The Main Agenda of God's Spirit: Transformation, Part 2

Imagine what it was like for the disciples to sit with Jesus at the Last Supper the evening before his crucifixion. No doubt their minds were really as Jesus spelled out what was coming.

The outspoken said Lord where you going. They had no idea well today on inside for letting Chuck Swindoll will re-create this dramatic scene and help us decipher what Jesus told the disciples and the implications for us today, Chuck titled his message.

The main agenda of God's spirit transformation. Our study begins in John chapter 20 I am trying to build and I think you will see from the Scriptures in our study today.

I'm trying to build a case for accuracy and the biblical portraits that are painted for us regarding the original apostles before the work of the Holy Spirit within them as he transformed them the original apostles were really not that impressive. Just as we are not apart from the work of the Spirit of God.

Open your new Testaments to John chapter 20 verse 19 I want you to get it very clear as you can appreciate the transforming power of the Holy Spirit verse 19 chapter 20.

This is after the crucifixion. This is after the resurrection. They are scared because they are convinced that the officials will say one of the disciples stole his body.

In fact, that's the word that was traveling around Pennsylvania alone in a room and they locked the door so nobody can find them.

This is a scene that seldom mentioned because we don't like to think of these disciples in in all such and intimidated moment, but they were 2019 away and therefore it was evening on that day.

That is the day of resurrection first day of the week, the doors were shut where the disciples were, for fear of the Jews.

Remember, intimidated, Jesus came and stood in their midst and said, peace be with you is called molecular structure of his body is changed.

He is in a glorified state. Having been raised from the dead. Verse 24.

Thomas, one of the 12 called the twin was not with them when Jesus came in the other disciples were saying to him. We seen the Lord and he said unless I shall see in his hands. The imprint of the nails and put my finger into the place of the nails and put my hand into his side.

I will not believe what kind of men were the they were intimidated.

They were unsure they were lacking in understanding one more if you will ask one verse four through verse six. Time has passed. It is time for him to ascend to the father.

The last few minutes.

He spends with his with his close friends. These very human individuals gathering them together ask one for he commanded them not to G not to leave Jerusalem, but to wait for what the father had promised which he said you have heard from me, meaning what the coming of the Holy Spirit you wait. You wait in the city of Jerusalem got to keep his word. John baptized with water, but you shall be baptized with the Holy Spirit not many days from now. So when they had come together, they were asking and saying, Lord, is it at this time you are restoring the king of Israel, they still can't get it straight. They lack understanding now when he came he brought a dynamic that transformed verse eight he told him it is not for them to know the times or the epics which the father has fixed by his authority. Verse seven but you shall receive power, there's that word we've looked at earlier. Do not miss DU in a MIS dynamic, you will receive a transforming dynamic when the Holy Spirit has come upon you, and you shall be my witnesses. I have made a survey study in the in the early part of the book of acts is not limited to that, except for where we want to conclude and that is in the in the eighth of Romans.

But in the early part of the book of acts. In this early history I think were able to see the contrast between the way they were in the way they were transformed how life was prior to the spirits coming and how life was after he impacted their lives and I don't think they were the they would ever forget what life was like before the spirit.

One of my friends in the in the years past that I used to do Bible study with an and chum around with preyed on one occasion a and made a statement in his prayer that I will never forget. He said Lord help me never to forget what it was like outside of Christ think it's a very insightful prayer applied to what I'm saying. I believe the disciples must have thought after the fact. Lord help us to never forget what we were like before you transformed us because they were changed show you. Chapter 2 fax to give you four examples of transformation.

First, there very human frailties were transformed into supernatural gifts and abilities there very human frailties, which we looked at were transformed into supernatural gifts and abilities. When the day of Pentecost had come, they were all together in one place. And suddenly there came from heaven a noise like a violent rushing wind, and it filled the whole house where they were sitting. My brother tells me of the winds that struck the south of Miami when that hurricane moved across and in and wiped out whole villages and even cities and an Air Force Base. He lived through it said it lasted from one in the morning until seven in the morning and he heard tiles ripped off their roof as they were hiding out in the in the master bedroom. He heard doors pulled from their hinges and the screech of the screws as they pulled loose and whipped around and then blew out the side of the house. He heard plywood is it with pork torn off the roof and then giant beams that were on the roof torn away, he heard the garage door twisted out of the way and its world is it what wound up on on one of his cars and he said his only orbit would put it.

He said you know it was it was kinda nice. He said when all the fences were blown down. We got to know the neighbors were there was some blessing that came a day in nine of them were hiding in hiding out and listening to this rule were of a mighty wind.

