May 1: The Temple IV

All right, is good to be back with you again? And we are picking up on episode 33 of our sermon series. We're in the home stretch as we're telling the entire story of the Bible. We began in September with Genesis. And we we talked about the Resurrection on Easter and now we're going into the book of Acts. We have four servings left to wrap up the story of the Bible and I'm really excited because the further we get into the story, The the denser it becomes because individual moments will pull on a whole bunch of threads from the Old Testament, all in one place, and I'm excited to see that happen. It also means that I have the further we get in the series, The More I have to summarize before we can start the service. Let me summarize for us, where we've been as we get in the story of act 2 scene is that, the Bible is the story of God's plan, to establish a Place. Full of people who live out their purpose in his presence. God made the world, and he made people. In order to rule the world rule over the world. On his behalf, the we were the part of creation that would respond to God and to order things according to his will. And then he came down to live with us on the seventh day and that was the goal. And then we messed it up. We were bailed against him. We try to set up our own kingdoms instead of obeying him and we kept messing it up and kept messing up until finally got launched. This plan to restore his design to the world through one group of people known as he has her lights. So we chose Abraham and his family and he gave him a particular place, the land of Israel and he came down to live with them in the Tabernacle and later the temple, and he gave him a specific purpose. And their purpose was to reveal to the world who got is and what he wants for his people. So God gave him 613 rules in the law of Moses for how they were to live in this place so that the communities around them could look at Israel in the way they lived with each other, the way they worship the way they interact with their God and they could see who God is and what he wants for Humanity. Unfortunately, the Israelites weren't any better than the rest of us at obeying God. Instead. They rebelled against him. They tried to build their own kingdoms and it turned into a mess and it got so bad that it reached a point where God basically decided. The only way I can reveal anything about who I am to the world through Israel is to say that that's not me, whatever, whatever my Kingdom looks like. It's not that. And so he called The Covenant broken, he sent them into exile to show the world. That died is not what that was not his goal. And the Israelites spend about 500 years in Exile, some of them got to come back to Jerusalem. Most of them stayed, spread out all around the Known World. The ones that came back to Jerusalem, started this new program to try and get back in relationship with God. They built a new Temple and they they reaffirmed the old Covenant, but they did it in this different way of that was all focused on keeping the Gentiles away. They wouldn't let them help with the temple. They wouldn't let them go to the temple. They wouldn't let them live in Jerusalem and, and they tried to keep as far away from Gentiles and lawbreakers as they could, and they just sat in their holy huddle and focused on meticulous. Keeping the lot problem is, their whole design was that they were supposed to be sharing their supposed to be showing the world what God wants and now they're doing the opposite. And so Along Comes Jesus and Jesus steps out into into Galilean. Says, the kingdom of God is coming and what that means is that God is ready to get back to work with Israel. He's ready to relaunch the plan. He's ready to put everything. Back together, and he tells him, you need to repent. Meaning you need to change course, because the course it is. Real is chosen as the wrong way to be God's people. You need to follow this other way that we, we looked at in The Sermon, on the Mount about how we're supposed to be a light or supposed to show like the show, the Gentiles who got his, what he wants for his people and ultimately, after three years of Ministry, Jesus goes into the temple, which is kind of the Centerpoint, the symbol of this way of jewishness that the Jewish leaders were had been following for 500 years and he comes into the temple and he provokes a confrontation and he's basically calls the juice to make a choice. Are you going to follow my way of being God? People? Are you going to stick to your own way of being goth people? And the people of Jerusalem chose to reject Jesus, as way of being the Messiah, his way of being God people. And he was handed over to the Romans, and he was killed. And the two weeks ago, we talked about how suddenly out of nowhere. Jesus who's been executed in this humiliating way is alive again. And it's not just that he's breathing. Again. It's a different kind of like this kind of life, that God had promised would happen when his plan was for Phil, this eternal life until suddenly out of nowhere. We're surprised to find out that the whole plan has been fulfilled. That Jesus was right about what it means to be God's people. And is somehow his dying on the cross, dealt with their the fact that they broke the Covenant. And somehow, he has has become the person who shows the world who God is and what he wants for his people, and everything has been resolved in Jesus, and that leaves us with the question. What now? Why wasn't that the last chapter of the story of Jesus, has fulfilled everything that Israel was called to do? And that's what the book of Acts it's up for us, is, it shows us what happened to the followers of Jesus, and how God continue to work through them to, to build his kingdom and to build on what happened in the resurrection. Do I see we are opening passenger who acts. I want you to keep in mind, the coordinate system that we use to keep our bearings were going to look for who is the story about Where is their home? How can they meet with God? And what did God tell them to do? And that'll help us figure out where we are and where the story is headed. After suffering, Jesus presented himself to the disciples and get mini convincing proof 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 ask 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 are dates. The father has set by his own authority, but you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes to 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 that he was taken out before their very eyes and a cloud, hit him from their site. I tell who's the story about.

