Eighth, some OT believers were enabled by the Spirit to do extraordinary feats of power to help God's people. Because Ruth saw in Naomi, God, an example that she wanted to be a part of. They'd likely not seen it. 145 views, 2 likes, 6 loves, 16 comments, 1 shares, Facebook Watch Videos from Crossroads Baptist Church: Crossroads Baptist Church Live 02/05/2023 Bold, Men and brethren, he begins to explain what's happened. People should see God in the firstfruits. As we came here this morning, to services, and as we gathered here this morning ourselves, there is a very important lesson for us to learn as well. She went and told those who had been with Him as they mourned and wept." John the Baptist had promised: The one who comes after me "will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and with fire" (Luke 3:16). And the tomb was empty, and the disciples had seen Jesus, and the authorities were beside themselves trying to figure it out, looked for the body. They weren't orphans, and we are not either in our life. They had not been a part of anything like that before. The Roman Empire was not anything to fool around with. Probably the Spirit was their instructor in two senses. John has another set of accounts, and then he kind of ends and he leaves it wide open. How can I explain to my manager that a project he wishes to undertake cannot be performed by the team? And this small group of people who had signed on to what they thought was a remarkable, gifted rabbi, and followed Him around and soon learned that they had fallen into something quite different than anything they could have ever imagined, as they witnessed miracles of loaves and fishes, and people being brought back to life, and dramatic healings. "Also for this very reason, giving all diligence into your faith virtue, to virtue knowledge, to knowledge self-control, to self-control perseverance, to perseverance godliness, the divine nature. How Believers Experienced the Spirit Before Pentecost, John Piper is founder and teacher of desiringGod.org and chancellor of Bethlehem College & Seminary. God not only designed how he wanted his tabernacle built, he also equipped the craftsmen to do it. Christ did not leave His disciples as orphans. Thomas replied, You are my Lord and my God! Why are you standing around gazing? They were kind of like this, and like this. It goes on, "When He had spoken these things," in verse 9, "they watched and He was taken up in a cloud, received Him out of their sight. There was doubt. No, He said wait till, wait in Jerusalem, and so they were there and they continued. On the evening of that day, the first day of the week, the doors being locked where the disciples were for fear of the Jews, Jesus came and stood among them and said to them, "Peace be with you." When he had said this, he showed them his hands and his side. I must put my hand where the spear went into his side. I have my own Star Trekkian-type of way to imagine how Jesus ascended. And Numbers 27: 18 says, "And the Lord said to Moses, 'Take Joshua the son of Nun, in whom is the spirit, and lay your hand upon him.'" Jesus was crucified during the Passover celebration. That is the vision that Jesus has for His Church as articulated by the apostle Paul in Ephesians 4:16 Ephesians 4:16From whom the whole body fitly joined together and compacted by that which every joint supplies, according to the effectual working in the measure of every part, makes increase of the body to the edifying of itself in love.American King James Version, and they had it at this moment. He went on to show that, "It's not for you to know the times or the seasons, which the Father has put in His own authority, but you shall receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you. Surely for a Christian all study and all creative work must justify itself in terms of love. No one could learn that song except the 144,000 who were redeemed from the earth. Christ in you, the hope of glory. This is the threefold commission that is given to this group of disciples where they are to be witnesses of Him in the city of Jerusalem, and Judea, and Samariathe wider region of the country, look at it as kind of the wider counties of the country of Israel at the timeand then ultimately, to the end of the earth, to take the Gospel and to be a witness of God, to do this. On the day of Pentecost Peter said that in these last days "your young men shall see visions and your old men shall dream dreams" (Acts 2:17). Even before the dam was completed and the reservoir was officially unleashed on the day of Pentecost, the OT saints downstream enjoyed stupendous benefits from the river of God's Spirit. That Christianity grew, after such a brief inception, into the world religion we know to today is testimony to the power of the message Jesus preached. As such, it requires a sabbath. 