The Book Of Acts | Spirit - Filled Ministry Part 1 (April 19th, 2020) - Mike Armstrong

Way good morning, church.

As uh Jeremy mentioned, grab your Bibles and get them turned to Acts chapter two.

Now, as our you know lives, I'm sure you've noticed, have changed quite a bit uh over the last little while.

You know, even something as simple as getting groceries is you know a massive undertaking, it seems like.

Not to mention, you know, trying to figure out you know work life and getting the kids figured out with you know school and you know, what would a relationships look like now?

I mean, church obviously is uh much, much different uh than we're used to.

Uh but again, just as uh as our lives are you know changing so much, we're all trying to figure out what it all looks like now, in Acts chapter 2, uh the disciples themselves experienced uh a lot of dramatic change in a very short amount of time.

Acts 2 · chapter mention

If you think about it, it had only been, I mean, less than two months since the events of Easter.

Okay, so so Christ had gone to the cross, he died, he'd risen from the grave, and then we know that you know he appeared to them over 40 days and he spent time with them, teaching them and instructing them about the Old Testament and how everything in it ultimately drove to, pointed to, prophesied that he would be uh the Messiah, the king and savior of the world.

After he'd explained a lot of that, uh, we know that he then ascended to be with his father, the right hand of his father.

He just ten days after that, uh, the disciples, they're they're gathered together in the upper room, and we know that finally the promised Holy Spirit comes.

And you remember that scene, because that's what we looked at last time.

It was it was no, you know, the sound like a like a mighty rushing wind.

It says, you know, divided tongues as of fire appeared and rested on them.

And then, you know, under the power of the Holy Spirit, they begin to, you know, speak in other tongues.

And from there, they they they spill out into the street and and and they come into contact with these Jews, these devout men from every nation, it says.

So, so guys that were you know from different you know, neighboring regions who had you know traveled to Jerusalem uh for Pentecost.

You've got you know a bunch of Jews there in that crowd who had relocated and were living in Jerusalem uh there permanently.

And you know, they hear this speaking in tongues, and the miracle of it all is that they understand in their own languages exactly uh what is said.

Uh, pretty amazing, okay?

Now, suffice it to say, that's a lot, right?

That's a lot that had changed and had happened in uh, again, a pretty short amount of time.

Okay, much had changed.

Easter, you know, had totally recast, you know, how humanity relates to God now.

Sin has been, you know, paid for, you know, the wrath of God satisfied, death overcome, all of that, you know, access to a relationship with the Father, you know, now available by grace through faith in the finished work of the Son.

Okay, and and now the Holy Spirit, you know, being poured out on God's people as his gift to believers, right?

To be the very power that that would build up the church and and how disciples are made to the glory of God.

Okay.

And so what we have beginning next here in verse 14, which we're gonna look at here this morning, is this very first look at what spirit-filled ministry uh looks like.

Okay, so Peter he steps up to the plate as we're gonna see this here, and the Spirit of God works in him and through him with such force and such impact that the people listening are never the same.

You know, which as I think about all of that, and I and I kind of drink that in, I think it really begs the question you know, does our ministry look like that?

Right?

Does our church and and do our lives, you know, reflect a powerful movement of the Holy Spirit, you know, where He is transforming us and others through us, you know, are we seeing, you know, the kind of impact that can be only explained as man, that's that is so obviously God's doing.

You know, where other people, you know, would see our lives and be like, man, I know the people of Redemption Church, and they're just you know pretty ordinary people.

So what's happening over there is so clearly and obviously, you know, God moving.

I mean, that I don't know about you, but that is so what I want.

You know, for my life, I want that for my family, I want that for you and yours for us as a church.

We're just like, man, look what the Lord has done.

That is what I want to pray for uh right now.

So join me and then I will jump into these verses.

God, we come before you now and we just marvel at uh such an amazing passage that we're gonna be looking at here today.

And so, Lord, I pray that you would uh teach us uh what we need to know.

Lord, I pray that you would show us uh what your the ministry of your Holy Spirit looks like, what uh Holy Spirit ministry looks like for us, Lord.

Would you continue to pour yourself out on the lives of your people, Lord?

