← ArchiveThis Is Church – Now What? (Acts 1:4-8)DateJanuary 23, 2023Speaker—TextActs 1:4–8Passages in this sermonActs 13:43Acts 1:83:48Luke 514:24TranscriptMachine transcribed. Click any line to jump there.0:00We'll be right back. We'll be right back.0:30We'll be right back.1:00Welcome to the church at Bethel.1:29For those of you who have not been sleeping through the night because of jet lag, welcome back. We gather for this reason, as Pastor James has already shared, as we've already read in Scripture, we gather because of the gospel, which is Jesus in our place. And the reason we gather because we believe that everything in the Word of God is beneficial for our lives. And we fundamentally believe, because some of us can tell the story that we are that person, that there is no one here and there is no one in the world that is beyond the grace of Jesus Christ.1:53We stand here to say, Jesus came into this world to save sinners of who we are, the chief. And if God can save me, listen, he can save you. So there is hope. So we are here today as a redeemed people saying, come to faith, grow in faith that you might be found faithful.2:18Listen, if you're new here, we simply want to thank God for your presence. And we're going to give God glory because of you. So we're just going to clap and say thank you for you being here. For those watching online, if you wondered why there was a pause, I didn't have my microphone plugged in earlier, but now we are live. So welcome as you join us in worship.2:45So today we are wrapping up a series that we're calling This Is Church. Two weeks ago, Danny Corson, a dear friend of this church, opened the Word of God and reminded us that worship is a fundamental building block, to who we are. You don't come here to worship. You worship at home and then we gather. It magnifies our worship. Last week, we looked at the book of Matthew and found out that we serve.3:13That's who we are as a people of Christ. And today we're going to end the series with a simple reminder that we are people who live with gospel authority. And now we should serve outside of this church to the world. The Bible would say that's evangelism. We serve inside and we go outside. So if you have your Bibles with you, join me in the book of Acts. Acts chapter 1 is a very familiar verse.3:43We're going to land on Acts chapter 1 verse 8. If serving is an inward manifestation of God's grace, then evangelism is an outward display of His mercy. So today, we are going to answer the question, now what? Now what?4:12Now what? An anonymous pastor once said, the church, if it expects to rouse from lethargy, must know why it exists and what God expects it to accomplish. If we are to rouse from our sleep, we need to know why we exist and what God desires. Today, we will answer that question, now what? Acts chapter 1, beginning in verse 4. While Jesus was still with them, He commanded them not to leave Jerusalem, but to wait on the Father's promise, which He said,4:41You have heard me speak about, for John baptized you with water, but you will be baptized with the Holy Spirit in a few days. So when they came together again, they asked the Lord, are you restoring the kingdom to Israel at this time?5:03And Jesus said to them, it is not for you to know times or periods that the Father has set by His own authority, but you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you. And you will be my witnesses to Jerusalem, to Judea, Samaria, and to the end of the earth.5:27Let's pray. Father, we have heard your word. May you hide it deep within our hearts, that we would not sin against you. Lord, that we would not sin by committing acts of injustice that we know you do not desire. And Lord, that we would not sin by living apathetic lives of inactivity.5:54Lord, would you rouse us from our sleep. Lord, would you rouse this church from its lethargy, that our county and our state, our nation, and our world might see you and behold your glory. Lord, this is our prayer. In Jesus' name. Amen. Luke, the writer of the book of Acts, is the only New Testament author to describe the ascension of our Lord Jesus Christ.6:24Without the ascension, we have an incomplete picture of Jesus, don't we? Without the ascension, it's easy to believe that Jesus left with a crown of thorns on his head. But Acts doesn't say that. Acts tells us that Jesus rose and now he is arrayed in a crown of glory.6:52Because he sits at the right hand of God. Did you hear the final words of our Lord to his disciples and to us? Again, look at verse 4. When he was with them, he commanded them not to leave Jerusalem. This command is Jesus reminding his people that he has authority in their lives.7:17And they heard that because we know they are waiting and they are gathering on what we believe is the Mount of Olives. Jesus says, wait. Now, we'll look at that later. But our lives, if we are to answer the now what, church, now what should we do? It's the reminder that we begin with gospel authority. Simply put, if you are a follower of Jesus Christ, he has complete authority in your life.7:45Not some authority, complete authority. It cannot be said that Jesus is Savior but not Lord of