Final Instructions
He Lives! • Sermon • Submitted
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· 10 viewsChrist gave final instructions for us to continue His work here on earth through the power of His Spirit.
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For the director of music. Of the Sons of Korah. A psalm.
Clap your hands, all you nations; shout to God with cries of joy.
For the Lord Most High is awesome, the great King over all the earth.
He subdued nations under us, peoples under our feet.
He chose our inheritance for us, the pride of Jacob, whom he loved.
God has ascended amid shouts of joy, the Lord amid the sounding of trumpets.
Sing praises to God, sing praises; sing praises to our King, sing praises.
For God is the King of all the earth; sing to him a psalm of praise.
God reigns over the nations; God is seated on his holy throne.
The nobles of the nations assemble as the people of the God of Abraham, for the kings of the earth belong to God; he is greatly exalted.
When the time drew near for David to die, he gave a charge to Solomon his son.
“I am about to go the way of all the earth,” he said. “So be strong, act like a man,
and observe what the Lord your God requires: Walk in obedience to him, and keep his decrees and commands, his laws and regulations, as written in the Law of Moses. Do this so that you may prosper in all you do and wherever you go
and that the Lord may keep his promise to me: ‘If your descendants watch how they live, and if they walk faithfully before me with all their heart and soul, you will never fail to have a successor on the throne of Israel.’
For this reason, ever since I heard about your faith in the Lord Jesus and your love for all God’s people,
I have not stopped giving thanks for you, remembering you in my prayers.
I keep asking that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the glorious Father, may give you the Spirit of wisdom and revelation, so that you may know him better.
I pray that the eyes of your heart may be enlightened in order that you may know the hope to which he has called you, the riches of his glorious inheritance in his holy people,
and his incomparably great power for us who believe. That power is the same as the mighty strength
he exerted when he raised Christ from the dead and seated him at his right hand in the heavenly realms,
far above all rule and authority, power and dominion, and every name that is invoked, not only in the present age but also in the one to come.
And God placed all things under his feet and appointed him to be head over everything for the church,
which is his body, the fullness of him who fills everything in every way.
Sermon Introduction:
When I was a Sophomore in High School, my parents began searching for a ranch to buy. This sometimes required them to take trips and leave the responsibilities of the farm to my brother and I. We had worked alongside dad for some 8 or 9 years, so we had a good idea of what the essential work consisted of, but right before dad would leave, he would reiterate the most important details to make sure we understood how important those things were. That would be the most critical tasks for that season, such as certain fields that needed consistently watered, or hay that needed brought in.
Jesus has been with His disciples for 40 days since His resurrection. In the three years prior to His crucifixion, Jesus has taught the disciples about the scriptures, about healing people, about dealing with rejection. Now they are entering a new season. Jesus is preparing to leave. He will no longer be with them in the flesh, so He gives is final instruction.
This event is mentioned in a few verses in various gospels, but the fullest account is found in Acts 1:1-11. That will be our text for today.
In my former book, Theophilus, I wrote about all that Jesus began to do and to teach
until the day he was taken up to heaven, after giving instructions through the Holy Spirit to the apostles he had chosen.
After his suffering, he presented himself to them and gave many convincing proofs that he was alive. He appeared to them over a period of forty days and spoke about the kingdom of God.
On one occasion, while he was eating with them, he gave them this command: “Do not leave Jerusalem, but wait for the gift my Father promised, which you have heard me speak about.
For John baptized with water, but in a few days you will be baptized with the Holy Spirit.”
Then they gathered around him and asked him, “Lord, are you at this time going to restore the kingdom to Israel?”
He said to them: “It is not for you to know the times or dates the Father has set by his own authority.
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.”
After he said this, he was taken up before their very eyes, and a cloud hid him from their sight.
They were looking intently up into the sky as he was going, when suddenly two men dressed in white stood beside them.
“Men of Galilee,” they said, “why do you stand here looking into the sky? This same Jesus, who has been taken from you into heaven, will come back in the same way you have seen him go into heaven.”
The Word of God for the people of God. Thanks be to God.
Pray
When I worked in the corporate office, we used to train through a series of steps.
You observe me.
You work alongside me, I lead.
You lead I work alongside you.
You work independently.
We see a certain amount of this same process with Jesus and His disciples. When they first came to Jesus, they listened and observed. Then they traveled with Jesus and worked alongside Him as He taught. Then Jesus gave them responsibilities to which He observed as they worked. Eventually, Jesus sent out 72 workers to work independently of Him. At this point in time, Jesus turns His work over completely to the disciples. However, that does not mean that Jesus abandoned them. Instead, He assured them His Spirit would be with them.
