Jesus Instates The Mission | The Book of Acts | 1:6-11 | Pastor Duane Smets

This an expository sermon on Acts 1:6-11. It covers Jesus’s plan and purpose in regards to the coming of His Kingdom, as well as His ascension to the seat of its power. This sermon was originally preached on January 29th, 2012 at The Resolved Church in San Diego, CA.

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The Resolved Church
Pastor Duane Smets
January 29th, 2012

Jesus Instates the Mission | Acts 1:6-11
I. Theocracy: The Character of the Kingdom (vs.6-7)
II. Proclamation: Empowered Witnesses To & For All (vs.8)
III. Ascension: Heaven’s Throne & Earth’s Gift (vs.9)
IV. Parousia: The Return of the King (vs.10-11)

Introduction

Well today is our second Sunday in the book of Acts, our new sermon series study. Last week was a sort of smorgasbord of topics covering a whole range of things introducing us to the book of Acts. Today we get to narrow our focus a bit and look at the next section of Scripture in Acts where Jesus gathers the disciples together and outlines the purpose and plan of the mission and then in a dramatic display of his divinity instates the mission by ascending before their very eyes into heaven. So I titled today’s sermon “Jesus Instates the Mission.”

The story here is pretty gripping so it doesn’t really need any kind of introduction, so I’ll simply read our text and pray over it right off the bat today. (read text & pray)

I. Theocracy: The Character of the Kingdom (vs.6-7)

Alright, we’re just going to dive right into our first point today, “Theocracy: The Character of the Kingdom.” If you were here last week when we looked at the first five verses of Acts one of the things we talked about was how in them we see a Jesus in full control and authority giving commands (verse 2) and orders (verse 4). Now here at the beginning of our verses for today we see him in the same mode calling an important meeting together with the disciples.

There seems to be an unspoken sense of excitement here. They had been waiting like Jesus instructed…then they’re supposed to “come together” and everyone wonders what this special meeting is going to be about, what Jesus is going to do, what he’s going to say. So they once everyone finally arrives one of the disciples, it doesn’t say who, one of them speaks up and asks Jesus, so is it finally time?

The way he asks the question gives us some huge clues to what was being asked…and it’s no small question. I want to draw your attention to two words that tell us what this is all about: “restore” and “Israel.” These are big.

When the disciples here ask if Jesus going to restore the kingdom what they bringing up is how Israel, God’s people had not been a free monarchy for hundreds of years and really had fallen apart as a powerful and spiritual nation since the days of David and Solomon…something like 1,000 years. And those we’re remembered and imprinted upon their minds as “the good years.” They read about them in the Bible, their families talked about it…the good years. The time when everything was good and the way it should be.

Since then though, it had all fallen apart. Israel had gone into captivity in Babylon and then years later after they were finally allowed to return and rebuild, it wasn’t long before they were overtaken by the Greeks first and then the Romans, who had been ruling over Israel for the disciples entire lives.

But they had these prophecies in their Bibles promising a messiah king who would come and restore everything. For example, Isaiah 9:6-7 says a son will be born who will God, who will sit on the throne of David and over his kingdom to restore it.

So here’s Jesus. Disciples were convinced he was the prophesied messiah king. But then he died on the cross and those hope and dreams and beliefs, to them seem to die with him. But then he rose again! And after he rises and appears he’s acting like a king, giving out commands and orders. He tells them they’ll be baptized with the Holy Spirit and then he calls this special meeting.

What do you think they thought Jesus was finally going to do? He laid down his life on the cross to defeat sin. Now he’s risen again in full power and might…what do you think they are hoping and expecting to take place? To go to war! They think it will finally be time to take up arms, march right up to the capital and overthrow the government. Jesus will sit on the throne and all the nations will come and bow at his feet. That’s exactly what they expect and are thinking.

See where it says, restore the kingdom to “Israel.” That’s a big clue. It tells us right out that they were expecting a political, military and national kingdom that would liberate them from the colonial yoke of Rome. What they are imagining would literally be like Jesus marching up the capital steps in Washington DC, walking into the oval office, sitting down, ending democracy and instating his rule. Jesus, by rising from the dead just proved death can kill him, so no amount of spears, spikes or swords can stop him. This is what they expect.

But how does Jesus respond? Well, in verse 7 he basically says “not yet…it’s not time yet.” And then in verse 8 he redefines what kind of power they will be given and for what purpose. He doesn’t say his physical rule will not happen…just that it wasn’t the time and season that the Father has fixed for it to occur in the future.

The disciples were correct that Jesus was the prophesied king. In the Gospel of John when Jesus is before Pilate he acknowledges before him that he’s the king (Jn 18:36-37) and tells Pilate he has no power over him except what Jesus was divinely allowing him to do (Jn 19:11). It’s simply that the physical display of his kingship is yet to come. Here’s what 1 Timothy 6:13-15 says, “Christ Jesus, who in his testimony before Pontius Pilate made the good confession…(will appear and) …display at the proper time…(that he)…is the blessed and only Sovereign, the King of kings and Lord of lords.”

So. Jesus is the king, but the time of his physical reign in the land awaits the mission. It’s because of this conviction that throughout the book of Acts the disciples will repeatedly run into trouble with the law…because of their claim that Jesus is Lord and King and not Caesar.

The technical term for it is theocracy. Theos is the word for God and ocracy is government, so theocracy is God government, where God rules as king. It’s why for my political views section on Facebook I have theocrat: Jesus is King.

It’s one thing I’ve never been able to really understand about Christians getting all hyped up about politics and it seems to happen every time its election season. Christians above all are supposed to be the ones whose allegiance is to Jesus the King, not Caesar or any other lords of the land. Our hope and loyalty is not in human governments which are destined to fail but in Jesus.

But the biggest political question we could ask is not who to vote for but why Jesus doesn’t just take his seat yet. Why wasn’t and isn’t it the time or season for that yet?

Why not yet? The answer comes in the next verse and our next point for today, “Proclamation: Empowered Witnesses To & For All.”

II. Proclamation: Empowered Witnesses To & For All (vs.8)

The first thing Jesus does here in verse 8 is re-direct the disciples focus and passion for Jesus’ physical rule of the land by bringing up the issue of power and what the kind of power Jesus is going to give them will be for. Make no mistake, kingship is about power. The greatness of your kingship is only as great as your power to extend your rule and reign.

But here, instead of granting power to take up arms to fight, Jesus says he’s going to give a different kind of power…a power to be witnesses! “My witnesses.” Witnesses of who Jesus is and what he had done in his death for sin and resurrection from the dead.

By telling them (and us) that the power of the kingdom of God is going to be extended through the proclamation of the gospel in a single sweep sets apart the nature of Jesus kingdom from any other kingdom rule ever known on earth. Rather than enforcing rule from the top down, Jesus kingdom would win over allegiance by changing hearts, not with force but the with the message of love and forgiveness provided for in the cross. Jesus’ kingdom is an upside-down kingdom…it works from the bottom up…beginning with the hearts and lives of the people.

The now late John Stott says, “The kingdom is spread by witnesses, not by soldiers, through a gospel of peace, not declaration of war, by the work of the Spirit, not by a force of arms, political intrigue or revolutionary violence…(his kingdom begins with a spiritual rule) transforming the lives and values of its citizens.”

I’m not sure anyone could have expected or detected that Jesus here would split the coming of the kingdom into two stages…but if he didn’t I don’t think we would have as big of sense of the heart and nature of Jesus’ kingdom.

What I mean is everyone expected that the coming of the messiah. After Jesus died and rose again, the disciples assumed what would immediately follow would be his physical rule, which we talked about. But instead, Jesus puts that on pause so that the love of his kingdom might break in through the world first before the political might of his kingdom is installed.

By doing this, we see and experience why Jesus’ kingdom is better than any other king’s rule throughout all of history. No king or kingdom ever has displayed such love and grace. In it Jesus shows why he is the only worthy king of all. Jesus could force his reign, but instead he offers time and by his Spirit wins people over by changing them from the inside first.

Now, there’s something here we need to talk about for a minute. We need to rightly understand the concept of “power” here. Sometimes power here has been conceived by some as the ability to do miracles like Jesus did…that he is granting them supernatural power. But that’s not what this power is about. Yes, it’s a supernatural power to be sure…but it’s a power to be witnesses, to be proclaimers of the message. Every single miracle in Jesus’ ministry and every single miracle in the book of Acts is not about the miracle but about the message. The power is a power attached to the message!

What Jesus is really promising is a commitment to the testimony about him, that the Spirit will come upon us in such a way that when we speak the message of the gospel it will powerfully break through sin and the hardness of hearts that reject and resist God. It’s a power far greater and nobler, a heavenly power which makes the preaching of the gospel effective.

I think we have something to learn here about being courageous in talking to others about Jesus. Too often we think we just have to say the right words or explain things perfectly for others to really hear the gospel and come to know Jesus…when we really just need to speak it and let God’s Spirit do his work in taking our words and pressing them into people’s hearts. The power is attached to the witness. We witnesses and through the words the Spirit regenerates hearts.

Do you guys know what I’m talking about? I mean there are times, specific situations with friends of mine I can call to mind and remember where I should’ve just said, “Man, what you really need to hear is that you’re a sinner and that Jesus died on the cross and rose again for your sin and you need Jesus in your life to change you and save you.” I can think of times when I should’ve said that…but I didn’t, because I didn’t really believe there was power in that message.

It’s easy to start to think there’s no way they’ll see how that’s relevant to their life when what their really concerned about is the need for a job or their girlfriend or boyfriend or marriage or what they’re going to do for fun on their time off. It’s easy to think there is we won’t say the right thing or we’ll sound crazy or it won’t make sense.

But Jesus here has promised the empowerment of his Spirit when we witness. He’s promised it. Think, right now…do you have friends who you need to just share the message of the gospel with and trust that the Spirit will do it’s work? Do it. Pray and ask God for opportunity to share the message and then when you do, remember God has promised the empowerment of his Spirit to go with you in the words you share.

So, just as Jesus at the beginning of his earthly ministry was baptized in the Jordan river and the Spirit descended upon him, empowering him for his mission so too, here the disciples at the beginning of their ministry are promised a baptism of the Spirit to empower them for their mission…which has now become ours.

Now let’s look at the second part of this verse and that’s Jesus plan for mission. Here in Acts 1:8 he not only addresses the passion of his kingdom expansion in spiritual not physical power but he also addresses the plan of his kingdom…to go from Jerusalem, to Judea, Samaria and the ends of the earth.

This verse is a key verse, not only it states the theme of the entire book of Acts, namely mission but it also almost gives a perfect outline to the book. What we’ll see as we work through the book is mission in Acts 1-7 happens in and around Jerusalem, then in chapters 8-10 mission expands out to Judea and Samaria, then from chapters 11-28 mission begins to expand beyond to the ends of the earth, ending with the prospect of going to Spain.

Now there’s a few different ways to look at this missional plan of Jesus. We’ll talk about each.

The first element is recognizing that there is a going out, a taking of the message to the places and peoples of the world. That’s new. There was mission in the Old Testament God’s people were called to. But the mission was to be a shining light the nations would be drawn to come to because of how different and holy they were. It’s what’s called centripetal mission. In this verse, Jesus changes the whole missional model of God’s people and tells them to go out. It’s no longer come to Israel to find God, it’s leave Israel and take God to the world! It’s what’s called centrifugal mission…a going out. So that’s the first element, a going out.

The second element is a literal geographical plan. You start close to home and then increasingly spread outward. You can look at that historically in what happened in the first century documented in Acts or you can look at it as principle…that you either start with people you know then reaching out to others you don’t know. Or we could look at as a principle of church planting that we start planting churches closer to us and then farther and farther away.

