WEBVTT 00:00:09.679 --> 00:00:13.439 And after he had said these things, he was lifted 00:00:13.439 --> 00:00:16.579 up while they were looking on, and a cloud received 00:00:16.579 --> 00:00:20.399 him out of their sight. And as they were gazing 00:00:20.399 --> 00:00:24.079 intently into the sky, while he was going, behold, 00:00:24.600 --> 00:00:27.960 two men in white clothing stood beside them. 00:00:28.480 --> 00:00:31.940 They also said, Men of Galilee, why do you stand 00:00:31.940 --> 00:00:35.740 looking into the sky? This Jesus, who has been 00:00:35.740 --> 00:00:40.549 taken up from you into heaven, will come in just 00:00:40.549 --> 00:00:43.469 the same way as you have watched him go into 00:00:43.469 --> 00:00:47.909 heaven. Then they returned to Jerusalem from 00:00:47.909 --> 00:00:51.229 the mount called Olivet, which is near Jerusalem, 00:00:51.270 --> 00:00:55.109 a Sabbath day's journey away. When they had entered 00:00:55.109 --> 00:00:57.869 the city, they went up to the upper room where 00:00:57.869 --> 00:01:02.270 they were staying. That is, Peter and John and 00:01:02.270 --> 00:01:07.019 James and Andrew, Philip and... Thomas, Bartholomew, 00:01:07.019 --> 00:01:11.340 and Matthew, James, the son of Alphaeus, and 00:01:11.340 --> 00:01:14.680 Simon, the zealot, and Judas, the son of James. 00:01:15.040 --> 00:01:20.799 These all, with one mind, were continually devoting 00:01:20.799 --> 00:01:24.439 themselves to prayer, along with the women and 00:01:24.439 --> 00:01:30.140 Mary, the mother of Jesus, and with his brothers. 00:01:30.459 --> 00:01:33.739 Let's pray. Father, I come before you. I thank 00:01:33.739 --> 00:01:36.680 you for your word. I thank you for the worship 00:01:36.680 --> 00:01:39.620 and the singing and the praise that we have heard 00:01:39.620 --> 00:01:42.879 this morning. Lord, I thank you that we can gather 00:01:42.879 --> 00:01:45.620 together as a body and we can worship Christ 00:01:45.620 --> 00:01:48.560 Jesus for the work that he has accomplished and 00:01:48.560 --> 00:01:51.319 the work that he has done on behalf of sinners. 00:01:51.980 --> 00:01:55.420 We praise your name for that, Lord. We praise 00:01:55.420 --> 00:01:58.319 your name for sending Christ into this world. 00:01:58.819 --> 00:02:01.920 Father, I ask and I pray this morning. that in 00:02:01.920 --> 00:02:05.959 this text we would be encouraged, that we would 00:02:05.959 --> 00:02:10.080 be challenged, that we would be supported and 00:02:10.080 --> 00:02:13.900 undergirded in our soul. Lord, that you would 00:02:13.900 --> 00:02:18.300 use it to propel us into this world, to tell 00:02:18.300 --> 00:02:21.219 people about Christ and to be obedient to his 00:02:21.219 --> 00:02:24.960 mission. Lord, I ask that you would bless the 00:02:24.960 --> 00:02:29.479 reading and the preaching of your word this Lord's 00:02:29.479 --> 00:02:33.520 Day in a special way. special way. I ask this 00:02:33.520 --> 00:02:37.379 in Jesus' precious name. Amen. You may be seated. 00:02:37.860 --> 00:02:42.379 So just to briefly review where we're at in the 00:02:42.379 --> 00:02:47.680 book of Acts. So far we have seen Christ come 00:02:47.680 --> 00:02:51.199 and present himself to the apostles. We've seen 00:02:51.199 --> 00:02:53.900 that he promised the coming of the Holy Spirit, 00:02:53.960 --> 00:02:57.000 that the Spirit of God would come and baptize 00:02:57.000 --> 00:03:03.800 the disciples. We have seen that they were given 00:03:03.800 --> 00:03:07.080 a great commission to go into the world and to 00:03:07.080 --> 00:03:11.060 preach the gospel, to proclaim Christ Jesus. 00:03:11.879 --> 00:03:16.680 We see that Christ, after He gave His instructions, 00:03:16.759 --> 00:03:21.719 was ascended and lifted up into the sky. A cloud 00:03:21.719 --> 00:03:27.949 took Him, and the disciples stood there. Gazing 00:03:27.949 --> 00:03:32.129 intently into the sky. Last week we talked about 00:03:32.129 --> 00:03:38.750 really the human response to the ascension. What 00:03:38.750 --> 00:03:41.870 that meant for the disciples and what they needed 00:03:41.870 --> 00:03:45.189 to do. They needed to work. They needed to commit. 00:03:45.330 --> 00:03:48.229 They needed to dedicate themselves. They needed 00:03:48.229 --> 00:03:52.129 to go all in, put both feet into this mission 00:03:52.129 --> 00:03:57.479 of proclaiming the gospel in the... So we saw 00:03:57.479 --> 00:04:01.460 that this week, we'll see the disciples are in 00:04:01.460 --> 00:04:06.599 this interesting time period. Jesus has ascended 00:04:06.599 --> 00:04:10.680 and has removed his physical, his bodily presence 00:04:10.680 --> 00:04:16.050 from them. They are waiting for the coming. of 00:04:16.050 --> 00:04:19.410 the Spirit of God to indwell them and to empower 00:04:19.410 --> 00:04:23.829 them and to equip them. So they're in this period 00:04:23.829 --> 00:04:27.209 between those two points in time. They are awaiting 00:04:27.209 --> 00:04:31.050 the time when they will start their mission. 00:04:32.029 --> 00:04:35.709 They are waiting for the time when they will 00:04:35.709 --> 00:04:38.470 begin to go into the world and proclaim Christ 00:04:38.470 --> 00:04:43.129 and the church will be built up. They are waiting 00:04:43.129 --> 00:04:49.110 for that period of time. Now, it's really important 00:04:49.110 --> 00:04:54.449 that when we read verses 12 through 14, the upper 00:04:54.449 --> 00:04:57.009 room and then returning to the city, that we 00:04:57.009 --> 00:05:01.009 make sure that we read that in light of the ascension. 