Promise

Grace to you and peace from God the Father and the Lord Jesus Christ. It is once more a privilege to steward the pulpit for the saints of Durbin Memorial Baptist Church as we begin to dive in to the Word of God together.

You may have heard the phrase, “A rose by any other name would smell as sweet,” before. This is a paraphrase from Shakespeare’s classic Romeo and Juliet. In that story star-crossed lovers, Romeo and Juliet, are from rival families yet fall in love with one another. In one scene Juliet is pining for Romeo on her balcony and sharing her thoughts into the ether. In her monologue she says, “What’s in a name? That which we call a rose, by any other name would smell as sweet.” Her point is that a name is just a word that we associate with a reality. It is not the name that provides the sweetness, but the tangible make up of the real thing behind it. Now, I found out this week that through the years, the scent of roses has actually been bred out of modern roses and current roses do not carry the same potency of smell that they once did. Unfortunately for Juliet’s metaphor, our roses literally do not smell as sweet.

But if we put the horticulture aside, there is some truth explained in Juliet’s phrase. Our thoughts and opinions can be shaped by something as simple as a name. Hundreds of billions of dollars are spent on marketing each year just in North America so that companies can affect how we view their name.

As we embark on this new series through the first four chapters of the book of Acts, I want to begin by looking at the meaning of two “names”, and peal back the surface to see what really lies beneath.

The first of which is the word “church”. Everyone has a different response to the word Church. For many of us here this morning, the church is “sweet”, if you would. Thinking about the church evokes feelings of familiarity. We think about coming together to learn, grow, and pray with one another. We may be reminded of our childhood spent in Sunday School, or mission trips we have gone on with beloved friends. But for others, the word “church” evokes a negative feeling. It ain’t sweet, it stinks. Their thoughts are drawn to negative interactions they have had. News clippings showcasing the hypocrisy of people claiming faith. They may have been spurned by the “church” before.

As we walk through this series, we are going to be talking extensively about the make up, mission, and vision of the church. Now, when we talk about the church, we are going to be referring to how we define the church in Core Value 3: the church is a body of mutually accountable, family of God serving in an atmosphere of grace, love, and acceptance. This “church” sounds good! It is the ideal! The goal! We want to be a collection of family that exudes the grace we have received, holding fast to the confession of our hope without wavering. But a problem arises when the ideal doesn’t meet reality! Those who are off put by the idea of church have had their perceptions shaped either by a faithful church who has fallen short of reaching the ideal, or they have been introduced to an organization that calls itself a church when it has no business doing so, thus besmirching the reputation of all churches. There are many social clubs and behavior factories out there hiding under the title of church. Though they claim the name, they are not churches. Not in the sweetest sense of the word. When we are talking about the church, we will not be talking about false churches. However, we will be talking about faithful churches who fall short of the glory. If faithful churches are bodies of mutually accountable believers collected into a family of God serving in an atmosphere of grace, love, and acceptance, then we can all recognize that families can be messy! We will not pretend that our church is the perfect church. I’ve heard someone say before that if they ever found the perfect church, they’d have to leave because as soon as they walked in the door, the church wouldn’t be perfect! So we wont pretend that our church is perfect, but we will be looking into the early church as guide to make our church, our family, better for the glory of God. Throughout this series, we will be discussing the question: Are we burning or burnt?

I love the smell of burning firewood. In a few weeks we’re going to have a kids activity with s'mores set around an outdoor fire. It’s going to be a pleasing aroma! I love that smell! But I don’t like the smell of burnt plastic. When I was in sixth or seventh grade, I came home from school and was met by just the awfullest smell. I tracked it down and it turned out my sister had left the iron on while we at school and it was face down on the synthetic fiber carpet. Now, we were fortunate that the house didn’t burn down! But I wont forget that nasty smell. It took quite a bit to cover it up before mom and dad got home!

We’re told in 2 Corinthians chapter 2 that God spreads the fragrance of the knowledge of Christ through believers. It is the duty of our stewardship that we would be desire to be a pleasing aroma, a healthy, burning campfire if you would. Though we cannot guarantee how that will be recieved by others, we must do everything in our power to be a burning church, fueled by the power of Holy Spirit fostering a family that is serving in an atmosphere of grace, love, and acceptance, rather than a burnt out group of folks, stalely going through the motions.

If you have not already, turn in your Bibles to Acts where we will begin in chapter 1 verse 1.

