Jesus’ Words in Red Before He Departed
Waiting
"Do
not leave Jerusalem, but wait for the gift my Father promised”
If waiting is not
something you are good at
Think of this
Waiting is not a time
of inactivity
Waiting is time
seeking God
Then the Spirit of God
will come upon you
He will lead you so
you can move forward in power and confidence
Waiting
The Book of Acts was written by Luke.
Luke wrote two Books to the same person.
The Book of Luke was written
to give an accurate account of…
“all that Jesus began
to do and to teach
until the day he was
taken up to heaven”
Acts 1:1,2
The Book of Acts was written to give an account
of the events after Jesus was taken up into heaven.
So in Acts, Chapter 1, we see the
bridge between the two Books.
This bridge is very important and powerful.
It is the time between the resurrection
and the ascension into heaven.
Luke tells us that there were 40
days between these two events.
Luke also tells us what Jesus talked about…
He appeared to them
over a period of forty days
and spoke about the
kingdom of God.
verse 3
After laying this foundation, Luke, out of all the things
Jesus said in those 40 days, gives us Jesus’ command.
Here we find in Acts 1 these
Red letter words of Jesus…
On one occasion, while
he was eating with them,
he gave them this command:
"Do not leave Jerusalem,
but wait for the gift my Father promised,
which you have heard me speak about.
"Do not leave Jerusalem, but wait”
We might be in a hurry to get on with the events
after the resurrection and ascension of Christ.
That is some exciting news
to tell all our friends about.
But Jesus says wait.
There are many other times in
scripture we are told to wait.
So often those scriptures are telling us
to wait so we do not get ahead of God.
In our waiting for God, He
gives us strength and courage.
He helps us to understand timing.
The Lord is good to those who wait for him,
to the soul who seeks him.
Wait for the Lord; be strong, and let your
heart take courage; wait for the Lord!
For still the vision awaits its
appointed time;
it hastens to the end—it will not lie.
If it seems slow, wait for it;
it will surely come; it will not delay.
But they who wait for 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.
Waiting is never a time of inactivity.
It is a time to prepare for something greater.
For the disciples in Acts 1 they
were to wait for a promised gift.
This was not the gift of salvation.
It was not a season that
they would get all the answers.
"It is not for you to know the times or
dates the Father has set by his own authority.”
Waiting… for the gift my Father promised
To… receive power
For… the Holy Spirit comes on you
Too often we are waiting for the wrong things…
enough money, time, better health.
We look to events rather than
looking to the Spirit of God.
We are too quick to ask the question Why?
When the real question should be How?
How Lord?
How do I deal with this?
If we first wait in the presence
of the Lord in prayer and His Word…
The Spirit of the Lord will come
upon us with the “How”.
When our wanting is a
time of seeking the Lord…
We will find that time well spent.
Scripture Reading
Acts 1:1-8 NIV
1:1 In my former book, Theophilus, I wrote about all that
Jesus began to do and to teach 2 until the day he was taken up to heaven, after
giving instructions through the Holy Spirit to the apostles he had chosen. 3
After his suffering, he showed himself to these men and gave many convincing
proofs that he was alive. He appeared to them over a period of forty days and
spoke about the kingdom of God. 4 On one occasion, while he was eating with
them, he gave them this command: "Do not leave
Jerusalem, but wait for the gift my Father promised, which you have heard me
speak about. 5 For John baptized with water, but in a few days you will be
baptized with the Holy Spirit."
6 So when they met together, they asked him, "Lord, are
you at this time going to restore the kingdom to Israel?"
7 He said to them: "It is not
for you to know the times or dates 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."
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