Against All Odds: The Surprising Return - Part 1

When we bought our house, we were not thinking about the school district as we were homeschooling our older boys.

But then when we decided to send them to public school, we realized that God had placed us in our house in our school district for a reason.

This is where God has planted us.

So we want to be bright and salty for him here.

We are here for such a time as this.

So we strive to be faithful to share Christ.

I've been able to share the gospel with several parents at soccer games,

and I still text with and try and meet with one of the dads from Ethan's football team from back in seventh grade.

My best opportunities to share Christ and continue building relationships come mostly through my kids.

I make gifts, write up the cards with a scripture verse, add invitations to events such as our church Christmas services,

and my boys deliver the gifts to their teachers and their coaches.

The newest opportunity for me to accompany students on their instrumental solos brings me into direct contact with band students and teachers,

but it is only for 10 to 15 minutes of focused practice time.

So in order to share Christ and encourage those students,

I prepare a small package of chocolate chip cookies to give each one after they've performed.

This is a unique connection point for me as I have accompanied some of the same students now for two years.

It's neat to see them in the school hallways or at a concert and have them wave and say,

Hi, Ethan's mom.

This is also how our ministry to Alejandro began.

I have always enjoyed talking about the Bible and everyone I have been friends with has known quickly that I am a Christian.

This has led to many opportunities to talk about spiritual concepts.

One time I specifically remember it was when a friend who did not know much about the Bible

and who I shared a study hall with asked me to tell her all about it one day.

I attempted to tell her about the seven seas of history that answers in Genesis has put together

and was quite thankful for that opportunity to make the truth of God's word clear to someone.

I was somewhat known as the preacher of my friend group and would often be, mostly jokingly,

asked a spiritual question that I would do my best to answer biblically.

I also have consistently put spiritual connections in assignments

and have written papers with a focus on biblical topic many times.

I've been able to invite one of my friends from school to church and other events

and a few other people along the way.

I've also been able to invest in some friends by going to a couple of grad parties and marching band events,

which has allowed for deeper and more real relationships.

In school, I will often sneak Bible passages, biblical principles, or even the gospel into assignments.

And through relationships and a life that strives with the Holy Spirit's help to be like Christ,

I've been able to share Jesus and the Bible with my words.

When we play soccer and baseball, we've been able to invite our teammates to Awana.

We like to talk to our neighbors about knowing God too.

I don't know if any of you feel intimidated about the prospect of sharing the gospel with others.

How do we go about being a witness to the people in our community?

How do we go about sharing Christ and communicating the gospel?

And it can seem a little overwhelming, maybe a little intimidating.

And perhaps you have, like me at some times, thought,

well, I don't have the gift of evangelism, so obviously it's not my job.

It's for the people who God's gifted for that, not for me.

But of course, God has called us all to this mighty work,

the work of sharing Christ with the people that He has placed us in relationship with.

But in order for that to happen, we have to be in relationship.

And we have to be available.

Well, it begins, we kind of walked through this four-stage process.

The Manwellers kind of introduced that to us over the last four weeks or so.

It begins with prayer.

Prayer does a couple of things.

The first thing that prayer does is it helps to change your heart.

The truth is that probably for a lot of us, we just don't care about our neighbors.

We're happy to go right into the scene.

We drive into our garage, the door goes up, the door goes down,

and we don't have any conversations with any of our neighbors.

So we miss opportunities because we're not praying for God to do a work in our life.

Now, fortunately, that's not for all of you.

A lot of you do engage your neighbors, and I'm encouraged and challenged by that.

The second piece is by building relationship.

How do you get to know and build friendship with your neighbors?

Just this past week, what a golden and strategic opportunity

to get out with a shovel or a snowblower and to meet neighbors.

We had the joy as our family for three of our neighbors

to all kind of rally around one little house,

and that person brought out tea for us all to share,

and three different families got to enjoy this relationship

of building and serving, and that's the next component.