As you are turning there, in this introduction I said we were going to look at the meaning of two “names”. We looked at the meanings and views of the word “church” and now as we are embarking on a series through the first four chapters of the book of Acts, we need take a moment to consider the name of this book. The name “Acts” is a shortened version of “Acts of the Apostles” first used by Irenaeus in the the late 2nd century. Some scholars debate on if this name is appropriate for this book. If you look at the book as a whole, you will see that only a few of the apostles are featured. The first chapters focus on Peter with John being nearby. There is a section on Stephen, not named to be one of the apostles. And a large emphasis of Paul, an apostle of Christ Jesus by the will of God. But many of the apostles are not discussed much beyond in passing. Also, while some of the apostles are included in the narratives, it is very clear that God is the main character in this book as He is in all of Scripture. In the book of Acts, “The apostles are carrying out the commission of the Lord, and he directs them through visions, events, and prophecy.”

Though this book may be called the Acts of the Apostles, we should understand it as God acting through the apostles. That doesn’t mean that we have to take a pen and rewrite the title in all of our Bibles. The book of Acts, by any other name would still smell as sweet. It is still beneficial for our edification, so long as we see and rely on the God that is exuding His glory on each and every page.

With that in mind let us begin our feast at the buffet of benefit, set at the table of God’s grace with our first course in Acts 1:1.

Acts 1:1–2 ESV

In the first book, O Theophilus, I have dealt with all that Jesus began to do and teach, until the day when he was taken up, after he had given commands through the Holy Spirit to the apostles whom he had chosen.

We’re going to kind of fly through the first few verses of this book but there are some important notes we must make as Luke presents the introduction to the book of Acts. This book, like the gospel of Luke by the same author, is addressed to Theophilus. The name Theophilus in greek literally means, “Loved of God” or “Friend of God”. This causes to think that Theophilus is a literary device, some symbolic recipient. However, Theophilus was a relatively common greek name, and it seems much more likely that Theophilus was a real, wealthy believer in Christ Jesus who has sponsored the Physician Luke to write an orderly account of the life of Jesus and a history of the early church. Regardless of the direct relationship between Luke and Theophilus, we can all be thankful because the Word has been preserved for us today.

In the gospel of Luke, Theophilus was given an orderly account of what Jesus began to do and teach, until He ascended into heaven, after he had given commands through the Holy Spirit to the apostles whom he had chosen. There is a lot of theology baked into these introductory verses. At the forefront, we see the cohesion of Jesus Christ and the Holy Spirit. Two persons of the triune God, as our Children’s Question pointed out this morning. The Holy Spirit will be a central theme throughout the entire book of Acts. The Holy Spirit is the promised helper whom Christ had promised to send to His disciples. In Luke 24, the Spirit is promised to bring power to the Apostles. In John 14, the Holy Spirit is shown to be the vessel through which believers are taught to understand the grace of God in Truth. The Holy Spirit indwells believers and brings to remembrance the teachings of Jesus. We will be spending a good bit of time working through the person of the Holy Spirit throughout this series, but that gives us a baseline for now.

In context here, Jesus had given His chosen apostles commands in perfect unison with the Holy Spirit. The context of this “chosen” is different yet congruent with what we talk about when we discuss big theological topics like election. Here, Luke is describing not salvific election, but rather God’s choosing of different individuals for different roles of service in the Kingdom. The apostles of Christ have been chosen for a specific task: forming the early church to spread the gospel around the World. That task will be expounded upon when we get to verse 8.

We’re then given a brief summation of Jesus’ ministry after His resurrection and before His ascension:

Acts 1:3 ESV

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.

This is a greatly important verse in that it is the only place in Scripture where we are told Just how much time went on between the resurrection and the ascension. 40 days. One of the great topics of discussion between brother Troy and I is what did Jesus do during those 40 days? Well we see here that He most certainly here, and supported by other accounts in the gospels, that He appeared to the disciples at intervals teaching them about the Kingdom of God. From our recent studies in Matthew, we know the importance of the Kingdom! Jesus’ ministry is centered around ushering in the Kingdom of God culminating in the New Heaven and New Earth. So for forty days, Jesus taught on such things. We’re given glimpses of this wondrous teaching in the gospel of Luke. In Luke 24 two disciples are walking on the road to Emmaus when they encounter the Risen Jesus. In their interaction, Jesus begins with Moses and all the Prophets and interprets to the disciples all the things concerning Himself in Scripture. As they reflect on this glorious teaching in Luke 24:32 “They said to each other, “Did not our hearts burn within us while he talked to us on the road, while he opened to us the Scriptures?””

As a quick point of practical application for us all, I recognize that much of the introduction to the book of Acts requires an academic presentation. There is a lot of background information to take in. We can sometimes get a little lost in all the details. But take this to heart, all of what we are talking about is pertaining to Jesus place as the King of the Kingdom and the kingdom is glorious indeed. When we realize that these facts are not just words on a page but a part of the History and vision for God’s kingdom we can join in with the astounded disciples and have hearts burning as we open this Scripture and see how all things point to Christ the King.

