May 26 - NOT the Last Will and Testament
Cami didn't sound like it was on. this morning sermon entitled not the last will and testament of Jesus Christ and the two passages I drew from where Daniel 7-9 to 14 and acts 1 1 through 11 x 111, but the whole bag
you were talking about the the Ascension Ascension of Jesus Christ and the first passage of Luke 24 50.53 really isn't all that descriptive essay in a few sentences about Jesus Took the guys up on the mountain and he know he spoke to them and then he ascended the summation of of those three vs. Pathogen acts 1:11 and two to describe the entire scene and in detail, so, you know, when you're watching your favorite TV show and you're going from one season to another sometimes these media companies like to know I can break up the story in two parts so that they got your attention, you know through the summer time until they lead into the next season and so it's a cliffhanger not like
Hanging precariously, you know waiting for somebody to fall off the mountain and it's more like this story like Lord of the Rings when you're going for one movie to another I just happens to be a pause in life in between. The movies are in the so we're kind of waiting in this journey Forum Luke 24 5253 says winning eleven to the vicinity of Bethany, which wasn't very far from Jerusalem. He lifted up his hands and blessed them and while he was blessing them. He left them and was taken into heaven then they worship Him and returned to Jerusalem with great joy and they stayed continually at the temple praising God Lucas actually like the first part of the story you sort of like, you know Star Wars and in Empire Strikes Back any kind of leaning to the like the last movie The Return of the Jedi? Why were you having a great ending? You got the big reveals and it didn't finish off the story and that's that's more like we're seeing in acts 1:11. So I act 111 sort of like the one that summarizes the thing in the end is a follow-up it and and details of the story and so it's the pathogen axis more about the promise of the Holy Spirit than it is about Jesus Ascension. But the passage in Luke is about specifically about the ending of the ministry of Jesus Christ here on Earth right hand and then it transitions to this whole thing and ask Then there's this whole Cliffhanger thing when there's a cliffhanger. We usually ask questions like what just happened, you know, there's a big thing and you're supposed to pause and you have this like tension sort of until is the story starts again. So you ask yourself what just happened in the story to lead up to this big moment Jesus with it was with the disciples and he was explaining how you know, all these scriptures from the Old Testament that tells about his coming that tells about the Messiah and he's explaining to them. He is the Messiah he was the one to come and it's not just going to end here right now. Jesus is gone away and he come back being resurrected and then he's telling his disciples again. I have to go away. What do you mean you have to go away and you just went away and came back. How can you go away again and come back? Frank said there wasn't really all this detail in the Old Testament about going away and coming and returning going away again and returning at some point and the teacher. To ask other questions to like what's going to happen now so of a cliffhanger you you go over the story the first part of the story just the flesh out all the details. Okay, what just happened so I can get the full meaning and when the story starts again when you have a new season of the TV show you want to go like okay, you know you summarize the little thing from the previous season Friday and then you talk to you start talking about the new story with a cliffhanger. Ben 10 Jesus doesn't leave his his disciples with a cliffhanger. It is not like, you know a last will and testament where you just you given. into what your whole life's meaning was about and it's not about what's you telling everyone? What's going to happen after your death? Are you you explaining their importance in your life? That's not parsing out every little detail and saying. This is your yours now. You're the only way you're going to run with it, but I'm not going to be around so I can't help you. It's not like that. Jesus Jesus died and was resurrected and everything changed. It wasn't the same as it was before so his death wasn't like everybody else's that's where you're gone. They don't have any more influence. You don't you can't speak into somebody's else's life anymore. There is no continuation of you being a part of their life. At least not until we see them again when we go to heaven.
And so now he said he had to leave again. But but why is that why am I waiting around for things? I don't understand. Jesus is going again, and I'm supposed to wait. What's that about?
So, you know In this passage Jesus doesn't just leave him hanging. He gives them a mission. He gives us a mission. You know, he's telling them to wait to do not go anywhere Verses 4 and 5. He says do not leave Jerusalem, but wait for the gift. My father promised what you've heard me speak about for John baptized with water but a few days you will be baptized with the Holy Spirit. It wasn't that Jesus was just the one who promised them the Holy Spirit.
