1 00:00:00,040 --> 00:00:01,480 Friends, that's great stuff, isn't it? 2 00:00:01,520 --> 00:00:03,760 Don't they do a wonderful job? My friends, the Word of the Lord 3 00:00:03,760 --> 00:00:06,560 is before us. Just consider that for a second. 4 00:00:06,560 --> 00:00:08,920 The Word of the Lord is before us. 5 00:00:09,200 --> 00:00:12,600 Let us be attentive to the Word. In the first book of the 6 00:00:12,600 --> 00:00:17,720 Theophilus I have dealt with all that Jesus began to do and teach 7 00:00:18,120 --> 00:00:19,960 until the day when He was taken up. 8 00:00:20,320 --> 00:00:22,720 After He had given commands through the Holy Spirit to the 9 00:00:22,720 --> 00:00:26,480 apostles whom He had chosen. He presented himself alive to 10 00:00:26,480 --> 00:00:30,440 them after his sufferings by many proofs, appearing to them 11 00:00:30,440 --> 00:00:33,200 during 40 days and speaking about the Kingdom of God. 12 00:00:33,880 --> 00:00:36,920 And while staying with them, He ordered them not to depart from 13 00:00:36,920 --> 00:00:41,480 Jerusalem, but to wait for the promise of the Father, which he 14 00:00:41,480 --> 00:00:46,840 said, You heard from me, from John, baptized with water, but 15 00:00:46,840 --> 00:00:49,880 you will baptize, be baptized with the Holy Spirit not many 16 00:00:49,880 --> 00:00:53,160 days from now. So when they had come together, 17 00:00:53,160 --> 00:00:55,800 they asked him, Lord, will you at this time restore the Kingdom 18 00:00:55,800 --> 00:00:58,760 to Israel? Jesus said to them, It is not 19 00:00:58,760 --> 00:01:01,840 for you to know the times or the seasons that the Father is fixed 20 00:01:01,840 --> 00:01:05,480 by His own authority. But you will receive power when 21 00:01:05,480 --> 00:01:08,400 the Holy Spirit has come upon you, and you will be my 22 00:01:08,400 --> 00:01:13,000 witnesses in Jerusalem and in all Judea and Samaria and to the 23 00:01:13,000 --> 00:01:15,880 ends of the earth. And this is the word of the 24 00:01:15,880 --> 00:01:18,520 Lord. Thanks be to God, gracious God, 25 00:01:19,000 --> 00:01:24,120 gracious God, do that which we could not do on our own, but 26 00:01:24,120 --> 00:01:29,000 take this word, improve our understanding of it for sure, 27 00:01:29,560 --> 00:01:33,160 but improve our obedience to it. We pray through Christ our Lord, 28 00:01:33,160 --> 00:01:36,240 we ask, Amen. Please be seated. 29 00:01:38,440 --> 00:01:40,960 If you would grab your Bibles, I want to open them up to Acts 30 00:01:40,960 --> 00:01:43,240 chapter 1, the book of Acts chapter one. 31 00:01:43,240 --> 00:01:46,560 A couple of years ago, Kelly and I went to movie theater together 32 00:01:46,560 --> 00:01:49,240 and we saw a movie and we were watching the movie in about an 33 00:01:49,240 --> 00:01:52,680 hour and a half in the movie came to a wonderful resolution, 34 00:01:52,760 --> 00:01:56,680 came to a glorious resolution. The good guys won, the bad guys 35 00:01:56,680 --> 00:01:58,720 lost. Love was in the air. 36 00:01:58,960 --> 00:02:01,400 I was happy, satisfied, everything was wonderful. 37 00:02:01,960 --> 00:02:05,040 And then the movie kept going and it kept going. 38 00:02:05,040 --> 00:02:08,639 And of course it introduced new things and and took it in new 39 00:02:08,639 --> 00:02:10,320 directions. And about halfway through the 40 00:02:10,320 --> 00:02:14,120 new direction, I thought to myself, there the director made 41 00:02:14,120 --> 00:02:15,920 a mistake here. He ruined the movie. 42 00:02:15,920 --> 00:02:19,600 The movie was great where it ended, and yet now he's dragging 43 00:02:19,600 --> 00:02:22,720 it on. But by the end of the additional 44 00:02:22,720 --> 00:02:25,160 ending, when the movie finally closed, I sat there and thought, 45 00:02:25,160 --> 00:02:30,680 wow, that last part really brought forward the story that 46 00:02:30,680 --> 00:02:32,480 was in the front part. The front part really was the 47 00:02:32,480 --> 00:02:35,440 story. But this long, drawn out 48 00:02:35,440 --> 00:02:39,000 epilogue that they did really made it worthwhile. 49 00:02:39,120 --> 00:02:41,960 It was. It was a benefit to have all of 50 00:02:41,960 --> 00:02:44,880 that, and it would have robbed the movie of so much of its 51 00:02:45,360 --> 00:02:49,760 punch if it hadn't had that latter part attached to it. 52 00:02:50,600 --> 00:02:53,640 Some of you who have been around might know that for the past 53 00:02:53,640 --> 00:02:58,720 three years, summers, sorry for the, for the past three winters, 54 00:02:59,000 --> 00:03:01,280 we have worked our way through the Gospel of Mark. 55 00:03:01,640 --> 00:03:03,960 And the Gospel of Mark, you might remember if you were here 56 00:03:03,960 --> 00:03:05,920 with us, ended on that high note. 57 00:03:05,920 --> 00:03:09,000 It ended on a wonderful spot where we saw the life, the 58 00:03:09,000 --> 00:03:11,080 death, the resurrection of Jesus Christ. 59 00:03:11,320 --> 00:03:13,760 And nothing could have been better than ending the gospel 60 00:03:13,760 --> 00:03:15,840 the way that it did. And I suspect that's why Mark 61 00:03:15,840 --> 00:03:20,520 ended that gospel that way and indeed why John and Matthew both 62 00:03:20,640 --> 00:03:23,160 and the gospel somewhere in a similar position. 