00:05:01.589 --> 00:05:05.470 So this is really the second major event which 00:05:05.470 --> 00:05:08.329 has taken place so far in the book of Acts. The 00:05:08.329 --> 00:05:13.410 first is the ascension. The second is them returning 00:05:13.410 --> 00:05:18.149 to Jerusalem after the ascension. So one of the 00:05:18.149 --> 00:05:20.769 things that I love so much about expository preaching 00:05:20.769 --> 00:05:25.069 is that you cannot separate the previous text 00:05:25.069 --> 00:05:28.350 from the text in which you're preaching on. This 00:05:28.350 --> 00:05:30.870 instructs us not just in preaching and teaching, 00:05:31.050 --> 00:05:34.990 but how to study the Bible. How we are to look 00:05:34.990 --> 00:05:38.129 at the context of what took place prior and what 00:05:38.129 --> 00:05:41.170 is going on in the text you're studying and you're 00:05:41.170 --> 00:05:45.850 looking at. So every single thing in verses 12 00:05:45.850 --> 00:05:51.449 through 14, every single thing must be viewed 00:05:51.449 --> 00:05:57.449 in light of the ascension of Christ Jesus. Their 00:05:57.449 --> 00:06:00.410 returning to Jerusalem must be viewed in light 00:06:00.410 --> 00:06:03.449 of... The ascension, Christ going and sitting 00:06:03.449 --> 00:06:07.870 at the right hand of God. Their praying must 00:06:07.870 --> 00:06:11.610 be seen in light of the ascension. Their gathering 00:06:11.610 --> 00:06:15.790 together must be seen in light of the ascension. 00:06:16.089 --> 00:06:20.350 We must always keep those closely related and 00:06:20.350 --> 00:06:24.949 especially for our message today. So for those 00:06:24.949 --> 00:06:27.709 of you who like to take notes, we'll be looking 00:06:27.709 --> 00:06:33.120 at three primary points. The first is their return 00:06:33.120 --> 00:06:37.639 to the city and the upper room. The second is 00:06:37.639 --> 00:06:41.240 the unity of those waiting. And the third is 00:06:41.240 --> 00:06:47.220 the activity of those who were waiting. So we 00:06:47.220 --> 00:06:52.120 see in verses 12 through 13 that it says they 00:06:52.120 --> 00:06:56.019 returned to Jerusalem from the mount called Olivet, 00:06:56.019 --> 00:07:00.800 which is near Jerusalem. And it was near Jerusalem. 00:07:00.899 --> 00:07:04.139 It was a Sabbath day's journey away. Now he's 00:07:04.139 --> 00:07:08.379 referring to the disciples who were just experienced 00:07:08.379 --> 00:07:12.879 the ascension of Christ. So the disciples, which 00:07:12.879 --> 00:07:17.660 are listed in verse 13, they return from the 00:07:17.660 --> 00:07:22.279 Mount of Olives and they travel through Bethany 00:07:22.279 --> 00:07:25.680 to Jerusalem. Now this is important because it's 00:07:25.680 --> 00:07:30.569 a very familiar... path to them. It's a very 00:07:30.569 --> 00:07:33.930 familiar walk, which they did very often with 00:07:33.930 --> 00:07:38.029 Christ Jesus. And so they returned, the disciples 00:07:38.029 --> 00:07:41.709 who Jesus handpicked, those who had experienced 00:07:41.709 --> 00:07:46.769 firsthand His resurrection, His ascension, His 00:07:46.769 --> 00:07:50.490 death. His life, those who were sitting under 00:07:50.490 --> 00:07:53.410 his teaching and his instruction for three years, 00:07:53.610 --> 00:07:56.490 those who lived and ate and breathed and talked 00:07:56.490 --> 00:08:01.810 and walked with him, those apostles return the 00:08:01.810 --> 00:08:07.870 Mount of Olives to Jerusalem, to the city. Now, 00:08:07.889 --> 00:08:12.689 this scene, when it talks about a Sabbath day's 00:08:12.689 --> 00:08:15.829 journey, it's not talking about... a time period. 00:08:16.170 --> 00:08:19.569 It's talking about a distance. So really, it's 00:08:19.569 --> 00:08:21.610 about three -fourths of a mile from the Mount 00:08:21.610 --> 00:08:24.889 of Olives to Jerusalem. We don't know exactly 00:08:24.889 --> 00:08:28.029 how far it was from the Mount of Olives to the 00:08:28.029 --> 00:08:30.649 upper room where they were staying, but it's 00:08:30.649 --> 00:08:33.950 somewhere under a mile in that range. So not 00:08:33.950 --> 00:08:37.730 a long walk, but not just a short couple steps 00:08:37.730 --> 00:08:40.690 either. Now when we look at this and we think 00:08:40.690 --> 00:08:44.909 about this, what do you think? their conversations 00:08:44.909 --> 00:08:49.649 consisted of on the way back to Jerusalem. What 00:08:49.649 --> 00:08:53.590 do you think their mind was thinking of on the 00:08:53.590 --> 00:08:57.169 way back to Jerusalem? What do you think was 00:08:57.169 --> 00:09:00.590 rolling through their head? What was rattling 00:09:00.590 --> 00:09:03.470 around up there as they were just experiencing 00:09:03.470 --> 00:09:06.879 the ascension in Christ? lifting himself up, 00:09:07.000 --> 00:09:10.720 defying gravity, going into the sky. Two angels 00:09:10.720 --> 00:09:13.200 miraculously appear to them, say, why are you 00:09:13.200 --> 00:09:15.960 standing in the sky? Why are you staring into 00:09:15.960 --> 00:09:19.019 the sky? This Jesus is going to come just the 00:09:19.019 --> 00:09:23.159 same way as he left. So these disciples returned. 00:09:23.320 --> 00:09:26.279 What was going on in their head? What was going 00:09:26.279 --> 00:09:29.679 on in their mind as they were entering the city 00:09:29.679 --> 00:09:35.279 and going to the upper room? I'm sure Christ's 00:09:35.279 --> 00:09:40.340 commands, which He just gave to them, were standing 00:09:40.340 --> 00:09:43.940 out in their thinking. This mission, this great 00:09:43.940 --> 00:09:46.559 mission that Christ has given us, this great 00:09:46.559 --> 00:09:48.580 mission that we are to go and proclaim Christ 00:09:48.580 --> 00:09:51.879 into all the world, to Judea and Samaria and 00:09:51.879 --> 00:09:56.000 even the remotest parts of the earth. I'm sure 00:09:56.000 --> 00:09:59.779 that was there. I'm sure they were thinking and 00:09:59.779 --> 00:10:03.590 considering what exactly The ascension meant 00:10:03.590 --> 00:10:07.269 for them the reality that Christ was no longer 00:10:07.269 --> 00:10:11.149 physically, bodily present for them. They thought 00:10:11.149 --> 00:10:13.049 they had to get back to Jerusalem immediately 00:10:13.049 --> 00:10:17.610 because Jesus said not many days from now the 00:10:17.610 --> 00:10:22.070 Holy Spirit will be poured out on you. So just 00:10:22.070 --> 00:10:24.009 think about some of the things that were going 00:10:24.009 --> 00:10:26.750 on in their head as they were heading that way. 00:10:27.730 --> 00:10:32.009 The text clarifies. and says they entered into 00:10:32.009 --> 00:10:36.730 the city. And think about Jerusalem. Think about 00:10:36.730 --> 00:10:40.490 the upper room which they were entering into. 00:10:41.110 --> 00:10:47.990 At one point in time, this city, Jerusalem, it 00:10:47.990 --> 00:10:53.049 reminded them of defeat. After Christ's death, 00:10:53.289 --> 00:10:57.950 they scattered and they ran. This city? This 00:10:57.950 --> 00:11:03.509 is where Peter denied the Lord Jesus three times. 