Acts: Empowered to Go!

THE BOOK OF ACTS

Starting about 150 years ago, scholars in Europe started rejecting the historical records of Saint Luke. These academics declared that there was no evidence to support the existence of several locations and leaders mentioned in Luke's writings, and therefore, they rejected the entirety of his account. However, I discovered that archaeological finds during the last century have revealed that Luke was a very accurate historian and the two books he authored were absolutely authoritative records of history!

One of the greatest archaeologists of all time was Sir William Ramsay. He studied under the famous German historical schools in the mid-nineteenth century, which taught that the New Testament was a religious treatise written in the mid-200s AD, and not an historical document recorded in the first century. Ramsay was so convinced of this teaching that he entered the field of archaeology and went to Asia Minor to specifically find the physical evidence to refute Luke's biblical record. After years of field study, Ramsay completely reversed his entire view of the Bible and first century history. He wrote:

Luke is a historian of the first rank; not merely are his statements of fact trustworthy, he is possessed of the true historic sense...in short, this author should be placed along with the greatest of historians. 1

Acts 1:8 NLT

But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes upon you. And you will be my witnesses, telling people about me everywhere—in Jerusalem, throughout Judea, in Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.”

I. OUR POWER= THE PERSON, THE HOLY SPIRIT

He cannot be purchased.

Acts 8:19 NLT

“Let me have this power, too,” he exclaimed, “so that when I lay my hands on people, they will receive the Holy Spirit!”

He must be received.

Luke 24:48–49 NLT

You are witnesses of all these things. “And now I will send the Holy Spirit, just as my Father promised. But stay here in the city until the Holy Spirit comes and fills you with power from heaven.”

His power in you can be STIFLED.

1 Thessalonians 5:19 NLT

Do not stifle the Holy Spirit.

Things in our lives and heart the ruin our fellowship with Holy Spirit, others, and our witness 1 Thes. 5:14-21

Do you energetically jump into your work?

If not you need to be called out of laziness.

During Covid19. Church is a work of service to God. It’s easy to get lackadaisical about many things during Covid. Going to Online church should be similar to fellowshipping at church. Get out of bed, get dressed, read along in your bible or notes, sit up, sing along. Pray to God while challenges given.

Do you care for those in need?

Make the phone call. Drop a meal off. Help with a bill.

How’s your patience?

We all have to work at these things. This one gets tested during physical distancing.

How are you doing in the area of forgiveness?

How hard are you trying to do GOOD?

How’s your joy?

Read Psalm 8; 145

Worship builds joy and lowers worry.

Are you taking your thanks, praise and concerns to the Lord in prayer?

When we DO God’s will we allow the Holy Spirit to flow through us.

Remember God has given us perfection in Christ. No reasonable person will expect you to be perfect. They will look for your consistency and growth. The way we live gives people DIRECTION to Christ.

There were a number of people in my life that whether they realized it or not pointed me towards Christ. They weren’t perfect. I’ll be honest and this is in a good way, there were a few of them that I couldn’t find a fault in them. They really walked for the Lord making the right choices. But even the ones who would say, “I wasn’t the best example.” You know even they pointed me to Jesus.

II. OUR PURPOSE= POINT PEOPLE TO JESUS.

John 12:32–33 NLT

And when I am lifted up from the earth, I will draw everyone to myself.” He said this to indicate how he was going to die.

There is power in the Name of Jesus and the preaching Cross.

When people see the Cross for all it’s beauty and wonder, they cannot help but be drawn to Jesus. People may GLANCE at the cross and miss it. We really do not pay attention to the important moments like we should. But, when someone really looks at the cross and sees Jesus looking at them, the PARADIGM shifts.

That’s what happens when the Holy Spirit breaks through the stony heart. We see our self-righteousness for what it is. We see how we had it upside, backwards. God is not mean, He is just. God is not uncaring or unloving. He took the just punishment. Jesus is not merely a moral example, He is our morality. And the cross melts the heart that sees Jesus looking at it from the cross.

It’s the moment that you see Jesus had His eyes on you that the AHA happens.

The Bible tells us that God calls Israel the APPLE OF HIS eye. That small no account nation. The nation that constantly backslid and broke God’s heart. Those people who would deny Jesus. They were called the apple of His eye in the OLD Testament.

Now Jesus gave the message of redemption and love to all ethnic groups. He Gave His life for all people, how much more would He look at you me and everyone in this world as the APPLE OF HIS EYE. That means the pupil, you look at someone, they are reflected in the pupil of the eye. But it’s an idiom it means more than a reflection.

