It's all About Jesus - Live Expectantly Week 1

Justin Ashurst

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Welcome/Intro

We are beginning a new series today called:

“Live Expectantly” - The Story of the Church Then and Now

And the big idea is this:

The clearest picture of the church we have is the book of Acts and the question is what is normative for the church based on what we read in New Testament?

How should we expect God to be moving today in his church?

I’ve become more convinced in the last couple years the church of today should / and can / look a lot more of what we see in the New Testament.

Afterall, we have the same mission, we have the same power, we have the same Lord and Savior.

We are going to take the next number of weeks and peer into the book of Acts and ask the question:

What was for then and what is for now?

As we journey together through this series I’m increasingly convinced that as the church,

we ought to live more expectantly of God to move in our lives and

that we are called to be a more new testament kind of church.

Today

Today we start the series with the main point: Jesus

It’s all about Jesus.

Jesus is the Beginning, Middle and End

He is the alpha and the omega

He is the author and perfector of our faith (Heb 12:2)

The orginator and the completer

The foundation and the finisher

Jesus is the reason for it all

So let me start with a story

Story - Submarine Life

When I was in the Navy living on a submarine, life became very monotonous at times.

We’d have the every day tasks of:

Log taking, training, ongoing maintenance, drills, coming to periscope depht.

It was easy in the midst of every tasks and responsibilities to lose sight of the mission.

To lose sight of why we were doing all the things we are doing.

You can then begin to lose heart

When we lose sight of ‘the why’ we begin to drift and get distracted.

Every so often an Admiral or Higher up would come and talk to the crew.

He would remind us of the big picture

He would tell stories

He would remind us of the ‘why’

that we were keeping ‘evil at bay’ through the mission of strategic deterrence.

that is by our very presence we would keep darkness at bay

That made all the difference.

that would envirogate our souls and motivate us to keep on with the mission.

and see the purpose behind these everyday tasks we were doing

Connection

So often this is true of the church.

So easily our gaze can be drawn down off of Jesus and the Grand Story that he is writing and we get lost in our everyday tasks and responsibilities.

We may lose hope that what we are doing matters.

We may lose motivation to keep on following God

We may begin to look for other things for meaning, purpose and fulfillment.

God wrote the Bible and came as Jesus so that we would be reminded of the Big Picture — The Why

the grand narrataive that is playing out

and so that we might have our hope, our motivation and our mission renewed to be a part of God’s Story.

When we remember the ‘why’ — it restores our reason, our purpose and our passion.

Bible

We are going to begin our story in Acts 1:1-8 .

I’d encourage you to go there in your Bibles.

The Big Idea:

What Jesus began, we are called to finish, because God is writing the story

My name is Justin, Pastor of One Hope Church

Good to be here with you.

Let’s pray.

Pray

Luke 4:18–21 (ESV)

18 “The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he has anointed me to proclaim good news to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim liberty to the captives and recovering of sight to the blind, to set at liberty those who are oppressed, 19 to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor.” 20 And he rolled up the scroll and gave it back to the attendant and sat down. And the eyes of all in the synagogue were fixed on him. 21 And he began to say to them, “Today this Scripture has been fulfilled in your hearing.”

I. There is a Story

The first point is this: There is a Story playing out.

It is both already written and actively being written

Let’s look at Acts 1:1-5

Acts 1:1–5 (ESV)

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.”

Underline “all that Jesus began to do and teach”

This is important

It means we are in the middle of a story.

Jesus began something, but it is not yet completed.

They are instructe to wait for the “promise of the Father”

1. All the Jesus Began

Of course, this is talking about the book of Luke.

Acts is part two of a two part work both written by Luke.

But there is actually a part 3 of the story as well.

Part 3 of the story of Jesus is of course, the book of Revelation.

You ever thought about that?

[1st Image]

Look at this. — dont’ take this too far

But I want you to see that story of the church is both already written and actively being written.

What Jesus began = The Gospel Accounts

What Jesus continues through the Church = The book of Acts

The completion of the story is the book of Revelation.

