Last week was resurrection Sunday celebration here at Joy and at congregations all over the world. Last we held baptisms here at Joy and many other churches did the same all over the world. The question that was in the hearts of the Disciples after Christ resurrection was. Okay what is next? What do we do next? What does that look like?
Yesterday at our Teams breakfast I shared an encouragement to the Team Leaders and the Team Members here at Joy about being Seated in your position of service and ministry. Jesus taught his disciples the Gospel message including how he fulfilled all the Law of Moses, the Prophecies. He also gave his disciples some basic instructions to tarry in Jerusalem until Jesus sent the promise of the Father and they were endued with power from on high.
Let’s read this passage of scripture together:
Luke 24:44-53
44 And he said unto them, These are the words which I spake unto you, while I was yet with you, that all things must be fulfilled, which were written in the law of Moses, and in the prophets, and in the psalms, concerning me.
45 Then opened he their understanding, that they might understand the scriptures,
46 And said unto them, Thus it is written, and thus it behooved Christ to suffer, and to rise from the dead the third day:
47 And that repentance and remission of sins should be preached in his name among all nations, beginning at Jerusalem.
48 And ye are witnesses of these things.
49 And, behold, I send the promise of my Father upon you: but tarry ye in the city of Jerusalem, until ye be endued with power from on high.
50 And he led them out as far as to Bethany, and he lifted up his hands, and blessed them.
51 And it came to pass, while he blessed them, he was parted from them, and carried up into heaven.
52 And they worshipped him, and returned to Jerusalem with great joy:
53 And were continually in the temple, praising and blessing God. Amen.
***Yesterday we highlighted verse 49 49 And, behold, I send the promise of my Father upon you: but tarry ye in the city of Jerusalem, until ye be endued with power from on high.
***The Holy Spirit led me to highlight this passage of scripture and specifically this word Tarry because it does not tell the whole story in its English translation. This word translated Tarry was actually the word used to be “Seated” or “Appointed” The way you are seated on a board or appointed to sit on a committee. Also Paul uses this same word in Ephesians 2:6 as he speaks of us being Seated in Heavenly places in Christ Jesus.
Ephesians 2:6-9
6 And hath raised us up together, and made us sit together in heavenly places in Christ Jesus:
7 That in the ages to come he might shew the exceeding riches of his grace in his kindness toward us through Christ Jesus.
8 For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God:
9 Not of works, lest any man should boast.
In Luke 24-49 Jesus tells his disciples I am appointing you to be seated in Jerusalem and serve me from there until something happened.
You see this appointment to be seated and serve in Jerusalem was for a limited time. The mission was larger, the mission to serve was greater but Jesus disciples needed to serve from Jerusalem until there were (Endued with power from on high) Read it again Luke 24:49:
49 And, behold, I send the promise of my Father upon you: but tarry ye in the city of Jerusalem, until ye be endued with power from on high.
***The 1st point of the message today: God calls us to serve him in the place, power, position where he has called us.
Ephesians 4:1-3
1 I therefore, the prisoner of the Lord, beseech you that ye walk worthy of the vocation wherewith ye are called,
2 With all lowliness and meekness, with longsuffering, forbearing one another in love;
3 Endeavouring to keep the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace.
**My Friends do not be discouraged if you do not know exactly what the Lord is calling you to do today, tomorrow, next week, next month, next year. Serve the Lord in the Place, power and position he has you today.
Romans 8:14-17
14 For as many as are led by the Spirit of God, they are the sons of God.
15 For ye have not received the spirit of bondage again to fear; but ye have received the Spirit of adoption, whereby we cry, Abba, Father.
16 The Spirit itself beareth witness with our spirit, that we are the children of God:
17 And if children, then heirs; heirs of God, and joint-heirs with Christ; if so be that we suffer with him, that we may be also glorified together.
***I want to go back to Luke 24:49 and talk about the 2nd part of the passage and that is the “endued with power from on high”
49 And, behold, I send the promise of my Father upon you: but tarry ye in the city of Jerusalem, until ye be endued with power from on high.
***This word endued can be misunderstood because we do not say it in our day to day English Language. It sounds like something that is forced or pressed into you.
I like the way the Amplified Bible expresses this: until you are clothed (fully equipped) with power from on high.”