Jesus spent the 40 days explaining His Kingdom. For the disciples then, and us even today as we look back, this time is filled with excitement! Unfolding mystery! Suspense and Anticipation!

These feelings would have grown with what we learn in the next verses:

Acts 1:4–5 ESV

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; for John baptized with water, but you will be baptized with the Holy Spirit not many days from now.”

Can you place yourself in the apostles’ shoes in this moment? They must have been so excited, maybe a little confused. They knew well about water baptism, but what is this baptism of the Holy Spirit? Would they hear a voice as Jesus did at His baptism? Or with all the talk of the Kingdom, would it be time for the political kingdom that the Pharisees so desperately sought to finally be ushered in? That seems to be where the minds of the apostles went. Look to verse 6:

Acts 1:6 ESV

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

Is now the time? Will the Kingdom be consummated? We’ve prayed for the Lord’s will to be done, is it time for the Kingdom to come?

Look at Jesus’ response.

Acts 1:7–8 ESV

He said to them, “It is not for you to know times or seasons that the Father has fixed by his own authority. 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.”

The disciples had just been given a masterclass on the Kingdom of God given by the Master of Creation. They had been reminded of the promises given to Moses. They had walked through the prophecy of Ezekiel in which the dry bones are given life signifying a reunification of the kingdom of Israel. They discussed the word of Isaiah which proclaim the unified Israel would be a light to the nations. It would not a be a stretch for the Apostles to be thinking about this in political terms and seeking a quick and strategic ushering of the kingdom.

It is interesting for us to note that Jesus does not rebuke the disciples for this. Instead of chastising the group, Jesus loving redirects there attention to where it should be. It’s not for them to know the times or seasons that the Father has fixed by His own authority. This means it is not for them, or by proxy, for us today, to know the time line! “The disciples are thinking in regard to the consummation, the final establishment of the kingdom. They are also likely thinking of a decisive event. But Jesus directs them away from a specific day and instead focuses on the situation that exists as a result of his resurrection. The kingdom is being restored and will continue to be restored through the coming of the promised Holy Spirit, who will empower the disciples. The restoration begins now.”

Let’s move this to a quick point of practical application: When it comes to eschatology, the study of the end times, including the consummation of the kingdom, when it comes to those things it can be very tempting to attempt to define every single piece of news as the final piece of prophecy. And I get it! We don’t like living in the unknown. We see things happening right now in the Israel and wonder how or if this is directly related to the coming of Christ. While it is not necessarily a bad thing to consider the end times, we should note that the apostles were corrected in their eschatology after having a 40 day masterclass directly with the Master! It is not for us to perfectly define what God has already perfectly decided. We are to have faith that God is in control and will bring everything to its appointed end in His perfect timing. While we can consider how that will specifically play out, we cannot let that be a distraction from the mission we have in there here and now!

And that mission is laid out clearly in verse 8. Let’s read it again:

Acts 1:8 ESV

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.”

These are the last words of Jesus given to His followers while He is physically present on earth. From a scholastic point of view, it is interesting to note that this verse just about perfect outlines the book of Acts. We will see the receipt of power when the Holy Spirit comes at Pentecost in chapter 2. Their the disciples are witnesses in Jerusalem (as well as to people visiting from all over the world), Later in the book Philip crosses Judea and takes the gospel to Samaria, then with the entrance of Paul we see the onset of taking the gospel to the rest of the world, all of this happening in the context of the local church.

But this verse serves as more than just an outline for the book of Acts. It is a promise to the disciples that will be partially completed in the next chapter. And it is also an explanation of the mission of the Local church. If we were to boil down the mission of the apostles and the mission of the local church to one single word it would be this: Witness.

Jesus tells the apostles, you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you, and you will be my witnesses. Witnessing spreads from the Apostles to the 120 whom you will see next week, to the multitudes gathering around the upper room, to the rest of Jerusalem, to Judea, to Samaria, and to the end of the earth, across the rest of the book of Acts, continued through the epistles, and completed in the book of Revelation. In each of these progressions there are witnesses to the grace and glory of God who then share what they have witnessed with others who share with others who share with others!

Let it be known, if you have witnessed the grace and glory of God through the Spirit giving you an understanding of Jesus Christ as Lord, then you have a testimony that ought to be shared too!

R Kent Hughes puts it like this: “To be a witness for Christ is to bring a message that is a marvel of simplicity: Jesus Christ is God come in the flesh; he died to pay for our sins; he was resurrected; now he is exalted in Heaven; he calls us to believe in him and so receive forgiveness of sins. This is good news. There is nothing to join, no system to climb—just a person to receive and, in him, eternal life.”

