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Enjoying the Presence of Christ By Faith By Paul Thompson

Acts 1:4-8 Acts 14:2-23

asked the question
What emphasis need to be restored in evangelical churches and he gave his answer in three parts

firstly
urgent persistent prayer for a powerful work of God in the land
Secondly 

effective church-based evangelism
thirdly
real godliness of life

Now if I understand something of the history of this church in its inception and early days the first urgent persistent prayer for a powerful work of God and the third real godliness of life were very much the fertile soil out of which grew the second effective church-based
evangelism So far this year we have heard sermons on The fact that as Christians we are righteous in Christ We have heard a message concerning Justification and being justified solely on the finished work of Christ plus nothing
We've heard a message from Psalm 46 on trusting God and
we have had we have heard a
message on the fruit of the Spirit
Gentleness this morning and
Two weeks ago our baroness and the need to be fruitful from the book of Isaiah
Brethren it is true to a large measure we are barren
Barren when it comes to effective church-based evangelism
But isn't the real symptom of this barrenness
Isn't the real symptom godliness of life
This
Is something I believe that obsessed this church in its early days and could it be that God is calling us back
to our roots as a church I
Suspect that waving into the fabric of a godly life
That was sought in this church was prayer
persistent prayer
I've heard of times when the Word of God was studied at six o'clock on Saturday morning
for weeks on end and
There was prayer
by ones like Queenie
Tonight we want to see an example of barrenness turned to fruitfulness
And here is an example in the book of Acts that we need to emulate
If ever there was a group of men and women that were barren it was the Apostles
They needed power power to live supernatural lives and power to be witnesses
Let me refresh your memory
concerning their situation
prior to acts
you remember they were a grip by fear and
became
scaredy-cats and weak-kneed
When their master was arrested
Peter denied Christ you remember that woman that came to him as he sat by the fire
He was so angry that he swore and he cursed
and
Then you'll remember the Depression
Following the crucifixion of Christ
the two men
disciples walking on the road to a mass Emmaus if ever there's a a
picture of depressed Christians
It's these two men
and then
The task that they were given of
the Great Commission
to go into all the world and make disciples and
To teach those disciples to observe all things that Christ had commanded them
What a
gigantic and seemingly impossible task these men faced and
We humanly as a church face at the beginning of this year
My
Argument to you this evening is simply this and we will attempt to prove it if the first church
Use certain means to overcome its its barrenness
How much more should we use the same means to overcome our barrenness?
Now
In skipping over the first point
Let me just briefly summarize and if you'll look at verses four through eight, I won't read them
but they concern the promise of
the Holy Spirit a
promised baptism
now
we should
Take care here
In understanding that this is a transitional period in the life of the church
it is immediately prior to Pentecost, but
After the resurrection of Christ
What is in here are we to seek a new baptism of the Holy Spirit
Well, I'd like to suggest you that this is a transitional period
The disciples you remember are Christians
Christ breathed on them
Peter when challenged by Christ who he was
Said thou art the Christ the Son of the Living God
And Christ you remember said that he could only say that by revelation from the Father
This
Friends in these first four verses here in chapter one is a transitional period
We will see that what we are to seek is not the baptism of the Holy Spirit because these
Disciples had yet to receive the power to carry out the Great Commission
We
Have been born again if we are Christians
By the work of the Holy Spirit in the new birth. Well, we are baptized into Christ
If no one has not the Spirit of Christ the scriptures say he is none of his
We must understand it's crucial that we understand that this is a transitional period
But it is also crucial to understand
That although we are not to seek the baptism of the Holy Spirit we are to seek continual
infillings
anointings
empowerings of the Holy Spirit and
Isn't this what Andrew Davies is pleading for in these days?
You remember the Holy Spirit was given
In
Genesis chapter 1 and the Spirit of God moved over the face of the earth
You remember that the Lord Jesus Christ
received the Holy Spirit without measure
Recall those points the Holy Spirit Christ breathed upon the Apostles
They were regenerate men
So this
sets the scene and
We want to consider in the interest of time our first point and that's an exposition of
chapter of
verse 14 in chapter 1 and we want to say that the first means to overcoming our barrenness is
prayer
Given the fact that these men are believing in this promise
It's something that is going to happen
But we here today
Possess the promise if we are Christians aren't we the temple of the Holy Spirit?
