Well, good morning to you and happy Sunday after Thanksgiving, or as I've been working to get it renamed sweatpants Sunday that hasn't been approved yet. So here we are. But I'm thankful that you are here today as we conclude this series through the Trinity, really looking today at what I think is the, the most least talked about and least taught through piece of that, and that is the Holy Spirit. I recognize that today is just kind of a weird Sunday, often that Sunday that transitions us from Thanksgiving into the Christmas season, and that in the room this size, there are a ton of different spaces that you come in. Some of you are tired, others just tired of family or tired of Turkey. Some of you are rejuvenated, you've had time off and, and you are looking forward to to getting back into the swing of things.
I also know that, that, that time as we had, I love the Christmas season, but I also know that for p some it's just a hard season to head into. And so what I would just encourage you this morning is that my hope is that as we unpack the power of the Holy Spirit, that that you would see it's not just this temporary boost. It's not just this spiritual jolt that comes. It is the power and the presence of God living in us for our real life work. So if you do have a Bibles, I hope you would take it out and turn to Acts chapter one. Acts chapter one is actually a story already in progress. Luke, who is the writer of Acts, is also the writer of the Gospel of Luke. And so what he was writing in Luke, he leaves off and he picks up here in Acts.
So setting the stage for us, Jesus has been on the earth, he has lived on the earth, he has died, he has defeated death. He's been back on the earth 40 days. And as he begins to ascend into heaven, there is this exchange both with Jesus leaving behind information, some commands. There's just a lot that's going on. And that's the moment that Luke is recording here at the beginning of Acts chapter one. And we begin in verse one where Luke says, the first account I composed Theophilus about all that Jesus began to do and teach until the day when he was taken up to heaven after he had noticed this by the Holy Spirit given orders to the apostles whom he had chosen. Now, I I often say, if you're someone who loves to just Mark Key things, either in the app or your notes or or in your Bible, I think this is a key phrase right here, that, that as we're experiencing this moment, all that Jesus began to do and teach, what's a key indicator here is that even though this moment is recording, the moment that Jesus is leaving the earth and he is ascending to heaven and leaving behind as followers, what this moment indicates, all that Jesus began to do and teach is that his work wasn't finished in this moment.
But really, I think as we unpack the text today, what you're gonna see is that his work was just beginning. That, that, that, here's what I, I don't want you to miss what Jesus started on the earth, the ministry that he started on the earth, he intends to continue through the church that includes us. That, that, that what started then that begin with this earthly ministry is to continue until one of two things happens. Either he returns or he calls you home. And so that's an important indicator today because that means that us here, the church that was left behind the church is not to be a monument to the past. The church isn't to be this moment that records something that did happen. The church is to be a movement forward. We are called to carry out and to continue the work of Jesus.
That's pretty awesome, is it not? But I think a very fair question, is this how, I mean, how are we supposed to do that? I think it would've been a very natural question. His disciples would've asked like, Hey, Jesus, I get that you're, you're wanting us to continue this work forward, but everything that we've done has come because you were here with us. How is it that we are to move forward with the commands and the callings of Jesus? Well, the answer that you're gonna see today is that we are to live powered by the Holy Spirit and the moment that the Holy Spirit arrives, you're about to see it right here next in the text. It's a moment called Pentecost. Now, Pentecost, I think, is one of those church words that everybody feels like they're supposed to know, but none of us actually know.
So like we do that thing where we just kind of mumble about it and you're just like, it's probably close enough, you know, . But Pentecost is actually just a festival. It's 50 days after Passover where everybody brought the first fruits of their harvest into Jerusalem. It's this crowded time, it's this electric time, it's this dynamic time, and it's right in the middle of this that God is choosing to pour out his power through the Holy Spirit. And so while the disciples are there, imagine, I'm just trying to imagine what that moment would've been like as they're trying to like understand what was it that Jesus was saying? What did he mean? What is to come? While they are trying to figure all that out, what God is doing is he's setting the stage for something no one saw coming. There is an exchange of power that is about to happen.
And here's exactly what it's gonna look like. God is gonna exchange his power that is on the earth right now through the person of Jesus for the power of the Holy Spirit, living in each believer on the earth. So the power of God is on the earth through the person of Jesus. That's how he's carrying it out. But this exchange is happening as God is gonna take Jesus, he's gonna send into heaven, and the power of the Holy Spirit is gonna come, and it's gonna live inside each believer who is on the earth. The Pentecost literally is gonna become the launch point of what we are doing today. It's the launch point of the church. It's the moment that heaven breaks in and, and as a result, everything begins to move forward because of it. And here's what I hope, I hope that as we just unpack this text today, that if you can just get what is happening in this moment, if you can just understand the heart behind what is taking place right here, I truly, truly believe that it changes everything about how we understand what God wants to do in us and through us in this moment right here.