Serving your neighbors so you can build those transaction moments,

those relational opportunities that God uses just through simple things

that we can all do like shoveling snowy walkways or even raking leaves,

whatever you can do to make connections with the people that God has put you in contact with.

Just yesterday, one of our neighbors came and brought a meal to us.

I don't even know if he's a believer, but just through those relational connections,

it's neat how God uses those to then give us opportunities.

And that last piece is capitalizing on those relational opportunities to share Christ with them.

You're asking questions.

You're building friendships.

And so there are heart connections that are being made,

and then opportunities that God will instrumentally provide for us

as we're willing to step in and to do some of those easy things.

And so being an evangelist doesn't have to be very difficult.

It just means that we're available a lot of times,

and praying that God will change our heart

and provide those opportunities so that we can capitalize on them.

I trust that God will help us throughout the course of this year,

the next several months, as we're working through the book of Acts,

learning about the church, learning about how God is awakening hearts

and calling people to himself, this church age that we can all be a part of

through the power of God working in obedient people.

And I trust that we'll all have the joy of seeing God work instrumentally through us

as there's availability in our hearts to do what God has called us to do.

Well, this morning we find ourselves in Acts chapter 1,

Acts 1 · chapter mention

and we're going to be focusing our attention on verses 12 and 13 this morning.

But I'm going to read for us, by way of introduction, verses 12 to 14,

just kind of set the context for our study this morning.

Acts chapter 1, beginning in verse 12.

Acts 1 · chapter mention

Read along with me as I read.

You can just follow along.

It says,

Then they returned to Jerusalem, speaking about the apostles.

They returned from Jerusalem from the mount called Olivet,

which is near Jerusalem, a Sabbath day's journey away.

And when they had entered, they went up to the upper room where they were staying,

Peter and John and James and Andrew, Philip and Thomas, Bartholomew and Matthew,

James the son of Alphaeus, and Simon the zealot, and Judas the son of James.

All these, with one accord, were devoting themselves to prayer together with the women in Mary,

the mother of Jesus and his brothers.

I want to begin our time together today.

And really, there's only really one main point to the message today.

And that is simply this.

To observe and to evaluate, to appreciate this obedient return to Jerusalem.

Their obedient return to Jerusalem.

It's really easy to read verses 12 to 14 and think,

Well, that's quite unexstordinary.

That's exactly what we would expect.

That's kind of normal, don't you think, Andrew?

That Jesus told them to go back to Jerusalem.

And, well, they go back to Jerusalem.

Duh, of course.

That's what we expect.

But maybe it's because it's something we expect,

because we've read this story so many times.

And because we really haven't taken a pause,

which I really want to do this morning.

Just a pause.

I want us to step back,

and I want us to appreciate the surprising nature of this return.

How essentially it's against all odds

that the work of God in bringing the apostles back,

these 11 apostles,

I want us to see this is a work of God.

Not just obedient apostles.

Not just following a command.

But it's the work of God in the hearts of these 11 apostles

to bring them back to Jerusalem.

It's an astounding, even miraculous work of God.

And because we're so familiar with the story,

we think, well, this is exactly where they should be.

Of course, they're here in Jerusalem,

and they're back in the place where many of the things

that we saw in the gospel of Luke have happened.

In Acts 1, verse 13,

Acts 1:13

it says they went, they had entered,

they went up to the upper room where they were staying.

And again, the upper room,

this is where we expect them to be.

This is likely the place where they enjoyed together

with Christ this last supper.

It was somewhere in Jerusalem

that they're staying with Jesus before his ascension.

We see that in verse 4 of chapter 1.

While staying with them, speaking of Jesus,

he ordered them not to depart from Jerusalem.

And so we have a tendency to hear this information

and say, well, of course,

this is exactly what should happen.

This is exactly what we expect.

And since we know this story,

we anticipate this return.

But when we read these words,

then they returned to Jerusalem.

I want us to appreciate the miraculous work of God.

The spectacular nature.