One wonders if it wasn't like that sound except there was no hurricane there was no natural reason to explain the sound of the rushing mighty wind, and here they were together in one place and in an instant of time. The room was filled with the sound. The sound like a violent rushing wind doesn't say there was a wind it says there was the sound of the wind, and it filled the whole house where they were sitting. And if that were not enough, there appeared to them tongues as of fire distributing themselves and they rested on each one.

I take it that there was this giant ball of fire or fire like appearance and and as the flames licked from this informed tongues of fire that landed upon each one of these individuals. These troubled frightened, fearful, abandoned, very human intimidated, unsure, confused man, and suddenly there in the midst of this unexplainable phenomenon, and these tongues of fire rested on each one, and they were all filled with the Holy Spirit. Jesus had said wait and he will come.

Now there is the fulfillment of the waiting and of the promise and the spirit of God comes and fills them and transforms them into other kinds of people.

The remarkable thing folks is that you never can read their feeling abandoned and vacillating and intimidated. From now on.

They are changed remarkable change. In fact, if you would study them as a psychologist to see how they're put together on the inside. Two days before this event, you would've seen one kind of person.

Two days after this event you would have wondered except for their appearance if they were even the same individuals absolutely transformed will have to show you right here there given supernatural ability. There were Jews living in Jerusalem. Devout man from every nation under heaven.

And when this sound occurred, the multitude came together, they were bewildered. The multitude means the people in the street, white boy, the folks who weren't in the room when it happened. They heard the sound and they wonder what this is all about and down from the stairs came these changed man who began to speak to these people in the streets of Jerusalem and their own language and their very dialect. Look at what it says these people in the streets were bewildered because they they were each one of them, hearing them speak in his own language they begin to be amazed into marble say what are not all these who are speaking Galileans. The only Judea was Judas, and he's hanged himself, and they look at these men and they know that there Galileans they're not the brightest among the crowd and they their monolingual.

They only know their tongue rather speaking are very dialect and and how is it we hear each one of them in our own language to which we were these this is a gibberish. This is the tongue like described over in first Corinthians 12 and 14 is another subject just talking is is is a dialect. In fact there named verse nine Parthians and Medes and Elamites, and Mesopotamians and Judeans in Cappadocian's and people of Asian fridge and Pamphylia, in Egypt and Libya and serene sisters from wrong Jews and proselytes their hearing in their own language. Something wonderful about your your own language when you travel. We were traveling in Paris a couple three years ago and it was an evening and we were listening to some wonderful music. It has a it has a universal language, doesn't it, they don't play in French. They play music that thrills the ears and hearts of the whatever may be your language and as we were standing there listening to Pachelbel's Canon is so wonderful in string group on the street corner, which you will often find and in the cities and in France I heard some people behind the speaking wonderful American English charter. I want to meet those people.

Her body around. He was making friends with these people were speaking my language coming down from the supper room were Galileans speaking Egyptian and Italian and dialect from Asia and Mesopotamia. I couldn't be transformed, and in fact a because they didn't they couldn't explain it. Verse 12. They continued in amazement with great perplexity, saying what is this mean and others look verse 13 others were mocking saying how they're full of sweet wine trunk. However, people use interesting language when they're drunk, but they don't speak another dialect when they are drunk. The they are. That's a stupid kind of an answer because I didn't have an answer.

They mock them there drunk Peter begins his sermon by saying verse 13 to 15. These men are not drunk issues they been changed. Chapter 3, Peter and John this the same Peter who said I'll never deny you any trust.

He does cut off the ear and he ultimately does deny the Lord. This is the same Peter who vacillates between thou art the Christ, the son of the living God and the other breast, saying more.

Don't say that you're going to across I rebuke you for that. This is the vacillating Simon look at him. In chapter 3 of acts Peter and John going up to the temple at the ninth hour, the hour prayer. Certain men believe from his mother's womb. Along the used to sit down every day at the gate of the temple nor the big arms of those who were entering the temple when he saw Peter and John about to go to the temple. He began asking for to receive alms Peter along with John fixed his gaze on them and said look, look at us, he began to give them attention. Peter said I do not possess silver and I do not have gold, but what I do have I give you in the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, walk, and seizing him by the right hand, he raised him up. Please observe the secret of a miracle. The word immediately immediately his feet and ankles were strength immediately with a lead. He stood upright and began to walk.

This is the same man, Peter, who only days ago was vacillating back and forth. Verse 11 while he was clinging to Peter and John, all the people ran together to them at the portico of Solomon, full of amazement when Peter saw this, he replied to the people of Israel, why do you marvel at this, or why do you gaze at us as if by our power or piety we may walk is not a great statement.

