From Self-Confidence to Spirit-Confidence [Part 1]

Pastor author and Bible teacher Alan Wright saying God wouldn't it to a servant girl that he even knew Jesus, who is now standing in front of thousands of and he can't contain himself, but telling the testimony of the goodness of God in Jesus Christ. This assignment Alan light used that will help you see your life in a whole new light. Deliberate excited for you to hear the teaching debate in the series life of Peter is presented in an old church in North Carolina. If you're not able to stay with us throughout the entire broadcast how to make sure you know how to get our special resource right now can be yours for your donation this month. Alan Wright industries so as you listen to today's message deeper as we send you this special offer available today. Contact us at pastoralan.org that's pastor out.org or call 877-544-4860. More on this later in the program but now let's get started with today's teaching here is Alan Wright the change that took place after Easter and Pentecost. After the resurrection of Jesus and the coming Holy Spirit. The Changes Took Pl. in Peter and all the disciples so market so dramatic, so amazing. They just can't come up with any other explanation except the very presence of God coming to their lives in this powerful way and so what we see is it the birth of the church is it is not by might not by powers, not by human wisdom, but is by the Spirit of God, and Peter and all the disciples were filled with the Holy Spirit and the promise is for us also. Today we want to turn our attention to acts chapter 2 is we continue the life of Peter and this is Pentecost we are liturgically in the calendar were not on Pentecost. But that's where we are in the life of Peter today and it's fitting that this follows last week's Easter celebration where we see this Transformation Takes Pl. in God. I think this morning inviting us into a fresh infilling of the Spirit is acts chapter 2 and I need to read a good portion of this up to 41 will skip around just a little bit but I wanted to see what happens.

For our man Peter that we been following for all of these weeks and seeing how much he can be like shifting sand how quick he is to sink in the sea or to not deny Jesus, or fall asleep while interceding for him. And yet, on this day, everything changes. This is acts chapter 2 verse one when the day of Pentecost arrived there all together in one place and suddenly there came from heaven a sound like a mighty rushing wind that filled the entire house where they were sitting and divided tongues as of fire appeared to them, and rested on each one of them and they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in other tongues as the Spirit gave them utterance jumped on verse 11. After describing all different kinds of cultures and nations that were represented both Jews and proselytes Cretans and Arabians, we hear them telling our own tongues the mighty works of God and all were amazed and perplexed, saying to one another. What does this mean that others mocking said, they are filled with new wine. But Peter, standing with the 11, 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's only the third hour of the day, but this is what was uttered through the prophet Joel in the last days, it shall be, God declares I will pour out my Spirit on all flesh, and your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, your young men shall see visions, and your old men shall dream dreams, even all my male servants and female servants.

In those days I will pour out my Spirit and they shall prophesy, and I will show wonders in the heavens above and signs on the earth below, blood and fire and vapor of smoke. The sun shall be turned to darkness and the moon to blood before the day of the Lord comes great and magnificent day, and it shall come to pass that everyone who calls upon the name of the Lord shall be saved and that was all quoted from Joel and then verse 22 Peter continued in his preaching men of Israel, hear these words, Jesus of Nazareth, a man attested to you by God with mighty works and wonders and signs that God did through him in your message, you yourselves know this, Jesus delivered up according to the definite plan and foreknowledge of God, you crucified and killed by the hands of lawless men God raised him up, loosing the pains of death because it was not possible for him to be held by it jumped verse 29 brothers. I'm a Sadie with confidence about the patriarch David, that he both died and was buried in his tomb is with us to this day being there for profit and only got us one with an oath to him that he would set one of his descendents on his throne. He foresaw and spoke about the resurrection of Christ that he was not abandoned to Hades, nor did his flesh see corruption. This Jesus God raised up, and of that were all witnesses being therefore exalted at the right hand of God and having received from the Father the promise of the Holy Spirit is poured out this that you yourselves are seeing and hearing for David did not ascend to the heavens, but he himself says the Lord said to my Lord, sit at my right hand until I make your enemies your footstool. Let all the house of Israel therefore know for certain that God has made him both Lord and Christ. This Jesus whom you crucified that when they heard this, they were cut to the heart and said to Peter and the rest of the apostles, brothers, what shall we do, and Peter said to them repent and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins and you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit for the promise is for you and for your children and for all who are far off, everyone whom the Lord God Lord our God calls himself with many other words he bore witness and continue to exhort them, saying, save yourself from this crooked generation, so those who received his word and were baptized, and there were added that day about 3000 souls.

Is this the same Peter we been following for all these weeks is this the same man who sinks in the sea who sleeps in Gethsemane and denied Jesus three times in one night.

Is this the same guy that wouldn't admit to a servant girl that he even knew Jesus, who is now standing up in front of thousands of and he can't contain himself, but telling the testimony of the goodness of God in Jesus Christ is the same man is the same man and something has changed in the news this week.