We are
and we're to be
Constantly exhorted to be full of the Holy Spirit and not to grieve him
We'll touch on that later
Now let's have a look at verse 14 you remember the upper room
Again Christ has ascended. I have seen his bodily ascension and by
Instinct by mere instinct they assemble all together
In this upper room and they don't look it appears that they don't leave this room for 50 days
50 days
now
Let's
Read through these verses here from 12 through 14 again
then they returned to Jerusalem from the Mount called Olivet which is near Jerusalem a
Sabbath day's journey and when they had entered they went up into the upper room where they were staying
Now notice the names recorded here. These are the names of the men that fled and were scared
What a wonderful record
That we have here if now mean
who
have a
New attitude and
A new task before them Peter James John Andrew Philip Thomas Bartholomew
Matthew James the son of else's of alpheus Simon the zealot and
Judas the son of James then verse 14 these all continued with one accord in prayer and supplication
with the woman and Mary the mother of Jesus and
with the brothers
Why did they pray a?
number of reasons quickly
Because they knew that without the power of the Holy Spirit they could never carry out the Great Commission
They had been there when Christ had come down from praying all night
They had seen his example
They had heard his word
Which Christ had said to them that apart from me you can do nothing
Secondly because they desired to obey Christ so they waited
You remember the psalmist says I
Wait for the Lord
My soul waits and in his word. I do hope
Psalm 130 verse 4 5 and verse 6 my soul waits upon the Lord
The disciples desired to obey Christ and waited upon his word
Thirdly because Christ had taught them to ask for the Holy Spirit
You remember those verses in Luke 11 Luke's record of
the
Lord's Prayer the pattern prayer
the disciples
ask Christ teach us to pray and he gives them this pattern prayer and then towards
About halfway through
He says if you being evil know how to give good gifts to your children
How much more shall the Heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to those who ask him?
Now that applied that verse applied directly to the Apostles, but it also applies
directly to us
Have we been going to God in prayer
as
We go to men to preach
Or have we become dependent upon?
our experience or my experience my gifts my graces and
not upon Christ
Brethren is it that we have not
Because we have ceased to ask them
What did Christ teach within the context of prayer ask and you shall receive and that is in the present?
Continuous tense keep on asking keep on seeking keep on knocking
Secondly then
Having looked at why they did pray. How did they pray and look at verse 14?
They prayed continually
They all continued
this word here has the idea of being persistent of
obstinate in in mark 3 9
It's used of a small ship
Which should wait on him the word says here's the men in the small ship and it's bubbling
It's bobbing up and down by the shore is it's waiting on Christ and you can see these men are impatient. I
Wish you'd hurry up, but they're waiting on this little ship is waiting as persistence
And then
We have a wonderful example of this in Genesis
32 turn to Genesis 32 24 and we'll look at
Jacob just for a moment
Jacob wrestling with God in
Genesis 32 and
verse 24
And you remember the story
Jacob been layman they went on the best of terms
Blimey did come out a lot better than Jacob and
Jacob his knees were knocking
At layman and the thought of layman
coming into his world again
And he was he was petrified
Scared out of his mind
and
we read here in verse 32 of
Genesis 32
Sorry, I've got the wrong verse there, but we read
That he was greatly afraid and distressed and then in verse 24 we read that Jacob was left alone
in 22
He sends his two wives and the main maidservants and his twelve sons
Over the brook ahead of him in a verse 24. He's left alone and a man wrestled with him
until the breaking of day
Who was that man friends? Who was that man?
That I believe was the Lord Jesus Christ a
Theophany if you like
wonderful thing
Here's Jacob
wrestling with Christ this great temptation that he that he faces and
In a sense we could maybe say that he is a type of Christ
But he wrestles with he wrestles with this angel
This
Man sorry and we see here in verse 25
He says he and when he saw that he did not prevail against him
He touched the socket of his hip and the socket of Jacob's hip was there out of joint as he wrestled with him
And he said let me go for the day breaks
But he said I will not let you go unless you bless me
There it is friends
that's to be our prayer as a church as
We seek to become fruitful
In our individual lives and in our in our lives corporately as a church
let's wrestle with God and
Let's say with Jacob
Let's say with Jacob
Unless you bless me, I will not let you go unless you bless me
Now
Turn back again
To our passage in Acts chapter 1 and verse 14. We see that they all continued with one accord
They were a unified unit
The
Same word here is used in Matthew 18 19 when it says with two or three
Agree on earth concerning everything and you remember Paul
Exhorted the Philippians in chapter 2
fulfill
You my joy that you be like-minded
Having the same love being of one accord and of one mind
Let nothing be done through strife or vainglory
But in lowliness of mind esteem others better than yourself
Look, not every man on his own things
But every man also on the things of others
How we are how are we to deal with divisions?
