Trinity Fellowship Assembly of God

Preparation for Pentecost

Luke 24:44-49    Pastor Tom Squashic

MAIN THOUGHT: Every believer can prepare himself for being filled with the Holy Spirit by cultivating two areas.

An opened understanding to comprehend the Scriptures

Luke 24:45 NKJ “And He opened their understanding, that they might comprehend the Scriptures.”

What do I do with an opened mind from God?

– I read the Word of God regularly.
Psalm 119:11 NKJ “Your word I have hidden in my heart, that I might not sin against You.”

Psalm 119:24 NKJ “Your testimonies also are my delight and my counselors.”

Ps 119:97 NKJ “Oh, how I love Your law! It is my meditation     all the day.”

Psalm 119:105 NKJ “Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light to my path.”

Joshua 1:8 NKJ “This Book of the Law shall not depart from     your mouth, but you shall meditate in it day and night, that you may observe to do according to all that is written in it.  For then you will make your way prosperous, and then you will have good success.”

– I think about and meditate upon the Scriptures.
Psalm 1:2 NKJ “But his delight is in the law of the Lord, and in His law he meditates day and night.”

– I allow God’s Word to confront my attitudes & actions.
Luke 24:46 NKJ “…thus it was necessary for the Christ to suffer and to rise from the dead the third day,”

– I allow my preconceived ideas to be adjusted by the Holy Spirit. (gospel to the Gentiles)
Luke 24:47 NKJ “and that repentance and remission of sins should be preached in His name to all nations, beginning at Jerusalem.”

– I repent and change in order to conform to God’s Word.
Acts 10:28 NKJ “Then he said to them, ‘You know how unlawful it is for a Jewish man to keep company with or go to one of another nation.  But God has shown me that I should not call any man common or unclean.
29 Therefore I came without objection as soon as I was sent for.  I ask, then, for what reason have you sent for me?’”

How To Read The Bible
– Pray before you read.  A cleansed and softened heart and     mind soaks in God’s Word more readily.

– Put Bible reading before any other reading or activity.  Seek first God’s Kingdom…

– Confess your hunger and thirst for God (even if you don’t feel it).

– Pray: “Holy Spirit, show me what I need from Your Word today.”   (Ephesians 1:17-19)

– Allow deep to call to deep.  If we allowed God’s Word to renew our minds daily, we would have much less need for counselors and therapists.   (Psalm 42:7)
Hebrews 4:12 NIV “For the word of God is living and active.     Sharper than any double-edged sword, it penetrates even to dividing soul and spirit, joints and marrow; it judges the thoughts and attitudes of the heart.”

– Read with the intention of obeying.

– Keep the Bible within your reach anywhere you are (car, kitchen, bathroom, work).  In a free moment, read a small portion.

– Read God’s Word around meal times.

– Read the Bible with your spouse.  (Men, take the lead.)

– Memorize at least one verse from God’s Word each month.

– Try reading the Bible from a different version, chronologically, topical studies.

– Read God’s Word out loud.

Learning to “wait on the Lord”

Luke 24:49 NKJ “‘Behold, I send the Promise of My Father upon you; but tarry in the city of Jerusalem until you are endued [NIV - clothed] with power from on high.’”

Wait on God - Definition  (”Waiting on God,” Andrew Murray)

– A recognition of your own lack of ability to accomplish God’s will in your own strength

– looking to God for help, guidance, counsel, wisdom,  strength

– “God, I can’t do anything unless You help me!”

– absolute and unceasing dependence upon God

Waiting on God – Passively

– wait quietly Lam. 3:26 NKJ “It is good that one should hope and wait quietly for the salvation of the Lord.”

– hope Psalm 39:7 NKJ “And now, Lord, what do I wait for?  My hope is in You.”

– trusting Psalm 33:20 NKJ “Our soul waits for the Lord; He is our help and our shield.”
21 For our heart shall rejoice in Him, Because we have trusted in His holy name.”

– resting in God Psalm 37:7 NKJ “Rest in the Lord, and wait patiently for Him; Do not fret because of him who prospers in his way, because of the man who brings wicked schemes to pass.”

– wait patiently Psalm 40:1 NKJ “I waited patiently for the Lord; and He inclined to me, and heard my cry.”

– hoping in God’s Word Psalm 130:5 NKJ “I wait for the Lord, my soul waits, and in His word I do hope.”

Waiting on God – Actively

– looking to God to lead and teach you Psalm 25:5 NKJ “Lead me in Your truth and teach me, for You are the God of my salvation; on You I wait all the day.”

– being encouraged as I wait for God’s strength
Psalm 27:14 NKJ “Wait on the Lord; Be of good courage, and He shall strengthen your heart; Wait, I say, on the Lord!”

