Books of the Book: Acts

The Promise of the Father

Three Angels Broadcasting Network

Program transcript

Participants: Jim & Mark Howard

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Series Code: ABOTB

Program Code: ABOTB00002A


00:22 Welcome to Books of the Book. I'm Pastor Mark Howard. I'm here
00:25 with my brother, Jim. He's my co-host and we are studying the
00:29 book of Acts. In our last study we looked at how in the book
00:34 of Acts and even as the author Luke prefaced the history that
00:38 we're reading here in the end of his gospel we found that the
00:43 Bible, the scripture, was the foundation. Jesus himself set
00:46 his apostles looking at the scripture as the foundation for
00:51 their faith. The scripture is really the foundation of all the
00:55 revival and the power we find.
00:57 Yeah. He makes a real clear point of evidence. The fact that
01:02 in the book of Acts we find infallible proof as we find
01:06 clear evidence for our faith and the scripture when it is that
01:10 to us clear evidence it gives us a compelling desire to share the
01:14 mission, which was the other area that we really focused on
01:17 last time was the mission that was given to the apostles was
01:21 what drove them throughout the book of Acts, that deep love for
01:25 souls and desire to see others find the same salvation that
01:28 they had is what compelled them to be bold for Christ.
01:31 That's right. Now I hope you have your Bibles with you
01:33 because we're going to jump into the book of Acts and we're going
01:36 to begin reading in verse 1. Before we do I'd like to ask the
01:40 Lord to guide our study and give us understanding in his word and
01:43 open our understanding as he did those disciples of his.
01:46 Father in heaven, we just ask that the Holy Spirit would now
01:50 give us understanding as we study your word. We ask it in
01:54 Jesus' name, Amen. I'm beginning in Acts chapter 1
01:58 and verse 1. The Bible says here The former account I made, O
02:03 Theophilus, of all that Jesus began both to do and to teach...
02:08 Now as we mentioned last time Luke the apostle is writing here
02:13 the doctor I should say, is writing here his account to a
02:17 friend names Theophilus of his infallible proofs of the gospel
02:21 of Jesus Christ and the acts that followed in the
02:25 proclamation of that gospel. It says in verse 2, he says:
02:28 In fact I should start in verse 1 again: The former account I
02:32 made, O Theophilus, of all that Jesus began both to do and to
02:35 teach until the day in which he was taken up after he through
02:39 the Holy Spirit had given commandment to the apostles who
02:43 he had chosen, to whom he also presented himself alive after
02:47 his suffering by many infallible proofs being seen by them during
02:50 forty days and speaking of the things pertaining to the kingdom
02:55 of God. And being assembled together with them he commanded
02:59 them not to depart from Jerusalem but to wait for the
03:02 promise of the Father which he said you have heard from me; for
03:07 John truly baptized with water but you shall be baptized with
03:11 the Holy Spirit not many days from now. Now this is something
03:15 apparently very important to Jesus. You know he's given them
03:19 a commission. You got to put yourself there. I mean here's
03:22 your job, you want to do this job, this is your task. Go out
03:26 and do it, but wait, don't do it yet. I want you to wait until
03:29 you receive the promise of the Father. Now what is this and why
03:32 is this so important, this promise of the Father? Jim.
03:36 Yeah, well first I think it's important to recognize that he
03:40 was asking them to have faith. You know it's not always easy to
03:45 wait on the Lord, to wait on something that has been promised
03:49 but he says God has promised and now you need to show and
03:53 exercise faith before that promise can be realized.
03:56 And as we look in the book of John we find where this promise
04:01 can be traced back to. So let's take our Bible and go back to...
04:05 It sounds to me, I want to interject here, but it sounds to
04:09 me like you're equating faith in this case with some waiting.
04:12 There's some waiting involved when we exercise faith.
04:16 Yeah that's exactly right.
04:18 Well let's go to John 14 and see if we can see where this promise
04:24 of the Father is referenced in the gospels. John 14 and
04:30 beginning in verse 12; we'll start there. It says: Most
04:35 assuredly I say to you, he who believes in me, the works that
04:39 I do, he will do also, and greater works then these he will
04:43 do because I go to my Father. So he's promising great works