brothers
We're to take that injunction in Matthew
18 15
Which says this and you'll be familiar with it
Moreover if thy brother shall trespass or sin against thee
Go and tell him his fault
between you and
him alone and
If he shall not hear thee
Thou if he shall hear you thou has gained your brother
But if he will not hear you then take with you to
One or two more that in the mouth of two or three witnesses
Every word may be established
Brethren quite simply and quite bluntly
We must either put up or shut up
Unless we can go to our brother with an open Bible and
Point to the word we dare not come
this group
This
Fighting force if you like was a unified force
they were of one head of one mind and
We by God's grace
Must become of one mind of one head
Now finally in looking at this verse we see here that they were they not only
continued
They were of one accord or one mind, but in prayer and supplication
They spoke out the word says they uttered aloud
And they did that for 50 days
continually
Unceasingly they made supplication to God the idea is of expressing their need
And of course we shouldn't be surprised at this because this
the Christ
their friend their master had only recently departed from them and
So what are they doing?
They're pleading with the risen Christ the one who was so recently been in their presence that he would send
What he had promised
his Holy Spirit
none other than
himself his agent his
representatives
What the old church fathers called the vicar of Christ?
And
I should have mentioned to you those promises that Christ made which you'll recall in John 14
Where the disciples previously were greatly distressed when they heard that Christ was going away
And he said I'll pray the father and I'll send you another comforter
one
simply means called alongside
To
Hold your hand if you or I were helping mrs. Mack across the road
We would have been called alongside
To help mrs. Mack cross over to the bus stop maybe on Cardiff Road is it or Main Road? I can never remember
But would be called alongside to help mrs. Mack across the road and that's what the Holy Spirit
Does and then he says
Is
Never the least I tell you the truth. It's expedient for you that I go away
For if I do not go away the comforter will not come to you
but if I depart I will send him and
Praise the Lord
He sent him
He sent him now, let's
A
Matthew Henry says this I love you a little statement a little company
United in love
Exemplary in their conduct
Fervent in prayer and
Wisely zealous to promote the cause of Christ are likely to increase
rapidly
Good state
Now, let's see thirdly
We want to turn over now to chapter 2 and look at
Chapter 2 the first four verses
Just briefly
What happened when they prayed? Well, they were filled with the Holy Spirit
Notice the significance here and you can easily miss it in verse 1
Verse 1b they were all with one accord in one place. What were they doing? They were praying?
they were continuing to pray during those 50 days and
What happened?
What happened?
Well, of course there was the sound
from heaven
Of a mighty wind filled the whole house the tongues of fire
and
The rushing
wind
And then we record in verse 4 and they were all filled
With the Holy Spirit and began to speak with other tongues as the spirit gave them utterance
Now, how do we understand this in the light of modern Pentecostalism?
Friends
The Pentecostals don't have a mortgage on the Holy Spirit
This again is a transitional period and
we are not to seek the signs and wonders and
our poor
Pentecostal friends it would seem
The Toronto blessing is as much their frustration in trying to
Procure or see another Pentecost. There will ever only be one Pentecost and
This is it
Now quickly we wanted to bunk something here
These are types and shadows that come to fulfillment
The rushing wind of course
In Genesis chapter 1 the Hebrew word for wind is the same word that's used for spirit
the tongues of fire
You remember the tongues of fire again a picture of the Holy Spirit
Elisha is it or Elijah with the altar and the tongues of fire?
