God Has A Dream
Notes
Transcript
God Has A Dream
God Has A Dream
41 But while they still did not believe for joy, and marveled, He said to them, “Have you any food here?”
42 So they gave Him a piece of a broiled fish and some honeycomb.
43 And He took it and ate in their presence.
44 Then He said to them, “These are the words which I spoke to you while I was still with you, that all things must be fulfilled which were written in the Law of Moses and the Prophets and the Psalms concerning Me.”
45 And He opened their understanding, that they might comprehend the Scriptures.
46 Then He said to them, “Thus it is written, and thus it was necessary for the Christ to suffer and to rise from the dead the third day,
47 and that repentance and remission of sins should be preached in His name to all nations, beginning at Jerusalem.
48 And you are witnesses of these things.
49 “Behold, I send the Promise of My Father upon you; but tarry in the city of Jerusalem until you are endued with power from on high.”
50 And He led them out as far as Bethany, and He lifted up His hands and blessed them.
51 Now it came to pass, while He blessed them, that He was parted from them and carried up into heaven.
One school year when one of my boys were in 2nd grade, there were learning about Martin Luther King Jr. and his famous speech, “I Have A Dream”. My son would come home and tell me about it and how it important it was to have a dream. How having a dream affects what you think and how you act. During this same time, my work was doing a fundraiser to raise money and awareness about the prevalence of a particular type of crime. I had a label pin I wore on my lanyard representing this issue. One day my son saw it and asked me what it was about. I explained it to him at what I hoped was at a second grade level. He got all excited and said “Mom, I know what the problem is and how to fix it.” I thought how wonderful, maybe we should put you in office. I asked what he thought the problem was and what the solution could be. He said the problem was he did not have a dream. The solution was to pray that Jesus would give him a dream.
Jesus Christ has a dream. The location of this dream is the Mt of Olives. This is a very important dream for all of humanity and an important location. When we have a dream, it occupies a lot of our pondering. When we have downtime, we spend a lot of time thinking about our dream. Whether it is a dream of a relationship or a material possession such as the latest tech gadget of a game system. Jesus was no different. He spent a lot of time on the Mt of Olives.
39 Coming out, He went to the Mount of Olives, as He was accustomed, and His disciples also followed Him.
It was not unusual for the disciples to accompany Jesus to the Mt of Olives on numerous occasions. I do not think there was any way at the time to grasp how pivotal the Mt of Olives was to the dream of Jesus Christ. Yes, they would have known about the prophecy from Zechariah.
4 And in that day His feet will stand on the Mount of Olives, Which faces Jerusalem on the east. And the Mount of Olives shall be split in two, From east to west, Making a very large valley; Half of the mountain shall move toward the north And half of it toward the south.
The disciples were expecting Jesus to fulfill this prophecy in their life time. But Jesus had a long term dream for not just Israel but for all of humanity. This dream is what Jesus is trying to make clear in Luke.
The Mount of Olives is so much like us. Jesus has big plans for the Mount of Olives as was revealed to the prophet Zechariah. He has big dreams for you and for me and for Northside Assembly. But did you know that the Mount of Olives was not always known as the Mount of Olives. From the time of King Solomon, it was known as the Mount of Corruption. This is a horrible name for a mountain destined for great things. But, unfortunately, it was well deserved.
13 Then the king defiled the high places that were east of Jerusalem, which were on the south of the Mount of Corruption, which Solomon king of Israel had built for Ashtoreth the abomination of the Sidonians, for Chemosh the abomination of the Moabites, and for Milcom the abomination of the people of Ammon.
We were the same way. Full of sin and idolatry. Looking to anything for the answers in our life except to the giver of our life. Just like this mountain, we need to have all the sin and idolatry torn down and pulverized from our life. The Lord works with each one of us in our own way if we will just allow Him. He has the best plans for us and all we have to do is remove what is killing us. He will help us. He is gracious and kind and full of mercy.
10 When Jesus had raised Himself up and saw no one but the woman, He said to her, “Woman, where are those accusers of yours? Has no one condemned you?”
11 She said, “No one, Lord.” And Jesus said to her, “Neither do I condemn you; go and sin no more.”
When we turn our lives over to Him, He gives us beauty for our ashes, gladness for our sadness, and praise for our depression according to Isaiah 61:3. He gives us so much in exchange for so little that we can give Him. Just like the Mount of Corruption, Jesus Christ has big plans. It will be called the Mount of Olives and we will be called the children of the Most High.
Mt Olives is where He left from in the ascension and Mt Olives will be the site of His physical return to earth. Jesus Christ has a great dream for us. He sees what we will become and accomplish for Him, if we will just surrender our all to Him.
Conclusion:
We are all dreamers. We dream of a brighter future for our children and grandchildren. We look at the glass half full. We see what the future could be.
God is a dreamer also. He has a great dream for all humanity.
9 The Lord is not slack concerning His promise, as some count slackness, but is longsuffering toward us, not willing that any should perish but that all should come to repentance.
A modern wording of the Prayer Poem by CS Lewis
They tell me, Lord, that when I pray only 1 voice is heard.
That I’m dreaming. You are not there. This whole thing is absurd.
Maybe they are right, Lord, maybe they are right.
That when I pray only 1 voice is heard.
But it if it is only 1 voice, it is not mine.
It’s yours.
I’m not dreaming.
You are the dreamer and I am your dream.
I am not dreaming when I pray to you.
You are the dreamer and I am your dream.
It is the dream of God for everyone to some to repentance. To come to a saving knowledge of Jesus Christ. If you are ready to allow the dreamer to make you, the dream, come true; it is as easy as your A, B, C’s:
A. Acknowledge that you have not been walking with and trusting Jesus
23 for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God,
B. Believe in the dreamer
31 So they said, “Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and you will be saved, you and your household.”
C. Confess you want the dream to be lived out in your life
9 that if you confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus and believe in your heart that God has raised Him from the dead, you will be saved.
10 For with the heart one believes unto righteousness, and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation.
If you will trust Jesus and walk with Jesus, He will make the dream come true in your life today.