– not fretting Psalm 37:7 NKJ “Rest in the Lord, and wait patiently for Him; Do not fret…”

– ceasing from anger Psalm 37:8 NKJ “Cease from anger, and forsake wrath; Do not fret–it only causes harm.”

– keeping God’s way Psalm 37:34 NKJ “Wait on the Lord, and keep His way, and He shall exalt you to inherit the land; when the wicked are cut off, you shall see it.”

– seeking God Lamentations 3:25 NKJ “The Lord is good to those     who wait for Him, to the soul who seeks Him.”

– crying out to God Psalm 40:1 NKJ “I waited patiently for the Lord; and He inclined to me, and heard my cry.”

Opposite of Waiting on God
– plunging ahead
– doing whatever feels right at the moment
– running on your own power and direction
– impatiently going in your own direction
– “I’ll just do this on my own.”
– Abram & Sarai - Ishmael - Genesis 16
Isaiah 64:4 NKJ “For since the beginning of the world men have not heard nor perceived by the ear, nor has the eye seen any God besides You, Who acts for the one who waits for Him.”

Isaiah 40:28-31 NKJ “But those who wait on the Lord shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings like eagles, they shall run and not be weary, they shall walk and not faint.”

(Recommended: “Waiting on God,” Andrew Murray)

What made the difference in Peter’s life from the time
– he denied Jesus three times,
– witness Jesus’ trial & beating
– saw Jesus crucified
– witnessed the resurrected Jesus
– was restored by Jesus at the Sea of Galilee
– watched Jesus rise to heaven & heard angels speak
– spent 10 days waiting in the upper room
– was filled with the Holy Spirit, along with 120 others
— to the time he stood to address the crowd from many nations?
– Where did he get the understanding of how the Scriptures fit together?  Acts 2:14-40

The difference was that Peter had immersed himself in the Scriptures after Jesus opened his understanding, then he waited on God, seeking after Him, and was filled with the Holy Spirit. This combination is unstoppable!

Pray these prayers:

“Lord, open my mind so I can understand the Scriptures.”

“Lord, I will wait upon You for Your strength and empowering.”

“Fill me with the fullness of the Holy Spirit!”

WAITING ON GOD

“…For You are the God of my salvation;
on You I wait all the day.” Psalm 25:5

Psalm 62:1 NKJ “Truly my soul silently waits for God; from Him comes my salvation.
2  He only is my rock and my salvation; He is my defense; I shall not be greatly moved.”
5 “My soul, wait silently for God alone, For my expectation is from Him.
6  He only is my rock and my salvation; He is my defense; I shall not be moved.”

Genesis 49:18 NKJ “I have waited for your salvation, O Lord!”
Isaiah 64:4 NKJ “For since the beginning of the world men have not heard nor perceived by the ear, nor has the eye seen any God besides You,     Who acts for the one who waits for Him.”

Lamentations 3:22 NKJ ‘Through the Lord’s mercies we are not consumed, because His compassions fail not.
23  They are new every morning; great is Your faithfulness.
24 ‘The Lord is my portion,’ says my soul, ‘Therefore I hope in Him!’
25 The Lord is good to those who wait for Him, to the soul who seeks Him.
26  It is good that one should hope and wait quietly for the salvation of the Lord.”

Isaiah 30:18 NKJ “Therefore the Lord will wait, that He may be gracious to you; and therefore He will be exalted, that He may have mercy on you. For the Lord is a God of justice; blessed are all those who wait for Him.”

Isaiah 40:28 NKJ “Have you not known?  Have you not heard?  The everlasting God, the Lord, the Creator of the ends of the earth, neither faints nor is weary.  There is no searching of His understanding.
29  He gives power to the weak, and to those who have no might He increases strength.
30  Even the youths shall faint and be weary, and the young men shall utterly fall,
31  But those who wait on the Lord shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings like eagles, they shall run and not be weary, they shall walk and not faint.”

Psalm 25:21 NKJ “Let integrity and uprightness preserve me, for I wait for You.”

Proverbs 8:34 NKJ “Blessed is the man who listens to me, watching daily at my gates, waiting at the posts of my doors. [wisdom]
35  For whoever finds me finds life, and obtains favor from the Lord;”
Exodus 24:12 NKJ “Then the Lord said to Moses, ‘Come up to Me on the mountain and be there; and I will give you tablets of stone, and the law and commandments which I have written, that you may teach them.’” [Moses waited 6 days for God to show up.]

Psalm 25:3 NKJ “Indeed, let no one who waits on You be ashamed; Let those be ashamed who deal treacherously without cause.
4  Show me Your ways, O Lord; Teach me Your paths.
5  Lead me in Your truth and teach me, for You are the God of my salvation; on You I wait all the day.”

Psalm 27:13 NKJ “I would have lost heart, unless I had believed That I would see the goodness of the Lord In the land of the living.
14  Wait on the Lord; be of good courage, and He shall strengthen your heart; Wait, I say, on the Lord!”