The third element is a cultural or racial one. Jerusalem was primarily composed of Jews. Judea and especially Samaria is a whole different deal. Samaritans were sort of like Jews but they were different and Jews did not like Samaritans…they thought they were heretics, dogs and didn’t want anything to do with them. Then people of the ends of the earth were seen as just foreign and so different and impossible that they were kind of a waste of time. One of the unique things about the gospel is that it is universal, for all people…people of every tribe and tongue and here Jesus calls us to that.

So there’s a few different ways we can look at this verse. But rather than just thinking about it like it’s just theory and tactic…how does it play out in our individual lives?

What about the first element? The going out. God has not called us just to sit in our comfort zones but to go out…to go out of our way for mission. Are you going out? What neighbors have you never talked to? What people at work have you never spent time with outside of work? What new things are you trying for the sake of mission?

A buddy of mine up on Rancho Penasquitos is throwing a Super Bowl party for his street next week…getting all kinds of food and drinks and setting up a big screen in his garage and inviting the whole neighborhood to come so he might get to know them in hopes of sharing the gospel. Today, one of our church members is throwing a concert in the courtyard of their condo complex with a raffle, cake walk and all kinds of stuff. Or maybe it’s not some event but just having a meal or coffee with someone you don’t normally hang out with.

Or if we think about it geographically…have you started with the people you do know, have you talked to them about Jesus? Maybe you have and not much is happening there…so you need to get some new friends. A couple years ago when I used to work another job besides being a pastor I used to be able to make friends with people at work to share the gospel with. Now I’ve realized that it’s much harder for me…I mostly meet Christians or people who become Christians who come into the church.

I need some new friends. So I recently joined an MMA gym here in town and have been training in boxing. The few couple weeks no one really talked to me. But this last week, I guess I stuck it out long enough or something that a couple of guys talked me afterward, introduced themselves to me and invited me to hang out. I guess I’ve been through enough punishment now to get in the club. And I’m excited about some new friends and opportunities for mission.

Or what about that third element, the cultural or racial one. Jesus called his disciples to go out after the Samaritans…people they didn’t like who were difficult to love, and to the ends of the earth to people they didn’t understand. What kind of people are hard for you to spend time with? Who do you not like? Who is just weird to you that you don’t get? Are you reaching out to them with the gospel? Are you working to get to know them?

I’ve found that any person, no matter who they are…if you spend any amount of time with them and are able to get beneath the surface with them, there is a real person there dealing with real things, sin and its effects, hurt, pain and anger and they simply need to hear and experience the love of Christ.

Alright. Let’s wrap this point up and move onto the next one. Just real simple…get on mission! Just do something. Don’t just sit on the gospel and do nothing. It’s not going to be smooth or perfect or easy but God has promised to empower us to be witnesses…so let’s follow his lead and be a people who are on mission.

After Jesus lays out this missional calling and plan he ascends into heaven before their very eyes, so let’s talk about this “Ascension: Heaven’s Throne & Earth’s Gift.”

III. Ascension: Heaven’s Throne & Earth’s Gift (vs.9)

This is one of my favorite scenes of Jesus in the Bible. It’s probably because I feel like everyone wants to as John Calvin puts it, to pull him down out of heaven to earth. In our day it just seems to me that most want to look at Jesus as just being merely a human man…not the divine son of God. So I love these scenes where you’re like…what! This Jesus dude is something and someone totally different.

I mean just imagine this scene for a moment. You’re there. One of the disciples. Jesus has just risen from the dead, which is crazy enough in and of itself. You’re probably still having a hard time believing it. Jesus calls this special meeting and he’s acting a little different…more like a military commander giving orders and laying out the mission. Then, right after concluding his speech he just starts levitating, some special cloud envelopes him and he just disappears.

This blows my mind. We’ll talk about it in our next point but verse 10 says the disciples are just standing there awestruck in a daze…probably with their mouths wide open…thinking “what just happened?” Can you imagine it?

Well let’s talk about it, what it means and why it’s important. First, let’s get the crazy out of the way. People don’t levitate and disappear. Chris Angel’s stunts are an illusion…you can buy his video now that tells you how he does it all. This is different.

Last week we already went over how Luke, the human author of Acts is concerned for truth and accuracy in his writing an documenting what actually happened…so we have to take him on his terms. We can’t just cut this part out and say this part was just a fanciful add on. That not the author’s intent. We either have to accept the whole book or none of it.

So here’s what else I’ll say. If Jesus is actually and truly God…then one, not would he be able to do something like this but isn’t it what you’d expect? Wouldn’t you expect something fantastic if Jesus really was God risen from the dead as the king over all and was giving a plan and commission to spread his kingdom over the entire world? I mean ascending before their very eyes like that puts a pretty big exclamation point on the mission right?

Here’s the other thing. Notice where it talks about the cloud here. It says Jesus was, “lifted up and a cloud took him out of their sight.” Now this could have just been a normal cloud. But one thing you learn as you read through the Bible from beginning to end is that things like rocks, trees and clouds are pretty important things. Almost anytime something significant happens there’s a rock, tree or a cloud.

Clouds just so happen to be a big deal. After God floods the earth he puts a rainbow in the sky against a cloud. When God’s people make the Exodus out of Egypt, God leads them with a cloud. When they would have church a cloud would set itself over the tabernacle. When Solomon built the temple and had the first service a cloud came in and filled it with smoke. When Jesus was baptized God the Father spoke out of a cloud. When Jesus led the disciples up on a mountain and pulled back the veil on his divinity with bright shining light, there was a cloud that enveloped them. And now when Jesus ascends into heaven a cloud shows up.

Now maybe it was just a normal cloud but probably not. Some have got all hung up here wondering where he went…especially now since we know what’s actually up…that it goes out of earth’s atmosphere and that there’s a whole universe out there with all kinds of planets.

My oldest daughter has been asking a lot of questions lately about heaven and what’s it like and where it is…so I’ve been thinking about this. Consistently, all throughout the Bible heaven is never conceived of as a physical place in our human realm. It’s not like heaven is on another planet out there in the universe. It’s a whole other place. Angels and Jesus himself after his resurrection…just appear out of thin air. It’s another realm, not limited to the constraints of the physical world.

So likely the cloud is a sign of Jesus, not necessarily going “up” into the atmosphere to get to heaven but going out, out of this world to sit on his throne at the right hand of the Father. Just as in an instant he came into the world in the shadow of the night as a little baby, in an instant he goes out of the world in the bright of the day. Now here’s what’s significant about this.

This was a key event, culminating the initiation of the new age of the Spirit. By leaving in this supernatural way, Jesus lets the disciples and us know that he is really and truly gone and will not be appearing any more. If he had just not shown up anymore, without saying anything or doing something like this then everyone would have wondered what happened to him.

Jesus spoke of this day to the disciples beforehand. In Matthew 19 he told them a day would come when he would return to glory and sit on his throne. Hebrews 8:1 says that Jesus is now, “seated at the right hand of the throne of the Majesty in heaven.” And Romans 8:34 says that there Jesus is “interceding for us” on our behalf praying for us to the Father.

Jesus, right now is seated on his throne in heaven and is fully aware of all that is going on in our world and of all that happens to his people and he talks to God the Father about it for us. And that’s not the only benefit we have of Jesus ascension.

Now as we talked about last week it is the age of His Spirit. When Jesus was here on earth, he was just in Israel, moving about from place to place ministering to certain individuals and groups of people one at a time. Now, because he has ascended and sent his Spirit to us, he can be and is at work in thousands of people all across the world all at the same time.

Without Jesus’ ascension we would not have the same sense of closeness, intimacy and strength that is now ours by His Spirit He has given to us. Do you realize that? Jesus is a real person. We do not see him with out eyes but we who know him and believe in him sense his Spirit at work in us. And he is with us every day. Jesus promised never to take away his Spirit. In Hebrews 13:5 he says, “I will never leave you nor forsake you.”

For those of us who believe in Jesus and have received his Spirit, we are never alone. Because Jesus ascended, God is with us in a closer way than ever before. Some of you today may feel lost alone and confused…and that’s either because you have yet to really embrace Jesus as your savior or because you simply need to be reminded that He loves you and is with you by His Spirit.

If you feel that way today, hear and know that Jesus is with us. Matthew 28:20 He says, “Behold I am with always to the end of the age.”

Well, let’s move on to our final point for this morning, “Parousia: The Return of the King.”

IV. Parousia: The Return of the King (vs.10-11)

“Parousia” means appearing and in the Bible refers to the time when Jesus will return, which is what gets unpacked here in our final verses for this morning, verses 10-11. The disciples are standing there looking up into the sky stunned and two persons in white robes appear out of nowhere and put a final weight of force on the mission and plan of God.

“Two men” here is probably a metonym for angels because they appear out of nowhere and are dressed in white robes which is usually one of the Bible’s ways of saying these were angels. So these two angels show up and say, verse 11, “Men of Galilee, why do you stand looking into heaven? This Jesus, who was taken up from you into heaven, will come in the same way as you saw him go into heaven.”

Two things are going on here with their words. One, there’s a gentle rebuke to get on with the mission and two, there’s a prophecy about Jesus’ return. Let’s talk about the first one.

The Bible here does not tell us how long they were standing there staring. It could have been a few minutes, a few hours, all day…who knows? Whatever the case, seeing Jesus ascend had mesmerized them and the angels show up to help explain the importance of what just happened and to call their attention back to what Jesus had just told them.

Their words basically say…don’t go looking for him, because you’re not going to find him. Instead of thinking about where he went and when he’ll return get on with the business of taking the message of salvation to the world. Don’t spend your life just staring up into heaven, get to work. That’s the first thing.

The second one is when they tell him he will return and in the same way. Which isn’t new information to the disciples. Jesus himself said this before. Here’s his words. Matthew 24:29-31 “…the powers of the heavens will be shaken. Then will appear in heaven the sign of the Son of Man, and then all the tribes of the earth…will see the Son of Man coming on the clouds of heaven (there’s that cloud again) with power and great glory. And he will send out his angels with a loud trumpet call, and they will gather his elect from the four winds, from one end of heaven to the other.”

What a scene! Jesus will come again and appear, parousia, and he’ll be coming on a cloud with all of his power, angels, with an earthquake and the blast of a trumpet. What a return!

This coming, his second coming, will not be like his first coming…quiet and humble in the stillness of the night. This one will be loud and with a full display of all his glory and might and there will be no question who is the king over all! Then, at long last the physical reign of Jesus will descend on the earth and all who have rejected him and all who oppose him will be judged and according to Revelation 20:15, thrown into the lake of fire.

The return of the king will be great and glorious. Sorry, but Tolkien’s “Return of the King” doesn’t even compare. When he returns finally all wrongs will be recompensed and all who have repented will be rewarded. And he will set up his kingdom and wipe away every tear from the eyes of his beloved.

What does this do for us? What good is it for us to know and believe the words of Jesus and the angels here? There’s a few things I think.

One, I think we long for justice. The promise of Jesus return tells us there will be a day.

Two, I think we long for a better world than this…one without pain, suffering, sorrow and corruption, both in our own hearts, those around us and in the governments of our lands.

Three, I don’t know about you but I long to see Jesus face to face. I have never seen Jesus with my eyes but I cannot wait to see him who I know and love and to bow down before him and worship.

Until then, we have work to do our king has commissioned us for. In Matthew 24:14 Jesus said, “(The) gospel of the kingdom will be proclaimed throughout the whole world as a testimony to all peoples, and then the end will come.” We are still in the age of proclamation…there are people who have not yet heard of Jesus, who he is and what he is done and we must share it with them. Once the mission is complete, then he will come and we anxiously await that day.

