WEBVTT 00:00:01.550 --> 00:00:04.769 The Lord Jesus Christ is the Savior of the world, 00:00:04.849 --> 00:00:08.529 but in that very special and particular sense, 00:00:08.689 --> 00:00:13.089 those who believe on him. Thank God that we have 00:00:13.089 --> 00:00:15.470 a gospel to proclaim to men, to tell them that 00:00:15.470 --> 00:00:18.250 their sins have been dealt with at the cross, 00:00:18.250 --> 00:00:22.309 and their need only is to repent of their sinfulness 00:00:22.309 --> 00:00:25.449 and trust in the Lord Jesus Christ, who paid 00:00:25.449 --> 00:00:29.109 the price for their sins. We are studying together 00:00:29.109 --> 00:00:31.050 in the book of Acts. I invite your attention 00:00:31.050 --> 00:00:36.329 to Acts chapter 1, beginning with verse 4. The 00:00:36.329 --> 00:00:41.450 book of Acts is a book of history. It is a book 00:00:41.450 --> 00:00:45.409 of continuity, because it continues to tell us 00:00:45.409 --> 00:00:48.990 about Jesus' work, His teaching, and the establishment 00:00:48.990 --> 00:00:53.409 of His invisible kingdom in the world. And it 00:00:53.409 --> 00:00:56.840 is a book of transition that bridges... The content 00:00:56.840 --> 00:00:59.359 of the Gospels telling about the life of the 00:00:59.359 --> 00:01:02.659 Lord Jesus Christ with the epistles which tell 00:01:02.659 --> 00:01:06.480 about the churches. The book of Acts tells us 00:01:06.480 --> 00:01:10.700 how those churches came to be established. Acts 00:01:10.700 --> 00:01:13.560 chapter 1 verses 1 through 11 is really more 00:01:13.560 --> 00:01:17.319 or less a summary of the conclusion of the Gospel 00:01:17.319 --> 00:01:20.040 of Luke. Let me show you what I mean. We'll begin 00:01:20.040 --> 00:01:23.769 reading in Acts 1 verse 4. And gathering them 00:01:23.769 --> 00:01:26.349 together, he commanded them not to leave Jerusalem, 00:01:26.609 --> 00:01:29.590 but to wait for what the Father had promised, 00:01:29.870 --> 00:01:34.310 which, he said, you heard of from me. For John 00:01:34.310 --> 00:01:37.530 baptized with water, but you shall be baptized 00:01:37.530 --> 00:01:40.890 with the Holy Spirit not many days from now. 00:01:41.769 --> 00:01:44.269 So when they had come together, they were asking 00:01:44.269 --> 00:01:47.329 him, saying, Lord, is it at this time you are 00:01:47.329 --> 00:01:51.180 restoring the kingdom to Israel? He said to them, 00:01:51.200 --> 00:01:53.579 It is not for you to know the times or epochs 00:01:53.579 --> 00:01:56.500 which the Father has fixed by his own authority, 00:01:56.719 --> 00:02:00.040 but you shall receive power when the Holy Spirit 00:02:00.040 --> 00:02:03.659 has come upon you. And you shall be my witnesses, 00:02:03.799 --> 00:02:07.760 both in Jerusalem and in all Judea and Samaria, 00:02:07.879 --> 00:02:11.580 and even to the remotest part of the earth. And 00:02:11.580 --> 00:02:13.659 after he had said these things, he was lifted 00:02:13.659 --> 00:02:17.960 up while they were looking on, and a cloud received 00:02:17.960 --> 00:02:21.210 him out of their sight. And as they were gazing 00:02:21.210 --> 00:02:25.150 intently into the sky while he was departing, 00:02:25.169 --> 00:02:28.129 behold, two men in white clothing stood beside 00:02:28.129 --> 00:02:31.469 them. And they also said, Men of Galilee, why 00:02:31.469 --> 00:02:34.449 do you stand looking into the sky? This same 00:02:34.449 --> 00:02:37.930 Jesus who has been taken up from you into heaven 00:02:37.930 --> 00:02:41.990 will come in just the same way as you have watched 00:02:41.990 --> 00:02:46.590 him go into heaven. Now turn with me to the Gospel 00:02:46.590 --> 00:02:50.960 of Luke, chapter 24. And let's read how Luke 00:02:50.960 --> 00:02:55.560 records the same events, but in slightly different 00:02:55.560 --> 00:03:00.659 language. Beginning with verse 44 of Luke 24. 00:03:04.620 --> 00:03:08.400 Now he said to them, These are my words which 00:03:08.400 --> 00:03:11.780 I spoke to you while I was still with you, that 00:03:11.780 --> 00:03:14.280 all things which are written about me in the 00:03:14.280 --> 00:03:17.139 law of Moses and the prophets and the Psalms 00:03:17.139 --> 00:03:20.659 must be fulfilled. Then he opened their minds 00:03:20.659 --> 00:03:23.020 to understand the scriptures, and he said to 00:03:23.020 --> 00:03:26.080 them, Thus it is written that the Christ should 00:03:26.080 --> 00:03:28.500 suffer and rise again from the dead the third 00:03:28.500 --> 00:03:32.039 day, and that repentance for forgiveness of sins 00:03:32.039 --> 00:03:36.000 should be proclaimed in his name to all the nations 00:03:36.000 --> 00:03:40.740 beginning from Jerusalem. You are witnesses of 00:03:40.740 --> 00:03:44.319 these things. And behold, I am sending forth 00:03:44.319 --> 00:03:48.020 the promise of my Father upon you. But you are 00:03:48.020 --> 00:03:51.659 to stay in the city until you are clothed with 00:03:51.659 --> 00:03:56.180 power from on high. And he led them out as far 00:03:56.180 --> 00:03:58.840 as Bethany, and he lifted up his hands and blessed 00:03:58.840 --> 00:04:02.539 them. And it came about that while he was blessing 00:04:02.539 --> 00:04:05.419 them, he was parted from them, and they returned 00:04:05.419 --> 00:04:08.159 to Jerusalem with great joy and were continually 00:04:08.159 --> 00:04:12.580 in the temple praising God. And so we see that 00:04:12.580 --> 00:04:17.009 there is very naturally an overlap between how 00:04:17.009 --> 00:04:19.949 Luke concludes the gospel that he wrote and how 00:04:19.949 --> 00:04:23.870 he begins this book of history regarding the 00:04:23.870 --> 00:04:27.889 early church. In the book of Acts, he elaborates 00:04:27.889 --> 00:04:33.410 in a simple way upon that same occasion. Now, 00:04:33.430 --> 00:04:37.250 as we come to our text in Acts 1, verse 4, you 00:04:37.250 --> 00:04:40.209 will notice that there is a particular occasion 00:04:40.209 --> 00:04:45.370 in view. It seems to be a retreat. a time when 00:04:45.370 --> 00:04:48.850 Jesus stayed with, perhaps even ate with, his 00:04:48.850 --> 00:04:53.250 apostles after he had been raised from the dead. 00:04:58.370 --> 00:05:01.490 Gathering them together, he commanded them not 00:05:01.490 --> 00:05:07.009 to leave Jerusalem, says the text. One impression 00:05:07.009 --> 00:05:09.470 that you get from the book of Acts is that Jesus 00:05:09.470 --> 00:05:13.379 Christ is in the business of changing. people's 00:05:13.379 --> 00:05:19.139 lives. He changed fishermen to become preachers. 