Acts 1:8 – Come, Holy Spirit – Bible study

Acts 1:8 Come, Holy Spirit As we near our revival services, we must ask ourselves, "What is revival?" Some might say, "Revival is souls getting saved," but I dont think so. Someone else might say, "Revival is Gods people getting stirred," but I dont think so. I think these are good things to happen and things that are a part of revival, but I dont think they are revival because these things can happen even without revival. What is revival? I believe revival is us receiving a fresh outpouring of the Holy Ghosts presence. Most of you have heard me say it, but just a few years ago I changed a prayer that I have prayed all of my Christian life. Since my earliest days as a Christian, I prayed for the power of God; but just a few years ago, I realized that, for me, was the wrong prayer. What I should have been praying for all of those years was to have the Holy Ghosts presence. Why? Because if we get the Holy Ghosts presence, we not only get the Holy Ghosts presence, but also His power, His purposes, His providence, and His protectionjust to name a few. And to be honest, I do not believe that we get ever get the Holy Spirits power if we do not first get the Holy Spirits presence. Notice the text. According to Jesus, which was to come first: the power or the presence of the Holy Ghost. According to Jesus, the presence. As we seek the outpouring of the Holy Spirit, let us consider several thoughts: I. Prepare for God A. The disciples were saved. 1. Although not specifically mentioned in our text, salvation is where every "Christian" grace begins. a. One cannot have the Spirit of God until he first has the Son of God. b. I believe this explains why so few people have the Spirit of God. 2. Someone might ask, "Preacher, why preach to us about salvation? After all, we are the ones sitting in church today." a. Yes, there are people sitting in church today who think they are Christians just as there were people who sat in bars and houses of fornication last night who thought they were Christians. b. But its not where we sit or what we think that makes us a Christian. c. It is are we trusting in Jesus death as the payment for our sins and are we surrendering our will to His? 3. My earnest recommendation is that you examine your salvation this morning. a. There should have been a point in your life where three things happened. (1) You understood that you were a sinner in need of a Savior. (2) You understood that Jesus, Gods Son, was and is your only hope of salvation. (3) Your life was transformed by your complete and continuous surrender to Jesus. b. If you cannot pinpoint such a time in your life, you need to consider again what you call salvation. I would be happy to do that with you. 4. The first step in our preparation is to be certain we are saved. B. The disciples obeyed. Acts 1:4 And, being assembled together with them, commanded them that they should not depart from Jerusalem, but wait for the promise of the Father, which, saith he, ye have heard of me. 5 For John truly baptized with water; but ye shall be baptized with the Holy Ghost not many days hence. 1. \#1:4-5\ Jesus commanded them. 2. Then they obeyed. a. \#12\ They returned to Jerusalem. b. \#13\ They went into the Upper Room. c. \#14\ "These all continued." d. Granted, the command Jesus gave to them was not all that difficult, but then we have all tripped over disobedience of smaller commands than this. (1) Our problem with obedience is not usually the difficulty of the command. (2) Our problem with obedience lies in our submission to it. 3. There was some cost to accrew. a. There were fifty days from Passover to Pentecost. (1) Jesus arose on the third. \#Matt 16:21\ (2) Jesus stayed and taught the disciples after His resurrection for forty days \#Acts 1:3\. (3) So Jesus ascended on or around the 43rd day after Passover. (4) That leaves 7 days in which the disciples stayed in Jerusalem, primarily praying together. b. If I go somewhere for 7 days, it cost me something.. 4. There was some hardships to endure. 5. There was some risks to take. a. These disciples stayed in Jerusalem under a threat of persecution solely because Jesus told them to do so. b. While the Jews vengeance seemed to be somewhat satisfied with the death of Jesus, one could not know when that would changeespecially with the reoccurring rumors that Jesus was alive. c. But the disciples steadfastly and stubbornly stayed. d. It is not wrong to be stubborn about a right thing, but it is wrong to stubborn about a wrong thing. 6. They were obeying WITHOUT the presence of the Holy Ghost. a. There was nothing supernatural taking place yet. b. These men were obeying to RECEIVE the outpouring of Holy Ghost. c. So this is earthly, carnal, human staying, paying, and praying as they obeyed Jesus. d. Lesson: (1) Often before the supernatural can take place, some purely natural things must take placelike obedience. (2) For the revival to come, the Holy Ghost must come. (3) For the Holy Ghost to come, Gods people are going to have to display some old-fashioned, stubborn obedience to God. (4) What God commands may not be popular, easy, or convenient, but it will always be right. C. The disciples unified. Acts 2:1 And when the day of Pentecost was fully come, they were all with one accord in one place. 