Acts: Move To Respond In Obedience

Good morning. It's good to see you all here with us. Thank you

for worshiping with us here at Bethesda. If you have your bibles, to

ask you if you will turn with me to Acts chapter one. And so

we started a few sundays ago in a study through the Book of Acts,

and so I want to continue in that study this morning. I also wanted

to say just thank the Lord for our band, our worship team tenor does

such a great job weekend and week out. I do not give him enough

credit for all that he does. So let's give them a hand for all

that they do. Let's do a great job of leading us into worship.

So thank you band for all that you do. As you can tell,

this is not the way the church normally looks on a typical Sunday morning.

So there's a little things going on. So we have Mary Poppins. Our

academy is doing a presentation of Mary Poppins this week. It messages this morning

is moved to respond in obedience. Moved to respond to in obedience. You

know, many times we are told to do things, either by our parents

or by our employer, and sometimes we just maybe have a hesitant spirit,

or maybe we do not struggle with what they're asking us to do. And

so sometimes there's a delay. And many times it's not only with our parents,

or with our employee, or with our family member or our spouse wanting

us to or leading us to do something. Sometimes it's the Lord. The

Lord prompts us on a Sunday morning, or maybe prompts us in our devotional

life, or God speaks to us and we have a clear indication that God

is leading us to do something. Maybe it's baptism, Maybe it's sharing the

Gospel with a family member or a loved one. Maybe it is serving in

the church somehow, or serving in our community somehow. And maybe there's a

hesitancy in your spirit. Maybe you're anxious, maybe your word, maybe you

doubt, maybe you're discouraged about where you are right now, maybe just going

through a period of sorrow in your life right now. And because of those

different things, you kind of hesitate in being obedient to what God calls you

to do. Or heard a story of a young boy and he was in

hospital and the boy really had a bad reputation. He was just havoc,

just disobedient on the nurses and the staffs. Well, one day, visitor

came in him. The visitor heard about the just terrorizing nature of this boy,

and she looked at the boy and she said, I'll tell you what.

Let's make a deal. If you're good for a whole week, I

will give you ten dollars. If you're good for a whole week, I'll

come back in her week and i'll see and if you're good, I'll give

you ten dollars for being good for a week. About a week later,

she could she came and she stood before the little boy's bed, and he

had the sheets pulled over his head. She said, I'll tell you what.

I'm not going to ask the nurses where you've been good. I'm going

to ask you. You must tell me yourself. Do you deserve that ten

dollars? With the sheets over his head, with a little small voice,

he said, how about give me a dollar. You know, there is

time where we're struggling like that little boy. We you know, the Lord

leads us to do something, we just maybe we're discouraged, maybe we're just

having a hard time, Maybe we're anxious, maybe we're just unsure whether God's

wanting us to do that, and we struggle with obedience today as we come

to this passage and Acts Um, the Lord has commanded Jesus had told the

disciples to go to Jerusalem, to wait in Jerusalem. But they're struggling a

bit, they're hesitating a bit, they're delaying. And I want you to

see how what happens to them and what moves them to obey or to respond

to God's command to obey. And so let's read God's word together. And

I hope as we see what moved them to obey, I pray today you

will consider what is the Lord using in my life to move me to obey

or to respond to his commands. So let's stand together, and it's Acts

chapter one. We're going to go back and start in verse six just so

we can see the whole, and we're we're head six through eleven. And

so when they had come together, they had asked him, Lord, will

you at this time restore the Kingdom of visual And he said to them,

it is not for you to know the times of the season, that the

Father is fixed by his own authority, but yours eve power. When the

Holy spirits come upon you, and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem and

all Judea, and in Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.