And inbetween Acts and Revelation (actually there’s overlap)

you have these things called Epistles — They are Letters written to the churches that were birthed in the book of Acts.

If you were to set those on a timeline, I think it would look like this:

[2nd Image]

You can see the overlap here.

I think Revelation spans the whole of the Church Age from Jesus Birth (1st coming) to His second coming.

Where are we? — somewhere post epistles — in the Revelation timeline.

My Point:

My point is there is a story being written, in fact it’a already written and being written

It is the grandest of all stories

And you are I are a part of it — as the Church of Jesus Christ — we play a central role to the unfolding of history.

isn’t that amazing to think about.

It gives meaning, purpose and direction to our lives

We are caught up into HIS-STORY

Our stories only make sense as a part of His story.

His Story gives our stories meaning, purpose.

What about the OT?

Now of course, the New Testament is the continuation of the Old Testament.

But the main point — the center of it all is Jesus Christ.

He is the beginning, middle and end — He is the Alpha and the Omega.

He is the fullfillment of the OT — both in his first and second coming.

Look at how Luke ends his first book, the Gospel of Luke.

Luke 24:44 (ESV)

44 Then he [Jesus] said to them [His disciples],

“These are my words that I spoke to you while I was still with you, that everything written about me in the Law of Moses and the Prophets and the Psalms must be fulfilled.”

Luke 24:45–49 (ESV)

45 Then he opened their minds to understand the Scriptures, 46 and said to them, “Thus it is written, that the Christ should suffer and on the third day rise from the dead, 47 and that repentance for the forgiveness of sins should be proclaimed in his name to all nations, beginning from Jerusalem. 48 You are witnesses of these things. 49 And behold, I am sending the promise of my Father upon you. But stay in the city until you are clothed with power from on high.”

Matthew 5:17 (ESV) 17 “Do not think that I have come to abolish the Law or the Prophets; I have not come to abolish them but to fulfill them.

Jesus is the 2nd Adam

He is the better Moses

He is the better David

The OT was all pointing forward to Jesus

and it still is.

In the Book of Revelation

The multitudes upon multitudes are surrouding the throne of God and of the Lamb (Jesus)

We will spend eternity in the glories of heaven and in the presence of God himself.

The Grand Narrative

This is the grand narrative of Scripture

It began in a garden in the presence of God — As God walked in the Garden of Eden (paradise) possibly in the preincarnate form of Jesus

And it ends in a new heavens and new earth in the presence of God with a Resurrected, albeit, scarred, Jesus Christ.

God’s Goal — His purpose — is to redeem a people for himself by the blood of the lamb.

that We might be His People and He might be Our God.

This is what you and I have been caught up into

This is what informs every area of our life.

It’s a rescue mission yes — but more than that it’s an invasion

WE LOVE STORIES

We all long to be a part of something magnificent in scope

It’s why we love stories so much.

It’s why movies, mini-series and books are a multi-billion dollar business.

US - $700 Billion, Globally - $2.2 Trillion

Streaming: 4 out of 5 people using the internet are watching some form of Video.

We love stories, We long for stories b/c it is what we were made for.

and we are a part of the Grandest of all stories.

II. It’s all about Jesus

All of human history runs through the railroad house that is Jesus.

He is our Lord, our Savior, Our Redeemer, Our Rock, Our Shield, Our fortress, Our Righteous Clothing

He is the one who will be worshipped forever and end ever.

What Jesus Began

What Jesus began, we are called to finish.

What did Jesus begin?

God’s redemptive plan for his people.

Jesus came ushering in the Future Kingdom of God into the present Kingdom of Darkness.

Jesus is the key, He is the door into the pastures of God

He is the lamb of God, sacrified for our sin, that we might be forgiven.

Jesus is the resurrected Lord, the first fruits, that we might be resurrected in Him.

We are literally a new creation (2 Cor 5:17)

Jesus began this great rescue mission, but it’s more than that --

It is an INVASION

it is an all out assault on the Kingdoms of this World

such that the ‘gates of hell will not prevail’

Did you know that the Kingdom of God has been advancing for the last 2000 years?