63 00:03:24,000 --> 00:03:28,480 But Luke, however, goes on to continue his gospel in the book 64 00:03:28,480 --> 00:03:30,880 of Acts. What we're going to do over the 65 00:03:30,880 --> 00:03:33,520 next couple of winters together is that we are going to look at 66 00:03:33,520 --> 00:03:37,440 the book of Acts and we have the risk of saying thinking to 67 00:03:37,440 --> 00:03:39,920 ourselves, well, this is just an add on that. 68 00:03:39,920 --> 00:03:43,080 The point is that the life, death and resurrection of Jesus 69 00:03:43,080 --> 00:03:45,160 Christ. And now we just have this 70 00:03:45,160 --> 00:03:47,160 additional material that we have to cover. 71 00:03:47,680 --> 00:03:50,760 But if you've read the book of Acts, and I trust and I hope 72 00:03:50,760 --> 00:03:54,440 that you have or that you will, if you've read the book of Acts, 73 00:03:54,440 --> 00:03:56,680 you know that that's certainly not the case. 74 00:03:57,240 --> 00:04:01,880 That Acts in itself doesn't just elaborate upon things, but it 75 00:04:01,880 --> 00:04:06,120 teaches us exactly about the life, the death, and the 76 00:04:06,120 --> 00:04:10,920 resurrection of Jesus Christ. Just like the movie was made so 77 00:04:10,920 --> 00:04:14,960 much richer by the way the director put on the ad on this, 78 00:04:15,080 --> 00:04:19,120 the director of scriptures, the Holy Spirit himself is going to 79 00:04:19,120 --> 00:04:22,320 add so much to our understanding of the life, death, and 80 00:04:22,320 --> 00:04:26,200 resurrection of Jesus Christ by looking at the book of Acts. 81 00:04:26,320 --> 00:04:30,600 So I would encourage you to come alongside with me as we study 82 00:04:30,600 --> 00:04:33,040 the book of Acts over the weeks to come. 83 00:04:33,280 --> 00:04:36,080 What we're going to do is we're going to find three main themes. 84 00:04:36,840 --> 00:04:40,000 These three things do not cover every storyline that happens in 85 00:04:40,000 --> 00:04:42,160 Acts. Acts is a very rich book, as 86 00:04:42,160 --> 00:04:45,080 many of you will know. It's full of wonderful stories. 87 00:04:45,080 --> 00:04:48,240 It's full of wonderful teachings and directions for us as God's 88 00:04:48,240 --> 00:04:50,720 people. But they do tend to flow within 89 00:04:50,720 --> 00:04:53,360 three main caveats. And so we're going to talk about 90 00:04:53,360 --> 00:04:55,360 those here today. We're going to see how they get 91 00:04:55,360 --> 00:04:58,640 set up really well even in the 1st 8 verses that we've looked 92 00:04:58,640 --> 00:05:04,160 at, particularly in verse 8, the Spirit, the church and the 93 00:05:04,160 --> 00:05:06,920 world. The spirit, the church and the 94 00:05:06,920 --> 00:05:09,800 world. If we want to understand the 95 00:05:09,800 --> 00:05:14,200 depth of the beauty of the ministry of the Holy Spirit, the 96 00:05:14,200 --> 00:05:16,120 book of Acts is a marvelous place to be. 97 00:05:16,800 --> 00:05:19,240 If we want to understand the richness, the fullness of the 98 00:05:19,240 --> 00:05:23,560 church, not just the church that was 2000 years ago, but the 99 00:05:23,560 --> 00:05:28,120 church that is universally today and expressed right here at 100 00:05:28,120 --> 00:05:31,800 Hebron Church, there's no better place for us to go than the book 101 00:05:31,800 --> 00:05:34,040 of Acts. If we want to understand the 102 00:05:34,040 --> 00:05:37,720 world, particularly if we want to understand the world that God 103 00:05:37,720 --> 00:05:41,600 has called us to specifically, there's no better place for us 104 00:05:41,600 --> 00:05:47,240 to be than the book of Acts. Having said that, we can't 105 00:05:47,240 --> 00:05:50,440 afford to lose sight of the point. 106 00:05:50,840 --> 00:05:54,280 Grab your Bibles if you wouldn't look in verse one with me in 107 00:05:54,280 --> 00:05:57,280 verse one, Luke writes this. Luke is the author now of the 108 00:05:57,280 --> 00:05:59,080 book of Acts. So we'll refer to Luke off and 109 00:05:59,080 --> 00:06:03,640 on during this time In the first book of Theophilus Theophilus is 110 00:06:03,640 --> 00:06:08,440 a is an either an individual or it's a summary of a group of 111 00:06:08,440 --> 00:06:12,440 people. Theo God, Phyllis loved so loved 112 00:06:12,440 --> 00:06:15,480 by God, those who are loved by God, those who are loved by God 113 00:06:15,480 --> 00:06:18,160 or those who love God. This is his second book that 114 00:06:18,160 --> 00:06:20,040 he's written. The first book being the gospel 115 00:06:20,040 --> 00:06:23,800 Luke. This is the second book he began 116 00:06:23,880 --> 00:06:28,720 he wrote in the first book I have dealt with all that Jesus. 117 00:06:28,800 --> 00:06:34,480 Now notice how it says this began to do and teach, began to 118 00:06:34,480 --> 00:06:38,880 do and teach. Luke's intent and our intent in 119 00:06:38,880 --> 00:06:43,920 reading the Scripture is to see what God is continuing to do and 120 00:06:43,920 --> 00:06:46,480 to teach. Yes, the Gospel of Luke talked 121 00:06:46,480 --> 00:06:50,240 about what Jesus began to do and to teach, talked about his life, 122 00:06:50,240 --> 00:06:53,520 his death and his resurrection, his teachings, his guidance or 123 00:06:53,520 --> 00:06:56,560 direction for us, all the things that lead to our embrace of 124 00:06:56,560 --> 00:06:59,960 salvation. But the way that Luke begins 125 00:06:59,960 --> 00:07:03,640 Book of Acts makes it clear that he expects us to understand that 126 00:07:03,640 --> 00:07:09,000 what follows is also the work in life and teachings of Jesus 127 00:07:09,000 --> 00:07:11,720 Christ. One of the great dangers that 128 00:07:11,720 --> 00:07:13,720 comes for from the history of the church. 