And when he had said these things, as they were looking on, he

was lifted up, and a cloud took him out of their sight. And

while they were gazing into heaven as he went, behold, two men stood

by them with white robes, and said, men of Galilee. And here

you see their delay. Why do you stand here looking into heaven. This

Jesus, who has taken up from you into heaven, will come in the

same way as you saw him go into heaven. Let's pray together, Father,

I thank you Lord for this morning. I thank you Lord for your

word. I pray today, Father, that we would see Lord, what

these disciples saw. Lord, we would hear what they heard. And God,

just as you use what they saw, and as you use what they

heard to move them to obey Lord, today, may we be moved to

obey Lord you today and in our own lives and what you've called us to

do, whether it's to be a faithful witness, whether it is to be

baptized, whether it is to surrender our life to you, whether it is

to serve your church or to serve you in this community. Lord, whatever

you're calling us to do today if we're here in delay today, I pray

today you would move us to respond. Lord. Today, I pray that

you would give me your words to deliver to your people. Lord. They

don't need a well prepared message by me, they need a message from you

God. So Lord, I pray that you would give me your holy spirit,

you an annoint me. You would cleanse me. Lord, Lord,

I'm a sinful man. Lord, desperately need Lord you today to work in

me that I might be your instrument. So cleanse me, Father, that

you might use me. Lord. May I decrease and may you increase.

Father, and Lord, as you use me as your instrument. Lord,

I pray for the hearers today, Lord, that you would use the work

of your Holy Spirit to open up their hearts to your gospel, to your

word. And Lord, may you use your word to speak and lead them

and move them to obey Lord You Today, Lord, we love you.

We thank you Lord for today in your name, we pray, Amen,

you may be seated so as you come to this passage to scripture today,

I really believe here are these disciples, and we see in verse five that

Jesus tells them that they are to wait for the Holy Spirit who was going

to come upon them. Verse four, he says, do not depart from

Jerusalem. Luke twenty four would tell us as he gives by the way we

mentioned before, and won't go in too much time for this. But Luke

is the writer of Luke's Gospel, and the writer of Luke's Gospel of Luke

not only wrote his god spol to Theophilus, he also wrote the second book

here called Acts, and it's the Acts of the Holy Spirit or the Acts

of the Church. And he wrote that same book to the same Theophilus.

Well. In his gospel account, Luke tells us that gives us another account

of the ascension. And in his account of the ascension in Luke twenty four,

he says that Jesus led them as far out as to Bethany, to

the Mount Olives. So as we come to Luke chapter one, we kind

of we understand here they are on the top of Mount Olives. Here Jesus

has gathered disciples together. He's given him as we looked at the last few

weeks, he's given them his last words. He's his last moments. We

understand that Jesus spent forty days he appeared to his disciples off and on for

forty days, and at the end of forty days, Jesus ascended, which

I think is unique that there was forty days of the wilderness. Jesus was

tempted for forty days, right, he was prepared, preparing for ministry for

forty days, and then after forty days of teaching and disciples, he ascended.

So here is at the end of these forty days. He's been teaching

them, he's been preparing them, and one of his last instructions for them

was to um to remain in Jerusalem. So here the disciples are. He's

told them, you need to go into Jerusalem, and you need to wait

into Jerusalem for what and what we looked at the last few weeks for wait

for the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit is coming, the one that the

Father has promised is coming, the one that John the Baptists has prophesied has

come. Jesus has said that the Holy Spirit is coming. So you need

to wait in Jerusalem for that promise Holy Spirit. But as we come to

this these few verses, here he teaches them again about some some last words,

and we see them waiting. Even the men the witnesses says, why

are you standing here? There? They're they're not um following through here,

and we're going to see, but don't you see what happens here that um?

They are moved by what they're saul to obey that command to go to

Jerusalem. They are moved by what they hear to respond in obedience. It's

interesting as we come to this, these verses Versus six through nine, we

see that Jesus has taught on several different things. He's taught about his second

coming and when he's going to return again. But in this passage scripture,

he's taught all them things. He's told them about when about coming again.

