Q&A With Jesus

Color Code: Blue Scripture, Green Illustration, Orange Question

Introduction

Let’s Play it By Ear

In my family we have an expression that drives my wife crazy.

“Let’s Play it by Ear”

We’ll be making plans with my family for a Saturday afternoon disc golf. She’ll ask - What time are we meeting.

Let’s check the weather Saturday morning and play it by ear.

We’ll be getting together for Sunday lunch at my brother’s house and she’ll ask “what should we bring”

Let’s see what hes cooking on the way and swing by the grocery store and play it by ear.

There is a tension between planning ahead and knowing what to do, and acting in the moment. And I’ve come to realize that it can be incredibly stressful and frustrating to want to know what the plan is but feel like we don’t know what we need to know.

Sometimes we feel like that about God’s plans.

I don’t know if you’ve ever struggled to understand and interpret the Bible. If you ever listened to the words of Jesus and asked what does that mean? I don’t know if you’ve ever wondered about God’s time. Asked is now the time that God is going to act?

In today’s Bible passage that is exactly what Jesus’ disciples are doing. They’ve been listening to Jesus teach and are asking him one final question before he ascends to heaven. They want to know when Jesus will restore the Kingdom to Israel.

He doesn’t exactly answer the questions they are asking about WHEN.

He does even better. He answers the questions they need answered. He answers the question of WHAT their mission is and he answers the question of HOW they can be able to accomplish it and WHO it is for.

Jesus gives this answer to his disciples 2000 years ago and us today- that we aren’t called to know God’s timing, we are called to share the gospel through the power of the Holy Spirit to the whole world.

Prayer

Will you join me as we pray.?

Lord, open our hearts. Help us approach your word with good questions this morning and open our hearts to be receptive to your answers. Reveal to us through your Word the mission you are calling us to. Guide through your spirit that we might be faithful witnesses for you. -Amen

Background & Context

We are diving in deeply to God’s word this morning to understand Acts 1:6-11, but first it’s important to zoom out to see the context of what we are reading.

Background

The book of Acts in the second volume in a two book series written by Luke.

The first is the Gospel of Luke and tells us of the life and ministry of Jesus.

Luke wrote it to provide an orderly account of Jesus life so that the reader could be certain about the truth of the gospel that Jesus was the Messiah, the savior of the world.

The book ended with Jesus being resurrected from the dead and appearing to his disciples.

In Acts Luke continues this story with the ongoing ministry of Jesus in and through the church by the power of the Holy Spirit.

Context

Our passage today is in the beginning of Acts.

The first five verses remind us of the 40 day period after Jesus’ resurrection in which he has been showing himself to his disciples and teaching them about the kingdom of God.

And now, in verse 6 we begin Jesus’ final Q&A, Question and answer time, with his disciples.

The Question (Acts 1:6)

Read the Text

Acts 1:6 (CSB)

6 So when they had come together, they asked him, “Lord, are you restoring the kingdom to Israel at this time?”

Explain the Text

Why do the disciples ask about the Kingdom?

We may be tempted when we read this verse by itself to be critical of this question. But in context, they are asking an understandable question.

Jesus has been spending the 40 days after his resurrection showing himself to his disciples talking about the Kingdom of God by looking at the Old Testament.

They rightly understand that Jesus is ushering in the Kingdom of God.

They ask a question that all of us can relate to: “When is this going to happen?”

Jesus has been talking about it, but what’s the time table?

They may be asking out of excitement, maybe impatience, maybe uncertainty, or even just a genuine desire to better understand what God is doing.

But they don’t want to just play it by ear. They want to know when is this going to happen?

The Answer (Acts 1:7-8)

In the next verse we see Jesus’ answer:

You Don’t Need to Know the Time

Acts 1:7 (CSB)

7 He said to them, “It is not for you to know times or periods that the Father has set by his own authority.

When we first read this, Jesus answer may seem abrupt. When will the Kingdom come? That’s not for you to know. BUT, this is...

Not a rebuke- Jesus isn’t scolding them for their foolishness

It’s not a deflection because Jesus is unable or unwilling to answer

It IS a redirection to the area they need to focus on. Jesus reorients the disciple’ from questioning God’s timetable to living out the mission he has for them right now.

The truth is like the disciples we sometimes focus on when God will act while ignoring the mission that God has put us on. We ask questions like WHEN will God do what I’m hoping for? WHY did got not do this?

It takes humility, but Jesus reminds us that God has authority and it isn’t our position to question that. Rather it is our privilege to receive the mission God has for us. And what is that mission. We see in the next verse:

Receive The Spirit

Acts 1:8 (CSB)

8 But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come on you, and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.”

After the humbling reality that it isn’t our place to know when God will do things, Jesus immediately points out our source of power. It is in God. It is the Holy Spirit who will be coming.

Jesus, who had been spending his time teaching the disciples how all of the Old Testament scripture is fulfilled by himself was pointing back to scripture here. He may have had in mind Isaiah 32:15.

Isaiah 32:15 (CSB)

15 until the Spirit from on high is poured out on us. Then the desert will become an orchard, and the orchard will seem like a forest.

Several of the promises in Isaiah about the coming Messiah had already seen fulfillment in Jesus’ life and death and now the promise of restoration through the coming of the spirit was about to take place as well.

Speaking of the Holy Spirit was a not a change of subject, it was answering the question about the restoration of Israel. God had promised that the restoration would not come until the spirit from on high was poured out and that time was coming soon, but it isn’t our part to dictate the timetable, instead we are called to be filled by Spirit of God.

God sets the timetable and God fills us and moves us.

Be My Witness

What does he move us to do? To be witnesses of Jesus.

A witness is someone who tells what they’ve seen. We are to tell the good news of Jesus!

This to is promised in in the book of Isaiah.