I'm not a miracle worker. I'm not some kind of sideshow. All I know is there's a power that is not present in me and God is using me as a voicebox to give this man the ability to walk, don't fix your eyes on me.

I am just a just a messenger boy, representing the intimate spirit of God is change my life. Their very human frailties transform into supernatural gifts and abilities.

Second, their fearful reluctance was transformed into bold confidence back to chapter 2.

Their fearful reluctance is transformed into bold confidence. These are the man who locked the door and got a loan whose knees were quaking, shaking, knocking and fear worried about the Jews if they might find them hiding the same men are now in chapter 2 of acts, verse five, pouring into the streets of Jerusalem, preaching of Jesus Christ. We read it earlier they were speaking in the language of the people, the wonderful works of God. Look at verse 36 that's were once you turn Peter is concluding his message. Let all the house of Israel know for certain that God has made Jesus, both Lord and Christ.

This Jesus whom you crucified.

That's rather bold statement. He says it without hesitation when they heard this, they were pierced to the heart and said to Peter and the rest of the apostles, brethren, what shall we do with you. Look at that these are the man who only days before were not wanting to talk to anybody and now they're out in the streets boldly proclaiming Jesus Christ without fear. Verse 40 with many other words he solemnly testified and kept on exhorting them to be saved from this perverse generation sold and those who received his word were baptized and their word that day added about 3000 so by the way, I love verse 13 of chapter 4, a very interesting verse inserted by Dr. Luke.

In this early church history record for 13 he's describing the reaction of the unsaved pagan officials as they observed the confidence of Peter and John and as they understood that they were uneducated and untrained men.

They were marveling and began to recognize them as having been with Jesus. Well I gotta hand it to them. They had a little bit of savvy. They recognize that there was nothing unusual about their physique about their training about their background or their own human emotional makeup. They were just plain folks would call in today good old boys there from the back hills of Galilee. Their fishermen without much formal training as Robert Coleman states accurately and yet they were amazed at their confidence and they realize something about their relationship with Jesus had transformed them and they took note of that.

They were like they had been before. Third, there spirit of intimidation is transformed into a spirit of invincibility, a spirit of intimidation is transformed into a spirit, a sense of incident of invincibility. You're in chapter 4 look back in chapter 3 verse 18, the things which God announced before hand by the mouth of all the prophets that his Christ should suffer, he has thus fulfilled. Now look at these in these absolutely on intimidated invincible men repent therefore in return, that your sins may be wiped away in order that times of refreshing may come from the presence of the Lord and that he may send Jesus the Christ appointed for you who have and must receive until the period of restoration of all things about which God spoke to the mouth of his holy prophets from ancient times. Doesn't sound to me like a man that doesn't quite know is theology. Somehow, the spirit of God has begun to stir up their minds and the pieces of the puzzle are no longer like Rubiks Q that they cannot get figured out they are no longer unsure about how the plan is unfolding and they speak publicly of Christ and of the plan of God and they declare it in such a convincing matter that no one can argue with the logic. It's an incredible transformation. I see it again.

Chapter 4 verse one as they were speaking to the people, the priests and the captain of the temple guard and the Sadducees came upon them.

Now that would be a little intimidating.

Under normal circumstances, you're out there in the street corner preaching and suddenly for squad cars pull up and the lights are going around in the Sirena screening I would say your stomach would probably turn you know you're in for trouble you know you're doing something that the law does allow at least in those days, it did in the says they came upon them and look who's disturbed the people who were going to arrest them being greatly disturbed because they were teaching the people and proclaiming Jesus. In Jesus the resurrection from the dead, they laid hands on them and put them in jail until the next day for it was already evening jail.

If you have been in jail. Chances are good you felt intimidated there something about the clanging of the door, but those iron bars about knowing you're in that cell was very, very weird, folks, and you don't know any of and maybe you are there unfairly you replace their having been prejudged and you maybe you were guilty of some, but you're in jail it's intimidating to be in the you're listening to Insight for living today's message from Chuck Swindoll was originally presented to the church family. Many pastors and was nearly one hour in length. It's called the main agenda of God spirit transformation. If you like to learn more about today's topic or this ministry, we invite you to visit us online@insightworld.org this daily program is made possible through the voluntary contributions of people like you and when you give your gift is channeled directly toward providing Chuck's Bible teaching for others so they can benefit just as you have. For example, we received a note from a listener in Amarillo, Texas, who told us his story of redemption. He said I want to say thank you for being so getting I did almost 11 years in the state is insist and during all that time Insight for living sent me innumerable Bible study today. Decades after his incarceration, he admits that I'm quoting here. I'm really struggling with those old strongholds that wage war against my soul. But Jesus is faithful to carry on to completion the good work he began. Thank you for your help in my journey.

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