So here's what happens in verse four, gathering them together. Jesus commanded them not to leave Jerusalem but to wait. Now, it's important to understand He's not asking them to wait as punishment. He's asking them to wait as preparation. Okay, don't leave Jerusalem. But notice this. Wait for the gift my father has promised. Now, waiting is one of the hardest spiritual disciplines, is it not? I mean, think about our lives today. Think about how far we've come. We no longer can wait on two day shipping.
Remember when two day shipping changed your life and now you're like, what? It won't be here by tonight. Like, like we, we can no longer wait two days as a result, what do we want? We want same day faith as well. Waiting is tough. Waiting is a tough moment, but Jesus calls them to wait because he knows something. FYI, he always knows just, you know, sometimes you feel like you're trying to fill him in on what's going on. Like he, he, he already knows it's nice of you though, but he already knows what's, he knows what's coming. He already knows here. And, and, and maybe today I just wonder, like would things change in your life if maybe today you shifted your prayer just a little and you thanked God for the no in your life?
Like, like might something shift this morning if whatever you're wrestling with you just prayed, thanking God for his not yet right now, because I, I know we get the benefit of reading acts while, while these early followers are living acts. But, but if we truly understood what was to come, like if we truly understood the power of what was to come, if we truly understood what he had in store, and I just don't think we would panic or we would fear when God says move or go or serve, or even worse when he says, wait, don't do anything. And that's the moment right here that he's setting the stage because he knew something vital. Jesus knew what was to come. You see, he knows what's before us because he always goes before us. And in John 14, six, he had, he had talked about this very moment.
He said, I will ask the father and he will give you another helper that he may be with you forever. Jesus is telling him, Hey, this exchange is coming. My time on the earth is limited. It has an end date, but there is a helper that's gonna come that isn't going to leave the Earth until he returns. There's gonna be this helper that is coming. He's gonna be with you forever. That helper is the Holy Spirit. And I'll just tell you this, today, without the power of the Holy Spirit, we are worthless without the power of the Holy Spirit, this church is worthless. Without the power of the Holy Spirit, we can do nothing without the power of the Holy Spirit present in this church. This is just a waste of real estate and a lot of heeding today.
But with the power of the Holy Spirit, what you're gonna see is we keep going as a follower of Christ, and the church becomes this unstoppable force. In verse six feels like a moment that maybe you just relived on Thanksgiving vacation, that if you, if you see it here, Jesus has said, Hey, this thing is coming, this helper's coming, this exchange is coming. He's giving them all this commands in verse six, they say, so, so, so they have come together and they're saying, Lord, when, when is it? When is the time? When is it all gonna happen? When are you gonna restore the kingdom of Israel? God, how much longer? How much longer? And he said, it's not for you to know the time which the Father has fixed by his own authority. If you're a parent, you've done this moment where you've turned around and said, we'll get there.
When we get there, quit asking me, Hey, we wanna know, we wanna know right now. And he says, it's not for you to know, but here's what you need to know. Check out verse eight sake. You will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you. The fact of the matter is they just have no idea what he's talking about because their focus is fixed on earthly power while Jesus is talking about a spiritual power, right? Right. They are drawn to this idea that, man, whatever he's about to do, our earthly influence is going to increase dramatically. And he says, no, what, what you're missing is, what I'm about to do is gonna have an eternal impact. And he's drawing their perspective with this phrase, but you will receive power. Now, don't miss this. That word power is the Greek word dunamis. It's where we get the word dynamite from. It's literal translation is the power that rests on armies. So he's saying, Hey, this power that dramatically can change anything. You're going to receive it when the Holy Spirit comes upon you, and you shall be my witnesses both in Jerusalem and in all Judea and Samaria, and even to the remotest part of the earth.