I want us to marvel at these words.

Then they returned.

How ordinary they may seem,

but how extraordinary they really are.

As we have fresh eyes

and understand the work of God

in the lives of these men

and the lives of the 120

that we're going to see in just a moment.

The lives of this small group of believers.

And here they are,

right back at the beginning.

Marvel at the work of God.

I think we're going to be enriched

to see the mission with fresh eyes.

To see this face of zeal

that comes with these believers.

To approach and to understand

that as we see God's work in their lives,

we can also have confidence

as we join ourselves

to the building work of a building God.

That Jesus has said,

I will build my church

and the gates of hell

will not prevail against it.

And so what we see here

at the very start of this story

is what needs to be true

of every heart in life

as we anchor ourselves in confidence

to the work of God

and the work of the Spirit

to carry out this ministry

of church planting

that He's called us to.

So briefly,

I want to take note

of these spectacular words.

Then they returned.

And I want us to understand

the immediate obedience

that we see.

Then they returned.

This word for then

is a word that signifies

immediate action.

It's directly following

this interaction

of the disciples with Jesus

who then ascends

and the angels that come

and say,

well, what are you guys doing

standing around?

He's going to come back

just as He promised you

but He's not here now.

And so what do they do?

They return.

Well, they return

because they're following

a command.

There's no hesitation.

There's no delay.

There's no second guessing.

They know exactly

what they're to do

and they do it.

Acts chapter 1 verse 4,

Acts 1:4

remember it says,

while they were staying

with them

or while staying with them

and He ordered them

not to depart from Jerusalem

but to wait for the promise

of the Father

which He said,

you heard from Me.

Jesus had told them

to wait in Jerusalem.

And so He ordered them

to do this

and that's exactly

what they do

and they do it

without hesitation.

Marvel at the

immediate obedience

of the disciples.

but also marvel

at the purposefulness

of their obedience.

It was purposeful.

Verses 12 and 13

say this again,

then they returned

to Jerusalem

from the mount

called Olivet

which is near Jerusalem,

a Sabbath day's journey away.

And when they had entered,

they went up

to the upper room

where they were staying.

Now it's difficult

to see this

if you don't have the Greek

but each of those

four verbs

have a directional component.

They all have prepositions

which help you understand

there's movement,

there's purpose,

there's direction

to the words

that Jesus is giving to them.

This word returned

has the preposition upo

which is motion

or direction

meaning to a place.

They were going somewhere.

They were going somewhere specific.

They entered

and this is

the preposition ace

which is into,

toward,

this directional component.

They had purpose

in what they were doing.

They went up

and you can see that

even in the translation

that's there before us.

And that they were staying

and the preposition here

is the word kata

which is the word down

or to remain.

They were fixed.

They were dwelling.

They were put.

They were following directions

but they were following

not randomly,

they were following

purposefully.

There was precision.

There was direction.

There was meaning.

And the reason is

we need to understand

that the powerful work of God

is he's working

in their hearts

to move them in this way.

Yes,

there is obedience

but it's immediate obedience

and it's purposeful obedience.

And it's the same work of God

that every one of us

can enjoy

as we bind ourselves to Christ

and as then we carry out

the instructions

that Christ has given to us.

And we do it immediately.

We do it purposefully.

We do it with hearts

that are ready

and expectant,

waiting for God

to accomplish then

his purposes

through the obedient commands

that he has given to us.

And so the main point

this morning

is essentially

to draw attention

to their obedience.

And I want to spend

the rest of my time

this morning

helping you realize

why that obedience

was so extraordinary.

Why do we need to worship

our God

because of this obedience?

Why do we stand back

and marvel at this return?

It seems so common,

so ordinary,

so uneventful.

And there's four reasons

I want to give you

this morning

as we work through

this passage

and we see

and fill out

the wonder

of this return.

And just briefly,

here are the four main points

I want to give to you

and then we're going to spend

some time

just unpacking them together.