It is appropriate that we move from a text of the gospels to a new book, the book of Acts. This demonstrates that a shift is taking place. The shift is the work moving from Jesus to His followers. The book of Acts was written by Luke, the same Luke who wrote the book of Luke. Luke was a physician and as an educated man, he was focused on giving a detailed account of the events. In the book of Luke, he records the teachings and actions of Jesus, but now in the book of Acts, he records the expansion of the gospel through the church, that being the followers of Jesus Christ.
After Jesus resurrection, He was around 40 more days. This was an important time. This allowed there to be plenty of proof that He had truly risen from the dead. It was not a fable or story tale. It was an actual event that people could prove by personal witness. During this time, Jesus continued the same message He had preached previously. He continues to speak to those around Him of the kingdom of God.
Here is where we find Jesus giving them some important instructions for when He leaves.
Acts 1:4, 5
On one occasion, while he was eating with them, he gave them this command: “Do not leave Jerusalem, but wait for the gift my Father promised, which you have heard me speak about.
For John baptized with water, but in a few days you will be baptized with the Holy Spirit.”
This baptism of the Holy Spirit is a completely new concept to them. At this point, they do not fully understand what Jesus is talking about. Here also we see that they still do not clearly understand that their previous expectation is wrong because it comes up all over again.
Then they gathered around him and asked him, “Lord, are you at this time going to restore the kingdom to Israel?”
They have not given up the idea that Jesus will displace Rome and proclaim a Jewish kingdom. However, Jesus doesn’t address this notion. Instead, He directs them to the sovereignty of God and the important task at hand.
He said to them: “It is not for you to know the times or dates the Father has set by his own authority.
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.”
Matthew gives more of Jesus answer here. What we call the “Great Commission.” Matthew 28:18-20.
Then Jesus came to them and said, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me.
Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit,
and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.”
God is sovereign and He has given Jesus all authority, in both heaven and on earth to His Son, who in turn is commissioning His disciples to continue the work He began, beginning with Israel and continuing to move out to all ends of the earth.
This is an interesting progression. First, Jesus always indicated that the message was to go first to the Jew. Even Paul in his travels, would begin in a Jewish synagogue and then move out to the Gentile from there.
In Jerusalem, you had the heart of the Jewish believers. From there they were to progress to greater Judea, the lands of the Jewish inhabitants. Then to Samaria. Why Samaria? Samaria was the lands of the divided kingdom. Any remaining Jews from the other tribes would be found there. Then to the ends of the earth.
Here is where it is evident that this includes believers even today. The Jews of Jesus day were totally unaware of “the ends of the earth.” There were many lands and people totally unknown to them.
In fact, here is a tidbit of new discovery for you. There are some indications that Europeans were on this continent even before Columbus. There are some new discoveries in Europe and Nova Scotia that make it clear that there were others here prior to the known discovery by Columbus. It is amazing what archaeology continues to unearth.
So when Jesus gave these instructions, He was not only talking to the disciples, but to disciples yet to be born. The work has continued ever since. Now that does not mean we all sell everything and head to the far reaches of the earth, but we can all participate through various means. We provide financially for others to go or to be educated to go. We provide benevolent funds and items which help open doors to share the gospel with others.
Sometimes we adopt children from other countries. Some times we provide support for children or families in other countries so we can share the gospel. I support a 10 year old girl in Romania. My giving allows her to attend a Christian school where she receives meals and an education as well as Bible teaching.
There is an organization in Nampa that began collecting medical equipment and supplies for mission hospitals. They began slowly, but it has grown significantly and supplies everything from PPE’s to medicine bottles to wheel chairs to X-Ray machines. Sometimes when our hospitals get the newest and greatest, they have been willing to donate their older machines to mission hospitals that have nothing and this has been a great blessing.
However, you do not need to go across continents to be a missionary. Sometimes the gospel is needed to be carried across the street to the neighbors. Sometimes people with addictions need Twelve Step leaders that point them to salvation to set them free of their addictions. Sometimes children in our schools need a teacher to be a missionary to them, to help them know someone does love and care about them.
The great commission was not for the eleven men closest to Jesus. The great commission was for every disciple from then to the current age.
Once Jesus gave these final instructions, we are told He was taken up before their very eyes to heaven. Transported on a cloud. No wonder artists like to show that heaven is a lot of people floating on clouds. Where did they get that idea? Here!
However, Jesus does one more thing before He leaves. He blesses them.
When he had led them out to the vicinity of Bethany, he lifted up his hands and blessed them.
While he was blessing them, he left them and was taken up into heaven.
Then they worshiped him and returned to Jerusalem with great joy.
And they stayed continually at the temple, praising God.
What exactly does “blessing” mean? Here is the definition for the word translated “blessed” here.