00:05:20.420 --> 00:05:24.779 Religious followers of Judaism became the joyous 00:05:24.779 --> 00:05:30.199 possessors of the Spirit of God. One who was 00:05:30.199 --> 00:05:34.959 lame and crippled was able to walk, leap, and 00:05:34.959 --> 00:05:38.800 praise God. In the book of Acts, we read that 00:05:38.800 --> 00:05:42.000 one of the fierce opponents of the truth was 00:05:42.000 --> 00:05:46.379 changed to become a loyal and outspoken proclaimer 00:05:46.379 --> 00:05:50.000 of it. Jesus Christ in the book of Acts was in 00:05:50.000 --> 00:05:54.379 the business of changing people, and he is still 00:05:54.379 --> 00:05:59.240 in the same business today. Jesus Christ changes 00:05:59.240 --> 00:06:03.060 the life of anyone who follows him and believes 00:06:03.060 --> 00:06:07.339 the promises of the word of God. Jesus Christ 00:06:07.339 --> 00:06:10.600 will change your life today. in a significant 00:06:10.600 --> 00:06:15.300 way, if you will allow Him. The text that we 00:06:15.300 --> 00:06:19.600 have read records three promises. A promise from 00:06:19.600 --> 00:06:24.240 the Father, a promise from the Son, and a promise 00:06:24.240 --> 00:06:30.480 from the angels. Appropriating and living in 00:06:30.480 --> 00:06:34.339 the light of these promises will change your 00:06:34.339 --> 00:06:38.500 life. The first promise is the promise of the 00:06:38.500 --> 00:06:42.899 baptism, with the Holy Spirit. The second promise, 00:06:42.980 --> 00:06:47.139 the promise of power. The third one, the promise 00:06:47.139 --> 00:06:51.459 of Christ's return. In the first promise, that 00:06:51.459 --> 00:06:54.500 of the baptism with the Holy Spirit, we learn 00:06:54.500 --> 00:06:59.259 about our new identity in Jesus Christ. In the 00:06:59.259 --> 00:07:02.139 promise of power, we learn that we can be empowered 00:07:02.139 --> 00:07:05.519 for the witness that we are to give in this world. 00:07:06.220 --> 00:07:10.209 And in the promise of His return, We find motivation 00:07:10.209 --> 00:07:13.910 to right living. Let's consider those three promises 00:07:13.910 --> 00:07:16.870 this morning before we go on our way. Promise 00:07:16.870 --> 00:07:19.790 number one, the promise of the baptism with the 00:07:19.790 --> 00:07:24.649 Holy Spirit. The promise that Jesus refers to 00:07:24.649 --> 00:07:29.050 had been made by the Father and was delivered 00:07:29.050 --> 00:07:34.290 by the Son himself. Jesus speaks about what the 00:07:34.290 --> 00:07:39.959 Father had promised. and then speaks about their 00:07:39.959 --> 00:07:44.259 being baptized with the Holy Spirit not many 00:07:44.259 --> 00:07:47.519 days from that point. Actually, it turned out 00:07:47.519 --> 00:07:52.300 to be ten days. What is this baptism with the 00:07:52.300 --> 00:07:54.779 Holy Spirit that was promised those disciples? 00:07:55.819 --> 00:07:59.439 Will you turn again to the Gospel of Luke, to 00:07:59.439 --> 00:08:02.339 the third chapter, and notice the earliest word 00:08:02.339 --> 00:08:08.720 about it. Luke chapter 3. Verse 16. And here 00:08:08.720 --> 00:08:12.459 we have a comment recorded from John the Baptist. 00:08:15.120 --> 00:08:19.259 John answered and said to them all, As for me, 00:08:19.279 --> 00:08:24.379 I baptize you with water. But one is coming who 00:08:24.379 --> 00:08:29.060 is mightier than I, and I am not fit to untie 00:08:29.060 --> 00:08:32.539 the thong of his sandals. And, of course, he 00:08:32.539 --> 00:08:36.350 is speaking about the Messiah. He goes on to 00:08:36.350 --> 00:08:39.649 say, he will baptize you with the Holy Spirit 00:08:39.649 --> 00:08:44.330 and fire. And so here is a word regarding the 00:08:44.330 --> 00:08:47.470 baptism with the Holy Spirit. And John says, 00:08:47.730 --> 00:08:52.269 the Messiah will take care of this. I baptize 00:08:52.269 --> 00:08:55.009 you with water, but he who is mightier than I 00:08:55.009 --> 00:08:59.980 will baptize you with the Holy Spirit. Now the 00:08:59.980 --> 00:09:02.500 Lord Jesus makes a comment that plugs in here 00:09:02.500 --> 00:09:07.399 as well in the 11th chapter of Luke when he instructs 00:09:07.399 --> 00:09:11.200 regarding prayer. On one occasion he was praying, 00:09:11.240 --> 00:09:13.399 the disciples said to him, Lord, teach us to 00:09:13.399 --> 00:09:19.100 pray. And in the 11th chapter of Luke, we find 00:09:19.100 --> 00:09:27.440 his response to them. At the end of that paragraph, 00:09:27.860 --> 00:09:31.620 the first paragraph in verse 13, Jesus says, 00:09:31.779 --> 00:09:37.019 If you then, being evil, know how to give good 00:09:37.019 --> 00:09:40.940 gifts to your children, how much more shall your 00:09:40.940 --> 00:09:45.120 heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to those 00:09:45.120 --> 00:09:48.720 who ask him? Now, to the Jewish mind, there could 00:09:48.720 --> 00:09:52.379 have been no greater request. In fact, it was 00:09:52.379 --> 00:09:55.779 even at the point of presumption. It was audacious 00:09:55.779 --> 00:10:00.559 to dare to ask such a thing as this. And yet 00:10:00.559 --> 00:10:03.600 Jesus said, you as fathers know how to give good 00:10:03.600 --> 00:10:06.460 gifts to your children. Don't you think that 00:10:06.460 --> 00:10:08.700 your heavenly father would even give the Holy 00:10:08.700 --> 00:10:16.440 Spirit to those who would ask him? Luke does 00:10:16.440 --> 00:10:20.200 not record the words of the Lord Jesus in the 00:10:20.200 --> 00:10:24.210 upper room, but John does. Turn to the Gospel 00:10:24.210 --> 00:10:27.169 of John, and we see some more words regarding 00:10:27.169 --> 00:10:34.889 the coming of the Holy Spirit. Verse 24 of John 00:10:34.889 --> 00:10:44.389 chapter 14. Excuse me, verse 26. John 14. But 00:10:44.389 --> 00:10:47.629 the Helper, or the Comforter, the Holy Spirit, 00:10:47.970 --> 00:10:52.539 whom the Father will send in my name, He will 00:10:52.539 --> 00:10:55.460 teach you all things and bring to your remembrance 00:10:55.460 --> 00:11:00.399 all that I said to you. And again, several other 00:11:00.399 --> 00:11:03.480 times in the context of John chapters 14, 15, 00:11:03.639 --> 00:11:07.320 and 16, he speaks about the Comforter, the Holy 00:11:07.320 --> 00:11:11.460 Spirit, who would come to them. All of those 00:11:11.460 --> 00:11:15.379 refer to the same event that Jesus is recorded 00:11:15.379 --> 00:11:18.639 having spoken about in Acts chapter 1, the baptism 00:11:18.639 --> 00:11:22.440 with the Holy Spirit. The language may be a little 00:11:22.440 --> 00:11:27.840 different, but the same event is in view. Now 00:11:27.840 --> 00:11:31.759 let's consider that language of Acts chapter 00:11:31.759 --> 00:11:35.639 1. We see that this is not the first time that 00:11:35.639 --> 00:11:39.700 this event is mentioned in the Scriptures. But 00:11:39.700 --> 00:11:43.519 let's focus now on the language of Acts 1, where 00:11:43.519 --> 00:11:46.460 Jesus speaks about the baptism with the Holy 00:11:46.460 --> 00:11:50.559 Spirit. The preposition that is found there in 00:11:50.559 --> 00:11:55.720 verse 5, translated in the NASV as with the Holy 00:11:55.720 --> 00:11:59.860 Spirit, is a Greek preposition that can be translated 00:11:59.860 --> 00:12:03.860 several ways. The construction of the sentence 00:12:03.860 --> 00:12:07.419 here, however, tells us that it is to be taken 00:12:07.419 --> 00:12:10.700 in what is called the instrumental case. What 00:12:10.700 --> 00:12:14.299 does that mean? It means that it is the Holy 00:12:14.299 --> 00:12:18.879 Spirit. who is the instrument or the means by 00:12:18.879 --> 00:12:24.059 whom the baptism will take place. It speaks about 00:12:24.059 --> 00:12:27.860 the baptism, we might say, by the Holy Spirit. 