He's told them about the coming of the Holy Spirit. He's told them about

waiting. He's taught about the Kingdom of God. And we're going to look

at that in just a minute. But the Bible says, if you look

at verse six, and when they had come together, they asked him,

Lord, will you at this time restore the Kingdom of Visual? And he

responds to them in verse seven, and then after he responds about when he's

going to come again, And I'm going to talk about that in just a

minute. In verse nine, it says, and when they had said these

things, as they were looking on, he was lifted up and a cloud

took him out of their sight. You know, they had seen Jesus appeared

to them several times forty days. Jesus had appeared to them in those forty

days. Jesus appearance was to assure them that he really did rise again,

that this was not a figment of their imagination, that he really did die,

he really was buried, and he really did rise again. And so

for those forty days he appeared off and all even we see Jesus trying to

show that he really has risen in that when he met with them, he

visited with them. We see this at the sea Gale, we see this

in other places that Jesus ate. Did Jesus need to eat, No,

Jesus did not need to eat. Jesus ate to demonstrate to them he really

was truly alive, he really did raise again, he really was in physical

form. He also we also see Jesus want to verify that he really had

risen again because he comes to Thomas, and you remember when he met Thomas

in the upper room, Thomas is doubting, I won't believe that he's really

risen again. And why unless I put my hands in his hand up,

put my hands in his side. And you remember when he came to Thomas,

what he tells, Thomas, do Thomas touch me? Put your hand

here, Thomas, put your hand in my side. He wanted Thomas in

that place, who was doubting whether Jesus had really risen again, to physically

touch him, to verify that he had risen again. Jesus had done all

these things. And as you imagine, as we come to the Book of

Acts, there was so much speculation that had been in the community, in

the world about Jesus, about these Christians, about the truth of the gospel,

the truth of Jesus. And Luke is giving a first hand testimony.

I witness the out of saying, listen, I saw Jesus. I saw

him in those forty days, and I was there with him in his last

moments, and I saw him a sin. So we see this imagery Jesus

ascending. It's interesting as he gives testimony of Jesus as sin. In verse

nine, he says, and when they had seen and when he said these

things, they were looking on and he was lifted up and a cloud took

him out of their sight. It's interesting that you can imagine they see this

authentication that Jesus really had risen again. They'd touched him, they had seen

him eat, they'd seen him teach. It really was him, and now

this one that they had all this hope and they were discouraged after he died.

What are we going to do after he's gone? And now he came

back and they were so excited. He's back and they with him and he's

teaching them. He's taught Peter by the sea and talked Peter about do you

really love me? Peter? He restored Peter. He's done all these great

teaching moments, and then he gives them this last Here there's one critical thought

about what it's going to happen. When are you going to come back again?

They ask that, or we're gonna look at that in a minute.

They asked their last really big question, and then they see this one that

they've put all their hope in and they see him assin. Can you imagine

what it must have been like on that mount Olives to be with Jesus,

to hear his last words, but to see his body raise up slowly and

then into the clouds. Scripture says, in that moment, look at what

happens. And when they said these things, as they were looking on,

he was lifted up. I wonder how fast that was, you know,

how slow was it? How fast did he go up there? I don't

know, Just use your imagination. But the Bible says he was lifted up.

But then look at this key thing that says said here and a cloud

took him out of their sight. You know, in scripture we see a

cloud a lot, and in scripture, the cloud envelops the glory of God.

Just think about that for a minute. In scripture we see a cloud

holding or engulfing the glory of God. If you think about that just for

a minute. And when the Moses created the tabernacle, we saw the glory

of God descend upon and hover over the tabernacle. And what was the glory

of God in it was in the form of a cloud. As you go

to Solomon's temple, Solomon rebuilt the temple right that God always um led David

to build, and Solomon built that temple. And what was the what did

they the people see, the people of God see they saw the glory of

God descend upon the temple and fill the temple in What was it? It

was a thick cloud. The glory of God in the Old Testament was seen

being engulfed in a cloud. It was it was a visible token to God's

people of God's divine glory. By the way, if you remember, then

I'll always see this in the Old Testament. But we also see this in

the New Testament. You remember in Luke nine, we see that Jesus took

three disciples up onto the mountain and what we know as the transfiguration, he

revealed his glory to those three disciples, you remember, Jesus teaches and they

see his glory. And then there's there's Moses, Elijah, and there's a

few others. And after that, Peter's he's kind of um, just really

loving this mountaintop experience, and he just wants to build this to be a

permanent place that they live. And he says to Jesus, why don't we

fix them some places for us to stay, And we'll fix a place for

you. We'll fix a place for Elijah, will fix a place for me

and Peter and John. And right after he says that, listen to what

the Bible says. At Luke nine thirty four through thirty six, it says,

and after as he was saying these things, listen to this, a

cloud came and overshadowed them, and they were afraid as they entered the cloud.

What did I say? Clouds showed in engulfed and the God divine glory

of God. Listen as they entered a cloud, a voice came out of

clouds, saying, this is my son, my chosen one. Listened to

him, And when the voice had spoken, Jesus was found alone. And

they kept silent and told no one in those days anything that they had seen.

