Sermon
Acts: Jesus' Last Words
Publisher transcript
Transcript
-
Well, hope you have your Bibles with you if you'll turn with me to
-
Acts, Acts chapter one. Last week we started our study in the Book
-
of Acts, and so we want to continue in chapter one today verse three.
-
As you notice, things are a little different this morning, to look
-
a little different, and that's you see this massive stage here, and so
-
that is for our musical at BCA, which is Mary Poppins, and so
-
that's coming up in a few weeks. So I encourage you to support the
-
ministry here, I mean coming being a part of Mary Poppins Junior tickets.
-
They'll have some tickets or after service if you're interested in getting one of those.
-
That's on me first and second. So that's what all the stage.
-
They do a credible job, so I hope you'll come in again support them.
-
So today Acts chapter one, starting at verse three, and we'll read
-
three verses eight to title. My sermon today is Jesus's last Words, and
-
as we come to this passage scripture, Jesus is sharing his last words with
-
his disciples. Now last words are very important in our world. It's something
-
that we even do legal documents, and that's the last Will and Testament,
-
and that's what we have a will. When someone passes away, they will
-
go to a law office before they do that and they'll create this great document
-
it gives their last words or the last will of things that they would like
-
to be done with the family as before they go, and they'll even that's
-
so important that they'll take it to a lawyer, and a lawyer where maybe
-
make it official or to be notarized. But that's because it's believed to be
-
a very important document. And as you know, many times after someone passes
-
away, they take that last will and testament and they'll come in and the
-
family will come together and nobody has heard it's been a sealed document, right
-
and for so long, and then sometimes they'll open up that last will and
-
that last will and testament of that individual will be read before everyone in the
-
family. Right. And so as last words are very important, we do
-
that in our world. And if we think about that, if it's individuals
-
lives and their last will is really important and you will want to follow through
-
what with their wishes it will. I think today, as we come to
-
Jesus's last words, we should also cherish them and we should consider today individually
-
incorporately as a church. What is God's last words from me? What were
-
Jesus's last words for me? And how am I living out what he would
-
want from me? So that's today's the idea behind today's passage. And I
-
pray today that you will consider, individually incorporately, what is Jesus's last words
-
for me? And how am I obeying those words? So let's stand together.
-
Let's read I Act chapter one, and we'll start in verse three,
-
and it says this, and he presented himself alive to them after suffering by
-
meny proofts and appearing to them during forty days and speaking about the Kingdom of
-
God. And while he was staying with them, he ordered them not to
-
depart from Jerusalem, but to wait for the promised Holy Spirit, which he
-
said, you've heard from me from John to Baptists that John baptized with water,
-
but you will be baptized with the Holy Spirit not many days from now.
-
And so when they had come together, they asked him, Lord,
-
will you at this time restore the Kingdom of Israel? And he said to
-
them, it's not for you to know the season, the time or seasons
-
that the Father has fixed by his own authority, but you will receive power
-
when the Holy spirits come upon you, and you'll be my witnesses in Jerusalem,
-
in all Judea and Samaria, into the ends of the earth. Let's
-
pray together, Father, We thank you Lord for today. We thank you
-
for gathering us together to hear your word. We thank you Lord for this
-
month. This is my story that you've given us all a store in today
-
as we listen for your last words to your disciples, and as disciples here
-
today, as believers, as followers, as church body. God, may
-
we consider Lord, what your words are to us, and Lord, we
-
would consider how we are going to follow through with your commands and your wishes
-
for us. So Lord, lead us through truth. Lord, you know
-
today that I need you as the messenger that you've appointed to this church.
-
And so Lord, may you feel me Lord today, May your Holy Spirit
-
speak through me. And Lord, I pray for the hearers today that they
-
would hear your word and respond Lord, not according to me, but according
-
to Lord what you have called them to. So Lord, we ask,
-
united as a body today, Lord, speak clearly to our hearts and give
-
us hearts to hear and hearts to obey. In your name, We pray
-
amen, you may be seated. So he should come to chapter one.