Isaiah 44:8 (CSB)

8 Do not be startled or afraid. Have I not told you and declared it long ago? You are my witnesses! Is there any God but me? There is no other Rock; I do not know any.

The coming of God’s kingdom would be carried out by the people of God sharing the good news, witnessing what Christ had done.

To the Ends of the Earth

It will start here in Jerusalem where they currently are in Israel.

Like Conyers/Rockale

It will move from there to Judea, their home country.

For us that might look like Georgia. It’s not a long ways to go and we have a commonality with the people around us.

From there it will move to Samaria.

To Jesus’ followers and the people of Israel Samaria was like a cousin. They were the people int he Norther who were part of the Northern Kingdom of Israel. But they had different religious practices and weren’t considered faithful and true Israelites.

So being a witness to Samaria did mean traveling further, it also meant crossing some cultural boundaries.

We may think of this as going up north, or out west. Where the trip is further and folks don’t drink sweet tea - or as they might call it sweetened ice tea.

and the ends of the earth aren’t merely a location they are a mission field.

This too is a picture we see in Isaiah.

Isaiah 49:6 (CSB)

6 he says, “It is not enough for you to be my servant raising up the tribes of Jacob and restoring the protected ones of Israel. I will also make you a light for the nations, to be my salvation to the ends of the earth.”

The Disciples are thinking of an ethnic Kingdom but Jesus is helping his disciples think bigger to see that God’s kingdom is for all people, for the whole world just as God had promised in the prophets.

The Response (Acts 1:9-11)

As prophesied in Isiah, Jesus’ followers are called to received the spirit, and be Christ’s witnesses starting where they are and going to the ends of the earth. What happens next. What is their response?

Read the Text

Acts 1:9–11 (CSB)

9 After he had said this, he was taken up as they were watching, and a cloud took him out of their sight. 10 While he was going, they were gazing into heaven, and suddenly two men in white clothes stood by them. 11 They said, “Men of Galilee, why do you stand looking up into heaven? This same Jesus, who has been taken from you into heaven, will come in the same way that you have seen him going into heaven.”

Standing Around

After giving this mission, Christ ascends to heaven.

He’s answered their question by giving promising them the spirit and giving them the mission of being witness to the the good news of Jesus.

The disciples initial response is to stand with jaws open staring into the sky.

Just stop and think how similar to us they are. We have the same mission. We’ve received the spirit, we have the rest of the New Testament telling us how to live as the church, but it’s pretty easy to be caught standing in place.

But God doesn’t leave them there. Two angels appear and ask the rhetorical question: “why they are standing around?”

Living out the Mission

And the disciples get moving. They go to Jerusalem.

They wait for the spirit.

They are filled with the spirit and are witnesses to the good news of the forgiveness of sins found in Jesus through repentance and faith.

They call people to repent and believe.

And God’s kingdom grows, people believe in Jerusalem and this overflows throughout Judea and spreads to Samaria and then continues to the ends of the earth even across oceans.

We are the product of that today, God’s word has reached here, but as long as we are waiting on Christ’s return we are called to continue sharing the Gospel.

In ascending, Jesus had left the disciples. He hadn’t given them a timetable and maybe it felt like they were playing it by ear. But he hadn’t left them alone. The spirit lived in their hearts.

We may feel like we are playing it by ear, unsure of when God will act. But he hasn’t left us alone. And maybe we too can hear the the angels question: what are you standing around for?

Invitation to Response

Be sure to circle back to the introduction

If you haven’t accepted Christ,

who died for you that you might be made right with God,

who rose again, that you might have life,

and if you haven’t been filled with the Holy Spirit through faith in Christ ,

I invite you to respond in faith today. I’ll be here after the service and would love to talk to you about how you can start your relationship with Christ.

If you are a believer I invite you to respond this morning by committing to sharing the Gospel through the power of the spirit.

Will you respond to the Lord in prayer?

Father God, we thank you for your son Jesus. This morning we pray for your spirits guidance in power. For those of us who feel the stress of playing it by ear we pray that we can rest in you.

We pray God, for the mission field before us. That you might give us opportunities this week to be a witness to you to share the good news and hope we have in you.

We pray for opportunities in our community, to reflect your love and your gospel.

God help this not stop here but to spread the Good News to the ends of the earth.

We pray this in the name of Jesus, Amen.

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Overview

Scripture Passages

Call to Worship: Isaiah 32:15-16

Isaiah 32:15–16 CSB

15 until the Spirit from on high is poured out on us. Then the desert will become an orchard, and the orchard will seem like a forest. 16 Then justice will inhabit the wilderness, and righteousness will dwell in the orchard.

Scripture Reading: Isaiah 49:6

Isaiah 49:6 CSB

6 he says, “It is not enough for you to be my servant raising up the tribes of Jacob and restoring the protected ones of Israel. I will also make you a light for the nations, to be my salvation to the ends of the earth.”

Sermon Text: Acts 1:6-11

Acts 1:6–11 CSB

6 So when they had come together, they asked him, “Lord, are you restoring the kingdom to Israel at this time?” 7 He said to them, “It is not for you to know times or periods that the Father has set by his own authority. 8 But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come on you, and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.” 9 After he had said this, he was taken up as they were watching, and a cloud took him out of their sight. 10 While he was going, they were gazing into heaven, and suddenly two men in white clothes stood by them. 11 They said, “Men of Galilee, why do you stand looking up into heaven? This same Jesus, who has been taken from you into heaven, will come in the same way that you have seen him going into heaven.”

Big Idea of the Message

We aren’t called to know God’s timing, we are called to share the gospel through the power of the Holy Spirit.

Main Points

1. The Question (vs 6)

2. The Answer (vs 7-8)

3. The Response (vs 9-11)