Power That Endures - Acts 1:1-11

We had a great time celebrating Easter and the Easter

celebration was the conclusion in our journey of.

The Gospel of Luke. So we are going to now start in

this kind of new season. The spring season is upon us.

We're going to start a new. Book of the Bible.

And very appropriately, continuing from Luke, we now

get. Really.

The sequel to Luke. And it's.

With great joy, that. I can ask you this morning to

turn to. The Book of Acts.

We'll be in Acts Chapter 1, so we've got a fan of Acts right

Acts 1 · chapter mention

here, maybe others of. You have read this.

Book been encouraged by it it it is going to be a.

Great series. And as always, you know when we.

Study a book with the the weight of.

In the history of Acts, you know we'll.

We'll do our best to. Get through the whole thing.

We're going to be studying it from now.

All the way through. Spring and then up until the

summer months all the way till our church in the park.

And so that's kind of our God graced calendar in the book of

Acts. And the way we're going to be

studying it is really looking for a, a, a dominant theme that

is in the book of Acts. And we're, we're calling that

theme. The power of the Church this

this book. We study it and we see the birth

and the. Growth of the very first.

Movement of what? We call the church.

And so we're going to. Look at the the power.

That started that and continue that that we stand on today and

so we'll be in Acts chapter 1 and we're going to look at so

Acts 1 · chapter mention

much of that foundational story this morning but we before we do

let me just. Share with you.

My heart and I hope that you can sense some of what I want to

share. As to why this?

Is such an important? Topic The The Power of the

Church. Is incredible we stand some 2000

years downstream of this movement of.

History where a radical. Transformation happened from an

empty tomb to a movement that within a few centuries took over

the known world. And how?

And it's not just a question of history, it's a question for

right now, I think. If you're at.

All in tune to the times we live in.

You're probably aware that the. Current model and season or

let's. Say church age we.

Live in is somewhat in the balance many people are asking

the question of you know the essence of church and all the

things that we do and and and the.

Way that we've structured. It and the way we've organized

church and and there's good questions to be asked about.

What? What is really?

God's design and God. 'S heart for the Church.

And this question. Will be wrestled with all.

Of you, no doubt. And it's a question that we live

in real time. Consider this, this is an

article that I that I read in preparation for this.

I stumbled upon it and the headline says this 100,000.

Churches are about to close. In our country, well praise God,

there's that many churches that can close but.

But why? What's?

Going on, here's an excerpt. It says in the in the coming

years, the United States. Could lose.

Approximately 100,000 churches, according to the National

Council of Churches. Financial strain, accelerated

societal shifts. The pandemic's disruption of in

in service. Worship are a few factors.

Driving this historic change and religious leaders warn that

these. Closures.

Will permanently transform the fabric of our nation some of you

have probably felt that some of you may have come from churches

that. Felt.

These pressures and are now, you know, not around in the last.

Few years. Some of you are going to feel

that in your personal life because not on the list are the

things that are unique. To your life that will.

Also make you question where you fit in.

To the church. And I have to say, I was

wrestling with this question. How does a church endure?

How do we find the power and the confidence?

To look at this. Warning and not lose heart and

actually look at it and say that's.

OK. The Church will in fact endure.

It despite all of these. Changes.

There the the the way. The Church May is structured and

the way it looks in our country may change, but we stand on

enduring. Power, but how?

And that question, I have to admit to you, is the same

question I wrestled with almost 10.

Years ago to the day. When it was the first Sunday

after Easter 10 years ago that I became the lead pastor.

Of this church. And I had to wrestle with it in

real time, just. For our church, how does?

A church endure all the Well, wait till you hear the sermon

before you clap, clap at the end if you like the sermon.

But you know, 10 years, a blink of an eye, right?

For all of us, some of you around 10 years ago, some of you

just found out. That there was a pastor.

Before me so but the question that I would wrestle with, how

do we endure? How do we take something and and

transfer it in a way? That will will last.

More than one generation. And as I wrestled with that

question, it was not looking at. The best strategy?

For the 21st century. Or.

The small little church movement we belong to.

Called Calvary Chapel. The answer that I was drawn to

was to study. How the church started and.

That is the answers that I have found.

That would be the only answer I have.

For you as to why. We have endured my leadership

and you and and endured our little season of being part of

this. Church.

And the answers found in the very beginning are in fact how

the. People of God called the.