00:12:29.080 --> 00:12:32.440 It is the baptism which the Holy Spirit will 00:12:32.440 --> 00:12:35.159 accomplish. That is the meaning of the phrase. 00:12:36.379 --> 00:12:40.320 Now what is this baptism? Well, the word baptize, 00:12:40.399 --> 00:12:45.360 as you may know, literally means to dip. or to 00:12:45.360 --> 00:12:49.740 immerse. And of course, in a literal sense, that's 00:12:49.740 --> 00:12:52.360 exactly what we do when someone is baptized in 00:12:52.360 --> 00:12:56.980 water. They are dipped or immersed into that 00:12:56.980 --> 00:13:01.700 liquid. But figuratively, baptize has a little 00:13:01.700 --> 00:13:05.080 bit of a different connotation. It means to unite 00:13:05.080 --> 00:13:10.799 or to identify with. To unite or to identify 00:13:10.799 --> 00:13:14.360 with. Obviously, Jesus is not talking here about 00:13:14.360 --> 00:13:19.240 literal baptism in water. He is talking about 00:13:19.240 --> 00:13:22.960 something that is figurative, the baptism by 00:13:22.960 --> 00:13:27.279 or with the Holy Spirit. So he is using the word 00:13:27.279 --> 00:13:30.240 baptize in that sense, in the sense of uniting, 00:13:30.399 --> 00:13:35.799 in the sense of identifying. And so what it means 00:13:35.799 --> 00:13:39.879 is that the Holy Spirit would be the means by 00:13:39.879 --> 00:13:44.059 which they, these disciples, would be identified 00:13:44.059 --> 00:13:50.299 together with Jesus Christ. Or he is the means 00:13:50.299 --> 00:13:55.860 by which they would be united together with Jesus 00:13:55.860 --> 00:13:59.659 Christ. Now there are two important things I'm 00:13:59.659 --> 00:14:04.340 saying there. United together and with Jesus 00:14:04.340 --> 00:14:08.740 Christ. Something brand new was going to take 00:14:08.740 --> 00:14:12.799 place with this experience. They, as a group, 00:14:13.100 --> 00:14:18.120 would become a body, an entity in the sight of 00:14:18.120 --> 00:14:22.659 God. They would be united or identified together. 00:14:24.500 --> 00:14:29.039 We see this in 1 Corinthians 12, verse 13, where 00:14:29.039 --> 00:14:33.840 it says, For by one Spirit we were all baptized. 00:14:35.039 --> 00:14:39.940 into one body. The reference is to the same thing, 00:14:40.100 --> 00:14:44.139 the baptism by the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit 00:14:44.139 --> 00:14:48.600 identified us as one body, and today we are one 00:14:48.600 --> 00:14:51.879 body, those of us who are saved. That is accomplished 00:14:51.879 --> 00:14:56.960 by the Holy Spirit's baptism. But not only are 00:14:56.960 --> 00:14:59.639 we identified or united together as a body, we 00:14:59.639 --> 00:15:03.259 as a body then are united or identified with 00:15:03.259 --> 00:15:07.220 Jesus Christ in His death, burial, and resurrection. 00:15:07.879 --> 00:15:11.120 I'm referring especially to the context of Romans 00:15:11.120 --> 00:15:16.700 chapter 6, where it says in verse 3, Do you not 00:15:16.700 --> 00:15:21.059 know that all of us who have been baptized into 00:15:21.059 --> 00:15:25.480 Christ Jesus have been baptized into his death. 00:15:25.580 --> 00:15:28.039 Is he talking here about literal baptism? No. 00:15:29.000 --> 00:15:32.580 He is talking about a real event, but he's talking 00:15:32.580 --> 00:15:37.259 about baptism figuratively again. And he's saying, 00:15:37.360 --> 00:15:39.659 don't you know that as many of us as have been 00:15:39.659 --> 00:15:44.039 identified or united with Jesus Christ have been 00:15:44.039 --> 00:15:47.820 identified or united with him in his death? And 00:15:47.820 --> 00:15:50.039 verse 4 goes on to speak about the same being 00:15:50.039 --> 00:15:52.649 true regarding the burial. and the resurrection 00:15:52.649 --> 00:15:56.250 of the Lord Jesus Christ. Now please understand 00:15:56.250 --> 00:15:58.950 that that, in a biblical sense, is the baptism 00:15:58.950 --> 00:16:03.450 with the Holy Spirit. You may hear people use 00:16:03.450 --> 00:16:07.169 that phrase and define it differently today, 00:16:07.269 --> 00:16:11.190 but how they define it is not in concord with 00:16:11.190 --> 00:16:14.350 what the Word of God teaches. The baptism with 00:16:14.350 --> 00:16:18.529 the Holy Spirit is our uniting together and with 00:16:18.529 --> 00:16:22.580 Jesus Christ. It is our being identified together 00:16:22.580 --> 00:16:25.879 and with Jesus Christ, and it is the work of 00:16:25.879 --> 00:16:29.539 the Holy Spirit. Now that is the promise that 00:16:29.539 --> 00:16:34.639 Jesus gave to the apostles on behalf of the Father. 00:16:34.740 --> 00:16:39.879 The Father's promise to the disciples and through 00:16:39.879 --> 00:16:43.679 them to us is that we would be baptized by the 00:16:43.679 --> 00:16:47.379 Holy Spirit that is united together as one body 00:16:47.379 --> 00:16:51.379 as the church. and united to Jesus Christ as 00:16:51.379 --> 00:16:56.679 our living head. That is a gracious promise on 00:16:56.679 --> 00:17:00.460 behalf of God. Because never before in the history 00:17:00.460 --> 00:17:05.380 of the world were any people so identified. Never 00:17:05.380 --> 00:17:10.140 before. And now in this age, we have that promise 00:17:10.140 --> 00:17:14.339 of the Father. That we are one with one another 00:17:14.339 --> 00:17:18.180 and with Jesus Christ. What a gracious promise. 00:17:18.769 --> 00:17:23.009 marvelous, wonderful promise this is from God. 00:17:24.410 --> 00:17:27.109 Now you will notice back in Acts chapter 1 that 00:17:27.109 --> 00:17:31.369 to those disciples, Jesus said, wait around Jerusalem 00:17:31.369 --> 00:17:36.150 until the promise is fulfilled. And as I've said, 00:17:36.329 --> 00:17:39.009 ten days later it was on the day of Pentecost, 00:17:39.230 --> 00:17:42.289 a day which we will study in detail when we come 00:17:42.289 --> 00:17:45.410 to the second chapter of Acts. Now what about 00:17:45.410 --> 00:17:47.609 us today? Do we need to wait for this to happen? 