At this stage, as Jesus has ascended into heaven. The people who are left behind are the disciples. So the story is focusing mainly on the disciples. We also remember that throughout the story. The Jews have been the people of God. God said he was going to save the world through the Jews. And so, the Jewish people are not out of the picture to say that the story specifically about the disciples, but with with the Jewish nation in mind, Where is there home? Home is Galilee and Judea. These are the Roman provinces that the promised land has been carved up into. But notice the vast majority of Jews. Do not live in these areas. They live all over the Known World. There. It's called the diaspora, the scattering of Israel. They live in from Babylon to Spain and from Turkey to Ethiopia. Just everywhere that the Roman Empire knows of there are Jewish communities there.

And the presence of God, how can they meet with God? Here's the tricky one, because what we've been saying since the baptism is that the presence of God, it's not in the temple. Never returned. It was Temple. It's in Jesus, but where is Jesus now?

Jesus is in heaven.

And so if Jesus ascended and Jesus was the presence of God on Earth, then we're kind of back to square one. It would seem that we don't have the presence of God on Earth.

So that's something that will need to be solved. Finding we look at what did God tell them to do? And there's too many things that he told him to do. Number one is to wait for the spirit. Just wait here. They're excited. They want to know the timelines are at, you're alive. So that mean, and that's the plan is fulfilled. So that means everything's right now, right? Like, we're done story over, and let's see the kingdom come in. As far as right now. There's no, you're going to have to wait. We must have been really hard to do. Second of all, he tells them once the spirit comes, then you're going to witness to Jesus, going to be Witnesses in Jerusalem, Judea, and Samaria, and to the ends of the Earth, the waitress spirit, and then when the spirit comes, then you're going to start witnessing to me into my message into my kingdom.

They said, the axe tells us that Jesus was here for 40 days after the resurrection and then he ascended. And then, the next thing is going to happen, is a Pentecost, which is 50 days after after Passover. So they wait for about 10 days. And they all they believe is a Jesus that are in Jerusalem were gathering together and they're just praying and waiting for 10 days and I have no idea what that was like for them. I don't know where they were at, but I can imagine that you will. Where is he? What are we waiting for? Why hasn't this happened now, but there's a reason why they have to wait for 10 days for the spirit to come first. Let's see what happens when the day of Pentecost comes around. When the day of Pentecost came, they were all in together in one place. Suddenly a sound, like the blowing of a violent wind came from heaven. And fill the whole house where they were sitting, they saw what seemed to be tongues of fire that separated and came to rest on each of them. All of them was filled with the holy spirit. All of them were filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in other tongues as a spirit enabled them. It is a very brief passage that has a very, very dense. Meaning. This is one of those places where a bunch of things from the Old Testament, a bunch of threads get pulled together at once. What should we be thinking of, when we hear about a rushing, Wind & & Fire descending on these people? What should we be thinking about? What is fire, remind us up throughout the Old Testament, miraculous fire. You might think of the burning bush is when Moses interacted with God, most prominently. The first place you would think of is an exodus at the end of the book of Exodus, when the people are at the mountain and God supposed to be going with them into the promised land until he has them build him a tabernacle where he can live until he moves off the mountain into the Tabernacle. And it says, when they finish the timer that says, then the cloud cover the tent of meeting and the glory of the Lord, fill the Tabernacle Moses could not enter the tent of meeting because the clouded settled on it and the glory of the Lord, fill the Tabernacle. So the cloud of the Lord was over the Tabernacle by day, and fire was in the cloud by 9th in the side of all the Israelites during all of their travels to fire. Were the Tabernacle was a sign that God was home. And then when they go to make the first sacrifices, if you remember, fire shot out of the Tabernacle and lit the the the altar. So there's a there's an that fire stay. So the flame in front of the Tabernacle was lit by the fire. Got to fire is the sign of God's presence. Android visit Elite Anjali descends on the Tabernacle and then when they built the first temple, he visibly tangibly descends on the site on on the temple. When they build the second temple. God doesn't show up. Do you remember that the spirit of God descended on Jesus in that visible tangible way and now, In the surprising way, in the middle of Jerusalem, wind gust of wind blows through and fire comes down and descend on the Believers of Jesus.