Otherwise, it would be just from Jesus. It would just be Jesus is Spirit. It wouldn't be the entire spirit of God. So God give this Revelation in the scriptures and we can go over those passages in the study where it talks about the Holy Spirit needs to move from individuals and instead of having those individuals be Kings or and profits or you know, that were judges in the Old Testament who would lead the people and he would have to establish laws and boundaries for people to live and work in his spirit will be given to each and every single person. And what that means is you don't necessarily need to have a detailed law about what you do about everything because the holy spirit of God is then residing in your heart to konvictt you and tell you what is good. And what is not
The Holy Spirit comes into your heart starts convicting you in his leading you into the good things waiting on you on to the past that you should go and it's not about Sin management anymore tea. That's it. That's what it was like in the Old Testament. You have the Holy Spirit of God coming to an individual and they would have to tell you the boundaries of what God wants for you and your life. So you have to establish solid law. This is what you can do. This is what you can't do it when the Holy Spirit comes into your life and Grace becomes more. The boundaries anymore. You were released from those boundaries because the holy spirit is in a part of your life and Christ. And so your life is released to be something more to be about something more than whether or not you're sitting at that moment. Your life is released be a blessing and and in the guide and a purposeful spiritual guide to let people know that their hearts can't connect with God. But their hearts can be warmed and softened and in love can be expressed more fully in our lives. It's not about Sin management anymore. So this is not a last will and testament. This isn't a laying down of Jesus aim. Here's all that. I told you remember what I had taught you and this is it I'm gone. That's it. If it was it wouldn't be, you know, we wouldn't be here. We wouldn't have the church for 2,000 years. You know, I'll I don't know about you, but it if I'm given some rules and it's not going to be long before I start breaking them. That is The Human Condition. As soon as we know boo-boo the rules as soon as we know don't touch that hot plate as a kid, right and we want to experience things that we haven't experienced with that. Now, I'm going to go and try and touch it today. I can figure out why you're telling me not to and sell my mind wants to explore things, but it's going to hurt me.
So it's not a last will and testament the last will implies that there will be no more. Send a text to man usually as a memorial. This is what we do as a memorial we speak of who people were in our lives. And this Memorial Day? Some of us feel it more fully. Because people have been a part of our Lives who have sacrificed their lives. thought for us
I said when I think about family members who served in the military could literally put their lives in front of me.
Then when I speak of them, it is a testament of what their life was and that is a memorial and it's a beautiful thing. fun this case with this passage and what Jesus is doing with the disciples is not at it is something different.
So Jesus doesn't leave us here by ourselves as if God is some Cosmic God that sits on the throne way up high somewhere else. Just created the Earth and left you alone to deal with it. God isn't the guy who just sits up by himself and expects you to handle everything yourself. And I'm sorry, but I really didn't you to tell people to do that kind of thing. It's cruel. It's cruel. If God has left us alone. It doesn't give us any power in any Authority in this world. What was the point in him coming and laying down some walls for us? It is cruel to lay down laws and then did not give us the power to overcome them. Jesus then brings the Holy Spirit to icy doesn't leave us without. His words he doesn't leave us without Authority. He doesn't leave us without power. He doesn't leave us without his presence in our lives.
Edward choir something of us They require something of us a requires of belief. And that my friends is a difference between a religion. And what is true? Religion will lay down the laws and not give you any power to overcome them. A relationship with God will give you his Holy Spirit and presence and power in your life. So you don't have to worry about the laws anymore. You can live a life of fullness and have benefits with the Holy Spirit as a part of your life.
He encourages he guides us. He even gives literal. He told us what to do.
So that our lives can be back as the image of what he created us to me.
Jesus comes in and gives the promise of the Holy Spirit and the power that comes with a testimony to testimonies are powerful. He gives us the holy spirit so that we can testify so that we can talk about what God is doing as a as a part of our lives and we don't have to worry about what will I say in the moment and be in that relationship with other people and he gives it to us and where have you seen anywhere else in this life or with any other religion or anything else that you could possibly take on any any substance that you think is going to improve your life? There is no other place that you can find where it where you will get power and guidance do the things that you need to do. Sun
So this is unusual. And it's different.
sew in
Sorry, my computer is doing something here. Asking Jesus whether the the kingdom was coming at this time to the disciples are showing us in the scriptures and verse 6 Lord. Are you at this time going to restore the Kingdom of Israel and the end they're literally asking about if you look in the original Greek language, they're literally asking about the political relationship for the nation and the territory of Israel. And so the disciples even though the disciples the people that were with Jesus for the last three years just come back. He's resurrected. He's standing before them. He's ready to go and be ascended into heaven and they still don't get it.
And I can't blame them for that either. Because I know that there are times in my life that I did not get scripture. Or I did not get something that God was telling me. Orange Shrugged off a conviction that I was supposed to feel in my heart. It was like, yeah, but I want to do it.
Twin fall into that instead of thinking about the kingdom of God, as you know, something that can last for eternity and not just those temporary fixes. I said I'm thinking about what's in front of me. I needed to think about my attorney. What was going to affect my eternity?
The juice isn't leaving with nothing to lose doesn't leave them with those temporary things. He could have restored Israel and they could have just been Israel and it could have not been focused on anyone else. The problem is scripture had already given it and in the prophecies and you go back to Daniel and what did it say in Daniel? That Israel was the one through which all people would be restored to God and it's not just about Israel wasn't just about their Nation. It was about the individual so it's not about you. It's not just about you.
Sometimes we expect expect God to do everything for ourselves that we forget that we have a responsibility to Jesus is leaving but he give him the promise and he says the holy spirit's going to come to you. So really fuses is doing this kind of well, it's hear some bad news and hear some good news, right? He's telling the disciples. The bad news is I have to go away the good news is I'm giving you the holy spirit so you can continue the mission. Can be effective in the mission? I so that's that's up to us. It's for other us up the ice to receive guy to receive the Holy Spirit are in our lives and continue the mission. It's not going to do it for you. Time is not going to do the mission for you. So that's kind of the bad news is she this is getting basically saying I'm not going to stay here. I'm not going to establish the kingdom for you. I'm not going to just do this song for you. You've got to have some responsibility in it is what happens when we don't have responsibility for things. I mean what happens if you you give a kid and I will be starting to drive has 16 their own car without any responsibilities for that vehicle. Vehicles going to start the phone or my brother and when the car when the car needs oil and so the engine blocks up and you have no car anymore. So when we don't have any responsibilities and we don't take the authority that we're given and use it in the proper way. And so we kind of just use it up.
