers, robbers, on land and sea, of receiving 40 stripes less one again and again, of being beaten and left for dead and we hear them glory in their affliction with no complaints!
Why the difference? The Holy Spirit is the difference. He has empowered them, making them stronger than all the forces that could ever be against them. They have no sword except the Sword of the Spirit which is the Word of God. They have no program save the orderliness of the Holy Spirit. This group of men and women puzzled the chief priests, Scribes and Pharisees as to how they did what they did!
How do you account for these things? It is the power of the Holy Spirit. “We are witnesses of these things and so is the Holy Spirit.” After the Holy Spirit had come upon them, we find Peter talking to the gathered people about Jesus. We see them listening to him until they were swept by the wind of God themselves and added to the church…men and women gathered into the Kingdom of God. That is the power of the Holy Spirit. Power to change our lives and our ministries so that there is fruit brought into the Kingdom of God.
Dwight L. Moody was to have a campaign in England. An elderly pastor protested, "Why do we need this 'Mr. Moody'? He's uneducated, inexperienced, etc. Who does he think he is anyway? Does he think he has a monopoly on the Holy Spirit?" A younger, wiser pastor rose and responded, "No, but the Holy Spirit has a monopoly on Mr. Moody."
D.L Moody said, "I believe firmly that the moment our hearts are emptied of pride and selfishness and ambition and everything that is contrary to God's law, the Holy Spirit will fill every corner of our hearts. But if we are full of pride and conceit and ambition and the world, there is no room for the Spirit of God. We must be emptied before we can be filled."
The issue for us today is this:
Do we have this power in our lives today?
Are we experiencing this power in victory over the enemies that would defeat and destroy us?
If it was necessary for the early disciples to wait until they had received this empowerment for ministry, do we need it any less today?
If you have received it - allow the Holy Spirit to use you in that power to touch the world in which you live. Seek His direction and His will for your life and then follow Him as He leads you.
If you have not received it then get it at all costs.
The pathway to receiving it is submission of your will, your life to the Holy Spirit allowing him to have control of your life…all of your life so that He can fill you to overflowing. He wants all of us; not just parts of our lives.
When it takes place the one constant reality is that we will have spiritual power to do the work that God has called us to do.
The Holy Spirit will say to us: “Don’t quit-keep playing.” As He reaches around us and augments and supplements the work with His power until the spiritual fruit is produced that will last forever.
And the results will be fruit that will remain for all eternity and that will bless God.
--Dennis Gleason