It has grown larger and larger

Of course, so has the world’s population

We have the same mission

You and I have been saved, redeemed, set free

but not just to lounge around

we’ve been enlisted into a spiritual war.

We are like the 54th Massachusetts

Illustration: The 54th Massachusetts

Early in February 1863, the abolitionist Governor John A. Andrew of Massachusetts issued the Civil War’s first official call for Black soldiers.

More than 1,000 men responded.

They formed the 54th Massachusetts Infantry Regiment, the first Black regiment to be raised in the North.

Many of the 54th soldiers did not even come from Massachusetts:

one-quarter came from slave states, and some came from as far away as Canada and the Caribbean.

The End

Of course, we know the end of the story as well.

It’s this:

Jesus Wins!

There’s a lot of hard stuff in the Book of Revealtion

Also in Matt 23-25.

It’s going to be difficult in the years to come.

“How long Oh Lord” is a constant refrain in the book of Revelation.

But here’s the good news

Jesus Wins

In the end, all sin will be paid for

Jesus will be victorious over all the forces of darkness

He will heal all things.

Revelation 22:12–15 (ESV)

12 “Behold, I am coming soon, bringing my recompense with me, to repay each one for what he has done. 13 I am the Alpha and the Omega, the first and the last, the beginning and the end.”

14 Blessed are those who wash their robes, so that they may have the right to the tree of life and that they may enter the city by the gates. [Gospel — Repent and Believe]

15 Outside are the dogs and sorcerers and the sexually immoral and murderers and idolaters, and everyone who loves and practices falsehood.

In Christ, we will be victorious.

And this is important to remember when life is hard.

When we experience brokenness, suffering, frustration, persecution

In the end, we will overcome because Jesus overcame.

Illustration:

Me watching football games now

This is always important to remember becuase:

What Jesus began, we are called to finish

And if they persecuted Jesus they will persecute us.

III. Finish the Task

Acts 1:1–8 (ESV)

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?”

They have some understanding of the End — Jesus will come and Fully Restore the Kingdom of God one day.

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.”

What Jesus began, we are called to finish.

What is that?

To finish writing the story

to take the message of the gospel of the King and the Kingdom of God to the ends of the earth.

In fact, Jesus teaches in Matt 24:14

Matthew 24:14 (ESV)

14 And this gospel of the kingdom will be proclaimed throughout the whole world as a testimony to all nations, and then the end will come.

There are many ministries right here in Orlando, many of you are a part of that, to bring the message of the gospel to all the nations.

But the how is what is so important.

He says “wait for the promise of the Father” (Acts 1:4, Luke 24:49)

Which of course is the Holy Spirit

It’s only after the Holy Spirit comes that they / we / can be his witnesses.

This ‘promise’ of the father is what John 13-17 was all about.

It’s the true power for life and ministry by the presence of God himself.

Point: We are the Body of Christ

Here’s my point.

What Jesus began to do in his incarnate form — his physical body on earth.

We continue to do as the church — his phyiscal body on earth.

This is a profound truth and it is the secret to a life of power, passion and the presence of God.

We are Christ’s physical presence on earth today

The Spirit of Christ has taken up residence in us such that Christ himself lives in us.

Galatians 2:20 (ESV)

20 I have been crucified with Christ. It is no longer I who live, but Christ who lives in me. And the life I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me.

Ex) Paul’s Conversion

Look at what Jesus says to Paul in his dramatic conversion:

Acts 9:4–5 (ESV)

4 And falling to the ground, he heard a voice saying to him, “Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting me?” 5 And he said, “Who are you, Lord?” And he said, “I am Jesus, whom you are persecuting.

How was Paul persecuted Jesus? “why are you persecuting me?”

Acts 8:3 (ESV)

3 But Saul was ravaging the church, and entering house after house, he dragged off men and women and committed them to prison.

Acts 9:1–2 (ESV)

1 But Saul, still breathing threats and murder against the disciples of the Lord, went to the high priest 2 and asked him for letters to the synagogues at Damascus, so that if he found any belonging to the Way, men or women, he might bring them bound to Jerusalem.