Well, let’s conclude today and prepare for the Lord’s Supper.

Conclusion

Today we talked about the character of Jesus’ kingdom, how it’s an upside-down kingdom. I think we’ve all seen abuses of power either in our workplace or in the larger spheres of our world. But Jesus kingdom is different. In it Jesus shows us why he is the only good and worthy king…because he first goes after our hearts with the message that he died for our sin as if it were his own and then rose again to forgive, renew and restore us.

Today we talked about the call of Jesus to spread the message of his victory over sin to all types of people in all places. Through our various jobs, hobbies and neighborhoods we have the opportunity to spread the gospel into all the nooks and crannies of our city. And he has promised to empower us by His Spirit for the message to be effective when we open our mouth and witness of Him.

Today we talked about Jesus’ ascension to the throne, where He prays for us and by which He has given us the ever abiding presence of His Spirit. A presence which tells us we are not alone, that we belong to Him and that His Word is true.

Then lastly today we talked about Jesus’ return and how great and glorious it will be. It breeds hope, excitement and drive to our mission, propelling us toward that great day when we will see him and receive our reward.

How I’d like us to prepare for the Lord’s Supper is to call to mind the significance of what we do each week here in receiving the bread and the wine. Some would say it’s just symbolic, that the wine just represents Jesus blood shed on the cross and the bread just represents his body which was pierced and bruised. Others would say something magical takes place and the bread and the wine change into literal blood and flesh.

What we believe is that Jesus has committed himself to these elements and this ceremony we call a “sacrament.” A sacred and holy thing wherein we really and truly meet with Jesus and receive his grace.

We believe since Jesus ascended to the throne that he has promised to be uniquely present with us by His Spirit whenever we do this.

We believe this is not just a religious act or right but a special time of grace where we respond to the gospel, confess our need and gratitude and meet with our God.

So today as you respond remember that Jesus was the one who first went on mission for us. He went out, out of heaven and came down to earth and then by his Spirt has pursued us and called us to himself. And on top of that we were and often still are the unlovable ones he has grace and mercy for, forgiving us and welcoming us into his fellowship.

Jesus is our king. He a mighty king and yet he’s a kind and gracious king. So let’s respond to his word now by all standing and then I’ll pray over our time before the Lord’s Table.

Let’s pray.

Jesus Promises The Spirit | The Book of Acts | 1:1-5 | Pastor Duane Smets

This an expository sermon of Acts 1:1-5. It introduces the Book of Acts and its connection to the Gospel of Luke. It follows the brief summary of the life, ministry, and acts of Jesus and sets up for the coming of the era of The Holy Spirit. This sermon was originally preached on January 22nd, 2012 at The Resolved Church in San Diego, CA.

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The Resolved Church | www.theresolved.com

(619) 393-1990 | contact@theresolved.com
All Rights Reserved © The Resolved Church

Permissions: you are permitted and encouraged to reproduce and distribute this material provided you not alter the wording in any way and you do not charge a fee. For web posting a link to this document is preferred.

The Resolved Church
Pastor Duane Smets
January 22nd, 2012

Jesus Promises The Spirit | Acts 1:1-5

I. Jesus in the Gospel of Luke (vs.1-2)
  A. Books of the Bible & Divine Revelation
  B. Word & Deed: The Marks of the Gospel
II. Jesus’ Resurrection Changes Everything (vs.3)
  A. Proofs & Their Power
  B. The Message of the King
III. Jesus Initiates the Age of His Spirit (vs.4-5)
  A. Preparation For Battle
  B. The One From On High

Introduction

Well, after much anticipation we are finally starting our new sermon series where we’ll be working and studying through the book of Acts. What we’ve got planned out are 35 sermons in three different stages. So combined with Easter and other special Sundays, it’ll probably take us not quite a year with us finishing up around November sometime.

That might sound daunting to some of you but it’s not as bad as when we took three years to go through the book of Romans! Actually let me kind of explain our reasoning and thinking through this. You see there are basically three different types of sermons.

One is narrative, where the preacher doesn’t really deal with the Bible at all and his goal is basically to tell an entertaining, engaging and inspiring story. We plain out just don’t do that here.

The other one is topical, where there may be a specific subject to address in the church or it’s advent season, Easter or some other special Sunday. In topical sermons the goal is to address a specific subject matter and work from a passage of the Bible that addresses that. We do that sometimes here.

The third main type of sermon is what we call expository. It comes from the word “exposed.” Expository sermons simply work through books of the Bible, chapter by chapter, verse by verse and word by word and seek to expose what is there. This is what we do 90% of the time here at The Resolved Church. And there’s a reason for that.

One of our main principles of ministry here is that it is the Word of God which does the work of God. So we believe that it’s not so much how we put together our service in terms of music, art, coffee, or even the friendliness and relationships of our community that is going to bring people to Christ and help us grow in Christ. Not that those things are not good or do not assist, but we believe that it is the Bible is the chief tool that God has given and designed for us to come to know him and be changed by him. So for that reason we are committed to expository teaching.

This is what God’s people have done for thousands of years going back all the way to when Ezra the prophet would open the Bible on a wooden platform at the ancient church services and explain the Scriptures were saying. It seems that for most of Jesus’ ministry this is what he was doing was taking his disciples through the Scriptures and explaining them and showing them how they all pointed to him. Then as we’ll see, all the preaching of the disciples who become apostles becomes saturated with preaching the Bible. When the apostle Paul, who wrote two-thirds of the New Testament spent three years with the church in Ephesus, he says while he was there he proclaimed to them “the whole counsel of God (Acts 20:27) and then in 2 Timothy 4:2 with the authority and inspiration of the Holy Spirit he commands preachers to “preach the word.”

It’s our conviction here that as Hebrews 4:12 states that the word of God is a living and active book that pierces through our heart. The Bible teaches that our hearts are often hard and they need to be pierced and broken and it’s only God’s word that can do that.

Some of you today know exactly what I’m talking about…if you feel numbness and apathy toward God, frustration or anger toward God, doubt and distrust toward God, shame and guilt toward God…those are all signs of a hard heart that needs to be pierced and broken.

Isaiah 55:11 states that God’s word when it goes out from mouths will always accomplish it’s purpose. So it’s our prayer that through the preaching of the Word you will be softened and drawn in. For others of you, instead of being softened you’ll harden your heart and will be driven away from hearing the Word, which though painful and sad is another one of it’s functions of God’s word to purify and protect the church.

Okay, back to Acts. Basically what I’m saying is the reason we preach through books of the Bible is because we believe that is what the Bible tells us to do primarily. We just sort of call ‘em series to make it go down a little easier. It’s like in Mary Poppins, a spoon full of sugar makes the medicine go down.

And Acts doesn’t really need a whole lot of sugar because it is simply a super exciting, action packed, heartfelt, drama saturated book. I mean it’s got sci-fi in it with levitation and and people turning to into salt and sick people magically getting better. It’s got blood and guts with dudes getting stoned to death, thrown in jail, city-wide riots and courtroom trials. It’s got shipwrecks, snake attacks and demon possessed getting taken down.

But most of all it’s got these phenomenal stories of characters whose lives radically change after hearing the gospel preached and encountering Jesus. And then we see real love being birthed and played out in real life. Time and time again in the book of Acts we see individuals and groups of people whom God’s Spirit descends on and changes them. People get saved, churches get planted, and the gospel spreads out all across the world like wildfire. So you guys pumped? I am!

Alright, that’s probably enough introduction. Let’s read the first five verses here in the first chapter of Acts, pray over them and work through some stuff together. (Read text and pray)

I. Jesus in the Gospel of Luke (vs.1-2)

Okay, so structurally there’s sort of three main parts to these verses. Verses 1-2 link the Book of Acts to the Gospel of Luke, which I’ll explain in a minute. Verse 3 is all about the resurrection of Jesus. And then verses 4-5 set the stage for the beginning of the story of Acts. These verses cover a ton of ground…the life, death, deeds, preaching, resurrection and ascension of Jesus plus the nature of the kingdom, installation of the apostles, and the coming of the Spirit…which if you put it all together is pretty much everything the Bible ever talks about. Each one of those things could be an entire sermon or sermon series in and of itself.

So I put together this outline to try and simplify some of it. These verses really do serve and function as a great introduction to the book. We’ll work through three main points and say a couple things about each one of them. First, “Jesus in the Gospel of Luke.”

The very first lines start out with, “In the first book.” So this tells us that Acts is the second volume of a two parted work. And what’s the topic? “All Jesus began to do and teach” and then verses two and three outline what he did and taught that was covered in the first book. Acts, then is the second volume of Jesus deeds and teaching, which he now does by His Spirit through his men rather than in person…which is why some have suggested the book should be called Acts of the Spirit rather than Acts of the Apostles. But book titles really were not as big of deal back then as they are today.

So maybe you’re wondering, if Acts is the second book, what’s the first book? Well, I kind of told you in the outline, it’s the Gospel of Luke. Here’s how you can tell. See where it says, “O Theophilus.” That’s a dedication, just like how many people will write books today and at the beginning of the book they dedicate it to someone. It doesn’t mean it’s for their eyes only but that this person especially inspired in the writing of the book.

There’s only one other place in the Bible where the name Theophilus shows up…and guess where it’s at? The beginning of the Gospel of Luke. So let me read you the first few lines of the Gospel of Luke and it would probably be good if you turned there and looked at ‘em with me. The book title, “The Gospel According to Luke” and then this is Luke 1:1-4, “1 Inasmuch as many have undertaken to compile a narrative of the things that have been accomplished among us, 2 just as those who from the beginning were eyewitnesses and ministers of the word have delivered them to us, 3 it seemed good to me also, having followed all things closely for some time past, to write an orderly account for you, most excellent Theophilus, 4 that you may have certainty concerning the things you have been taught.”

Now we won’t get into these verses a whole lot but they tell us that Luke and Acts are two books that go together and Luke is the author of them both. Theophilus is a real person, a name which means “dear to God” so it may have even been his Christian name he changed to like many did and he’s “most excellent” meaning he’s likely a prominent and well known Roman official.

Most of that’s irrelevant to the book of Acts as a whole, but I wanted to bring it up because there’s a couple things in these verses and the beginning verses in Acts which tell us some big things about the nature of the Bible and how its books are written. Many people today and perhaps you are one of them…want to know, how can you know the Bible is true? So let’s talk about “Books of the Bible & Divine Revelation.”

A. Books of the Bible & Divine Revelation

There’s a couple things from the beginning of Luke and what it says about how Luke went about writing both Luke and thereby also Acts. Verse 1 tells us he read and studied other documents written about Jesus. So that would definitely include the Gospel of Matthew, Mark and John. Verse 2 says he interviewed eyewitnesses and in Acts sometimes when he’s writing he’ll say “we” went here or there and did this or that…which means at least in Acts, Luke was at times an eyewitness himself. Then verse 4 tells us he was concerned for accuracy and truth…wanting “certainty.” Likewise in our Acts passage he is concerned about “proof.” Luke was a medical doctor in his day so he understood the importance of evidence and reason.

So that brings up a big question, is Luke writing history or theology? Is he writing about his own personal religious opinions or he more like a journalist attempting to accurately report facts? How can we trust that his books in the Bible are actually true? Because you can tell from even these first few verses he’s obviously persuaded and biased already. Right?

Here’s what I’d say. Besides the fact that it is impossible to not have any preconceived biases and be totally objective…simply because Luke may be convinced and even have a theological agenda, does not mean he is doesn’t have integrity and is tweaking facts to fit his opinions! He actually goes out of his way to say he’s not doing that. And if there actually is any merit, or truth to the whole God and Jesus thing…wouldn’t you expect it to actually be true, factual and fantastic?