For us to be a church that is burning, a church that is the pleasing aroma of Christ’s triumph, we MUST be centered around, experiencing, and sharing this message! Being a body of mutually accountable believers, a family of God serving in an atmosphere of grace, love, and acceptance requires that we are serving the Lord as the witnesses He has called us to be! We must internalize the gospel knowing our Savior intimately, but not just keeping that to ourselves, sharing what we know to be true as witness externally!

If I could challenge you with one thing today today it would be this: Define your testimony. What are you a witness to? Do you know that Christ has lived and died and rose again to pay the cost of your sins? Do you see that He is the Lord of lords, worthy to be served? Do you know that He has loved you and saved you from your sins by His blood, making you a part of His Kingdom, in fact a priest to God the Father? If not, please let me talk to you about that today! Come forward in the hymn of response. Find me during the Fellowship time following the service! But if you have already come to know that truth, how did you come to know it? When did you hear the Word? When did you hear the Shepherds call? Because if you have heard it and understood the grace of God in truth you are a witness to the miraculous power of the Hole Spirit! If you have understood these things you have a story worthy to be told. If you have heard it you been invited to join the triumphal procession of Jesus Chris, spreading the fragrance of the knowledge of Him everywhere! For some it is a fragrance of death to death, they may not want to hear your story. But my dear brothers and sisters in Christ, to some what you have witnessed and spread through the testimony of your life is a scent of life to life! For some your witness will be heard and understood, not to glorify you, but to glorify your God and join you in witnessing to the next generation of saint being called to glory!

One of the most dastardly schemes of Satan is convincing us that our testimony doesn’t matter. It isn’t special enough. It isn’t dramatic enough. It won’t make a movie like Phil Robertson. But if you are witness to and understand the grace of God in truth, then the old you has passed away and behold the new has come! That is a glorious tale of conversion that deserves to be shared!

I love our Christ-centered, gospel-oriented worship services, but if I were to make any changes it would be adding a time of testimony where we would share with one another what we have witnessed from the Lord working in our lives. Not just to keep that in the walls of this building, but to then be prepared to share it beyond!

We’re called to join the witnesses sharing the good news of Jesus Christ from Jerusalem to Judea, to Samaria, to all the ends of the Earth. This gives us a paradigm of witnessing in concentric circles. This may be a bit oversimplified, but we can think of this as our local area, our state, our country, and our world. We have a story to share across the globe and in our back yards. But like the Acts of the Apostles, though it is our story it is better understood as God being the main character. This is the story of God acting through us and what a mighty act He has done and continues to do!

This is the simple and lofty call Christ has given to His apostles and us today. To be witnesses. Before we close this morning. I want us to consider what happened immediately following Christ’s commission.

Acts 1:9–11 ESV

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. And while they were gazing into heaven as he went, behold, two men stood by them in white robes, 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.”

Christ gives this commission and then incredibly ascends upward. A cloud takes Him out of sight. Many suggest that this was not just a rogue nimbus that blurred the view of the apostles. Rather, this is the Shekinah Glory, the same cloud can be seen throughout the Old Testament as well as in the gospels on the Mount of Transfiguration. This is an incredible display of the presence and pleasure of God the Father. The apostles were amazed. We might even say dumbfounded. They stared up in the sky.

Then, by the grace of God, two men dressed in white robes, angels, appeared to them and said, why are yall still looking up. Jesus was taken up into heaven, He’ll come back the same way.

What does this mean? Why did they say this?

Jesus had just told them that it wasn’t for the apostles to know the Father’s timing. But it is their job to witnesses.

The angels are saying, yes, Jesus is coming again, and He will come on the clouds and the Kingdom will be consummated. BUT YOU HAVE A JOB TO DO!

Church, Jesus is coming back! He will return in a physical Body and bring with Him a new earth! When? I can honestly tell you I don’t know! It could be next week. It could be in another 2000 years. Christ didn’t call me to uncover the secrets of the Father’s perfect plan. All I know is Jesus is coming back the same way He went. And until that day, He has given me, you, and everyone who know His as Savior and Lord the mission to be witnesses of the grace of God in truth.

Here’s what that looks like

3 Circles

DO THIS WITH ME AS THE FOCUS *I’ve SINNED. MY SIN Separates me from God. I know the world is broken and I know I’m Broken. But then I came to understand the grace of the holy God to Send the Holy Son. to live how I couldn’t live.

The same can be true for you. Can I help you understand the grace of God in truth? Respond today.

Let’s pray.