Awakening: Week 1

Scripture: Acts 1:1-11

Bottom Line:

Engage:

When I was 21 years old I finally moved out of my parent’s house. It was July 2020, so we were coming out of the summer of lockdown. We had all been cooped up in the house for the last few months, and my brother was still living at home at the time and at some point I just was getting tired of being around them ALL THE TIME. I’m sure some of y’all can relate, maybe especially the home schooled kids in the room. So when my friend Silas told me that he was moving to an apartment about ten minutes away from me, I jumped at the opportunity to get out of there.

So in August, me and Silas moved into the apartment and started getting it all decorated with our hand-me-down and thrift store furniture. We ate a frozen pizza on our first night at the apartment because it didn’t need many dishes to get done (we didn’t have a dish washer), and it was downhill from there. I literally cannot remember a time for the next three years that I lived in that apartment that the apartment stayed clean for more than two days in a row. It got so bad at times that my friends would literally have to come over and clean it. And I was miserable. It smelled, we got gnats multiple times, but what was my excuse for living like this? I kept waiting for the day when SIlas would clean the apartment. The problem is, I can only assume Silas was waiting on the day when I would clean the apartment. We were just waiting on someone else to fix our problems.

Encounter:

The disciples were kind of like that. When Jesus was born, the Jews had many problems in their world. It was a mess! The Romans were oppressing them, the academic standards of the day were too high for them to meet, some of them had to fish overnight, they worked hard! If you think about it, how easy was it for the disiples to leave behind what they were doing and follow Jesus the moment He called. Of the 12 disciples who where called, we don’t see any of them pushback on Jesus or reject Him. I’m sure part of the reason is because their life was a mess and they were waiting on someone else to help them clean it up! So the twelve disciples leave behind their lives, their mess, and they follow Jesus, hoping he will provide them the solution. They follow Him around for three years - he heals the sick, the blind, the dead. He speaks against the religious standards of the day, he surrenders Himself to the point of death - and then He beats even that at The Resurrection. However there’s something odd that Jesus still hasn’t done. The Romans are still in control of the territory. The Pharisees and Sadducees are still ruling the synagogues. After three years of watching Jesus do ministry, the disciples were still waiting on Jesus to clean up the mess around them. This takes us to our text today. We’re going to be in the book of Acts Chapter 1, starting in verse 4. And as we open this thing that looks like a book but is really a library, I want to take a second and speak to the power of this collection of 66 books that all points to one thing - our need for a savior and the man who provides the fufillment of that need, Jesus. And so with that in mind, we lift our Bibles in the air, because this moment of oddity shapes our identity as a community of people who say, we don’t have the answer, but Jesus does. Let’s pray Acts 1:3-8

Acts 1:3–8 CSB

After he had suffered, he also presented himself alive to them by many convincing proofs, appearing to them over a period of forty days and speaking about the kingdom of God. While he was with them, he commanded them not to leave Jerusalem, but to wait for the Father’s promise. “Which,” he said, “you have heard me speak about; for John baptized with water, but you will be baptized with the Holy Spirit in a few days.” So when they had come together, they asked him, “Lord, are you restoring the kingdom to Israel at this time?”

So after all that the disciples have seen and heard from Jesus, they were still waiting on Him to do more. They said, “Okay Jesus, so you can clean up the mess in the world now?”

Acts 1:3–8 CSB

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

Jesus responds that it’s not his time to clean up the mess, it’s the the disciples’ turn. He’s calling them to action. For the last three years, these men have been watching Jesus do miracles all around them. But Jesus is saying, restoring the kingdom of God is not a spectator sport. Is this something we should be hopeful for? Something we should pray for? Yes, we can see that in the Lord’s Prayer in Matthew 6:10 “Your kingdom come. Your will be done on earth as it is in heaven.” But hoping and praying is not enough anymore.

Reveal:

Jesus says, “You can’t change the game from the bleachers!” Jesus doesn’t just ask the disciples if they’ll join the game. Let’s look at Acts 1:8 again, “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.”” He says “you will be my witnesses. This is how he answers the question, “When will you clean up our mess Jesus?” He says, “You will receive the power to do it yourself.” And then poof He’s gone. The disciples look up at the sky and just.. stare. Check this out in Acts 1:9–11 “After he had said this, he was taken up as they were watching, and a cloud took him out of their sight. While he was going, they were gazing into heaven, and suddenly two men in white clothes stood by them. 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.””

Empower:

So here’s the truth: Jesus isn’t calling you to sit back and hope somebody else fixes the mess. He’s saying, “You will receive power… and you will be my witnesses.”

You can’t change the game from the bleachers.

And for you, that doesn’t mean standing on a stage or moving overseas tomorrow. It means stepping into the places where God already has you and being faithful there.

At school: When your friends are making decisions you know don’t honor God, don’t just watch. Be the one who speaks truth, even if it costs you some popularity.

On your team or in your club: Don’t just be the athlete or the smart kid. Be the witness who shows what following Jesus looks like under pressure.

On social media: Instead of blending in with the noise, be a light. Don’t just scroll — post with purpose, encourage with honesty, and use your platform to point people to hope.

In your friendships: Stop pretending everything’s fine when it’s not. Invite someone into your struggle. Let them see how Jesus is working in your life.

And here’s the best part: Jesus didn’t just give the disciples an assignment — He gave them the Spirit. You don’t have to do this on your own. The same Spirit that raised Jesus from the dead lives in you.

So don’t wait for perfect timing. Don’t wait for someone else to start. Don’t wait until you “feel ready.” Power comes after obedience, not before.

This is your moment. This is your Jerusalem. And remember: you can’t change the game from the bleachers.

It’s time to step out, step up, and step onto the field.