****I believe we have a misconception about the infilling of the Holy Spirit, The Promise of the Father and the Day of Pentecost as if God overpowered the Disciples freewill and forced this gift on them…….when in reality God does not force anyone to do anything against their free will.
***The 1st point of the message today: God calls us to serve him in the place, power, position where he has called us.
*** The 2nd point of the Message today: God does not force his gifts, calling or ministry on anyone against their will.
- This word for “endued” with power from on high actually means
to sink into (clothing), put on, clothe one's self
**Do you see the imagery there? The infilling of the Holy Spirit should be the most natural thing you have ever done. Like sinking into your most comfortable clothing and man does it feel good. This putting on is the same word used by Paul to speak of putting on the Armour of God:
Put on G1746 the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil.
It is the same word used by Paul in Gal 3:27 to explain that when we are baptized we have put off the old man and put on Christ.
For as many of you as have been baptized into Christ have put on G1746 Christ.
****Listen when we put on Christ, the old man does not fit anymore.
And that ye put on G1746 the new man, which after God is created in righteousness and true holiness.
**This is why I said last week as each person was being baptized “The Old Man is Dead, The New Man is alive!”
***Many of you do not know Betty Grant but for years She and her family were part of Joy Fellowship and remain very close friends of our family and many of the church members. On Friday she went home to be with the Lord……Paul describes the taking off of this earthly garment and “putting on” or being endued with her new eternal garment in it 1 Corinthians 15:54
So when this corruptible shall have put on G1746 incorruption, and this mortal shall have put on G1746 immortality, then shall be brought to pass the saying that is written, Death is swallowed up in victory.
***The 1st point of the message today: God calls us to serve him in the place, power, position where he has called us.
*** The 2nd point of the Message today: God does not force his gifts, calling or ministry on anyone against their will.
***The 3rd point of the Message today: God gives us the spiritual gifts but we have to be willing to put them on.
Jeremiah 31:31-34
31 Behold, the days come, saith the Lord, that I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel, and with the house of Judah:
32 Not according to the covenant that I made with their fathers in the day that I took them by the hand to bring them out of the land of Egypt; which my covenant they brake, although I was an husband unto them, saith the Lord:
33 But this shall be the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel; After those days, saith the Lord, I will put my law in their inward parts, and write it in their hearts; and will be their God, and they shall be my people.
34 And they shall teach no more every man his neighbour, and every man his brother, saying, Know the Lord: for they shall all know me, from the least of them unto the greatest of them, saith the Lord: for I will forgive their iniquity, and I will remember their sin no more.
***So lets pivot for a minute and talk specifically about this promise of the father, this gift Jesus is telling them to sink into, to put on.
The word Jesus spoke in Luke 24:49 concerning the promise of the Father is what Jesus spoke about in John 14:12-26
John 14:12-26
12 Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that believeth on me, the works that I do shall he do also; and greater works than these shall he do; because I go unto my Father.
13 And whatsoever ye shall ask in my name, that will I do, that the Father may be glorified in the Son.
14 If ye shall ask any thing in my name, I will do it.
15 If ye love me, keep my commandments.
16 And I will pray the Father, and he shall give you another Comforter, that he may abide with you for ever;
17 Even the Spirit of truth; whom the world cannot receive, because it seeth him not, neither knoweth him: but ye know him; for he dwelleth with you, and shall be in you.
18 I will not leave you comfortless: I will come to you.
19 Yet a little while, and the world seeth me no more; but ye see me: because I live, ye shall live also.
20 At that day ye shall know that I am in my Father, and ye in me, and I in you.
21 He that hath my commandments, and keepeth them, he it is that loveth me: and he that loveth me shall be loved of my Father, and I will love him, and will manifest myself to him.
22 Judas saith unto him, not Iscariot, Lord, how is it that thou wilt manifest thyself unto us, and not unto the world?
23 Jesus answered and said unto him, If a man love me, he will keep my words: and my Father will love him, and we will come unto him, and make our abode with him.
24 He that loveth me not keepeth not my sayings: and the word which ye hear is not mine, but the Father's which sent me.
25 These things have I spoken unto you, being yet present with you.
26 But the Comforter, which is the Holy Ghost, whom the Father will send in my name, he shall teach you all things, and bring all things to your remembrance, whatsoever I have said unto you.