Psalm 33:18 NKJ “Behold, the eye of the Lord is on those who fear Him, on those who hope in His mercy,
19  To deliver their soul from death, and to keep them alive in famine.
20  Our soul waits for the Lord; He is our help and our shield.
21  For our heart shall rejoice in Him, because we have trusted in His holy name.”

Psalm 37:7 NKJ “Rest in the Lord, and wait patiently for Him; do not fret because of him who prospers in his way, because of the man who brings wicked schemes to pass.
8  Cease from anger, and forsake wrath; do not fret–it only causes harm.
9  For evildoers shall be cut off; but those who wait on the Lord, they shall inherit the earth.”
34 “Wait on the Lord, and keep His way, and He shall exalt you to inherit the land; when the wicked are cut off, you shall see it.”

Psalm 40:1 NKJ “I waited patiently for the Lord; and He inclined to me, and heard my cry.
2  He also brought me up out of a horrible pit, out of the miry clay, and set my feet upon a rock, and established my steps.
3  He has put a new song in my mouth — Praise to our God; many will see it and fear, and will trust in the Lord.”

Psalm 39:4 NKJ “Lord, make me to know my end, and what is the     measure of my days, that I may know how frail I am.
5 Indeed, You have made my days as handbreadths, and my age is as nothing before You; certainly every man at his best state is but vapor.     Selah
6 Surely every man walks about like a shadow; surely they busy themselves in vain; he heaps up riches, and does not know who will gather them.
7  And now, Lord, what do I wait for? My hope is in You.”
Psalm 106:13 NKJ “They soon forgot His works; they did not wait for His counsel,”

Psalm 130:5 NKJ “I wait for the Lord, my soul waits, and in His word I do hope.
6  My soul waits for the Lord more than those who watch for the morning –    I say, more than those who watch for the morning.”

Isaiah 8:17 NKJ “And I will wait on the Lord, Who hides His face from the house of Jacob; and I will hope in Him.”

Isaiah 25:9 NKJ “And it will be said in that day: ‘Behold, this is our God; we have waited for Him, and He will save us.  This is the Lord; we have waited for Him; we will be glad and rejoice in His salvation.’”

Isaiah 26:8 NKJ “Yes, in the way of Your judgments, O Lord, we have waited for You; the desire of our soul is for Your name and for the remembrance of You.”

Isaiah 49:23 NKJ “Kings shall be your foster fathers, and their queens your nursing mothers; they shall bow down to you with their faces to the earth, and lick up the dust of your feet. Then you will know that I am the Lord, for they shall not be ashamed who wait for Me.”

Micah 7:7 NKJ “Therefore I will look to the Lord; I will wait for the God of my salvation; my God will hear me.”

Luke 12:36 NKJ “and you yourselves be like men who wait for their master, when he will return from the wedding, that when he comes and knocks they may open to him immediately.”

Hosea 12:6 NKJ “So you, by the help of your God, return; observe mercy and justice, and wait on your God continually.”

Jeremiah 14:22 NKJ “Are there any among the idols of the nations that can cause rain? Or can the heavens give showers? Are You not He,     O Lord our God? Therefore we will wait for You, since You have made all these.”

Psalm 123:2 NKJ “Behold, as the eyes of servants look to the hand of their masters, as the eyes of a maid to the hand of her mistress, so our eyes look to the Lord our God, until He has mercy on us.”

Psalm 59:9-10 NKJ “O You his Strength, I will wait for You. For God is my defense; my merciful God shall come to meet me; God shall let me see my desire on my enemies.”

Habakkuk 2:3 NKJ “For the vision is yet for an appointed time; but at the end it will speak, and it will not lie.  Though it tarries, wait for it; Because it will surely come, it will not tarry.”

Psalm 52:9 NKJ “I will praise You forever, because You have done it; and in the presence of Your saints I will wait on Your name, for it is good.”
Isaiah 33:2 NKJ “O Lord, be gracious to us; we have waited for You. Be their arm every morning, our salvation also in the time of trouble.”

Psalm 69:3 NKJ “I am weary with my crying; my throat is dry; my eyes fail while I wait for my God.”
6 “Let not those who wait for You, O Lord God of hosts, be ashamed because of me; Let not those who seek You be confounded because of me, O God of Israel.”

Proverbs 20:22 NKJ “Do not say, ‘I will recompense evil;’ wait for the Lord, and He will save you.”

Isaiah 42:4 NKJ “He will not fail nor be discouraged, till He has established justice in the earth; and the coastlands shall wait for His law.”

James 5:7 NKJ “Therefore be patient, brethren, until the coming of the Lord.  See how the farmer waits for the precious fruit of the earth, waiting patiently for it until it receives the early and latter rain.”

Recommended Reading: “Waiting on God” by Andrew Murray
(Moody Press)