00:17:48.589 --> 00:17:51.029 Is there a waiting period? Do we need to hang 00:17:51.029 --> 00:17:54.430 around waiting, tarrying for the Holy Spirit? 00:17:55.230 --> 00:17:57.950 If so, then we better go to Jerusalem to do our 00:17:57.950 --> 00:17:59.849 waiting because that's where Jesus told them 00:17:59.849 --> 00:18:04.029 to wait and we would be no different. No, the 00:18:04.029 --> 00:18:07.890 truth is that we need not today wait and tarry 00:18:07.890 --> 00:18:13.609 for the Holy Spirit to come. If that were the 00:18:13.609 --> 00:18:16.730 norm for this age, we would find some word about 00:18:16.730 --> 00:18:20.029 that in the epistles of the New Testament. Keep 00:18:20.029 --> 00:18:22.430 in mind that the book of Acts is a transitional 00:18:22.430 --> 00:18:25.170 book, and there are some things that take place 00:18:25.170 --> 00:18:28.170 in this book that never happen again and never 00:18:28.170 --> 00:18:32.509 need to happen again. The Holy Spirit came on 00:18:32.509 --> 00:18:36.190 the day of Pentecost. Historically, that baptism 00:18:36.190 --> 00:18:40.670 with the Holy Spirit was fulfilled. The coming 00:18:40.670 --> 00:18:44.589 of the Holy Spirit need not happen again. Indeed, 00:18:44.730 --> 00:18:48.130 it cannot happen again any more than Calvary 00:18:48.130 --> 00:18:53.230 can occur again. Never are we commanded in the 00:18:53.230 --> 00:18:56.750 New Testament to wait for the Holy Spirit beyond 00:18:56.750 --> 00:18:59.430 what the disciples were told on that day, and 00:18:59.430 --> 00:19:03.269 that's over and done with. Never are we commanded, 00:19:03.410 --> 00:19:08.190 never are we commanded to be baptized with the 00:19:08.190 --> 00:19:11.200 Holy Spirit. as there are some who proclaim today. 00:19:11.519 --> 00:19:15.380 Never once are we commanded to be baptized with 00:19:15.380 --> 00:19:18.359 the Holy Spirit. Does that not seem odd to you, 00:19:18.380 --> 00:19:21.539 if it's something we are to seek? If it's something 00:19:21.539 --> 00:19:25.480 we are to wait for? It certainly strikes me odd. 00:19:26.039 --> 00:19:28.500 Surely then, we would find numerous commands 00:19:28.500 --> 00:19:33.059 to be baptized with the Holy Spirit. Why is there 00:19:33.059 --> 00:19:36.619 no command regarding that? Because it is not 00:19:36.619 --> 00:19:40.390 something that we need seek. It is not something 00:19:40.390 --> 00:19:43.609 we need wait for. Because you see, at the very 00:19:43.609 --> 00:19:46.970 moment that we trust the Lord Jesus Christ, at 00:19:46.970 --> 00:19:49.769 that instant, we are baptized with the Holy Spirit. 00:19:50.630 --> 00:19:55.150 At that moment, the Holy Spirit identifies us 00:19:55.150 --> 00:19:59.329 with other believers and with Jesus Christ. At 00:19:59.329 --> 00:20:02.730 that instant of time when we trust Christ, we 00:20:02.730 --> 00:20:06.529 are united with one another and with our Lord. 00:20:07.580 --> 00:20:11.019 Therefore, we need not seek this baptism with 00:20:11.019 --> 00:20:14.460 the Holy Spirit. It occurs at the moment of salvation. 00:20:15.200 --> 00:20:18.019 And though we may not have realized it, we may 00:20:18.019 --> 00:20:21.539 not have experienced it in our senses, it nonetheless 00:20:21.539 --> 00:20:24.960 occurred at that moment. And that is the Father's 00:20:24.960 --> 00:20:29.059 promise. That is the Father's promise, that today 00:20:29.059 --> 00:20:31.799 those of us who believe on the Lord Jesus Christ 00:20:31.799 --> 00:20:36.980 are at that moment of faith. brought into the 00:20:36.980 --> 00:20:39.960 family of God and united to the church, the body 00:20:39.960 --> 00:20:42.779 of Christ, and we are identified with Christ 00:20:42.779 --> 00:20:47.180 in His death, burial, and resurrection. As God 00:20:47.180 --> 00:20:49.279 sees the world, there are only two categories 00:20:49.279 --> 00:20:53.819 of people in it. There are those who are in Christ 00:20:53.819 --> 00:20:58.920 because of this baptism by the Holy Spirit, and 00:20:58.920 --> 00:21:02.579 there are those who are not in Christ. There 00:21:02.579 --> 00:21:05.380 are the saved and there are those who are lost. 00:21:05.940 --> 00:21:08.539 And every person listening to me at this moment 00:21:08.539 --> 00:21:13.640 is in one category or another. There is no middle 00:21:13.640 --> 00:21:16.740 ground. There is no fence to sit upon. Every 00:21:16.740 --> 00:21:20.180 person is either in Jesus Christ or he is not 00:21:20.180 --> 00:21:24.420 in Jesus Christ. You see, this baptism of the 00:21:24.420 --> 00:21:29.579 Holy Spirit is that which gives us a new identity 00:21:29.579 --> 00:21:33.099 before God. And my friend, to go to heaven, you 00:21:33.099 --> 00:21:37.660 have to have that. There is no one who goes to 00:21:37.660 --> 00:21:42.559 heaven with his old identity in Adam. We have 00:21:42.559 --> 00:21:46.519 to have that new identity in Jesus Christ. And 00:21:46.519 --> 00:21:49.200 it comes at the moment that we trust in the Lord 00:21:49.200 --> 00:21:53.480 Jesus Christ and receive him by faith to be our 00:21:53.480 --> 00:21:57.039 Lord and Savior. That promise of the Father is 00:21:57.039 --> 00:22:00.130 a wonderful promise. If you are saved here today, 00:22:00.210 --> 00:22:02.809 God has already fulfilled that promise in your 00:22:02.809 --> 00:22:07.869 life. The second promise that we see is the promise 00:22:07.869 --> 00:22:12.349 of power. This is the promise of the Lord Jesus 00:22:12.349 --> 00:22:17.890 Christ. Notice the context of it. It says that 00:22:17.890 --> 00:22:20.829 when they had come together, and this apparently 00:22:20.829 --> 00:22:23.730 is a different occasion than the previous two 00:22:23.730 --> 00:22:28.839 verses. Indeed, it seems as though this occasion 00:22:28.839 --> 00:22:35.339 is the Mount of Olives. When Jesus met with his 00:22:35.339 --> 00:22:38.779 disciples shortly before he ascended, as we see 00:22:38.779 --> 00:22:43.680 later in the text, even at this point, 40 days 00:22:43.680 --> 00:22:48.900 after his resurrection, the main concern of the 00:22:48.900 --> 00:22:52.819 disciples was the kingdom in a political sense. 