129 00:07:13,720 --> 00:07:16,000 And if you're a church historian, you'll be able to 130 00:07:16,000 --> 00:07:19,560 look back at periods of time and see where this abuse is taking 131 00:07:19,560 --> 00:07:22,280 place. The people get fixated upon the 132 00:07:22,280 --> 00:07:25,920 book of Acts so that we can learn things about the Spirit, 133 00:07:26,280 --> 00:07:30,760 the church, and the world, and they lose sight of that central 134 00:07:30,760 --> 00:07:33,680 focus of what the book of Acts truly is about. 135 00:07:34,600 --> 00:07:39,400 And it's truly about Jesus Christ and one of the key things 136 00:07:39,400 --> 00:07:42,080 in which we're going to have to fight and struggle with together 137 00:07:42,080 --> 00:07:44,120 collectively. And I need you to hold me 138 00:07:44,120 --> 00:07:46,440 accountable to make sure that I'm fulfilling my part. 139 00:07:46,680 --> 00:07:49,040 And then when he's preaching and others when they are preaching 140 00:07:49,800 --> 00:07:53,040 about these texts, that the focus of our of our attention is 141 00:07:53,040 --> 00:07:56,760 not to be so caught up with the Spirit, the church, and the 142 00:07:56,760 --> 00:08:00,560 world that we miss the fact that the intent of the author is to 143 00:08:00,560 --> 00:08:04,040 communicate to us about Jesus Christ. 144 00:08:04,880 --> 00:08:08,800 This is his book. This is his, a continuation of 145 00:08:08,800 --> 00:08:11,160 his story. That's the way it's intended for 146 00:08:11,160 --> 00:08:13,800 us to be read. And if we lose sight of that, we 147 00:08:13,800 --> 00:08:17,120 are likely to fall into the trap that so many have in looking at 148 00:08:17,120 --> 00:08:20,840 the book of Acts and be distracted by so many things and 149 00:08:20,840 --> 00:08:24,320 disconnect that from the reality of Jesus Christ. 150 00:08:25,360 --> 00:08:29,240 But we recognize that this book is about Jesus Christ. 151 00:08:29,240 --> 00:08:33,640 Having said that, historically and traditionally the book of 152 00:08:33,640 --> 00:08:37,840 Acts is shorthand for the longer statement, the longer title of 153 00:08:37,840 --> 00:08:39,840 the book of Acts. And that's the book of the Acts 154 00:08:39,840 --> 00:08:42,840 of the Apostles, book of the Acts of the Apostles. 155 00:08:43,120 --> 00:08:45,760 And some of your scriptures might identify the book that 156 00:08:45,760 --> 00:08:49,160 way, the Acts of the Apostles. And if you're interested, of 157 00:08:49,160 --> 00:08:51,160 course, we learn, we're going to learn a whole lot about the 158 00:08:51,160 --> 00:08:53,400 apostle Paul. We're going to learn certain 159 00:08:53,400 --> 00:08:56,280 amount about the apostle Peter. We're going to learn a little 160 00:08:56,280 --> 00:08:59,480 bit about Philip, a little bit less about Stephen. 161 00:08:59,640 --> 00:09:02,080 We're going to learn very little about John. 162 00:09:02,200 --> 00:09:04,600 We're going to learn very little about James. 163 00:09:04,600 --> 00:09:07,200 And that's about it. We're not going to hear a whole 164 00:09:07,200 --> 00:09:13,240 lot about Matthew and Matthias and Bartholomew and Andrew and 165 00:09:13,240 --> 00:09:15,560 Philip. There's so many things about the 166 00:09:15,560 --> 00:09:19,480 book of Acts of the Apostles, of the book that are not covered in 167 00:09:19,480 --> 00:09:22,200 this book. And so historically, it's been 168 00:09:22,200 --> 00:09:25,960 recognized by so many that this is really not the book of the 169 00:09:25,960 --> 00:09:29,040 Acts of the Apostles. It's the book of the Acts of the 170 00:09:29,040 --> 00:09:32,240 Holy Spirit. And we can see this right across 171 00:09:32,240 --> 00:09:37,480 the board when we look in verse 2, verse 2, Jesus began to do 172 00:09:37,480 --> 00:09:39,680 and teach until the day when he was taken off. 173 00:09:39,720 --> 00:09:41,720 Jesus was taken up the ascension, which we're going to 174 00:09:41,720 --> 00:09:47,280 look at next week after he had given commands through the Holy 175 00:09:47,280 --> 00:09:50,400 Spirit to the apostles whom He had chosen. 176 00:09:51,040 --> 00:09:54,880 Listen to the implication here. The implication is that Jesus 177 00:09:54,880 --> 00:09:59,120 himself, while he is yet with the disciples, while he's with 178 00:09:59,120 --> 00:10:03,280 the 12 men in the and perhaps the gathering of of men and 179 00:10:03,280 --> 00:10:06,080 women who have gathered around him, while he is still with 180 00:10:06,080 --> 00:10:09,600 those who are committed to him, He is speaking powerfully to 181 00:10:09,600 --> 00:10:15,040 them, and yet they are hearing him through the Holy Spirit. 182 00:10:16,600 --> 00:10:18,480 Now, one of the things in which we're going to have to work hard 183 00:10:18,480 --> 00:10:23,960 at doing is undercutting this felonious notion that is so 184 00:10:23,960 --> 00:10:28,560 popular in today's society that associates the Holy Spirit with 185 00:10:28,560 --> 00:10:32,960 some mystical force. You know, this is the legacy of 186 00:10:32,960 --> 00:10:37,040 Star Wars and so many things where we depersonalize, where we 187 00:10:37,040 --> 00:10:41,720 take the person of the Holy Spirit, he and we turn him into 188 00:10:41,720 --> 00:10:45,480 an IT and we treat him as though he is in IT. 189 00:10:46,040 --> 00:10:49,000 And we are going to fight hard to make sure that you realize 190 00:10:49,000 --> 00:10:52,040 that the Scripture never does that, that the Scriptures 191 00:10:52,040 --> 00:10:56,360 recognize the personhood of Jesus, of the Holy Spirit. 