Running on Empty
God is looking for people through whom he can do the impossible. Today's sermon is to get you out of your own way and to let the Holy Spirit take rule and reign in your life. - Pastor Charlie Dates
Acts 1:8, 2:11-47
1:8 but you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you shall be My witnesses both in Jerusalem and in all Judea, and Samaria, and as far as the remotest part of the earth.”
2:11 Cretans and Arabs—we hear them speaking in our own tongues of the mighty deeds of God.” 12 And they all continued in amazement and great perplexity, saying to one another, “What does this mean?” 13 But others were jeering and saying, “They are full of sweet wine!”
Peter’s Sermon
14 But Peter, taking his stand with the other eleven, raised his voice and declared to them: “Men of Judea and all you who live in Jerusalem, know this, and pay attention to my words. 15 For these people are not drunk, as you assume, since it is only the third hour of the day; 16 but this is what has been spoken through the prophet Joel:
17 ‘And it shall be in the last days,’ God says,
‘That I will pour out My Spirit on all mankind;
And your sons and your daughters will prophesy,
And your young men will see visions,
And your old men will have dreams;
18 And even on My male and female servants
I will pour out My Spirit in those days,
And they will prophesy.
19 And I will display wonders in the sky above
And signs on the earth below,
Blood, fire, and vapor of smoke.
20 The sun will be turned into darkness
And the moon into blood,
Before the great and glorious day of the Lord comes.
21 And it shall be that everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.’22 “Men of Israel, listen to these words: Jesus the Nazarene, a Man attested to you by God with miracles and wonders and signs which God performed through Him in your midst, just as you yourselves know— 23 this Man, delivered over by the predetermined plan and foreknowledge of God, you nailed to a cross by the hands of godless men and put Him to death. 24 But God raised Him from the dead, putting an end to the agony of death, since it was impossible for Him to be held in its power. 25 For David says of Him,
‘I saw the Lord continually before me,
Because He is at my right hand, so that I will not be shaken.
26 Therefore my heart was glad and my tongue was overjoyed;
Moreover my flesh also will live in hope;
27 For You will not abandon my soul to Hades,
Nor will You allow Your Holy One to undergo decay.
28 You have made known to me the ways of life;
You will make me full of gladness with Your presence.’29 “Brothers, I may confidently say to you regarding the patriarch David that he both died and was buried, and his tomb is with us to this day. 30 So because he was a prophet and knew that God had sworn to him with an oath to seat one of his descendants on his throne, 31 he looked ahead and spoke of the resurrection of the Christ, that He was neither abandoned to Hades, nor did His flesh suffer decay. 32 It is this Jesus whom God raised up, a fact to which we are all witnesses. 33 Therefore, since He has been exalted at the right hand of God, and has received the promise of the Holy Spirit from the Father, He has poured out this which you both see and hear. 34 For it was not David who ascended into heaven, but he himself says:
‘The Lord said to my Lord,
“Sit at My right hand,
35 Until I make Your enemies a footstool for Your feet.”’36 Therefore let all the house of Israel know for certain that God has made Him both Lord and Christ—this Jesus whom you crucified.”
37 Now when they heard this, they were pierced to the heart, and said to Peter and the rest of the apostles, “Brothers, what are we to do?” 38 Peter said to them, “Repent, and each of you be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins; and you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. 39 For the promise is for you and your children and for all who are far away, as many as the Lord our God will call to Himself.” 40 And with many other words he solemnly testified and kept on urging them, saying, “Be saved from this perverse generation!” 41 So then, those who had received his word were baptized; and that day there were added about three thousand souls. 42 They were continually devoting themselves to the apostles’ teaching and to fellowship, to the breaking of bread and to prayer.
43 Everyone kept feeling a sense of awe; and many wonders and signs were taking place through the apostles. 44 And all the believers were together and had all things in common; 45 and they would sell their property and possessions and share them with all, to the extent that anyone had need. 46 Day by day continuing with one mind in the temple, and breaking bread from house to house, they were taking their meals together with gladness and sincerity of heart, 47 praising God and having favor with all the people. And the Lord was adding to their number day by day those who were being saved.
In the middle of the Rose Parade, an annual celebration in California, the Standard Oil float ran out of gas. The gas company ran out of gas...
Without the Holy Spirit, a Christian will run on empty. A church will fail to meet its obligation to reach its neighborhood.
God made all of himself available and gave us the power to accomplish the work he has assigned to us. Why are we still living powerless lives?
PBC is thriving but what if God wants to do more?
We cannot depend on the pastors to get everyone to Jesus.
The same power that's available to the preacher is available to us.
The Holy Spirit will embolden you to speak and be effective when you share the truth about Jesus.
Jesus is calling you to be a witness for Him and has supplied the power for you to be an effective witness.
So you can be a source of hope and help to people wherever you go through the Holy Spirit.
A church is the living, breathing body of Jesus Christ that goes into the world to communicate the truth. The Holy Spirit is a good and gracious gift.
How the Power of the Holy Spirit Comes into the Life of the Church
The book of Acts is about how Jesus will continue His work in the world through His Spirit. Written by Luke, the author of Luke.
Jesus was crucified and was raised, then spent the next 40 days appearing to the disciples. After this time, He's ascending into the air and giving the disciples a mission to reach the world. He tells them not to leave until the power of the Holy Spirit comes.
As they are praying in the upper room, they are filled with the Spirit. They started speaking in other languages.
Peter preached that the prophet Joel talked about this in Joel 2:28-32. Peter preaching was unlikely given that he denied Jesus. The power of the Holy Spirit gave him the power preach to the crowd.
How the Holy Spirit Helps Us Get the Gospel Right
Peter quotes David in Acts 2:25-28 to explain what God did through Jesus Christ. Jesus died, not because of His own sin, but because of ours. That's the Gospel.
The Gospel is not about self-help. It is not about emotional stability or behavior modification.
God is concerned about your sin and Jesus is the one who removes sin. The only way we have hope today isn't because we met a philosopher, it's because we met a savior. The Son of God who is able to remove our sin.
When you have the Holy Ghost and you get the gospel right you can open up your mouth and somebody will feel in their heart that God is moving and lost people get saved.
The people in your life need faith and they only get it by hearing.
How the Holy Spirit Gives Us the Power to Build a Church Worth Joining
The power of the Holy Spirit, our actions as witnesses, and getting the gospel right is meant to help us build a church worth joining.
The Spirit should move, not just in our worship at church, but in our work throughout the week.
The church was never intended to simply live within its four walls but when the church, the Bible says in verses 42-47, became devoted to the apostles teaching and they started sharing and giving.
The Gospel produces change in our lives. Repentance produces a change in direction.
Reading to Act 27 shows that the Church is unstoppable. The apostles were beaten, oppressed, and imprisoned but the Church is still going after 2,000 years.
Reflection Questions:
In what areas of your life do you feel like you are "running on empty," and how can you invite the Holy Spirit to fill those spaces?
How have you seen the power of the Holy Spirit work in your life or in the lives of those around you?
What steps can you take to become a more effective witness for Jesus in your community?
How does understanding the true message of the Gospel change the way you live and interact with others?
In what ways can you contribute to building a church that actively extends its impact beyond its four walls?