Lord, break down our pride, God, God, work in us, transform us, use us powerfully in the lives of other people, Lord.

We want you to get glory for this.

We don't want it to be about like, look how great we are and look what we're doing.

We want people to see Jesus through us.

And so, God, by your Holy Spirit, do these things, Lord.

We pray it all in Christ's name.

Amen.

Amen.

All right, so today is part one of a three-part kind of mini-series right in uh Acts chapter two.

So this is what spirit-filled ministry looks like.

Again, part one today, but here's the first thing this morning: my character being thoroughly transformed.

You know, as we uh pick it up here again in the story, uh, you remember now the response of you know, some of these Jews who heard the disciples speaking in their own tongues the mighty works of God, as verse 11 tells us.

Well, take a step back into verse 12 here, because it tells us, it says, and all were amazed and perplexed, okay, saying to one another, what does this mean?

Okay, but others mocking said, Ah, they're filled with new wine.

Okay, so so some of these devout men, okay, realize here, wow, that something of the Lord is happening here, is taking place.

And they're just they're they're they're perplexed, they're trying to figure out uh what it all means.

You can imagine probably feeling that as well if you were there.

Whereas others assumed that the disciples had had really just you know, you know, cracked open, you know, a couple too many uh fresh wineskins, uh, if you will, um, that this was the the Holy Spirit moving and and acting.

I mean, that was flying right over their heads, okay?

And so uh here is Peter's now spirit-filled response to those skeptics.

Take a look in uh verse 14.

It says, But Peter, standing with the eleven, lifted up his voice and addressed them, men of Judea and all who dwell in Jerusalem, let this be known to you and give ear to my words.

For these people are not drunk, as you suppose, since it is only the third hour of the day, okay, 9 a.m.

Now, what may at first appear to be, you know, just maybe a bit of a transitionary statement to get to what you know Peter really wanted to say through the Holy Spirit, and and a verse maybe that we might be tempted to just kind of breeze over to get to the other stuff, these verses themselves actually provide evidence of the Holy Spirit's transformative work.

Okay, in who?

Well, in Peter, in Peter's life.

Because what is he doing here uh in this moment?

Well, he's he's standing up to, he's he's confronting and and and even correcting a crowd of Jews who were, at least some of them were, denying a work of God.

Okay, and why is that significant?

Well, I think it maybe draws our minds back to the last time Peter had an opportunity to do this, uh, yet fully wilted under the pressure, like total cave job on his part.

And that was the moment that Jesus was arrested, the moments that followed when he denied Jesus three times.

You remember that?

Certain people saw Peter kind of hanging around as Jesus was being led away, and they're like, hey, wait a second, that's the Galilean that that hung out with him.

And and and he was like, No, this I'm that's not me.

You got the wrong guy.

And I mean, remember, even a little girl is like, hey, that's that's that's the guy that hangs out with Jesus.

He's like, no, it's not.

Three times he denies Jesus, okay?

It's this this awful moment in his his life.

So, so here in Acts 2, what is the you know explanation for this turnaround in Peter's actions?

Okay, well, certainly a mega part of it is is the resurrection.

Okay, the the resurrection solidified his resolve, the other disciples' resolve as as well, to proclaim Christ as Savior in the face of all kinds of opposition and persecution that we will get to as we read through uh the book of Acts.

Okay, but on top of that now, on top of the reality of the resurrection, right now he's got the Holy Spirit dwelling within him, okay, and empowering him now to carry out his ministry with effectiveness.

Okay, in this case, it's to stand up to and correct those who are denying God's mighty works.

He's like, they're not drunk guys.

It's it's it's only 9 a.m.

Okay, what you're suggesting is is absolutely absurd.

Okay, now to further emphasize the the transformation in Peter, you might remember back to Matthew chapter 16 in verse 22 that that Peter himself denied God's work.

Matthew 16 · chapter mention

Okay, Jesus had told them, remember, that he must suffer and die and and then rise again.

And you remember what Peter said to him?

Remember how he he rebuked him?

He's like, far be it from you, Lord, you know, this will never happen to you.

And of course, we know Jesus' response.