192 00:10:57,120 --> 00:11:01,360 And so we talk about him and what he does on our behalf. 193 00:11:01,600 --> 00:11:04,880 And here's one of the things in which he does on our behalf is 194 00:11:04,880 --> 00:11:09,360 that he speaks to the disciples. Now, again, this is not just, 195 00:11:09,360 --> 00:11:12,400 this is indeed a historical account. 196 00:11:12,720 --> 00:11:17,160 This is in a discussion of what the Holy Spirit has done for the 197 00:11:17,160 --> 00:11:20,880 apostles, for the original 12 or 11 at this point. 198 00:11:21,800 --> 00:11:26,000 But nevertheless, we also have a reality that the Holy Spirit 199 00:11:26,000 --> 00:11:30,360 does that with us today too. In other words, when we're 200 00:11:30,360 --> 00:11:34,160 looking at the book of Acts, we are tracing not simply ancient 201 00:11:34,160 --> 00:11:38,840 history here, but we are tracing our history and our reality, our 202 00:11:38,840 --> 00:11:43,000 current present. The Holy Spirit will continue to 203 00:11:43,000 --> 00:11:48,400 speak to us, does continue to speak to us the Lord's words so 204 00:11:48,400 --> 00:11:50,800 that we can learn, so that we can grow, so that we can 205 00:11:50,800 --> 00:11:54,640 develop. Thank you somebody back there. 206 00:11:54,880 --> 00:11:58,240 OK, here's one of the realities. This is I want you to Amen this 207 00:11:58,240 --> 00:12:00,920 too. This isn't a side note for me 208 00:12:00,920 --> 00:12:02,440 for a second, but here's the aside. 209 00:12:02,960 --> 00:12:07,400 You're never going to learn the book of Acts If you come on 210 00:12:07,400 --> 00:12:11,840 Sunday and hear me teach it. Yeah, thank you, honey. 211 00:12:13,920 --> 00:12:16,120 You're never going to learn the book of Acts that way. 212 00:12:16,520 --> 00:12:21,480 It's simply it, it's a 20 minute exposure to the book of Acts, 213 00:12:22,080 --> 00:12:25,440 which is which will get drowned out by the rest of the stuff 214 00:12:25,440 --> 00:12:29,520 that happens in your life. I beg you, commit yourselves 215 00:12:29,520 --> 00:12:31,640 over the next couple weeks, while we're next couple months, 216 00:12:31,640 --> 00:12:34,960 while we're looking at the book of the book of Acts to spend at 217 00:12:34,960 --> 00:12:40,640 least twice in the week reading the chapter that we're focusing 218 00:12:40,640 --> 00:12:41,640 on. We're going to be looking at 219 00:12:41,640 --> 00:12:45,920 chapter one over the next couple of weeks two different times. 220 00:12:46,280 --> 00:12:48,960 Read the book of Acts, read Acts chapter 1. 221 00:12:49,480 --> 00:12:54,160 I guarantee you if you do that it what we do here today will be 222 00:12:54,160 --> 00:12:57,320 so much more meaningful, but the book of Acts will begin to stick 223 00:12:57,320 --> 00:13:00,000 in your head. You will understand it so much 224 00:13:00,000 --> 00:13:03,240 better. It's simply 20 minutes on a 225 00:13:03,240 --> 00:13:06,000 Sunday morning simply cannot compete with everything else 226 00:13:06,000 --> 00:13:10,040 that's happening in your world. So commit yourself just twice 227 00:13:10,040 --> 00:13:12,640 more to read the book of Acts. Why? 228 00:13:12,640 --> 00:13:15,800 What you're doing is you're opening yourselves up to exactly 229 00:13:15,800 --> 00:13:19,320 what the Spirit does here in verse 2 that he speaks to his 230 00:13:19,320 --> 00:13:21,840 disciples. I desperately want the Spirit to 231 00:13:21,840 --> 00:13:24,600 speak to God's disciples here in this room. 232 00:13:24,800 --> 00:13:29,400 And the way to do that is expose yourself to book of Acts Read it 233 00:13:29,400 --> 00:13:31,040 every day. Of course, that's what I would 234 00:13:31,040 --> 00:13:33,720 love. Read it at least twice and 235 00:13:33,720 --> 00:13:36,720 you'll be amazed at how it begins to anchor itself in your 236 00:13:36,720 --> 00:13:39,640 heart, in your souls. But of course, the focus of the 237 00:13:39,640 --> 00:13:43,720 book, of the focus of the Spirit really comes to the four in 238 00:13:43,720 --> 00:13:46,000 verse 8. So if you look in verse 8 with 239 00:13:46,000 --> 00:13:50,800 me, this is Jesus now speaking to the disciples and he says, 240 00:13:50,800 --> 00:13:54,720 but you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes upon you. 241 00:13:55,120 --> 00:13:57,520 If you've read the book of Acts, you know that in the next 242 00:13:57,520 --> 00:14:00,920 chapter, chapter 2, the Holy Spirit does indeed fall upon the 243 00:14:01,200 --> 00:14:03,840 the, the disciples and the beginning, the birth of the 244 00:14:03,840 --> 00:14:05,800 church. This is the Pentecost experience 245 00:14:06,040 --> 00:14:07,800 and it's something that we're going to spend a lot of time 246 00:14:07,800 --> 00:14:09,320 talking about. What does it mean? 247 00:14:09,320 --> 00:14:13,120 The Holy Spirit comes upon the church and has filled the church 248 00:14:13,120 --> 00:14:16,000 and has directed and LED the church and fills the church with 249 00:14:16,000 --> 00:14:18,720 power. What's your, what's your 250 00:14:19,480 --> 00:14:21,920 superpower? Your, your Daydream superpower. 251 00:14:22,200 --> 00:14:24,840 If you're a daydreamer, actually, I, I trust that 252 00:14:24,840 --> 00:14:26,200 everybody can answer this question. 253 00:14:26,360 --> 00:14:28,920 What, what superpower do you wish that you have? 254 00:14:29,520 --> 00:14:34,160 OK, when I, I'm a daydreamer. And so I, I've noticed that my, 255 00:14:34,520 --> 00:14:36,280 my superpower has changed through the years. 