04:47 for his disciples who follow after him because he says he
04:51 goes to his Father. And whatever you ask in my name, that I will
04:55 do that the Father may be glorified in the Son. If you ask
04:58 anything in my name I will do it. Which is another wonderful
05:02 promise. Now it says in verse 15 If you love me keep my
05:07 commandments and I will pray the Father (I'll ask the Father) and
05:13 he will give you another helper that he may abide with you
05:17 forever. The Spirit of truth whom the world cannot receive
05:21 because it neither sees him nor knows him, but you know him for
05:26 he dwells with you and will be in you. I will not leave you
05:30 orphans, I will come to you. So here you have this promise
05:34 that is guaranteed and Jesus in the beginning of the book of
05:39 Acts is preparing to go away. He's preparing to ascend into
05:44 heaven and he's reminding them that when he goes away he will
05:48 not leave them orphans, he will come to them. But how will he
05:52 come to them. According to the passage, he will come to them in
05:56 the person of the Helper, the Holy Spirit, who he will ask the
05:59 Father. The Father will grant him the privilege and authority
06:03 to give the Holy Spirit in great measure to the early church
06:07 and so they were asked to wait for this promise.
06:08 That's right. And evidently and very clearly without this gift
06:13 of the Holy Spirit we wouldn't have the book of Acts. In fact,
06:16 some people have referred to the book of Acts because the
06:19 original title of the book is actually just Acts; it's not
06:22 Acts of the Apostles, and some people have referred to it as
06:25 the acts of the Holy Spirit which very clearly we see the
06:29 Holy Spirit's power working throughout the book, so much so
06:32 that some Christians have gotten the understanding that the Holy
06:36 Spirit was a New Testament phenomenon. One of the passages
06:41 that leads people to that thought process is in John 16.
06:46 When we're looking at the teaching of Jesus about the Holy
06:50 Spirit, we'll go to John 16 and Jesus says in verse 5: But now I
06:56 go away to him who sent me and none of you asks me where are
07:00 you going. But because I have said these things to you sorrow
07:04 has filled your heart. Nevertheless, I tell you the
07:08 truth. It is to your advantage that I go away for if I do not
07:12 go away the Helper will not come to you, but if I depart I will
07:16 send him to you. And as we read on here we're seeing that he's
07:19 talking about the Holy Spirit. In fact, the heading in my Bible
07:22 here says The Work of the Holy Spirit. Some people have read
07:25 this to say well as long as Jesus is there the Holy Spirit
07:28 doesn't come and we see the Holy Spirit coming with power as they
07:31 are waiting for the promise of the Father there in the book of
07:33 Acts and so therefore the Holy Spirit must be some New
07:37 Testament phenomenon. Before I touch on that too much there's a
07:42 legitimate question here when Jesus makes this point: It is
07:46 expedient that I go away. Why was it so important for him to
07:51 go away? It was actually to their
07:52 advantage. It would be better for them that he go than stay.
07:56 Yeah. Why is it to their advantage that he go away to
08:02 make way for the Holy Spirit? Now if we go ahead to verse 14
08:06 I want you to notice there in John 16:14, Jesus makes a point.
08:11 He says: He will glorify me and he will take of what is mine and
08:15 declare it to you. Now we want to hold onto that and there are
08:19 a couple other passages that kind of go along with this.
08:21 I think you have one in John as well.
08:23 Yes. In John 15 and verse 26 we see a very revealing passage as
08:30 well about the Holy Spirit and what he does. John 15:26. Did I
08:36 say that right? Yes. But when the Helper comes whom I shall
08:41 send to you from the Father, the Spirit of truth who proceeds
08:46 from the Father, he will testify of me.
08:49 Okay, so here we have in the verse we read in John 16:14 he
08:53 says he will glorify me. Jesus is saying this. The Holy Spirit
08:57 is going to take what is mine and he's going to confer it to
09:00 you. Now in the verse you just read in John 15:26 he says the
09:04 Holy Spirit who proceeds from the Father will testify of me.
09:09 And then again in John 14:26 the Bible says, again Jesus is
09:12 speaking and teaching about the Holy Spirit. He says: But the
09:15 Helper (the Holy Spirit) whom the Father will send in my name
09:19 will teach you all things and bring to your remembrance all
09:23 things that I have said to you. Now think about this. He's going
09:27 to bear witness of me, he's going to glorify me, he's going
