Peter replied, “Repent and be baptized, every one of you, in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins, and you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.” vs38

The promise of the Holy Spirit is given to everyone of us. This is not a promise for special Christians in the 1st Century, but every Christian receives the Spirit, as soon as we believe. He helps us live the Christian life, because we can’t do it. The Apostles saw the Risen Lord, but they had NO POWER to fulfill their mission until the Spirit came, so they had to wait on Him [Acts 1:4-8].

We are like Samson with and without the Spirit. When He is upon us, then we are mighty & powerful; when He is gone, then we are nothing, just like other men [Judges 16:16-20]. Even John the Baptist, said, “I didn’t know Him, but He who sent me to baptize with water told me, ‘The One you see the Spirit descending and resting on--He is the One who baptizes with the Holy Spirit [John 1:33].’” This is why he knew Him to be the Son of God, but without the Spirit, we cannot obey right from wrong! We can know things in our head and agree with doctrine, but we can only serve by the Spirit. Our Lord said, “The Spirit is the One who gives life. The flesh doesn’t help at all. The words that I have spoken to you are Spirit & are life [John 6:63].”

We have no power, but when we come to grips with this, then we do have power by BELIEVING UPON AND WAITING UPON Him. Our Lord said, “If anyone is thirsty, he should come to Me and drink! The one who believes in Me, as the Scripture has said, will have streams of living water flow from deep within him.’ He said this about the Spirit. Those who believed in Jesus were going to receive the Spirit, for the Spirit had not yet been received because Jesus had not yet been glorified [John 7:37-39].”

1 We get the Spirit because of Jesus Christ! It is not the efforts of man, nor our law-keeping, nor our goodness! It is not because we’re better Christians than others, or we’ve lived clean for a few days! No, it is because Christ is raised from the dead, gone to the Father, and He has the right to give us the Spirit [Acts 2:33]! He’s done enough. He satisfied God. He put away the sins of all the Father gave Him, and all who trust Christ will receive the Spirit as the Son’s love gift. He laid His life down to bless us, and if we believe in Him, then we’ll be blessed indeed.

2 The Spirit is the gift: Not health, wealth, and prosperity. God may give you whatever He wants - whether it be health or sickness, whether it be wealth or poverty, and whether it be trials or ease [3 John 1:2]. He knows what is best, and He will do it, but the Spirit enables us to see Christ and walk with Him. He enables us to conquer sin and live godly! He takes the things of Christ and makes them known to the heart, so that we love, enjoy, and feel them: It is not longer dead doctrine isolated from life, but it is the very comfort and power of godliness; it is the sweetest thing in the world to be filled with the Spirit, because Christ is with us, and we see and feel God [John 14:18]. It is higher than any human attainment, and truly it is thirst-quenching and hunger-satisfying to the depths of our soul. We need nothing else and have no lack when the Spirit is with us [1 Tim 6:8]. We are not enamored with the world but enraptured with Him.

3 Come to the Lord Jesus Christ to be filled with the Spirit. Are you thirsty? Are you tired of sin? Have you lived in rebellion long enough? Do you fear God’s wrath [Matt 24:29-31]? Are you weary of fake religion? If so, then come to Him: Bring no money or price. He can’t be bought or earned: He gives Himself to you.