First,

we see

the promise

that kept them.

They were obedient

because of a promise

of Christ

to keep them.

Otherwise,

they would have been

on their own

doing their own thing.

But Christ had made

a promise

that we're going to look at

in just a moment.

And because

of the promise

keeping power

of God,

they returned.

Second,

I want to see

the power

that's set before them.

The work

of God

that was so visible,

so active,

so present

in the life of Christ

and this power

that was put on display

is a power

that's offered.

And we're going to see

through the course

of our time

together this morning,

we're going to see

that the tendency

of the disciples

was that Jesus

had the power

and so Jesus

was the one

that was going

to exercise the power.

But,

it was a power

that Christ

was going to make

available to them

through the Spirit.

And so their return

is again

in demonstration

of their confidence

in that power

that Christ

was making available

to them

through the Spirit.

Third,

we're going to see

the pattern

to guide them

and especially

the significance

of prayer

that helps

to stabilize them

in moments

of temptation.

That this was

like us,

this was a

kind of a fickle group.

this was a

flighty group.

This was a group

that was really

not very dependable.

And again,

the work of God

and calling them

to the exercise

of prayer

is going to

stabilize this group

and make them

useful for Him.

And fourth,

we're going to see

the people who remained.

The people who remained.

That in spite

of the massive crowds,

the thousands

upon thousands

who came to enjoy

and to take part

in the ministry

of Christ,

the only ones

that remain

are 120.

But Jesus,

God is going to use

this meager group

to accomplish

world-changing things.

And so the return

is really a reminder

to us

of what God

wants to accomplish

through

what we might consider

very meager,

meager

contributions

that God wants

to turn

and essentially

distribute

like He did

with the loaves

and the fish

to exercise

His power

and to demonstrate

that the work

rests in Him

and not in us.

So let's begin.

I want to see

and consider

the promise

that kept them.

The promise

that kept them.

And what I want to

do mostly

through this time

is kind of tell

tell some stories,

okay?

And I'm going to

use some references

that you can,

you're welcome

to turn to,

but I'm going to have

a slide

that just has

a picture

that's kind of

representative

of what I'm

talking about

and there may be

some passages

sprinkled in,

but it's going to be

a little different,

so just bear

with me

as we work

through this

this morning.

The promise

that kept them.

In order to really

appreciate what's going on,

we need to kind of

rewind to the very

beginning of Christ's

ministry.

What did that look like

and what did that entail?

And we can kind of

trace this work

of Christ

and this eventual

promise that he gives

by understanding

how it all began.

You remember

that after 30 years

of obscurity

that Jesus finally

moves out

into the public view

and he would come

and he would come

to a place

known as

the wilderness

of Judea

to the region

of the Jordan

and it was there

that John the Baptist

would have a ministry,

this prophet-like,

Elijah-like figure

would have this ministry

in preparing

the way

for this future,

this future Savior.

He was preaching

a message of repentance

and baptizing

along the Jordan River

and in Matthew

Matthew 3:11

chapter 3

verse 11

this is what

John the Baptist

will say.

He says,

he will baptize you

with the Holy Spirit

and fire.

These are the same words

by the way

that Jesus promises

his disciples

there in Acts chapter 1.

Acts 1 · chapter mention

He says,

John baptized with water

but you will be baptized

with the Holy Spirit

not so many days

from now.

Remember that anointing

that was present

on Jesus

is now promised

to the disciples.

And following

Jesus' baptism

the Spirit

the Spirit

then drives

him out

into the wilderness

to be tempted

for 40 days.

And he's tempted

there

and when he returns

he returns back

to this region

of Judea.

We find that

in Matthew

Matthew 4:12

chapter 4

verse 12.

That he's healing

there

and this report

is given

in Matthew

Matthew 4:12

chapter 4

verse 12

it says,

when he heard

that John

had been arrested

he withdrew

into Galilee.