Jesus rebukes him right back and says, you know, get behind me, Satan, and it's it's all of that.

Okay, so so so Peter he he goes from you know denying God's work, God's God's plan, and and and crumbling under pressure in multiple different situations to now trumpeting God's work with composure, right, with with confidence and and with clarity, as we're about to see.

The Holy Spirit is already beginning to transform his character and show us what spirit-filled ministry looks like.

Okay, so hey, as a believer, you know, are you seeing the same types of transformation uh to your own character?

Right?

Are you seeing things that were at one point you know weaknesses being turned into strengths, you know, in ways that can only be explained as the Holy Spirit's ministry in your life, right?

It just wouldn't make sense any other way, right?

Things that you know I I used to love doing, sinful things, selfish things.

I don't want to do those things anymore, right?

Things that that that you used to hate doing, right?

Serving the Lord, sharing your faith, or you know, reading your Bible, praying, all of that kind of thing.

That's the kind of thing I want to do, right?

I I love to do that.

Right?

And so the change is happening.

You it's just it's too dramatic to be explained as something nearly as you know, self-improvement, or or you know, it's just me evolving to become a better person as I learn more things and through my self-fueled efforts.

No, no, no, nothing like that.

Your your transformation is just it's so thorough, it's so deep that it's penetrated right down into your very heart.

The fibers of your of your motivations and and and your desires.

It's it's how you your mind and how you think now is is so different.

And and of course, your action, your your response, and your obedience is it's all different.

Why?

Because God's Holy Spirit dwells inside you and is Himself changing you.

Okay, this is what Holy Spirit ministry looks like.

It's not just about what God is doing out there in other people's lives or how he's using me in someone's life.

I mean, all of those are great things.

We're gonna, you know, see some of that this morning and certainly along the way through our series here.

But but think about it, it really begins with what he is doing in me, what he's be what he's doing in you and in our character as he transforms us into the image of Christ.

Now, you know, as as I say this and as we read these verses, you know, if you are sensing, you know, conviction about some of this, because you know, you're you're taking stock of of your own character, and if you have any shred of humility, you're realizing, man, I'm I'm I'm extremely flawed here, and you realize like I I wish I was in a better place with all of this, you know, but maybe for you, you're you're just feeling kind of stuck.

Like what like I you're you're you're lacking motivation and desire to change, and you're not, you know, you're not joyful or sensing any urgency.

And so you know, if you're in that place, I mean what do you do?

Right, right.

Wait, what do you how do you how do you how do you get out of that?

Well, again, as we know, it it's to to allow ourselves to be refueled by the truth of the gospel, right?

That awesome reality of Easter that we looked at uh just last week, right?

Are are those things still stirring in you and and and and giving you joy and motivating you to love the Lord?

Isn't it amazing how you know we just looked at that seven days ago and and how how quickly that kind of leaks out of us and we sort of move on and we and we can grow cold to all of this?

Right?

So what we need to do is we need to remind our hearts and our minds uh of this, right?

That that things like our sin debt has been completely paid by Jesus, right?

God's wrath, once aimed at us, is is no longer aimed at us.

It's been satisfied in Jesus Christ and what he did.

Do you meditate on that?

Do you do you think about that and and how awesome God is?

Right?

It's about refocusing on how Jesus' sacrifice is the perfect picture of God's love for us.

Do you think about that too?

I mean, so many people, you know, I don't think, you know, feel on an emotion level that that God, you know, loves me.

Well, well, listen, stop, stop, stop following your emotions, okay?

Stop.

Start leaning into the truth.

And the truth is that God loves you.

There's no greater picture than what happened at Easter through his death and through his resurrection.

God loved you so much that he put his son through all of that instead of you.

You know, and as these things begin to soften you, rejoice in Christ that that that sin no longer has ultimate power over you anymore.

Right?

It doesn't.

Yeah, we trip up with it and and and it still bothers us and all of it, but ultimately it can't touch us and it can't hurt us.

And because of what Christ did, we avoid where we were going.

We avoid hell and get heaven forever.

Right?

Right?