What was that cloud that came upon Pewter, James and John? What

was the cloud that? Scripture says that they were afraid as they entered in

That was a cloud of God's divine glory? Can I tell you that day

as they stood upon the mountain Oulives, they saw something that day, something

that day that changed them, something that day that led them to obey what

Jesus had told them to do. And what did they see? They saw

Jesus ascend into the divine glory of God. Scripture says, look at the

passenger scripture, and he was lifted up in a cloud. What took him

out of their sight? We understand that is a theophany of Jesus being consumed

or engulfed by the divine glory of God. Can I tell you Peter,

James and John saw the glory of God on that mountain, and then this

moment all disciples saw what Peter, James and John saw. You know,

by the way, is not only the day we see this in the transfiguration,

but Jesus declared prophesied about his coming in the clouds. And in Mark

thirteen twenty six, he says, and when they see the Son of Man,

listen coming in the clouds with a great listen to this power and glory.

Mark fourteen sixty two says, and Jesus says, I am, and

you will see the Son of Man, seated at the right hand of Power,

were coming in the clouds of heaven. Isn't it wonderful to think about

the last moments of these disciples, A lot of moments of anxious anxiety,

maybe discouragement, sorrow, worried what are we going to do? What they

saw in that moment that led them to obey where they saw the glory of

God. You know, as I think about us, and many times in

our life we struggle. We struggle with being obedient. Maybe, like I

said, God's calling some of you to say I've not been baptized. Maybe

today some of you are saying I need to be saved. Maybe you heard

the testimony in Miss Audrey today and you say, you know what, I

have a lot of head knowledge, but I don't have heart knowledge. And

today maybe it's an obedience of I to I need to follow in. I

need to receive. I need to put my faith in Jesus Christ or Salvation,

and I need to follow in obedience and talking to someone about how I

can put my faith in Jesus today. Maybe it is I need to tell

a loved one about Jesus. Maybe it is I need to tell a co

worker. Maybe it is I need to serve somewhere. Or maybe it is

I need to go on missions. God's calling some of you to go on

missions and maybe do a short term mission trip, maybe serving our community.

I don't know what God's calling you to do today, but I believe many

times we hold up short of being obedient to what God's wanting to do.

And many times. What the thing that God wants to use us to move

us to obedience is seeing the glory of God in the work of lives of

others. You know what I love, how I really believe the Lord led

us to this is my story month to allow people like Miss Audrey, Miss

d n Mister Robert and others who share their testimony, Mister Danny to share

their testimony because I believe this. You know, all of you, you're

probably listening to me and you're thinking about me, and I've thought the same

thing. None of us really has ever seen the glory of God. But

you've never seen Jesus face to face like disciples did. You've never seen Jesus

ascending to the clouds. They really saw something that you and I have never

seen. But I really believe one day we will see it. But you

so, you said, Pastor, how is God going to move me to

obedience by something I see? You know one thing that I can say to

you today without a doubt, that you see the glory of God working,

and where you see it is in the lives of people. You may not

see it visilely believe and Jesus face to face, but you can see the

glory of God and the testimony of Miss Audrey Huskus today. There's no doubt

denying today that God got a hold of her. There's no denying today that

God got a hold of Danny. There's no denying today that God didn't get

a hold of Miss Deanne, that God didn't get ahold of mister Robert.

And you see God working in their life, and you say, you know

what, God did something in them, And I want the God who changed

them to be the God who changes me. You know, I think of

this, and I had another story, but I just kept going back to

this one this morning. And one of the examples of this is Brandy.

And I know she loves it too, Like when I talked about Caroline,

Caroline loves it. Brandy loves it when I pick on her. But I

tell you, God used Brandy's testimony so many times. And I can think

of a time here on a Sunday morning that God led her to share a

testimony. Also think of a time at youth camp that God used to share

her testimony with our students. And through sharing those times, I know people

right here in this sanctuary who said, you know what, I was just

like Brandy, I needed to follow and believe He's baptism. And it wasn't

until I heard how she struggled with her doubts of her salvation, how she

struggled with being obedient, how she struggled with telling somebody about what Jesus did

for her. And hearing her struggle as a pastor's wife, it made me

feel like, you know why, I wasn't alone. I wasn't the only

one struggling. I wasn't the only one that had these doubts. And when

I saw that how she took those steps of obedience and how God changed her,

you know what, God can also change me. And there's many of

who responded in the obedience why because they heard the faithful testimony of a believer.