Which is a sign of the Holy Spirit and what it tells us explicitly that the holy spirit is there. But we're meant to connect that with is the holy spirit coming down on to the temple and the Tabernacle because what that tells us not only is the spirit of God in these people, but that means that they are the new Temple. This is why in multiple places in the letters that the Believers are called the temple of God, because this is the moment when the Holy Spirit descended on them, noticed, there is actually a temple in the same city, but it didn't descend on the temple. It descended on these people. But that's not the only thing that's happening. Like I said, there's a very dense moment because Jesus when he tells them that this is going to happen. Remember he mentions John, the Baptist you were mine is about John, the Baptist said and John the Baptist set this moment in a very specific context. We're back to the beginning of Lucas, says that John said, I baptize you with water. The one who is more powerful than I will. Come the straps of whose sandals. I am not. I am unworthy to tie to untie. He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and fire. His winnowing Fork is in his hand to clear that his freshing floor and to gather the wheat into his barn, but he will burn up the chaff with unquenchable fire. Do you remember when we talked about. John the Baptist, John the Baptist preachers, this message that he's calling the the Israelites, the Jews to repent to turn from this this way of being Jewish that they have been following for hundreds of years and to truly repent and follow God's and seriously, right? And you say choose this way instead of the old way and he says that I need the, his water baptism was a symbol of that or was, it was a was a way of making that choice when you get baptized when you were making that choice to go from one way to the other way. Right, but then he whenever he preaches the couch. Is it in terms of Judge. Me says there's somebody coming. Who is going to pass judgment is going to decide which of these ways is right. He is going to point out whether the old way of doing things is, right? Or this way that I'm preaching doing things is right in the way. He will show that judgment is through the baptism of the holy spirit. So, what's happening is when in the middle of Jerusalem, got the temple on the mountain and you got all the biggest religious leaders in in Judaism. In this city, the Holy Spirit descend. It doesn't descend on the building. It doesn't descend on the priest. It descends on this community of fishermen and other Ravel who are following Jesus and that's Jesus. Passing judgment on who the faithful followers of God are

To the spirit of God, descended on a Jesus followers, end of the same moment. It's marking them out as the new Temple. And as the true Israel. For centuries, there's been a conversation going on within Judaism about who were the true Israelites? Who were the ones who were really being faithful to God. And there's, a sense ever since they really got off tracking, and the prophets would have to call them back. There was a sense that within a snake is real, there were people who are actually faithful to God and they were, the true is real and what Jesus is Doing In This Moment, by sending the spirit on the church is saying, the Israel that is part of God's. Mission is the ones who are following me. That is the true Israel.