60 seconds. They thought that Jesus Himself didn't actually know that asleep people wake up? We give ourselves to that devotion, to that devoted study and the process of taking on the nature of God. We often think a miracle would be just what we need. That's been the hallmark of our feature. But when was it first true? They drank it, they washed in it, it watered their crops and turned their mill-wheels. He was just [snaps fingers] gone, He was there. Guardians Of Ancora Bible Plan: Ancora Kids See Jesus Alive! By using our website, you accept our use of cookies as described in our Privacy Policy. And while they looked steadfastly toward heaven as He went up," and this is through the account here in Luke, then, would be the final bodily appearance of Jesus to them. Before Pentecost the river of God's Spirit blessed the people of Israel and was their very life. And He leaves them on the Mount of Olives, which is a very, very significant geographic feature there on the east of Jerusalem across from the city, and through the Kidron Valley and up on this Mount called Olives. Now all of a sudden, as Peter steps forward, and of course, you know the story of Peter. The last holy day season, the Passover and the Days of Unleavened Bread had seen the death of Jesus Christ, and then three days later He was resurrected and He had appeared to them. If these saints experienced privileges and powers in the Holy Spirit before the dam was opened, how much more should we in these billion kilowatt days experience these things or more. And it brings it down to the end of the chapter. The Spirit gives that courage. In other words, I'm not teaching or requiring anything new. So the Word of God is what Jesus took and explained, it is what the Church went to, to explain what was happening, and then, it is the Spirit of God. So, as Jesus Christ was teaching His disciples to focus on the things pertaining to the Kingdom of God during the time between His resurrection and Pentecost, we can be focusing on that now too. And what happened? That He had to rebuke them and teach them. Praying a Scriptural Rosary is accomplished by praying a traditional Rosary and adding scriptural verses related to each mystery of the Rosary. All the gods of doubtand I say gods with a little g, because doubt, and guilt, and fear can really separate us from Godthe gods of doubt, and fear, and unbelief have all been shredded by Jesus Christ. Think about that among our own relationships with each other. They looked upon them then as liars, charlatans, or fools, maybe a bit delusional. I am not comfortable with that speculation. It was by God's Spirit that the prophets spoke to the people God's Word (Nehemiah 9:30), and it was by the Spirit that the people were enabled to grasp and apply the Word. The gospels and the book of Acts tell us that would-be zealots and messiahs had come and gone. Jesus was enveloped within a burning bush, but was not harmed. Joh 1:10 He was in the world, and the world was made through Him, and the world did not know Him. The same Jesus who's been taken up will come in a like manner as you saw Him go into heaven." So here are ten ways Old Testament believers experienced the Holy Spirit which in these "last days" of Pentecostal fulfillment ought to be enjoyed by the church. He greeted them and showed them his hands and his side. I happen to think that they, no doubt during this period of time, as the days go on they talked and they read. I was going to get on a Greyhound bus. Luke chapter 24. We are no exception today, as we wait and look for the time when the Kingdom will be restored. This is it. Now, when we turn over to Acts chapter 1, and we look at, kind of summing up of this as it is. Being mentally separated from other people (because of being ashamed of lost of their 'cause') made them being afraid of people. As Jesus' disciples they may be afraid of someone that would deliver them to soldiers to punish them for taking part in 'rebellion' (as occupants may see it). And then this dramatic miracle takes place, festive occasion. Behold I send the promise of My Father upon you, but tarryor waitin the city of Jerusalem until you are endued with power from on high. The man with the epileptic son initially brought his son to the disciples to be cured. And let's look at it beginning in verse 36, this is after His resurrection, "As they said these things," this is the two that He had appeared to on the road to Emmaus, "Jesus himself stood in the midst of them and said to them, 'Peace to you.' The elixir, the antidote to our faith, to every one of our problems, if we could see a miracle; and we like signs, but miracles, well, they're a little harder to come up with. Yes, Peter did preach under the anointing, but the empowerment of the Spirit also brought a unity and a focus of purpose they had not known before. Which again points forward to the last days inaugurated at Pentecost. As I got up this morning, prepared to come over here, go through the day, same things that will be in my mind tomorrow, and