It’s for that reason several have said Acts is like theo-history. It’s both a historical account and a theological account. It’s true, but make no mistake, the desire and intent of the story is that you too would come to faith in Christ and plant churches like so many people in the book do.

One more thing here. In Luke 1:3 he says, “it seemed to good to me” to write these books. Luke’s being modest here. The Apostle Peter and the Apostle Paul are more pointed and tells us that was actually the Holy Spirit directing and commanding him to write so that what he would write would be the word of God.

Here’s what they say. 1 Peter 1:20-21 says no Scripture “…comes from someone’s own interpretation…(not) produced by the will of man, but men spoke (or wrote) from God as they were carried along by the Holy Spirit. Paul says in 2 Timothy 3:16 “All Scripture (the holy writings by men of God’s Word and works)…All Scripture is breathed (or Spirited) out by God.”

What this tells us is that books like Luke and Acts really have a second, bigger author instructing the human authors to write the books and then directs their words. It’s what we call “Divine Revelation.” Divine, God…revealing himself to us…making himself known. You see, it seems a lot of people want or even pray for revelation, for God to reveal himself. But we believe he already has, through words in a book. So you don’t want to pray for revelation because that’s asking God to have you write a book of the Bible.

Our task is to get to know our God by reading, studying and applying the revelation he has already given to us. So what you have to decide for yourself in our study of the Acts, today in this sermon and in your life during the week is whether or not this book really is God’s book. Because if it is then everything it says is much more significant and much more meaningful and will be much more life-changing then we ever dreamed.

Okay, let’s say goodbye to the beginning of Luke and get back to Acts. There’s one other thing here in the first verse I’ll make some short comments on…where it says ”all Jesus began to do and teach.” This is “Word & Deed: The Marks of the Gospel.”

B. Word & Deed: The Marks of the Gospel

There’s two ways this phrase is functioning. One is what we already talked about…that it’s providing a simply summary and reference to the entire life and ministry of Jesus covered in the first book, the Gospel of Luke. However, there is a second thing and that is the nature of word and deed in and of itself. Word and deed always go hand in hand.

When you read through any of the Gospel accounts…Matthew, Mark, Luke or John…what you consistently see Jesus doing is teaching and preaching and then healing people or feeding crowds or praying to the Father or some other thing. Word and deed. And that is also what we’ll consistently see throughout the book of Acts, Word going out accompanied by great deeds. The gospel is a message, a good news message and when it is embraced it is meant to have practical play outs in our lives. They go hand in hand. You can’t just do good deeds as a Christian, you’ve got to proclaim…and you can’t just proclaim, you need to live it out in front of others.

The Gospel is unique. You see some people or philosophers have these great ideas (like various forms of skepticism, atheism or relativism) but when it comes down to it they are completely unlivable. For example, you can say everyone has the right to their own opinions and beliefs but if I believe stealing is okay and I steal something from you it turns out that idea actually isn’t livable.

Other people seem to be very spiritual and can have a very committed and structured life but there is not a consistent or coherent belief system to support that way of life. For example, you can say like the eastern philosophies that we just need to become one with the world and nature and live a life of harmony and peace that way but I really can never even sit on a chair or on the ground if the chair and I are truly one or I could never eat anything because I would be eating a part of myself. So you may be able to live the life of an ascetic but you’ll never be able to explain it.

It’s actually a really good test to tell if something is actually true…if it’s both is consistent and livable. What is amazing about Jesus and the gospel is that it like no other religion or religious belief offers both a consistent coherent worldview and offers a life that is actually livable.

Those of us who have heard and embraced the gospel know this…we are regularly being changed and compelled to live out the implications of the gospel in deeper and wider ways. We are to hear the Word and then put it to work in action. As the book of James says, faith without works is dead. The go hand in hand.

If you just hear the Word but it’s not changing you then maybe you haven’t quite heard yet. I was having a conversation with someone in my community group this week who was telling me that they had a friend who said each time they came to church it seemed like it was the same message.

That’s true and it makes me proud because we’ve got nothing else to give but the gospel and every word of every page is all about Jesus. So though we come at it in different ways it always boils down to the same thing. The greatness of who Jesus is and what he has done…word and deed.

It reminded me of this old anonymously written poem about God’s word and the gospel that I sometimes recite. I may have quoted it to you once before but if so it’s been a while. It goes like this.

My pail I’m often dropping, deep down into this well
It never touched the bottom however deep it fell
And though I keep on dipping by study, faith and prayer
I have no power to measure the living water there

May God help us to be hearers and doers of his Word. Okay, so let’s move on and talk about “Jesus’ Resurrection (that) Changes Everything.”

II. Jesus’ Resurrection Changes Everything (vs.3)

Verse 3 assumes we know about Jesus’ crucifixion and death on the cross from the Gospel of Luke and then recounts Jesus resurrection adding in the note that he appeared several times for forty days and that these appearances were “proofs.”

If you read through the New Testament it records 10 distinct appearances. He appears to women at the tomb, to Mary Magdelene, to the two men on the road to Emmaus, to Peter in Jerusalem, to ten of the disciples when they’re in hiding, then later to to them again when Thomas is present…He appears to seven of them when they’re fishing and eats a meal with them, then later to all eleven in Galilee, then to over 500 people at one time there and then to his brother James. These are all separate independent accounts with over 500 witnesses…sometimes I wonder if it were today and we put Jesus’ resurrection on trial how many would have to testify before a jury could be convinced.

One thing that’s interesting in the book of Acts is that the preaching is saturated with talk about Jesus’ resurrection BUT nobody contests or argues about whether it really happened, instead the question what it actually means. Which actually really brings up the issue of “Proofs & Their Power.”

A. Proofs & Their Power

This word “proofs” here in verse three is a someone intriguing word. The Greek word behind it that gets translated as “proof” here is “tekmerion.” It’s in part where we get one the derivative English word “technical.” Tekmerion means something that is surely and plainly known, evidence or proof.

Thus the resurrection has been called the “crowing proof of Christianity.” It’s unique because no other single religion in the world says there is proof or evidence for it’s authenticity or truth. Every other religion places it’s test in one’s personal experience…in what you feel. Christianity is the only religion which says, whether you experience or not it’s true and actually happened. And it goes even further. 1 Corinthians 15:14 says if the resurrection of Jesus didn’t happen then Christianity isn’t true and everyone who believed it were fools.

Now here’s the rub. The proof is there. But the proof alone is not enough. A person just being presented with evidence and reasons for the truth of Christianity does not make them a Christian. Proofs are helpful and give us an external and objective claim and worldview…but that does not convert and change the heart. Proofs can only go so far. They lack something. And this verse points out what it is.

When Jesus was appearing after his resurrection and giving these proofs, what does it say he was doing? Look at it. Verse 3, what was Jesus doing when he showed himself? “Speaking about the kingdom of God.” Proofs without proclamation are incomplete! There must be a message explaining the meaning and implications of the proof. And it’s in through that message, in hearing it and embracing that God has chosen to regenerate hearts by his spirit. Romans 10:17 says faith comes by hearing and hearing by the word of God.

And this is what ends up consuming the book of Acts. The announcement that Jesus came into the world, lived and died and rose again and then the message of what that means for our lives here and now.

So I want us to look at what this message is Jesus was speaking about, the kingdom of God. But before we do I want to ask you a question. If Jesus appeared before you, right in your bedroom at home or right here among us before our very eyes do you think we would then believe the message of the Gospel?

The end of Matthew’s gospel said that some didn’t…that even after seeing Jesus some still doubted the meaning and message of it (Mt 29:17). You see sometimes I think we think, oh if I could just see it then I would believe it. And I don’t know if you would? Because ultimately our lack of belief does not come from a lack of proof but from a hardness of heart.

So if you’re here today and you’re sort of on the fence about this whole thing, or if for you the amazement that Jesus rose from the dead has become old news and not good news to you anymore…I want to entreat you and beg you to have God soften and change your heart. I want to appeal to you just to, even if for a moment to consider the message. Hear the gospel out with fresh ears as if for the first time and allow it to pierce your heart.

We all need that. Each week when I prepare my sermons and when I preach my prayer is that God would pierce my heart anew with the gospel. So let’s look at and hear “The Message of the King.”

B. The Message of the King

When Jesus is about thirty years old and he begins his official ministry here on earth, the first thing he does is begin preaching and the very first words we have Jesus recorded saying in the Gospel of Mark are, “The time is fulfilled and the kingdom of God is at hand; repent and believe in the gospel.” Then if you read through any of the gospel accounts what you have Jesus consistently talking about over and over again is the kingdom of God. Then after he dies and rises and appears what is Jesus talking about? The kingdom of God.

From beginning to end, start to finish Jesus’ message is the kingdom of God. So then, what is the kingdom of God? Now that’s a huge question and there are a ton of books written just on that subject. There’s some radical and heretical ideas about it and then there are the more simple biblical answers. Part of the challenge in talking about the kingdom of God is sometimes Jesus says it already had arrived, sometimes he says it is now and then sometimes he says it’s in the future to come.

So without getting bogged down I’ll offer just a couple simple hand holds. One I think we have a hard time with the word kingdom because we don’t live in a kingdom. The idea and experience of living under a ruling king is completely foreign to us here in 21st century america. But when you see and hear the word kingdom, at it’s most basic and fundamental level it’s addressing the rule and reign of a king.

You don’t have a kingdom without a king. In world history what separates the kings is how much land and how many people they ruled over…how far their kingship extended. So when the Bible uses the phrase “kingdom of God” what do you think it’s getting at the most base level?

That God is the king! And how far do you think the rule and reign of God’s kingship extends? All of the heavens and the earth. He’s king over all! Throughout the Old and New Testaments of the Bible this is universally true. It is the most fundamental truth about the kingdom of God…so whenever you hear and see that phrase you can rightly understand and interpret it as the rule and reign of God.

Now let’s think a little deeper…second hand hold. Where does the rule and reign of God seem to not penetrate…but then through belief in the life, death and resurrection of Jesus begins to? In people’s hearts. People are bound by sin and Satan and Jesus the king comes into the world, inaugurating his rule…but he begins at the root of things by going after hearts. What is yet to come of the kingdom is Jesus physical rule of the land which will occur when he bodily returns with his army from heaven.

The message of the Gospel is rightly called the message of the kingdom. The good news is the announcement that Jesus lived, died and rose and therefore is rightly declared the King of kings and the Lord of lords (Rev 19:16).

The truth about our hearts is because we are born in sin, we want to be king and worship all kinds of other things and people as the king of our hearts. But when we hear the gospel, we are convicted of our false worship, pierced, we confess our sin and Jesus our King is a kind king who forgives us and paid the price for our treason on the cross so we might be welcomed into his fellowship. What king who when someone tries to overthrow him and take his seat on the throne, then says “wait, hold on, let me pay the death penalty price for your treason so you can be welcomed into my kingdom”? Who does that!

The message of the kingdom is that sin and Satan have been defeated on the cross and since then there is the in-breaking power of God’s kingdom spreading across hearts in the lands. And God’s kingdom is one of righteousness, love, mercy and peace. The things we all long for but can never find or create on our own.

Some of you today, may have never heard the gospel quite like this or maybe you have but you’re just really hearing it this time. Who is king in your life? You? Your boss, your job or your career? Your spouse, your kids or your friends? What rules you? Everyone has a king, the question is if Jesus is your king.

The truth is we’ve all worshipped false kings and attempted to ascend to the throne ourselves. But Jesus the true king died for us so we might be forgiven and transferred into a family, into a life where we love him and worship him who is the only worthy king of all.

Then for those who become his subjects he then gives us a mission. To spread the news of his kingship. But he does not send us out unequipped but promises and gives us his Spirit. So let’s look at our final point this morning, “Jesus Initiates the Ages of His Spirit.”

