iChurch: The Ascension
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INTRODUCTION
INTRODUCTION
ME: I remember when my father was sick in the hospital they said that he had heart disease. Nothing the Dr. had to say sounded good. Especially the part when he said your family should starting making preparations. I still remember my last conversation with my dad. They ended with him saying “Be strong Scott, for you are about to become the man of the house. At 16 years old it made me grow up a lot of faster than I wanted to.
WE: I imagine we have found ourselves in similiar situations. Times when we have to prepare for whats next. Maybe it was graduation, college, a wedding, a baby, or retirement. So for all of us we have something next. A new normal
GOD:
Interestingly enough, we see Jesus in the book of Acts preparing his disciples by passing down the torch to them to continue His ministry on earth.
Jesus fulfilled the the mission he had from the Father. To be born, live a perfect life, go to the cross and die for our sins, be resurrected, and then be seated at the right hand of the father in heaven so we can recieve His Holy Spirit and be empowered to live like him and carry on his work on earth.
Lets read Acts 1:6-11...
6 Then they gathered around him and asked him, “Lord, are you at this time going to restore the kingdom to Israel?”
7 He said to them: “It is not for you to know the times or dates the Father has set by his own authority.
8 But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you; and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.”
9 After he said this, he was taken up before their very eyes, and a cloud hid him from their sight.
10 They were looking intently up into the sky as he was going, when suddenly two men dressed in white stood beside them.
11 “Men of Galilee,” they said, “why do you stand here looking into the sky? This same Jesus, who has been taken from you into heaven, will come back in the same way you have seen him go into heaven.”
The promise: you shall receive
Are you going to restore the Kingdom?
Jesus tells the disciples to wait in Jerusalem for the coming of the Holy Spirit. They respond with a question “At this time are you going to restore the kingdom”? They were so missing the point here.
The kingdom of God isn’t just a geographical area, rather it’s a recognition of the authority of God that began with the ministry of Jesus. Remember even when he was teaching them to pray he said “on earth as it is in heaven, let your kingdom come”.
Now authority and power are not the same thing. Authority acts as a key. It is what we use for the transfer of an inheritance.
300 Quotations for Preachers Christ Represents Us, We Represent Him
Christ has taken our nature into heaven, to represent us; and has left us on earth, with his nature, to represent him.
JOHN NEWTON
The power: But you will receive power
Now get this, here is Jesus who is asked a question and he basically responds by saying it’s none of your business. Jesus follows that up though by saying “but you will receive power”
We know after this. they turned from cowards hidden in a room to courage carriers of the gospel. They had a new boldness to proclaim the gospel and were empowered to serve.
Today many people are comfortable with just keeping their pews warm.
So how do we release this power God has given us and carry that mantle of mission?
We need to have an eagerness instead of an excuse. To exercise Gods power in our lives we need to know that he can come back at any second. Every day that passes by is just one day closer where our unbelieving family and friends are closer to spending an eternity in hell!
Another way we release Gods power is openness to what he has for us. Serving God whenever there is an opportunity inside and outside of the church and be willing to step outside of our comfort zone by serving in areas we never had or doing things we have never done by simply walking across the room and sharing what God is doing with someone. We need to take action and initiative.
I think about John Wesley who traveled 250,000 miles on horseback, averaging twenty miles a day for forty years; preached 4,000 sermons; produced 400 books; knew ten languages. At eighty-three he was annoyed that he could not write more than fifteen hours a day without hurting his eyes, and at eighty-six he was ashamed he could not preach more than twice a day. He complained in his diary that there was an increasing tendency to lie in bed until 5:30 in the morning. Now this is a man who took action and initiative even at the end of his life.
The purpose: You will be my Witnesses
In our texts it says that when we receive this power “we will be his Witnesses in Jerusalem, Judea, and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth”
It doesnt say you might, or its an option but that you will. Witnessing is something that is a natural response to someone who has encountered Christ. They don’t have to be asked to do it or memorize a method such as Romans road or evangelism explosion but its a burning desire within their hearts to make Christ known and to Exalt Him.
When we sing “we exalt you” this is where we picture God sitting on the throne of our heart.
There will be a lot of things we will be able to do in heaven but, there is one thing we wont be able to do.
there will be no soul winning
There is one thing that we wont regret when we face the judgment seat of Christ.
We wont regret the time spent in trying to be a soul winner
The plan: The Ascension
Waiting for God takes an active faith. When we are passed the mantle in life we are expected to take over the work whether its a new job or any other situation we arent expected to just stand there dazed or confused but we are expected to get to work.
A gentle Rebuke “Why you stand here looking into the sky”
Now we see that it says they were looking “intently” which means they were paying close attention and stairing. Now I probably would of been doing the same thing if someone just floated up in the clouds.
In the book of James it uses similiar language and says “But whoever looks intently into the perfect law that gives freedom,and continues in it—not forgetting what they have heard, but doing it—they will be blessed in what they do.”
We see here the written word(the bible) giving witness to the living word(Jesus)
Now when we look at something intently in means we are doing it with intention and on purpose.
In other words it isnt an accident. Hebrews 12:2 says “fix your eyes on Jesus and also we hear the psalmist say lift up your head, where does your help come from, it comes from the Lord!
The same Jesus “This Same Jesus”
Next, the witnesses describe Him as “this same Jesus. Now He is the same yesterday, today, and forever. He is the same God who healed the sick, restored the sight to the blind, made the lame walk, the dead rise, who he himself went to the cross died for our sins and was raised from the grave and seated at the right hand of the father in glory.
He wants people to repent of their sin everywhere. Repentance is two fold. It is turning from your sin and turning to God for forgiveness. God is still able to save. He is still able to redeem if you just come to HIM.
What goes up must come down “will come back in the same way”
Also, the witnesses say that he will come back the same way he left. There is a day that he will come back again. There will be a day where there will be no more tears no more sorrow and no more pain and what a glorious day that will be. What will he say to you? Away from me for I never knew you and well done good and faithful servant?
Conclusion
Conclusion
We go through challenges in life. People leave us, we leave people, we lose our job, we find a new job. It is through these transitions that we find out what we are made out of. Will we bend or break. Will we fall or follow through.
You have a choice to continue and go through the motions and do what you have always done or you can embrace Christ daily and die to yourself and experience life, joy and peace in Him.
Don’t waste your life because we only get one shot, one opportunity to really make it matter.