Power from on High

Guys, I want to take a brief moment and just offer a word of caution to you all. This past Sunday I got word not long before we began with our normal gathering time that a dear friend of Becca’s and mine lost her little brother in a car accident in the late hours of Saturday night / early hours of Sunday morning. Without divulging too much about the whole situation, this young man struggled a great deal in many ways and tomorrow we will be there with the family and witness two parents and an older sister lay this young man to rest, not but a couple of years older than some of you.

So I say this with a heavy and sincere heart, please, please, please if you ever find yourself in a situation where you are in need of help, or in need of hope, this church, this high school ministry, for as long as I am here will be a beacon of hope for you all, for your friends, for your families. Please know that. Some of you are fighting temptations and struggles in this stage of life where you might be doing things that you think are harmless that are setting you on a path towards darkness and harm, it may not seem like it now or even a week from now, but when the world comes crashing down, please know that the gospel offers you new life and that is truth that this church stands on. So here’s my number, it is yours to have if you ever need someone to talk to, if you ever need someone to come and get you, help you out of a situation, whatever. I want you to know that I love you, and I will storm the gates of hell if it means that you would give your life to Jesus.

In light of that guys, last week we began this new yet brief sermon series, “made new,” living life in light of the resurrection with the goal of unpacking how is it that we are to live after celebrating the reality of Resurrection Sunday. Last week we unpacked The Great Commission, Jesus’ final marching orders to “go and make disciples,” and this week we are further unpacking what it is like to live obediently to that call. We’re in this week and as you open there I want to just unpack a little bit about the book as a whole.

If you are ever feeling it and just want to sit down and read entire books of the Bible, let me put this in front of you. The Gospel of Luke and Acts are written by the same person, that being…. “_____”

You’re so smart. And just a little something about Luke, He was a close running buddy to Paul the guy that wrote about 2/3rds of the NT, and Paul referred to him as “the beloved physician,” meaning, he was a doctor, meaning he was educated. Meaning that is the kind of writer we get when we read these words. So Luke and Acts, written by the same people and these two books can be broken down this way. Gospel of Luke covers the wonders and works of Jesus, Acts, aka the Acts of the Apostles covers the wonders and the works of Jesus’ followers, after his death, as the 1st century church exploded throughout the middle east.

And it opens like this:

I wrote the first narrative, Theophilus, about all that Jesus began to do and teach 2 until the day he was taken up, after he had given instructions through the Holy Spirit to the apostles he had chosen. 3 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.

So Luke, this doctor, this educated man is writing to this man Theopholis and history literally has nothing to offer of who this guy might actually be, there are some theories but one that I personally like is the the is a rich benefactor of sorts who paid this well educated physician/historian, Luke, to write down the story of Jesus and his followers. That wasn’t all that uncommon of a practice in that day in age. Books were expensive to produce so rich guys like maybe this Theopholis would come along and help take care of the cost.

But notice how Luke opens. He lays it all out plainly. I wrote about Jesus and all that he did, all that he taught, about how he suffered, died, and was risen, that he “presented himself alive to them by many convincing proofs, appearing to them over a period of forty days…”

Translation: Here’s what Jesus did. Here’s what he taught and oh yea, after he was raised he spent 40 days with his followers. Presenting himself alive to them. Paul, Luke’s friend would later write something similar in 1 Corinthians when he wrote:

Now I want to make clear for you, brothers and sisters, the gospel I preached to you, which you received, on which you have taken your stand 2 and by which you are being saved, if you hold to the message I preached to you—unless you believed in vain. 3 For I passed on to you as most important what I also received: that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures, 4 that he was buried, that he was raised on the third day according to the Scriptures, 5 and that he appeared to Cephas, then to the Twelve. 6 Then he appeared to over five hundred brothers and sisters at one time most of them are still alive, but some have fallen asleep. 7 Then he appeared to James, then to all the apostles. 8 Last of all, as to one born at the wrong time, he also appeared to me. — 1 cor 15:1-6

Why are Luke and Paul stating over and over summaries of Jesus’ ministry and that he appeared to so many for such a long period of time after? Luke and Paul are saying in so many words… “don’t believe me? Go ask the hundreds of others who witnessed this with their own two eyes.”

If that’s not enough for you, consider how the apostles died. ALL BUT ONE OF THEM WERE MARTYRED… KILLED FOR THEIR FAITH. Many of them faced death by stoning, being burned alive, being stabbed, and then there were those who were crucified, opposers to early Christians saying, “you love this Jesus so much, how about you die like him.” To which tradition states that Peter said, “no, I am not worthy of dying his death, crucify me upside down.”

I say all of this in a somewhat roundabout way guys to communicate to you that you can trust this bible, what it says, what it teaches, because many bore witness to it with their own two eyes, the world superpower of the day, The Roman Empire, wasn’t able to explain it away, and this world-changing faith filled with fishermen, outcasts, and the down and outs began to grow rapidly. This is a book that you can trust, because people have displayed time and time again that they were willing to die for it and what it teaches.

So that is just a brief fly-by with who we’re dealing with, the context, the author and some housekeeping issues about this book but let’s read on the remainder of our text:

4 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; 5 for John baptized with water, but you will be baptized with the Holy Spirit in a few days.”

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 end of the earth.”

THE ASCENSION

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.”