III. Jesus Initiates the Age of His Spirit (vs.4-5)

Let me just re-read these verses so we have them fresh in our head. Acts 1:4-5 “4 And while staying with them he ordered them not to depart from Jerusalem, but to wait for the promise of the Father, which, he said, “you heard from me; 5 for John baptized with water, but you will be baptized with the Holy Spirit not many days from now.”

Now, first off what we’re reading here is not just the beginning of a story or a little side note of some cool thing Jesus did in the middle of a bunch of other stuff. This is a huge transitional, epoch, age changing scene Jesus is speaking of.

God created the heavens and the earth and history began. Since then there have been different stages or periods of history. Historians have their own names like ancient age, Golden age, Medeival Age, Renaissance age, Baroque age, Enlightenment Age and so on. The Bible has it’s own ages. Theologians debate what they ought to be called, “dispensations” or “covenants.” I’m on the covenant side but it’s probably not as big of deal as just recognizing that in God scheme and plan of history…which the Bible says he planned out before he ever created anything…in his plan there are different ages or stages of history.

I won’t go through them all now but simply say, what Jesus is addressing here in verses 4-5 is the new age of the Holy Spirit. In the Old Testament the Holy Spirit temporarily come upon certain specific individuals for a limited time and purpose. But many of the prophets, like Joel, Ezekiel, Jeremiah and Isaiah spoke of time that God would send his Spirit and he would stay and be in all God’s people.

Prior to Jesus it had been years, like 500 years plus since there was any prophet or any activity of the Spirit whatsoever. Then at the beginning of Jesus ministry, he goes to the synagogue, stands up, and reads from Isaiah 61 saying “The Spirit of the Lord is upon me” and then sits down and says “this Scripture has now been fulfilled in your hearing (Lk 4:18,21).”

So stay with me. When Jesus starts his ministry, he says…Spirit’s back, and he’s in me. Actually when Jesus is born there is all kinds of Spirit activity, then throughout his ministry the Spirit is active at his baptism, in his preaching, prayers, death and then Romans 1:4 says he was declared with power to be the son of God by the Spirit in his resurrections from the dead. So Jesus has the Spirit of God.

Then Acts. He says things are going to change and that he is going to give his Spirit to all his people. Two quick things I want us to not about this. How Jesus is really “Preparing (them) For Battle” and who this Spirit as “The One From on High.”

A. Preparation For Battle

First, notice Jesus tone in these verses we’ve been looking at today. Back up in verse 2 says he was giving “commands through the Spirit.” Then here in verse 4, he “ordered them.” We’re seeing a Jesus here in full authority and charge over his men.

Next week we’ll look in further detail at the mission Jesus gives. For now we’ll just say he’s about to send them out into the world where Satan has been ruling and wreaking havoc in people hearts and lives. But before he sends them out and before he even equips them for this spiritual warfare, he has something he wants them to do…to wait.

Jesus says, don’t go yet. I want you to wait. I don’t know about you but for me waiting for anything is hard. For example, we got this Blu-ray player for Christmas but I didn’t have the right cables to hook it up. So I got online right away and ordered them and I was so impatient I started checking the mail that day and every few minutes the day after!

Maybe there are some of you who are super good at being patient, but not me. And it seems to me that most people are pretty impetuous. Due to our insecurities and our desires, we either want what we want now or we make fast decisions because we don’t like the uncomfortableness of not knowing what we’re going to actually be doing or where we will be going.

We talked about this a bit last week how we can have a big vision and plans but unless we’re in step with God and his timing then they will all be for not. Psalm 46:10 says to “Be still and know that I am God.” And I think that there is something God would have us to teach about the importance of waiting on him. Sometimes it seems to me like a lost discipline. To really wait, and pray and be quiet in the presence of the Lord.

Now I know that is sort of a side note from our story in Acts but I thought it was important to draw out because I think there are some of you going through some things in life right now, things you’re looking at or considering and you just need to slow down and wait on the Lord a bit. Don’t run ahead of him. Wait.

Well, let’s look at this final thing of what Jesus was wanting the disciples to wait for and what by extension he has promised and given to us, “The One From On High.”

B. The One From On High

So Jesus says after a period of them waitingthe promise of the Father would come and they would be baptized by the Spirit. Now we could get bogged down really easy here with theological questions about whether or not the disciples were regenerate before the Spirit and what is the baptism of the Spirit and what about tongues and gifts of the Spirit and all that stuff. But we’re not going to get into any of that today. We got a lot of weeks coming up where we’ll get to talk about all that stuff.

What I mainly want to do here is focus on “the promise of the Father.” Jesus here in verse 5 cites himself prophesying the the Spirit’s coming and I think what would be most helpful for us is to hear more about that because there are number of places the Bible talks about this age changing empowerment of the Spirit. So just listen to these few passages.

Joel 2:28-29 “And it shall come to pass afterward, that I will pour out my Spirit on all flesh…sons and daughters…old…young…male…female.” So Joel says a day would come when all God’s people will get the Spirit.

Isaiah 44:3 “I will pour my Spirit upon your offspring, and my blessing on your descendants.” So Isaiah says God’s Spirit will pass through family members who are of the faith.

John 14:16-17&26 “I will ask the Father, and he will give you another Helper, to be with you forever, even the Spirit of truth…for he dwells with you and will be in you…the Helper, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, he will teach you all things and bring to your remembrance all that I have said to you.” So Jesus says the Spirit will help us, be in us, glorify Jesus’ name and teach us and remind us of all the things Jesus said.

John 16:8 “When he comes, he (the Holy Spirit) will convict the world concerning sin and righteousness and judgment.” So Jesus says the Spirit will cause guilt and remorse in our hearts when we break and violate the commandments of God.

Ephesians 1:13-14 says the “promised Spirit” is the “guarantee of our inheritance” so he gives us assurance that we will be saved and be in heaven with Jesus.

Romans 5:5 says God’s love gets “poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit.”

Romans 8:15 says the Spirit enables us to be intimate with God in prayer calling him “abba Father.”

Galatians 5:22 says the Spirit produces love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness in us.

And in Luke 24:49 Jesus says, “I am sending the promise of my Father upon you”….and when he came his people would be “clothed with power from on high.”

I know I just threw a ton of Scripture at you but I wanted you to get a feel for how great the Spirit of God is that Jesus has promised to us. There’s two common misconceptions I think we have when it comes to the Holy Spirit. There’s probably more but these are the ones on my mind today.

Since the we are in the age of the Spirit and the Spirit has been at work in God’s people for nearly two-thousand years now, I think His work too easily become too common to us and we forget what a great and awesome benefit this promise of the Father given to us through Jesus is. That all believers get the Spirit! Even our children! That he teaches us and reminds us of Jesus! That he convicts us of sin! That he makes us loving! That enables us to be close with God. That he gives us joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness and faithfulness! And that he empowers us to live for God and spread the gospel! The gift of God’s Spirit is a massive gift!

The other misconception I think sometimes hinders us from delighting in the great gift of God’s Spirit is because some branches of Christianity have seemingly reduced the work of the Spirit to supernatural things like tongues and miracles. And those things tend to either excite people or freak people out…and both responses really are just sensationalism and should not deter us from glorying in all the marvelous benefits that come from having the Spirit of God at work in our lives.

The Holy Spirit is God, given by the Father and the Son from on High! That is incredible! What a promise! What a gift!

1 Corinthians 10:13 says all people who believe in Jesus have the Spirit, so if you’re a Christian you’ve got God’s Spirit. Yet, I think some of us today need a fresh realization of how wonderful that is. The age of the Spirit was initiated by Jesus but I don’t think that entirely eliminates our need to still have some of the same sentiment Jesus commanded the disciples to have when he said to wait for the Spirit.

I think it’s entirely appropriate for us to wait on God and ask God’s Spirit to changes us and fill us and empower us and to bring to fruition all the promises of God given to us through faith in Jesus Christ our Lord. We’ll see people doing that time and time again in the book of Acts. So today as we respond, ask God for more of his Spirit to be at work in your life.

Conclusion

We’re going to conclude and receive the Lord’s Supper. As John 14:26 says, one of the Spirit’s chief jobs is to glorify the name of Jesus. When we receive the Lord’s Supper each week that’s what we do. We pronounce the name of Jesus…that there is no name given under heaven whereby men can be saved. That Jesus and Jesus alone died for sin and rose again and is king and Lord.

So as you come today respond to the preaching of the Gospel this morning. We’ve hit a lot of stuff. These verses cover a ton…something for everyone. If there is an area you sense God’s Spirit working on in you, pay attention to that and bring it to the table this morning and talk to God about it.

Listen

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:: The Resolved Church :: September 2nd, 2007 :: Pastor Duane M. Smets

“Barnabas: the Son of Encouragement”
selected texts

I. An Overview of the Life of Barnabas
     A. His beginning
     B. Barnabas and Paul
     C. Barnabas and Mark
II. A Theology of Encouragement
     A. Humans need Encouragment
     B. Courage comes from God
     C. Jesus is the Lord of Courage

Introduction

Last week we finished our “Walking According to the Spirit” sermon series which took us through verses 5-13 of Romans 8. I like to break things up for you guys since I know it is a huge undertaking to study through an entire book of the Bible the way we do here at The Resolved Church.

So today I wanted to preach a sermon on encouragment. It is a reality of life, that it can be hard, it can get you down, disappointed and be crushing. We are entering what I pray is the most fruitful season yet for us as a church, it comes after a long summer and a hard first two years. So I want to encourage you. It is also a season of the year for many of when many are starting new things (school, work, your kids), and I want to encourage you. It has aslo been a hard season for some (deaths in the family, hard pregnancies, disappointment with relationships or school) and I want to encourage you. I want to spur all of us on and give us a vision of hope and joy for what is to come.

As I sifted through several different passages and stories of the Bible this week as I prepared to preach today to encourage you, I decided to preach a biographical sermon on a man in the Bible named Barnabas.

I. An Overview of the Life of Barnabas

     A. His Beginining

We read about Barnabas in the book of Acts in the Bible. Acts is short for “The Acts of the Apostles” and it documents the beginning of Jesus’ church and how it spread across the world in a very short period of time. It is an exciting book and is written both as history and as a theology, you could call it theo-history.

The book begins with Jesus appearing to several people after his resurrection, that is what we have been talking about the last two weeks here at The Resolved Church, the resurrection of Jesus. Jesus makes this statement before he ascends on a cloud right in front of everyone…he says, “you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes upon you and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, Judea, Samaria and all the ends of the earth.” And that becomes the theme and heartbeat of the book, the gospel spreading, starting out in Jerusalem and spread further and further out both geographically and culturally.

Barnabas becomes a key figure in this story. We first read about him in Acts 4:36 “Joseph, who was also called by the apostles Barnabas (which means son of encouragement), [was] a Levite, a native of Cyprus.” Barnabas was from Cyprus but he was in Jersusalem at this time. Cyprus is an island about 80 miles from Jerusalem.

It’s hard to tell how long Barnabas had been in Jerusalem. He could have been there and seen the resurrected Jesus. He could have been in the upper room praying with the disciples when they were preparing to start the church. He could have been there to hear the first sermon of the church when Peter preached and become a Christian then. Whatever the case, it was very early in the church plant.

Barnabas was not his birth name. His name was Joseph, but he so encouraged the apostles that they decided to start calling him Barnabas, which means “son of encouragment.” Here is what made them feel so encouraged by Barnabas. Acts 4:32-37 “Now the full number of those who believed were of one heart and soul, and no one said that any of the things that belonged to him was his own, but they had everything in common. And with great power the apostles were giving their testimony to the resurrection of the Lord Jesus, and great grace was upon them all. There was not a needy person among them, for as many as were owners of lands or houses sold them and brought the proceeds of what was sold and laid it at the apostles’ feet, and it was distributed to each as any had need. Thus Joseph, who was also called by the apostles Barnabas (which means son of encouragement), a Levite, a native of Cyprus, sold a field that belonged to him and brought the money and laid it at the apostles’ feet.”