256 00:14:36,400 --> 00:14:38,840 When I was much younger, all I did is want to fly. 257 00:14:39,240 --> 00:14:41,400 I wanted to be able to fly and stuff like that. 258 00:14:41,400 --> 00:14:43,640 Are there Flyers out there? OK, then. 259 00:14:43,640 --> 00:14:47,120 Then when I got when I got it, when I got to middle age, then I 260 00:14:47,120 --> 00:14:48,760 really wanted to have super strength. 261 00:14:49,200 --> 00:14:50,960 I wanted to be able to crush my enemies. 262 00:14:50,960 --> 00:14:53,800 Oh, so you know, so I wanted to have super strength. 263 00:14:54,040 --> 00:14:56,960 Now as I'm getting older, I noticed that I really yearn for 264 00:14:56,960 --> 00:15:00,640 invisibility. And I suppose some some 265 00:15:00,640 --> 00:15:03,720 psychoanalysts could have a gay old time with me on that score. 266 00:15:04,000 --> 00:15:06,880 But you know, you have the the different superpowers that are 267 00:15:06,880 --> 00:15:10,200 out there. The reality is that the church, 268 00:15:11,080 --> 00:15:14,720 God's people, have this superpower. 269 00:15:15,440 --> 00:15:21,040 We have a superpower and we fail to acknowledge it all too often. 270 00:15:21,720 --> 00:15:26,040 This is a promise that Jesus makes again to his disciples and 271 00:15:26,040 --> 00:15:30,960 to each of us through those disciples, that the Holy Spirit 272 00:15:31,160 --> 00:15:36,880 will come upon us with power. The word power there is dunamis. 273 00:15:37,160 --> 00:15:41,520 It's where we get the word dynamite and power and dynamite, 274 00:15:41,520 --> 00:15:45,720 etcetera, is an explosive idea. It's a, it's an outward 275 00:15:45,720 --> 00:15:49,080 manifestation of power. It's not potential, it's not 276 00:15:49,080 --> 00:15:52,720 possibilities. It is the outward expression of 277 00:15:52,720 --> 00:15:56,160 that possibility, the outward manifestation of the power that 278 00:15:56,160 --> 00:15:58,440 resides and flows through God's people. 279 00:15:58,720 --> 00:16:01,880 This is what God promises with the coming of the Holy Spirit, 280 00:16:02,000 --> 00:16:03,760 which we recognize has been fulfilled. 281 00:16:03,760 --> 00:16:06,640 We're going to get into this in a couple of weeks, but if those 282 00:16:06,640 --> 00:16:08,560 of you who've been around church, you know it to be true 283 00:16:08,720 --> 00:16:11,920 for God's people that we are embedded, we are filled with the 284 00:16:11,920 --> 00:16:14,240 Holy Spirit. We are so filled with the Spirit 285 00:16:14,240 --> 00:16:16,720 that we are blessed with the power of the Holy Spirit. 286 00:16:16,720 --> 00:16:18,840 Then that has to explode out of us. 287 00:16:19,640 --> 00:16:24,040 When it does not explode out of us, we are denying the very 288 00:16:24,040 --> 00:16:28,920 reality of what God has given us here through the power of the 289 00:16:28,920 --> 00:16:32,200 Holy Spirit, the blessing of the power of the Holy Spirit. 290 00:16:32,520 --> 00:16:33,800 Boy, somethings happened to people. 291 00:16:33,800 --> 00:16:37,760 What's in the water today? So we have the blessing of the 292 00:16:37,760 --> 00:16:41,200 power of the Holy Spirit that will come upon you when the Holy 293 00:16:41,200 --> 00:16:46,760 Spirit comes upon God's people. This is the power of the Holy 294 00:16:46,760 --> 00:16:48,280 Spirit. When we look at the Holy Spirit, 295 00:16:48,280 --> 00:16:51,440 one of the things now, this is one of the struggles that takes 296 00:16:51,440 --> 00:16:54,840 place. It's so easy, again, to begin to 297 00:16:54,840 --> 00:16:57,280 identify the work of the Holy Spirit then with something 298 00:16:57,280 --> 00:17:00,200 powerful like the Force, you know, something that's going to 299 00:17:00,200 --> 00:17:03,000 give my lightsaber zooming abilities or something along 300 00:17:03,000 --> 00:17:06,000 those lines. This isn't specifically not what 301 00:17:06,000 --> 00:17:07,920 the Scriptures are identifying it as. 302 00:17:08,200 --> 00:17:11,520 We have the power, yes, but to do what? 303 00:17:11,520 --> 00:17:15,000 And this is where the notion of the church comes into this 304 00:17:15,000 --> 00:17:17,200 passage. Take a look at this text again, 305 00:17:17,200 --> 00:17:19,400 verse 8. But you will receive power when 306 00:17:19,400 --> 00:17:20,880 the Holy Spirit has come upon you. 307 00:17:21,319 --> 00:17:24,480 You will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, in Judea and Samaria, 308 00:17:24,760 --> 00:17:27,720 and to the ends of the earth. There's two identifying marks 309 00:17:28,119 --> 00:17:31,160 here for the church. The 1st is that you will receive 310 00:17:31,160 --> 00:17:33,720 power. If we are to be the Church of 311 00:17:33,800 --> 00:17:37,880 Jesus Christ, that explosive power of the Holy Spirit is to 312 00:17:37,880 --> 00:17:40,760 be visible and manifest, and we're going to talk about how 313 00:17:40,760 --> 00:17:43,360 that's the case. Book of Acts lays out for us how 314 00:17:43,360 --> 00:17:47,240 that is manifest for us, and so I expect you to be able to be 315 00:17:47,240 --> 00:17:50,680 attentive to that. If you are seeking to see the 316 00:17:50,680 --> 00:17:54,240 Holy Spirit at work, I beg you to come along with me as we 317 00:17:54,240 --> 00:17:57,240 study the Book of Acts together. Not only that, though, the 318 00:17:57,240 --> 00:17:59,400 church. What is the notion of the church 319 00:17:59,400 --> 00:18:01,320 here? Two different responsibilities. 