And that's my hope this month that as you've heard Miss all Drew's testimony

and mister Danny's testimony, Miss Deane and mister Roberts, that you see the

glory of God moving and descending on the lives of people, and you say,

you know what, I want some of that. So I ask you

today, what are you seeing God do in the lives of others? And

how is that moving you to say, you know what I need to be

obedient to. Secondly, they were moved by only what they saw, but

they were moved by what they heard. The passage says that can you imagine

this? They were the Bible says in verse ten, and while they were

gazing into heaven as they went, I mean, I don't I don't know

my crazy imagination would they did? They see one cloud go by and say,

like, you know, you were seen the like you go to the

basketball games and they got like three cups and they put a ball into one

of the cups and they moved the cups around, you know, and you

got to chase. Maybe they thought, all right, we saw one cloud.

He flipped an and they're trying to find out which cloud he's in.

I don't know. I'm just used. That was supposed to be funny,

and nobody laughed, So I gotta work harder on my jokes in the future.

I didn't have that in my notes papers, shouldn't might have put it

in my notes, so you know, who knows what they're thinking. But

they're looking and gazing into the cloud. Scripture says it says, listen,

behold two, listen to what it says, to behold two men stood by

by them in white road. Instead Minna Galilee? Why do you stand looking

into heaven? It's like, come on, guys, he's gone. You're

standing around looking around in the clouds. Wait for him to come back,

Wait for him to give you another command. He's told you to go to

Jerusalem. You've saw the glory of God. You know you've seen what Peter,

James and John have seen. Now be obedient, get to Jerusalem.

Why are you delaying? Why are you anxious? Why are you worried?

Why are you filled with sorrow? Get to work? Why do you stand

here looking in the clouds. It's time for you to be obedient. It's

like the story I've to share with you just a few sundays ago. You

know, when you've got kids who are small, and as they're growing up

and they're young, you go to a restaurant and it's time to order,

and you know they're kind of small, intimid and you know they ordered the

same thing chicken nuggets and fries. Every time. You know how hard it

is to be you say, you order the same thing. Just say the

same thing. You always say when we go to every restaurant. You know,

so how hard it is. But you know, you get to that

moment and the waiter comes up and they look at you like they like they've

lost all ability to talk. You know, it's just like you can.

You can order for yourself. You know you can do this. Come on,

come on now, daddy, will you tell them? Tell them?

Daddy? Did you tell tell them? Well, they hear you telling me

that that you want chicken nuggets and fries. So just as easy it is

for you to tell me, you tell them, you know. And so

but eventually, as they get older, you you have to say it's time

for you. It's time for you to share. Right. Well, that's

kind of the imagery here. Jesus has done all the teaching right. Um,

they're throughout their ministry for these three years and they're used to Jesus always

being the one to tell people right, and now it's like, hey,

disciples, Jesus is gone. It's your time. It's your time to tell

you've heard the faithful message. The Kingdom of God has come. Jesus is

the Messiah. He did live, he did die, he did rise again,

and people can put their faith in him. And he came God so

loved the world that he gave his only begotten son, that whosoever shall believe

in Him shall not perish, but have everlasting life. You've heard the message

of the Gospel's disciples. Now it's time for you. It's sure time.

And yet they're standing there looking into the clouds, waiting for Jesus to come

back and do the work for them and listen to what it says. These

two men stood beside them and said, mine, gallee, why do you

stand up looking into heaven. Luke really wants Theopholis and he wants the readers,

you and I to understand these two white robe men standing beside them,

or the same two white robe men that were in Luke twenty four and Luke

twenty four as they were going to the tomb, looking into the tomb,

Luke twenty four says, while they were plexed about this, the body was

what gone and what scripture says. And while they were plex about that,

beholds two men stood by them, dazzling in appearance, and they to proclaim,

why he's not here right? He has risen. Luke wants you and

I to understand that the witnesses of his resurrection are the same. Now,

angelic witnesses, they are at his ascension. Isn't that wonderful? Luke wants

you and I to understand this. By the way, in Scripture, it's

really important that there's two In Deuteronomy, there was a command from scripture that

and this is the command. A single witness shall not suffice against a person

for any crime, or for any wrong in connection to offense. These commit

committed. Only the evidence of two witnesses or of three witnesses shall a charge

be established. God sent to angelic witnesses that the testimonies could be sure Jesus

did rise again. So here's these disciples and they're standing there. It's interesting.