I hadn't followed this story local advertising company in Winston-Salem had sudden windfall of rich and lucrative new contracts that had come, and because of one of their agents whether executives who had been bringing in all of this amazing new business and in fact they had I taken in an astounding $269 million in new contracts so there was so overwhelmed with all this new business that they actually went to another advertising firm in the triad and asked for their help to come and help them handle all this new business and even they couldn't handle it. Also they they hired 40 new employees, many of whom relocated to North Carolina to common help them because they landed these big contracts with the likes of Coca-Cola and all these big companies, and this astonishing story is now surfaced because the man who alluded brought in all this business is now admitted guilt that it was phony and it is amazing that this could have happened is an astonishing story, the stuff of a made-for-TV movie where this fellow is told he gets a certain bonus if he can bring in a $500,000 of new business and so how he does it.

Is he actually pretends that he want to contract with someone in and he falsified everything.

I mean, this is amazing that he did this he came up with false accounts and false emails and wrote false correspondence and this then went on to where he started saying that he'd been awarded the huge contracts that totaled up to 260 man $9 million of business that allegedly they had taken in and all of it was fake but it did fall apart because if you got a story of amazing good news and people might believe you for a while but if there's no substance to it if is not real, then eventually it just falls apart because there's nothing there that talent right will have more teaching moment from today's important series pressures always find it hard to say no very natural despite someone once in a relationship and They were naked and felt no shame in entering the world and became anxious and nine question 19.

There is only one solution. The grace of God that lifts are shown in six minute Mastercraft exposes the exception shows the individual or in a snobbery series is sure to bring hearing and hope are in right ministry for digital master class is instead your partnership in a world separate time to let God's grace to shame.

We missed our night ministries.

Now these are the final days. This offer is being made available to you this month, 877-544-4860 877-544-4861 come to our website past Rowan.org today's teaching now continues here once again is Alan writing on Easter and what happened after the resurrection, and then start looking at what happened with Peter in these early disciples. It's absolutely astounding is that regardless of what you might believe then if you come under the sound of my voice and your you don't believe that Christian stories true story that some I just made it up you have to stop and think about this. It is possible I suppose that is some of the early disciples just made up the story of the empty tomb, and came and delivered this good news to try to make it all seem like it was true and might carry on this illusion of of good news, but every every kind of great news that might get people excited. Initially, if it's not real and there's not substance to it, then it eventually just falls apart can't sustain that kind of thing is what happened in the gospel was, not just that they witnessed Jesus has been raised from the dead, and that convinced them that he was alive and that changed everything. But something else happened and this is what sets Christianity apart from every other religion. There is no religion like this. It teaches that what it means to be a Christian and what the privilege of being a Christian is all about is not simply believing that Jesus was raised from the dead because you thought it through and can see that it was logical or the word of God seems to make good sense to you.

There's something else. A miracle takes place and you have been given this privilege not only of being forgiven of your sins, but the God who created you the God who made everything comes to reside in you and with you and the Holy Spirit. Spirit of Jesus himself.

He comes inside the Christian's life and he's with you forever, and the Bible speaks of being filled with the Holy Spirit and every single Christian has the Holy Spirit. But Paul encourages Ephesians to be filled in a continual basis with the Holy Spirit and what happens at Pentecost is that these disciples who had seen Jesus was alive, so they were believers. Now in Jesus, but they had not received the empowering presence of Jesus in their life and on this day on Pentecost day that Peter's preaching everything changed and the boldness that you see this shift that we've been talking about watching the transitions. The transformation in Peter's life. This is where it really happens that everything for Peter, it starts to make sense for him and he becomes captivated with the word of God and he becomes absolutely convinced of the Lordship of Jesus Christ and of the victory that God is accomplished and there's something in him that begins two just yearn passionately to tell everybody about this. This is what happens when you're filled with the Holy Spirit. Everything that may be had not made sense to you starts making sense by the providence of God, and you become captivated with the wonder of God's word you become convinced with the victory of Christ and something changes where you just want to tell everybody about this and will talk about this. What happened in Peter's life and how this happens and hours. This amazing shift that has taken place we call today's message moving from self-confident the spirit confident that's a good way to put it is that's what happened in Peter's life at Pentecost, forcing him to talk to you about is how Peter when he was killed Holy Spirit. He became convinced of the glory of God's plan.

This was Pentecost today. This would be in preach and this was what in ancient Israel was called the feast of weeks, weeks like the days of the week and the feast of weeks was called that because they were to count off seven full weeks after the Passover Sabbath so that's in the spring and then seven full weeks.

After that, then they would celebrate Pentecost or the feast of weeks we caught Pentecost because Pinto means 50 and so that's the 50th day after the Passover and it was a joyous summer festival, and which pilgrims from all over would come to Jerusalem. Some scholars say that there are more pilgrims it will come at Pentecost. Then there were at Passover because the weather was so nice and so that's why are all these different people that were there and it was on this day that this weary and worried band of disciples who had seen that Jesus was alive.

They had gathered, and it was in the context of the ancient Jewish festival, the feast of weeks, the Jewish tradition held in.

This is important that the feast of weeks or Pentecost was first taken place first took place at Mount Sinai when God gave Moses the law and what happened at that time, it won't turn to. It is an exit 19 is it God basically was speaking to his people and became a mixed fire and there was wind and there was smoke.

