Let us turn first to Acts chapter 2 verses 32 to 36:"(32) This Jesus did God raise up, whereof we all are witnesses. (33) Being therefore by the right hand of God exalted, and having received of the Father the promise of the Holy Ghost, he hath poured forth this, which ye see and hear. (34) For David ascended not into the heavens: but he saith himself, The Lord said unto my Lord, sit thou on my right hand, (35) Till I make thine enemies the footstool of thy feet.(36) Let all the house of Israel therefore know assuredly, that God hath made him both Lord and Christ, this Jesus whom ye crucified." Let us for the moment set verses 34 and 35 aside and consider verses 33 and 36 together.The former are a quotation from the 110th Psalm and are really a parenthesis, so we shall get the force of Peter's argument better if we ignore them for the time being. In verse 33 Peter states that the Lord Jesus was exalted "at the right hand of God" (mg.). What was the result? He "received of the Father the promise of the Holy Ghost". And what followed? Pentecost! The result of His exaltation was -- "this, which ye see and hear".
What, then, was the basis upon which the Spirit was first given to the Lord Jesus to be poured out upon His people? It was His exaltation to Heaven. This passage makes it absolutely clear that the Holy Spirit was poured out because the Lord Jesus was exalted. The outpouring of the Spirit has no relation to your merits or mine, but only to the merits of the Lord Jesus. The question of what we are does not come into consideration at all here, but only what He is. He is glorified; therefore the Spirit is poured out.
Because the Lord Jesus died on the Cross, I have received forgiveness of sins; because the Lord Jesus rose from the dead, I have received new life; because the Lord Jesus has been exalted to the right hand of the Father, I have received the outpoured Spirit. All is because of Him; nothing is because of me. Remission of sins is not based on human merit, but on the Lord's crucifixion; regeneration is not based on human merit, but on the Lord's resurrection; and the enduement with the Holy Spirit is not based on human merit, but on the Lord's exaltation. The Holy Spirit has not been poured out on you or me to prove how great we are, but to prove the greatness of the Son of God.
Now look at verse 36. There is a word here which demands our careful attention: the word `therefore'. How is this word generally used? Not to introduce a statement, but to follow a statement that has already been made. Its use always implies that something has been mentioned before. Now what has preceded this particular `therefore'? With what is it connected? It cannot reasonably be connected with either verse 34 or verse 35, but it quite obviously relates back to verse 33. Peter has just referred to the outpouring of the Spirit upon the disciples "which ye see and hear", and he says: "Let all the house of Israel therefore know assuredly, that God hath made him both Lord and Christ, this Jesus whom ye crucified". Peter says, in effect, to his audience: `This outpouring of the Spirit, which you have witnessed with your own eyes and ears, proves that Jesus of Nazareth whom ye crucified is now both Lord
and Christ'. The Holy Spirit was poured out on earth to prove what had taken place in Heaven -- the exaltation of Jesus of Nazareth to the right hand of God. The purpose of Pentecost is to prove the Lordship of Jesus Christ.
There was a young man named Joseph, who was dearly loved of his father. One day news reached the father of the death of his son, and for years Jacob lamented Joseph's loss. But Joseph was not in the grave; he was in a place of glory and power. After Jacob had been mourning the death of his son for years, it was suddenly reported to him that Joseph was alive and in a high position in Egypt. At first Jacob could not take it in. It was too good to be true. But ultimately he was persuaded that the story of Joseph's exaltation was really a fact. How did he come to believe in it? He went out, and saw the chariots that Joseph had sent from Egypt. What do the chariots represent here? They surely typify here the Holy Spirit, sent both to be the evidence that God's Son is in glory and to convey us there. How do we know that Jesus of Nazareth, who was crucified by wicked men nearly two thousand years ago, did not just die a martyr's death but is at the Father's right hand in glory? How can we know for a surety that He is Lord of lords and King of kings? We can know it beyond dispute because He has poured out His Spirit upon us. Hallelujah! Jesus is Lord! Jesus is Christ! Jesus of Nazareth is both Lord and Christ!
The exaltation of the Lord Jesus is the basis on which the Spirit has been given. Is it possible then that the Lord has been glorified and you have not received the Spirit? On what basis did you receive forgiveness of sins? Was it because you prayed so earnestly, or because you read your Bible from cover to cover, or because of your regular attendance at Church? Was it because of your merits at all? No! A thousand times, No! On what ground then were your sins forgiven? "Apart from shedding of blood there is no remission" (Hebrews 9:22). The sole ground of forgiveness is the shedding of blood; and since the precious Blood has been shed, your sins have been forgiven. Now the principle on which we receive the enduement of the Holy Spirit is the very same as that on which we receive forgiveness of sins. The Lord has been crucified, therefore our sins have been forgiven; the Lord has been glorified, therefore the Spirit has been poured out upon us. Is it possible that the Son of God shed His Blood and that your sins, dear child of God, have not been forgiven? Never! Then is it possible that the Son of God has been glorified and you have not received the Spirit? Never!