your life. The Bible combines those. So for me to confess my sins and say, Jesus, save me, is for me also to say with same breath, Jesus, you have complete authority and control of my life.8:14And if you think that is a chain wrapped around your neck, that's not true. Because for Christ to have authority in our lives is freeing, is it not? Because God knows what is best. And don't you want the person who knows best for you to lead you and to guide you and to correct you and to admonish you and to challenge you?8:33Church, if we are to answer, so what? We have to let God have authority in our lives because he does have authority in our lives. And with divine authority, Jesus speaks. And he says a word that everyone loves to hear, right?9:00He says in verse 4, he commands them not to leave but to wait. I've never met a person yet that said, I am a really good waiter. Did you know they actually have waiting experts? There's an MIT professor of operations research named Richard Larson. He is the foremost expert on waiting.9:31And his studies have found this. And he actually cast it in this view of luggage and airplane domestic travel. What airlines have found out is that we cannot stand unoccupied time of waiting. So Larson would say this. If you have to wait 10 minutes from the time your plane lands to the time you get your luggage, you would rather walk for eight minutes and wait for two minutes to get your luggage at the carousel10:00than to walk for two minutes and to wait for eight minutes. And when airlines found this out, you know what they did? Because they could not expedite your luggage. They lengthened your walk time. So if you've ever wondered, why do I have to walk so far? Larson would say it's because we as human beings cannot stand unoccupied waiting time.10:26You would rather walk. And I believe the same is true of us spiritually. We believe that when we wait on the Lord, it is unoccupied time. And the reminder in God's word is this. You will never waste one second when you wait on the Lord. It's difficult.10:57It's difficult. You might have to sit on your hands and you might have to lock yourself in a room. Why is praying in a quiet place difficult? Because we feel like we are wasting time. But when Jesus commands you to wait, when you obey and when you wait, it is not wasteful and it is not unoccupied because God's spirit is working in you. This is gospel authority. Wait on what?11:28The Messiah commands. He doesn't just say wait. He says wait on the Father's promise. And what is the promise? The promise is the Holy Spirit. And the early church believed in the Holy Spirit and they knew that being filled with the Holy Spirit was mandatory. That's why when God called the early church to find the earliest deacons, they looked for men who were not knowledgeable.11:55Yes, that's beneficial. Not who were great servants, but that is needed. They looked for men who were filled with the Holy Spirit because church spirit filled living requires God's direction and his enablement. That's only something the Lord can do in our life. You can't take a spiritual gift survey and then you receive the Holy Spirit.12:26You can't complete a step process or walk an aisle. There's no class that you can take and now you have the Holy Spirit. It is by confessing your sins and following Jesus as Lord and then waiting on the Spirit to work in you. This is gospel authority. And Jesus begins there to now remind us of our gospel identity, our gospel identity.12:54Look at verse seven. Of course, they ask, well, Jesus, we're your disciples. Everyone else deserted you. Are you going to tell us now? Is this the time when you will reestablish the kingdom? And Jesus admonishes him. He says, it's not for you to know the time. But you will receive the power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you and you will be my witnesses.13:25What information does Jesus offer them when they ask? Jesus, are you now going to restore the kingdom? It would be really good for us to know because you are entrusting for us to bring the gospel to Jerusalem and Judea and Samaria and to the ends of the earth. And we know someone's going to ask us. It would be really good for us to have that information.13:54What information does Jesus give the disciples? He doesn't. But he says, I will give you a new identity. He says, you will be. You will receive power and you will be my witnesses. Very rarely in the New Testament does Jesus ever say you will to anyone. Peter heard those words, though. In Luke chapter 5 to Peter, he said, don't be afraid.14:24From now on, you will be catching men, not fish. To Peter, he also said in the book of John, you are Simon, son of John, but you will be now called Cephas. You will be called Peter, which means rock. You know who else heard Jesus say you will?14:56There was a man on the cross that looked at Jesus and said, remember me when you enter paradise. And to that thief on the cross, Jesus said, truly I tell you, today you will be with me in paradise. It hits different when Jesus looks at us and says, you will, doesn't it? Because there's an identity in the voice of the Savior.15:26Jesus gives every follower a