Acts 1 Luke records
1 The former treatise have I made, O Theophilus, of all that Jesus began both to do and teach,
2 Until the day in which he was taken up, after that he through the Holy Ghost had given commandments unto the apostles whom he had chosen:
3 To whom also he shewed himself alive after his passion by many infallible proofs, being seen of them forty days, and speaking of the things pertaining to the kingdom of God:
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.
6 When they therefore were come together, they asked of him, saying, Lord, wilt thou at this time restore again the kingdom to Israel?
7 And he said unto them, It is not for you to know the times or the seasons, which the Father hath put in his own power.
8 But ye shall receive power, after that the Holy Ghost is come upon you: and ye shall be witnesses unto me both in Jerusalem, and in all Judaea, and in Samaria, and unto the uttermost part of the earth.
9 And when he had spoken these things, while they beheld, he was taken up; and a cloud received him out of their sight.
10 And while they looked stedfastly toward heaven as he went up, behold, two men stood by them in white apparel;
11 Which also said, Ye men of Galilee, why stand ye gazing up into heaven? this same Jesus, which is taken up from you into heaven, shall so come in like manner as ye have seen him go into heaven.
***The 1st point of the message today: God calls us to serve him in the place, power, position where he has called us.
*** The 2nd point of the Message today: God does not force his gifts, calling or ministry on anyone against their will.
***The 3rd point of the Message today: God gives us the spiritual gifts but we have to be willing to put them on.
***The 4th point of the Message today: If you want to walk in power then you need to put on the Holy Spirit.
Acts 1:8 we just read:
8 But ye shall receive power, after that the Holy Ghost is come upon you: and ye shall be witnesses unto me both in Jerusalem, and in all Judaea, and in Samaria, and unto the uttermost part of the earth.
**This morning as I was waking up the Lord impressed on my heart to go back to the promise of the Old Testament by the prophet Malachi and look at it in the light of promise made by Christ of the Father sending the Comforter, the Holy Spirit.
****The fifth and final point of the message today: We walk in freedom when we put on the Holy Spirit and serve Jesus.
In Closing* Turn with me to the last chapter of the last book of the Old Testament:
Malachi 4
1 For, behold, the day cometh, that shall burn as an oven; and all the proud, yea, and all that do wickedly, shall be stubble: and the day that cometh shall burn them up, saith the Lord of hosts, that it shall leave them neither root nor branch.
2 But unto you that fear my name shall the Sun of righteousness arise with healing in his wings; and ye shall go forth, and grow up as calves of the stall.
And you will go forward and leap [joyfully] like calves [released] from the stall.
3 And ye shall tread down the wicked; for they shall be ashes under the soles of your feet in the day that I shall do this, saith the Lord of hosts.
4 Remember ye the law of Moses my servant, which I commanded unto him in Horeb for all Israel, with the statutes and judgments.
5 Behold, I will send you Elijah the prophet before the coming of the great and dreadful day of the Lord:
6 And he shall turn the heart of the fathers to the children, and the heart of the children to their fathers, lest I come and smite the earth with a curse.
a reconciliation produced by repentance], so that I will not come and strike the land with a curse [of complete destruction].
***Malachi the prophet speaks under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit of the coming day of Judgement when the Lord returns to Judge the nations and all the inhabitants of the Earth….But the those who fear the Lord, Those who live in reverence to the Name of the Lord Jesus. He will arise with healing in his wings and we are going forth in Freedom like young calves let out of the stalls
Revelation 1:7
7 Behold, vhe is coming with the clouds, and wevery eye will see him, even those who pierced him, and all tribes of the earth will wail1 on account of him. Even so. Amen.
2 Corinthians 5:10
10 For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ; that every one may receive the things done in his body, according to that he hath done, whether it be good or bad.
Matthew 22:8-14
8 Then saith he to his servants, The wedding is ready, but they which were bidden were not worthy.
9 Go ye therefore into the highways, and as many as ye shall find, bid to the marriage.
10 So those servants went out into the highways, and gathered together all as many as they found, both bad and good: and the wedding was furnished with guests.
11 And when the king came in to see the guests, he saw there a man which had not on a wedding garment:
12 And he saith unto him, Friend, how camest thou in hither not having a wedding garment? And he was speechless.
13 Then said the king to the servants, Bind him hand and foot, and take him away, and cast him into outer darkness, there shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth.
14 For many are called, but few are chosen.