00:11:04.690 --> 00:11:08.889 This is the very place. This is the same city 00:11:08.889 --> 00:11:13.269 that crucified their Lord. This is the same city 00:11:13.269 --> 00:11:16.309 in which they were threatened with persecution 00:11:16.309 --> 00:11:19.230 and they were mocked for being his disciples 00:11:19.230 --> 00:11:23.049 and followers of Christ. So they were entering 00:11:23.049 --> 00:11:27.440 into this city. Had anything changed? Had anything 00:11:27.440 --> 00:11:30.399 changed this time when they entered the city 00:11:30.399 --> 00:11:32.879 from the last time when they entered the city? 00:11:32.960 --> 00:11:36.220 Something drastic had changed. Now think about 00:11:36.220 --> 00:11:42.179 the upper room. What did the upper room signify 00:11:42.179 --> 00:11:45.840 to them? What experiences had taken place in 00:11:45.840 --> 00:11:49.580 the upper room? What conversations had taken 00:11:49.580 --> 00:11:54.340 place in the upper room? Now if this is the same 00:11:54.340 --> 00:11:57.940 upper room, which is referred to several times 00:11:57.940 --> 00:12:00.659 throughout the Gospels, which I tend to think 00:12:00.659 --> 00:12:04.240 it is, then that means it would be the place 00:12:04.240 --> 00:12:08.559 where Christ instituted the Lord's Supper. This 00:12:08.559 --> 00:12:12.539 would be the same place where Christ washed His 00:12:12.539 --> 00:12:17.000 disciples' feet in a humbling way as a slave 00:12:17.000 --> 00:12:21.649 serving them. This is the very place where he 00:12:21.649 --> 00:12:24.610 talked to them about going to the Father and 00:12:24.610 --> 00:12:28.490 sending the Spirit of God. This is the very place 00:12:28.490 --> 00:12:33.669 where he said he must go to the cross. The upper 00:12:33.669 --> 00:12:39.970 room was also a place after Christ's death where 00:12:39.970 --> 00:12:45.029 we find the disciples with the doors shut and 00:12:45.029 --> 00:12:49.580 the doors locked. And Jesus miraculously appears 00:12:49.580 --> 00:12:54.840 to them. Now remember in that scene, why were 00:12:54.840 --> 00:13:00.059 the doors locked and shut? For fear of the Jews. 00:13:01.460 --> 00:13:06.440 So this very place they were entering into was 00:13:06.440 --> 00:13:09.980 a place where they were previously very, very 00:13:09.980 --> 00:13:13.860 fearful. A place where they had closed themselves 00:13:13.860 --> 00:13:16.519 off from the rest of the community. A place where 00:13:16.519 --> 00:13:18.740 they had closed themselves off from the rest 00:13:18.740 --> 00:13:21.759 of the people around them because they were deathly 00:13:21.759 --> 00:13:26.519 afraid of what was going to come of them. Because 00:13:26.519 --> 00:13:32.240 their Lord Jesus had been killed. But now we 00:13:32.240 --> 00:13:38.460 see as they enter into the city, as they go to 00:13:38.460 --> 00:13:43.960 that very same upper room, They no longer walk 00:13:43.960 --> 00:13:48.779 into it and see the reminders of His death and 00:13:48.779 --> 00:13:51.759 see the reminders of defeat and persecution. 00:13:51.759 --> 00:13:56.059 But now, they walk into that city and every memory 00:13:56.059 --> 00:13:58.519 that's triggered by every sight and every sound 00:13:58.519 --> 00:14:01.019 and every smell they see in that city and in 00:14:01.019 --> 00:14:03.200 that upper room, it reminds them of the great 00:14:03.200 --> 00:14:07.960 victory which Christ has accomplished. It reminds 00:14:07.960 --> 00:14:11.360 them that they are victors alongside of Christ 00:14:11.360 --> 00:14:13.679 and that He has a plan and that He is working 00:14:13.679 --> 00:14:16.899 it and it will continue and it will not be defeated. 00:14:18.759 --> 00:14:22.299 So that's what it stands to them now. That's 00:14:22.299 --> 00:14:24.779 what it means to them. It was no longer fear. 00:14:25.919 --> 00:14:29.320 It was no longer fear that defined them and overwhelmed 00:14:29.320 --> 00:14:35.450 them, but Luke 24... 52, where Luke concludes 00:14:35.450 --> 00:14:39.429 his section on the ascension, it says that when 00:14:39.429 --> 00:14:42.570 they returned to the city, it was not with fear. 00:14:43.110 --> 00:14:48.169 It was not in discouragement. But how did they 00:14:48.169 --> 00:14:50.649 return to the city? They returned to the city 00:14:50.649 --> 00:14:56.350 with great joy. They returned to the city with 00:14:56.350 --> 00:15:00.059 great joy. They entered into the same place where 00:15:00.059 --> 00:15:02.580 Christ was killed. They went to the same room 00:15:02.580 --> 00:15:05.620 which reminded them of the coming crucifixion 00:15:05.620 --> 00:15:08.220 of their Lord and their Master and their Savior 00:15:08.220 --> 00:15:11.539 with great joy because they knew the victory 00:15:11.539 --> 00:15:15.740 which He had won for His people and the glory 00:15:15.740 --> 00:15:21.080 which He had entered into when He ascended. So 00:15:21.080 --> 00:15:28.049 no longer were they defined by fear. Fear of 00:15:28.049 --> 00:15:31.009 what would come of them. Fear of persecution. 