Now the significance

of that

may be a little distant

for most of us

in this room

but in reading

through the gospel

account of Luke

it's really easy

for us to think

that as soon

as Jesus

was driven

into the wilderness

to be tempted

that immediately

following that

he would start

his ministry

his public ministry

in Galilee.

When in actuality

what we find

is that he would

spend several months

maybe as much

as a year

ministering

to the crowds

in Jerusalem

and to Judah.

And in Matthew

Matthew 4:12

chapter 4

verse 12

this is kind of

the note

or the key

for us

as we think

about the timeline

of the events

that it wasn't

until his arrest

that John the Baptist

had been arrested

that then Jesus

will actually make

his way

into Galilee.

So what was he doing

in the between time?

Well

he was actually

he and his disciples

were baptizing

and they were

baptizing by the Jordan.

We find that in

John chapter 1

John 1:20

verse 20

or 28

it says

these things

these questions

about John the Baptist

identity

these things

took place

in Bethany

across the Jordan

where John

was baptizing.

This is not

the same Bethany

by the way

that we'll find

later

near Jerusalem

but this is a Bethany

on the other side

of the Jordan

on the eastern

side of the Jordan

and it was here

in that region

that John would say

of Christ

behold

the Lamb of God

who takes away

the sin of the world

and in this sequence

of events

John

and Andrew

will go

and they'll meet Jesus

and you remember

Andrew brings

Peter

to Christ

and then Jesus

meets Nathaniel

and Nathaniel

brings Philip

and the whole

interaction

of the disciples

meeting Christ

takes place there

but Jesus

Jesus is there

he's baptizing

we find in John

John 3:22

chapter 3

verse 22

that after this

Jesus and his disciples

went into the Judean

countryside

and he remained there

with them

and was baptizing

he'd already gone

to be baptized

by John

he'd gone

into the wilderness

to be tempted

now he comes back

to the Jordan River

he makes a quick

exodus

to the wedding

of Cana

he comes back

you remember

in John chapter 3

John 3 · chapter mention

and he has this

interaction with Nicodemus

and here he is

in John chapter 3

John 3 · chapter mention

22

he's baptizing

for as much as a year

there in

the Judean countryside

and then in John

John 4 · chapter mention

chapter 4

we find

when Jesus learned

that the Pharisees

had heard that Jesus

was making and baptizing

more disciples than John

although Jesus himself

did not baptize

but only his disciples

he left Judea

and departed again

for Galilee

and now the ministry

of Jesus

would really take off

and this is where

we find Jesus

he's teaching

in the synagogue

there in Luke chapter 4

Luke 4 · chapter mention

we find

that his ministry

that's there

and he's teaching

all of those

who come to gather

but in this

ministry of Christ

there's an opportunity

for Jesus

and his disciples

to get away

the ministry

had been so

overwhelming

and the interactions

that he had

with the people

were so difficult

and so taxing

that Jesus

encourages

his disciples

to get away

for a mini vacation

Matthew chapter 14

Matthew 14:13–14

verses 13

to 14

says this

now when Jesus

heard this

speaking about

John the Baptist

being imprisoned

and then

being killed

he withdrew

from there

in a boat

to a desolate place

by himself

but when the crowds

heard it

they followed him

on foot

from the towns

when he went ashore

he saw a great crowd

and he had compassion

on them

and healed their sick

now understand

Jesus had sent

his disciples

on a mini

missions trip

they were

supposed to come back

and enjoy some

time of rest

so they get on a boat

and they make their way

to the other side

of the

of the sea of Galilee

and they're supposed

to have some time

of rest

but instead

all the crowds

come again

to press in on Jesus

to demand

miracles

to have him

serve them

and what does

Jesus do

Jesus

graciously

serves them

he serves them

by healing

their sick

and then we'll see