-
There's really two things he tells them in this passenge scriptures, and I want
-
us to see those two. The very first thing that Jesus says to them
-
is wait for the Holy Spirit. Wait for the promised Holy Spirit. Wait
-
for the promise Lord Spirit. As you come to chapter one, and we
-
go to verse three, we'll live that a little bit last week. But
-
in verse three says he presented himself alive to them after suffering many proofs and
-
appearing to them for forty days. So for forty days after Jesus ascended,
-
scripture tells us, and we have many different accounts that will tell us that
-
Jesus was on earth before he ascended for forty days, and then those forty
-
days he kind of by the way you hear a little bit of imagery,
-
forty days he was in the wilderness right forty day Israel was in the wilderness
-
forty days he was tested. Then after he ascended, he was on earth
-
forty days, and then those forty days he there's a period of teaching,
-
Jesus says, knowing that his time is on earth as their ascension is very
-
short, and he wants to capitalize on that time, and so he really
-
focuses on his teaching, and there's several aspects of what he wants to do.
-
He wants to present himself proofs, present proofs of his suffering, that
-
he did suffering, and wants to present proof that he is alive. And
-
so that's very important to Jesus. He wants them to see that he did
-
suffer. He wants them to see he really did resurrect, he really is
-
alive. But then he also wants to it's not just important important for him
-
to prove that he died and rose again. He also wants to disciple his
-
disciples. He wants to teach them. He knows that he's going to go
-
away from them, and he's there's many lessons that he wants them to understand.
-
So we see some lessons that Jesus is teaching and during those forty days,
-
and we see the summary of some of that in these next few verses.
-
So there's some lessons that he wants them to some things, some knowledge
-
that he wants them to understand, but there's also some commands, there's some
-
instructions of things that he wants them to do after he's gone, and so
-
we'll do to see kind of those two parts in this in Verse three says
-
he presented himself alive to them after after his suffering, and by many proofs,
-
he appeared to them during forty days and speaking about and here's the teaching,
-
here's the lesson, speaking about the Kingdom of God. We see that
-
in Luke. So by the way, Luke the Gospel, writer of Luke
-
the Gospel, also is the writer of the Book of Acts. Well.
-
At the end of his writing of the Gospel, he summarizes too very some
-
of the very things that Jesus did. And in Luke twenty forty two he
-
describes kind of an instance that Jesus is with his disciples in those forty days,
-
and kind of what happened. And so in verse forty two says he
-
gave him a piece of world fish, and he took it and ate it
-
before them, and then he said to them, these are my words I
-
spoke to you while still with you. And everything that's written about me in
-
the Law of Moses and the prophets and the Psalms must be fulfilled. And
-
then verse forty five and he said, it says, and he opened their
-
minds to understand scripture, and he said to them, thus is written that
-
Christ should suffer on the third day and rise from the dead, and that
-
repentance for the forgiveness of sins should be proclaimed in his name to all the
-
nations, beginning in Rusalem. The main lesson that Jesus taught his disciples in
-
those forty days, even over this meal of fish, was that his death,
-
his burial, and his resurrection inaugurated the Kingdom of God. You see
-
in Jesus's teaching. We talked about this a little bit last week. Jesus,
-
why he was on earth, continued to talk about the Kingdom of God
-
was coming, but it was not yet right. Even when he was before
-
Pilot, are you of this world? Are you a king? He says,
-
My kingdom is not of this world right, And his time had not
-
yet come. And we heard that. So his disciples through those three years
-
had been continue to look for this Kingdom of God that Jesus had talked about.