next Thursday, and a month from today. We can accomplish the work of God, and we can then be the firstfruits who follow the Lamb and who know their God and do mighty deeds and mighty exploits. But all of this in the midst of a troubled, terrified, frightened mindset that they were having to work through, during these days between the resurrection and Pentecost. We're no different than them. I like that phrase. It was their life. What do we do now? And it is Christ in us that is that hope of glory. A week later the disciples were together again. Luke 2:25-27. We all have signs, we take certain things as signs. And this dramatic miracle, but beyond that, 3,000 people being added to the Church, and then a community being developed. From the Day of Pentecost, when they had been baptized by the power of the Holy Spirit, they were equipped to go into the world. The Victory over Fear On the day of the Pentecost, The Spirit of God came to them, filled their minds and their hearts and their entire being. That is what caused them to banish their fear, trouble, doubt, and unbelief: Christ in them through the Holy Spirit. Jentezen Franklin preached a sermon about scribes. "And He said to them, 'Thus it is written, thus it was necessary for the Christ to suffer, to rise from the dead the third day, and that repentance and the remissions of sins would be preached in his name to all nations, beginning at Jerusalem, and you are witnesses of these things. This was something that was spiritual in nature, that bound them together and they prayed, they studied the Scripture, and they praised God, it says, and because of that, their example caused them to have favor with people and others were drawn to their example at that time. As you read on in Acts chapter 1, one of the main things they did was to choose a successor to Judas. First few verses of Acts chapter 1, beginning in verse 3, Luke in his prologue to the account as he writes to this man named Theophilus, about all that had been done by Jesus until the day in which He was taken up through the Holy Spirit and had given commandments to the apostles, whom He had chosen, to whom He also presented himself alive after His suffering by many infallible proofs, being seen by them during 40 days, and speaking of the things pertaining to the Kingdom of God., So Luke gives us an explicit reference point that this went on. We've just read it. These are the ones who are not defiled with women, they are virgins, spiritual virgins. What did they do during that 10 days? To subscribe to this RSS feed, copy and paste this URL into your RSS reader. He greeted them Douay-Rheims Bible I wouldn't bother with the question if I didn't. As we have received the gift of God's Spirit, as those on that first day of Pentecost received the gift of the Holy Spirit were brought into the Church, they became, and so are we, partakers of the divine nature. Somebody will tap me on the shoulder and tell me what to do next, but you know what? . The disciples met in the upper room after the ascension, but ten days elapsed between the ascension and the events described in Acts 2. If we can learn to take on the divine nature and drink that in, in our lives, then we can banish doubt, uncertainty, and fear, unbelief, that will creep in at various times as we go through our lives, and stages in the developments of life. So they told him, We have seen the Lord! And so Luke's account brings this together. But I had to go to St. Louis about 100 miles north of my hometown and pick up what they called an express bus, that would go through the larger cities. That Numbers 32 and verse 23, is correct. I've got to find out where that next bus leaves, and what time." Jesus came in while the doors were still locked and stood in the middle of the group. Suddenly, Jesus appeared in the middle of the group. And continuing daily with one accord in the temple, and breaking bread from house to house, they ate their food with gladness and simplicity of heart, praising God and having favor with all the people, and the Lord added to the church daily those who were being saved.". Or is this authority that I mentioned just about Jesus' own power he gave them and isn't about Spirit in themselves like when he said to Peter to cast net into water and pulled out much fishes? Not many days, we would look at it roughly 10 days from that 40-day period. Ninth, the Spirit enabled some OT believers to interpret God's revelation in dreams. Those in the Spirit are indwelt by the Spirit and are enabled by him to fulfill the just requirement of the law. About 10 days earlier, Christ had finally ascended for the final time and they were left alone. And they did, and thousands were added to the Church that day. Every minister's dream, to give one sermon and thousands of people get baptized and join the Church in one day, every minister's fantasy. And they continued steadfastly in the apostles' doctrine and fellowship, and