These are the very things that that that would have been surging in the hearts of the disciples, and and it was like the the Holy Spirit's arrival here in Acts 2 just like lit a match, right?

And and off they were, off to the race.

Spirit-filled ministry just took off after that.

Right?

We see it in in Peter's life, and and we should absolutely be seeing this in our lives too, if we are believers.

Okay, it's no different for us.

Okay, so so root yourselves in in the truths of the gospel and the powerful life altering realities of your salvation, and watch the Holy Spirit transform your character.

All right, here's the second thing.

What spirit-filled ministry looks like.

Okay, it's his works, that's the spirit's works, uh, in line with the word of God.

Okay, so again, you know, that some of these Jews had just, you know, uh mocked and accused the disciples of being drunk.

I mean, that's their, you know, rather cynical, you know, explanation for the things that they just saw.

Okay, but but but Peter's about to prove to them that no, these men aren't actually drunk at all.

It's something much more powerful than that.

It is the Lord at work.

Okay, rather which just took place in the empty room and then has spilled out into the street now is actually the fulfillment of a nearly 600-year-old promise in Scripture.

Okay, so so not only was there speaking in tongues, okay, uh a mighty work of God's spirit, okay, but but spirit-filled ministry will always be consistent with or in line with the truth of God's word, with what it says.

Okay, notice this here in verse 16.

And it says, but this, this is Peter, but this is what was uttered through the prophet Joel.

Okay, so the rest of our passage now comes to us from Joel 2, verse 28 to 32.

Joel 2:28–32

And so Peter uses this to show that what just happened is God's word being fulfilled.

Okay, this is not some random, you know, nonsense that's taking place here.

Okay, so here's what he says.

He says, and in the last days.

Okay, now pause right there uh for just a second.

You now understand that when the Bible talks about the last days, when it describes it in those terms, it's not just talking uh about you know the events surrounding Christ's second coming, something that's gonna happen in the you know distant future.

It's not just talking about that.

It often refers to the second coming as you know the last day or the day of the Lord.

You've probably read that or heard it described as that.

And when the Bible mentions the last days, okay, it's it's actually referring to that period of time beginning with Christ's ministry on earth, and then very much accentuated by by the events here in Acts chapter 2, you know, in the coming of the Holy Spirit at Pentecost, and then of course concluding at Christ's return.

Acts 2 · chapter mention

Okay, so so all of this to say here, since the time of Christ and the moment of Pentecost, mankind has been in the last days.

You and I, we are living in the last days because we are in that time period between Pentecost and Christ's second coming.

Okay, two really quick verses here that highlight this, okay?

Hebrews uh 1, verses uh 1 and 2, the author says, long ago, at many times and in many ways, God spoke to our fathers by the prophets, but in these last days, he has spoken to us by his son.

Okay, so this this shows us here that that the time of Jesus and his ministry was considered to be the beginning of the last days.

Okay, in in 1 Corinthians uh chapter 10, verse 11, notice it says, Now these things happened to them as an example, but they were written down for our instruction on whom the end of the ages has come.

Okay, so Paul, who's the author of this, he he clearly saw himself and and the church in Corinth as you know living currently in the last days, right?

Just want to make sure that we understand what the scripture means when it when it talks about this, because I think there's gonna be a lot of can uh confusion about this.

All right, so so everything happening in Acts chapter two, the Holy Spirit's work and his his ministry is exactly what God through Joel, okay, and and through Peter said would happen.

Okay, so verse 17 again, it says, In the last days it shall be, God declares, that I will pour out my spirit on all flesh.

Okay, that that's all who repent.

Okay, verse 38.

You can look at it uh later.

That's what it suggests that means.

Okay, so on all flesh and your sons and your daughters, okay.

So remember there were there were women in the Upper room when God's spirit came down.

Okay, so it's on on men, on sons and daughters, okay, and says that they shall uh prophesy.

You know, that word prophesy there, it has uh multiple meanings, okay, depending on you know the context and and uh what it's really saying here, okay.

So considering you know the the context of verse 11, it's best defined here and understood as meaning a proclamation, okay?

Which is exactly what the the 120 disciples do in the upper room as the Holy Spirit falls on them, right?

