Title: Only When the Holy Spirit Comes
Contents
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. The LORD came upon me with power, and with his spirit he brought me and placed me in the middle of the valley, where it was full of bones.
2. He made me pass through the bones, and behold, there were very many bones on the ground of the valley, and it was very dry.
3. And he said to me, Son of man, can these bones live? I answered, Sovereign LORD, you know.
4. And he said to me, Prophesy to all these bones, and say, Hear the word of the LORD, ye dry bones.
5. So says the Lord GOD to these bones, I will bring breath into you, and you will live.
6. I will put sinews on you, I will clothe you with flesh, I will cover you with skins, and I will put breath within you, and you will live, and you will know that I am the Lord.”
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6. When they were assembled, they inquired of Jesus, saying, “Are you at this time restoring the kingdom of Israel?”
7. He said, It is not for you to know the times and the seasons, which the Father has set by his own authority.
8. But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you; and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.”
9. When he had finished saying these things, he was taken up from their sight, and a cloud covered him from sight.
10. As he was going up, the disciples were looking closely at the sky, and two men in white robes stood by them.
11. He said, "Men of Galilee, why do you stand and look into heaven? This Jesus, who was taken up from you into heaven, will come in the same way you saw him go into heaven."
Content
Subject: Only When the Holy Spirit Comes
Text: Ezekiel 37:1-6, Acts 1:6-11
It takes 40 days until the risen Lord ascends into heaven. During this time, He revealed His resurrection to His people and spoke of “the things of the kingdom of God” (Acts 1:3). There were three main points of that statement. First, do not leave Jerusalem. Second, wait for what the Father promised (Acts 1:4). Third, you will be my witnesses to the ends of the earth (Acts 1:8). The first two are commands. The third is prophecy (promise). The disciples' interest in the resurrection of Jesus was 'the time of restoration of the kingdom of Israel'. It is, of course, a political recovery. It is concerned with the end of history (Matthew 24:3). The Lord has already given us a word about this. “The day and hour no one knows, not even the angels in heaven, nor the Son, but only the Father” (Matthew 24:36; Mark 13:32). He repeats what he has already said and diverts their attention.
“It is not for you to know the times or seasons, which the Father has set by his own authority” (Acts 1:7). This is the next word. “You will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you, and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth” (Acts 1:8). These are words that make us interested in the work that the Father is trying to accomplish through us. It is the fulfillment of the mission of being a witness of Jesus. The fulfillment of that mission presupposes the presence of the Holy Spirit. As in Darakbang Ganghwa, it is ‘a witness with the Holy Spirit’ (John 15:26,27). The work of the Holy Spirit was manifested in both creation (Genesis 1:2b) and redemption (Matthew 3:16; Mark 1:10; Luke 3:22). The disciples' witnessing of Jesus also said that the work of the Holy Spirit is essential. ‘Receive power’ (Hee, ‘Dinamin’), which was a natural force in the Old Testament times, becomes a personal strength from God in the New Testament (Romans 1:16; 1 Corinthians 1:18)
This promise is fulfilled on the first day of Pentecost after Jesus' ascension (Acts 2:1-4). He came to all 120 people who believed and prayed for the promise of Jesus in Mark's upper room. This is the beginning of the history (John 14:16,17,26; John 15:26,27; John 16:7-14) that the Lord spoke about in the Darakbang Ganghwa. It is the realization of the work that He said once more (Luke 24:49; Acts 1:8) before ascension. As Jesus said (John 14:16), the appearing of the Holy Spirit who came to this earth in this way will be with His people from that day to this day and forever. It is for the work necessary to be a witness of Jesus. Your people appeared during persecution, and appeared in the preaching of the gospel. He also appeared in Saul's conversion (Acts 9:17). He also appeared to the people of the centurion's house, Cornelius (Acts 10:44-48). This is the work of ‘only when the Holy Spirit comes upon you’.
Like the redemption of Jesus, it is a cosmic event and a personal event. Just as each of us must receive the Lord as our Savior, we must live with the Holy Spirit as our Counselor. ‘My witnesses’ in the words ‘who will be my witnesses’ means ‘one who bears witness about me, for me, and about me’ (Lenski). ‘Witness’ (Hee, ‘Martures’) can also mean ‘martyr’. Instead of saying, ‘Become!’, He said, ‘It will be’. The subject of evangelism and the witness of Jesus is not the disciples (people), but the Holy Spirit (Acts 13:2; 16:6; 20:23). All of us must meet the condition, “Only when the Holy Spirit comes upon you.” This is a prerequisite for being attested. Today's Old Testament text (Ezekiel 37:1-6) depicts the work of the Holy Spirit, the redemption that will appear in the history of Israel in the Old Testament era. Hearing the Word, we receive the wind of vitality, and realize the restoration of the nation and peaceful unification (Ezekiel 37:7-28).