00:22:53.559 --> 00:22:57.299 And that's why they kept on asking him, seems 00:22:57.299 --> 00:23:01.119 to be the meaning of verse 6. They kept on saying, 00:23:01.200 --> 00:23:05.059 Lord, is it at this time you are restoring the 00:23:05.059 --> 00:23:10.259 kingdom to Israel? By this time and by restoring 00:23:10.259 --> 00:23:14.400 they mean, are you now at this point going to 00:23:14.400 --> 00:23:17.960 bring back the kingdom, the political entity 00:23:17.960 --> 00:23:21.779 to Israel? Are you going to throw off the Gentile 00:23:21.779 --> 00:23:26.019 bondage? Are you going to overthrow Rome and 00:23:26.019 --> 00:23:29.140 allow Israel to be the kingdom that you have 00:23:29.140 --> 00:23:32.140 promised she would be? Is it at this time, Lord? 00:23:35.920 --> 00:23:41.359 Now, if there were to be no literal earthly kingdom, 00:23:41.579 --> 00:23:45.559 what an opportune time for Jesus to have said, 00:23:45.720 --> 00:23:50.680 fellas, you've got it all wrong. There isn't 00:23:50.680 --> 00:23:53.910 going to be a literal kingdom. Get that out of 00:23:53.910 --> 00:23:58.990 your minds, will you please? Israel is not going 00:23:58.990 --> 00:24:03.549 to be restored on the earth. All we have now 00:24:03.549 --> 00:24:06.349 is a spiritual kingdom. Fellows, don't you see 00:24:06.349 --> 00:24:13.309 that? But did Jesus correct them? No. Did he 00:24:13.309 --> 00:24:18.430 rebuke them for such a question? No. Why is that? 00:24:19.150 --> 00:24:24.589 Because their question was valid. Because there 00:24:24.589 --> 00:24:27.390 is a time coming when that kingdom will be established 00:24:27.390 --> 00:24:29.789 on the earth. They were not wrong in thinking 00:24:29.789 --> 00:24:33.769 that there would be a political kingdom upon 00:24:33.769 --> 00:24:36.970 the earth given to Israel and God would rule 00:24:36.970 --> 00:24:41.730 the world through that kingdom. They were not 00:24:41.730 --> 00:24:46.069 wrong in the question. But notice Jesus didn't 00:24:46.069 --> 00:24:51.630 answer it. He didn't answer the question. Rather, 00:24:51.730 --> 00:24:56.299 he said to them, It's not for you to know the 00:24:56.299 --> 00:25:04.160 times or the epics. The word time here refers 00:25:04.160 --> 00:25:07.160 to the duration of things, the passage of time. 00:25:08.880 --> 00:25:14.359 The word epics or seasons refers to critical 00:25:14.359 --> 00:25:18.480 periods of history, to a definite fixed period 00:25:18.480 --> 00:25:22.960 of time. And so really what Jesus is saying to 00:25:22.960 --> 00:25:28.759 them is, men, that is not your concern, how history 00:25:28.759 --> 00:25:32.740 is going to be fulfilled and what the periods 00:25:32.740 --> 00:25:36.200 of time will bring upon the earth. That is not 00:25:36.200 --> 00:25:40.539 to be your concern. Do not be preoccupied with 00:25:40.539 --> 00:25:44.519 the events and the periods of history, for God 00:25:44.519 --> 00:25:47.019 has them under control. He says the Father has 00:25:47.019 --> 00:25:53.150 fixed those things by his authority. Rather, 00:25:53.210 --> 00:25:56.809 he is saying to them, be concerned about the 00:25:56.809 --> 00:26:00.950 job I'm giving you. And he goes on to say in 00:26:00.950 --> 00:26:05.589 verse 8, you shall receive power when the Holy 00:26:05.589 --> 00:26:09.450 Spirit has come upon you, and you shall be my 00:26:09.450 --> 00:26:14.069 witnesses. That is the job that they were to 00:26:14.069 --> 00:26:17.109 be concerned about. In essence, Jesus is saying, 00:26:17.210 --> 00:26:21.589 fellas, don't get too bent out of shape regarding... 00:26:21.960 --> 00:26:24.599 useless speculations about the kingdom and when 00:26:24.599 --> 00:26:28.539 it's going to be. The Father has those taken 00:26:28.539 --> 00:26:32.859 care of. Leave it with Him. But you, you be my 00:26:32.859 --> 00:26:36.799 witnesses. You get the job done that I'm giving 00:26:36.799 --> 00:26:39.619 you for this period of time that you're in the 00:26:39.619 --> 00:26:43.680 world. And you'll receive power to do it. And 00:26:43.680 --> 00:26:47.079 that's His promise. He's given us a job to do, 00:26:47.200 --> 00:26:50.460 and He's given us the ability to get it done. 00:26:51.180 --> 00:26:54.779 And that ability is the power that he mentions 00:26:54.779 --> 00:27:00.980 in verse 8. Now what is this power? Let me just 00:27:00.980 --> 00:27:05.259 simply say that it is nothing less, get this, 00:27:05.460 --> 00:27:10.579 it is nothing less than the power by which he 00:27:10.579 --> 00:27:15.019 was raised from the dead. Have you ever seen 00:27:15.019 --> 00:27:20.480 that kind of power? You may go to the largest 00:27:20.480 --> 00:27:27.180 generating plant in the world. You can go to 00:27:27.180 --> 00:27:31.839 a large dam, for example, the Aswan Dam in Egypt, 00:27:31.940 --> 00:27:39.319 or to a nuclear power plant and see unbelievable 00:27:39.319 --> 00:27:44.420 power being produced, but you will never see 00:27:44.420 --> 00:27:47.480 power enough to bring somebody back from the 00:27:47.480 --> 00:27:51.700 dead. If it could be done, man would have done 00:27:51.700 --> 00:27:55.900 it by now. We simply do not have that kind of 00:27:55.900 --> 00:27:59.900 power. But that, my friend, is the kind of power 00:27:59.900 --> 00:28:03.819 that Jesus Christ has promised to us who are 00:28:03.819 --> 00:28:08.640 his witnesses. It is the power of the resurrection 00:28:08.640 --> 00:28:13.299 of Jesus Christ. It is the energy and the might 00:28:13.299 --> 00:28:17.240 by which he came back from the realm of the dead. 00:28:17.880 --> 00:28:21.359 and from the grip of the grave, and was alive 00:28:21.359 --> 00:28:27.599 and alive forevermore. Ray Stedman, in his book, 00:28:27.640 --> 00:28:30.319 Birth of the Body, says, Now what kind of power 00:28:30.319 --> 00:28:33.819 is Jesus talking about? He says it is resurrection 00:28:33.819 --> 00:28:37.220 powers, the power of the risen Lord. There is 00:28:37.220 --> 00:28:40.460 no way to overthrow it, no way to stop it. Every 00:28:40.460 --> 00:28:43.440 obstacle thrown in its path is only turned into 00:28:43.440 --> 00:28:47.140 an opportunity to advance. You can find many 00:28:47.140 --> 00:28:49.599 demonstrations of this power in the Gospels and 00:28:49.599 --> 00:28:52.720 in church history. Every attempt to resist the 00:28:52.720 --> 00:28:55.099 working of the Holy Spirit simply opens the door 00:28:55.099 --> 00:28:58.460 wider, for this is Christ's resurrection power 00:28:58.460 --> 00:29:03.119 at work. I do not like to see the opposition 00:29:03.119 --> 00:29:07.200 to our faith that is beginning to develop in 00:29:07.200 --> 00:29:10.759 our nation, but there is a positive side to that, 00:29:10.859 --> 00:29:14.460 and it is that the greater the opposition, the 00:29:14.460 --> 00:29:16.880 greater the power that will be displayed in bringing 00:29:16.880 --> 00:29:20.480 the victory of Jesus Christ. For there is no 00:29:20.480 --> 00:29:23.660 obstacle that can be formed that will successfully 00:29:23.660 --> 00:29:28.859 cause the gospel to retreat. For it is