09:30 to declare mine to you, he's going to testify of me, all of
09:34 these passages, how is the Holy Spirit going to do those things
09:38 without the ministry of Jesus? He couldn't and it brings to
09:43 mind a passage in 1 Corinthians chapter 15. 1 Corinthians 15 as
09:48 the Apostle Paul is sharing the gospel that he preached, we're
09:53 going to go to verse 1. 1 Corinthians 15:1, he says:
09:58 Moreover brethren I declare to you the gospel which I preached
10:01 to you. Now notice what he says here as he goes on. Which you
10:04 received and in which you stand by which you also are saved if
10:08 if you hold fast that word which I preached to you unless you
10:11 believed in vain. Verse 3: For I delivered to you first of all
10:15 that which I also received, that Christ died for our sins
10:18 according to the scriptures... notice his emphasis on scripture
10:22 there even as we've said already... Christ died for our
10:26 sins according to the scriptures and that he was buried and that
10:29 he rose again the third day according to the scriptures and
10:32 that he was seen by Cephas and the 12, etc. In other words,
10:36 Paul says my gospel that I preached to you was about Jesus'
10:39 death, his burial, his resurrection. The Holy Spirit
10:42 would have no gospel to bear witness to in the hearts of
10:46 God's people had it not been for the ministry of Christ. So what
10:50 I see happening here where Jesus in John 16 is saying: It's
10:53 expedient that I go away or I can't send the Helper is that
10:58 his ministry on earth provided the raw material for the Holy
11:02 Spirit to bring that powerful conviction that we find in the
11:06 book of Acts. I think when we hear that it
11:11 helps to shed a little bit of light but it also could cause
11:14 somebody to come to a wrong conclusion. Some people feel
11:17 that because he provides those raw materials that we don't see
11:20 much of the Holy Spirit in the Old Testament, but we need to
11:24 clarify that, because the work of the Holy Spirit is something
11:27 that has always been essential for humanity and the place I'd
11:31 like to look is in John chapter 3. So if we can turn to John
11:35 chapter 3. This is a well-known passage of scripture. Of course
11:39 it has John 3:16 perhaps the most well-known verse of
11:42 scripture. But this is a passage in which Nicodemus is in a
11:46 one-on-one interview with Jesus and the focal point of this
11:51 interview is the new birth. Jesus comes right out and says
11:55 to him in verse 3, the Bible says: Jesus answered and said to
11:59 him, Most assuredly I say to you unless one is born again he
12:03 cannot see the kingdom of God. And Nicodemus is not sure how to
12:08 respond to that. Perhaps he's being a little facetious but
12:11 he comes back and says, How can a man be born when he is old?
12:14 Can he enter a second time into his mother's womb and be born?
12:19 And Jesus reiterates, he says in verse 5: Most assuredly I say
12:22 to you unless one is born of water and the Spirit he cannot
12:27 enter the kingdom of God. Then in verse 9 Nicodemus sort of
12:32 plays ignorant again and it says Nicodemus answered and said to
12:36 him, how can these things be? Then in verse 10 Jesus says
12:41 something very pointed to Nicodemus. It says: Jesus
12:44 answered and said to him, Are you the teacher of Israel and do
12:48 not know these things? Now Nicodemus was a teacher in
12:53 Israel but what did he teach from? Why he taught from the
12:56 scripture, but what scripture? The Old Testament scripture,
13:00 right? That's all he had and yet Jesus expected him from the Old
13:05 Testament scripture to know the doctrine of being born again of
13:11 the Holy Spirit. So certainly the new birth is something
13:15 that has been necessary from the beginning of time until now.
13:18 That's why David prayed in Psalm 51, Take not your Holy Spirit
13:22 away from me. This was very important. There would be no way
13:27 truthfully for humanity to ever do anything right without the
13:32 Holy Spirit, because in our natural flesh we have no good
13:36 inclinations. We require the Holy Spirit for every right
13:41 thought and inclination. And this is why we can never come to
13:45 the conclusion that while the Holy Spirit does have an
13:48 emphasis in the New Testament and has more raw materials to
13:52 work with, he has always been working in the hearts of
13:54 humanity. That's an excellent point, Jim,
13:56 and I want to dive into that more but we need to take a break
14:00 So stick with us. When we come back we're going to talk more
14:03 about the work of the Holy Spirit in conversion.


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Revised 2014-12-17