"What's Next?" pt.1

Have you ever found yourself in a season of life where you’re left wondering, what’s next?

- You’re in a tough spot and you find yourself asking is there possibly anything else that could go wrong, what’s next?

- Or maybe you find yourself beginning a new chapter in your life and you really don’t know what you’re doing, so what’s next?

- You’re desperately seeking to figure out what God is doing or what he has for what’s next?

For the disciples, I believe this is a question that constantly surrounded them even it was sometimes unspoken

- They marveled (astonished or filled with wonder) at the things they saw Jesus do, and they were always questioning the meaning of Jesus’s teaching.

- When Jesus died and when he ascended there was this since of what now

- “On the evening of that day, the first day of the week, the doors being locked where the disciples were for fear of the Jews, Jesus came and stood among them and said to them, “Peace be with you.”” ‭‭John‬ ‭20:19‬ ‭ESV‬‬

- “And when he had said these things, as they were looking on, he was lifted up, and a cloud took him out of their sight. And while they were gazing into heaven as he went, behold, two men stood by them in white robes, and said, “Men of Galilee, why do you stand looking into heaven? This Jesus, who was taken up from you into heaven, will come in the same way as you saw him go into heaven.”” Acts‬ ‭1:9-11‬ ‭ESV‬‬

Acts 2 is where we’re going to be at today as we look at one of the first “nexts” that God gave his disciples after Jesus’s ascension

- In our non charismatic view of scripture I think we have lost touch of the importance of the Holy Spirit

- Jesus promised his disciples that a helper would come

- ““But when the Helper comes, whom I will send to you from the Father, the Spirit of truth, who proceeds from the Father, he will bear witness about me.” ‭‭John‬ ‭15:26‬ ‭ESV‬‬

- God help us to have a proper view of the Holy Spirit

1. God’s presence is still with his people (vs. 1-4)

- Jews had come from all over to celebrate the feast of harvest (the day of Pentecost)

- This was a feast implemented by God in the Old Testament as a reminder that he provided literally everything for his people

- There was a sound of a mighty rushing wind and to tongues of fire

- Mighty rushing wind

- Tornado type situation

- In the Old Testament the breath or spirit of God always signified life

- “then the Lord God formed the man of dust from the ground and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life, and the man became a living creature.” ‭‭Genesis‬ ‭2:7‬ ‭ESV‬‬

- “So I prophesied as I was commanded. And as I prophesied, there was a sound, and behold, a rattling, and the bones came together, bone to its bone. And I looked, and behold, there were sinews on them, and flesh had come upon them, and skin had covered them. But there was no breath in them. Then he said to me, “Prophesy to the breath; prophesy, son of man, and say to the breath, Thus says the Lord God: Come from the four winds, O breath, and breathe on these slain, that they may live.” So I prophesied as he commanded me, and the breath came into them, and they lived and stood on their feet, an exceedingly great army.” Ezekiel‬ ‭37:7-10‬ ‭ESV‬

- Fire

- God has a history of making his presence known by fire

- The burning bush in Exodus 3

- When God descends on Mount Sinai in Exodus 19

- God lead his people with a pillar of fire at night in Exodus 13

- When the Tabernacle was built in Exodus 40 the fire of the Lord was present at night

- Luke is painting the picture that God has showed up to his readers

- God has always been with his people

- In the garden, in the wilderness, in the promised land, in the coming of Jesus, now with the coming of the holy spirit

- God has never once abandoned his people

- He is continuing to prove the promise that he will never leave us or forsake us

2. We have been empowered by the Spirit to preach the gospel (vs. 5-15)

- This is peter

- Boldness

- The first time the gospel was preached by followers of Jesus it was spoken in all languages at the same time

- This is an audible word spoken in a non native language

- The spirit of the living God, creator of the universe breather of the stars now lives in you

- The presence of God was so powerful in the Old Testament that people would literally die if they approached it, but now God has descended on his people individually

- God has now come to dwell inside the hearts of his people

- “Or do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit within you, whom you have from God? You are not your own, for you were bought with a price. So glorify God in your body.” ‭‭1 Corinthians‬ ‭6:19-20‬ ‭ESV‬‬

- Do not lose sight of the miracle inside your heart

- The very spirit of God lives inside of you

- God has come through on his end of the deal

- “And Jesus came and said to them, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age.”” Matthew‬ ‭28:18-20‬ ‭ESV‬

- “But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you, and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth.”” ‭‭Acts‬ ‭1:8‬ ‭ESV‬‬

- Thailand language story

3. God now moves through his church in the waiting (vs. 16-21)

- There’s always a season of waiting

- In the Old Testament, waiting on the Messiah

- When Jesus showed up, waiting on redemption

- When Jesus left, waiting on him to come back

- God is no longer moving through merely prophets or priests his presence has now come to all who follow him (all flesh)

- Everyone of you have purpose in the mission

- God didn’t come up with a mission for the church to have something to do

- God founded the church to fulfill his mission

- The church exists to continue the ministry of Jesus

4. Jesus is alive and well (vs. 22-36)

- How can this be, we watched Jesus die?

- This has all come to pass because Jesus is alive

- There’s hope and there’s an answer

- You ask me how I know he lives, there’s an empty tomb

5. God’s plan of redemption is just beginning (vs. 37-41)

- The danger of baptism

- God is making all things new

- 3,000 people received life that day

- Exodus 32, 3,000 people died because of disobedience

- There’s power in the story of Jesus