00:15:31.730 --> 00:15:36.129 No longer were they defined by fear. But the 00:15:36.129 --> 00:15:42.529 overwhelming event in their soul was now great 00:15:42.529 --> 00:15:47.809 joy. It was great joy because of the work that 00:15:47.809 --> 00:15:52.250 Christ had done and specifically because of the 00:15:52.250 --> 00:15:59.320 ascension. This is what happens when you come 00:15:59.320 --> 00:16:04.220 to the realization of who Christ is and what 00:16:04.220 --> 00:16:09.679 His ascension means for the people of God. Great 00:16:09.679 --> 00:16:13.299 joy is generated within your soul that you never 00:16:13.299 --> 00:16:18.899 had before. Great joy flows from your soul because 00:16:18.899 --> 00:16:23.080 of what Christ has done that you've never experienced 00:16:23.080 --> 00:16:28.350 before. This is what happens when you realize 00:16:28.350 --> 00:16:32.909 that your great king, that your master has defeated 00:16:32.909 --> 00:16:37.950 death. Great joy comes as a result of that. This 00:16:37.950 --> 00:16:40.590 is what happens when you realize that your great 00:16:40.590 --> 00:16:43.330 king and your great master is seated on high 00:16:43.330 --> 00:16:45.929 at the right hand of God in power and nobody 00:16:45.929 --> 00:16:49.389 can touch him, nobody can stop him, nobody can 00:16:49.389 --> 00:16:51.830 defeat him because he is ruling at the right 00:16:51.830 --> 00:16:54.970 hand of God. You have great joy as a result of 00:16:54.970 --> 00:17:00.139 that. If you're a believer in Christ, You should 00:17:00.139 --> 00:17:03.299 have great joy and great confidence and great 00:17:03.299 --> 00:17:07.900 boldness because Christ is reigning. Because 00:17:07.900 --> 00:17:11.259 Christ ascended. Because He's not here with us 00:17:11.259 --> 00:17:14.019 physically, bodily. He is ruling at the right 00:17:14.019 --> 00:17:16.940 hand of God. That should give you great joy. 00:17:18.539 --> 00:17:24.819 Christ being lifted up. And His ascension. It 00:17:24.819 --> 00:17:29.099 did something to their souls. It did something 00:17:29.099 --> 00:17:33.720 within them. It did something to their hearts, 00:17:33.720 --> 00:17:37.759 to their thought process. It did something to 00:17:37.759 --> 00:17:40.059 their mind. It did something to their unity. 00:17:40.079 --> 00:17:42.960 It did something to each and every one of them 00:17:42.960 --> 00:17:47.900 that was with Jesus and experienced Him. It did 00:17:47.900 --> 00:17:51.569 something to them. It showed them that regardless 00:17:51.569 --> 00:17:55.829 of what has happened, regardless of what is happening, 00:17:56.049 --> 00:17:59.089 regardless of what's going to happen in the future, 00:17:59.170 --> 00:18:03.210 you can have great joy because Christ has ascended 00:18:03.210 --> 00:18:07.630 and he has seated at the right hand of God. You 00:18:07.630 --> 00:18:11.809 can have great joy. So the ascension, I just 00:18:11.809 --> 00:18:15.589 want to briefly cover a few points. Last week 00:18:15.589 --> 00:18:17.809 we really did, we looked at the human response. 00:18:19.049 --> 00:18:21.289 What they needed to do, they needed to work. 00:18:21.869 --> 00:18:24.369 They needed to get on board with this mission. 00:18:24.470 --> 00:18:27.589 They needed to be obedient to Christ's will and 00:18:27.589 --> 00:18:32.150 not just love and adore him. But what are the 00:18:32.150 --> 00:18:37.009 theological implications of the ascension? Because 00:18:37.009 --> 00:18:39.369 remember, everything taking place here in this 00:18:39.369 --> 00:18:45.869 scripture is in light of the ascension of Christ. 00:18:47.309 --> 00:18:52.930 So first, we have to recognize the term or the 00:18:52.930 --> 00:18:56.509 phrase, the right hand of God. The right hand 00:18:56.509 --> 00:19:03.650 of God. We see in Psalm 110 .1. In Psalm 110 00:19:03.650 --> 00:19:11.509 .1. The Lord said to my Lord, sit at my right 00:19:11.509 --> 00:19:16.470 hand until I make your enemies. a footstool for 00:19:16.470 --> 00:19:23.289 your feet. So sitting at the right hand teaches 00:19:23.289 --> 00:19:28.589 us that there's authority, dominion, rule, and 00:19:28.589 --> 00:19:33.329 reign involved. We also read in Ephesians 1, 00:19:33.910 --> 00:19:39.589 starting in verse 19, and I'm going to read through 00:19:39.589 --> 00:19:42.460 the end of the chapter. And whenever I'm reading 00:19:42.460 --> 00:19:45.059 these, think of the ascension, Christ's rule, 00:19:45.259 --> 00:19:48.500 His headship over the church, starting in verse 00:19:48.500 --> 00:19:54.680 19. And what is the surpassing greatness of His 00:19:54.680 --> 00:19:59.380 glory toward us who believe? These are in accordance 00:19:59.380 --> 00:20:03.480 with the working of the strength of His might 00:20:03.480 --> 00:20:07.019 which He brought about in Christ when He raised 00:20:07.019 --> 00:20:10.099 Him from the dead. and seated him at his right 00:20:10.099 --> 00:20:14.859 hand in the heavenly places. Far above, this 00:20:14.859 --> 00:20:17.759 is Christ in his ascended and exalted glory, 00:20:18.160 --> 00:20:20.140 sitting at the right hand of God. This is what 00:20:20.140 --> 00:20:26.640 it's describing. Far above all rule and authority 00:20:26.640 --> 00:20:31.099 and power and dominion and every name that is 00:20:31.099 --> 00:20:34.440 named, not only in this age, but also in the 00:20:34.440 --> 00:20:38.569 one to come. So Christ is... He is leaps and 00:20:38.569 --> 00:20:41.869 bounds. He is so much higher than any other rule 00:20:41.869 --> 00:20:44.710 or any other authority or any other name that 00:20:44.710 --> 00:20:48.730 is in existence in this universe. He is that 00:20:48.730 --> 00:20:53.029 much higher for this age and the age to come. 00:20:53.190 --> 00:20:57.289 Verse 22, And He put all things in subjection 00:20:57.289 --> 00:21:01.690 under His feet and gave Him as head over all 00:21:01.690 --> 00:21:05.430 things to the church. which is his body, the 00:21:05.430 --> 00:21:10.990 fullness of him who fills all in all. In Hebrews 00:21:10.990 --> 00:21:16.089 chapter 1, we read that when he had made purification 00:21:16.089 --> 00:21:20.190 for sins, he, being Christ, sat down at the right 00:21:20.190 --> 00:21:26.250 hand of the majesty on high. So we see this phrase 00:21:26.250 --> 00:21:30.730 of the right hand of God, power, and Christ being 00:21:30.730 --> 00:21:32.809 seated, and Christ being at the right hand of 00:21:32.809 --> 00:21:35.960 God. So four things regarding the ascension and 00:21:35.960 --> 00:21:40.079 exaltation and Christ being in glory very quickly. 