UNITED IN PRAYER

12 Then they returned to Jerusalem from the Mount of Olives, which is near Jerusalem—a Sabbath day’s journey away. 13 When they arrived, they went to the room upstairs where they were staying: Peter, John, James, Andrew, Philip, Thomas, Bartholomew, Matthew, James the son of Alphaeus, Simon the Zealot, and Judas the son of James. 14 They all were continually united in prayer, along with the women, including Mary the mother of Jesus, and his brothers.

I normally do this closer to the beginning of our time together but if I could have you walk away with one thing, just one thing tonight, in light of this text I want you to know that God is not only provider of the mission, but our power to carry out the mission.

We’ve spoken about the mission, these final marching orders of Christ to make disciples. This was the charge the tJesus gave to his followers and the same echoes for you today. You share in that same call. I think one of the most beautiful things about this passage is to sit and think and realize that this Holy Spirit that Jesus promises to his followers is the same one that indwells you, today.

says:

“If anyone loves me, he will keep my word. My Father will love him, and we will come to him and make our home with him. 24 The one who doesn’t love me will not keep my words. The word that you hear is not mine but is from the Father who sent me.

25 “I have spoken these things to you while I remain with you. 26 But the Counselor, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, will teach you all things and remind you of everything I have told you.

So for you here tonight who are believers in Jesus, He has given you the Holy Spirit, the same one that he gave to the disciples, the same one the the has given to countless of faithful saints throughout these many years.

Look at me, 15 years old, 18 years old, 45 years old… God has not withheld from you but he has given each and every single one of you the Holy Spirit, to carry out His mission and His purposes.

Just because you are young does not make you a second rate Christian, you have been given his Spirit to do amazing things for God’s glory. So be encouraged tonight, be encouraged that God has gifted you so. I said this last week and I’ll say it again, seniors, and the same applies for everyone else. You are called. Some of you are calle

Just because you are young does not make you a second rate Christian, you have been given his Spirit to do amazing things for God’s glory. So be encouraged tonight, be encouraged that God has gifted you so. I said this last week and I’ll say it again, seniors, and the same applies for everyone else. You are called. Some of you are called here locally as you may engage the workforce, as you go to school, others as you travel further out to go to school, you are called, or if God plants you on the other end of the earth, you are called. Some of you are called to far away places and though that may be scary there are some of you I believe here in this room who might be so called and to do anything else you would feel this Holy Spirit just jabbing at your shoulder just saying… "no… no… no… etc.” knowing that where you are right now is not where God wants you to be.

This is what it means to be led by the Spirit, and I should also say that its not dissimilar to be corrected by the Holy Spirit, when you find yourself in a cycle of sin that you cannot break and you feel the Spirit bring conviction on you and it is just that constant, “no… no… no…” but that is a different sermon for a different day.

So do you feel as if you are just kind of wandering around without purpose, without

But God not only gives us the mission, but he empowers us for it, by giving us himself.

He bids us to go, go and make disciples, that’s what we read last week and here Jesus says to his disciples, go and be my witness, in Jerusalem, Judea, all of Samaria and to the ends of the earth. For the Jewish people hearing these words that would have meant something fierce. Go to Jerusalem, go and win your hometown for the Kingdom, Judea the entire nation, keep pushing outwards, Samaria, what do we know about Samaria, the parable of the Good Samaritan and Samaritan woman, we know that Jews hated Samaritans so Jesus is bidding his followers to go even to the land of your enemy and guess what, love them, tell them of me, be my witnesses, and even to the ends of the earth. There is not one person on this earth who does not need to hear of the amazing work of Jesus. Whether talking about the Hindu, Buddhist, or Muslim thousands of miles away or the most wretched, wicked kid at your school, and yes, even you, we are all desperately in need for the Gospel of Hope, this gospel of love, this gospel of Jesus.

So we go. We go not as individuals, but as God’s people, as God’s blood-bought family. And just as a last note, I want you to notice how the disciples responded to their receiving of the mission,

12 Then they returned to Jerusalem from the Mount of Olives, which is near Jerusalem—a Sabbath day’s journey away. 13 When they arrived, they went to the room upstairs where they were staying: Peter, John, James, Andrew, Philip, Thomas, Bartholomew, Matthew, James the son of Alphaeus, Simon the Zealot, and Judas the son of James. 14 They all were continually united in prayer, along with the women, including Mary the mother of Jesus, and his brothers.

God’s people are praying people. And not just times of solitude but people who are bonded together, forged together with the fire of prayer. So let me give you one encouragement and then we’re going to do something together. My encouragement is this, when you engage one another be it here, at school, with your family or wherever, I want you to ask yourself: is this person my brother or sister? And am I dealing with them in such a way that reflects that truth, that they are my brother or sister and that Jesus loves this person. You see it here that the disciples were united in prayer and in mission, let’s deal with one another in the same way.

Now how I want to close tonight is in this way. Just as the disciples were “continually united in prayer,” I want you tonight to turn to one of your brothers or sisters in this room and be honest in sharing with them something you need prayed for, each of you take a moment to share and then take a moment to take turns praying. God’s people are a praying people and you are no second-rate Christian, you will not be babied here, you are so well capable of praying and lifting up your church family to God. So take a moment, we’ll play some music in the background but find yourself someone maybe even a couple of people, people that you don’t normally find yourself around and lift them up in prayer. Y’all go ahead and break out and I’ll close us out together in prayer in just a moment.