But we still haven't answered why? This had to happen on Pentecost. Why God could have done this any day. What we described so far, but there's one more huge thing that's going to happen in this story. Another we're staying in Jerusalem God-fearing Jews from every nation under Heaven. Why were they there from every nation under Heaven? Because was Pentecost and they had traveled there for a feast. So Jerusalem is populated with the whole bunch of visitors because of because of the feast South Dakota motorcycle Sturgis found it. All the sudden is huge because of a motorcycle rally. Thank you. It's like that. And so when they heard the sound a crowd came together and bewilderment because each one heard their own language being spoken to all these were speaking galileans. How is it then that each of us hears it in our native language? Residence of Mesopotamia, Judea and Cappadocia pontus and Asia, phrygia and pamphylia Egypt in the parts of Libya near Cyrene. Visitors from Rome both Jews and convert to Judaism cretans and Arabs. We hear them declare. Wonders of God in our own tongues. Luke has just given us a map of where all these visitors are from. And I'll show you what an actual map of all those visitors and you can see. So, here is Jerusalem, and you've got people from all the major centers of the diaspora. The dispersed Jews right from all over the Known World. Jews have come into this place. And this map and that list is a reminder to us of one of the parts of the plant that remains unfulfilled, which is that the Jews are dispersed. They're not in the land. They're not in the place where God called them. And there was this promised in scripture for the profits that at a key moment when the Maasai arrived God would gather is real back together. So Isaiah chapter 11, he says, in that day, the root of Jesse will stand as a banner for the people's room, Jesse meaning. The the son of David, the Nations will rally to him and his resting place will be glorious United. The Lord will reach out his hand, a second time to reclaim the surviving. Remnant of his people from Assyria, from Lower Egypt, from Upper, Egypt from Kush, from a long, from Babylonia from Hamas. And from the islands of the Mediterranean. He will raise a banner for the Nations and gather together, the Exiles and Israel. He will assemble the scattered people of Judah from the four corners of the Earth. Did you notice that Isaiah a list bunch of locations there? And if you chart those locations on a map, you know what it looks a lot like looks like the map of the people who are there from Pentecost? Guess what's happening in this moment is that God has, God has announced these people as the true Israel, the true people of God, and with just hot. So happens that within earshot of this moment, are members of the Jewish Community spread all across the world. And so they all come to check this out and the gift that the Holy Spirit gave them was specifically designed to pique their interest right there. Speaking languages of these people. So they all come around and Peter launches into the first sermon of the church and it's very much the same kind of thing that I said it Easter. In fact, that was my inspiration was he basically tells the story of Jesus and says, hey Jesus claimed that he testified to us, who he was with Miracles and he was killed, and now he's alive. And if he's alive, then that means he must be king. Any preachers this message to all of these people and he says, let all Israel be assured of this. God has made this Jesus. Whom you crucified both Lord and Messiah. When the people heard this, they were cut to their heart and said to Peter and the other Apostles Brothers. What shall we do? Peter replied repent and be baptized everyone of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the Forgiveness of your sins and you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. The prot This Promise is for you and your children. And for all who are far off for all whom the Lord, Our God will call. With many others words, he warned that many pleaded with them. Save yourselves from this truck generation. Those who accepted his message were baptized and about 3,000 were added to their number that day. You see what just happened in that moment. It's amazing. How often God is fulfilling his plans in ways that go unnoticed by the powers-that-be that in that moment, in some neighborhood in Jerusalem, the regathering of Israel was happening. Because Jews from all over the known world were called together. And we're joining, we're submitting to Jesus. And we're joining the true Israel. It. So, this is the moment when God begins to call together Israel, from all the corners of the earth and unite them in one nation, under one king.

The Jews from all over the world submitted to Jesus reuniting. The scattered Israelites under the true king.

Doing this one brief moment. This one chapter, all these promises, all these plotlines from the Bible are starting to come together. And he's really exciting ways. But really big claims are being made here. It's a big deal to get one group of people together and say we are the true Israel and you really need it back. Kind of a claim up and the next several chapters of Acts. And in my opinion are all about backing that claim up. Let's look at that. Describe what it was like to be part of the First Christian Church of Jerusalem. They devoted themselves to the apostles teaching and fellowship, the breaking of bread into prayer. Everyone was filled with all the Many Wonders and signs performed by the apostles. All the Believers were together and had everything in, they sold property and possessions to give to everyone to anyone who had and need every day. They continue to meet together in the temple courts. They broke bread in their homes and ate together with glad. And since your heart praising God, and enjoying the favor of all the people and the Lord added to their number daily, those who were being saved. Chapter 4, says all the Believers were one in heart and mind. No one claimed that any of their possessions was their own, but they shared everything they had with great power. The apostles continue to testify to the resurrection of the Lord Jesus, and God's grace was so powerfully at work in them, that there were no needy persons among them from time to time those who own land or houses, sold them, brought the money from the sales and put it at the apostles feet. And it was distributed to anyone who had need Now, what is the point of these passages? Is this is a Formula that every church has four. Am I going to start asking you guys to start selling property and bringing the money on Sunday mornings and like that? That's not the point of these passages and not necessarily a line-by-line blueprint. What they are meant to do in the stories are meant to show us a community, that is actually finally living out the vision of the law of Moses. The kind of community that the law of Moses was supposed to create, just think about what it would have because the Israelites never actually follow the 613 laws and it's the ones we know they didn't follow where the Sabbath laws. They did. They did okay with the Sabbath day, but you're not you're supposed to do it. Once once a week. You're supposed to take an entire year out of every seven years. And during that, you are, you're supposed to forgive all that stuff. You're supposed to freeze and every 50, if you are, you're supposed to return all the land to its original owners. And his whole, the whole vision of the law of Moses is his community. That is radically obedient to God and cares for each other. And that's that night is supposed to create this distinct Society. The shows the world who God is and what he wants for his people. And he never really got there. But at this moment, in his early days of the Church of Jerusalem, what you actually see it is, they're doing it. The way they're living together is revealing to the people of Jerusalem who God is and what he wants from his people. And the way they do things, the way they take care of their own the way they love each other is showing the other people in Jerusalem. I hate this is actually what God calls us to be. There's something to this Jesus thing because they're actually doing what God has been trying to get the Israelites to do all along, and we couldn't get there by pushing out all the Gentiles and sinners in particular sleep, keeping the the rules. What's happening at this moment? Is that the Christians use? They formed a community, that finally lived out God's design for his people and that was the evidence of their claim to be the true Israel.