that Jesus

will then turn

to his disciples

and say

hey

it's beginning

it's getting

very late

in the day

so

how are we

going to feed

these people

Jesus is concerned

not just about

their physical needs

but this is meant

to help

direct attention

to the real

spiritual needs

that they have

these people

are obviously

hungry

they've traveled

all day

to the other side

of the sea of Galilee

they've been there

as Jesus has healed

all their sick

and now Jesus

will take five loaves

and two fish

and he'll distribute

it to the masses

5,000 men

maybe as many

as 15,000

if you include

women

and children

Jesus

has proven

that he can

teach with authority

he can heal

and remove

every disease

and now

here he is

not just

performing miracles

of healing

but now he's

distributing

and meeting

very physical needs

and feeding

their hungry tummies

and so

they come

after this

season

this feeding

of the 5,000

we find in

in John chapter 6

John 6 · chapter mention

that

that

that Jesus

will depart

from them

and they'll all

come

kind of

try to find

where Jesus is

and they

and they actually

see him

and meet him

on the other side

the next day

Jesus wants to

test their loyalty

he wants

to

to test

their faith

are

do you believe

me because

of the works

or do you

believe me

because

because of

the things

that I'm saying

John chapter 6

John 6:41

verse 41

says

the Jews

grumbled

about him

because he said

I'm the bread

that came

down from heaven

Jesus turns

this into

a teaching

opportunity

he wants

them to know

it's not just

about eating

bread

but recognizing

who he is

fundamentally

as the bread

of life

in verse 51

of chapter 6

he says

I am the

living bread

that came

down from heaven

if anyone

eats of this

bread

he will live

forever

and the bread

that I will

give

for the

is for the

life

of the world

excuse me

and the bread

that I will

give

for the

life

of the

world

is my

flesh

in verse 52

the Jews

then disputing

among themselves

saying

how can

this man

give us

his flesh

to eat

so Jesus

said to them

truly truly

I say to you

unless you

eat the

flesh

of the

son of

man

and drink

his blood

you have

no

life

in you

whoever

feeds

on my

flesh

and drinks

my

blood

has

eternal

life

and I

will

raise

him

up

on

the

last

day

and you

can

imagine

with those

very

pointed

words

and confusing

to the

crowds

we find

what we

read here

next

when many

of his

disciples

heard it

they said

this is a

hard saying

who can

listen to

it

and after

this

many of

his

disciples

turned

back

and no

longer

walked

with

Christ

it was

too

difficult

it was

too hard

the words

that Jesus

was saying

were

causing

conflict

and because

of this

many

disciples

left

and

walked

with

him

no

more

so

then we

turn

to

John

John 6:61

chapter 6

verse 61

Jesus

knowing

in himself

that his

disciples

were grumbling

about this

said to

them

do you

take

offense

at this

but there

are some

of you

who do

not

believe

for

Jesus

knew

from

the

beginning

who

those

were

who

did

not

believe

and

who

it

was

who

would

betray

him

and

he

said

this

is

why

I

told

you

that

no

one

can

come

to

me

unless

it

is

granted

by

the

father

so

Jesus

said

to

the

twelve

do

you

want

to

go

away

as

well

Simon

Peter

answered

him

Lord

to

whom

shall

we

go

you

have

the

words

of

eternal

life

and

we

Jesus

answered

them

did

I

not

choose

you

the

twelve

and

yet

one

of

you

is

a

devil

he

spoke

of

Judas

the

son

of

Simon

Iscariot

for

he

one

of

the

twelve

was

going

to

betray

him

Jesus

knew

before

this

all

went

down

before

the

scene

that

we

find

in

the

crucifixion

would

ever

transpire

Jesus

identified

very

early

on

in

his

Galilean

ministry

who

would

be

the

loyal

disciples

and

who

would

desert

and

he

points

out

Judas

Judas

I

know

you're

the

man

and

to

the

rest

of

the

disciples

this

promise

the

promise

of

keeping

them