These disciples really have struggled with this Kingdom of God thing, and it

is something that we two can struggle with even so much. They asked one

last question that the very end before Jesus ascended. And what was that question?

We'll go with me to it verse seven or verse six. So when

they had come together to ask him, Lord, will you at this time

restore the Kingdom of Visual? For Jews understand this, it's so foundational for

Jews. Every Jew really wanted the Kingdom of God to come. And for

the Jews throughout their history, they had looked for the Kingdom of God to

come. Even Zacharite prophesied it. He called the Day of the Lord.

And in their mind, when the Kingdom of God would come, two things

would happen. God's people would be vindicated. So all the times that other

nations had come and take in Israel and destroyed them, and abused them,

and taken all the things from them and carried them off in captivity, when

the Kingdom of God would come, or the Day of the Lord would come,

God's people would be vindicated to the wrong that had been done to them.

And number two, the second thing that would happen on the day of

the Lord, the Kingdom of God, as the Jews longed for, was

the nations of the earth that rejected God would be vanquished. God would wipe

out those who have rejected him. He would judge them this whole life.

These Jews, these disciples had heard that they know now and as I've talked

about last week, that the Kingdom of God had come and Jesus and the

Kingdom of God has begun through the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus,

Jesus life, death, and resurrection had inaugurated the Kingdom of God.

But listen, it wasn't the Kingdom of God that the Jews were looking for,

and and the disciples struggled to with itself. But for the Disciples,

they understood that in these last forty days, Jesus had told them that my

death, life, death and resurrection has inaugurated the Kingdom of God. The

Kingdom of God is now. I am here. You can have a right

relationship with me right now on this earth. I can forgive you of sins.

You can have the Holy Spirit who dwell within you. God's kingdom has

come now, and you can enjoy His kingdom right now on this earth.

And there is this dynamic that we live in what we call the now and

not yet that now, and that the Kingdom of God has come through Jesus.

You can have a right relationship with Jesus through faith in him. You

can have the dwelling of the Holy Spirit, and you can enjoy forgiveness is

sin and a right relationship with Jesus right now. But there is not yet.

And that is a consummation that Jesus is coming back, and that is

the peace that Jews, we're looking for when are you going to come back?

When are you going to come back can vindicate the wrongs that's happened to

us? When are you going to come back and judge those who have not

believed in you? And Jesus responded to their question their last part here,

Okay, Jesus, you've told us that the Kingdom of God's come, and

we understand that now now, but there's also a consummation when you are going

to come back again, and you are going to vindicate your people, and

you're going to judge all nations. And so their question is when is that?

When's the second part? God? When's it not yet? And this

is what Jesus said to them at verse seventy says, and it's not for

you to know the times of their season, that the Father is fixed by

his own authority. But you will see power in the Holy Spirit has come

upon you, and you'll be my witnesses in Jerusalem and Judea and Samaria to

the ends of the earth. He basically says, listen, that's not really

your business. It's not any of yours to decide. Only the God knows,

and he is the one who is fixed that by his authority. But

as you come to verse ten. And the reason why I think this is

important because in verse ten, they're standing up looking and they're looking about.

Maybe they're looking about when's it going to come back? And listen to the

angels say to these men, why are you standing up looking? He's gone.

It's time to be obedient. But listen to what he says to them.

This is this Jesus who was taken up from you into heaven will come

in the same way as you saw him going to heaven. It's kind of

the last part of the question that you had. You know, you asked

when when's it going to come back? When Jesus coming back? You know,

only Father really knows the time, and he's fixed that by his own

authority. But these two witnesses have now or giving witness. Listen, they're

giving witness to his second coming, and they're telling him, based upon the

evidence of two witnesses that just what you have seen in the same way,

Jesus is coming back. Now, thinking about that for a minute, how

did Jesus ascend? Jesus will send it into and send it up right and

then a cloud engulfed him in a divine glory, and he was gone.

