Clothed With Power From On High

Joel 2.28-32 Hymn #67 Blessed Assurance Pastor Johnson praying Hymn #150 Come, Holy Spirit Hymn #155 Spirit of the Living God Clothed With Power From On High Luke 24.36-49 We have been talking about the 40 days from the Resurrection to the Ascension. Jesus had spoken to them about the coming of the Holy Spirit. John 14-16 on the way to the Garden, where He would be arrested. After His Resurrection He gave them many convincing proofs that He was alive. Towards the end of this time He went back to the imminent coming of the Holy Spirit, after He went back to Heaven Whenever Jesus spoke about the coming of the Spirit He used to terms like we read before, “clothed”, “baptized, “ filled”. The relationship of His followers, believers, with the Holy Spirit is total and running over. The Spirit is given without measure John 3.34 Is He in your life? Are you filled to overflowing? Are people being drawn to Jesus as their Savior through you? The greatest need in the church today is for this Promise, the Gift of the Holy Spirit. He is the breath of the church. He gives power to love, live, be a witness. He gives good gifts, spiritual gifts. He produces good fruit, the Fruit of the Spirit. Gifts and fruit, the two wings of the Dove. From now until the Day of Pentecost we will be looking into this. On Pentecost Sunday, June 8th we will be looking into this Promise for you. On the 8th of June we will have a special service with a number of the elders sharing the Word together, team preaching. It will be grand! Let’s talk about this little paragraph in Luke this morning. 45 Then He opened their minds so they could understand the Scriptures. 46 He told them, “This is what is written: The Christ will suffer and rise from the dead on the third day, 47 and repentance for the forgiveness of sins will be preached in His name to all nations, beginning at Jerusalem. 48 You are witnesses of these things. 49 I am going to send you what My Father has promised; but stay in the city until you have been clothed with power from on high.” This prophecy of Jesus continues to this day. We need Scriptural understanding concerning the Holy Spirit. Three times Paul writes about wanting us not to be ignorant. * Israel Romans 11.25 I do not want you to be ignorant of this mystery, brothers, so that you may not be conceited: Israel has experienced a hardening in part until the full number of the Gentiles has come in, * Death of Believers I Thessalonians 4.13 we do not want you to be ignorant about those who sleep in death,so that you do not grieve like the rest of mankind, who have no hope * Spiritual Gifts I Corinthians 12.1 Now concerning spiritual gifts, brethren, I do not want you to be ignorant We need Scriptural understanding concerning the Baptism of the Holy Spirit. We all need it. It is a gift! We need it to be His * Witnesses vs.45-48 More about that in Acts 1.8 and the whole book of Acts and on to this day! We pray for the nations here. We are seeing God work among the nations. Thank you for all who prayed this week for Pastor Liton in Bangladesh, feeding the orphans, for Pastor Felix, in a remote area of Papua New Guinea and for the food distribution in Haiti. A whole pallet full of rice was delivered throughout the mountains where malnourishment and suffering abound. This is a House of Prayer for All Nations. I love how Jimmy Williams in Haiti is praying for Liton in Bangladesh E.M. Bounds wrote men are God’s method. The church is looking for better methods, better men. What the church needs today is not more machinery or organizations or more and novel methods but men whom the Holy Ghost can use men of prayer. He does not anoint plans but men, men of prayer. Notice when He spoke about us being His witnesses it began in Jerusalem, where we are, and spread to adjoining areas, even ones we had previously avoided, and went throughout the whole world. The power of the Holy Spirit in mission work, in being a House of Prayer for all Nations. But first here, now on May 18, 2025. One of the many hindrances to being clothed with power from on High is promoting our own local fellowship. This can be and usually carries with it the thought that we are a tad bit better than the others. God help us! When the Spirit it is the LORD Jesus Christ that is exalted and He adds daily to the church those who are being saved. When He is present we acknowledge Him and leave talking about Him, His goodness and grace, not how tremendous the worship was or how wonderful the sermon was or how good we look. Witness= martyr Share the Word Tell of the Resurrection of Jesus Christ Eyewitnesses Heart witnesses Testify This can happen out of hunger for God. Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness for they will be filled. My Nana, Rose Biggs, nearly 100 years ago now, came to Christ in a little mission in Brooklyn. I have told you the story of the little girl in the apartment there in Bensonhurst, who invited her to some evangelistic meetings. After walking with the LORD for a while, she was hungry for more of Him. One morning she prayed, “LORD, if You have something more for me, would You please give it?” He did. Later she heard a message from God’s Word on the wonderful Baptism With the Holy Spirit and she said, “That is what I received but I didn’t know what to call it!” * The Promise of the Father v.4 of Acts 1 Why wouldn’t you want what God has promised? Whatever He has promised for me, I want! Tis the enduement for life and for service. Acts 2. 39 The promise is for you and your children and for all who are far off—for all whom the LORD our God will call.” Far off= on the Earth at that time of the First Century, far off in time, the past 2,000 years Mark 12:34 And when Jesus saw that he answered discreetly, he said unto him, Thou art not far G3112 from the kingdom of God. And no man after that ask him any question. Eph 2:13 But now in Christ Jesus ye who sometimes were far off G3112 are made nigh by the blood of Christ. After His Resurrection Jesus spoke Peace be with you. In the 40 days He spoke about being clothed with Power from on High. He told them not to leave Jerusalem until that happened. * Sent by Jesus v. 49 I am going to send you what My Father has promised; Jesus baptizes with the Holy Spirt This is why the Nazarene Church was founded. They were “thrown out” of the Methodist Church. The Methodists in Southern California in the 1890’s were fighting against this preaching a second work of God in the life of the believer. The Christian Missionary Alliance The Assembly of God all proclaimed this and came into being within a few years of each other. Bible Institutes led by local pastors were helping young men studying for the ministry were all around. These fledgling groups and churches and associations had little property, little assets, little influence. All they had was the LORD. Leaving the more affluent and established churches these Spirit filled believers followed the leading of the LORD, even to training their pastors. THIS PROMISE IS for you! Acts 2.39  The promise is for you and your children and for all who are far off—for all whom the Lord our God will call.” We rejoice over the past, we look forward to Heaven but we live in the moment. And the need of the hour, of this moment is for the fullness of the Spirit. We all need to be filled with Him * Clothed With Power to sink into (clothing), put on, clothe one's self This is God’s Will for us. This is the gift for all believers. It is not just for Pastors or Evangelists. It began with the Apostles but did not stop there. To every believer the Promise of God! Acts 2. 17  “‘In the last days, God says,     I will pour out my Spirit on all people. Your sons and daughters will prophesy,     your young men will see visions,     your old men will dream dreams. 18 Even on my servants, both men and women,     I will pour out my Spirit in those days,     and they will prophesy. The Holy Spirit coming upon us in power from above! We need this to witness in our lives and with our lips! We need it for living to please God and for our lives for people to see. The Holy Spirit produces fruit in our lives. Acts 19.2 Have you received the Holy Spirit since you believed? Child of the Kingdom be filled with the Spirit Nothing but fullness Thy longing can meet Tis the endument for life and for service Yours is the promise so gentle, so sweet I will pour water on him who is thirsty, I pour floods up on the dry ground Open your heart for the gift I am bringing While you are seeking Me I will be found.