proclaimed 00:29:28.859 --> 00:29:31.319 in the power of the Holy Spirit, and that is 00:29:31.319 --> 00:29:34.819 the greatest power in the universe. It is the 00:29:34.819 --> 00:29:37.819 power of God. And that is the power that God 00:29:37.819 --> 00:29:43.759 gives to you and to me as His witnesses. The 00:29:43.759 --> 00:29:45.700 word witness is a key one in the New Testament, 00:29:45.819 --> 00:29:48.660 or rather in the book of Acts. Thirteen times 00:29:48.660 --> 00:29:52.940 it is used in Acts in singular or plural form. 00:29:54.140 --> 00:29:57.180 Twenty plus other times you find it as a verb 00:29:57.180 --> 00:30:02.740 or in other forms of a word. Barclay says that 00:30:02.740 --> 00:30:05.160 there are three things about a witness that we 00:30:05.160 --> 00:30:09.559 should understand. Number one, a witness is only 00:30:09.559 --> 00:30:14.119 to tell what he knows. No witness in a court 00:30:14.119 --> 00:30:18.559 of law is allowed to give his opinion, secondhand 00:30:18.559 --> 00:30:22.259 information, or his ideas. That is unacceptable. 00:30:23.460 --> 00:30:26.660 Rather, he must tell what he knows to be true. 00:30:27.819 --> 00:30:31.440 So it is with us. We cannot witness secondhand 00:30:31.440 --> 00:30:34.660 information. We can only share with others what 00:30:34.660 --> 00:30:39.720 we know to be true in our own lives. Secondly, 00:30:39.859 --> 00:30:43.640 we must be willing to seal... The words of our 00:30:43.640 --> 00:30:49.599 witness with our blood. Now that idea is tied 00:30:49.599 --> 00:30:51.880 up with the very word for witness, for the word 00:30:51.880 --> 00:30:54.660 witness in the Greek is the same word that we 00:30:54.660 --> 00:31:00.400 call martyr. If we're going to witness for Jesus 00:31:00.400 --> 00:31:03.200 Christ, it must be with the full commitment knowing 00:31:03.200 --> 00:31:11.470 this could require our lives. Number three. The 00:31:11.470 --> 00:31:15.690 words of a witness must be backed by a life that 00:31:15.690 --> 00:31:21.690 is consistent, else those words have either no 00:31:21.690 --> 00:31:27.329 meaning or they have reverse results. I suppose 00:31:27.329 --> 00:31:30.269 all of us have heard of H .M. Stanley, the reporter 00:31:30.269 --> 00:31:34.589 from London who went to Africa to search out 00:31:34.589 --> 00:31:38.170 David Livingston. Mr. Livingston, I presume, 00:31:38.390 --> 00:31:42.730 was his famous statement. After he had found 00:31:42.730 --> 00:31:46.130 David Livingston there in Central Africa, and 00:31:46.130 --> 00:31:49.089 after some time with him, he wrote this sentence. 00:31:50.609 --> 00:31:54.369 If I had been with him any longer, I would have 00:31:54.369 --> 00:31:59.609 been compelled to be a Christian, and he never 00:31:59.609 --> 00:32:05.089 spoke to me about it at all. Now, why was that? 00:32:05.769 --> 00:32:09.529 Because the power in his life, it was so real. 00:32:11.500 --> 00:32:13.619 And that's the way some of you are in your offices, 00:32:13.660 --> 00:32:16.099 and Jesus Christ is using you in such a significant 00:32:16.099 --> 00:32:21.160 way. They're at work in your factory, or they're 00:32:21.160 --> 00:32:25.000 in the police force, or they're in that secretarial 00:32:25.000 --> 00:32:30.640 pool. The life has such a power, such a cutting 00:32:30.640 --> 00:32:36.099 edge to it. Are you a witness for Jesus Christ? 00:32:36.539 --> 00:32:41.490 Jesus said, you shall be my witnesses. not witnesses 00:32:41.490 --> 00:32:45.430 about a religion, not witnesses of a church, 00:32:45.589 --> 00:32:51.329 not proclaimers of an ethical system. He said, 00:32:51.349 --> 00:32:56.089 you shall be my witnesses, personal. And that's 00:32:56.089 --> 00:33:00.690 what we are. We proclaim what we know about him. 00:33:01.369 --> 00:33:04.730 And we are given the power of the Holy Spirit 00:33:04.730 --> 00:33:08.369 so that our words are not just our words. But 00:33:08.369 --> 00:33:11.690 God uses those words in ways that we cannot imagine. 00:33:12.730 --> 00:33:15.509 When one person filled with the Holy Spirit, 00:33:15.710 --> 00:33:19.369 controlled by the Holy Spirit, dominated by the 00:33:19.369 --> 00:33:22.910 Holy Spirit, goes into a situation and shares 00:33:22.910 --> 00:33:28.970 a word of witness, the place reverberates. Now, 00:33:28.990 --> 00:33:31.730 he may not sense it. He may feel that the word 00:33:31.730 --> 00:33:34.819 has had no impact. and yet God tells us that 00:33:34.819 --> 00:33:38.160 his power has been there, and there is result. 00:33:39.579 --> 00:33:43.160 It may be hidden behind the mask of a face that 00:33:43.160 --> 00:33:46.140 does not respond, but down in that heart there 00:33:46.140 --> 00:33:50.119 is an earthquake taking place because the power 00:33:50.119 --> 00:33:53.140 of the resurrection is involved in that witness. 00:33:54.119 --> 00:33:56.539 You remember that this week as you go to that 00:33:56.539 --> 00:33:58.700 friend and neighbor to invite them to come to 00:33:58.700 --> 00:34:02.339 church next Sunday. As you perhaps have an opportunity 00:34:02.339 --> 00:34:05.119 to share with them what the Lord means to you, 00:34:05.259 --> 00:34:08.079 either this week or perhaps after the service 00:34:08.079 --> 00:34:12.039 next week or before, use this as a stepping stone 00:34:12.039 --> 00:34:15.699 into their lives, inviting them, that is. Don't 00:34:15.699 --> 00:34:17.119 say that you're going to invite them to church 00:34:17.119 --> 00:34:19.099 and that's all that there is to witnessing. That's 00:34:19.099 --> 00:34:21.800 not it at all. That's one of the ways that we 00:34:21.800 --> 00:34:25.559 can influence them. But you remember that as 00:34:25.559 --> 00:34:28.199 you share your faith, Even though you feel it's 00:34:28.199 --> 00:34:31.239 an insignificant word, if you are under the power 00:34:31.239 --> 00:34:35.320 of the Holy Spirit, that word of yours has a 00:34:35.320 --> 00:34:38.980 dynamic impact in the life. And that one that 00:34:38.980 --> 00:34:41.679 you're talking to cannot escape it. He cannot 00:34:41.679 --> 00:34:45.559 escape it, however much he may try. The Lord 00:34:45.559 --> 00:34:48.539 has given us a marvelous assignment. We're to 00:34:48.539 --> 00:34:52.880 be his witnesses in Jerusalem and Judea and Samaria. 