A field in that day cost around 120 denarii. Most people made about a denarii a day so that is about four months worth of wages, which in an average San Diego income would be about $15,000. That is a lot of money. I know how that feels. This church is just a little over two years old. After our first year, things were not going so well and we thought we might have to quit and close the doors and someone annonymously donated $20,000 to The Resolved Church. You don’t know how encouraging that was to us. So I can identify with the apostles calling Joseph, Barnabas, the Son of Encouragement.

     B. Barnabas and Paul

The story of the early church goes on. Some people die. A man named Stephen is the first, he is stoned to death. But people are still coming to Christ, believing in the gospel. The church in Jerusalem is growing. Churches get started in the villages of Samaria, and in some of the towns in Ceasarea. And then something happens. A man named Saul, who has been heading up this crusade to kill Christians and stomp out this new thing called Christianity…Jesus appears to him and he becomes a believer. None of the Apostles really believe it. Acts 9:26 says Saul went “to Jerusalem [and] attempted to join the disciples. And they were all afraid fo him, for they did not believe that he was a disciple.” They are freaked out and think it is probably a trick.

Now you got to put yourself into Paul’s shoes here. He is born into prosperity, he’s a rich upper class kid. Had the BMW when he turned 16, is always rolling with the super popular kids, grows up is a succesful business man, gaining a great reputation. The Jewish leaders of the day recognize that he is super zealous so they give him a big responsibility, to deal with these new troublemakers, Christians…so Saul starts doing that. He oversees the killing of the first Christian. He is on his way to becoming the next Tony Soprano and he is on a trip and Jesus appears to him, preaches the gospel to him, and Saul’s heart is broken and he recognizes that Jesus is Lord and that he needs him and he leaves everything and becomes a Christian himself. All his old buddies no doubt disown him and probably even want him dead now. So Paul tries to go hook up with the Christians and find some comfort and new friends and they don’t want him either.

That is surely how Paul felt. But watch what happens as the Son of Encouragement steps in in. Saul went “to Jerusalem [and] attempted to join the disciples. And they were all afraid fo him, for they did not believe that he was a disciple. But Barnabas took him and brought him to the apostles and declared to them how on the road he had seen the Lord, who spoke to him, and how at Damascus he had preached boldly in the name of Jesus. So he went in and out among them at Jerusalem, preaching boldly in the name of the Lord.” Think how encouraging that must have been to have Barnabas step in and vouch for him. You ever felt on the outside and you know how much you have messed up and feel unworthy and alone and had someone come alongside you and put their arm around you and say, “it’s okay, he’s with me.” Think of what that did for Saul. They take Barnabas’s word for it and change Saul’s name to Paul.

Barnabas starts developing this reputation, what he is known for, so that a few chapters later probably at least a few months later, he goes to Antioch and Acts 11 says that when go there a “great number believed and turned to the Lord” and Luke, the author of Acts, says it is because Barnabas “saw the grace of God, he was glad, and exhorted them all to remain faithful to the Lord with steadfast purpose, for he was a good man, full of the Holy Spirit and faith (Acts 11:21,23-24).”

I like this description of Barnabas, that he was a “good man.” Have you ever noticed how in culture when you are talking with your friends and if one of them has blown it in some way and is making some bad choicess and having a real hard time with life…someone will almost always say, “yeah, but he’s a good guy.” I’m always like what! Yeah, Jack left his wife and is a drug addict now and drinks himself to sleep everynight and he is really derpressed…but you know he’s a good guy, he’s just having a real hard time right now. No, that is not a good guy. That is a adulterating drunkard who needs to repent and turn to Christ.

For some of you boys who need to become men and you are not yet even though you are old enough, here is what will make you a good man: “remaining faithful to the Lord with a steadfast purpose (Acts 11:23).” Barnabas is a good example for us, for me, because I want to be a good man. I wake up every morning and I bust out my Bible and I read it and then the very first thing I pray is “God make me a good man, make me a good husband for my wife, make me a good father for my children, make me a good pastor for your church.” What makes a man good is his faith, nothing else. All else is evil and meaningless.

Check out the impact of a good man like Barnabas. He calls Paul to come over and they both stay in Antioch for one year teaching the people about Jesus and the result is people start calling themselves “Christians.” That is where that term started. And there are still churches and people who live in Antioch who call themselves Christians to this day.

After this, Barnabas and Paul head back to Jerusalem and they take back with them a guy named John, who like Barnabas and Paul, had his name changed to Mark. When they get there the Apostles in Jerusalem see that there is a good thing going on with Barnabas and Paul together so they send them off to this island called, “Salamais.” When they get there they get into this theological debate with a wiccan who is also a big political dude and the result is that the whole procounsel ends up believing in Jesus.

From there they cruise to a place called Pisidia. Things don’t go so well there. It’s good to know some people in the Bible found church planting hard at times. J Acts 13:50 says the people of Pisidia, “drove them out of their district.” They drove them out of not just the city, they are like “Get out of our state! Go back to Arizona or wherever else you came from! J” But rather than get discouraged, check out Barnabas and Paul’s response, “they shook the dust from their feet against them and went to Iconium. And the disciples were filled with joy and with the Holy Spirit.” The Son of Encouragment at work again in the middle of disappointment and rejection.

After this they end up at Lystra. Lystra was a Roman colony. Had a lot of well known philosphers who lived there. A local legend said that the Greek gods Zues and Hermes had visited Lystra at disguised as two elderly men and they had a stone up on a hill erected to remember it. Some crazy stuff goes down in Lystra while Paul and Barnabas are there.

Paul makes the mistake of healing a cripple. He sees the guy can’t walk, tells him about Jesus, and seeing his faith tells him to stand up and the guy does. When he does, the whole city starts freaking out. Apparently everybody knew who he was and saw him now walking. So the people of the city think that Zues and Heremes have come back in the form of Paul and Barnabas…they think they are gods. Acts 14:11 records the crowds shouting, “The gods have come down to us in the likeness of men!” They think Barnabas is Zues, the head of the greek pantheon and they think Paul is Heremes, the messenger or speaker for Zues. It reminds me of soemthing straight out of “Return of the Jedi” when Luke and Han Solo get to the Ewok village. They think they are gods.

Paul and Barnabas tell them they are not gods, everyone still thinks they are great. So Paul and Barnabas decide to go for the jugular and start telling them that Zues and Heremes don’t exist, that there is one true God and they make a lot of people mad…just like what happens today if you do that. J So they end up stoning Paul and dragging him out of the city and leaving his body thinking he is dead. Talk about discouraging. When your job is going well, things seem to be on the upswing and then you get beat up and banned from the city you are working in. You ever feel beat up by life?

Paul is literally beat up. If they take him for dead, he is surely a bloody mess. Who knows what his emotional state is. Then comes the Son of Encouragment. Acts 14:20-21 says Barnabas gathers around him, picks him up and the next day leaves to go to another city, Derebe. I imagine Barnabas probably had to carry him for a good part of the trip. But they were determined to preach. And Barnabas’s loving care must have reinvigorated Paul because when they get to Derbe he start preaching by saying “through many tribulations we must enter the kingdom of God.” And the Bible tells us that they made many disciples there.

     C. Barnabas and Mark

After Derbe, they retrace their steps and cruise back to Jerusalem. There is a big important meeting there. They share all that happened on their journey and Paul and Barnabas are called “beloved” and the Apostles send them out again. Amazing stuff seems to be happening with this duo but then something happens. Up to this point Barnabas has been a key figure in the church plant. He is preaching and teaching right alonside of Paul being an encourager. It was like Barnabas had this unique gifting to be able to encourage others, maybe you have that gift? Barnabas knew he had it and because of that his ministry takes a decisive turn which resutls in the church as a whole more than doubling in it’s size, let’s read about it.

Acts 15:36-41 “And after some days Paul said to Barnabas, “Let us return and visit the brothers in every city where we proclaimed the word of the Lord, and see how they are.” Now Barnabas wanted to take with them John called Mark. But Paul thought best not to take with them one who had withdrawn from them in Pamphylia and had not gone with them to the work. And there arose a sharp disagreement, so that they separated from each other. Barnabas took Mark with him and sailed away to Cyprus, but Paul chose Silas and departed, having been commended by the brothers to the grace of the Lord. And he went through Syria and Cilicia, strengthening the churches.”

Apparently for some reason that is not recorded in the Bible, John Mark left them when they were in Pamphylia and went back to Jerusalem (Acts 13:13). And now later down the line, Barnabas wants to take John-Mark with him again, but Paul is dead against it and they have a “sharp disagreement.” I’m not sure what that means but I get the feeling there was some loud voices and yelling and arguments that were put forth.

Now I got to be honest. I’m not the best encourager. I try to be because I sure love it when people encourage me. But I probably would have been with Paul on this one. When people abandon you and bail it makes you mad. You depend on people and they fail and you are like, what the heck, what I am supposed to do now. But here we see, Baranabas, the good man, full of faith, who was older and wiser and more mature, he knew something about the grace of God and how God works. And he is going to stick with John Mark and not abandon him just because he messed up.

For the rest of Acts from chapter 15-28, almost literally the entire second half of the book records the ministry of Paul and what happened with him. Paul goes on and plants several more churches and the church as a whole just grows and grows and grows because of it. I would venture to say this, that none of that would have happened if Paul had not had Barnabas in his life in these early years. The Son of Encouragement spuring him on. There is an implicit lesson for us there about being encouragers and spurring other people on. That is what it means to make disciples. In Matthew 28:19 Jesus says to “Go make disciples of all peoples.” Being a disciplers means being a spiritual encouragment to someone and sticking with them.

Barnabas’s influence did not just end with Paul either. When Barnabas and Paul split up, Barnabas put his focus on John Mark and when back to Cyprus, his home to disciple and encourage him. The result? John Mark ends up writing the first gospel, the gospel of Mark telling all about the life and ministry and death and resurrection of Jesus.

Who knows how much time goes by, it could have been a good 20 plus years. Paul is near the end of his life awaiting his execution in a Roman jail, and he writes, “Luke alone is with me. Get Mark and bring him…for he is very useful to me for ministry (2 Tim 4:11).” Whatever problem Paul had with Mark was gone now. Because of Barnabas Mark became very useful for the ministry and Paul who at one time not wanted him with him, in his last hours, wanted Mark to come because he was very useful for the ministry.

Barnabas, the Son of Encouragement. Almost behind the scenes, pushing things along. Pouring into people, spuring them along. What happened to him? This key figure in the start of the church. The one who mentors Paul and Mark who end up having such wide-reaching effects in their ministry? What happened to him? In approximently 73 AD Barnabas was preaching in Syria, near Salamis preaching about Jesus in the synagogue and the Jews became irrate and dragged him out of the city, tortured him and then stoned him to death.

II. A Theology of Encouragement

     A. Humans need Encouragement

As we conclude today I want to point out to things that Barnabas the Son of Encouragment brings to light. One, is the importance of encouragment. If we were to say, what is the theology of encouragement. The word encouragment itself means this, “to put courage in.” The word itself is a recognition that human beings are weak and frail at times and lose courge and need courage to be put in from some outside source. So the first thing in a theology of encouragment is recognize that we, as sinful and weak human beings…we need encouragement.

