Sunday, May 24, 2015

Don't believe me just watch-Holy Spirit



                  
The greater power for us after the resurrection is the Holy Spirit.
                  That same Spirit that raised Christ from the dead shall work in us, dwell in us and work through us!
                  I don't know about you but that fires me up!
                  Many of us miss the message of training in the days between Easter and Pentecost.
                  God the Father and God the Holy Spirit raised Jesus from the dead, the risen Jesus didnt leave in a hurry: He continued His commitment to His disciples and put the finishing touches on three years of training.
                  He wants to do the same for us.
                  On the Day of Pentecost, (fiftieth day) there was great rejoicing for the freedom that the Holy Spirit brought.
1.      He still brings us freedom today.
2.      We no longer have to live in any kind of captivity; neither does the world around us.
                  God wants people to be free.
1.      Jesus spoke these words:

Luke 4:18-19 NLT [18] "The Spirit of the LORD is upon Me, for He has anointed Me to bring Good News to the poor. He has sent Me to proclaim that captives will be released, that the blind will see, that the oppressed will be set free, [19] and that the time of the LORD's favor has come."

                  Release and freedom.
                  Those held captive would be released into their purpose, freed from their sin and bondage.
1.      Released and freed to proclaim the second coming of Jesus Christ.

2 Corinthians 3:16-18 NLT "[16] But whenever someone turns to the Lord, the veil is taken away. [17] For the Lord is the Spirit, and wherever the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom. [18] So all of us who have had that veil removed can see and reflect the glory of the Lord. And the Lord-who is the Spirit-makes us more and more like him as we are changed into His glorious image."

Illustrate here: Need a box and cover for box and a flash light illustration for Sunday.

1.      We're going to restore faith in our community, don't believe me just watch.
2.      We are going to restore confidence in the church, don't believe me just watch.
3.      We're going to restore the name of Jesus in our hearts, in our city, in this nation, in this globe, don't believe me just watch.
4.      We're going to ignite passion like never before in this body of Christ, don't believe me just watch.
5.      We're going to worship in spirit and in truth like never before don't believe me just watch.
6.      We're going to reach children, students, college students, single adults, married couples and the lost like we never dreamed, don't believe me just watch.
7.      We're going to grow this church with new believers, new converts, and people who are far from God, don't believe me just watch.
                  God the Holy Spirit gives us a glimpse of the future and what it will look and be like.
                  What Jesus began we are to finish.
                  The very first verse in Acts 1:1 teaches us that the gospels were about everything Jesus began to do and teach the rest of Acts teaches us that Jesus was still doing them.
                  He continues to teach us in the days, weeks, months, decades, centuries, and millenniums after the gospels.
                  The gospel message has never changed!
                  The power of the gospel has never changed!
                  Grace has never changed!
                  Forgiveness has never changed and the Holy Spirit has never changed! 
1.      What God was He still is and what He was doing He's still doing!
2.      He's on task until the end.

Acts 1:1-8 NLT "[1] In my first book I told you, Theophilus, about everything Jesus began to do and teach [2] until the day He was taken up to heaven after giving His chosen apostles further instructions through the Holy Spirit. [3] During the forty days after He suffered and died, He appeared to the apostles from time to time, and He proved to them in many ways that He was actually alive. And He talked to them about the Kingdom of God. [4] Once when He was eating with them, He commanded them, "Do not leave Jerusalem until the Father sends you the gift He promised, as I told you before. [5] John baptized with water, but in just a few days you will be baptized with the Holy Spirit." [6] So when the apostles were with Jesus, they kept asking Him, "Lord, has the time come for you to free Israel and restore our kingdom?" [7] He replied, "The Father alone has the authority to set those dates and times, and they are not for you to know. [8] But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes upon you. And you will be my witnesses, telling people about me everywhere-in Jerusalem, throughout Judea, in Samaria, and to the ends of the earth."  

                  The work of the first century church was, is, and will always be the work of Jesus.
                  Is that still true today in us?
1.      Its all too easy to substitute our work for His, to engage in ministry apart from His direction.
2.      What is Jesus doing and teaching in our day?
1.      The same things.
                  Jesus message in the 40 days of resurrection was no different than His message during His three years of ministry: the Kingdom of God (Acts 1:3).
                  Its worth noting that the book of Acts opens and closes with the Kingdom of God front and center.
                  The very last verse in the book shows us Paul, three decades later, still proclaiming the Kingdom of God.

Acts 28:31 NLT "boldly proclaiming the Kingdom of God and teaching about the Lord Jesus Christ. And no one tried to stop him."