1. I do not believe we understand what unity means to God. a. God is not just seeking oneness among the believers. b. God is seeking oneness among the believers with Jesus Christ. 2. It does us no good to be one and be wrong. a. There is and always has been a misinterpreted view held by religion. b. That view is that all of the followers of Jesus should be united. (1) That is called ecumenicalism. (2) The problem with that view is that not everyone who claims to be a follower of Christ is actually a follower of Christ. c. Unity is oneness together but it is also oneness with Christ. Philippians 2:5 Let this mind be in you, which was also in Christ Jesus: 1 John 2:6 He that saith he abideth in him ought himself also so to walk, even as he walked. d. There is no doubt in my mind that just as one can split too many hairs so they can split too few hairs. e. The group in the Upper Room found the perfect balance. f. May God help us to find it as well. II. Petition to God A. Two thoughts upfront: 1. No one can make the Holy Ghost come. The Holy Ghost comes because He desires to come. I do believe, however, that we can increase the hope of His coming by inviting Him to come and by making Him feel welcomed. 2. It seems to me that if we want to be found of the Holy Ghost, we should be what He is looking for. B. How? 1. Prayer – The Holy Spirit is looking for people who pray. a. Much of the week spent in the Upper Room was devoted to prayer. Acts 1:14 These all continued with one accord in prayer and supplication, with the women, and Mary the mother of Jesus, and with his brethren. Acts 1:24 And they prayed, and said, Thou, Lord, which knowest the hearts of all men, shew whether of these two thou hast chosen, b. Yet, this was not simply a ploy on the part of the disciples to gain the Holy Ghost. He was a way of life for them. Acts 2:42 And they continued stedfastly in the apostles doctrine and fellowship, and in breaking of bread, and in prayers. Acts 3:1 Now Peter and John went up together into the temple at the hour of prayer, being the ninth hour. Acts 4:31 And when they had prayed, the place was shaken where they were assembled together; and they were all filled with the Holy Ghost, and they spake the word of God with boldness. Acts 6:4 But we will give ourselves continually to prayer, and to the ministry of the word. (1) And on it goes. (2) The word "pray" is used, one form or another, 35 times in the book of Acts. (3) Prayer was the Christians lifestyle, their habit. It was what they did. c. What is prayer? (1) Let me make this very complicated. In fact, I am going to make it as complicated as prayer can be made. (a) Prayer is talking to God. (b) Prayer is listening for God i. Through the Word ii. Through your spirit iii. Through circumstances iv. Through counsel (2) I believe that is as hard as you can make prayer. (3) Anything else and what you are calling prayer ceases to be prayer. d. When you pray, you are shooting off a flare that gains Gods attention and invites Him to come. e. If you want Him to stay, you will have to do some other things, but prayer calls to God and God has promised He will hear and answer the prayers of the saved. 2. Service Ezekiel 22:30 And I sought for a man among them, that should make up the hedge, and stand in the gap before me for the land, that I should not destroy it: but I found none. a. According to Ezekiel, God is looking for someone who will serve Him, someone who will stand where He needs them and puts them. (1) However, that is not all God is looking for. (2) By reading the context of that job description, we learn that God is looking for a courageous servant, one that will stand against those who go against Him. b. How do I get that? (1) \#Eze 22:24\ The land, although already in the process of being judged, was still a sinful land. (2) In fact, \#Eze 22:25-31\ says there was a four-way conspiracy against Him. (a) It involved the prophets, the priests, the rulers, and the people. (b) That was pretty much everyone. (c) These were all conspiring together against God. (d) What does it mean to "conspire" together? (e) To conspire means to form an alliance to overthrow a power or ruler. (3) As God was describing that condition, God said that He was looking for a man to stand in the gap, a person who will not only stand alone for God, but who would stand against everyone else for God. 3. Humility a. Throughout the Bible we are taught that God is attracted to the humble. b. Again, if we want to find the Holy Ghost, the best way is to become what the Holy Ghost is looking for. c. God is looking for the humble. Psalms 138:6 Though the LORD be high, yet hath he respect unto the lowly: but the proud he knoweth afar off. James 4:10 Humble yourselves in the sight of the Lord, and he shall lift you up. If we do all of these things, I am not certain the Holy Ghost will come, but if we do need Him and all we can do is to invite Him.