If B.I.B.L.E stands for “Basic Instructions Before Leaving Earth” then the 40 days Jesus spent with them between His resurrection and His ascension was certainly all of that! Someone has said that we need the bible because there are some things that even Google can’t answer!
I want to open this presentation with a writing which is included in the book of acts by Luke, who is the author of the book that is still being written by the followers of Christ. The apostle John tells us that there are many other things which, if they should be written every one, I the world itself could not contain it…..
A few insights here….The letter is addressed to a man by the name of Theophilus, who most feel is a high ranking official in the Roman government, who has supported Paul in his missionary journeys. He is most likely one of those that Paul refers to as “the saints in Caesar’s household”. Luke addresses him in the book of Luke as “Most Excellent” which would indicate a person of high rank and possibly a member of the Emperor Nero’s own family, referred to as Caesar. There are historical records which refer to a man named Theophilus as “A Great Lord” from that same time period.
But the purpose of the letter is clear. Luke states it is “that you may have certainty concerning the things you have been taught.” (Or that you may know that you have been taught the truth)
Acts 1:1 “In my former book, Theophilus, I wrote about all that Jesus began to do and to teach v2 until the day he was taken up to heaven, after He had given instructions through the Holy Spirit to the apostles He had chosen. v3 After His suffering, He presented Himself to them and gave many convincing proofs that He was alive. He appeared to them over a period of forty days and spoke about the kingdom of God. v4 On one occasion, while He was eating with them, he gave them this command: “Do not leave Jerusalem, but wait for the gift my Father promised, which you have heard me speak about. v5 For John baptized with water, but in a few days you will be baptized with the Holy Spirit.”
v6 Then they gathered around Him and asked Him, “Lord, are You at this time going to restore the kingdom to Israel?” v7 He said to them: “It is not for you to know the times or dates the Father has set by His own authority. v8 But 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.” v9 After He said this, He was taken up before their very eyes, and a cloud hid Him from their sight”.
For 40 days, after the resurrection, Jesus interacted with them in a one to one as well as in groups. In one incident he met with 500 at one time… He was not just a Spirit, He ate with them, they touched Him, Thomas put his finger in the wound in his hand and his side.. On one occasion, after he rose, it says He built a fire and had bread and fish prepared on the shore, so they could eat together… He walked Emmaus road with them and went to their homes.
Between the Resurrection and the Ascension Jesus was conducting an Apostolic bootcamp, and His teaching centeredaround three things, The end times, the Holy Spirit’s ministryand our purpose as His ambassadors in the earth.
They wanted to know what was ahead for the future. So, Jesus used their question to teach them about the Holy Spirit’s work through them and their purpose in it all. …let’s look at what Jesus taught us about what’s ahead. We are privileged to be witnesses of many end time prophecies of Jesus being fulfilled…..
Jesus told them to beware, because many would come in His name operating under an anti-Christ spirit, and lead many folks astray. The ultimate fulfillment of this will be in the form of the anti-christ, whom the world will follow after.
Jesus said there would be wars and rumors of wars, (warring spirits loosed in the earth. Spirits of violence, greed, covetousness and murder) and that earthquakes and famines will increase in frequency, but the end is not yet.
Paul described it as the whole creation groaning and travailing like a woman nearing child birth.
Jesus told us that we would be persecuted to silence us but if we were faithful, we would stand before Governors and Kings to bear witness of the truth. He said that the Holy Spirit would give us what we should say and do. Jesus said that we would be hated for our faithful witness to Him, but be encouraged, “those who endure to the end will be saved.” I read a report that currently… there are 270 Christians who become martyrs every 24 hours, of every day….
Does that frighten you or give you boldness and resolve? In the midst of all of this stuff taking place, the Lord promised that all the world would have a chance to hear the gospel and then the end would come.
That’s why we are part of “Faith Comes By Hearing” which is dedicated to reaching every tongue, every culture, and every people group. How exciting to be part of hastening the coming of the Lord!
