The Sending of Jesus

In the new covenant we are all prophets and priests through the Holy Spirit (cf. Num. 11:29), empowered to minister and serve.

Scripture: Acts 2

Sermon Notes:

1. As Israel was baptized in the Jordan and became the covenant people of God, so in Matthew 28 Jesus commissions the church to baptize all nations. To fulfill the task, we need the filling of the Holy Spirit.
2. Because we see God as distant, other gods, institutions and men rule over us.
3. The Holy Spirit is not a power or abstraction; He is a person, who can be grieved. He shares the very nature of God, and we can know Him personally.
4. The Holy Spirit takes hold of us and uses us for His purposes.
5. The title 'Lord' is given to the Holy Spirit, though it is most often given to Christ, declaring His Deity (see 2 Corinthians 3:17-18).
6. The Holy Spirit is the Lord (kurios), to be worshiped and adored; He is never to be blasphemed (Luke 12:10).
7. The voices of God spoke in the languages of the people from the mount in Exodus 20.
8. We need the power and fire of God to accomplish our mission to baptize all the nations.
9. In the new covenant we are all prophets and priests through the Holy Spirit (cf. Num. 11:29), empowered to minister and serve.
10. Paul says do not forbid speaking in tongues, and he also warns not to attach an undue importance to tongues (see 1 Corinthians 12, 14).
11. The Holy Spirit and speaking in foreign tongues were preparation for international evangelism.
12. The true principle of unity is the Spirit of God poured out on all people.
13. This was the undoing of the curse for the false, man-centered idolatry of Babel, uniting all people under new covenant grace in the person of the Holy Spirit.
14. Secularism, by contrast, seeks to find all meaning in man, leaving only despair and terror.
15. The Spirit mediates the personal presence of God to His people.
16. Paul asks whether the church had received the Holy Spirit (Acts 19:2).
17. Old and New Testament believers were regenerated prior to Pentecost. Filling with the Spirit is not identical to conversion.
18. Distinct from conversion, there is an additional filling, anointing, or sealing of the Holy Spirit (cf. Acts 8:12-17). The disciples weren't converted a second time in Acts 4:31.
19. Converted believers still experience uncertainty. Even John the Baptist asked if Jesus was the Christ, though he had the Spirit from the womb.
20. There is a manner in which God's Spirit would desire to anoint, empower, and seal us that we have not yet known.
21. Paul commands us to be filled with the Holy Spirit (Eph. 5:18). Jesus says He will give the Spirit liberally to those who ask (Luke 11:13).
22. A charismatic emphasis should be highly Calvinistic. As we recognize the sovereignty and transcendence of God, we're also to embrace the personal indwelling and empowering of the Spirit in our lives.
23. What flows out of all this is the powerful witness: the group of believers which was afraid is suddenly filled with such boldness that 3000 people are converted in a single day.
24. Christians who never speak of the Lord, who are never excited about His work in our lives are missing the Spirit's filling power.
25. If we don't feel the power of God for service and witness, or if we're dry, then we're to ask and be specific to God in prayer (Luke 11:13).
26. Charlatans abound in the church today, claiming Holy Spirit anointing. James 3:14-18 identifies the authentic work of the Spirit.
27. Jonathan Edwards and D.L. Moody both had empowering experiences of the Spirit moving in their hearts and ministries.

Application Questions:

1. Who is the Holy Spirit and what is His work in the life of the believer?
2. How does the gift of tongues relate to the great commission?
3. What are signs of the extraordinary filling of the Spirit in the life of the believer?
4. Are we accepting and living out the truth? Do we have a conscious experience of these truths in a striking manner?
5. Do we know our identity in Christ and are we convinced of His power in us to live out the Christian life?
6. What should we do if we sense our need for greater filling of the Spirit?
7. How can we distinguish true and false claims of Holy Spirit anointing?

Sermon Notes