320 00:18:01,320 --> 00:18:04,640 One, that they will receive power. 2 that they will be 321 00:18:04,640 --> 00:18:05,960 witnesses. We've already looked at the 322 00:18:05,960 --> 00:18:09,880 first one, but to notice for a second that this is a collective 323 00:18:09,880 --> 00:18:12,600 idea. Jesus is speaking not to us as 324 00:18:12,600 --> 00:18:16,040 individuals, but to us as individuals in the midst of a 325 00:18:16,040 --> 00:18:18,120 group setting. This is you all. 326 00:18:18,280 --> 00:18:22,400 This is a way of identifying it both as you each to each of you 327 00:18:22,760 --> 00:18:26,600 will be given this, and to all of you will be given this. 328 00:18:26,960 --> 00:18:30,720 To each of us is given the power of the Holy Spirit, and to all 329 00:18:30,720 --> 00:18:34,240 of us is given the power of the Holy Spirit. 330 00:18:35,760 --> 00:18:38,360 That's the power. And then the second part of 331 00:18:38,360 --> 00:18:42,160 being the Church is to be my witnesses. 332 00:18:42,920 --> 00:18:45,520 Now a witness, I want to look at 4 quick things about witnesses. 333 00:18:45,520 --> 00:18:47,080 Witnesses do four different things. 334 00:18:47,200 --> 00:18:49,920 First off, they see something or experience something. 335 00:18:50,120 --> 00:18:52,360 A witness is that I've witnessed it, I've seen it, or I've 336 00:18:52,360 --> 00:18:54,680 experienced it. And the reality is for the 337 00:18:54,680 --> 00:18:59,560 church is that every one of us sees or experiences Jesus 338 00:18:59,560 --> 00:19:02,320 Christ. If you have not seen or 339 00:19:02,320 --> 00:19:05,920 experienced Jesus Christ, if church is a function of what you 340 00:19:05,920 --> 00:19:09,160 do Sunday morning, if church is something that you enjoy doing 341 00:19:09,160 --> 00:19:12,440 because you like the people around you, or you think I'm 342 00:19:12,440 --> 00:19:15,920 funny, or you like the music or something along those lines, 343 00:19:16,120 --> 00:19:19,040 that's great. Please keep coming here, but 344 00:19:19,040 --> 00:19:22,720 expect that you will have an experience with Jesus Christ 345 00:19:22,880 --> 00:19:25,040 because that's what takes place in this room. 346 00:19:25,200 --> 00:19:27,720 That's what takes place in the hearts of every believer that is 347 00:19:27,720 --> 00:19:29,960 here. We witness Jesus Christ. 348 00:19:29,960 --> 00:19:33,320 That is that we experience Jesus Christ. 349 00:19:33,480 --> 00:19:36,360 We see Jesus Christ in our lives. 350 00:19:36,560 --> 00:19:38,280 That's what it means to be a witness. 351 00:19:38,920 --> 00:19:44,520 But it also means, secondly, to witness to the, to speak to that 352 00:19:44,720 --> 00:19:46,840 in this case. Think for a second about being 353 00:19:46,840 --> 00:19:49,800 in a witness chair in a court case. 354 00:19:50,000 --> 00:19:52,600 You are a witness. Not only are you testifying to 355 00:19:52,600 --> 00:19:55,560 what you have seen and experienced, but you are voicing 356 00:19:55,560 --> 00:19:57,440 that. You are giving word to that. 357 00:19:57,800 --> 00:20:01,240 Now I realize that people are different and they don't all 358 00:20:01,240 --> 00:20:03,920 have the same giftedness. We all don't have the ability to 359 00:20:03,920 --> 00:20:05,960 put into words that which we've experienced. 360 00:20:06,240 --> 00:20:10,440 I understand that we are not all bold enough to take advantage of 361 00:20:10,440 --> 00:20:13,040 those opportunities that come across our tables. 362 00:20:13,320 --> 00:20:16,920 I understand that. But everybody, everyone in this 363 00:20:16,920 --> 00:20:19,360 room. Is called to witness, to 364 00:20:19,360 --> 00:20:24,640 experience, to to see Jesus Christ in their lives, and then 365 00:20:24,640 --> 00:20:28,240 to speak of that. If you're building a court case, 366 00:20:28,240 --> 00:20:31,080 a lawyer takes not just one witness, but a bunch of 367 00:20:31,080 --> 00:20:33,120 different witnesses that all build together. 368 00:20:33,240 --> 00:20:36,240 You are one building block that the Lord is using, that the Holy 369 00:20:36,240 --> 00:20:39,920 Spirit is using to witness to His glory and goodness. 370 00:20:40,120 --> 00:20:43,160 You might not be an important building block in your mind, but 371 00:20:43,160 --> 00:20:46,080 you are important to Him. He has called you not just to 372 00:20:46,080 --> 00:20:50,440 see and experience Jesus, but then to speak and witness to 373 00:20:50,440 --> 00:20:53,040 Jesus Christ. Every one of us has that 374 00:20:53,040 --> 00:20:56,200 responsibility. Thirdly, about witness. 375 00:20:56,400 --> 00:20:58,760 This is where we get the word for martyr. 376 00:20:59,200 --> 00:21:01,560 The word in the Greek is the same word for the word that we 377 00:21:01,560 --> 00:21:06,880 use for martyr. To witness is costly, It's 378 00:21:06,880 --> 00:21:11,560 sacrificial. It absolutely is anybody that 379 00:21:11,760 --> 00:21:14,520 that proclaims the witness of Jesus Christ and thinks that 380 00:21:14,520 --> 00:21:17,800 they're really good at it or that it comes easily to them or 381 00:21:17,800 --> 00:21:21,040 they just have that gift or they just, and if you, if you think 382 00:21:21,040 --> 00:21:23,520 that there are people that are like that out here, that's 383 00:21:23,520 --> 00:21:28,160 simply not the case. A witness by definition is 384 00:21:28,160 --> 00:21:33,040 costly and it's sacrificial. Now we nevertheless do so 385 00:21:33,360 --> 00:21:35,520 because of the power of the Holy Spirit. 