Three times Jesus tells them and us, “Be on guard”…. Nothing, I mean Nothing, is important enough to miss heaven for. Let’s finish what we’ve begun and do it joyfully with a smile on our face..
Big Dave was very negative about church, but he attended just to keep his wife from nagging him constantly. He would always fall asleep and snore during the Sunday sermon and his wife, Martha, was fed up and decided to deal with the embarrassing situation. The next Sunday when he fell asleep, she quietly removed some limburger cheese from a zip lock bag in her purse and smeared it under his nose. Big Dave sat up straight and blurted out, “This sermon stinks”…He moved to the back of the auditorium and said “This whole church stinks”… He went outside and yelled “The whole world stinks”….
Well, just maybe it’s the attitude of the stinking stinker, not everything and everyone around them!!!!
You’ll be a lot sweeter if you stay close to the great Shepherd, Strengthen one another, stay in fellowship, stay in the Word, and allow the ever present ministry of the Holy Spirit, to constantly renew and replenish your spirit….You’ll smell much better and be a better smeller!
You know, Jesus talked about His return before He had evenascended! Clearly, He wanted there to be no doubt concerning His coming back to this earth. After He had ascended, the church went everywhere declaring the message that He would return to gather His followers, both the dead and the living.Paul tells us that these were to be words of comfort to the church….
1Thessalonians 4:16 “For the Lord himself shall descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trump of God and the dead in Christ shall rise first, v17 Then we which are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air and so shall we ever be with the Lord”.
Christ will appear in the clouds at the time of the rapture, 7 years before He actually touches the earth. This is when He gathers believers, alive and dead from the 4 corners of the earth. Some say He will appear before the 7 year tribulation, others say He will appear at the middle, and others say He will come back at the end of the tribulation…
Let me explain why I believe in pre-tribulation rapture. Understand that the tribulation is described as the wrath of God toward a rebellious and wicked world.
1Thessalonians 1:10 “We wait for his Son from heaven, whom he raised from the dead, even Jesus, which delivers us from the wrath to come”.
Once, when I was teaching about the rapture on Sunday morning, and after church was over and we were riding home, my son Chris (12 yrs old) appeared to be a little upset and he said “I don’t want the rapture to come”… He said “I haven’t done a lot of things that I still want to do”…. Even though we told him all the positives about going in the rapture, he could only see the things he would miss out on like girlfriends, marriage, children of his own, and getting to be a full grown man….(you are all thinking now of the benefits of going in the rapture)
Well, Once we are raptured, we will receive the rewards forfaithfulness in His service during our life here. What have we done with what we’ve been given? Have we been faithful as soul winners, have we kept the faith and put the Lord first.
SPURGEON said “There are no CROWN-WEARERS there,who were not CROSS-BEARERS here."
2 Timothy 4:8 “Henceforth there is laid up for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous judge, will award to me on that day, and not only to me but also to all who have loved his appearing”. (This is the awards ceremony of the righteous)
Some of the crowns that are listed in scripture are, The CROWN OF RIGHTEOUSNESS—2 Timothy 4:8 An INCORRUPTIBLE CROWN—1 Corinthians 9:25-27 The CROWN OF LIFE—- James 1:12 The CROWN OF GLORY—1 Peter 5:2-4 The CROWN OF REJOICING—1 Thessalonians 2:19
This event will be followed by the Marriage Supper of the Lamb… Revelation 19:9 And the angel said to me, “Write, Blessed are those who are invited to the marriage supper of the Lamb.” (No worries about your diet, or your cholesterol, or whether or not to have dessert)
Many talk about going to heaven as though that’s where we’ll spend eternity… but we’re coming back here with immortal bodies, riding with Him, to reign with Him IN THE EARTH, for 1000 years. That will take place at the end of the 7 year tribulation period, when He comes with the saints, to subdue the earth, and set up His 1000 year kingdom..