So the angel said, in the same way, Jesus is coming back.

So how is Jesus coming back? Listen, He'll come back in the clouds.

He'll come back with the divine glory of God, and he'll come and

descend on this earth. And in that moment when he comes back again,

listen, it's going to be the second part of the coming of God,

of the Kingdom of God. When he comes, he will vindicate God's people.

Then justice has happened against God's people, and he will judge every nation

and every people who have rejected him as the Messiah. He is coming again.

And so therefore he's tells disciples, listen, he's on what you've seen,

based upon what you hear. What go and look at the next verse,

next verse in verse twelve. And then they return to Jerusalem from the

mount called Olivet, which is near Jerusalem on a Sabbath day's journey away.

What did they do they obey? You know, it's interesting. It's I

don't know if it's once a week, it's definitely once a month. It's

probably comes up to me. A question comes up to me and says pastor

are we in the last days? It said, Pastor, you know,

just think about how all the things are happening in our world. Think about

all the evil and all the injustices in our world. Think about how our

world has just turned our back on God, and our our world doesn't believe

in God anymore. God's God to see this. God's got to see all

this evil. They've got to see everything that's happening. Don't you believe,

Pastor, we're in the last days. I had a mom from BCA just

a few weeks ago to ask me this very question. Can I tell you

with all confidence in the Word of God the answer to that question. The

answer to that question is the day that Jesus ascended on that mountain was the

beginning of the last days. And we are today in the last days.

And because He has ascended, and because we have the promises of two angelic

witnesses, listen, we need to get to work. We need to obey.

We don't need to delay. We don't need to say I've got tomorrow

or I got the next day. Today we are in the last days.

There are people who need to hear the gospel. There are people who need

to share the gospel. There are people whore to follow and believers baptism.

There are people who need to receive christis of a Lord and Savior. There

are people who need to get into work and the talents that God's given them

to use them for the glory of God. We need to get to work

because we are in the last days and He's coming. And when he comes,

Lord, I don't know about you, but I want to be ready.

I want to be found faithful. Heard the story and I'll close with

this, but I'm getting fired up. Man, I can go another thirty

minutes if you ask me. President Kennedy in nineteen sixty he used to use

this story in the close of his speeches. It tells the story of a

colonel named Davenport. He was a speaker of the Connecticut House of Representatives on

May nineteen, May nineteenth, seventeen eighty and I'm Hartford, Connecticut. They

were in the House of Representatives. Suddenly a dark omunist cloud came upon Hartford,

and it had the people in the House of Representatives glaring out the windows

with what was going on at the time. They feared that day that the

end was at hand, so much so that there there were some there's some

clamoring in the House representative. There's people at that day who wanted to adjourn.

They were so fearful that that with that cloud and how dark it had

gotten, that the end was coming, that they wanted to adjourn the meeting.

Colonel Davenport rose up that day and he said these words. He said,

the day of judgment is either approaching or it's not. If it's not,

there's no cause for adjournment. But if it is, I choose to

be found doing my duty. Therefore, I wish that candles be brought in.

Rather than fearing what is to come. Listen, can I tell you,

believers, we are to be faithful until Christ returns. Instead of fearing

the dark, we are to be lights as we wait. Can I tell

you believers today God has revealed to you. You've seen the glory of God

and the moving of lives of people. It's time to obey believers a day

you've heard and you've heard the testimony, the testimony of some majelic witnesses,

the testimony of the Word of God, the testimony of others, or what

God has done in their life, the testimony. Listen that we are in

the last days. It's time to get to work. May we obey?

Will you pray with me? Father? I thank you Lord for this morning.

I thank you Lord for the power of your word. Lord, thank

you for the movement of your spirit today. Lord. There's no doubt today

that your spirit has spoken. There's no doubt today that your spirit is speaking

now. And Lord, as you lead us to respond to your invitation,

whether it's come to this altar and pray, whether it's to think about steps

of how they're going to obey and baptism or salvation or rededication or service.

Lord, whatever you lead them to do today, Lord, I pray that

today they would be found faithful. Lord. Thank you Lord for your word

today, lead us to response. In your name, we pray. Amen.