-
And when Jesus died and he rose again and resurrected, Jesus is showing
-
them now the Kingdom of God has come and the Kingdom of God was inaugurated
-
through my death, barrel and resurrection. That is when the Kingdom of God
-
began. See h God was a pastor and he wrote these words. He
-
said, the Kingdom of God has conceived as a coming, as coming in
-
the events of the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus. And to
-
proclaim these facts and their proper setting is to preach the gospel of the Kingdom
-
of God. Why is this important? Why does he want them to understand
-
that? Because he'd been teaching for three years throughout all of Galilee, all
-
of Jerusalem, to Samaria, to all these different places that the Kingdom of
-
God was coming, and he was leading Israel and people to anticipate this Kingdom
-
of God was coming. And now he's saying, listen to Kingdom of God
-
has come, and it came through me. It came from me, living
-
and dying and raising again. So now, disciples, you need to go
-
and proclaim throughout all these regions that the Kingdom of God has come. And
-
who brought the Kingdom of God. His name is Jesus, and he lived
-
and died and rose again. So it's very important that they understand that the
-
Kingdom of God, which theology would tell us that it was the Church aid
-
had begun through the death bearer resurrection of Jesus Christ. So that was the
-
key lessons up for Jesus. But there's a command here that Jesus has for
-
them. So in verse three it says that they were and he was forty
-
days and he's speaking about the Kingdom of God. And verse four it says,
-
and while he was staying with them, he ordered them not to depart
-
from Jerusalem, but to wait for the promise of the Father. So you
-
see this imagery. So there's this lesson he was teaching about the Kingdom of
-
God. Verse four tells us that he ordered them. Now, scripture says
-
he ordered them to do what he ordered them not to depart for Jerusalem,
-
say ordered them to say, So you see this really imagery of this command
-
he and what was why do he want them to stay in Jerusalem? Well,
-
scripture says he ordered them to not depart from Jerusalem. But what but
-
to wait to wait for? What? To wait for the promise Holy Spirit.
-
In the Old Testament, in a prophet, a lord of minor prophet
-
called Joel. In Joel chapter two, verses twenty through thirty two. There
-
was this promise of the Old Testament of the prophet named Joel about this Holy
-
Spirit that would come. And this is how Joel would describe it in his
-
book. He would say, and it shall come to pass afterward that I
-
will pour out my spirit on all flesh, your sons and your daughters,
-
they shall prophesied. Old men shall dream dreams, and your young men shall
-
see visions, and on every male and female servant. And in those days
-
I will pour out my spirit. Listen to what verse thirty says, and
-
I'll show wonders in heaven and on earth. The blood and fire comes and
-
smoke, and the sun shall be turned into darkness and the moon to blood.
-
And so before there's great an awesome day, the Lord's coming verse thirty
-
two. It shall come to pass that everyone who calls upon the name of
-
the Lord shall be saved. So Joel described and prophesied in the Old Testament
-
that this Holy Spirit of God would come upon and there would be a widespread
-
movement of the Holy Spirit. And what were the signs of that there would
-
be an outpouring of God. But it would be an outpouring of salvation.
-
Everyone who calls upon the name of the Lord would be saved. Everyone,
-
meaning Jews and Gentiles, people from all tribes and all lands would be saved
-
through the outpouring of this Holy Spirit. This was a promise of the Old
-
Testament, but it was also a promise in the New Testament. There was
-
another prophet by the name of John the Baptists, and when he saw Jesus's
-
coming, he prophesied and says he is talking about his baptized. He says,
-
I baptized with water. But there's one who's coming after me, who
-
sentdles. I cannot are worthy to untie who will baptize you with what the
-
Holy Spirit? And so Jesus listen to the words here in verse four,
-
Jesus taking the words of John the Baptists, and by the way Jesus had
-
taught on, the Holy Spirit was coming. He said, and we're gonna
-
look at that a little bit. On fourteen he told his ziples, I
-
pray that the Father will give you a helper, and we're going to look
-
at it that in a little bit. But Jesus in verse five, he
-
is quoting John to badness. He's using the illusion of John the baptist.
-
And he says this for John, the baptize with water. What did John
-
say, for I baptized with water, But one who's coming after me will
-
baptize you with the Holy Spirit. Jesus is alluding to those words, and
-
this is what he says, for John baptized with water, But you'll be
-
baptized with the Holy Spirit not many days from now. So Jesus commands them,
-
wait for the Holy Spirit. Wait for the Holy Spirit. You've heard
-
about him. He's coming. Wait for it. That was the command there,
-
wait for the Holy Spirit. Now the word holy Spirit. And by
-
the way, and I mentioned this earlier. In John fourteen, Jesus would
-
pray for the Holy Spirit to come upon the believers, and he would say
-
these words in John fourteen sixteen, I will ask the Father, He'll give
-
you another helper to be with you forever. For even the Spirit of the
-
truth of the world cannot receive because they neither see him or know him.