00:21:40.279 --> 00:21:45.920 First, it means power and authority and dominion. 00:21:46.599 --> 00:21:51.920 Jesus is not lacking in power, folks. Jesus is 00:21:51.920 --> 00:21:55.319 not lacking in authority. He is not lacking in 00:21:55.319 --> 00:22:00.400 dominion in this world or in the church. He is 00:22:00.400 --> 00:22:05.880 omnipotent. He is all -powerful. All the power 00:22:05.880 --> 00:22:10.579 that created the universe is in Christ. He has 00:22:10.579 --> 00:22:14.619 all power. So He's not lacking power. That's 00:22:14.619 --> 00:22:17.119 Christ. That's our Lord. That was the Lord of 00:22:17.119 --> 00:22:19.660 the disciples who was sitting at the right hand, 00:22:19.720 --> 00:22:24.220 who ascended to glory and is exalted. Second, 00:22:24.259 --> 00:22:29.630 it means dignity and honor and prestige. Christ 00:22:29.630 --> 00:22:33.730 has been given the glory he had with the Father 00:22:33.730 --> 00:22:37.190 before the foundation of the world. The brightness 00:22:37.190 --> 00:22:41.430 of his glory has returned to him and he sits 00:22:41.430 --> 00:22:47.190 in glory. He is the most precious, the most prestigious, 00:22:47.549 --> 00:22:53.789 the most dignified being in the universe. And 00:22:53.789 --> 00:22:58.980 he has human nature. He has human nature. He 00:22:58.980 --> 00:23:02.279 is our forerunner, sitting at the right hand 00:23:02.279 --> 00:23:04.680 of God. He is the firstborn among many brethren. 00:23:05.640 --> 00:23:10.259 He is our representative. He is our intercessor. 00:23:10.279 --> 00:23:13.559 He is our mediator. So it means dignity, honor, 00:23:13.859 --> 00:23:17.579 prestige. Third, it means rest in completion. 00:23:19.079 --> 00:23:23.000 Christ ascending and entering into His exaltation 00:23:23.000 --> 00:23:27.660 and glorious state and condition. He is resting 00:23:27.660 --> 00:23:32.680 from his works of humiliation in this world. 00:23:32.980 --> 00:23:38.000 He is resting from his personal, bodily, physical 00:23:38.000 --> 00:23:42.220 works which he accomplished in this world for 00:23:42.220 --> 00:23:45.700 atonement and for redemption and for salvation. 00:23:46.299 --> 00:23:50.269 It's done. He said it's finished. He sat down. 00:23:50.450 --> 00:23:53.809 It's done. It's complete. There's no more redemptive 00:23:53.809 --> 00:23:56.809 work for him to accomplish and bring about. Now 00:23:56.809 --> 00:24:02.329 it must be applied to his elect, to his children, 00:24:02.650 --> 00:24:10.369 to his people. Third or fourth, it signifies, 00:24:10.369 --> 00:24:13.549 and I think this is my favorite one, it signifies 00:24:13.549 --> 00:24:19.089 kingship and rule. It signifies kingship and 00:24:19.089 --> 00:24:26.089 rule. Jesus, who was lifted on high from among 00:24:26.089 --> 00:24:31.029 His disciples and blessed His disciples, is king. 00:24:31.930 --> 00:24:37.250 He rules and He reigns, not just in the church, 00:24:37.289 --> 00:24:40.230 spiritually in the hearts and minds of believers, 00:24:40.710 --> 00:24:48.170 but all things. All things. Christ is king. Christ 00:24:48.170 --> 00:24:52.789 is ruler. So what are the implications of that 00:24:52.789 --> 00:24:57.190 on the disciples in this text? What are the implications 00:24:57.190 --> 00:25:00.490 of that on their lives? How did that affect them? 00:25:01.970 --> 00:25:07.950 Won't that take away fear? Knowing who is sitting 00:25:07.950 --> 00:25:13.259 on the throne? Won't that remove fear and discontentment 00:25:13.259 --> 00:25:16.240 and discouragement from your life, knowing that 00:25:16.240 --> 00:25:19.720 the King, Jesus Christ, who has all power and 00:25:19.720 --> 00:25:22.640 all reign and all authority and all dominion 00:25:22.640 --> 00:25:24.940 and is the most prestigious and the most powerful 00:25:24.940 --> 00:25:27.759 being in the universe that spoke the world into 00:25:27.759 --> 00:25:32.819 existence, is there and He loves you? Won't that 00:25:32.819 --> 00:25:36.339 take away fear in your life, knowing that He's 00:25:36.339 --> 00:25:40.799 in control? Knowing that he is king and he is 00:25:40.799 --> 00:25:45.380 ruling and his plan is going forward as he desires 00:25:45.380 --> 00:25:49.619 it to go forward. It's not messed up. It's not 00:25:49.619 --> 00:25:54.799 going to fail. That will strip you of fear and 00:25:54.799 --> 00:25:57.619 that will implant great joy within your soul 00:25:57.619 --> 00:26:03.859 knowing that Christ reigns. It ought to. So how 00:26:03.859 --> 00:26:08.690 does this affect your life? How does the risen 00:26:08.690 --> 00:26:12.230 and the exalted and the ascended Christ affect 00:26:12.230 --> 00:26:16.630 your life? How does it impact the way you live 00:26:16.630 --> 00:26:24.470 in this life? How does it impact your home? How 00:26:24.470 --> 00:26:28.369 does it impact your sharing the gospel with your 00:26:28.369 --> 00:26:34.769 children? How does it impact the way you see 00:26:34.769 --> 00:26:41.180 others? And the way you behave? How does it impact 00:26:41.180 --> 00:26:46.700 your church? How does it impact your Christian 00:26:46.700 --> 00:26:51.220 life? That's what it's got to come down to. Folks, 00:26:51.259 --> 00:26:55.759 you do not have the authority in this life. You 00:26:55.759 --> 00:26:59.420 do not have the power in this life. You do not 00:26:59.420 --> 00:27:02.660 have the dominion and the reign and the rule 00:27:02.660 --> 00:27:09.759 in this life. But you are a subject of the greatest 00:27:09.759 --> 00:27:14.119 king in the universe and he does have the power. 00:27:14.319 --> 00:27:18.579 And he does have the authority. And he does have 00:27:18.579 --> 00:27:24.079 the ability to change your situation. And he 00:27:24.079 --> 00:27:29.440 beseeches you to come to him. He can change those 00:27:29.440 --> 00:27:33.779 things in your life because he is king. He can 00:27:33.779 --> 00:27:38.539 affect. the direction of your children. He can 00:27:38.539 --> 00:27:41.819 save your children. He can save your brother. 