beautiful, redeemed identity. Now, look at what Jesus says in these you will statements. He says, first, you will receive power. You will receive power. You see, it's the presence and the power of the Holy Spirit that marks the era between Jesus' ascension and his return.15:55Which is right now, if you didn't know. The time of the church until Christ returns should be marked by the power of Christ in us and the witness of God upon our lives. This is his desire. Now, I don't want you to get it misconstrued. Listen to how Alistair Begg talks about the Spirit of God, the Holy Spirit in your life.16:22He says, We have sought to circumscribe the ministry of God's Spirit, despite the fact that it is depicted in terms of the two most uncontrollable aspects of nature. Wind and fire. We have settled for adequacy when God's purpose for us is abundance. Without the Spirit of the living God empowering our lives, at best, all we have is adequacy.16:53We can live semi-decent lives. But with the Spirit of the living God in us, empowering us, we can live lives of abundance. That's what he wants in our lives. But there's a second mark, is there not? He says, you will. You will receive power. But it doesn't end there.17:23God does not give you power for power's sake. He does not want you to leave here and the world look at you and say, look at Josh. Look at how powerful he is. How strong the dunamis of the Spirit of God. Why does Jesus empower us? You will be my witnesses. It's the two marks of God's Spirit upon your life.17:52The power of the living God and the witness of Jesus Christ. The work of Spirit-filled life is the work of witness-bearing. That is what we do. That is who we are. Followers of Jesus Christ who give their lives in death are called martyrs. And if I asked you to define a martyr, you would say that is someone who lived boldly for God and they died until the very end.18:21But what if I told you the Greek word for witness was the word martyr? You see, the only difference between a martyr and a witness is that one witnessed until the very end. We are to be living witnesses to the Spirit of the living God. And church, you are a witness every time you recount your faith.18:50Whether you realize it or not, when you gather for worship, you are being a witness to the power and the saving work of God upon your life. When you sing songs about the goodness of God, Lord, I love your voice for you have led me through the fire. You are recounting God's witness upon your life.19:16When you sing songs about the blood of Jesus, you are recounting God's faithfulness upon your life. When we open his word, when we prioritize the Lord's day, we are to be living witnesses. And church, never forget that you are witnesses by the words that you say.19:38The Christian life includes verbally sharing the gospel. How will they know unless they hear? And how will they hear unless the good news is preached? You cannot be a witness if you refuse to open your mouth to the good news.20:04Now, I know what you're thinking. Well, I'm not a pastor. I'm not an evangelist. How can I share Jesus? If you have given your life for Christ, you have a story to tell. And here's the beautiful picture of God's grace upon your life. You can't mess up your story. It's yours. So who is the world to tell you, you're not telling your story right?20:33They might not believe in my Jesus, but they cannot tell me what Christ has done for my life. Only I can tell that story. And oftentimes the greatest message you can share with others is what God has done in your life. People need to hear that. And so I ask you, who will you share the gospel with this week? God has put people in your life because you are their missionary.21:03Listen, God hasn't put someone in a cubicle next to you at work so you will call me and say, hey, pastor, you need to come to my work and share Jesus with my co-worker. I'm going to say, hey, you're in the cubicle next door. You're their missionary. And God hasn't put people in my life so I can call you so that you can share Christ with them. Listen, you are a missionary to a dying world. And may God rouse us from our lethargy to know that there are people who will die today and go to hell21:33because they've never surrendered their life to Christ. May that keep us awake at night. You are a witness by what you say. But do not get this misconstrued. If your life does not back up what you say, your life speaks louder than your words. So, church, you are a witness by the way that you live. The gospel upon our mouth must be undergirded by a demonstration of spiritual and moral transformation22:04that springs from a personal commitment to the Lord. Said another way, as Pastor James read earlier, the Ten Commandments matter. We are to love the Lord our God with all our heart, soul, mind, and strength. And we are to love others as ourself because the gospel on our lips must be undergirded by the foundation of God's spirit in our lives22:27that leads to transformation. Who will your life impact this week? Who will your life impact this week? You are a witness by the things that you say, by the things that you do. And as Dr. Seuss would say, oh, the places