-
But you know with him, and he dwells with you, and he'll be
-
with he'll be in you. So he describes that he asked the Father to
-
give believers a helper. That word helper, there's u parlack cleck. I
-
think it's how you say that, and it's the idea of someone who provides
-
aid or relief. And then script sure, this helper is God. It's
-
God who gives the believer help some thirty ten, says Old Lord. Here,
-
Old Lord, and be merciful to me, Old Lord, be my
-
helper. You know, when I was I was thinking about this message and
-
prepared, and I thought about Caroline that she loves it when I used her
-
as an illustration. But when she was a little she was and I know
-
I shared this a little bit before with you, but she was let's just
-
say, a little strong, wild and um, she was probably three or
-
four, and you would try to help her do something and she said,
-
I do it myself. I do it myself, you know. And it
-
would, you know, trying to I do it myself. You know,
-
you wanted she was trying to do something, and she would be couldn't do
-
it. I do it myself. You know. She put a little look
-
at you know, and so but you know, I'm sure at three,
-
you know, she could pick up her toys. You know, at three,
-
she could feed herself. At three, she could walk, you know,
-
at three she definitely could talk, but she could not reach the counter
-
right, She could not make her food, she could not drive, thank
-
the Lord, she could not read. There was limits to what she could
-
do. You know, but we are a lot like Caroline, right,
-
and that spiritually we want to do things ourselves. Spiritually, we want to
-
battle sin ourselves. Spiritually, will want to overcome pain in this life ourselves.
-
Spiritually we want to overcome grief ourself. And spiritually is things that reality
-
is. Hear me, you cannot do on your own. Now you may
-
be like Caroline and you say to God, I'll do it myself. God,
-
I've got this sin under control, or God, I've got this grief
-
under control, or God, I can handle the bitterness that's in me,
-
or God I can handle the pain that's in me, or God I can
-
handle that difficult relationship that I'm trying to struggle with, or God I can
-
handle the problems at work, or I can be in so beautifully described or
-
testimony times what she struggled with trying to do things on her own. We
-
all at times want to say to God, I do it myself. But
-
his word, his command to his disciples, is what wait for the Holy
-
Spirit. I what I prayed that God would send you what a helper that
-
you don't have to do it yourself. But I want to endwell you with
-
the power of the Holy Spirit, to be able to overcome and do things
-
spiritually that you cannot do in and of yourself. And Paul would say this
-
in scripture. He says in five sixteen of Glaciers. But I say,
-
walk in the spirit. Do not gratify the desires of the flesh for the
-
desires of the flesh, or against the spirit. Desires of the flesh,
-
or against the spirit. These oppose each other and to keep you from doing
-
the things that you want to do. But if you're led by the spirit,
-
you're not under the law. Paul would say, listen, walk through
-
the Holy Spirit. Walk in the Holy Spirit. Don't walk in the power
-
of your own flesh. He says his disciples, Listen. I know you
-
think you can do this without me. I know you think after I a
-
sin, that you can handle everything that's going to come your way. But
-
I am telling you, disciples, wait for the Holy Spirit. Can I
-
say There's there's many of you here today, and you may think that I've
-
got my life under control. I can handle my life. I can handle
-
the sin. I can handle all these things. And the Lord is saying
-
to you today, spiritually you're a mess. And the reason why you're a
-
mess is because you're trying to do take care of your own spiritual life,
-
your own life in and of your own power, and you're trying to do
-
it yourself, and you are in a mess. When will you finally listen
-
to say to my commands of wait on the hoy Spirit, walking the Holy
-
Spirit. I've given you a helper. You don't have to do it on
-
your own. You know, there are this temptation of not waiting on the
-
spirit and not resting or walking in the spirit. But there's also a temptation
-
to to to share the gospel in their own strength for the disciples. But
-
there's a there's another temptation, and that's a temptation not to do something because
-
we don't believe we can do it right. You know, there's this idea
-
of Okay, I can handle my sin, and I can I can I
-
can do that by myself. I can handle the grief, I can handle
-
the bitterness. I can handle some relationship problems. I can do that myself.