00:34:53.019 --> 00:34:55.380 That's the area around us and to the uttermost 00:34:55.380 --> 00:35:02.449 parts. That last phrase, by the way, was a phrase 00:35:02.449 --> 00:35:06.570 they used in that day to describe Rome. To describe 00:35:06.570 --> 00:35:10.489 Rome. What kind of an impact did the early church 00:35:10.489 --> 00:35:13.550 have in the Roman Empire? Listen to the words 00:35:13.550 --> 00:35:17.269 of Justin Martyr, who lived in the first century 00:35:17.269 --> 00:35:23.119 A .D., a believer. He said, There is not a single 00:35:23.119 --> 00:35:25.960 race of human beings, barbarians, Greeks, or 00:35:25.960 --> 00:35:29.000 whatever name you please to call them, nomads 00:35:29.000 --> 00:35:31.960 or vagrants or herdsmen living in tents, where 00:35:31.960 --> 00:35:34.900 prayers in the name of Jesus the crucified are 00:35:34.900 --> 00:35:38.460 not offered up. Though all the members of the 00:35:38.460 --> 00:35:42.579 body, through all the members of the body, rather, 00:35:42.719 --> 00:35:47.139 is the soul spread, and so are Christians throughout 00:35:47.139 --> 00:35:53.449 the cities of the world. while later said we 00:35:53.449 --> 00:35:57.650 the Christians are but of yesterday yet we have 00:35:57.650 --> 00:36:02.409 filled all the places you frequent cities lodging 00:36:02.409 --> 00:36:05.909 houses villages townships markets the camp itself 00:36:05.909 --> 00:36:09.409 the tribes town councils the palace the Senate 00:36:09.409 --> 00:36:13.469 and the forum all we have left you is your temples 00:36:13.469 --> 00:36:17.369 behold every corner of the universe has experienced 00:36:17.369 --> 00:36:20.880 the gospel and the whole ends and bounds of the 00:36:20.880 --> 00:36:25.559 world are occupied with the gospel. That was 00:36:25.559 --> 00:36:28.099 as much as they were aware of in that day, because 00:36:28.099 --> 00:36:31.619 there were not the means of communication and 00:36:31.619 --> 00:36:34.960 transportation we have. But as fully as they 00:36:34.960 --> 00:36:37.300 knew the world of that day, they had covered 00:36:37.300 --> 00:36:40.719 it with the gospel of Jesus Christ. And think 00:36:40.719 --> 00:36:43.679 of all the technology that we have today, all 00:36:43.679 --> 00:36:47.110 the opportunities that we have. Surely in the 00:36:47.110 --> 00:36:50.090 power of the Holy Spirit, we must be busy about 00:36:50.090 --> 00:36:52.670 this matter of witnessing, fulfilling our mission. 00:36:52.829 --> 00:36:55.530 And finally, we have the promise of Christ's 00:36:55.530 --> 00:36:58.849 return. The Father's promise of the baptism with 00:36:58.849 --> 00:37:02.210 the Holy Spirit, the promise of power so that 00:37:02.210 --> 00:37:05.710 we can be effective witnesses, and now the promise 00:37:05.710 --> 00:37:09.190 of Christ's return. After Jesus had said these 00:37:09.190 --> 00:37:12.289 things, he was lifted up. While they were looking 00:37:12.289 --> 00:37:14.710 on, notice that Luke includes that little phrase. 00:37:15.030 --> 00:37:18.150 They were watching when this took place. He doesn't 00:37:18.150 --> 00:37:21.449 tell us just how. But as they listened and watched 00:37:21.449 --> 00:37:24.389 him, he was lifted up from them. He departed 00:37:24.389 --> 00:37:28.469 from them. And a cloud received him out of their 00:37:28.469 --> 00:37:33.469 sight. Perhaps the Shekinah glory of God, which 00:37:33.469 --> 00:37:37.909 is described as a cloud. Perhaps a literal cloud 00:37:37.909 --> 00:37:42.869 of the atmosphere. But they were watching intently 00:37:42.869 --> 00:37:46.670 as he went away, and the cloud then took him 00:37:46.670 --> 00:37:50.610 out of their sight. And as they were watching 00:37:50.610 --> 00:37:53.250 into heaven, behold, beside them there were these 00:37:53.250 --> 00:37:57.090 two men in white apparel, obviously angels, and 00:37:57.090 --> 00:38:00.849 they too gave a promise. They said, now men of 00:38:00.849 --> 00:38:05.670 Galilee, not necessarily a compliment. To be 00:38:05.670 --> 00:38:08.170 from Galilee was not the thing you'd brag about. 00:38:08.909 --> 00:38:11.090 They were reminding these men that in themselves 00:38:11.090 --> 00:38:13.409 they were nothing. They were insignificant, just 00:38:13.409 --> 00:38:17.710 from Galilee. But you men of Galilee, why are 00:38:17.710 --> 00:38:20.909 you standing here gazing up into heaven? Don't 00:38:20.909 --> 00:38:23.409 you know that this same Jesus is going to come 00:38:23.409 --> 00:38:27.489 back just as he went into heaven? And so from 00:38:27.489 --> 00:38:29.889 the angels we have the promise of Christ's return. 00:38:30.409 --> 00:38:34.369 Only Luke records this event of Jesus' ascension. 00:38:34.789 --> 00:38:37.889 Mark mentions it. He mentions the fact, but only 00:38:37.889 --> 00:38:41.750 Luke records the event as it happened. There 00:38:41.750 --> 00:38:46.190 had to be something like this, some climactic 00:38:46.190 --> 00:38:50.409 conclusion to his earthly ministry. His appearances 00:38:50.409 --> 00:38:55.150 couldn't have just faded out. As his entrance 00:38:55.150 --> 00:38:59.590 into time required an act of a moment, so his 00:38:59.590 --> 00:39:03.190 departure required the same. And what was the 00:39:03.190 --> 00:39:06.599 reaction of the apostles? Grief and sorrow because 00:39:06.599 --> 00:39:11.219 Jesus was now gone? No. Luke tells us that they 00:39:11.219 --> 00:39:16.099 went back rejoicing. Rejoicing. In their houses 00:39:16.099 --> 00:39:18.380 and in the temple, they were filled with great 00:39:18.380 --> 00:39:23.179 joy. Why? Because of the promise that Jesus was 00:39:23.179 --> 00:39:28.599 coming back. Now, they expected him to come at 00:39:28.599 --> 00:39:33.179 any moment, even as we do today. The fact that 00:39:33.179 --> 00:39:35.320 he did not come in the first century does not 00:39:35.320 --> 00:39:37.440 in any way detract from the fact that he could 00:39:37.440 --> 00:39:43.219 come today, on this day of October in 1984. Jesus 00:39:43.219 --> 00:39:46.199 Christ's return, we learn here, will be personal. 00:39:46.300 --> 00:39:50.159 This same Jesus will come back. It will be visible. 00:39:50.880 --> 00:39:56.599 He will go just as he came, visibly. And may 00:39:56.599 --> 00:39:59.280 I just throw in here that... Technically speaking, 00:39:59.500 --> 00:40:02.019 the angels are talking about not the rapture 00:40:02.019 --> 00:40:03.840 of the church, which had not been revealed at 00:40:03.840 --> 00:40:06.420 this point, but the second coming of Christ back 00:40:06.420 --> 00:40:08.659 to the Mount of Olives when every eye will see 00:40:08.659 --> 00:40:11.260 him and his feet will touch again on the top 00:40:11.260 --> 00:40:16.139 of that mountain. His return will be personal, 00:40:16.360 --> 00:40:20.699 it will be visible, and it is certain he will 00:40:20.699 --> 00:40:25.039 come. My friend, the return of Jesus Christ is 00:40:25.039 --> 00:40:28.809 the only hope. for the dying world around us. 00:40:29.949 --> 00:40:33.070 His return is the only answer to the ecological, 00:40:33.429 --> 00:40:42.570 political, economic, social time bomb which unregenerate 00:40:42.570 --> 00:40:47.789 man has put together. And surely it will not 00:40:47.789 --> 00:40:51.949 be long before God intervenes in history, draws 00:40:51.949 --> 00:40:56.070 back the curtain, and concludes the flow of history 00:40:56.070 --> 00:40:59.670 as we have known it for the last 2 ,000 years. 