God's story

The story of Scripture, from the beginning, arrives at Acts 1 with the greatest power.

“The knowledge of good and evil” tree - the option of choosing right and wrong for yourself. We all ate of it.

Humanity chose their cities, established their kingdoms on the tops of mountains, and ruled this world.

I was asked this week:

Why did righteous Lot offer his daughters to men of Sodom who wanted to rape his guests?

Even Abraham lied about his wife and offered her to the king’s haram to save his life.

King David murdered his good servant to hide that he got the man’s wife pregnant.

“No, I meant to ask about Judges 19.”

Judges 21:25 “In those days there was no king in Israel. Everyone did what was right in his own eyes.”

God wants us to look in the mirror, to look at the best of us, and to see the outcome of choosing right and wrong for ourselves.

So this promise remained that one day God’s kingdom would be placed above all the kingdoms of men.

Isaiah 2:2 “It shall come to pass in the latter days that the mountain of the house of the Lord shall be established as the highest of the mountains, and shall be lifted up above the hills; and all the nations shall flow to it,”

YOU MUST ASCEND INTO THE CLOUDS TO GET TO THE DWELLING PLACE OF GOD

Psalm 24:3 “Who shall ascend the hill of the Lord? And who shall stand in his holy place?”

Exodus 24:15–18 “Then Moses went up on the mountain, and the cloud covered the mountain. The glory of the Lord dwelt on Mount Sinai, and the cloud covered it six days. And on the seventh day he called to Moses out of the midst of the cloud. Now the appearance of the glory of the Lord was like a devouring fire on the top of the mountain in the sight of the people of Israel. Moses entered the cloud and went up on the mountain. And Moses was on the mountain forty days and forty nights.”

Exodus 40:34–38; 1 Kings 8:10–11 ;

Daniel 7:13–14 ““I saw in the night visions, and behold, with the clouds of heaven there came one like a son of man, and he came to the Ancient of Days and was presented before him. And to him was given dominion and glory and a kingdom, that all peoples, nations, and languages should serve him; his dominion is an everlasting dominion, which shall not pass away, and his kingdom one that shall not be destroyed.”

Acts 1:9–11 “...he was lifted up, and a cloud took him out of their sight.”

LIVING WATERS FLOW FROM THE DWELLING PLACE OF GOD

Ezekiel 47:1 “Then he brought me back to the door of the temple, and behold, water was issuing from below the threshold of the temple toward the east (for the temple faced east). ...”

Ezekiel 47:12 “...because the water for them flows from the sanctuary. Their fruit will be for food, and their leaves for healing.””

Joel 3:18 ““And in that day the mountains shall drip sweet wine, and the hills shall flow with milk, and all the streambeds of Judah shall flow with water; and a fountain shall come forth from the house of the Lord...”

Zechariah 14:8 “On that day living waters shall flow out from Jerusalem...”

Revelation 21:22; Revelation 22:1

John 2:19–21 “Jesus answered them, “Destroy this temple, and in three days I will raise it up.” ...he was speaking about the temple of his body.”

John 4:10 “Jesus answered her, “If you knew the gift of God, and who it is that is saying to you, ‘Give me a drink,’ you would have asked him, and he would have given you living water.””

THE SPIRIT IS THE LIVING WATER

John 7:37–39 “...Jesus stood up and cried out, “If anyone thirsts, let him come to me and drink. Whoever believes in me, as the Scripture has said, ‘Out of his heart will flow rivers of living water.’ ” Now this he said about the Spirit, whom those who believed in him were to receive, for as yet the Spirit had not been given, because Jesus was not yet glorified.”

Acts 2:32–33 “This Jesus God raised up, and of that we all are witnesses. Being therefore exalted at the right hand of God, and having received from the Father the promise of the Holy Spirit, he has poured out this that you yourselves are seeing and hearing.”

The reign of God, the kingdom of God, is everything (1.3-5).

Matthew 6.33 - seek it first

Acts 1:3 “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.”

40 days with Jesus, this is what he focused on - a period of preparation (Moses, Elijah, Jesus)

Luke 24:27 “And beginning with Moses and all the Prophets, he interpreted to them in all the Scriptures the things concerning himself.”

The reign of God bookends Acts.

Acts 28:31 “proclaiming the kingdom of God and teaching about the Lord Jesus Christ with all boldness and without hindrance.”

Luke 13:18–19 “He said therefore, “What is the kingdom of God like? And to what shall I compare it? It is like a grain of mustard seed that a man took and sowed in his garden, and it grew and became a tree, and the birds of the air made nests in its branches.””

Stop searching for anything else to make your life’s focus and mission.

Your responsibility is to expand the reach of God's reign (Acts 1.8).

Isaiah 49:6 “he says: “It is too light a thing that you should be my servant to raise up the tribes of Jacob and to bring back the preserved of Israel; I will make you as a light for the nations, that my salvation may reach to the end of the earth.””

Jerusalem, the homeland, the Samaritans, all nations...

Tell those who should be close to you, those you despise, those you think hopeless.

What about those immigrants?

Start at your home and slowly move outward.

Be the light.

You have been given a task that can consume your life.

Knowing that God is in control empowers you to move forward  (Acts 1.6-11).

Will you restore the kingdom to Israel now?

If after 3 years and 40 days, the apostles didn't have it all figured out, what do you think your odds are?

Don’t freeze up or return to your default life before meeting Jesus.

God knew everything that happened, is happening, and will happening.

Its not up to us to control outcomes.

As we run toward the end of history, you have been given the grace to work with God to advance his kingdom.

God is in control. Trust it.

You may find that the guy who mocked you went on to bring 1000’s to Jesus.

Regardless, you are the evidence the loving Father wants all to have. So be it.

You are a part of an amazing story (Acts 1.12-26).

12 sons of Israel - 12 apostles of Jesus

Jesus is Jacob and you are his family.

Sometimes, sadly, those in this family will betray. They will be false, not belong (Judas) (Thorin).

Jesus died for all, but no one person will change his plan.

Even an apostle can be replaced, only Jesus is irreplaceable.

You are in the family of “the name above all names.”

Everything else will fade and die, this will remain and grow through eternity.