     B. Courage comes from God.

Second, encouragement comes from God. I almost preached on the story of Jericho. Where God calls Joshua and has him lead people into the promised land despite many upsets and difficulties. Before they go, God speaks these words to Joshua, “This Book (the Bible)…shall not depart from your mouth, but you shall meditate on it day and night, so that you may be careful to do according to all that is written in it. For then you will make your way prosperous, and then you will have good success. Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be frightened, and do not be dismayed, for the Lord your God is with you wherever you go (Josh 1:8-9).” Courage comes from knowing God. If you don’t know God today, this is one of the blessings that comes from being connected with your creator, courage. God does not give up on you. In Hebrews 13:5 he says, “I will never leave you nor forsake you.” If God is with you, he is committed to you even when it seems like all is falling apart, God will be with you and courage comes from knowing him.

King David, the author of most the Psalms knew this, that why he wrote, “Wait for the Lord; be strong, and let your heart take courage; wait for the Lord! (Ps. 27:4).” When you are down or when you face a big challenge or the start of something new and fresh, do not try to deal with it in your own strength, turn to the Lord and his strength.

As Isaiah 40:28-31 says, “Have you not known? Have you not heard? The Lord is the everlasting God, the Creator of the ends of the earth. He does not faint or grow weary; his understanding is unsearchable. He gives power to the faint, and to him who has no might he increases strength. Even youths shall faint and be weary, and young men shall fall exhausted; but they who wait for the Lord shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings like eagles; they shall run and not be weary; they shall walk and not faint.”

     C. Jesus is the Lord of Courage

The third and final piece in a theology of encouragement is that Jesus is the Lord of Courage. In 1 Thessalonians 5:9-11 the Bible says, “God has not destined us for wrath, but to obtain salvation through our Lord Jesus Christ, who died for us so that whether we are awake or asleep we might live with him. Therefore encourage one another and build one another up, just as you are doing.” We need courage and courage from God comes through the fountain of Jesus Christ, his Son, through putting your hope and faith in him.

One of my favorite pictures of Jesus is that of him as a lion. In the book of Revelation the apostle John sees a vision of Jesus. He is seated on his throne in heaven, that has the appearance of jasper and carnelian…around the throne there is a rainbow with the appearance of an emerald…around the throne are elders of the church and angels…there is lightening and peals of thunder…before the throne there is a sea of glass like crystal…and everyone is crying out ‘Holy, holy, holy, is the Lord God Almighty, who was and is and is to come!…Worthy are you, our Lord and God, to receive glory and honor and power, for you created all things, and by your will they existed and were created…and one of the elders gets up and speaks to John and says, ‘Weep no more; behold, the Lion of the tribe of Judah, the Root of David, has conquered (Rev. 4:2-11;5:5)”.”

This is Jesus. On his thone in heaven. Jesus who conquered sin, death, hell and the grave and now sits on a throne awaiting the mission of the church to reach all peoples with the gospel and though at times the mission of our lives and the mission of this church may seem hard, there is reason not to falter. Jesus is on the throne. There is a reason not to give up. There is a reason for hope and for joy. Jesus has conquered. There is a reason to take courage. To find a resource of strength. To dig down deep into the well of Jesus’ Spirit and to be refreshed by his loving and tender mercy.

Jesus the King of Kings and Lord of Lords is the Lord of courage. When we are weak and tired. Jesus is strong for us and fill us with new life. When we are sad and discouraged. Jesus is our joy and peace and fills us with his assurance that everything will be alright with him. When we have a great vision and passion for the future, Jesus is our security that it will come to pass because he did not give up or turn his back but conquered. When we suffer and feel pain and loss Jesus is our resurrection and new life which turns sorrow into dancing and gladness. When we fail and make a mess of our lives Jesus is the one who does not abandon us but stands to forgive and to save and to empower us to do something great for his name.

Conclusion

Barnabas, the Son of Encouragment. How can you be the son of a verb. Encouragment is an action, something that takes place it is not a person. What did the apostles mean by that. Here is what I think they meant: Barnabas reminded them of Jesus, the chief encourager. Jesus had ascended, but not left his followers alone. He sent people like Barnabas to encourage them and remind them he is Lord, Lord of his church and Lord of his misison.

What do you need encouragement for today? Come to Jesus. Perhaps you have never really done that. Perhaps you have consistently turned to find strength and courage from within yourself or from some scheme or new plan…but it always fails. Embrace Jesus today.

If you are on the down end of some things this morning. Turn to Jesus. Don’t give up but hold on to him. Jesus is hope and courage and he will carry you through.

If you are starting out some new things, rely on the strength and wisdom of Christ for your course. That may mean school, or a new job, or a new semester of parenting. For us as a church plant need to put our security and our hope in Christ. Philippians 2:13 says this, “He who began a good work in you will continue to perform it until the day of Christ Jesus.”

I am confident that Jesus did not start this church in vain. I am confident that the things he has done in your life, the steps forward that many of you have taken, I am sure they are not in vain. God does not give up on you. Be encouraged. We are works in progress. We’ve got a lot of work to be done in us. Sometimes the pruning hurts but God is at work in us. Drawing us closer and closer to Jesus and making us more and more like him. And he will ensure the final result.

Let’s pray.

.

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The Risen Mission
Acts 1:1-12

Acts 1:1-12
1 In the first book, O Theophilus, I have dealt with all that Jesus began to do and teach, 2 until the day when he was taken up, after he had given commands through the Holy Spirit to the apostles whom he had chosen. 3 He presented himself alive to them after his suffering by many proofs, appearing to them during forty days and speaking about the kingdom of God. 4 And while staying with them he ordered them not to depart from Jerusalem, but to wait for the promise of the Father, which, he said, “you heard from me; 5 for John baptized with water, but you will be baptized with the Holy Spirit not many days from now.” 6 So when they had come together, they asked him, “Lord, will you at this time restore the kingdom to Israel?” 7 He said to them, “It is not for you to know times or seasons that the Father has fixed by his own authority. 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.” 9 And when he had said these things, as they were looking on, he was lifted up, and a cloud took him out of their sight. 10 And while they were gazing into heaven as he went, behold, two men stood by them in white robes, 11 and said, “Men of Galilee, why do you stand looking into heaven? This Jesus, who was taken up from you into heaven, will come in the same way as you saw him go into heaven.” 12 Then they returned to Jerusalem from the mount called Olivet, which is near Jerusalem, a Sabbath day’s journey away.

Introduction

Good morning everyone. Today is a special day of the year because the universal church, all across the world, specifically focuses on remembering that we worship a risen Lord and savior, Jesus Christ, that’s what Easter is. It’s so weird to me that this day in our calender year has morphed into another rich American holiday for vacation, chocolate, eating eggs and chasing around bunnies. I seriously don’t know where we come up with this stuff? J But Jesus didn’t leave behind any eggs. He rose from the dead and called his people to mission and the whole of Christianity, and the church, and our lives hangs on it. So let’s read one of the great accounts of this resurrection. (read text & pray)

Father God, by your Spirit sharpen our minds. We must know Jesus rose from the dead and it must change us. Show us the glory of Jesus. May the words of this text grip us and compel us. May we be convinced. May we be empowered by your spirit to spread Jesus’ gospel. May your kingdom take over and rule in our hearts. May we be affected today.

Understanding Acts

This passage of Scripture we are studying today comes from the book of Acts. Acts is a different sort of book in the Bible. It’s an exciting book where we read about the story of the early church, Christianity in its infant stages, and it begins with Jesus rising from the dead.

Acts is really the second part of a two part book. Like how Lord of the Rings has three books, Acts is the second book in a two part series written by a 1st century Gentile doctor named Luke. The first book he wrote was “The Gospel According to Luke” which is the third book in our New Testament Bibles. So he starts off, “In the first book, O Theophilus.”

Now the first book, The Gospel of Luke is also addressed to Theophilus, though neither book in this series was really intended for just him. Both were written for entire groups of people so that they might know about Jesus and his church. Theophilus is merely who Acts is dedicated to, like you see in many books today…in the front in the first few pages you have a dedication.

So, “In the first book…I have dealt with all that Jesus began to do and teach.” Notice that word began. So Jesus began to do something when came down to earth as a baby, grew up, at 30 began preaching, teaching, doing miracles, and then went to Jerusalem to die. He began to do something. Then what?
“Until the day, when he was taken up, after he had given commands to the Holy Spirit to the apostles whom he had chosen.” So what we get here is a summary. The first book, the gospel of Luke is about what Jesus began to do in his ministry, and the second book, Acts, is about what he continued to do after he was “taken up.”

The Resurrection

Last week we we ended with Jesus going to Jersusalem and dying. It was our second sermon in our quasi-trinitarian series, last week looking at the work of the Son. This week we begin with Jesus rising from the dead and sending out the church, which is the work of the God’s Holy Spirit.

Romans 1:4 says, “(Jesus) was declared to be the Son of God in power according to the Spirit of holiness by his resurrection from the dead.” So let’s pick up the story where we left off and then move to talking about the work of the third person of the trinity in raising Jesus from the dead.

Jesus has been ministering to people for three straight years. Teaching them about the kingdom of God, performing miracles, challenging the religious leaders of the day and then he tells the disciples that he is going to go to Jerusalem and die. His followers think he is the promised prophesied Messiah, and think perhaps Jesus is just having a moment of weakness in thinking he might die…so Peter tells him no way man, we’ll fight, we’re with you. And Jesus turns and calls him Satan, tells him that he is going to Jersusalem to die because he is on a mission to give his life as a ransom for many and that when he does a church will be built and the gates of hell will not be able to defeat it.

Jesus enters Jerusalem, he comes in as a king, riding on donkey walking over palm branches since he is royalty, they’re worshipping him, calling out Hosanna, Hosanna, blessed is the name of the Lord. The whole city is turned in an uproar. It’s not long before both the Roman authorities and the Jewish religious leaders come to arrest him.

But this Jesus shows that no one is going to arrest him unless he allows it. When they come he speaks his name and at the sound they all fall backwards on the ground. Peter gets all excited and cuts off some dude’s ear, so Jesus heals it and says he doesn’t need anyone to fight for him because he is God and could command a legion of angels to come down and wipe out the entire planet if he wanted to by just speaking a word. So Jesus let’s the soliders take him in, where he is questioned by Pilate, who after talking to Jesus gets scared because Jesus said he was the king of God’s kingdom, the son of God, the very one giving Pilate his authority. Pilate doesn’t know what to do…but eventually his fear of losing his job outweighed his fear of Jesus and so he lets him be crucified.

Jesus is beaten up, mocked, taken up to hill, nailed to a cross where he hangs for hours and hours having to lift himself up on the nails to take a breath…until he finally gives up and dies and a solider takes a spear and pierces his side.

Here is what happens next. All his followers go into hiding. All the sudden they are no longer following the next new king who is going to topple Rome and lead Israel into a time of victory and prosperity…but now they are part of a revolt, a rebellion, so they go into hiding fearing they are going to be killed next.

Listen to John 20:19-20 “On the evening of that day (three days after Jesus died), the first day of the week (notice the historical documentation), the doors being locked where the disciples were for fear of the Jews, Jesus came and stood among them and said to them, “Peace be with you.” When he had said this, he showed them his hand and his side. Then the disciples were glad when they saw the Lord.” I love that phrase, they “were glad when they saw the Lord.” That is the joy of Easter…Jesus risen from the dead.

Let’s go back our passage in Acts. Look at verse 3, “To them he presented himself alive after his suffering by many proofs, appearing to them during forty days and speaking about the kingdom of God.” Notice a couple things with me. Notice the word “proofs.” The greek word is tekmerian. It means signs, evidences, criteria of certainty. Proof was something familiar in that day as well as ours. Contemporaries like Erasmus and Aristotle used this word, tekmerian, to present their arguments.

