Jesus spoke frequently about the ministry of the Holy Spirit. God wants to give you His power for daily living.
Promises are given, to be both received and believed in. Here's one of them.
Monday, July 18, 2011
A promise Jesus brought up.......For You.
Luke 24:49 “Behold, I send the Promise of My Father upon you; but tarry in the city of Jerusalem until you are endued with power from on high.”
Normally, when Jesus says, "behold", it means, here's something I want you to know about, and pay attention to, it's important. Jesus uses that word, "behold" here. So, let's listen, and learn about this promise today.
This promise included a number of elements.
1. It's something Jesus was personally involved in.
2. Jesus was going to send this promise to the church.
3. This promise was from God the Father.
4 This promise was connected to power for the disciples
5. This power ( ability ) was from on high, or heaven.
This promise was given much earlier by God the Father through the prophet Joel 2:28-31. We know this is the promise Jesus was talking about, because the apostle Peter says the same thing in Acts 2.
The promise essentially, has to do with the Lord pouring out His Spirit upon believers in the last days. ( those days started when Jesus ascended to heaven, and will go on until He comes back to the earth ) So, we are in that time period.
The word power comes from a word meaning "to be able, have power, to be capable, strong and powerful" And, the word power itself means, mighty work, virtue. The greek words is dunamis, from which we get our english word dynamite. So, you can get the idea here of what was being communicated. It's speaking of God giving us strength, power and ability.
Luke 24 story line, is picked up in Acts 1-2, and there you see that indeed Jesus gave this promise to the early church, and then the rest of Acts, shows later members of the church receiving this power also. And then, the letters in the NT speak of this power also. See Colossians 1, and Ephesians 1
The point being, this promise that Jesus brought up is for us today. It's the Lord pouring out His Spirit into our lives, and causing us to be endued with supernatural power from God, to have His strength and ability. So, that we can live for Him, and serve Him, and see His kingdom expanded and built up. It's so the Word of God can grow and spread, and that many disciples would be added to the body of Christ. It's for the purposes of God in our lives.
How do we receive this power? Here's what Jesus said....
Luke 11:9 “So I say to you, ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you.
Luke 11:10 “For everyone who asks receives, and he who seeks finds, and to him who knocks it will be opened.
Luke 11:11 “If a son asks for bread from any father among you, will he give him a stone? Or if he asks for a fish, will he give him a serpent instead of a fish?
Luke 11:12 “Or if he asks for an egg, will he offer him a scorpion?
Luke 11:13 “If you then, being evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to those who ask Him!”
Would you join me in asking God right now? Lord, we are simply asking for this promise in our lives this day. We know Lord that in one sense, a very real sense, the Holy Spirit is already dwelling in us, He came in at salvation, ( 1st Cor 2:12 ) But, this promise is for that further work of Your Spirit, in giving us power. Lord, I do not know anyone, any christian, who does not need Your power in their lives. Thus we ask for Him to come and fill, and to overflow our lives this very hour, in answer to this prayer. In Jesus name. Amen.
Pastor Bob Grenier.
Calvary Chapel Visalia
Application/Promises
1. God gives promises.
2. God never fails to fulfill His promises.
3. God hears and answers prayer.
4. God delights in those who seek Him.
5. God said He would pour out of His Spirit.
6. God is ready to do it today.
7. God, thank You, for Your promise.
8. God I open my heart and life to You now.
9. God, may Your power help me to do Your will.
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