that you go.22:57And Jesus, as only he can, gives us coordinates to our faith. He says, you will be my witnesses. That's your new identity. But I don't want you to stay on the Mount of Olives. I don't want you to stay in Bethany, where many believe that he ascended. Jesus actually says, I don't want you to stay in Jerusalem alone. I don't want you to build a nice building, huddle together, keep out the world, and wait for my return.23:26Jesus says, actually, I want you to be my witnesses in Jerusalem. But don't stop there, church. I want you to be my witnesses in Judea. But don't stop there. In Samaria. And by his grace and his sovereignty, even to St. Clair County, to the uttermost ends of the earth.23:48And I wonder as I read this, do you think that they knew that one day someone would bring the gospel to this land and to this county? I believe one day we're going to get to glory. And someone's going to walk up to us and say, hey, you never heard my name, but I was the first one who brought the gospel to Alabama.24:14I was the first one who brought the gospel to St. Clair County. And some of you are going to be able to look at that individual. And you're going to be able to trace your faith back to that person. And there are going to be people in your life, I believe, that in glory are going to come up to you. And they're going to say, you don't know my name. You've never met me. But I am here today.24:43I gave my life to Jesus because I saw the way you lived. I heard what you said. And I know Christ because of who you are and what you've done. We are to be his witnesses. You see, this paradigm is geographic in scope, right? You will go certain places, but it's also ethnic. Not only are these places, but they're people. So Jesus is saying, listen, there is no one on the planet that you should not go to.25:12Whether they look like you or not. Whether they speak your language or not. You will go to the uttermost ends of the earth. And as I preach, there are 7,400 unreached people group in the world that do not have a gospel presence.25:30These people represent 3.3 billion individuals who have most likely never heard the name of Jesus. Church, our mission continues. I pray because of this church being in this place, that St. Clair County will be the most difficult county in the world to grow up in and not hear the gospel.26:00I pray that because you are here, this church, these people, that Satan has to fight harder for St. Clair County than any other place in the world. Because you're praying. Because you're going. Because we're serving. May that be our witness.26:30This is why this church has active partnerships in the Dominican Republic. This is why this church has active partnerships in Zambia, in Bulgaria, in New Hampshire, in the foster community, in our school systems, at the local food bank, and much, much more. Because we take this scripture seriously. Church, where should we go? To the uttermost ends of the earth.27:00What people should we reach? To the uttermost ends of the worlds. Where will you go and share the gospel? This is our identity. But not only do we have gospel authority and gospel identity, now we have gospel activity. So some of us are thinking, this is a great message.27:28What do we do with it? You're not alone. Look at verse 9. After Jesus has said this, so they're charged up. There's a mission. There's a goal. He was taken into heaven as they were watching, and a cloud took him out of their sight. Let's pause there. And so they get to work. They go to Jerusalem and Judea, Samaria, and no, that's not what happens. Look at verse 10.27:58While he was going, they were gazing into heaven. And suddenly, two men in white clouds stood by them. So I get this mental picture that they're staring up, and the angels are beside them. And the angels are probably thinking, come back to earth. Look down. And they said, men of Galilee, why do you stand looking into heaven?28:23This same Jesus who has been taken from you into heaven will come in the same way that you have seen him going into heaven. So the Jesus who rose again, the Jesus who ascended, will be the same Christ that will return. So this is where gospel activity comes in. Church, why are you standing looking into heaven and not doing anything?28:52That's the St. Clair version of what the angel says. Get to work. In Bulgaria, they have a phrase in broken English. They would always say, let's we go. Like, that's what the angels are saying to the church. Church, rise from your sleepiness. Let's we go. Get to work. Jesus' ascension means that we have work to do. By God's grace and his majesty, you never find an apostolic succession in the New Testament.29:24You never see Jesus gave the good news to Peter, and he gave it to this person, and this person, and this person. All we have in the New Testament is a succession of faithful witness. Faithful witness. Which means there are numbers, untold numbers of people, we will never know their name, who did the work of witness-bearing.29:47Who took the activity of Jesus Christ serious. The church is to be active in the world. And we are to be active because we know that the ascension of our Lord and