They were told that the mountain was so holy that no one could touch it. No one could go up except for Moses.

What happened therefore at Pentecost and this always became the symbol of what the feast of weeks was about Pentecost is God revealing himself to his people, God revealing himself to people reason this is important is if you just go back and look at Exodus 19 and you see all the fire the wind and the smoking God speaking to his people and you come to accept the two and you read it you realize that all of that was a shadow that was pointing to this day, and now the fire is not some sort of holy fire.

This can consume people, but it appears as if it is tons of fire that is resting upon each of these disciples is not a fire that consumes them or hurts them or incinerates them is a fire that empowers them and the wind blows and the word for wind in Greek and Hebrew is the same word as spirit, the Holy Spirit is moving in the wind is blowing and there is the appearance, as if of tongues of fire, resting upon them.

It reminds everyone of Exodus 19, but now it's all coming to pass in this glorious way that had been prophesied and so something happens here and the people are so full of the presence of God and there is so much joy that people think they're drunk.

People think that there there that we feel been drinking and Peter said it was too early in the morning which is kind of funny because it's like if one early in the morning. They might say will maybe they were drunk. But this is too early in the morning that can explain this one of the funniest places in Scripture and they are like drawing people in the sense that they are they are related and there there seem like they have no worries, and they are something else has intoxicated them and they are filled with the Holy Spirit and so this is what's taking place and what happens with Peter is that as he gets up to be the leader and to do just as Jesus had prophesied that he would be the church's foundation in his confession of Christ will be the thing that Jesus would build his church on in this day the church is born 3000 people are coming in the faith goes Peter's preaching and it is it is Peter who hasn't ever been able to really understand what it's all like, it's like now the glory of God's plan unfolds and that's why he's referencing this is that which Joel spoke of this is this is the fulfillment of the promise to David that there be a king in his lineage. This is all making sense to make it ever had a time in your life for theirs is things that made you had all these different pieces of knowledge, but it just didn't fit together for you and then something happened and you understood it is wonderful when this happens it was like working on a puzzle and unite what is this thing what is this thing and then a key piece goes any go oh I see this by this came to mind, but an instance of this is illustrated came to mind. I took piano lessons as a kid for years and part of my piano lessons. I would learn records and play the scales and learn my songs and I go in my lesson.

I do my cords.

I do my scales.

I blame the socks.

I go in next week. Learn records I play my scales. I do my socks and y'all I had no idea that there was a relationship between the cords, the scales and the songs. In fact, this is probably the reason I quit was why do I have to do cords and scales. Nobody wants to do cords and scales. We don't come into worship as they now for the offertory listen to some chords and scales.

I like the songs, but not all the other stuff. And the reason was I had no idea of its purpose. I didn't have any idea how it fit together so I was in college I decided to take a music theory course ended up taking two of them and when I got into the music theory course I had to take the course pass fail because it was gonna ruin my grade point average.

It was hard and the professor was mean it was a bad combination. Hard-core's mean professor but and to illustrate how hard it was and how mean he was. We had a pop test early on in which he just handed out a blank piece of staff paper you know is got all the scores of lines on it put musical notes on but nothing on it and he said I want everyone to write out in music are your favorite Christmas Carol place some reason I had just been playing silent night and I thought well it was in six, eight, and I think I can get this thing is on side to Silent Night start putting down notes up with the meter up with the notes, and drawn in the bars and everything.

I turned it and I got it back. I can't remember how miserable the grade was on at the main thing I remember is that all is read all over, and he had written one comment he said I don't know what song this is and then he added, but it is not, Silent Night, in today's teaching self-confidence to spirit on sharing the light were in the life of Peter series in Anchorage to stick with this. Alan is back here in a moment with additional insight on this for your life in a final word pressures always find it hard to say no way that shall disappoint someone one thing in any relationship in paradise.

They were naked and felt no shame entered the world they became anxious and with a nine question like there is only one solution. The grace of God that lifts our shame seeks me out on exposing and exceptional service to an individual or in a snobbery series is sure to bring healing and hope are in ministries this man thinking additional Mastercraft. Thanks for your partnership in a world separate time to let God's grace to shame. Misty and Allen Wright ministries. These are the final days. This offer is being made available to you this month, 877-544-4860 877-544-4861 come to our website past our.like hell. We open the program really declaring the mission of sharing the light.

It's the good news of what God has done for us for us in Jesus Christ and that right there. I think changes everything, because this is we here in today's teaching about the spirit confident that's where we find our security, our faith, our ability to live another day resting in the good news. This, of all the moves that you see the transformation that takes place in Peter's life this move from front to be confident in himself to just being confident in the power the Holy Spirit is working in him is maybe the most dramatic shift that we see it is a leap shift in the source of power in his life. It is a complete shift in how he understands his place in this world and how he is fascinated now with the word of God Holy Spirit when he gives the Pentecost message.

What a beautiful portrait of what really happens in the Christian life. We might want to go through his life thing I need to be confidently tabbouleh myself up, and instead witnessing today real secret confidence and that is the Holy Spirit. Today's good news message is a listener supported production Allen Wright ministries