Zechariah 14:1 “Behold, the day of the LORD comes, and His spoil shall be divided in the midst of the. v4 And His feet shall stand in that day upon the mount of Olives, which is before Jerusalem on the east, and the mount of Olives shall be split and form a valley toward the east (the temple) and toward the west (the dead sea)…”
We read that after this great battle (known as Armegedon) Satan and his minions would be bound and there would be no more death, or sickness, or wars and peace would reign in all creation. Beast of prey will lay down with what once was their dinner. A baby will play at the vipers den. What an amazing scripture prophecy….
Isaiah 11:6 “The wolf also shall dwell with the lamb, and the leopard shall lie down with the kid; and the calf and the young lion together; and a little child shall lead them. v7 And the cow and the bear shall feed; their young ones together: and the lion shall eat straw like the ox. v8 And the sucking child shall play on the hole of the asp, and the weaned child shall put his hand on the dragon’s den. v9 They shall not hurt nor destroy in all my holy mountain: for the earth shall be full of the knowledge of the LORD, as the waters cover the sea”.
Second, during the 40 days, Jesus taught them about the Holy Spirit.
He said John 14:16 “I will pray the Father, and he shall give you another Comforter, (signifying that He was like himself) that he may abide with you forever. v17 Even the Spirit of truth, whom the world cannot receive, because it doesn’t see him or know him, but you know him, for he dwells with you, and shall be in you”.
He further taught them John 16:13 “When he, the Spirit of truth, is come, he will guide you into all truth: for he shall not speak of himself; but whatsoever he shall hear, that shall he speak: and he will shew youthings to come (revelation). v14 He shall glorify me: for he shall receive of mine, and shall shew it unto you. v15 All things that the Father hath are mine: therefore said I, that he shall take of mine, and shall shew it unto you”.
Also look at…John 16:8 “And when he is come, he will convict the world of sin, and of righteousness, and of judgment. v9 Of sin, because they believe not on me. v10 Of righteousness, because I go to my Father, and you see me no more. v11 Of judgment, because the prince of this world is judged”.
He showed them the 3 levels of The Holy Spirit’s working. The first level deals with the fact that no one can come to Jesus or know and accept that He is the messiah, unless the Holy Spirit draws Him…. “He shall convict of sin”… He convicts and convinces… He is the revealer who brings us and introduces us to Christ. On the second level, The Holy Spirit enters the life when we receive Christ as Savior and repent of sin, which we all have in common, and we receive His forgiveness. We personally experience the Christ (Christos, the anointed one) and His Lordship.
Did you see that He judges the Prince of this world wherever you encounter Him. Deliverance comes as the Holy Spirit in us, judges the prince of darkness. The H.S. in us serves Him eviction papers! Then, they were told to not do anything until they went into the upper room and experienced what Jesus called the next level,“the baptism in the Holy Spirit”….
Paul exhorts in 1Corinthians 1:5 “In everything you are enriched by Him, in all utterance, and in all knowledge. So that you come behind in no gift, waiting for the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ.”
A Kingdom that is Spiritless is powerless. A life that is Spiritless is powerless….It’s not about how much of the Holy Spirit you have, but it’s about how much of you the Holy Spirit has, that is an important difference….
Act 1:8 “But you shall receive power, after that the Holy Ghost is come upon you: and you shall be witnesses unto me both in Jerusalem, and in all Judaea, and in Samaria, and unto the uttermost part of the earth”.
We can and do experience each of the levels today as they did then. He draws us and reveals Christ to us. He comes into our Spirit and we experience the work of Salvation and forgiveness of sin. He then we receive the boldness and inspiration which Holy Spirit brings to us.
The outflowing of Spiritual gifts from our lives are listed as 9 manifestations….
3 for knowing, 3 for doing, and 3 for speaking….
The 3 knowing gifts are listed as Wisdom, Knowledge and Discernment.
The 3 doing gifts are Faith, Healings and Working of miracles.