They they they prophesy or they proclaim what?

The mighty works of God.

Right?

That's verse 11.

Okay, now keep going.

He says, And your young men shall see visions, and your old men shall dream dreams.

Even on my male servants and female servants, in those days I will pour out my spirit, and they shall prophesy.

Okay, or again, proclaim the mighty works of God.

Okay, now now so who who who Joel and Peter here through Joel says we'll will you know, will do these things through the Holy Spirit is so important uh for us to see here because it signifies that that the Spirit makes makes no distinction, right, between between the various classes that you and I tend to divide people up in and label people as.

Okay, so so so after Christ and and through the you know the the what the events of Pentecost, the Spirit makes no distinction.

You would no longer be poured out, you know, only on a select few, like like prophets and and kings and and priests, right?

And that just for you know special occasions, like what we see in the Old Testament, under the Old Covenant.

Okay, God's Spirit will now be poured out on all people, okay, regardless of of age, right?

It says, you know, young men, old men, regardless of uh of class, it talks about servants, regardless of your gender, it talks about men and women, regardless of your ethnicity, we know that salvation is for Jew and Gentile.

Right?

Now, I think that is amazing, but if you keep going here, some of what is described here is still yet to come true or happen in the book of Acts.

And we're gonna, you know, get to you know later chapters here where guys like you know Peter and Paul and Ananias and and Cornelius, you know, have the these various experiences of of visions or or dreams, you know, very you know, kind of interchangeable, similar things here.

Okay, we're gonna we're gonna see all of that.

Okay, but now picking it up in verse 9, we see that that Peter through Joel again, he points even even further ahead, okay, to to eschatological uh events, okay, meaning like the end times or or or you know or Christ's second coming.

Okay, notice the apocalyptic language here in verse 19.

Okay, God says, and I will show wonders in the heavens above and signs on the earth below, a blood and fire and and vapor of smoke, the sun shall be sh uh shall be turned to darkness, and the moon to blood.

For the day before the day of the Lord comes, the great and magnificent day.

Okay, in other words, his second coming.

Now, if you want to jot down real quick here, Matthew chapter 24.

Matthew 24 · chapter mention

Okay, in Matthew 24, verses 29 to 31, Jesus actually describes uh some of these very events as he explains his his final return, his second coming, where he's gonna judge the living and the dead and gather believers uh into glory.

Matthew 24:29–31

Hey now, okay, let's come up for error a little bit uh here, a lot that we just looked at.

Okay, but as you as you take all of this in here, I think I think what's so important, okay, for for us to see is that everything, everything that the Spirit has done, okay, Acts chapter two, or or will do, whether that's during our lifetime or or at the last day, okay, all of his works, okay, always have been and always will be in line with what the word of God says.

That's a defining characteristic of spirit-filled ministry.

Now, I believe that it is absolutely critical, okay, that that you and I, that we understand that as we consider now, you know, how the Holy Spirit works, you know, in us and through us uh today.

All right, because uh we live in a day where countless things get attributed to the Holy Spirit that don't even come close, okay, to representing what the Bible says the Spirit will do.

Okay, for example, I remember uh hearing a guy talk and and and the words that came out of his mouth, I'm not kidding you, were, you know, hey, I I really sensed the spirit leading me to leave my wife for another woman.

Now, can we can we just agree that that is that's garbage, okay, in our in our own twisted and warped ways.

Isn't it amazing how sometimes we can attribute such sinful, demonic things to a working of the spirit, right?

It's really just our flesh, but we want to justify it by somehow attributing the Holy Spirit's stamp of approval on whatever nonsense uh we want to do, right?

Just crazy, but that's the kind of thing that happens.

I mean, of course, there are so many, you know, far out and extreme examples of this type of thing.

I mean, you you know, you might hear about you know, people, you know, like chaotically, you know, barking during a church service, you know, claiming that it's a powerful moving of the spirit.

And I gotta tell you, I'm just like, I'm like biting my tongue about all of that.

But can we just say like that's that's not in the Bible?

Okay, like we we we we don't see that.

Again, some examples are so extreme that you know they're maybe a little bit more obvious to us as like out of line with you know what the word of God actually says.