Notice here it says he gave proof for forty days appearing several times. In 1 Corinthians 15 it says he appeared to over 500 people at one time, and says that at that time, most of them are still alive, so go ask them! Proof. Last year on Easter I went through all the arguments and evidences for and against the resurrection. It was a whole sermon on proof. And the proof is important because the Bible is very clear that if Jesus did not rise from the dead then, Christianity is a hoax, it is in vain, a useless teaching, a false gospel.

Luke is a doctor so he is very concerned about the evidence. At the beginning of his gospel he says he got his material from “those who from the beginning were eyewitnesses” and Luke says he wanted “to write an orderly account…so that (we would) have certainty concerning (these) things (Lk 1:2,4).”

Proof, Christiniaty is a religion built on courtroom, lawyer like, proof. That is why it is so offensive. Because no other religion claims to have proof. It is all merely your personal experience. But if you take it to the level of proof then you don’t leave the person a way out. It is either true or false. Either all the appearances, and physical examinations, and the 500 plus number of people who could testify in court that they all were not hallucinating…either it convinces you, the jury, or it doesn’t. It either really happened in history or it didn’t.

Several times Jesus appears, to encourage his followers, so that there could be no doubt, so that their conviction would not rest on a single experience and so that now they would listen to him as he gives orders for their mission. If Jesus only appeared once it might be suspicious and there may have not been enough conviction to set off the start of his church.

This is where the church begins, where any faith begins, on reason, on the evidence for Jesus’ resurrection from the dead. And if it is not the reason then we need to adjust something. We can’t follow a Jesus that we make up in our head. We have to put ourselves in the first century and read this book and despertly try to think about what it means to follow and belive in this Jesus. So ask yourself a question. If you believe, why do you believe?

I am afraid that too many of us have yet to come to grips with what real faith is, which is why people, like some of my friends at work or like the ones last night at this party I was at, why they think or define faith merely as “wishful thinking that just what works for you in your experience.” What is faith to you? Is it just what feels good or a crutch to meet your needs? Or is something rooted and grounded in history! Something that can plant your feet into the ground and hold you though the wind blows and causes you to sway. Are you convinced that Jesus rose from the dead!

Biblical faith begins with reason, being convinced in your mind. And then when you are convinced it will keep you and hold you when it seems there is nothing to hold on to. I’ve had points in my life where I wanted to give up on everything…but I knew too much. I’ve been too convinced. I know Jesus is real and that he died and rose. And that changes everything.

The Mission

It changes what we live for. The more you are convinced of Jesus’ resurrection the more you will get wrapped up in Jesus mission, which is where the rest of our passage in Acts turns. There is an intimate connection between resurrection and mission. Mission begins at resurrection. Let’s read about it. (read verse 4-8)

Look at the question the disciples ask Jesus, this is huge. “Lord, will you at this time restore the kingdom to Israel?” What were they asking? What do you think? All of the twelve apostles are Jews. What do is they are wondering? Remember Peter, ready to fight when Jesus said he was going to build his church. It’s almost an understandable question. Jesus rose from the dead. So neither the Roman authorties or Jewish leaders could stop Jesus. He’s undefeatable. What they are asking is, “Now do we fight? Now does Israel get its glory back?”

What happens next is probably one of the most radical shifts that you will ever read in the whole Bible, because after Jesus responds to this question and ascends into the air, the disciples finally get it. All three years of Jesus teaching clicks and makes sense and so they go pray for ten days and start the church on the Jewish festival of Pentecost.

So let’s look at what Jesus says and then look what happens…the things that finally cause it all to click for the disciples. Jesus says, “It is not for you to know the times or seasons that the Father has fixed by his own authority.” So first, Jesus doesn’t say there isn’t a time when he will show his full power and glory to all and set up his physical kingdom for all to see and surrender to. He doesn’t deny that. Instead he says, that’s a little further off boys. There are some things we got to do first. It’s kind of funny. They’re like now can we stop looking stupid and prove to everyone that you’re the king of the universe? And Jesus is like yeah, yeah, we will we will, just wait.

There’s mission first. “You will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes upon you and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea, and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.” This is such an important statement. Jesus, says they will not be alone, but be empowered by his Spirit, so he will be with them not physically present so that they can see Jesus with their eyes, but Jesus will leave his spirit to encourage and purify and effect and excite their hearts to lead them.

Then he says, they are going to be witnesses. So he calls all his followers to be missionaries. Which means that everyone today who wants to follow Jesus automaticallly gets called to missionary work. And there are three elements to this missionary work.

One, it’s isn’t about one nation. The whole Israel thing…Jesus debunks it right here. Instead of political ambition, Jesus makes it clear that his mission is not ethnocentric. Here he purges the gospel of any nationalistic Jewish hope for governmental independence. Instead, the call is to be witnesses to the rest of the world. Which is what Israel was to be all along. Isaiah 49:6 says, “I have made you a light until the gentiles that you might bring my salvation to the ends of the earth.”

So now a change occurs. The light is no longer a central point that others will come to, but is now a light being taken out. It’s a shift from centripetal mission to centrifugal, to use some big words. Before witness, was by how different you would be, people would see your difference and be attracted by that and come. Now witness is not by how different you are but by how embracing you are and yet talking about Jesus. So rather than fight different cultures Jesus says here to embrace them.

Look at it closer. Jerusalem, Judea, Samaria, and the ends of the earth. So first it is a geographical thing. If you look on a map, these are like concetric circles getting bigger and bigger. It’s like saying, San Diego, California, USA and the world. So that’s the first thing…that the gospel of Jesus would progressively go out acrross all the geographical regions of the world.

Second, what happens as you travel further and further away from your home community? You encounter different cultures right? Samaria is a good example. Jews did not like Samaritans. Samaritans didn’t worship in Jerusalem in the temple but out on a different mountain. Jews thought they were barbaric and called them dogs. Samaria was a different culture. With a different set of ideas, political ideas, spiritual beliefs, style of art and dress, and possibly even color of skin, and probably a little different dialect of the common language. A different culture.

So there are three things in this verse: a going out, a geographical distance, and a cultural crossing. This third element, the cultural cross is where we are today. The gospel has gone and needs to continue to go out. But it has already covered all geographical regions. What is left is culture groups. This is what Jesus was talking about when he said that the gospel must first be preaches to all ethnos(es), all peoples or people groups and then the end will come (Mt 24:14). It is estimated that here are as many as 12,000 distinct cultural groups around the world that have no church in their language and culture, not to mention all the sort of mini-cultural groups within our cities that are being ignored by a white, western, heterosexual society.

You see, culture is supposed to be like a funnel or a filter that the gospel goes through and then how we “witness” and do church should be formed by the things present in that funnel or filter. So I sat down and made a small list of some things unique to our culture here in San Diego, things that make our culture unique: good-looking people, leisure/play/vacation spot, density and diversity, religious heritage (lapsed into liberalism and moralism), military spot, and money spot (outdoor malls). We need to think hard as a church about what some of the cultural things are in our groups of friend or elsewhere that we can embrace and build bridges through for the gospel.

The Ascenion

Well, let’s finish the story (read v9-12). So the disciples are just kind of staring into the sky, bewildered. It’s described as a physical event they see with their eyes. I think that is important, because if Jesus had just vanished away secretly probably a lot of people would have doubted what became of him. It is also interesting because that is how in many places the Bible says Jesus will return…coming down in the sky in a cloud full of power and glory, in the sound of trumpt, and everyone from the four corners of the earth will see and hear him and he will set up his kingdom.

There are these two “men in white” there. That they are in white is a literary device to say they are angels. And it is interesting what they say. I wonder how long the disciples were just starting? Maybe they were there a really long time and that’s why God had to send these angels. But the angels say to them, in a kind of condescending tone, like the disciples should know better know…but they say, “Why do you stand looking into heaven? This Jesus, who was taken up from you into heaven, will come in the same was as you saw him go.”

The angels call back the disciples from wanting the carnal presence as if to urge them to go get on mission. They essentially tell them to quit wasting time and to get busy. And that is what they do, they go to Jerusalem and start praying and ten days later Peter starts preaching.

Conclusion

Okay, let’s conclude with some application. First, are you convinced Jesus rose from the dead? If you’re not, that’s okay…it’s better to wait and think it out and count the cost. But you’ve got to look into it, because you are not really a Christian until you become sure of that. If you grew up never really knowing or thinking about the resurrection of Jesus, it is supposed to first at the forefront, so adjust your thinking a little and let your worldview be shaped by the risen Lord and Savior.

Second, what difference does it make? Do you see the gospel merely as an entrance into heaven, some obstacle to get into heaven? I joke about the card to get into heaven but I heard it last night. This guy said his dad was Jewish, his mom was Catholic, and his brother is Buddhist…so he had all the bases covered. When he gets to heaven he’ll just pull out his card and ask Jesus if any of those work.

Ask yourself honestly, do you hear the word “gospel” and think of it merely as an entrance into heaven or is it the life beat of your heart? Are you constantly being changed by the gospel? Seeing your sin and repenting and embracing the savior and building a life on him and growing and maturing in Christ? Or is Jesus just what you believe when it comes to spirituality or religion? Do you guys see that there is a difference. Jesus is not interested in just being your religious belief! Jesus is the resurrected king and our lives are supposed to revolve around him.

I was out on a date with Amy the other night and I asked her what difference it made to her whether or not Jesus rose from the dead. I had been working on my sermon all week and wrestling with it and in one sentence she totally cleared away all the junk and cut right to the core of the issue. She said, like I should have known, and I should have…she said, well, if Jesus didn’t rise from the dead then he is dead and there is no reason for any hope or strength at all in this life. Everything is just really sad then. Do you guys get that? If there is no God and there is no Jesus and if Jesus is dead, then this life, this world, your life…is meaningless and all we can do is try and cope until we die.

How about mission? The title of my sermon today is risen mission. I titled it that because the direct effect of being convinced that Jesus rose from the dead is to go on mission and find ways to tell others about it. Mission begins at resurrection. Jesus rises and gives one last command, go on mission, go be my witnesses. So here is the question, are you on mission. Who are you befriending that you are telling about Jesus. How are you going out? Out of your comfort zone, out to people who are not like you or even people you don’t like? What effort are you making for the mission of Jesus? How are you contributing to the mission of his church here at The Resolved? Here is the inverse. If mission begins with Jesus then what if you are not on mission? Do you really know Jesus?

How do you get on mission? You start serving. You get involved. You connect with other people who are pursuing Jesus and you talk about it together. Like this mid-week group starting up this week at Brian Gibbs’ house. You need to be part of something like that. No one person is strong enough spiritually to make it in this city alone. Do whatever it takes…if that means not working on Wednesday night or not taking a class on that night. Community is a must for us. Otherwise mission will lapse into non-mission or the longshot of you bringing a friend to sunday service where hopefully like magic something will happen and they will leave a Christian. It doesn’t work like that. We have to invite people into our lives and show them how the story of Jesus has effected our story and now we are all about his mission to build a glory driven, gospel centered, city within the city.

This is who we are as The Resolved Church. We are part of the Acts 29 Church Planting Network. There are only 28 chapters in the book of Acts. The reason our network is called Acts 29 is because the book of Acts ends abruptly before the gospel goes out to the ends of the earth. Acts 29 is the mission at work. The book of Acts is about how the gospel story becomes the church’s story as it crosses geographical and cultural bounds. We are about mission, about embracing the cutlure around us, enjoying it, loving it, and presenting the gospel of Jesus in and through the filter of culture. We are a church plant. Let’s plant a church that is passionate about the glory of God revealed in the person and work of Jesus which enables us to build a gospel city within the city of San Diego.

Let’s pray.