-
But Lord for you to for me to share the gospel. Uh,
-
yeah, I can't do that. Okay. I can handle my sin and
-
I can handle relation. And just by the way, doesn't that seem a
-
little opposite, like that seems like something wrong with that? We can tell
-
God we can handle the most difficult things like sin and bitterness and anger and
-
pain. We can do that ourselves, right, But the the easier things
-
about sharing the gospel we won't do. Right. But that's what we do.
-
We we for for there's this temptation in us that we'll try to do
-
things we can't do. But the very things that God wants us to do
-
that we can do, we say, we can't do that. Right.
-
I can handle the sin, I can handle these things, but God,
-
I cannot share the gospel of someone I can do that. I can't share
-
with my lost loved one or my lost family member or that lost co worker
-
or that lost neighbor or that lost person at the gas station or at walm
-
or at the restaurant. I can't share. I cannot do that. And
-
what will we say? I don't have the power to do that. And
-
we say, if I do that, I'll make a mess I've shared with
-
you many times about how I like to work on cars, and that's something
-
I just started a few years ago, probably about ten years ago. And
-
for a long long time most of my life up I would not work on
-
a car, or maybe change the oil and do a few things, but
-
anything beyond that I would not do. And a lot of it is because
-
I felt like I didn't have the knowledge of the ability, and if I
-
did it, I would make a mess, like I would break the car,
-
I would make things worse for the car. So I just would not
-
do it. There wasn't and so it wasn't until I went to Olive Grove.
-
And when I was Alive Grove, there was a deacon there and his
-
name was Fred Bratcher, and Fred was a mechanic in the Guard. And
-
I told Fred I'd really like to learn, and so we went to his
-
garage and with Fred's help, he showed me how to do different things.
-
And now there, with that helper with me, I had I gained the
-
confidence that I can do that. See here for you today, there's many
-
of people say, you know why I can't share the gospel, And I
-
really believe the disciple has also had some hesitancy. I think they believed they
-
could do a lot of things on their own, but I think there would
-
be times where they says, Lord, I don't know if I can do
-
that. And Lord was saying, listen, wait on the Holy Spirit.
-
I'm going to send you a helper who's going to give you what you need.
-
In those moments. In Mark thirteen ten through eleven, he says,
-
in the Gospel must be first proclaimed to all the nations, and when they
-
bring you to a trial and deliver you over, don't be anxious beforehand what
-
you are to say, but say whatever it's given to you in that hour,
-
for it's not you to speak, but the Holy Spirit who speaks.
-
I think the Lord knew that for the disciples, there are going to be
-
some things that they try to do on their own power. But then there
-
also be some things that they would say, you know what, Lord,
-
we don't want to do that. And the Lord was saying in both moments,
-
I've got a helper for you. I've got a helper to help you
-
through the difficult things in your life, but also have a helper to help
-
you share the gospel that in his power he will give you the words that
-
you need to say. You know the biggest reason why we don't share the
-
Gospel's fear, isn't it. We fear rejection, We fear that will mess
-
it up. But Jesus is saying there's no reason to fear in this passage
-
of scripture, Disciple, Why because the Lord gave you an helper, a
-
helper, the Holy Spirit, and he will give you what you need in
-
that moment to share. You're not alone. The Holy Spirit is with you.
-
I wonder today, spiritually, what are you trying to handle yourself?
-
What bitterness are you trying to handle yourself? What grief are you trying to
-
handle yourself? What pain are you trying to handle yourself? Jesus asked the
-
Holy Spirit to give you a helper, that Holy Spirit, helper God gave
-
for you that He might do in you what you cannot do in and on
-
your own strength. Grief, pain, suffering, sorrow, guilt, shame,
-
sin. God's given you a helper to help you overcome the those things.
-
How are you waiting on that Holy Spirit? How are you trusting in
-
the Holy Spirit? How many of you maybe here today says you feel like
-
Lord, I've made a mess with my life. There's no way I can
-
really share the Gospel with the mess I've made with my life. No way
-
I can do that. Jesus has said to you today, and not only
-
will I help you with the trouble in your life, but I'll help you
-
with sharing the Gospel. I'll give you what you need. Do not fear
-
trust in the helper. Won't you see what else Jesus does here? Who
-
tells someone to wait for the Holy Spirit? But why don't you see what
-
else he says here in this passage? Pick up with me. In verse
-
six, he say one day had come together they were asking him, Lord,
-
will you at this time restore the Kingdom of Visual? When he said
-
to them, it's not for you to know the time or the seasons.