I showed you this gives that lasting change.
over our entire lifetime to participate in this mission
God doesn't need your help. What he wants your help. And that's something I had to learn. Saigon does not need my help or want to make sure he can do it. All he has all the power in the world to do it, but God limits himself to get you in the mix. You don't understand that love is way more powerful than anything else that you might be able to use. The Bingham part of people's lives in a relationship is way more powerful than instituting some Square the political program. trade-in spiritual program programs don't work. What does work is relationships between people?
So God doesn't need your help and he wants your help and it's for your sake and for the sake of the world. So when we do things when we help each other out when we're in service with each other our hearts often or are hard to break for good reasons. Frank said that love can poor in but if our hearts day Harden AC cold that's not going to happen. Why can I break through something that is hard? But doesn't want any more relationships. She doesn't want to let anyone else in. So sometimes we got to go through experience where our heart is broken in order for guys like to shine in the shine in those dark places.
Today is not a day in which we celebrate a last will and testament for Jesus before he ascended. It's not about just taking the Great Commission and had running with it and he left us alone.
Jesus told them to wait for his holy spirit. We are going through Max and it'll lead up to the Holy Spirit coming into live out of the disciples at Pentecost. Now, it's already happen for us. You don't have to wait two more weeks until we hear about Pentecost. The holy spirit is already a part of your life now. the problem is we miss taking was the holy spirit is the holy spirit is not a thing. The holy spirit is not a tool. The holy spirit is not the force in Star Wars. It is not something that you can manipulate. The holy spirit is the very spirit of God. So when the Holy Spirit comes into your life, he shapes molds directs you. The way that you should be in the image of him. And sometimes we we we confuse the are the Christian education that we do in church as if that's a part of the holy spirit's molding and it and it is a part of it is it not being a priority of it education is one sliver of what we can do knowing the scriptures is one sliver of what it means to be a disciple in Christ. Because even Satan knows the scriptures.
I said we had to do something with that. We didn't it. I need to be a part of each other's lives. We need to help inform each other about what scripture actually says when we forget. Or show us a different way to understand the scriptures. Is the holy spirit of God isn't just in your heart and your life the holy spirit of God is in our life. how to get the full picture we need you
We need you.
We need you.
I need you.
And I can't be a part of your life.
If I'm just up here.
And you're in the pew. And I'm preaching to you.
I can't be a part of your life if I haven't seen where you live.
To go along with you to Journey with you to know you.
I can't learn to love you. If I'm not in your presence as the holy spirit is in your presence. And so this is what it means to be in discipleship. Is the be a part of each other's lives so that you can share each other's lives and we can't do that.
in this form
Southern needs to be something different about us and we've forgotten that
where we where we have relationships the most where we have the more pure as by knowing each other by breaking bread with each other by meeting with each other. So one of the things that I'm asking the leadership of our church One is at least four times a year getting together in a meal as a body of Christ and opening that meal to the entire. community
Letting them know that there is food here. There are people here. Who care about you. Who love you.
Fancy tuna my monthly time for prayer for healing and restoration is one of them.
+ 2 Being a Methodist. This is the start of the Methodist churches in small groups. Start in the Methodist churches in missional small groups when small groups get together and say we want to do something good for God. We want to be a part of each other's lives and we want to help each other along to ask the hard questions to say. What have you done this week? I know this is a hard place for you. I know that this is a place of the holy spirit is convicting you, how can I help you in this area? Are some scripture that has to do with what you're hurting in. Are some scripture that has to do with with our mission. Here's a hymn that we have that exactly has to do with this and it is has blessed me and I wanted to bless you. We've got to do this stuff. It's not it's not a choice. It's not an option. And yes, I am making you the option for you this it has to be something of your personal responsibility. You have to make that choice for yourself but discipleship is in Sharing relationships with each other and getting to know each other and I know we think we do want to know we think we do know each other for a long time and things but I can promise you I've been in church with people for 10 or more years, and I absolutely no nothing that was important and Central to their life. It'll surprise you.
so I might be done with this sermon but You need to take some homework home with you. And consider whether or not this format is the best approach for you to change some things in your life. And I know a lot of us think that we have are things set and we don't want to change anything because we are comfortable in doing them.
banana, the disciples were young men
not all the disciples were young men consider that?
How is on Journeys into his 70s? Okay. How they're doing Ministries and I know you're saying he's at the hospital and he had them to the gifting for doing that mixes sitter. And God doesn't stop there is no retirement from being a Christian. There is no retirement for living a life of Christ. And if we care enough about other people, we will share that Life of Christ with them. That's what I'll leave you with.