It's an incredible power that is coming. A w Tozer said this. He said, if the Holy Spirit was withdrawn from the church today, 95% of what we do would go on. And no one would notice the difference. But if he had been withdrawn from the early church, 95% of what they did was stop. And everyone would notice the difference. Now, I, I don't know that tozier is right, but if we just sit with that for just a moment, what if it's partially true? What, what, what if what he's saying is, Hey, the Holy Spirit could leave Cherry Hills today, and more than half of what we do would continue and not a single person would notice a difference. Like even if that's true, man, then we've missed something. Then there's something that has to change in our lives. And, and, and what we see right here is that this power that comes, this power that changes everything. What we see from the followers is that there isn't panic. They don't scatter. They do two things. They waited and they prayed. And I know some of you are like, could you quit talking about waiting? It makes me uncomfortable. What I'm waiting on is waiting for you to be done with this . I get that.
But, but here's what I want you to see. 'cause It, it all comes together like this. What you're gonna see as this whole moment comes together is that when you are faithful to prayerfully wait, God allows something profound and necessary to take place in your life. And so they wait. Do they want the answers? Do they want to know all the details? Yeah, maybe. Probably I would. I would think I wanted to. But if you look at verse 14, that's not what they're doing. It says they're all joined together constantly in prayer. I'm sure they wanted details. I'm sure they wanted to know how it was all gonna play out. But more than anything, here's what they wanted. They wanted a piece of what God had promised just a piece. And the question for you this morning is, do you, this is just a simple question. Do you want a piece of what God has to offer? Do you want a piece of this promise? Do you want a piece of this power that he has promised is gonna happen? Because I think when we wait like this, when we wait expected, when we wait open-handed man, God does something incredible
And he meets us in ways that we could never have arranged or we could never have forced in our own power, in our own timing, instead of waiting open-handed, most of us wait with our hands on our hips, don't we? God, hello? What are we doing here? Where you at you up to something? And yet we see the early church saying, Hey, there's this promise that's out there. I don't really know how it's coming. I don't know when it's coming, but I'm just gonna wait expecting, I'm just gonna wait open-handed. I'm gonna wait on my knees just trusting God.
And there's just three just truths I wanna give you this morning that I hope could change your perspective about the exact same situation. The first is this. We have to understand God's timing. We have to understand that God's timing doesn't ever happen by accident. He doesn't do anything by accident. That that, that every single thing he orchestrates is perfect. Jesus was crucified on Passover, not by accident. Pentecost comes 50 days later, not by accident, that he is very intentional that he knows what he's doing. And every single one of those is a reminder that his timing is wonderful and his timing is perfect. And when we become impatient and we, when we fall for that lie that hey, God is taking his time, he's getting to my needs. I would just encourage you to be thankful because when it happens in God's timing, it always comes with God's power and God's presence and God's purpose. November is a special time for us. November is 23 years since my wife and I started dating 23. I don't look that old, do I? I know . And after a lot of convincing and a lot of convincing and a lot of convincing, I said, yes, I'd marry her .
And then something happened. We went on our honeymoon and I lost my job. Young people in the room, nothing kills a honeymoon like unemployment. I'm just telling you, puts a damper on things. The timing made no sense. We were shocked, we were so confused. I mean, we, we had made decisions like, Hey, we can now get married. We had made decisions concerning cars and homes and, and all these things based on my job. Like literally the timing could not have been worse. And while it didn't happen in the moment, the reality now all these years later is that was the moment that God used to call me into full-time ministry. And so maybe today you're sitting on day 47 and you're like, Lord, today works really well for you to show up. Like it just works in my schedule. Lemme just tell you everything would come together. You would look good. I would look good. I would give you all the credit and all the glory.
Maybe it's day 147 and you're just like, I just don't know how much longer I can hold on, Lord, where are you? And the reality is this, he knows why. It has to be day 50 or day 150 or 50 years. And when you're attempted to doubt him, when you're attempted to rush him, I would just remind you, his delay is not a denial. That that, that sometimes the greatest things, sometimes the greatest act of God's mercy in our life is waiting is a, is a no. Remember that great. 19 hundreds theologian, Garth Brooks, you remember him saying about this, right? Some of the greatest answers to prayers, some of the greatest gifts are, are unanswered prayers. Like, like even when, when it doesn't work in our timing, would we trust his timing? 'cause He's preparing something. And here's what we see that as this exchange is happening, we gotta understand God's power.
Number two, we've gotta see God's power. We understand his timing. We see his powers. We jump to chapter two, this moment of Pentecost, this arrival of the Holy Spirit is a very tangible thing. And suddenly there came from heaven, a noise, like a violent rushing wind, and it filled the whole house where they were sitting. Now I know a little something about wind. I'm from the panhandle of Texas. The wind flattens everything that's not already flat. I then moved to Houston. Houston doesn't have a lot of wind. They have hurricanes though. Hurricane is like a tornado with advanced notice.