The phrase ’the apple of my eye’ usually refers to someone or something being the favorite, cherished above all others. In an earthly context it's usually used to refer to a situation where in a family, a child is seen as the apple of the parent’s eye, meaning he or she will go above and beyond for the child. He or she will be pampered and protected. Only the best is good enough for that child. No good thing will be withheld. The level of protection is heightened to ensure no harm comes to the child. The same is true for us as children of God. Do you feel or think you are the apple of the Lord's eye’s? I want to reassure you today that you are. All that the earthly parent would do for that favorite child is magnified 1 million times when it comes to God's love for us. To God you are not just another person. You are indeed ’the apple of his eye’. You are blessed, favored, loved and protected. He has heard your prayers and is working on a master plan to get you out of your situation, triumphantly. So like David in Psalm 17:4, proclaim today with all confidence that ’I pray to you Lord because I KNOW you will answer me’. So live a life of confidence because you know how special you are. More faith less fear. More peace less worry. More joy less sadness. More forgiveness less regret. Remember you are the apple of his eyes. He got you covered. Good day

III. OUR PLAN= PROCLAIM THE CROSS AND RESURRECTION TO A LOST AND DYING WORLD.

God is seeking to change the world from a divided people into His family. A family that Loves God with all their heart soul and minds and loves each other with all their hearts soul and mind. But it all starts with people coming into a right relationship with God through Christ.

1 Corinthians 1:21–23 NLT

Since God in his wisdom saw to it that the world would never know him through human wisdom, he has used our foolish preaching to save those who believe. It is foolish to the Jews, who ask for signs from heaven. And it is foolish to the Greeks, who seek human wisdom. So when we preach that Christ was crucified, the Jews are offended and the Gentiles say it’s all nonsense.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4nbXRuStiiE

Text: Acts 1:1–26

Topic: Witnesses, Holy Spirit, Empowerment, God’s Mission

Big Idea of the Message: The Holy Spirit empowers God’s people to be witnesses of the good news of Jesus Christ, beginning in Jerusalem, then Judea, then Samaria, and finally to the ends of the earth.

Application Point: We can confidently and courageously be witnesses of Jesus by understanding the power, purpose, and plan of the mission God has entrusted to each of us.

Sermon Ideas and Talking Points:

1. The resurrection of Jesus is the climactic event of human history so far. After his resurrection and before his ascension into heaven, Jesus spent forty days preparing his followers for the mission he entrusted to them; he did this by explaining the kingdom of God (v. 3). Jesus then instructed his disciples to wait for the promise of the Holy Spirit (vv. 4–5).

2. Jesus declared in Acts 1:8, “But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you; and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.” Acts 1:8 is the central verse of the book of Acts. It is what the story of what Acts is all about: God’s people being empowered by the Holy Spirit to be his witnesses to the world. Within this single verse, Jesus gives his followers the blueprint for the power, purpose, and plan of the mandate he has entrusted to them of making disciples of all nations (Matthew 28:18–20).

3. Our power comes from the Holy Spirit. The disciples were not to run off immediately after Jesus ascended into heaven and start sharing the gospel of the risen Christ with everybody. Jesus first instructed them to “wait” (v. 4) until they were “clothed with power from on high” (Luke 24:48–49). As believers, the Holy Spirit dwells within every one of us (Romans 8:9; 1 Corinthians 3:16). Yet, as evidenced in the book of Acts and throughout the New Testament, there is a difference in having the Holy Spirit in us and being filled with the Holy Spirit (Ephesians 5:18; Acts 2:4; 4:8; 4:31; 6:3; 13:52). There is an empowerment of the Holy Spirit upon our lives in different seasons, yet the Holy Spirit is always in us.

4. The purpose is to be a witness. We are to be a witness of Jesus and influence this world through our words, attitudes, and actions. In Luke’s account, before Jesus was taken into heaven, “he told them, ‘This is what is written: The Messiah will suffer and rise from the dead on the third day, and repentance for the forgiveness of sins will be preached in his name to all nations, beginning at Jerusalem. You are witnesses of these things’” (Luke 24:46–48).

5. The plan is to impact the world for the glory of God. The story of Acts is how God’s kingdom starts in Jerusalem, spreads into Judea and Samaria, and ultimately turns the world upside down. Jesus is the King of an unstoppable kingdom. This video illustrates how the gospel from Jerusalem to the ends of the earth: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9Gp-_ZsUagc.

6. For us today, the story remains the same. Our power is the same: the Holy Spirit. Our purpose is the same: to be his witnesses. The plan is the same: to impact the world with the kingdom of God. Here is a video that articulates the urgency of the continuing mission of God entitled, “State of the World—The Task Remaining”: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WrHC7hXNoV8.