00:41:02.710 --> 00:41:05.769 In our living room, I should say in our family 00:41:05.769 --> 00:41:08.349 room, we have a fireplace and a mantle, and on 00:41:08.349 --> 00:41:11.989 top of that mantle is a clock. It has a pendulum 00:41:11.989 --> 00:41:17.349 on it. I can go over to that clock, open the 00:41:17.349 --> 00:41:20.869 door, reach in and take a hold of that pendulum 00:41:20.869 --> 00:41:25.679 and stop it. I can do that because the clock 00:41:25.679 --> 00:41:29.820 belongs to me and because as a human being I 00:41:29.820 --> 00:41:33.739 have the power to bring that instrument to a 00:41:33.739 --> 00:41:38.559 halt. Don't you think that the almighty God who 00:41:38.559 --> 00:41:42.420 brought this world into existence by his word 00:41:42.420 --> 00:41:46.179 and who established the flow of human history 00:41:46.179 --> 00:41:51.079 can step in any time he pleases, put his hand 00:41:51.079 --> 00:41:57.230 on the pendulum and say, that's... He's the creator. 00:41:58.550 --> 00:42:03.690 And as God, he has the authority to do it. And 00:42:03.690 --> 00:42:06.889 when Jesus returns, that is exactly what's going 00:42:06.889 --> 00:42:10.869 to happen. Human history as it has been will 00:42:10.869 --> 00:42:14.769 be no more. You say, what application is there 00:42:14.769 --> 00:42:17.570 in this for us? Well, first of all, get busy. 00:42:18.989 --> 00:42:23.090 We have a job to do. We do not want to be so 00:42:23.090 --> 00:42:27.070 heavenly -minded that we're no what? Right. Earthly 00:42:27.070 --> 00:42:30.849 good. God has given us a job in this world, and 00:42:30.849 --> 00:42:35.170 our time is short. So may I exhort you in light 00:42:35.170 --> 00:42:37.530 of the return of the Lord Jesus Christ, which 00:42:37.530 --> 00:42:42.429 God has promised. Whatever you intend to do for 00:42:42.429 --> 00:42:50.199 God in this world, do it now. Do it now. Don't 00:42:50.199 --> 00:42:52.940 put it off for some time to come when it will 00:42:52.940 --> 00:42:55.639 be more convenient or you'll have more money. 00:42:57.280 --> 00:43:00.460 Don't put it off until retirement or whatever 00:43:00.460 --> 00:43:02.599 it may be that is delaying you from the work 00:43:02.599 --> 00:43:09.920 of God. Do it now while you have the time. Today 00:43:09.920 --> 00:43:13.280 is the day of salvation. Today is our day of 00:43:13.280 --> 00:43:21.239 opportunity. Get busy for Jesus Christ. My second 00:43:21.239 --> 00:43:26.280 application is this, that this promise changes 00:43:26.280 --> 00:43:30.340 the focus of life. There are some people whose 00:43:30.340 --> 00:43:33.480 focus of life gets all tied up with past mistakes 00:43:33.480 --> 00:43:37.059 and failures, sometimes with past successes as 00:43:37.059 --> 00:43:39.940 well. And they're always looking to the good 00:43:39.940 --> 00:43:44.139 old days or laboring under the load of the bad 00:43:44.139 --> 00:43:49.010 old days. And there are others who are so involved 00:43:49.010 --> 00:43:51.710 in the present with its circumstances, its challenges, 00:43:51.750 --> 00:43:54.449 and its goals that they don't take time to get 00:43:54.449 --> 00:43:59.150 the right perspective on life. Realize that we 00:43:59.150 --> 00:44:01.730 are moving, dear people, toward the consummation 00:44:01.730 --> 00:44:06.750 of our salvation. And allow that expectation 00:44:06.750 --> 00:44:11.070 of Jesus' return to give you the focus on life 00:44:11.070 --> 00:44:14.730 with all of its issues that you ought to have. 00:44:15.789 --> 00:44:20.090 And live the life that you would like to have 00:44:20.090 --> 00:44:22.789 lived if today you were to stand in Jesus' presence. 00:44:24.650 --> 00:44:27.070 Don't come before him with regret in your heart, 00:44:27.110 --> 00:44:31.750 but live today as you want to, so that when you 00:44:31.750 --> 00:44:35.170 give an account before him, you'll not have to 00:44:35.170 --> 00:44:38.929 be ashamed. John says, he that has this hope 00:44:38.929 --> 00:44:44.070 in him purifies himself, even as he, the Lord, 00:44:44.110 --> 00:44:47.400 is pure. This promise of Jesus Christ's return 00:44:47.400 --> 00:44:51.760 is the greatest purifier I know of our lives. 00:44:52.519 --> 00:44:55.199 Now, there are three promises. Each of them is 00:44:55.199 --> 00:44:59.219 life -changing. If you are outside of Jesus Christ 00:44:59.219 --> 00:45:01.179 and you've never trusted him as your Savior, 00:45:01.320 --> 00:45:04.320 that first promise is one that you need to claim, 00:45:04.539 --> 00:45:08.820 the baptism with the Holy Spirit. And by that 00:45:08.820 --> 00:45:11.780 I mean you need today to trust Jesus Christ. 00:45:12.679 --> 00:45:14.780 And claim the promise that you will be identified 00:45:14.780 --> 00:45:17.559 with him in his death, burial, and resurrection. 00:45:18.780 --> 00:45:21.940 That what he did for you at the cross will be 00:45:21.940 --> 00:45:33.000 sufficient for your sins. It is. Will you claim 00:45:33.000 --> 00:45:37.280 it? The promise of power. It may be that you 00:45:37.280 --> 00:45:39.400 are struggling along as a believer on your own. 00:45:40.059 --> 00:45:43.239 Trying to do your own thing. Or maybe trying 00:45:43.239 --> 00:45:46.420 to do God's thing, but in your own power. Jesus 00:45:46.420 --> 00:45:53.920 said, here's my power. Employ it. Use it. Perhaps 00:45:53.920 --> 00:46:01.159 you're living a life that shows you've forgotten 00:46:01.159 --> 00:46:05.300 that Jesus is coming back. Will you today look 00:46:05.300 --> 00:46:08.719 for him? Remember that promise? There's a special 00:46:08.719 --> 00:46:12.079 reward for those that look for him. Are you expecting 00:46:12.079 --> 00:46:17.260 him today? Let that change your life. Heavenly 00:46:17.260 --> 00:46:22.059 Father, I pray that today there will be at least 00:46:22.059 --> 00:46:25.619 one promise here that each of us will be able 00:46:25.619 --> 00:46:31.179 to claim and appropriate. And I pray that that 00:46:31.179 --> 00:46:35.440 will change our lives, the focus, the direction, 00:46:35.659 --> 00:46:41.039 perhaps even the destiny of our lives. Work in 00:46:41.039 --> 00:46:44.559 us to make that decision that we need to make 00:46:44.559 --> 00:46:52.059 from this challenge of your word. In Jesus' name 00:46:52.059 --> 00:46:53.119 I pray. Amen.