The Promise Is Unto You
The promise of the Father is the experience of receiving the Holy Ghost as a result of believing in Jesus Christ.
G.W. North emphasizes the fulfillment of Joel's prophecy as Peter declares that the Holy Spirit has been poured out, demonstrating the power of God in their midst. The crowd, recognizing the significance of Peter's words and the miraculous events they witnessed, eagerly inquires about how they can experience this promise themselves. North highlights the belief that the same promise of the Holy Spirit is available to all who respond in faith, just as it was for Peter and the apostles. The sermon underscores the expectation of a transformative experience that aligns with the biblical promise, urging listeners to seek the same indwelling of the Holy Spirit. Ultimately, the message is one of hope and assurance that God's promises are for everyone who believes.
Text
What Peter had said was that he and those with him were in the present and manifest experience of that which Joel the prophet had spoken, God the Father had promised, and Jesus the Lord Christ had shed forth. The Holy Ghost had come as they could see and hear. Those who responded with 'men and brethren, what shall we do?' plainly expected an experience comparable with that which they witnessed, didn't they? The man speaking to them was claiming to be indwelt by the Holy Ghost who had inspired the utterance they had heard, and he was obviously under some great power other than his own.
They firmly believed their scriptures to be inspired of God, and here was a man interpreting them to their hearts as no-one else had ever done.
He said that Joel's prophetic promises were being fulfilled in himself and his companions; but these were all millennial, weren't they? Or so they had been taught. But this Jesus whom they had crucified was the Messiah, they heard Peter say, and He had been raised up from the dead to receive the promise of the Father and shed forth this, and this was that of which Joel had spoken. This being so, they wanted it. So when the apostle said that they would receive the promise of Jesus' Father who had faithfully kept His word to Jesus that He would raise Him from the dead, they believed in that kind of God; consequently they expected to receive all they saw and heard.
If what they witnessed was the result of receiving the promise, and that same promise was unto them, then nothing short of an identical experience could possibly satisfy them.
Sermon Outline
- The Promise of the Father
- Peter's Experience of the Holy Ghost
- The Fulfillment of Joel's Prophecy
- The Promise of the Father in Jesus Christ
Key Quotes
“They firmly believed their scriptures to be inspired of God, and here was a man interpreting them to their hearts as no-one else had ever done.” — G.W. North
“This being so, they wanted it.” — G.W. North
“If what they witnessed was the result of receiving the promise, and that same promise was unto them, then nothing short of an identical experience could possibly satisfy them.” — G.W. North
Application Points
- Believe in a God who keeps His word and you will experience the fulfillment of His promises.
- The scriptures are inspired of God and can be trusted for guidance and understanding.
- Faith in Jesus Christ is the key to receiving the promise of the Father.