386 00:21:35,520 --> 00:21:37,400 This is the connection in this verse. 387 00:21:37,800 --> 00:21:41,600 We are empowered by the Holy Spirit so that we can identify. 388 00:21:41,600 --> 00:21:44,680 Look, this is what I've seen. This is what I've experienced. 389 00:21:44,880 --> 00:21:47,760 And I can talk about what I've seen and I've experienced even 390 00:21:47,760 --> 00:21:51,640 when I realize it's going to be costly and sacrificial. 391 00:21:52,640 --> 00:21:55,520 And fourthly, we're not told that we're witnesses. 392 00:21:56,040 --> 00:21:58,680 We're told that we're witnesses to him. 393 00:21:58,880 --> 00:22:00,960 That's the our text reads my witnesses. 394 00:22:01,080 --> 00:22:02,560 But it's not so much in ownership. 395 00:22:02,560 --> 00:22:06,000 Jesus is not saying there that you are mine and I own you. 396 00:22:06,200 --> 00:22:10,560 He's saying rather, that you are witnesses to me, witnesses for 397 00:22:10,560 --> 00:22:14,440 me, witnesses about me. And once again, this corrects so 398 00:22:14,440 --> 00:22:18,480 much of our misunderstanding and failure as God's people to think 399 00:22:18,480 --> 00:22:21,160 to ourselves that what we are talking about when we are 400 00:22:21,160 --> 00:22:24,240 witnessing to Jesus is we're correcting every theological 401 00:22:24,240 --> 00:22:27,400 mistake and we have to have all the right answers to everything. 402 00:22:27,520 --> 00:22:29,440 We have to know our Bibles inside and out. 403 00:22:29,520 --> 00:22:33,320 And we have to know what we have to do is witness to the 404 00:22:33,320 --> 00:22:37,560 experience that we have had of Jesus Christ and of him alone. 405 00:22:38,200 --> 00:22:39,880 That's what it means to be the church. 406 00:22:39,880 --> 00:22:42,760 It's a fundamental understanding of the church is to have 407 00:22:42,760 --> 00:22:45,760 received the power of the Holy Spirit and to be his witnesses. 408 00:22:45,880 --> 00:22:48,200 And we're going to see this. If you want to see this played 409 00:22:48,200 --> 00:22:51,360 out, if you want to see what heaven church is supposed to be, 410 00:22:52,080 --> 00:22:56,480 come alongside with me as we study the book of Acts together, 411 00:22:57,280 --> 00:23:01,800 the Spirit, the church, and of course, the world is modeled so 412 00:23:01,800 --> 00:23:03,680 wonderfully here in verse 8 as well. 413 00:23:04,360 --> 00:23:09,080 For we're told that we are to be witnesses in Jerusalem, Judea 414 00:23:09,080 --> 00:23:11,680 and Samaria and to the ends of the earth. 415 00:23:12,720 --> 00:23:16,800 Now, if you're geographically oriented, you will recognize a 416 00:23:16,800 --> 00:23:21,280 certain concentric circle nature of this Jerusalem, that spot 417 00:23:21,280 --> 00:23:23,840 where the disciples were when they first heard the story, 418 00:23:24,320 --> 00:23:27,760 Judea, the surrounding countryside, Samaria, the 419 00:23:27,760 --> 00:23:30,600 countryside that is next beyond that, and then the ends of the 420 00:23:30,600 --> 00:23:32,520 earth. The broadness of this. 421 00:23:33,000 --> 00:23:36,440 This is the responsibility the disciples had to geographically 422 00:23:36,440 --> 00:23:38,720 move out from this. But it's more than just 423 00:23:38,720 --> 00:23:41,440 geographic. And we have that responsibility 424 00:23:41,440 --> 00:23:44,280 again, as inheritors of the book of Acts. 425 00:23:44,400 --> 00:23:49,040 We have that same responsibility to attend to the Jerusalem that 426 00:23:49,040 --> 00:23:51,880 is around us, those people that are near and dear to our hearts, 427 00:23:52,000 --> 00:23:55,040 our family, our friends, our neighbors, those who are close 428 00:23:55,040 --> 00:24:00,320 to us, Jerusalem, to those who are geographically close by the 429 00:24:00,320 --> 00:24:04,360 to our neighborhoods, to the city, to the church, to the 430 00:24:04,360 --> 00:24:08,680 state, sorry, the state, somehow the geographic community that 431 00:24:08,680 --> 00:24:12,000 would be reflective of Judea and Samaria and then to the ends of 432 00:24:12,000 --> 00:24:15,120 the world. We have a responsibility to take 433 00:24:15,120 --> 00:24:17,800 the gospel to the ends of the world. 434 00:24:18,560 --> 00:24:23,200 Now, it's crucial to realize that Jesus does not say some of 435 00:24:23,200 --> 00:24:27,680 you will be witnesses in Jerusalem, some of you will be 436 00:24:27,680 --> 00:24:31,440 witnesses in Samaria, some of you will be witnesses to the 437 00:24:31,440 --> 00:24:33,840 ends of the earth. He doesn't say that. 438 00:24:34,640 --> 00:24:42,160 He says you, all of you, and consequently all of us will be 439 00:24:42,160 --> 00:24:46,240 witnesses in Jerusalem, in Judea, Samaria, and to the ends 440 00:24:46,240 --> 00:24:48,800 of the earth. How are we to do that? 441 00:24:49,480 --> 00:24:52,560 How are we all supposed to quit our jobs and spend the rest of 442 00:24:52,560 --> 00:24:55,240 our lives? No, clearly that's not what 443 00:24:55,240 --> 00:25:00,800 Jesus has in mind, but he has in mind that you being empowered by 444 00:25:00,800 --> 00:25:05,360 the Holy Spirit, being part of this body and community, will be 445 00:25:05,360 --> 00:25:07,320 part of the witness of Jesus Christ. 