I remember our first hurricane, it was hurricane Ike. My wife will tell you, she remembers it as well. She's a liar. She slept through the whole thing. Don't listen to her. But a hurricane is wild, man. I mean, they give you like a month's notice. Hey, there's a good chance your house isn't gonna be here in 30 days, but just keep working. Just go to school. We'll be fine. Two weeks out, yeah, it's not looking good. Like 30 feet of water's probably gonna rush through here. We're all garner, but don't panic yet. We're gonna tell you when to panic. We're gonna all have you panic at the same time so that the roads are completely shut down. There's no food or gas. It's a bold strategy we have here, but then the hurricane hits and the wind, it's just, it's just this howling wind. And you just feel the pressure and everything's vibrating. And it's like you get a trampoline and you get a trampoline. Everybody gets trampoline. It's wild.
Like that's the moment that's unpacking here a noise, like a violent rushing wind. But here's what I don't want you to miss. Unlike a natural disaster, while it showed up that way, God is not demonstrating destructive power. He was demonstrating creative power that he sends the Holy Spirit in this incredible display of power in this unbelievable moment, like this violent, rushing wind. But he did it all for you. And it didn't leave behind mouths of destruction and decades of cleanup and left behind a room full of changed lives and centuries of ministries ahead of which we're a part of today. Don't you want a piece of that? Why would you not want a piece of what that has to offer? Because that power right there has the ability to radically transform your life. I'm just telling you this morning that power is available to you and it can radically transform your marriage.
That power is real and it's available, and it can give you the courage to stand boldly for your faith in a world that is trying to run the complete opposite direction of everything that God says, that power is real. It's available to give you strength in your weakest moments, courage in your greatest moment of fear. But we gotta open our eyes. We gotta see that this power is here. You're gonna hear just how powerful it is in Romans eight, verse 11, probably something you've heard your whole life. But we get an idea. It's not just this violent rushing wind, but check out what Romans chapter eight verse 11 says. It says, but if the spirit of him who raised Jesus from the dead dwells in you, he who raised Christ Jesus from the dead, will also give life to your mortal bodies through his spirit who dwells in you.
I'm so thankful for growing up in the church. I mean, I didn't just grow up in the church. I I don't remember a day in my mental capacities where I wasn't in the church. And, and, and, and like you, you've probably heard this statement as well, the same power that raised Jesus from the grave lives inside of you or can reside in you if you're a follower of Jesus. We've heard that. Amen. Think about that for a minute though. The same power that brought Jesus back to life after three days lives inside of us. That's crazy. And I would just say if today, that doesn't move you, if today, that doesn't stir something. If, if you know that and you hear that and you're aware of that and nothing changes in your life, I think it's a lot like this. I think it's like taking the results of a hurricane.
This, this force that's so powerful. It, it changes like when a hurricane hits, it changes the landscape of a community forever. Like the, the force is so powerful that nothing is the same afterwards. But if, but if you hear this truth, the same power that raised Jesus from the grave lives inside of us, and you hear that today and you're not moved by that and you're not stirred by that, it's like taking this power that is so great and reducing it to a diagram of the same moment of the wind arrows from the same storm.
Now, don't get me wrong, there, there is some value in the diagram. Okay? I am someone who benefits from this. It snowed yesterday. It snowed tonight, it snow Wednesday, like my life for the next six months is wrapped up in forecasts. And me just telling Kurt every day, here's what's gonna happen where I'm thankful for that. But when a hurricane hits, who, who do they go to the most? It's not a guy behind a desk. It's people that they have where in the storm, experiencing what is taking place. Because that experience does something totally different in our lives. And I would say today, if you hear my voice, that the same power of the Holy Spirit that raised Jesus from the dead lives inside of you, and that doesn't move you or change you or stir something in you, it likely is because you've turned being a follower of Jesus into a spectator sport.
And it was never his intention for you to be a storm watcher. He calls us to be storm chasers, to go to trust his timing and to come experience him. Number one, we understand his timing. Number two, we see his power. And number three, we do that. We experience God's presence and we see it right here in verse three. There appeared to them tongues as a fire distributing themselves and they rested on each of them. You know, throughout scripture, the presence of God shows up like fire, doesn't it? I I think he's just one of those amazing reminders that in life's hottest moments, he's most present. We think he's not there. We think he's abandoned us. But right here at Pentecost, we see three incredible things. His power fierce, his timing perfect. But I don't want you to miss this. His presence is real. His presence is very real in your life.