Okay, but as as as we think about you know ourselves, you think about your own life, do you see maybe some some you know some more subtle tendencies uh of some of the same type uh types of approaches in yourself, right?

As you consider how God's spirit works and ministers.

Like I think some of us will have the tendency to lean towards being just you know too broad, right?

Like every whim and and every you know desire and every feeling that I have must be from the Lord and must be attributed to his spirit working in me.

Okay, and and you know, even though whatever that might be is just you know not in the Bible.

Let's let's be really careful about you know being way too broad, okay?

But but in the in the same breath, all right, I would urge others of us to realize that maybe we actually lean towards being too too narrow.

Okay, it's not it's not being broad, but it's narrow.

And you know, some of us maybe it's like, well, the you know, the Holy Spirit would would never do that.

You know, and I you know I I think of you know some people who, you know, for example, may never want to express any type of emotion during singing and and during worship.

You know, like I'm gonna I'm gonna worship God with my mind and my my intellect, but but but but with my spirit?

Like that's that's for the that's for the charismatics, right?

I'm not gonna show any emotion.

I'm gonna be kind of cold and stoic uh during uh you know a worship service or or at home or wherever uh you might be.

Okay.

Regardless of which way you might lean, being too narrow or too broad, uh, what is the answer for us?

Well, the answer is to anchor ourselves to the word of God, right?

Anchor us to that, like like know it.

Like if you've been taking the opportunity you've had at home to open up God's word and study it and and know it, right?

Uh uh continue past that.

I mean, test, right?

Test what you feel, test what you what you think you know, right?

Test your your experiences, all of them up against the rock solid scripture.

Okay, that's where we see what the spirit does, what he has done, and what he will continue to do.

Okay he will only and ever work in ways that align with what the Bible says, right?

To the glorification of the Savior.

And that is exactly what this final thing gets into here.

Okay, what spirit-filled ministry looks like.

Third thing, the aim, driving towards salvation through Christ.

Okay, for this, let's look at the final verse here, verse 21 this morning.

It says, And it shall come to pass that everyone who calls upon the name of the Lord shall be saved.

Okay, so this is the the culmination now, not only of Joel's words here in our text, but but the the goal and and the aim of the Holy Spirit's ministry and what spirit-filled ministry looks like.

Okay, recognize that that the Spirit's chief mandate and core mission is to glorify the Son.

Okay, Jesus Himself tells us that in John chapter 16, verse 14.

John 16:14

He says, He, that's the Holy Spirit, will glorify me.

Okay, so the Spirit's aim is to see the Son glorified by leading people to the salvation that is found in Christ alone.

Okay, and so it shall come to pass, okay, that's a promise we see in the verse, that everyone who calls upon the name of the Lord, that's Jesus, okay, shall be saved.

The Spirit has no other ultimate agenda than to drive people towards salvation.

The Spirit's certainly not committed to glorifying us.

Okay, his ministry, his aim is not to just make us feel you know warm and comfortable North American, you know, Christians with more than we would ever need or or even want.

No, he's he's driving people towards salvation through Christ.

He's not here to establish your goals and your your you know, your short-sighted vision, you know, your worldly desires and selfish plans, whatever they might be.

No, it he's not about that at all.

He's about glorifying Christ.

Okay, it is just a few verses earlier in John chapter 16, in verse 8, Jesus says that uh when he comes, okay, that's the Holy Spirit, he will convict the world concerning sin and righteousness and judgment.

John 16 · chapter mention

Okay, so that the Spirit's aim is to convict us of our sin.

Okay, to point out to us that we are not in any way righteous on our own, and we need the righteousness of Christ.

Right?

The Spirit's ministry is to warn us that judgment is coming and hell is real, and that is forever.

Okay, so listen, if you have not done this yet, call upon the name of the Lord.

Okay, get saved.

Okay, do that right now.

Receive the gift of salvation that God offers you through his son, that he has paid for and wants to give you as a gift of grace.

Okay, admit your faults, admit your brokenness, admit your rebellion against God, and receive the forgiveness that is found in his name.

Listen, if you have not done that yet, do it right now.