446 00:25:07,320 --> 00:25:11,400 That happens in Jerusalem, your Jerusalem, your family, friends, 447 00:25:11,400 --> 00:25:15,680 neighbors, in your Samaria and Judea, the surrounding 448 00:25:15,680 --> 00:25:18,600 countryside, and then to the ends of the earth. 449 00:25:19,320 --> 00:25:26,720 How do you do that? 321321 OK, here's what I want 450 00:25:26,720 --> 00:25:28,960 you to do over the next couple of weeks. 451 00:25:29,160 --> 00:25:35,120 I want you to commit to doing this. 321 I want you to commit 452 00:25:35,120 --> 00:25:37,960 to have to put three names in your heart. 453 00:25:38,680 --> 00:25:42,040 Three names that are going to be guiding your prayers every 454 00:25:42,040 --> 00:25:44,280 single day. Not when you remember to pray, 455 00:25:44,480 --> 00:25:47,000 but you're committing to pray every single day. 456 00:25:47,080 --> 00:25:51,720 Three names of Jerusalem, three names of your family members, of 457 00:25:51,720 --> 00:25:56,680 your friends, of your neighbors. Three names of people that need 458 00:25:56,680 --> 00:25:59,960 to hear the gospel message. Maybe not for the first time, 459 00:25:59,960 --> 00:26:03,200 maybe they're long term believers, but three names of 460 00:26:03,200 --> 00:26:06,520 people that you're going to keep in prayer over the next three or 461 00:26:06,520 --> 00:26:10,400 four weeks, three or four months as we go through the book of 462 00:26:10,400 --> 00:26:17,120 Acts together. 32 that you will put in your mind 2 institutions, 463 00:26:17,720 --> 00:26:21,760 two organizations that are working in the community that is 464 00:26:21,760 --> 00:26:25,760 around us either in Pittsburgh as a whole or in Pennsylvania or 465 00:26:25,760 --> 00:26:28,880 in your local community, Penn Hills. 2 organizations that are 466 00:26:28,880 --> 00:26:31,120 doing work. If you need ideas on some of 467 00:26:31,120 --> 00:26:34,200 those organizations, one of them can be Heaven Church. 468 00:26:35,640 --> 00:26:41,480 Pray for three individuals. 2 organizations in one place in 469 00:26:41,480 --> 00:26:43,680 this world. When I first became a Christian, 470 00:26:43,680 --> 00:26:47,520 this was back in 1980, four, 1984, my disciple said to me, 471 00:26:47,520 --> 00:26:50,840 walk me through Jerusalem, Judea, Samaria and the ends of 472 00:26:50,840 --> 00:26:52,920 the earth. He said pick a place in this 473 00:26:52,920 --> 00:26:55,720 world that you can pray for, that you can be passionate 474 00:26:55,720 --> 00:26:57,920 about. And at that time the Soviet 475 00:26:57,920 --> 00:27:00,320 Union, it was at war with Afghanistan. 476 00:27:00,320 --> 00:27:04,560 And so I picked Afghanistan and for the past 40 years I have 477 00:27:04,560 --> 00:27:07,720 prayed semi faithfully for Afghanistan. 478 00:27:07,880 --> 00:27:11,520 Do you know what it's been like to see the church flourish when 479 00:27:11,760 --> 00:27:15,040 when the Soviets left, and then to see the Taliban come in and 480 00:27:15,040 --> 00:27:17,360 the church get squashed when it's there? 481 00:27:17,480 --> 00:27:21,840 And to be praying as the United States is present in Afghanistan 482 00:27:21,840 --> 00:27:25,200 and now the United States is not present in Afghanistan. 483 00:27:25,360 --> 00:27:29,000 And to see God's work through the past 40 years because I have 484 00:27:29,000 --> 00:27:32,000 been committed to praying for one nation where I will never 485 00:27:32,000 --> 00:27:36,040 go, God willing, you know, as far as I know, I will never go 486 00:27:36,240 --> 00:27:39,600 to Afghanistan because I've taken seriously the 487 00:27:39,600 --> 00:27:43,360 responsibility that is laid upon me as part of the body of Jesus 488 00:27:43,360 --> 00:27:47,080 Christ and in the power of the Holy Spirit to pray for three 489 00:27:47,080 --> 00:27:53,000 individuals, 2 institutions and one place in this world. 490 00:27:53,880 --> 00:27:59,400 If you want to be see the world the way the Lord sees the world, 491 00:28:00,040 --> 00:28:04,360 to seize it, see the Kingdom around you, God's Kingdom around 492 00:28:04,360 --> 00:28:08,400 you the way that He sees the world, then I beg you to come 493 00:28:08,400 --> 00:28:11,520 alongside me as we go through the book of Acts together. 494 00:28:11,640 --> 00:28:17,680 Let's pray. Gracious Lord, we thank you for 495 00:28:17,680 --> 00:28:22,360 giving us the gift of the Scriptures where we can see and 496 00:28:22,360 --> 00:28:27,080 experience the realities of who we are as part of the Church of 497 00:28:27,120 --> 00:28:32,240 Jesus Christ of the world that is around us, in desperate need 498 00:28:32,240 --> 00:28:36,280 of Your love and your care, and specifically the power and the 499 00:28:36,280 --> 00:28:40,360 work of your Spirit as He works and moves in our hearts. 500 00:28:41,880 --> 00:28:45,920 Lord, we desperately need that kind of work in our lives. 501 00:28:46,800 --> 00:28:50,600 And so we come to you, looking for Your grace and your 502 00:28:50,600 --> 00:28:53,840 blessing, praying the way that you taught us to pray. 503 00:28:54,480 --> 00:28:58,920 Our Father who aren't in heaven, hallowed be thy name, thy 504 00:28:58,920 --> 00:29:03,120 Kingdom come, Thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven. 505 00:29:03,640 --> 00:29:07,680 Give us this day Our Daily Bread, and forgive us our debts, 506 00:29:07,720 --> 00:29:12,400 as we forgive our debtors, and lead us not in temptation, but 507 00:29:12,400 --> 00:29:15,960 deliver us from evil. For thine is a Kingdom, and the 508 00:29:15,960 --> 00:29:18,120 power and the glory forever.