LIMAVADY INDEPENDENT METHODIST CHURCH
SERMON NOTES FROM SUNDAY 28 NOVEMBER 2021
ACTS 1 VERSES 1 - 11
We have spent time looking at Peter, how on one occasion he fished all night and caught nothing, then Jesus told him to let down his nets once more and he caught such a large amount of fish he was not able to contain them all (Luke 5) On that occasion Jesus asked him to "follow me". As the Lord speaks to us today he too asks us to follow him. Have we turned from that pathway today? Peter had to get out of his boat and leave aside the success he had experienced in catching so many fish. Mark 1 verse 17 "And Jesus said unto them come ye after me and I will make you to become fishers of men." It implies a process, building up training, being a pilgrim, not signing a form and overnight you are a fisher of men.
Think of the word "follow" today. We can only become fishers of men if we follow Christ, with him on our side. Peter was here amongst the disciples on the final earthly meeting with Jesus. How important it would be in his life from here on. Luke 24 verse 50 "and he led them out." Jesus had something important to say to them. It is important to be in the house of God today, to have fellowship with God's people, for God to say something important to us. Jesus would speak to them and show them the way ahead. He woul speak of the coming of the Holy Spirit, the infilling of the Spirit, how it would happen and when it would happen. Luke tells us in verse 1 "the former treatise (or gospel)." Luke, the writer of Acts tells this man Theophilus (lover of God is what his name means), my previous book dealt with Jesus, his life, his miracles and parables, now I am writing about the Holy Spirit who took over from Jesus. "After that he through the Holy Ghost had given commandments unto the apostles whom he had chosen." What Jesus will continue to do through the power of the Holy Spirit working through us. The Holy Spirit must work in the lives of unbelievers to bring them to Christ, to salvation. You know that yourself personally. The moment you were in sin, you heard the gospel of saving grace, how Jesus came into the world without sin, gave his life for you and me, how he went to the cross of Calvary, he took every sin on himself and was sacrificed. Maybe you heard that message once, twice, or several times and fought against it for a life time. Maybe you felt you didn't need this great salvation, felt the church was all you needed, you attended every week, if you read your bible that you would be alright. But one night you were listening to the word of God. God would take that word and apply it to you and show you your need of salvation. The Holy Spirit worked in your life when you surrendered to Christ. That is not the work of any preacher or evangelist. If the Holy Spirit is not dealing with your heart and soul you will never be saved. The Holy Spirit must be alive and working in us to tell others about Christ. We have to possess it to give it out to others. If the preacher doesn't have salvation it will never come out of his lips. You cannot preach God's salvation if you haven't got it. It is only the Holy Spirrit that can work in our lives. The disciples were gathered around the Lord. He led them out. You are led into God's house today. You come with a desire to be here today. Why did the Lord bring his disciples here? He had something important to say to them. For their present day and their future too. He wanted to point them to the source of the power that would come. Maybe the Lord is dealing with you today. He wants you to be filled with the Holy Spirit. When you were born again you received the Holy Spirit but you were not filled. Following after yes but not filled. Remember how the spies when they returned from spying out the land of Canaan they brought back the produce of that land. They carried a cluster of grapes between 2 men. This was a productive land. He would bring his people into the blessing of the fullness of the Holy Spirt - to enter into his presence. He brings us today to a feast not a famine. When the 12 spies came back to the camp they showed the produce and they told the people it was a great land the Lord had brought them to but they could not take it. The cities are large and the walls tall. Joshua told the people when they reached Canaan "if God be for us who can be against us?" 10 men brought an evil report. The people were discouraged. But 2 men Joshua and Caleb brought the truth. We need men and women to hear the truth, to begin to tell the truth. It didn't deter Caleb and Joshua. Caleb was not for turning back. Caleb heard the promise and for 40 years he wholly followed the Lord. The disciples followed the Lord out to the Mount of Olives to hear what would happen next. Remember how Elisha craved the double portion Elijah had. He was going to tke over the role of the prophet. He asked Elijah for that double portion and was told "if you see me go you can have it." They both went around the various cities, he tried to discourage him but he refused to be left behind. He wanted to follow him. "Do you not know the Lord will take your master away from you?" the people said to Elisha. When Elijah was taken up in the whirlind he had to receive the mantle and then go to the Jordan River. He smote the river so that he could walk across on dry ground. Are you discouraged today? Are you following the Lord wholeheartedly?
Pointing here to a great mystery. Verse 4 "wait" This was the promise of God not to the disciples only but to all believers that we might be filled with the Holy Spirit. This was the power they needed to set out with. On the Day of Pentcost Peter cast out his net and 3000 were saved. He couldn't have done that without the power of the Holy Spirit. Jesus had taught his disciples all about this Holy Spirit - John 14 verse 6. Jesus said he would not leave them as orphans in this land. The Holy Spirit would be with them. He is the one who draws alongside us even today. John 14 verse 26 he is also to be our teacher, to bring back to our minds all that has been revealed to us. That is going to be important in soul winning. He is the Comforter and he will lead you into all truth. He will point to and glorify the Lord Jesus. That is the ministry of the Holy Spirit today.
Jesus points here to the means of it. A baptism of the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit is the third person of the trinity. God the Father, God the Son, God the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit has the same attributes as God. He can only be received as a gift from God. Acts 1 verse 5 "but ye shall be baptised with the Holy Ghost not many days hence." The means of receiving was clear. Remember Philip in Samaria in Acts 8. The believers had to leave Jerusalem because of the great opposition to the church. Philip left there and came to Samaria where he preached the Lord unto the people. He saw a tremendous work done in that place, the people were saved and delivered from evil spirits. Simon the sorcerer did many magic tricks but he also believed. It is possible to have a head knowledge of what the Lord has done for us that we need to be saved but that is not heart knowledge. We turn from our sins in our past life, trust the Lord with all our heart, soul and mind, then we are made new creatures in Christ. We are not falling back into the old life but there are still old haunts that used to take us down. Saved by the grace of God and going on with the Lord. Simon got saved along with other people. So they sent for Peter an John to preach about the Holy Spirit. When they came down they laid hands on the people who began to receive the Holy Spiit. Simon came with a purse of money and asked "give me also this power." Peter said to him "your money perish with you becuse thou hast thought that the gift of God may be purchased with money." You cannot purchase the gift of God, it is only by receiving it by faith and coming to trust in him. On the Day of Pentecost Peter described it from Joel 2 verse 28 "And it shall come to pass afterward that I will pour out my spirit upon all flesh and your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, your old men shall dream dreams, your young men shall see visions." On the Day of Pentecost in the upper room the disciples were filled with the Holy Spirit and they went out into the city of Jerusalem. They began to preach the gospel. The people heard the gospel in their own language. They looked on them as ignorant men. Some said they were drunk others that they were babbling. Peter filled with Holy Ghost said they were not drunk but took them back to the book of Joel. What a testimony Peter had - he is becoming a fisher of men. What about you and I? Is this something reserved for Peter or the disciples? Do we not need this same infilling of the Spirit? Have we waited before God to receive this power of God.? Have we received the Holy Spirit to bring us into that which he would have us to do today?
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