B/C Jesus so identifies with his Church, he literally lives inside of them, so that when Saul is persecuting the Church he is persecuted Christ Himself.

We are the Church — the Body of Christ

This is the Story of the Church — of the Body of Christ — Of Jesus himself today.

This changes everything.

It’s whay Jesus said it was to your advantage that I go so that the Father will send the Holy Spirit to dwell insdie of you. (John 16:7)

What if we really started to believe this?

That you and I were literally Jesus arms and feet

His reach into a dark and broken world

What if the Bible is really true?

that in some sense, we are Christ’s physical presence on earth right now — as His Body

The Body of Christ — it’s not just a metaphor.

Conclusion

We are the body of Christ — Christ is the head.

he is our authority

our source of power

our source of direcion and instruction

He is the ‘brains’ of this operation called the church.

So what?

God is writing a story and it is the grandest story of all.

We, as the Church, are caught up into it.

Jesus is the center of the Story - He is the beginning, middle and end.

He is the messiah, he is the message, he is the method and he is the means.

What Jesus began, we are called to finish...

as the Body of Christ filled with the Spirit of Christ.

This is what began in the book of Acts continues into our own day

it is the beginning of the story of the Church.

In the coming weeks we are going to look at the church and ask question of the text.

What is for then? What is for now?

What does it mean for us to live expectantly that God is going to move?

Closing Questions:

Let me leave you with a couple questions to ponder and then I want to share a story with you.

If we are part of the greatest and grandest story every told: (if everything I said is true)

General: Where have we looked to lesser stories (movies, entertainment) more for hope, meaning and fulfillment than the Greatest Story?

Self: Where has your gaze drifted off of Jesus and the story he is writing for you?

where have you focused on circumstance more than the Savior?

What would it look like to re-focus on Jesus?

Others: Where have you eyes drifted off of Jesus and the story he is writing for others?

Your kids, your friends, your families

The broken, the poor the helpless and hopeless around us.

We actually can recieve the story that God has for you. Let him redeem it, renew it, restore it.

We actually ge to co-write this story with God in partnship with Him.

Closing Story

What does it look like when a person really buys into and recieves their story as part of God’s larger story?

In honor of black history month I wanted to share a story with you — one of the great african amercian women of faith.

[Video of Harriet Tubman]

Now what that clip didn’t share was that:

It the story of the power of one life submitted to God’s story for her.

Harriet Tubman

Short

She was born into slavery in Maryland in the early 1820s, and was christened Araminta Ross by her parents, Harriet and Benjamin Ross, but later decided to go by her mother’s first name.

Harriet was a devout Christian, raised in the Methodist Church. She never learned to read or write but gleaned wisdom from a young age by learning Bible stories and memorizing long passages of Scripture. She often drew on Scriptures in her public talks and conversations with people.(Soulshpeherding)

She grew up during the Second Great Awakening, which was a Protestant religious revival in the United States. Preachers took the gospel of evangelical Christianity from place to place, and church membership flourished. Christians at this time believed that they needed to reform America in order to usher in Christ’s second coming.(ColState)

Her time as a slave was spent being hired out to do housework and later, physical labor outdoors.

At fourteen, during an attempt to protect a slave who was running from his master, she was hit in the head by a large weight.

The resulting concussion caused Harriet to experience sudden sleeping spells for the rest of her life, but it may have also been the beginning of a deepening relationship with God.

She “began having visions and speaking with God on a [regular] basis, as directly and pragmatically as if he were a guardian uncle whispering instructions exclusively to her and in the most concrete terms about what to do and not do, where to go and not go.”¹

With the help of the Underground Railroad, she was able to make her way to Philadelphia and freedom.

However, Harriet was not content to enjoy her freedom on her own and longed for others to be free as well. In 1850, she made the first of what would be approximately thirteen trips back into slave territory for the purpose of guiding others to freedom.

Harriet felt like her role in the Underground Railroad was a commandment she had been given from God.

“The Lord told me to do this. I said, ‘Oh Lord, I can’t—don’t ask me—take somebody else.’” But Harriet also reported that God spoke directly to her: “It’s you I want, Harriet Tubman.”3

For ten years Harriet would work tirelessly as a guide, helping around seventy [many] people, including her own mother and father, make it to freedom.