But God had just designated on the true is real. He also designated them the new Temple. And that is a dynamite. Clay medicine, explosive claim. And it, and there's a really cool moment that you you may not recognize as a confrontation between two temples. That's really what it isn't happens. In Chapter 3 of Acts one day, Peter and John, we're going up to the temple at the time of prayer at 3 in the afternoon. Now, a man who was lame from birth, was being carried to the Temple, Gate called Beautiful, where he was put everyday to beg from those who are going into the temple courts, what he saw Peter and John about two entry asking for money, Peter said, silver or gold, I do not have, but what I do. Have I give to you in the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth. Walk. Taking him by the right hand. He helped them up and instantly the man's feet and ankles became strong. He jumped to his feet and began to walk. Then he went with them into the temple, courts, walking and jumping and praising God. When all the people saw him walking and praising God. They recognized him as the same man who used to sit together at the Temple, Gate called beautiful and they were amazed and they're filled with wonder and amazement at what it happened to him. What you're seeing. There is a clash of two temples and at the victory of one over the other. Why was this man sitting outside the Temple Gate? He was there to beg but he was begging outside the temple gate because he's not allowed to go in the temple because the temple grounds are supposed to reveal God to the World by revealing his Purity. And the only way that they have did you ask is to exclude a people? So, if you are, if you have a skin disease, if you are crippled, if you have any sign of death or decake, you can't enter the temple grounds are unclean because that would send the wrong signal. Who got it. So the only way that the temple building can be clean is by keeping people out until this man has been excluded from the temple for years, but then Peter and John walked by

And they don't have any money to give him, but what they do, give him is restoration. Remember when they make him whole again? They don't just give him a physical ability back that he had lost. They restore him to the community of God, when he goes running and leaping into the temple. He had been in there before. It says he's been begging outside that door day after day. After day everybody, in that. Temple. Grounds knows who he is and all the sudden he comes jumping and leaping and and refusing to be quiet and get everybody's attention because he's finally in the temple restored to God's community. And that's what the true Temple can do. The Temple of Jesus doesn't maintain Purity by excluding it, maintains Purity by transforming people. It actually has the ability to change people to take this man who is crippled and berries in his body. A sign of the decay of this world and is able to restore him so that he can enter the community. That is a claim to say that whatever is in the disciples. And the followers of Jesus is superior to this building of the Temple. Do I have the Christians lived and worship in Jerusalem, God revealed that his presence was with them. Because through his through the presence of God, in his church, people were able to be restored to God's presence, which the temple could never do.