And the result is that an ordinary group of people started a tidal wave of which we are still a part of this morning. And, and I would just say this, I've been blessed to preach other places, to pastor other places. This is a sermon that isn't easy to preach at every location in the, in the country this morning. The the idea that that the work of the Holy Spirit came and it fell on a group of believers and they started a tidal wave. And it's this unexplainable, unstoppable power that's available to you and me for, for, for us. Ps some churches would have a hard time grasping that understanding. But if any church can grasp what that, then how about us? How about the work that God is doing here? Is it not unexplainable? I mean, we're gonna come close to 300 baptisms for the year. Stories of grace, redemption, restoration, the restoration story of our church, of you, of your marriage, of changed lives, of feeding our community, of the mission trips all over the world. I mean, the power of the Holy Spirit is at work here. Amen. Amen.
It's the only way to explain what's going on here. Like we of all people can see this and understand this. And here's what the enemy's gonna do. He's gonna show up and he's going to draw your attention to the waiting, or he is gonna draw your attention to this deception that hey, maybe this Jesus life isn't for you. And yet what scripture is reminding us is that there is a power available to you that is unstoppable. And what the word of God is saying is saying, Hey, just see the big picture and come experience the presence of the Holy Spirit today. That is word is saying this, look, I did it for you. I sent it for you. It doesn't matter if you're married or divorced, financially, successful, financially, struggling, addicted, widow, single, those in need of a second chance, young person today searching for purpose in your life.
Direction, meaning, identity, value. It doesn't matter, older, young, rich, or poor man or woman. It doesn't matter your story or your struggle. There is an invitation right here to stop chasing everything else and to come and to step into the life-changing power of the Holy Spirit. Billy Graham said this. He said, if you believe in Jesus, there is a power available to you that can change your life, your marriage, your family, relationships, and every other area you're involved in. And then he goes on to say that same power can change a church into a vital growing body full of enough power to affect the world today. If you think you have no choice, if you think your situation is hopeless, if you think God has been quiet, whatever you think is going, just because you can't see him moving, doesn't mean he's not present. Doesn't mean his power is not real and available to you. I would say today, if you doubt, I would just encourage you. It doesn't mean he's not working, it just means he's working in ways you can't see yet. What would it look like for you to trust him? Ira Yates grew up with no parents fending for himself in remote west Texas. Eventually he meets and marries a preacher's daughter, and Yates goes into the cattle business. He loved the cattle business. He buys and sells head of cattle till he masses a herd of 200 cattle. And in 1913, he trades that head of cattle for a dry good store in Rankin, Texas. His wife was a lot happier,
Was a little more consistent income, a little safer. But Yates missed a cattle business. So in 1915, he trades the store for a thousand acre ranch in Pecos, Texas.
Unfortunately,
What him and his wife didn't know is that the land had a ton of back taxes on it. They struggled to work their way through that. A massive drought hits as happens in West Texas. And then cattle prices plummeted and Cynthia Yates family into bankruptcy living on the verge of total poverty. Until 1926, something happened that changed everything oil was discovered and Ira Yates became an instant millionaire. Overnight. To date, the Yates oil field has produced over a billion barrels of oil. It's expected. There's still a billion more waiting to be extracted. Think about that. Yates and his wife lived in total poverty while an unimaginable life-changing power set right beneath their feet and they didn't know it. Man, today, so many of us live on the verge of spiritual bankruptcy when there is an unimaginable power of the Holy Spirit that sits right within reach. Can I just tell you this, this morning? You don't have to keep scraping by on empty faith. You don't have to keep struggling or fear or worry. You can invite him to come into your life and you can step into the unstoppable, unimaginable, life changing power of the Holy Spirit today. Would you pray with me?
Father, my prayer is that we wouldn't just hear about your power. Father, would we just be a church and would we be a people who, who live in it? Father, help us reject the urge to leave this room the same. Father, would you just help us reject the urge to go back to the same patterns and the same fears and the same worries? Father, I'm asking that you would move in this place that you would move through us, father, that you would change the way we think that you, you would change the way we speak, the the way we lead our families, the way we lead our homes, the way we lead our community, the way we face our battles. Father, I just pray in this place there would be boldness, courage, and obedience. Father, please stir something new and fresh in our souls this morning that we would experience the power of the Spirit that would allow us to walk out differently when we leave this place. In the mighty name of Jesus we pray. Amen.