his return are assured. That's what the angel says.30:17This Jesus, who you witness with your eyes, who is caught up into heaven, will return. And today, you are one day closer to heaven than you have ever been in your life. And until he brings us home, or until he returns, may Jesus find us faithful. How would our brothers and sisters around the world respond to this passage?30:45How would they give us the now what? Listen to one account of the persecuted church. Again, this is from The Insanity of God by Nick Ripken. He says, persecution throughout our world against the church stops immediately when there is no faith and no witness.31:07So do you want the world to stop persecuting you? Then do not witness for Jesus. He said, the reason for persecution then is that people keep finding Jesus and they refuse to hold him to themselves. There's a unique story that the Chinese government years ago quit throwing Christians in jail.31:34Because they found that when they persecuted the church and they threw Christians in jail, that they were starting churches in jail. And the greater they persecuted the church, the more the church witnessed their Savior. They, he says, and you and I are just as free to share Jesus today as anyone in Islamic, Hindu, Buddhist, or communist countries.31:56It is not a matter of political freedom. It is a simple matter of obedience. And the price for compliance might differ in different places. But it is always possible to obey Christ's call. Are we willing to obey?32:26Who will you pray for this year to know Jesus? Who will you wrestle with and contend for? I don't know about you, but I think our lost friends and our lost neighbors are worth it. And is it a fight? Yes. Can it be difficult? Yes. Is it worth it?32:58Oh, it is worth it. Because there was a day in your life. Maybe it was a grandparent. Or a parent. Or a friend. Or a neighbor. That they hit their knees for you. And they interceded on your behalf. And they said, Lord, Josh doesn't know you yet. But open his eyes. God, may my life, may my words, be a witness to him.33:26May I go that he might know you. So where will you go this year? And who will you go to? Can you imagine the thousands of people that are represented in this room? That God has put before us to do the active work of our King and our Savior, Jesus Christ. Maybe you hear this and you realize that there is no power of the living God in you.33:56And you want that. I think there are two conclusions. It might be that you've lost your first love. That you have given your life to Christ. But you're weary. You're tired. Would you run again to the cross today? Confess your sins.34:26And find that he will cleanse you. That he will restore you. Would you find again today the words of Jesus that says, Come to me who are weary. And I will give you rest. Would this power of the living God fill us once again? But I also believe that there are some in our midst and some watching online. And you long for the power of God and you thirst for that.34:54But you've never taken that step of faith. Maybe you've been in church for years and years and years. And you find it wanting and not able to meet your needs. Because it was never intended to meet your needs. Only the sacrificial work of Jesus on the cross can cover your sin. And if you have never given your life to Christ, would today be the first day?35:22And if you ask, well, pastor, how can I do that? I want to follow Christ. I want to turn from my sin. And find new life that only Jesus can give. I want to be filled with his spirit. You can pray a prayer like this. Pray it in your heart. You can pray it out loud to him. Say this. Jesus, I know that I'm a sinner. Forgive me.35:53Forgive me. I believe that you lived a sinless life. I believe that you died on the cross. I believe that you rose again. Lord, I believe what your word says, that you ascended into heaven and that you sit at the right hand of God. Father, I believe that today, I believe that today, I believe that today, I give my life to you. Be my savior and my Lord.36:22Father, I will follow you today, no matter the cost. The Bible says this. If that's you. If you prayed that prayer, the Bible says, for all who call upon the name of the Lord will what? Will be. I love the will be statements in scripture. All who call upon the name of the Lord will be saved.36:52And if you've given your life to Christ, we want to celebrate with you. Our pastors will be down front during the song and after to encourage you to help you take your next steps of faith. If you want someone to reach out to you this week, you can fill out a connect card and put it in the offering basket as you leave or connect with us online. But church, our faith doesn't end here. This is just the beginning. Wrestle with people today for their faith.37:24Pour forth your life on their behalf. You can come to the altar. You can stay in your pews and bow your head. But they're worth it. And may God find us faithful. I close with this thought. Spurgeon says this. Nothing pleases our Lord better than to see his promises put into circulation. May that be found true37:53today. Father, we thank you.More sermons on Acts →