You can do it in a simple prayer, just expressing those things.

Lord, I apologize, I repent, my sin is against you.

I want to turn away from that, I want to embrace Jesus as Lord.

Listen, tell us, communicate with us today.

You know, send us an email, let us know if if you have done this so we can get in touch with you and we can we can help you out in the beginning of your journey and in following the Lord and being a disciple of Jesus Christ.

And for those of us who have already done that, remember here, this is so important, remember that salvation is not just justification.

Okay, justification is that moment that you were declared righteous, that the very second that you confess your sin and confess Christ as Lord.

That is justification.

You've been justified.

Okay, but but salvation is not just that, though that is a massively important moment.

Okay, salvation, you remember you've heard me say this before, it is the entire process of bringing a sinner from death to life.

Okay, so it involves predestination.

Okay, get comfortable with that word, Christian.

It's it's in the Bible, okay?

It's predestination, it's justification, which I just described.

It's it's sanctification.

That's where the Holy Spirit works in you and transforms you, practically speaking, functionally speaking, so that you start to look more like Jesus and behave and act and love like him.

Right?

It involves glorification.

That's the final step.

Where you are brought into heaven and given your brand new body where it is not broken and marred by sin anymore.

What an amazing thing.

That is the entire process from predestination to glorification.

That is salvation.

Okay, so listen, Christ Father, are you fully sanctified yet?

Right?

Are are are you know have you arrived in glory?

Okay, no, I didn't think so.

Okay, not at all.

Okay, so that which means that there is still saving work to be done.

Okay, there is.

It's sanctification.

And the Spirit's you know ministry, his his aim is to keep doing that saving work in you and in your life, in your heart, okay, to refine you, okay, to chip away your pride and produce humility and the fruit of the spirit, to to grow you, and then of course, to use you powerfully in service to him in the advancing of God's kingdom and the and in the expansion of God's church.

Why?

So that in all things Jesus Christ would be exalted.

Okay, so listen, as we consider all of these things today in this passage, and you know, catch a glimpse here of what spirit-filled ministry looks like through Peter's sermon at Pentecost, let's allow our hearts to come alive here and long for and and recommit to spirit-filled ministry as a church.

Okay, where our where our character is being transformed by him, right?

And and where we you know we test what we sense to be, you know, the his work with what the word of God actually says will be his work and how he moves, so that we're so that we're biblically grounded and and truly fruitful.

You know, and as and as we pray for for for more of God's spirit, you know, to work in and through us, okay, let's recognize that it's always about his agenda.

The lost getting saved through Jesus Christ, which of course is the Lord's agenda.

It's Jesus' agenda, and that's what glorifies him.

Listen, I am so pumped about this passage in scripture.

I love Acts chapter two.

We're only a third of the way through it.

Can't wait to jump back into part two uh with you next week.

And so know that uh I am uh praying for you, church, and trusting the Lord to uh forge more of his character in us through the powerful working of his spirit.

Let's pray for more of this right now.

Join me as I pray.

God, we thank you so much for being uh such a graceful, gracious, merciful, and loving God.

Lord, for sending Jesus Christ to take care of all of our garbage, Lord, all of our sin, all of our brokenness, Lord, Lord, paying for it on the cross, Lord, triumphing over the grave, Lord, sending your Holy Spirit, who is now at work and alive in us, refining us and making us more like you.

God, would you continue to do this, Lord?

We we continue to ask that you would do the work that we know your spirit does, where you convict us.

Lord, would you break us down of our pride, Lord?

We know that in our pride we we we don't like that.

It's such an uncomfortable experience, Lord.

But we end up just suffering when we don't submit ourselves to you and allow you to do that work of sanctification in us, Lord.

I pray that we would always cling to the awesome truth and reality of the gospel, Lord, and allow that to fill us with joy.

And Lord, would you use that to transform our very character and then use us powerfully in ministry in the lives of others, Lord?

Would you grow our church?

God, would you do all of this not for not for our glory?

It's not really at the end of the day about us at all.

It is about you, it is about your mission, it is about your plan, it is about your glory.

So accomplish these things, we pray in Jesus' name.

Amen.