00:27:41.900 --> 00:27:44.539 He can save your sister. He can save your mother. 00:27:44.640 --> 00:27:50.779 You can't, but the king can. He is seated at 00:27:50.779 --> 00:27:56.920 the right hand with power, with power. And it 00:27:56.920 --> 00:28:00.279 should give us great joy. So these disciples, 00:28:00.440 --> 00:28:05.380 they returned to Jerusalem. And they waited. 00:28:06.099 --> 00:28:10.000 And they waited. So next, we're going to look 00:28:10.000 --> 00:28:13.920 at the unity of those disciples who were experiencing 00:28:13.920 --> 00:28:18.519 joy within their souls while they were waiting. 00:28:18.740 --> 00:28:24.059 The text says in verse 14, they all with one 00:28:24.059 --> 00:28:30.119 mind. They all with one mind. Now this will impact 00:28:30.119 --> 00:28:35.140 praying, and this will also impact their joy 00:28:35.140 --> 00:28:41.099 and their gathering. But I just want to look 00:28:41.099 --> 00:28:45.839 on this idea of them all being present, and these 00:28:45.839 --> 00:28:50.000 all with one mind. You would think with all that's 00:28:50.000 --> 00:28:54.039 gone on in the lives of these disciples, All 00:28:54.039 --> 00:28:57.039 that has gone on in the lives of these Jesus 00:28:57.039 --> 00:28:59.700 followers in the first chapter of the book of 00:28:59.700 --> 00:29:02.339 Acts. Think about the last month and a half of 00:29:02.339 --> 00:29:06.180 their lives. I mean, just think about Peter, 00:29:06.299 --> 00:29:09.839 okay? And think about the last month and a half 00:29:09.839 --> 00:29:15.119 of Peter's life. A lot has happened, right? Think 00:29:15.119 --> 00:29:17.599 about the things he has seen. Think about the 00:29:17.599 --> 00:29:22.440 emotions that have... express themselves in Peter's 00:29:22.440 --> 00:29:27.519 life. So there's a lot that's gone on. There's 00:29:27.519 --> 00:29:30.000 been mixed emotions. There's been excitement. 00:29:30.680 --> 00:29:34.579 There's been a flood of discouragement in the 00:29:34.579 --> 00:29:39.619 last month and a half for them. But they didn't 00:29:39.619 --> 00:29:44.339 break. They didn't fraction. They didn't come 00:29:44.339 --> 00:29:48.119 into disharmony. There wasn't dissension. There 00:29:48.119 --> 00:29:53.119 wasn't schism. There wasn't division. But the 00:29:53.119 --> 00:29:58.319 text says that they were of one mind, that they 00:29:58.319 --> 00:30:01.960 were unified, that they were in harmony with 00:30:01.960 --> 00:30:07.160 one another. This word, one mind, it's a fascinating 00:30:07.160 --> 00:30:10.900 word. It's used ten times in the New Testament. 00:30:11.619 --> 00:30:15.339 And guess where all those occurrences are? In 00:30:15.339 --> 00:30:18.529 the book of Acts. Every single time this word 00:30:18.529 --> 00:30:22.869 is used, it's in the book of Acts. And so this 00:30:22.869 --> 00:30:30.690 word or this idea of one mind or unity is a foundational 00:30:30.690 --> 00:30:34.130 characteristic that is expressed over and over 00:30:34.130 --> 00:30:37.630 and over and over in the book of Acts. It can 00:30:37.630 --> 00:30:41.549 mean several different things. One mind, one 00:30:41.549 --> 00:30:47.599 passion, one impulse. one accord. For instance, 00:30:47.740 --> 00:30:50.759 whenever Paul would go into a city, many times 00:30:50.759 --> 00:30:55.259 it said that the crowds in opposition rose up 00:30:55.259 --> 00:31:01.539 with one mind against him. Or, on the other way, 00:31:01.599 --> 00:31:03.900 all the people who were listening to the preaching 00:31:03.900 --> 00:31:07.700 of the Word of God, they listened intently with 00:31:07.700 --> 00:31:12.299 one mind. There was unity. They were working 00:31:12.299 --> 00:31:16.400 as one. They were working as a single unit. How 00:31:16.400 --> 00:31:20.859 were they united? How was it that they were unified 00:31:20.859 --> 00:31:26.220 while Christ had ascended and they were waiting 00:31:26.220 --> 00:31:30.039 for the Spirit of God? First and foremost, it 00:31:30.039 --> 00:31:34.420 was because of Christ Jesus Himself. It was because 00:31:34.420 --> 00:31:37.990 they had been with Christ. It was because He 00:31:37.990 --> 00:31:40.650 ascended and they were with Him. He ascended 00:31:40.650 --> 00:31:43.069 from among them. They had been around Him. They 00:31:43.069 --> 00:31:45.490 had received His instruction. They had been picked 00:31:45.490 --> 00:31:49.210 by Christ. They had been taught by Him. They 00:31:49.210 --> 00:31:53.170 had been given commands by Him. So the primary 00:31:53.170 --> 00:31:57.349 reason that they were unified is because they 00:31:57.349 --> 00:32:00.950 all had one object which they loved. They all 00:32:00.950 --> 00:32:04.450 had one singular object which was the focus point 00:32:04.450 --> 00:32:09.750 of their life. Jesus Christ. Their lives revolved 00:32:09.750 --> 00:32:13.269 around him, who he was, the work that he had 00:32:13.269 --> 00:32:19.109 accomplished. Jesus was it for them. Christ is 00:32:19.109 --> 00:32:23.809 not supposed to be a footnote in our lives. He 00:32:23.809 --> 00:32:27.369 was not a footnote in their life. Christ was 00:32:27.369 --> 00:32:32.490 very literally their life. Everything to them. 00:32:33.099 --> 00:32:36.319 Their whole lives revolved around Christ. He 00:32:36.319 --> 00:32:40.359 wasn't something on the side, separated, that 00:32:40.359 --> 00:32:45.400 you pull in when he's handy. Their lives revolved 00:32:45.400 --> 00:32:50.619 and centered around Christ Jesus. Second, they 00:32:50.619 --> 00:32:53.720 were all being obedient. Think about it. Christ 00:32:53.720 --> 00:32:57.480 gave them a command in Acts 1 -4, not to leave 00:32:57.480 --> 00:33:02.059 the city. So they all, in obedience to Christ's 00:33:02.059 --> 00:33:04.680 command, went to the upper room, went into the 00:33:04.680 --> 00:33:08.660 city. They were being obedient. Third, they were 00:33:08.660 --> 00:33:12.240 all believing and trusting in Christ's promises. 