coming down and
then the languages
Again the reversal of
fable
Everything all these Jews coming from all the known parts of the world
Suddenly hearing the gospel the good news in their own language
What a start to the gospel
What a start to the gospel
So this is a transitional period now what was Pentecost
Turn over to Leviticus 20 23 15 and 16 quickly
Leviticus
The feast
Celebration of Pentecost
Leviticus 23
the feast of weeks
15 and 16 and you shall count for yourselves from the day after the Sabbath
From the day that you brought the sheep of the of the wave offering seven service shall be completed
count
50 days to the day after the seventh day
count 50 days
I'll say something more about this in a second then you shall offer a new grain offering to the Lord you shall bring from your
habitation
to wave loaves of
Of two tenths of an Ephraim
They shall be a fine flower. They shall be baked with leaven. They shall be the first fruits of the Lord
What's happening here friends this Pentecost is the first fruits of the Lord's resurrection
The sign
To the Apostles that Christ had made it back if you like
Into the presence of the Father and that he had come to them in the person of the Holy Spirit
But what about this
Pentecost
This feast of weeks this 50 days. It was 50 days
after the
Resurrection after the
Ascension of Christ
Sorry 50 days after the resurrection of cross now
Pentecost was 50 days after
The
Passing of
The rate of the Passover 50 days after the Passover
So here we are in the Passover, of course they were saved
Redemption
Justification if you like and then 50 days hence
Pentecost
the first fruits
They were to bring the first fruits. And so we see if you like something of their
sanctification
Okay, now we want to hurry on in the interest of time here they were filled with the Holy Spirit
Paul of course in Ephesians you recall he prays that we might be strengthened by the Holy Spirit and
Friends a word of application to us
we must
Continually
Not grieve the Holy Spirit if you look at your own leisure at
Ephesians chapter 4 in that section where it talks about not grieving the Holy Spirit it is within the context of conversation
And if I have a struggle in any area in my home
It's in the area of my
conversation
Brothers and sisters if we are going to know anything of the powerful presence of Christ
We must not grieve the Holy Spirit in our
Conversation and it may be that this year
There's some some work that some of us have to do on how we speak to each other in our homes
Or even in this church
And that's just only one
instant that we could refer to
the other instance of course that we referred to is that we are the temple of the Holy Spirit and
You can look up at your own leisure the context concerning us being the temple of the Holy Spirit
the whole area of
Sexual sins touches us being the temple of the Holy Spirit
Friends if we are going to know anything of the measure of the presence of Christ
We must grab hold of
something of knowing how to possess our
possession the Holy Spirit
And seek to live in a holy and godly way
privately and corporately and then we will
Know the infilling and the empowering of the Spirit and not his quenching
And not his being grieved
Okay now we want to hurry on look at the second point
Thomas
Racing away the second means to overcoming our barrenness is preaching
Is preaching and we want to look turn back place to Acts chapter 2 and verse 23
We want to conclude with this
Second means to overcoming our barrenness acts 2
23
Peter preaches a sermon in response to what's happened at Pentecost
And in 17 through 21, he says that this is in fulfillment of prophecy
So you shouldn't be surprised
but then
Being if you like the new evangelist that he is he seizes upon the opportunity and begins to preach Christ
He begins to preach the gospel and of course in 22
He preaches the person of Christ and then in 23, he preaches the glorious
work of Christ
And we want to look just at 23
Because in the in the very real scenes all the great truths of the gospel
cluster around Christ
He is the diamond
Set in the beautiful setting of the ring
of the gospel
What Luke does for us here? He records the results of
preaching
the atonement of preaching Christ
but what he also does under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit is he records the success the
success of
preaching the cross of Christ
Who crucified Christ
we ask and
We have here in verse 23
that him have been him have been taken by the hand of lawless men and
crucified and
put to death
Peter
immediately begins by pricking the consciences of his hearers
He says you with one voice we could use the word solidarity
You as one voice
Were the ones the lawless ones the wicked ones?
who crucified Christ
then how was Christ crucified and
You recall we won't turn to it in the interest of time, but I'll try and bring it
Back to your mind. You remember the trial?
The trial of Christ the kangaroo court if ever there was a kangaroo court. It was that one with this
rascal
This Barabbas and Christ and Pilate
and that bowl of water and
What did the people shout?
crucify him crucify him and they didn't give up did they
they
were on
Pilate's
Case and they didn't give up
Until Christ until Pilate admitted the Christ was guilty. He couldn't find any charge against him and
that
He was to release
Barabbas and send Christ as a criminal
to the cross
Now
We want to look here at why Christ was crucified and we see these most incredible words here
Verse 23 him being delivered by the careful plan and tension and for knowledge of God
What does this mean friends? It means that this?
Crucifixion of Christ didn't happen by chance, but it was determined by God
It wasn't something that happened in a rash moment and the heat of the moment is the mob get to
Gathered together with Christ
but it was a display of
God's Providence
at his
Pacific
Providence and
Peter
Teaches us something here about the Council of God
The Council of God is without reason
God
Not only foresaw what would happen to Christ, but he decreed it
And we could say that if God shows his Providence in the government of this world
Surely he displays it here in the death of his coming and so it teaches us
to give great place
To the Providence of God
Now, what does it mean?
