God’s empowering presence. The Holy Spirit. Zech. 4:6 Then he said to me, “This is the word of the Lord to Zerubbabel: Not by might, nor by power, but by my Spirit, says the Lord of hosts. Most of us are familiar with the story of the birth of Jesus. It all started with God choosing a young woman named Mary to be part of the epic story of Jesus coming into the world. An angel startles Mary and begins to reveal that she will have a son and she will name that boy, Jesus. The angel explains that Jesus will be great, he will be the son of God and that he will have a kingdom that will never end. After the Angels stunning revelation what did Mary do? Luke 1:34 And Mary said to the angel, “How will this be, since I am a virgin?” But that’s when the angel steps in and answers the “how” question… Luke 1:35 And the angel answered her, “The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you; therefore the child to be born will be called holy—the Son of God. The answer to how this would happen was very simple; the Holy Spirit will accomplish this. The spirit will do what you cannot do. It’s not by might or power, it’s by my spirit. The Holy Spirit will create this life. The Holy Spirit will supply what is needed. The Holy Spirit will lead you through this. So, is no wonder that one of the last things Jesus told his disciples was sort of a warning… Luke 24:49 And behold, I am sending the promise of my Father upon you. But stay in the city until you are clothed with power from on high.” And why, exactly did they need this? Because Jesus was sending them out in a scary and impossible mission. The Jesus mission was to raise the dead. Bring the dead back to life. Find the lost and show them the way home. This is also why Riverside exists. Jesus gave this word to his disciples; Acts 1:8 But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you, and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth. What is this power that they were to receive? Was it just something to make them feel better? Was it something that would turn them into a Superman or a super Christian? Was it a power that enabled them to snap off miracles that will? The power that they were waiting for is tied to a central idea and mission; so that wherever we find ourselves we can be a witness – the acts of our lives, the words of our lives, the deeds of our lives, the attitudes of our lives – will point to Jesus Christ. Holy Spirit power is given to you for the purpose of giving you extraordinary power and extraordinary presence of Jesus as you exalt Jesus and serve him.