The 3 speaking gifts are prophecy, Diverse tongues, and interpretation of tongues.
I trust that we all understand that we don’t have gifts, we are the delivery system for the gifts which are to be received by others. The sick receive the gift of healing, that’s their gift to receive. Those who face impossible situations, receive the gift of miracles, that’s their gift to receive. Those who need direction, receive the gift of prophecy or wisdom, knowledge and discernment…. that’s their gift to receive…
The mailman just delivers the mail, he doesn’t choose where it goes!!!!
For the Gifts to be the most effective, they are designed to work together with the fruit of the Spirit … scripture tells us that to have gifts without the fruit of the Spirit, is to become sounding brass and clanging cymbals… That would be like having a great doctor, who can’t stand people! He’s good but he has no bed side manner!
The fruit are about the Holy Spirit’s nature and character, and the Gifts are about His power… The world wants power and is willing to sacrifice character to have it…
So in seeking gifts, we are instructed to seek first, to have the evidence of the Holy Spirit in our lives as demonstrated by Hischaracter flowing through us.
Galatians 5:22 (amplified bible) “But the fruit of the Spirit [the result of His presence within us] is love [unselfish concern for others], joy, [inner] peace, patience [how we act while waiting], kindness, goodness, faithfulness, v23 gentleness, self-control. Against such things there is no law. v24 And those who belong to Christ Jesus have put off the sinful nature together with its passions and appetites. v25 If we [claim to] live by the [Holy] Spirit, we must also walk by the Spirit [with personal integrity, godly character, and moral courage—our conduct is now empowered by the Holy Spirit]. v26 We must not become conceited, provoking or competing with one another, or envying one another”.
Just as a house is no better than it’s foundation, the Christian life is no more effective than the successful integration of the Spirit’s fruit…
This is why one of the true measures of our faith, is the Holy spirit’s presence evidenced in our lives….People say, “Well that’s just the way I am”…. No, that’s just the way your old rebellious self is… the way your unyielded self is!!!
Well, I’ll have to get to the 3rd thing Jesus spent the 40 days teaching His disciples, next Sunday…
I’ll close with a question… Did you know that when Jesus was speaking about the ask, seek, knock promise He made…, He was talking about the Holy Spirit….?
Look at it quickly… Luke 11:9 ”And I say unto you, Ask, and it shall be given you, seek, and you shall find, knock, and it shall be opened unto you. v10 For every one that asks receives and he that seeks, finds, and to him that knocks it shall be opened. v11 If a son shall ask bread of any of you that is a father, will he give him a stone? Or if he asks for a fish, will he for a fish give him a serpent? v12 Or if he shall ask for an egg, will he offer him a scorpion? v13 If you then, being evil, know how to give good gifts unto your children, how much more shall your heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to them that ask him”?
The work of the Holy Spirit is so vital in all the circumstances and situations of life.. He helps, He guides, He teaches, He speaks, He reveals, He instructs, He testifies of Jesus, He comforts, He calls, He fills, He strengthens, He intercedes, He prophesies, He brings truth, He brings joy, He frees us, He casts out demons and dispels the darkness, He leads us to obedience, He sends out the call for Jesus’ return, He transforms, He renews, He releases gifts, He produces His nature and Character, He leads, He convicts and convinces, He sanctifies, He empowers, He unites us, He seals, He makes us acceptable, He enables and empowers.
Can you tell someone… “We need all of that!”
Prayer…. Lord You said to ask and we would receive. So we ask and we receive each level of the Holy Spirit’s working in and through our lives…. To bring conviction and convince of sin..To call us into righteousness and Holiness… To release the fruit and gifts of the Spirit and reveal Your nature and Character in us…. To judge the prince of darkness and evict him everywhere he is trespassing….
I open myself to His working in and through me all day, every day.
I consciously invite Him to have His way and express Himself freely to me and through me. Thank you Lord for the Holy Spirit, in Jesus name… So be it!!!