00:33:13.339 --> 00:33:15.920 He promised that the Spirit of God would come 00:33:15.920 --> 00:33:19.799 upon them in power. Every single one of them 00:33:19.799 --> 00:33:24.559 that were there in that upper room, they were 00:33:24.559 --> 00:33:28.529 believing that Christ the one who they love so 00:33:28.529 --> 00:33:34.049 deeply, would follow through and come through 00:33:34.049 --> 00:33:38.309 because he is the faithful God and send the Spirit 00:33:38.309 --> 00:33:42.369 of God upon them. And at that time, they would 00:33:42.369 --> 00:33:46.950 start their mission into the world. So forth, 00:33:47.170 --> 00:33:51.970 they were all expecting to take part in the mission 00:33:51.970 --> 00:33:57.730 of God. Every single one of them. Each of them, 00:33:57.849 --> 00:34:02.769 not just a couple, not just one or two, but they 00:34:02.769 --> 00:34:05.309 all had an expectation that they would do their 00:34:05.309 --> 00:34:08.909 part, that they would participate. They had an 00:34:08.909 --> 00:34:13.590 expectation that they would take part in God's 00:34:13.590 --> 00:34:17.730 mission in this world. So that's what brought 00:34:17.730 --> 00:34:22.250 them together. We could look at that and we could 00:34:22.250 --> 00:34:26.820 say it this way. The unity... of the early church, 00:34:27.159 --> 00:34:31.559 the apostles in particular, was based on their 00:34:31.559 --> 00:34:38.079 understanding of who Christ was, what He had 00:34:38.079 --> 00:34:41.820 done, and their dedication and their commitment 00:34:41.820 --> 00:34:49.039 to obediently and faithfully fulfill His commands 00:34:49.039 --> 00:34:53.599 and His commission in their lives. So really, 00:34:54.480 --> 00:34:57.280 Right thinking about who Christ is and what He's 00:34:57.280 --> 00:35:02.340 done. Theology. And commitment and dedication 00:35:02.340 --> 00:35:06.940 to the mission that Christ gave to them. This 00:35:06.940 --> 00:35:09.559 is what unifies people. This is what unifies 00:35:09.559 --> 00:35:14.059 churches. This is what unifies Grace Fellowship 00:35:14.059 --> 00:35:21.820 Church. Being obedient to Christ. Being faithful 00:35:21.820 --> 00:35:25.769 to believe that Christ will do what he says he 00:35:25.769 --> 00:35:31.369 will do. Expecting to take part in God's mission. 00:35:31.789 --> 00:35:35.590 This could be summed up in faithfulness to and 00:35:35.590 --> 00:35:38.949 commitment to and a good theology of the local 00:35:38.949 --> 00:35:44.110 church. That could be applied to this text right 00:35:44.110 --> 00:35:52.030 here, right now. Disunity or disharmony comes. 00:35:54.090 --> 00:35:59.909 When people start to sidetrack from Christ's 00:35:59.909 --> 00:36:05.190 agenda and Christ's purpose and Christ's will 00:36:05.190 --> 00:36:10.690 in the life of the local church, disharmony, 00:36:10.690 --> 00:36:16.809 disunity, fraction, division, schism comes when 00:36:16.809 --> 00:36:20.570 people no longer remain committed to the mission 00:36:20.570 --> 00:36:24.920 that Christ has given. Or when they start to 00:36:24.920 --> 00:36:29.920 have a wrong thinking about who Christ is. All 00:36:29.920 --> 00:36:34.460 of these things can bring about this harmony, 00:36:34.659 --> 00:36:39.719 fracture, division. But you put those together 00:36:39.719 --> 00:36:43.679 and you have a great force for the kingdom of 00:36:43.679 --> 00:36:50.019 God. You have a unified group who revolve around 00:36:50.019 --> 00:36:54.260 Christ. and what He's done. These are the traits 00:36:54.260 --> 00:36:57.599 of the church in every age, regardless of the 00:36:57.599 --> 00:37:02.519 time period. Faithful to believe in Christ's 00:37:02.519 --> 00:37:08.000 promises, obedience to His commands, loving Him 00:37:08.000 --> 00:37:10.460 and desiring Him and having Him the object of 00:37:10.460 --> 00:37:14.500 your life and as your life, and expecting to 00:37:14.500 --> 00:37:18.280 take part in the mission of God. These are characteristics 00:37:18.280 --> 00:37:24.139 of a church in every age, regardless of the time 00:37:24.139 --> 00:37:28.039 period. Now, this leads to certain activities. 00:37:28.599 --> 00:37:32.500 And we see this in this text in verses 12 through 00:37:32.500 --> 00:37:36.460 14. They didn't just sit around twiddling their 00:37:36.460 --> 00:37:45.099 thumbs, but they did certain activities. We know 00:37:45.099 --> 00:37:49.980 from Luke 24, verse 52, that they worshipped. 00:37:50.460 --> 00:37:54.559 Christ. It says they worshipped Him. Then they 00:37:54.559 --> 00:37:59.039 returned to Jerusalem. So this group of believers, 00:37:59.300 --> 00:38:03.559 they worshipped Christ Jesus. They declared Him 00:38:03.559 --> 00:38:07.739 as God because He rose from the dead and He ascended 00:38:07.739 --> 00:38:11.699 and the Scriptures were fulfilled. He had saved 00:38:11.699 --> 00:38:14.059 them and rescued them. He had worked in their 00:38:14.059 --> 00:38:17.699 lives. He had spoken to them. And they worshipped 00:38:17.699 --> 00:38:25.269 Him as God. Secondly, we also know from the end 00:38:25.269 --> 00:38:29.090 of Luke's gospel that they were continually in 00:38:29.090 --> 00:38:33.429 the temple praising God. So they were out in 00:38:33.429 --> 00:38:37.750 public praising God continually in the temple, 00:38:37.869 --> 00:38:42.170 thanking Him for the work that He had done, praising 00:38:42.170 --> 00:38:44.590 Him for the redemption which He had accomplished. 