                  The gospel accounts end with Jesus saying, Go!
                  In Acts, Jesus says, Wait!
1.      What was so important that Jesus told his disciples to stay in Jerusalem?
1.      We can be familiar with the mission of Jesus Christ to go into all the world and blow right past the revelation of the power to do it, which is through the Holy Spirit.
2.      Jesus said, in effect, Dont go anywhere, or do anything until you receive all that I have for you?
1.      We can work for God without any special empowerment.
2.      We cannot work with Him apart from the Holy Spirit.
                  Jesus told His followers there were some things we would not know, especially regarding the times and the seasons of the last days.
                  Yet this very topic is of great interest in the church today: the true illness is a church preoccupied with an exit strategy when our mission is stay and represent the Kingdom of God, preaching the gospel of Jesus Christ.
                  Biblically speaking, weve been in the last days for 2,000 years.
                  Jesus tells us to focus on the mission, not the culmination of the mission (Acts 1:7-8).
                  The angels who were present at the ascension asked a great question:

Acts 1:11b Why are you standing here staring into heaven?

1.      There is more to the mission than just going to heaven.
2.      There's a world to share the gospel with and a generation that is desperately searching. 
                  John the Baptist prepared the way for Jesus.
                  That's me, thats us, that's the mission.
                  John 3:16
                  God so loved the world: don't believe me just watch?
1.      I will give Jesus and He will give His life to rescue all mankind.

Illustrate here: put chairs out to represent religion, knowledge, money, success, education, unbelief, atheism, hedonism, agnostic, astrology, mythology, removing the obstacles to see Jesus.

                  We are going to have to work to remove every obstacle, level every high place down, raise every low place up, and preach truth to every mindset.
                  Reaching out to every man, woman, boy, and girl in our area that they might know and experience Jesus Christ and eternal life.
                  I believe we are in the greatest hour of the global church and I want to destroy the kingdom of darkness and exalt the Kingdom of God!

1 Corinthians 15:3-4 NLTb "Christ died for our sins, just as the Scriptures said. [4] He was buried, and He was raised from the dead on the third day, just as the Scriptures said."

                  The gospel is not simply that Christ died.
                  The gospel is that Christ died for our sins.
                  It is not just His death, but also the purpose of His death that we believe.
                  Then His resurrection puts Him in a class prepared, created, and matchless against all other men, gods, or religions.
1.      A class all by Himself.
                  There is not one other person that has been prophesied for hundreds of years by hundreds of people, Priests, Levites, Pastors, Reverends, unbelievers and leaders all over the world.
                  His birth was prophesied about, His life was prophesied about, His death was prophesied about, His burial was prophesied about, and His resurrection was prophesied about.
                  You know what else was prophesied about His Second Coming.
1.      I believe, I am ready, His word is true, and His word has been true and His word will always be true.
2.      I am a believer.
1.      I am working to prepare the way for others, Jesus is coming, and He is returning for His people, don't believe me just watch!
                  None will ever compare or be able to purchase salvation but Jesus Christ.
                  There is none other.
                  There is no other God, there is no other Savior, there is no other way, it is Christ and Christ alone.

Isaiah 43:10-13 NLT [10] "But you are my witnesses, O Israel!" says the LORD. "You are my servant. You have been chosen to know me, believe in me, and understand that I alone am God. There is no other God-there never has been, and there never will be. [11] I, yes I, am the LORD, and there is no other Savior. [12] First I predicted your rescue, then I saved you and proclaimed it to the world. No foreign god has ever done this. You are witnesses that I am the only God," says the LORD. [13] "From eternity to eternity I am God. No one can snatch anyone out of my hand. No one can undo what I have done."

                  I am His witness, and I have been placed in protective custody.

Luke 1:37 KJV "For with God nothing shall be impossible."

                  If a woman testified her son was virgin born would you believe it?
1.      I would if the place of His birth, the manner of His life and death, His burial and resurrection had been predicted as much as 4,000 years in advance.
2.      If He lived a perfect life and even His enemies who hated Him severely, could not find fault in Him, I would believe Him to be virgin born.
3.      If He could walk on waves and still the tempest. 
4.      If He could heal the sick and open up blind eyes. 
5.      If He could read the inner most thoughts of the heart through the divine will and purpose of All Mighty God, I would believe He was virgin born.
6.      If at the hour of His death the sun, moon, and stars refused to shine and the earth began to seize and convulse itself as dead people literally came out of the grave, I would believe it.
7.      If the Roman Empire stood and said we will not let Him live again and they stationed 60 Roman guards there to secure the tomb.
8.      If they sealed it and it was illegal for anyone to break the seal.
1.      But they could not keep His body in the grave and He tore down the bars of death and went down to the pits of hell and conquered Satan and took the keys of death, hell and the grave.
9.      If He got up out of the grave and lived and walked and was seen for forty days.
10.If that were the case I could believe He was virgin born.
11.If after His resurrection an unlearned fisherman preached a sermon and 3,000 souls were dynamited into the kingdom of God. 
12.If trusting in His name would make a murderer kill no more, make a thief steal no more, make a drunkard drink no more, and make a liar lie no more.
13.I would surely believe He would be virgin born.
14.If darkness, sin and ignorance vanished at the mention of His name, I could believe anybody could be virgin born if they possessed that kind of power.
15.But since only one man did that I believe that only one man was virgin born.

1.      I believe that man is Jesus.



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