By this point in the story in the sermon series. Do you know that the power of the temple is jealously guarded by the temple leaders, but it's interesting that the Pharisees who have no real claim to the temple. They try to fall off as enemies of the Christians in Jerusalem. The enemies that Christians are the temple leaders, the Sadducees and the temple guards, because they all get their power from the temple. And they recognize this for exactly what it is. This is an attack on the power of the temple, in the role of the temple in God's plan. So they get really angry that actually arrest Peter and John after this and they they beat them and let them and tell them not to not to preach anymore and let him go. And they start preaching again. And so they arrest them and throw them in jail overnight, but an angel comes and let them out and tell him to go back to the temple, start preaching, it shall be preached again until they arrest him again, and they tell him not to not to preach anymore, but it doesn't work. I need to see them building this momentum and victory to Victory to victory. That that this old Temple cannot keep down the temple of God. Then they change their tactics of it. Is these Temple leaders, they single out a guy named, Steven, Steven is a, a younger, a younger member of the church, but he says he's able. He's he's really, really powerful speaker and able to defend the gospel really well, and he's getting a name for himself until they target him and they, they dust off a Playbook that they used about, you know, that they used when Jesus was in Jerusalem. They produced false Witnesses. Who testified this fellow never stopped speaking against this. Holy place in against the law. For we have heard him say that is Jesus of Nazareth, will destroy this place and change the Customs Moses handed down to us number. The same thing, they accuse Jesus of wanting to destroy the temple because that's where they're vulnerable. That's where their power comes from, and they see him as a threat to the temple. And so they they put them on trial and Steven launches into this. This sermon that basically the whole point of the sermon is to say you guys, always do this, you always miss what God is doing. You always get focused on the building instead of the spirit. You been doing this the whole time things. The more things change, the more, they stay the same and they don't like hearing this and Stevens finishes, by saying it says, Steven Temple of the Holy Spirit looked up to heaven and saw the glory of God. And Jesus, stay to the right hand of God. Look. He said I see Heaven open in the son of man standing at the right hand of God that's in testifying, that. Jesus is exactly who he said he was his exact same thing. Jesus said that the priests were going to see on in his trial at this, they cover their ears and yelling at the top of their voices. They all rushed at him, drag him out of the city and began to Stoneham. Meanwhile, the witnesses lay their coasts of the feet of a young man named Saul. While they were stoning him, Steven prayed Lord, Jesus receive my spirit. Then he fell on his knees and cried out. Lord, do not hold this sin against them when he had said that she fell asleep and Saul approved of their killing him. On that day, great, persecution broke out against the church in Jerusalem and all except the apostles were scattered throughout Judea and Samaria. Godly men. Steven and more deeply for him, this all began to destroy the church going from house to house. He dragged both men and women and put them in prison.

The temple leaders felt threatened by the church and try to stop in through violent persecution.

I'm try to read these stories as if I don't know where they're going. And I have to imagine that for the people in the church in this moment. This was I mean losing someone to Modern would always be hard but this had to have been just a gut-punch of all got punches because they have been undefeated this far, right? And they have no reason to think they ever will face a defeat that they ever will be overcome by any of these Powers. They've been they've faced off with the Jewish leaders already and and the Jewish leaders were completely impotent to do anything and now they target Steven and they kill them. And they unleash his persecution. So Fierce that it drove this new church out from the city. I imagine that that's not what they expected to happen for the future of the church. I imagine that they expected the course of the church to go differently. I would imagine they expect it to a one-point. Have the entire city of Jerusalem, converted the entire city of Jerusalem believing in Jesus, imagine that they had a very different, very constantly Victoria's vision of the growth of the church, and it's not what happened. This is a very dark and difficult. I have to admit. I'm not actually sure what it would be like to be in that moment. What kind of doubts might arise even for someone who has seen Jesus alive to have his the plant, your expectations, suddenly so disappointed.

And yet, if we read a bit closer, we see that, even in the midst of this persecution, God's plan continues to be fulfilled cuz it says on that day, the persecution broke out against the church in Jerusalem and all except the apostles were scattered throughout Judea and Samaria, but they didn't just run to Judea and Samaria. What did they do when they got there? It says those who have been scattered preach, the word wherever they went. What did Jesus told him to do? He said they would be his Witnesses in Jerusalem and Judea and Samaria and to the ends of the Earth. And if you fast forward to chapter 11, it said we got a chapter 11 is going to lose his going to look back and say now those who have been scattered by the persecution that broke out when Stephen was killed travel, as far as Phoenicia Cyprus and Antioch, spreading the word, only among the Jews and we'll talk about that. Only among the Jews part next week, but that's all the way up the Mediterranean Coast. What that means is that in this persecution. They were scattered to the very place is God was told them. They were going to go to use the person persecution of the temple leaders to disperse his church out into Judea Samaria in the world. Even in the midst of this seeming to feet, God's plan was unfolding in his mission to bring the message of Jesus and the kingdom of God to the whole world. Is going on.

It looks like a defeat but it's not a fee because Steven can be defeated with a spirit of God that's in. Steven cannot The church could be scattered, but the spirit of God that's in them, cannot be defeated.