And I got some wonderful thoughts that I want to share with you from old. Mr. Smith
And he says these three things
What this
crucifixion of Christ means
He talks about the sinlessness of Christ that he is a sin bearer and that it is acceptable
Look in verse
25 of chapter 2
What David says concerning him I foresaw the Lord
always before my face
For he is at my right hand that I should not be shaken
It's only the obedience of Christ
Who could forsook for saw?
Go forth for seek
seek the Lord
always before his face
We see here the greatest
loyalty
Smeaton says of a creature to the Creator
Then as a sin bearer you recall the words of Isaiah 53
He was bruised for our transgressions
He was delivered as a criminal
And then
He was acceptable
and
He was pictured you remember
We have seen in a human court
Innocent and yet guilty
Now this had to be public so that we would know that Christ stood in the place of
guilty sinners
But of course we recall it was according to the Covenant
The Covenant that God the Father made with God the Son
and
He could have been exempt this trial on two grounds the fact that he was sinless and he was the only begotten
Son of God now. What's the point of all this?
That old mr. Smeaton's making and he makes this
wonderful remark
He says that although we see this human court
there is a heavenly court although we see the visible arms of
Pushing the crown upon his head and being
Flogged with that cat of nine tails
Although we see that visible punishment. There is an invisible hand
in an invisible court
Where Christ is arraigned before his heavenly father. It's a great judge and
The Heavenly Father looks upon his son and the Heavenly Father says in his court of justice and holiness
My son you are guilty for the punishment of your people. I condemn you to death
to take that punishment
For my people and so we see behind
the visible hands that
That that nailed
Those big nails into his hands and push them up onto that cross. We see the invisible hand of his father
striking him with just
punishment
John Piper
Recalls this story in his book the pleasures of God
He said I have a friend in the ministry. He told me a very powerful story
About a wonderful moment in preaching
He was speaking on the Thursday night before Good Friday in a prison in Illinois
During the message on the death of Christ he stopped and he asked one that he asked the inmates who killed Jesus
one of them replied
The Jews and
Another said the soldiers and another said pilot and another said Judas
But my friend said no, I don't think you're right
His father killed him
His father killed
We want to just
Touch on these remaining points here
Why is Christ to be preached and we see in verse 37 so sinners will be convicted by the Holy Spirit
And then why is he to be preached
so sinners will be converted and we see that in verses 37 to 41 and
Then finally in verses 40 to 47. We see why Christ should be be preached so people will be edified
God's people will be edified. We see the results of
Preaching Christ and him crucified in the gospel and the edification of people
from
42 through to 47
Where does that leave us then the great motive to overcoming our present bearing baroness?
individually and corporately
Is the promise of Christ's presence by his Holy Spirit in our midst
What evidence we have of that from our text?
Well, we see here
Will you turn to it in verse 47 of chapter 2 and the Lord added to the church daily?
Those who are being saved
Now Warfield says this the chief narrative name for Jesus and acts
becomes the expression of respect
the Lord and
He quotes Acts 2
36
Therefore let all the house of Israel know assuredly that God has made this Jesus whom you crucified
both Lord and Christ
Who is it friends?
who has added and
Will add to the church. It's the Lord. It's the Lord. Jesus Christ
Who who is the one?
Who we are to seek through this simple means of grace it is Christ
It is the risen Christ present by his spirit. He said I will never leave you or forsake you
He said I will build my church and the gates of hell will not prevail
Against him. He is the one who walks in the midst of the candlesticks
He is the one dear friends who is in our midst
According to promise
By his Holy Spirit
this evening
If we can grasp something of the simple means
that the Apostles
Rocked onto and used I dare to suggest
That Lord that we will be amazed at what God will do in us and through us
Privately as we seek to do this and then as we come together as
Temples of the Holy Spirit to become a habitation for God
Not grieving
Or quenching but men and women who are full of the Holy Spirit
God will give us a boldness and a power for ministry
He's done this in this church in days gone by
and
He will do it in days to come
Dear we believe him and dear we ask him to do it in days to come
Dear we believe him and dear we ask him to do it
May God
Have mercy upon us and give us grace as we come to the Lord's Supper