the

promise

of

stabilizing

them

in

the

very

difficult

work

that

was

coming

Jesus

understands

and

has

identified

here

even

at

the

beginning

of

his

ministry

who

would

be

the

ones

who

would

go

the

distance

he

set

his

mark

on

these

eleven

he

knew

ahead

of

time

he

was

going

to

betray

him

we

find

in

John

John 13 · chapter mention

chapter

13

this

upper

room

experience

again

Jesus

saying

to

them

the

one

the

one

who

has

bathed

does

not

need

to

wash

except

for

his

feet

but

is

completely

clean

and

you

are

clean

speaking

of

Peter

but

not

every

one

of

you

for

he

knew

who

is

to

betray

him

that

is

why

he

said

not

all

of

you

are

clean

remember

Peter

Jesus

is

washing

the

disciples

feet

and

Peter

protests

you're

not

going to

wash

my

feet

and

Jesus

you're

not

on

their

way

to

Gethsemane

what

Jesus

will

pray

in

John

John 17:9–12

chapter

17

verses

9

to

12

we

find

this

this

really

coming

and

crystallizing

again

that

Jesus

is

praying

to

the

father

I'm

praying

for

them

I'm

not

praying

for

the

world

but

for

those

whom

you

have

given

given

me

for

they

are

yours

all

is

mine

excuse

me

all

mine

are

yours

and

yours

are

mine

and

I'm

glorified

in

them

and

I

am

no

longer

in

the

world

but

they

are

in

the

world

and

I'm

coming

to

you

holy

father

keep

them

in

your

name

which

you

have

given

me

that

they

may

be

one

even

as

we

are

one

while

I

was

with

them

I

kept

them

in

your

name

which

you

have

given

me

and

I

have

guarded

them

and

not

one

of

them

has

been

!

So marvel

at the

keeping

promises

of

God

the

keeping

promises

of

God

that

preserved

these

eleven

and

so

when

they

return

we

see

the

working

out

of

God's

promises

in

preserving

his

people

his

men

for

his

mission

we

marvel

at

the

precision

of

this

promise

in

the

return

that

we

see

in

Acts

chapter

one

and

so

again

when

we

read

verses

12

and

13

we

see

that

they're

all

accounted

for

there

in

verse

13

Peter

John

James

Andrew

Philip

Thomas

Bartholomew

Matthew

James

the

son

of

Elphius

Simon

the

zealot

Judas

the

son

of

James

everyone

is

accounted

for

Jesus

has

lost

none

!

of

them

we

have

a

keeping

God

Jesus

keeps

his

own

they're

all

here

they're

all

accounted

for

and

we're

struck

with the

significance

of the

return

this promise

of return

and so

they do

they come

back

they return

in fulfillment

of what

God had

promised

very early

on

in his

ministry

and we

remember

and marvel

at the

preserving

power

of our

Lord

we're

going to

pick

the rest

of this

up

next

week

but I

want to

just

pause

for a

moment

and

just

recall

in

this

time

remembering

that we

have a

God

who

answers

his

promise

who

keeps

his

promises

and we

think about

this

mission

that God

has called

us to

Jesus

says

in

Acts

1

8

that you

will be

my

witnesses

beginning

in

Jerusalem

and then

Judea

and Samaria

and to

the uttermost

parts of

the earth

that's a

promise

that God

will fulfill

and we

as God's

people

have the

opportunity

to couple

ourselves

with the

power of

God

and to

work

those

faithful

promises

through

that Jesus

will build

his church

and the

gates of

hell

will not

prevail

against

it

will we

be part

of the

company

that group

even a

meager group

of those

who will

carry out

the promise

that God

has called

us to

fulfill

will we

have the

chance

the joy

of being

able to

see the

work of

the spirit

in working

in our

lives to

accomplish

the purposes

that he's

called us

to

praise the

Lord

that he's

given us

keeping

promises

power

filled

promises

will we

be faithful

to carry

out

the promises

of God

in the

mission

that he's

called

us to

oh may

God help

us

to

couple

ourselves

with

this

promise

keeping

God

let's

pray

father

we

we

praise

you

for

your

work

in the