首先让我们读使徒行传二章三十二至三十六节：「这耶稣，神已经叫他活了，我们都为这事作见证。他既被神的右手高举，又从父受了所应许的圣灵，就把你们所看见所听见的，浇灌下来。大卫并没有升到天上，但自己说，『主对我主说，你坐在我的右边，等我使你的仇敌作你的脚凳。』故此，以色列全家当确实的知道，你们钉在十字架上的这位耶稣，神已经立他为主为基督了。」 让我们暂时把三十四节和三十五节摆在一边，先来思想三十三节和三十六节。因为前两节是引用诗篇一百一十篇里面的话，实在是一句插句。如果我们先不顾那两节，我们会更明白彼得的讲论。在三十三节里面，彼得说到主耶稣被高举在神的右边，结果怎样呢？他就「从父受了所应许的圣灵」。接着怎么样呢？五旬节就来了！他高举的结果，就把「你们所看见所听见的，浇灌下来」。 那么，圣灵首先赐给主耶稣，让他可以浇灌他的子民，又是根据甚么呢？那就是他的被高举到天上。这一节圣经说得太清楚了，因为主耶稣被高举，圣灵才浇灌。圣灵的浇灌与你我的功劳无关，它只与主耶稣的功劳有关。在这里完全不问我们是甚么，只问他是甚么。因为他被荣耀了，所以圣灵就浇灌下来。 因为主耶稣死在十字架上，我就得着罪的赦免；因为主耶稣从死里复活，我就得着新的生命；因为主耶稣被高举在神的右边，我就得着圣灵的浇灌。一切都因着他，没有一点是因着我。罪的赦免不是根据人的功劳，乃是由於主的钉十字架；重生不是根据人的功劳，乃是由於主的复活；圣灵的赐给不是根据人的功劳，乃是由於主的被高举。所以圣灵的浇灌你我，并不是为着证明我们是多么伟大，不，它乃是证明神儿子的伟大。 现在请看三十六节。里面有两个字我们需要特别注意，这两个字就是「故此」。这两个字是怎么用的呢？这两个字并非放在一句话的前面，相反的，它们乃是放在已经说过的话後面。所以这两个字的含意，常常是暗示我们，有些事情以前已经说过了。这个「故此」的前面有甚么事呢？与甚么事有关呢？它们与三十四节或三十五节都没有关系，很明显的，是与三十三节有关系。彼得刚刚提到圣灵浇灌门徒们，他说：「将你们所看见所听见的浇灌下来，」他又说：「故此，以色列全家当确实的知道，你们钉在十字架上的这位耶稣，神已经立他为主为基督了。」彼得对他们所说的，实在就是：「你们亲眼所见，亲耳所听到的圣灵浇灌，就是证明你们钉在十字架上的拿撒勒人耶稣，现在已经为主为基督了。」圣灵在地上的浇灌，乃是证明天上所发生的事──拿撒勒人耶稣被高举在神的右边。所以五旬节的目的，就是证明耶稣基督为主。 一个名叫约瑟的青年人，是他父亲雅各所最爱的。有一天，雅各听见一个消息，说约瑟死了，他伤心了好几年。但是约瑟并不在坟墓里；他乃是在一个有荣耀有权势的地位上。雅各为他儿子的死悲哀了几年以後，有一天忽然有人来告诉他说，约瑟还活着，并且在埃及得居高位。起先雅各不相信。这么好的一个消息实在不像是真的。别人对他说，约瑟被高举的事实在是真的。他怎样才相信的呢？他出去，看见约瑟从埃及打发来接他的车辆，他就信了。 车辆在这里代表甚么呢？它们在这里当然是代表圣灵。它不只是被打发来，作为神的儿子已经在荣耀里的证据，并且也是来接我们到荣耀里去的。我们怎能知道那位将近在两千年前，被恶人钉在十字架上的拿撒勒人耶稣，不是仅仅殉道而死，他如今乃是在荣耀里父神的右边呢？我们怎样能确定的知道，他是万主之主，万王之王呢？我们能毫无疑问的知道这件事，是因为他的圣灵已经浇灌我们。哈利路亚！耶稣是主！耶稣是基督！拿撒勒人耶稣是主是基督！ 主耶稣的被高举，乃是圣灵降下来的根据。主已经得了荣耀，而你却没有得到圣灵，这是可能的吗？你的罪得了赦免是根据甚么呢？是因为你祷告恳切吗？或是因为你一遍又一遍的勤读圣经？还是因为你经常聚会呢？是因为你的功劳吗？不！一千个不！那么你的罪是根据甚么得到了赦免呢？希伯来书九章二十二节说：「若不流血，罪就不得赦免了。」赦免的唯一根据就是流血；宝血既然已经流了，你的罪就已经得了赦免。 我们得着圣灵的赋予，和我们得着罪的赦免，原则上完全一样。主已经被钉死，所以我们的罪已经得了赦免；主已经得着荣耀，因此圣灵已经浇灌我们。神的儿子已经流了他的血，你的罪岂能未蒙赦免？这是可能的吗？绝对不能！那么神的儿子已经被荣耀了，你岂能没有得着圣灵吗？那是可能的吗？绝对不！
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