Questions – 5/9/10
Sermon Series: Acts – Faith Explosion
Title: Questions
Text: Acts 19:1-7
“And it happened that while Apollos was at Corinth, Paul passed through the inland country and came to Ephesus. There he found some disciples. And he said to them, “Did you receive the Holy Spirit when you believed?” And they said, “No, we have not even heard that there is a Holy Spirit.” And he said, “Into what then were you baptized?” They said, “Into John’s baptism.” And Paul said, “John baptized with the baptism of repentance, telling the people to believe in the one who was to come after him, that is, Jesus.” On hearing this, they were baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus. And when Paul had laid his hands on them, the Holy Spirit came on them, and they began speaking in tongues and prophesying. There were about twelve men in all.” (Acts 19:1-7, ESV)
Introduction: The English language is funny on facebook the other day someone asked if the past tense of “teach” is “taught” then why isn’t the past tense of “preach” – “praught”?
The other day someone asked me what was the main difference between teaching and preaching. After I had thought about it for a few minutes I decided that the main difference between teaching and preaching is the kinds of questions that you ask. I really believe that good teaching is when we ask students questions that they have to interact with in some kind of personal way in order to come up with correct responses. We ask questions that force them to think, and explore to find the answers. Good preaching requires you in the audience to ask yourself some kind of hard questions: Personal self-evaluative questions.
Jesus was a master of asking the hard questions.
- He asked his disciples: What are you seeking?
- He asked the woman caught in adultery: Who accuses you?
- He asked the woman at the well: Where is your husband?
- He asked a broken Peter is he loved him.
In our passage today the apostle asks a couple of good questions that I think we need to think about in our spiritual walk.
Transition: A quick review of where we are. Last week we left Paul in Corinth where he stayed and worked for about 18 months. Since then he has left Corinth with Priscilla and Aquila traveled to Ephesus where he stayed a very short time before he left them there and he traveled back to Jerusalem and then Antioch. After reporting to the Church in Antioch he started out again to visit the Churches in the Galatian region and made his way down to Ephesus. When he got there he was confronted by 12 people who were with the disciples in Ephesus. He asked them a couple of questions. As we ask these questions of ourselves today I would like us to ponder the depth and the nature of our spiritual walk.
I. Did you receive the Holy Spirit when you believed?
a. Is the Holy Spirit a significant part of your life.
i. The Holy Spirit enters our lives when we come into committed belief in God through His Son Jesus. Our relationship with Jesus opens us up to God working in and through our lives. – Acts 2:38;
1. He guides us into truth – John 16:12
2. He convicts unrighteousness. John 16:8
3. He adds power and joy into the believer’s life.
4. It is through the Holy Spirit that we are convinced and clear that we are in relationship with God.
5. He is our Helper
6. Our Counselor
7. Our intermediary in prayer
8. And our power in daily living
9. And Testimony.
b. So the question for us today is: Are you operating under the power and guidance of the Holy Spirit in your life or not?
i. The illustration of a digital camera. Without the power source, this marvel of modern technology is a shell a box full of all the right capabilities and none of the power needed to make it function.
II. Into what were you baptized? (How is it that as believer’s your conviction which led to baptism has not resulted in the Holy Spirit taking up residence in your life? )
a. These men had not been taught about the Holy Spirit and only baptized in order to repent of their sins.
i. They needed to have better and fuller teaching about God’s gift onto their lives.
ii. If you have not experienced the power of a life lived with the power of the Holy Spirit influencing you, maybe it’s because you don’t know enough.
1. You haven’t been taught fully that God’s gift into your life is present and ready to add power to your walk.
iii. Maybe it’s because you have not allowed Him to take over the territory of your life.