Blessed
to celebrate with praise
to invoke blessings
Blessed
to consecrate a thing with solemn prayer
to ask God’s blessing upon
pray God to bless it to one’s use
pronounce a consecratory blessing on
Jesus was consecrating them, setting them apart to take over the work He had began. In fact, Jesus says we will do greater things than He has done. Look at John 14:12.
Very truly I tell you, whoever believes in me will do the works I have been doing, and they will do even greater things than these, because I am going to the Father.
We are able to do greater things because His Spirit empowers us. We have spoken about that and we will talk more about that in a couple weeks, but for right now, I want you to look at one final detail.
We are still in the season of Easter. It does not end until May 30. We have been looking at the resurrection appearances of Jesus these past Sundays since Easter. One detail we have continued to bring out was how all these appearances produced witnesses. When the church first began to grow, it was because of the first-hand witnesses to these events. People were able to say, “I saw Jesus after His death. I walked with Him, ate with Him, and spoke with Him. There was no doubt it was Him and He was alive and well!” As the church grew, those believing and putting their faith in Christ were close enough to talk to these witnesses. To know that there was no doubt that the events were true.
I have said it before and I will say it again. People were being put to death for believing in Christ. People will die for what they believe, but they will not die for a lie. A lie is not worth giving your life for. People in Judea or Samaria were close enough to the events to check things out for themselves. There were enough convincing eyewitnesses for them to believe also!
And here is one more important eyewitness. These men witness Jesus being transported by a cloud up into the sky. It was not a case where they turned around and He was just gone. It was a case of they watched Him as He was elevated through sky and space. What they witnessed was totally outside the realms of possibility and yet they witnessed it. There was no “beam me up Scottie!” and He evaporated into thin air. They watched Him ascend!
They were so dumbfounded that they stood there in shocked silence and it took angels to shake them out of it.
They were looking intently up into the sky as he was going, when suddenly two men dressed in white stood beside them.
“Men of Galilee,” they said, “why do you stand here looking into the sky? This same Jesus, who has been taken from you into heaven, will come back in the same way you have seen him go into heaven.”
This is significant to us as we understand from I Thessalonians that we will be reunited with Jesus and the previously deceased believers in the clouds. So, next time we will not only witness it but be with Him there.
After that, we who are still alive and are left will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. And so we will be with the Lord forever.
Now notice the difference in the disciples from the beginning to the end of this event. First, we see reluctance and a lack of confidence.
When they saw him, they worshiped him; but some doubted.
And now as they leave this place, we see a whole lot of celebration going on.
Then they worshiped him and returned to Jerusalem with great joy.
And they stayed continually at the temple, praising God.
All doubts have been erased. They have just witnessed a final miracle that erases their doubts. Jesus is alive! Jesus is God’s Son! Jesus has returned to heaven but promises His Spirit will return to empower them.
Conclusion:
One day, we too will witness Jesus in the clouds, but not from the ground. Instead, we will be caught up to Him. But our lack of person witness of seeing Jesus in the flesh is not a blind faith. Because we now have His Spirit living within us, witnessing with our spirit that He is real. That He loves us and that He has something better for us.
We can rejoice, worship and celebrate even when disasters are happening all around us because we know there is more than this world. There is more than this life. God has something different and better in mind for us.
Starting in June, we are going to go back to the beginning, by looking at the book of beginnings. There we get a glimpse of what God had always intended for us; provision, serenity, and joy. There will be peace like we have never seen in our world. It will not only be found in our own lives, but in the lives of every living creature.
A shoot will come up from the stump of Jesse; from his roots a Branch will bear fruit.
The Spirit of the Lord will rest on him— the Spirit of wisdom and of understanding, the Spirit of counsel and of might, the Spirit of the knowledge and fear of the Lord—
and he will delight in the fear of the Lord. He will not judge by what he sees with his eyes, or decide by what he hears with his ears;
but with righteousness he will judge the needy, with justice he will give decisions for the poor of the earth. He will strike the earth with the rod of his mouth; with the breath of his lips he will slay the wicked.
Righteousness will be his belt and faithfulness the sash around his waist.
The wolf will live with the lamb, the leopard will lie down with the goat, the calf and the lion and the yearling together; and a little child will lead them.
The cow will feed with the bear, their young will lie down together, and the lion will eat straw like the ox.
The infant will play near the cobra’s den, the young child will put its hand into the viper’s nest.
They will neither harm nor destroy on all my holy mountain, for the earth will be filled with the knowledge of the Lord as the waters cover the sea.
What a day that will be, when my Jesus I shall see;
When I look upon His face, the one who saved me by His grace.
When He takes me by the hand, and leads me to the promised land.
What a day, glorious day that will be.
Pray
What a Day That Will Be. #283