There's a lot more story to tell the growth of the church is really important, that's going to happen in next week's sermon about their relationship to the Gentiles. But today, we're going to pause the story here and reflect on what this story teaches us about what it means to follow Jesus today. And one of the siding parts now is that we're starting to lock in parts of the plant into where they are for us. We're starting to get into the situation in which we find ourselves the stage of the story. We find ourselves in. So for instance, the presence of God is the same now as it was the day of Pentecost, God is present in this world in and through his people. He's not in a building that you have to journey to is in his people. God is in this building because his people are in this building right now, but he's also in the other buildings around Turner where his people are gathered. And when we all leave, he's not going to be here anymore. He's going to be in the places where we all went. The spirit of God can be anywhere. His people are. In fact, it is anywhere. His people are, that's a humbling thing to remember is it's not optional. You don't like to get to decide where they're going to bring God with you. Like you bring you decide what you going to bring your keys or not. He's with you. You are a temple wherever you go and that is a high responsibility for me. Joke about why? I don't put a fish on the back of my car because I'm not sure that I can reflect. Well by my driving but we are at Temple River. We go and that means that we have the ability and the mission to carry the presence of God to every corner of this Earth. And what I should say, basically I should rephrase I based on what I just said that to reveal the presence of God. We're carrying it whether we want to or not. Our mission is to reveal it. When cross that out and write reveal and change my mind to reveal the presence of God and everything. Right now. I'm not saying that every one of us, although if you've been feeling that call from God, I would encourage you to seriously consider it because we need missionaries, but the point is it's not like the Holy Spirit showed up in Jerusalem and told everybody they needed to go be missionaries. They they ended up preaching in Judea and Samaria and the ends of the Earth because that's where they ended up by. They just priest where they went. Wherever God is taking you, wherever you end up, you are bringing the presence of God and you have the mission to reveal him if you want to know how God gets into our schools. By the students and teachers who bring Christ with them into our schools, places by that. The people who bring God with him and reveal God's character in those places. They get into our grocery store. It's when we go buy groceries in a way that reveals God's character to people wherever we are going, we can practice with us. So we can either show that or we can hide that. But our mission is to show the president. Got to show the character of God to show people. Who God is and what he wants for Humanity?

And I just really difficult task and the Israelites were given that task and failed over and over and over again, but Pentecost also reveals to us the difference between them and us and it's not that we're better. Is that we have the spirit?

The powers of this world will oppose us and our own Natures will oppose us and all the cards are stacked against us being able to reveal who got his to the world. But none of that can defeat the spirit of God. That's what makes the difference. It doesn't mean that you're going to go undefeated. It does not mean that you're going to go undefeated but it does mean that even in your failures. God can reveal who he is. Even the way even in the way you pick yourself up the way you the way you seek forgiveness, the way you repent, the way you live your life. And in whatever is thrown at you. You can reveal who God is and the spirit cannot be defeated. Even when you are defeated the spirit cannot be defeated. And so we go out not knowing what the challenges are going to be not knowing what we're going to face. But knowing that whether we are, whether we see Victory, or short-term defeat, whether God is revealed in our weakness, or whatever else happens that the spirit of God, to be revealed to the world and the whole world can see who got is and what he wants for his people. That's the mission that we have today. The same mission that began all those years ago at Pentecost.

As we close, I'm going to ask you to consider what God is, what next step. God is calling you to make me believe that every time the gospel is preached. God speaks to us and and calls us to follow him closer. And I don't know what that looks like for you. But there are a few things that there are few big steps that we encourage people to consider one isn't. If you haven't given your life to Jesus, you have committed to following his way. Today is the best way to do that. Today is the day to commit to being a part of this movement, being a part of this movement, the spirit of of letting go of your old life and letting him feel you and lead you to be the person he called you to be.

That is a long path to walk and we don't want anyone to walk alone. And that's what the church is for itself. We also encourage you to consider joining a small group or a service. In small groups are ways you can get together with the same group every week and build each other up, and share your burdens and your Joys and your victories in your defeats and service, teams are ways that you can give back and you can build God's kingdom by serving in the church or in our community. And if you want to join one of those, you can check the box on your connect card. Finally, if you want to be committed to a family that is working to reveal, God's nature to this community into helping each other reveal God's nature this community. That's who this church is seeking to be. So if you like to place your membership with us, we encourage you to sign up for a connect class on your card. And and we do those on the Sunday afternoon where we'll get together after church have some food and talk about who this church is what we do and how you can be a part of it. Encourage you as we stand and sing our final song to honestly and earnestly, consider. Whatever step God is putting on your heart as you respond to his words day, but sentencing.