in the breaking of bread and in prayers. Maybe a few more decided to go to Jerusalem on Pentecost to see what was going on, and the town was bursting at the seams, and from all these nations that we're told about here and areas. It says, "The eleven disciples went away into Galilee, to the mountain which Jesus had appointed for them. After Jesus had greeted them again, he said, I am sending you, just as the Father has sent me. Then he breathed on them and said, Receive the Holy Spirit. But they saw Him for a period of time, and that's how I like to imagine it. Week 8 to Pentecost. If they got it at Pentecost, with what power then did the twelve these wonders if not with Holy Spirit? Doubt, some of them doubt, what did they doubt? The appearance of Jesus' face changed, and his clothes became as bright as a flash of lightning. He greeted his disciples and said to Thomas, Put your finger here and look at my hands! Matthew records that "when the disciples saw him walking on the lake, they were terrified. It is the Word of God and it is the Spirit of God that did it for them, and will do it for you and for I today as we live our lives, as we go about our lives. . Or is it? Fear not" (Haggai 2:5). And allows us to then grow, because the next few verses here of 2 Peter speaks to a process of spiritual empowerment and growth and development. For if these things are yours and abound, you will be neither barren nor unfruitful in the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ.". On that day of Pentecost, people who had been doubtful were moved to speak powerfully, to repentance, to belief, and to action. ; 39:29) and Joel (2:28) prophesied and longed to see. "For as the new heavens and the new earth, which I will make, shall remain before me, saith the Lord, so shall your seed and your name remain.". 7 For the mind that is set on the flesh is hostile to God, for it does not submit to Gods law; indeed, it cannot. Second, the OT believers experienced the new birth and indwelling of the Holy Spirit. Up to that time the Spirit had not been given, since Jesus had not yet been glorified. Two things we can summarize to show what was the key to bring about this scene that we see here at the end of chapter 2 in Acts. Did they doubt themselves? What was possibly on the disciples' mind the morning of Pentecost? And what was the key to that? And it is in that, we reach the real nexus, the real critical point of our life before God, where we recognize that, with the Holy Spirit, we are taking on the very nature of God, the divine nature. If dark matter was created in the early universe and its formation released energy, is there any evidence of that energy in the cmb? They didn't know. Even though they had seen miracles, again, another indication to us always to remember that miracles are important, miracles can be faith-builders, but miracles by themselves will not do it all. That's the famous road to Emmaus experienced from the book of Luke, "and they went and told it to the rest, but they did not believe them either." These are the days of Pentecost, the days of the fullness of the Spirit, the days of worldwide mission. The answer is not Pentecost. What are some tools or methods I can purchase to trace a water leak? Go you therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost: To whom God would make known what is the riches of the glory of this mystery among the Gentiles; which is Christ in you, the hope of glory: And I looked, and, see, a Lamb stood on the mount Sion, and with him an hundred forty and four thousand, having his Father's name written in their foreheads. That's a little-understood part of what was taking place. 3They saw what seemed to be tongues of fire that separated and came to rest on each of them. Answer: In Luke 10:17, when the seventy came back from visiting the towns in Israel, they said, " Lord, even the demons are subject to us in Your name. Well, the real answer is for you and I, the same things that are going through your mind right now, and my mind. Maybe they had their hands in their pockets kind of like this, thinking, "Wow, that was neat. The indwelling Spirit permanently dwells in the believer. Again, the answer is yes. And suddenly there came a sound from heaven as of a rushing mighty wind and it filled the whole house where they were sitting, and it appeared to them, divided tongues as of fire. It was celebrated 50 days after Passover and was marked by pilgrims coming to Jerusalem from all over the world to celebrate the event. Chapter 4 takes as its starting point the gift of speaking in tongues from the narrative of Pentecost in Acts 2:1-13. . Did they doubt that it was real? It only takes a minute to sign up. Take certain things as signs got to find out what were the disciples afraid of before pentecost that next bus,. Have my own Star Trekkian-type of way to imagine how Jesus ascended use... 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