-
That the Father is fixed by his own authority. So in verse six you
-
can imagine Jesus forty days is told on the Kingdom of God. So the
-
Kingdom of God is a big subject of conversation for those forty days. One
-
aspect of the unto they understood the Kingdom of God was was this They expected
-
a military and political reign of Christ. And so in this verse six they're
-
asking about that Okay, you said the Kingdom of God has come inaugurated from
-
your death burying resurrection. Well, we'll tell us when you're going to set
-
up this political and this military reign. Um, so they expect that that
-
it would be a part of Jesus's reign on Earth. In verse seven,
-
he basically says to them, and just the most direct way I can say
-
to them, he basically says to them, that's none of your business.
-
I mean, that's basically what he says. He says in verse seven,
-
it's not for you to know the times of a season. This is basically
-
none of It's not for you to know. Um, it's none of your
-
business. You don't it's not for you to know the time or season that
-
the Father is fixed by his own authority. SE's really saying, listen,
-
you really want in your mind when you think about the Kingdom of God,
-
and what do you think it like that you wanted to be? Like you
-
think about that, you really want this military and this political right and when
-
is that going to happen? God, when you're going to do that?
-
And he says, really doesn't know your business, That's God's business. And
-
so then in verse eight, He tells them what is to be their business,
-
right, and this is what he says. He says in verse eight,
-
verse seven, this is not your business. This is God's a business.
-
In Verse eight he says, but you will will see power when the
-
Holy spirits come upon you, and you'll be my witnesses in Jerusalem and all
-
Judea and Samaria and to the ends of the earth. You know, he
-
says to them, this political realm and this military power that you want Christ
-
to reign on earth? And when will God come and write the wrongs and
-
make this a just world and clear it all the mess in this world?
-
When will God do that? And many of you have those questions today.
-
You watch the news and you see the crime, you see the social injustices
-
throughout our world. You see all the poverty, you see just all kinds
-
of trouble throughout our world. And you say, Lord, when how much
-
longer is our world going to get to this? How much longer before you
-
come and right the wrongs? And you can get so up involved in your
-
life trying to figure out when is God going to fix this, that you
-
lose sight of what is the main thing. Scripture would say Jesus would say
-
to you, as he said to them, that's God's business, and he
-
will come when it's time for him to come, and he will right the
-
wrongs. But it's not for you to figure out. So what is to
-
be your business When Jesus says your business is this, their business is this,
-
You will be my witnesses, disciples. What your business is after I'm
-
going is not how you can establish the political reign on Christ, how you
-
can get involved in politics, and how you can fix this world, or
-
how you can get a military army and fix this world. Your business is
-
that you are are to be my witnesses. You're to go and they to
-
all the kings of the earth and tell him the Kingdom of God has come.
-
That is your business. It was the business of the Old Testament prophets
-
who would tell Israel, the people of God, then you will be my
-
witnesses, declares the Lord Isaiah forty three ten. This was God's word to
-
the people of Israel. Israel, you are my people, and the reason
-
why you're my people you were to be my witnesses. Israel had failed at
-
that, And now he comes to the church, his people and the disciples
-
who would start and lead the church, and he would say to them,
-
listen to this. He uses the same terms that I do not think Jesus
-
is doing that by chance. I believe Jesus is using those words and quoting
-
Isaiah. And he says, now to disciples Israel failed, it's now what
-
to you. You will be my witnesses now and now listen what he says.
-
And I've got to be fast here. Where would they be witnesses?
-
You will receee power in the Holy Spirit come upon you. So listen.
-
You're not doing this on your own. You have a helper who's going to
-
help you do this in this mission. And he says, you will be
-
my witnesses in Jerusalem and Judea and Samaria to the ends of the earth.