00:38:46.320 --> 00:38:49.619 And finally, the focal point of this text and 00:38:49.619 --> 00:38:54.400 the activity which they did was they continually 00:38:54.400 --> 00:38:58.840 devoted themselves to prayer. They continually 00:38:58.840 --> 00:39:02.920 devoted themselves to prayer. So there's one 00:39:02.920 --> 00:39:05.760 characteristic that we'll hone in real quick 00:39:05.760 --> 00:39:10.940 is that it was a continual devotion. It was something 00:39:10.940 --> 00:39:13.929 they dedicated themselves to. It was something 00:39:13.929 --> 00:39:16.590 they committed themselves to, something they 00:39:16.590 --> 00:39:19.550 kept coming back to. So when they were in that 00:39:19.550 --> 00:39:23.730 upper room, they didn't just pray nonstop, but 00:39:23.730 --> 00:39:27.150 they kept coming back to it. They intentionally 00:39:27.150 --> 00:39:31.349 and proactively were there for the explicit purpose 00:39:31.349 --> 00:39:37.929 of praying. Now what do you think that they prayed 00:39:37.929 --> 00:39:43.019 for? I believe that they prayed out of the unity 00:39:43.019 --> 00:39:47.360 which they had. They prayed because they prayed 00:39:47.360 --> 00:39:50.940 for the coming of the Spirit. They prayed for 00:39:50.940 --> 00:39:56.480 power to accomplish the mission. They prayed 00:39:56.480 --> 00:39:59.219 that they would be bold and courageous in their 00:39:59.219 --> 00:40:04.179 proclamation of the Gospel. They prayed for unity 00:40:04.179 --> 00:40:09.280 among themselves. They prayed for open hearts 00:40:09.280 --> 00:40:12.139 and open minds to receive the gospel of Christ 00:40:12.139 --> 00:40:16.760 as they went forward. I'm sure they prayed for 00:40:16.760 --> 00:40:23.199 humility. They prayed that they would be faithful 00:40:23.199 --> 00:40:30.960 to Christ who has been so faithful to them. Now 00:40:30.960 --> 00:40:33.500 why was this, do you think this prayer was any 00:40:33.500 --> 00:40:35.239 different than the prayer they'd had before? 00:40:36.710 --> 00:40:40.289 I think that this prayer had a special and a 00:40:40.289 --> 00:40:45.230 unique and a new and a fresh boldness and confidence 00:40:45.230 --> 00:40:52.489 to it. Because they knew that their Savior and 00:40:52.489 --> 00:40:55.769 their Lord and their Master and their King was 00:40:55.769 --> 00:41:00.849 interceding and He was fully in His office of 00:41:00.849 --> 00:41:04.050 mediator for His people at the right hand of 00:41:04.050 --> 00:41:10.300 God. The reality that Jesus taught them to pray 00:41:10.300 --> 00:41:13.760 in his name. It's not just throwing his name 00:41:13.760 --> 00:41:16.239 on things, but it's praying in his authority 00:41:16.239 --> 00:41:21.480 on the basis of his work and who he is. They 00:41:21.480 --> 00:41:25.269 went boldly to the throne of grace. They went 00:41:25.269 --> 00:41:27.909 confidently, not because of them or who they 00:41:27.909 --> 00:41:29.949 were or what they were about to do, but they 00:41:29.949 --> 00:41:32.849 could go boldly and confidently before the throne 00:41:32.849 --> 00:41:35.110 of grace and they could continually devote themselves 00:41:35.110 --> 00:41:40.050 to praying because they were so confident in 00:41:40.050 --> 00:41:42.989 the work that Christ had accomplished to bring 00:41:42.989 --> 00:41:48.269 them closer and nearer to the throne. They couldn't 00:41:48.269 --> 00:41:51.650 get to the throne room of God regardless of how 00:41:51.650 --> 00:41:55.670 hard they tried on their own. But because of 00:41:55.670 --> 00:41:58.369 Christ's work and because they knew He went and 00:41:58.369 --> 00:42:02.650 He sat down, they could now boldly go to the 00:42:02.650 --> 00:42:05.929 throne of grace and their requests and their 00:42:05.929 --> 00:42:09.610 supplications would go boldly to the Father. 00:42:10.929 --> 00:42:14.309 So they prayed with a fresh boldness and a confidence 00:42:14.309 --> 00:42:18.809 and authority they did not have before. You know 00:42:18.809 --> 00:42:22.489 what's amazing? We look at this text. And we 00:42:22.489 --> 00:42:25.690 look at their return to Jerusalem in the upper 00:42:25.690 --> 00:42:28.349 room and they have great joy. We look at this 00:42:28.349 --> 00:42:33.510 text and we see the unity that they had. We see 00:42:33.510 --> 00:42:36.929 what they were unified around. We see what they 00:42:36.929 --> 00:42:39.550 did. We see that they worshiped. They praised 00:42:39.550 --> 00:42:42.590 God and they prayed. You know what's amazing 00:42:42.590 --> 00:42:48.260 about this text? In the 12th verse, of the first 00:42:48.260 --> 00:42:52.139 chapter of the book of Acts, we already see the 00:42:52.139 --> 00:42:58.920 formation of a local church. What are they doing? 00:42:58.960 --> 00:43:02.019 They're worshiping. They're praising. They're 00:43:02.019 --> 00:43:11.679 praying. They're gathering. of the local church, 00:43:11.760 --> 00:43:15.360 the origins of Christianity, has a date, has 00:43:15.360 --> 00:43:19.760 a time, has a place, has a location. And these 00:43:19.760 --> 00:43:24.320 were the men and the women that grew out of. 00:43:26.820 --> 00:43:30.340 We do not have to fear that the church will go 00:43:30.340 --> 00:43:34.579 away because it will not. We do not have to fear 00:43:34.579 --> 00:43:36.900 that God's mission will be stopped because it 00:43:36.900 --> 00:43:44.920 will not. This church, I love it. This is what 00:43:44.920 --> 00:43:47.920 we see in this book in the first chapter. It 00:43:47.920 --> 00:43:53.760 wasn't flashy. It wasn't flashy. It wasn't fancy. 00:43:55.940 --> 00:43:59.199 There wasn't even a big group of people. We see 00:43:59.199 --> 00:44:04.659 that there was 120, but we see 11 disciples who 00:44:04.659 --> 00:44:07.489 eventually became... The 12 again, they were 00:44:07.489 --> 00:44:09.510 restored to their original number, which Jesus 00:44:09.510 --> 00:44:17.969 chose. But these men and these women, they are 00:44:17.969 --> 00:44:22.869 the seeds of thousands of years of the church 00:44:22.869 --> 00:44:26.510 and thousands of years of people coming to Christ. 00:44:26.670 --> 00:44:30.170 Do you know why? Because they'd been with Christ. 00:44:31.690 --> 00:44:35.460 Because they were unified around Christ. Because 00:44:35.460 --> 00:44:38.380 they were committed to worshiping Christ. Because 00:44:38.380 --> 00:44:41.119 they were committed to praying in Christ's authority, 00:44:41.320 --> 00:44:43.780 in Christ's power. Because they were committed 00:44:43.780 --> 00:44:49.719 to praising God. The church doesn't have to be 00:44:49.719 --> 00:44:53.219 big and fancy. The church has to be faithful. 00:44:54.019 --> 00:44:57.460 The church has to be faithful. And that's what 00:44:57.460 --> 00:44:59.139 we see in this book.