THE PROMISE OF THE FATHER.
By B. F. Robbins
“And behold I send the promise of my Father upon you; but tarry ye in the city of Jerusalem until ye be endowed with power from on high.” The nature and extent of this declaration of our Saviour's is but little realized among his professed disciples in this age; for almost all of our religious teachers contend that the promise was confined to the apostles' day, and that we can have no expectation of realizing, in our experience, the blessings contained in it. To my mind, such an opinion, though sanctioned by the learned and popular, is nevertheless erroneous. And not only is it erroneous and unscriptural, but it is the cause of the worldliness and formality so prevalent among the professed churches of Christ in this age. To the Bible student there is a vast contrast between modern and apostolic christianity; ours is the form of godliness, while the power is denied; theirs the power and demonstration of the Spirit. And why is it so? The reason is obvious; the glory of the dispensation, “the promise of the Father,” “the power from on high” is disbelieved in and denied, and philosophy and poor human reason are substituted for the baptism of the Spirit, the endowment of usefulness and success. But what was the promise of the Father for which the disciples tarried at Jerusalem? In the first chapter of the Acts we read that Jesus “being assembled together with the disciples, commanded them that they should not depart from Jerusalem but wait for the promise of the Father which, said he, ye have heard of me.” Sec John xiv, 16, 17, 26, also, xv, 26, 27. “For John truly baptized with water, but ye shall be baptized with the Holy Ghost not many days hence.” “But ye shall receive power after that the Holy Ghost is come upon you, and ye shall be witnesses unto me both in Jerusalem and Judea and in Samaria and unto the uttermost part of the earth.” Here it is evident that the promise of the Father, the endowment of power from on high, was the promised baptism of the Holy Ghost to be sent upon them in a few days after. “And when the day of pentecost was fully come they were all with one accord in one place.” Who were they all? The disciples, male and female, mentioned in the 13th and 14th verses of the first chapter. “And suddenly there came a sound from heaven as of a rushing mighty wind and it filled all the house where they were sitting.” “And there appeared unto them cloven tongues as of fire and it sat upon each of them.” “And they were all filled with the Holy Ghost and began to speak with other tongues as the Spirit gave them utterance.” Here was the fulfillment of the promise of the Father and the endowment of power from on high which was to qualify them for the work to which they were called. This is evident from the effect upon the people assembled together with them on that day. Peter's sermon to them was a simple application of the prophecy of Joel to what the people saw and heard; it was also a plain, convincing argument from the psalms of David to prove the resurrection of the crucified One, and a demonstration of his exaltation to the right hand of God by the fulfillment of the promise of the Father in the pouring out of his Spirit upon his servants and handmaidens. What an endowment of power to the disciples when we consider who they were that composed the assembly gathered on that day! “Jews, devout men out of every nation under heaven” were there. Jews, whose dwelling place was Jerusalem, were there full of bitter enmity and prejudice against the despised and rejected Jesus and his Galilean disciples. The murderers of the Prince of life were there, those who but a few days before had publicly cried “Away with him, crucify him!” The effect upon the assembled multitude showed the disciples endowed with power from on high. “They were pricked in the heart, and said unto Peter and the rest of the apostles, Men and brethren what shall we do?” Here was power superhuman, which produced so mighty an effect in overcoming the prejudice of the three thousand Jews against Christ, convincing his murderers that the rejected, hated Jesus was the promised Messiah, the hope of Israel, and constraining them to believe in him as the only Saviour. But an important question arises here, and one in which we, in these last days, are deeply interested. Was the baptism of the Holy Ghost as the endowment of power from on high, the fulfillment of the promise of the Father, confined to the apostles' ministry, and alone designed for that age of the church? or was it to extend through the whole dispensation, including us in the promise and blessings? I answer it extends to all the called of God until the end. The prophecy of Joel quoted by the apostle Peter and applied to the pouring out of the Spirit on that day, is a prediction extended to the end of the christian age unto the great and notable day of the Lord; hence the promises contained in the prophecy are co-extensive with it, and embrace all the servants and handmaidens of God whom he shall call until the end, so that his called ones now are included in the prediction and promise. Again Peter says to the enquirers who asked “What shall we do?” “Repent and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins and ye shall receive the gift of the Holy Ghost.” “For the promise is unto you and to your children and all that are afar off, even as many as the Lord our God shall call.” To what promise did the apostle allude? The promise of the Father in the prophecy of Joel, the pouring out of his Spirit upon his servants and handmaidens as many as the Lord shall call. My brethren and sisters, we are not excluded from the promise of the Father in all its power and glory. It is for us to experience; and through the promise, by faith, we may be qualified for abundant usefulness. But another important question suggests itself here. How may I attain the blessings contained in the promise of the Father to his sons and daughters? But let me enquire, Do you and I really desire the blessing of the promise? desire it so much that we are willing to sacrifice all we have and are to God? Holiness, usefulness and happiness are inseparably connected. It is a pure heart alone, a holy temple in which the Holy Spirit dwells. If such is really our desire, the way is pointed out clear as a sunbeam in the word of God. “I beseech you, therefore, brethren by the mercies of God that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God which is your reasonable service.” Here the terms are clearly shown us; by complying with them, we are in a position in which God can consistently impart to us the blessings in his promises. Consecration entire, a sacrifice of all our redeemed powers, irrevocably and eternally, must be resolved upon and actually bound to the hallowed altar. Then we step on promised ground and the promise meets us. God says, “I will receive you, and ye shall be my sons and daughters, saith the Lord Almighty.” Sons and daughters, servants and handmaidens, upon whom he will pour out in the last days of his Spirit, as his Spirit-baptized children. Faith follows consecration entire, and is indispensable to the attainment of the promise of the Father. And now in conclusion, what may we expect by faith in the word of God in view of his truth and faithfulness, exhibited to the believing, tarrying disciples at Jerusalem? They were consecrated to their Master, a living sacrifice. Possessions, friends, reputation, life, were upon the altar. All was consecrated. Is such our consecration, such our sacrifice? Then in the confidence of faith we may look with certainty for the “promise of the Father” the baptism of the Holy Spirit, as an endowment of power from on high to qualify us for usefulness.