-
Where were they going, Where were they to be these witnesses. Jerusalem is
-
seen as their local community. That's where they lived, that's where they lived
-
at the time. He says, you're to be my witnesses locally. He
-
also goes further than that. He says, not just locally, but but
-
you need you need to be my witnesses in Judea and Samaria. That's a
-
national level for them, that was within the nation of Israel, Judea and
-
Samaria, and He's saying, listen, you need to share the gospel locally
-
in your community, but you also need to share the gospel. You need
-
to be my witnesses nationally within your your country. And I would say,
-
listen, God's called you, and you're a business. Every individual here,
-
every this church here, God's our business needs to be about being a witness
-
for Jesus right here in the community to Bethesda, right here in Durham County.
-
But it goes beyond that, right here in the state of North Carolina.
-
That God's called us to be witnesses in United States, and we need
-
to be active about going nationally in our country and say, how are we
-
sharing the gospel in our world in our country. But it doesn't end there.
-
Listen to this in Judea and Samaria and to the ends of the earth
-
and to the ends of the Earth's internationally, they were to share the gospel
-
with people in Egypt, in Rome, that Paul would go and share the
-
gospel. And in all these different countries Paul would take the gospel to and
-
we as believers, as we as a church, we need to be about
-
Jesus's business, and that is to be his witness that the Kingdom of God
-
has come. And we need to tell people in beth Asda, we need
-
to tell people in Durham, we need to tell people in United States.
-
But we need to go to places like Georgia. We need to go to
-
places like Mexico this summer, to Tanzania. We need to take the Gospel
-
and be witnesses to the ends of the earth. I heard a story of
-
Hudson Taylor. Huston's Taylor was one of the first missionaries, and he told
-
of a Chinese pastor. He'll always instruct the new converts the witness as soon
-
as possible, he says. Once you meet a young convert, the pastor
-
said, how long before you have they been saved? That you he acquired?
-
He said, brother, he talked. The pastor was talking to a
-
young convert and a young believers. How long have you been saved? And
-
the man answered that he'd been saved about three months. This is what the
-
pastor said to him. How many of you won to the Savior. The
-
young believer says, whoa, I'm only a learner, shaking his head as
-
in disapproval. The pastor says, young man, Lord doesn't expect you to
-
be a full fled preacher. But he doesn't expect but he doesn't expect you
-
to be a faithful witness. Tell me, now, listen to this.
-
When does the candle begin to shine when it's halfway burned up? No,
-
as soon as it's lit. That's right. Let your light shine right away.
-
Can I say to you believers here today, what are you waiting on?
-
God's given you a helper. You say, I'll make a mess of
-
it. You're right, you'd make a mess of it. That's why God
-
gave you a spirit. That's why God gave you a holy spirit. And
-
in those hours he will give you what you need. Will you say,
-
Father, I'll trust your Holy Spirit, and Father, I'll be your witness.
-
I'll wait on your spirit and I'll be your witness. I wonder today,
-
have you lost your calling about being a witness? How will you be
-
a witness at work, at school, at the store, at the restaurant.
-
How will you be a witness in the United States? And how will
-
you be a witness internationally? God's called us all to be a witness.
-
I'm going to ask Brandy and Chloe and Carolina Schole to come and sing a
-
song. And we asked them to do this at this point just because this
-
message of this song, I think is just the message of this passage.
-
So listen to the words of this passage, I mean of this song,
-
and then we'll come back and have an invitation. See my hands and looking.
-
It's okay. If it's hard to believe, I have faith you'll do
-
great things. It's my time to go. But before I live, God,
-
tell the world about me. I was never Now I've gotta gone now
-
for a little wild, but good bye. It is not being o forget
-
the things that I hard. You I've conquered, and I thought, please,
-
where I go, you go to someday this much? Did you here
-
before you leave? So go tell the world about me. I was there
-
and now I gotta go. Now more wild, but goodbye is the need
-
of the journey, the end of the road. My spirit is with you
-
where I have gone. You have a purpose and I have been. I'll
-
make you this promise. I'll come. I'm back again. Until then,
-
go tell the world about me. I was deavin now live. I've gotta
-
gone out for a little wild. Goodbye. Is not the go tell him
-
about me. I've gotta go for the wild. A good bye is not the a