Harriet’s testimony of God’s care for her was that she would only go where He sent her and that He would keep her safe throughout her journeys.5

The power of Harriet Tubman’s life was rooted in her constant communion and intimacy with Jesus through the Holy Spirit as she fought against injustice and served others.

As someone testified about her, “Her relations with the Deity were personal, even intimate, though respectful on her part. He always addressed her as Araminta…”6

Harriet Tubman lived a life of intimacy with Jesus and wisdom that empowered her to accomplish the tasks set before her.

The abolitionist Thomas Garrett once said about Tubman,

I never met with any person, of any color, who had more confidence in the voice of God, as spoken direct to her soul. She frequently told me that she talked with God, and he talked to her every day of her life . . . she said she ventured only where God sent her, and her faith in [GOD] was truly great. (TGC)

This is a remarkale life

What can happen when we let our stories be absorbed into His-story

And develop an intimate friendship with the King of all Creation.

Let him write our stories.

FULL

Harriet Tubman (182?–1913), known for her role in leading dozens of slaves out of the South to freedom, succeeded in her work through trust in the Lord and a steadfast life of prayer.

She was born into slavery in Maryland in the early 1820s, and was christened Araminta Ross by her parents, Harriet and Benjamin Ross, but later decided to go by her mother’s first name.

Her time as a slave was spent being hired out to do housework and later, physical labor outdoors.

At fourteen, during an attempt to protect a slave who was running from his master, she was hit in the head by a large weight.

The resulting concussion caused Harriet to experience sudden sleeping spells for the rest of her life, but it may have also been the beginning of a deepening relationship with God. She “began having visions and speaking with God on a [regular] basis, as directly and pragmatically as if he were a guardian uncle whispering instructions exclusively to her and in the most concrete terms about what to do and not do, where to go and not go.”¹

Harriet had a dream in her heart: to be free from slavery. She married John Tubman, a free black man, in 1844, but it wasn’t until 1849 that she felt the time was right to escape.

“When I think of all the groans and tears and prayers I’ve heard on plantations, and remember that God is a prayer-hearing God, I feel that his time is drawing near. He gave me my strength, and he set the North Star in the heavens; he meant I should be free.”2

With the help of the Underground Railroad, she was able to make her way to Philadelphia and freedom. However, Harriet was not content to enjoy her freedom on her own and longed for others to be free as well. In 1850, she made the first of what would be approximately thirteen trips back into slave territory for the purpose of guiding others to freedom.

Harriet felt like her role in the Underground Railroad was a commandment she had been given from God.

For ten years Harriet would work tirelessly as a guide, helping around seventy [many] people, including her own mother and father, make it to freedom.

As Harriet would recount stories of rescue after rescue, stories filled with suspense and danger, it would become evident that the closeness of her friendship with God was a primary theme. He protected her and she trusted Him implicitly.4 Harriet’s testimony of God’s care for her was that she would only go where He sent her and that He would keep her safe throughout her journeys.5

Harriet continued to make her trips down South until the eve of the War Between the States. Once the Civil War began, Harriet, always desiring to be active in the cause of freedom for her people, joined the war effort as a scout and spy, supporting herself by cooking and cleaning for the Union troops. After the war, Harriet took care of her mother and father, became involved in the suffrage movement, and started a home to take care of those who were old and sick.

The power of Harriet Tubman’s life was rooted in her constant communion and intimacy with Jesus through the Holy Spirit as she fought against injustice and served others.

As someone testified about her, “Her relations with the Deity were personal, even intimate, though respectful on her part. He always addressed her as Araminta…”6

Harriet Tubman lived a life of intimacy with Jesus and wisdom that empowered her to accomplish the tasks set before her.

The abolitionist Thomas Garrett once said about Tubman,

I never met with any person, of any color, who had more confidence in the voice of God, as spoken direct to her soul. She frequently told me that she talked with God, and he talked to her every day of her life . . . she said she never ventured only where God sent her, and her faith in the Supreme Power was truly great. (TGC)