Church will endure and it's also how the person of.

God that you are. This is the only way you're

going to endure in the next few years, another 10 years.

The the the church. Is going to look different and

each one of you. Will have to wrestle with how.

To endure a changing landscape. For your faith.

So this morning we look at. Just this this story that

explodes with hope that the church.

Made it through insurmountable odds, from doubt and

hopelessness to a movement that would take.

Over the globe and the truth of how the church was started is

the truth. Of how the church endures today.

We'll look at that this morning. I want to share with you 5 very

simple ways. That the the.

Beginning of the Church. Was was started with such power?

That is the non negotiable power we stand on today and as we go

through. The rest of this book.

Over the next coming months, we are going to continually look

at. This power.

That we have now been. Entrusted with that will give.

Us the confidence that God. Is.

Good and his church will endure. Amen.

So this is the setup to the book.

Of acts we'll start in acts chapter 1 and this morning

Acts 1 · chapter mention

we'll. We'll look at these these the

the power that is. On display in this story and

we'll also get a little bit of forecasting for where the book

is going to take us some backdrop of the story in verse

one it says the former I count account I made O.

Theophilus of all that Jesus. Began both to do and teach until

the day in which he was taken up after.

Through the Holy. Spirit had given commandments to

the apostles whom he had chosen. This is a perfect overlap

between where the gospel. Of Luke.

Ends. Which we looked at last.

Week and where the the. Story of the The Book of Acts.

Begins and it is an overlap because it has the same.

Author. The Gospel of Luke starts by

writing. To a specific person named

Theophilus and the the. Book of Acts starts by.

Writing to the same person who this person is.

Is debated. We're not going to spend a ton

of time trying to figure it out. We know that it means the person

who. Loves God.

It probably was. One specific person that

commissioned the writing. For the Gospel of Luke.

To have the resources necessary to write it.

But it is for all of us who love.

God no doubt, and he says now this is going to be the story of

everything that Jesus began the the the things that he taught

and he began. It's a continuation.

It is, in fact. The sequel as we studied through

the gospel of. Luke and we saw the earthly

ministry of Jesus and his teaching and his raising up of

disciples. Now we study the.

Gospel or the The Book of Acts? As the continuation of that.

Through the apostles. And this is going to cover

about. 30 years of church history.

We're going to go from the year. Roughly 8033 until roughly 8060.

And this is going to give. Us the story of how.

On Earth, we left off with confused and worried.

Disciples of Jesus to people who would be.

Transformed to start a global movement who that has been

endured to millennia. So he says this.

In in Acts chapter one verse 3 now.

To whom he also. Presented himself alive after

his suffering by many infallible proofs, being seen by them

during 40 days, and Speaking of the things pertaining to the

Kingdom of God. So we have the Easter Story Part

2. It's a.

Shame that so many people came to Easter didn't come back, they

didn't get the. Rest of the story, but.

Good on you. You came back after Easter,

faithful Bible students. This is now a very important

part of the Easter message. The Easter message is not he has

risen, you know, roll credits. And now we're all here.

The Easter message. Is that Jesus?

Spent it says 40 days with them teaching.

We know it's 50 until his and until the the point out of the.

Spirit, but it says that he was. With them giving them infallible

proofs and teaching them the things pertaining to the Kingdom

of God. And this right here we can pause

and look at something that is non negotiable, foundational.

It is the only way any church gathering can ever exist and

continue. And without this, you will not

continue in fact. It would be good for the the

church to fade out who loses? Sight of the first power.

Which is the. Power of the Resurrection.

We, we. We.

Spent all of last week celebrating it and and and we

spend our church calendar revolving around it and part of

the the discussion we had around the resurrection was First

Corinthians 15 makes it very. Clear without the resurrection?

Go home if the resurrection didn't happen.

Your faith is empty. My preaching is empty.

There is no point or purpose to the hope that we have placed in

Jesus that we have anything worth enduring for.

We cannot lose. Sight of the power of the.

Resurrection, and for that reason.

The author, Luke, starts. In the beginning of the church,

with a reminder of what Jesus came.

To deliver. He came presenting himself alive

and it was so important that the disciples and the early

believers got this message that he spends 40 days giving.

What the the word? Calls infallible proofs one of

the persons. At the this 40 day.

Crash course of infallible proofs.

Was the apostle. John, and he writes this in

First John, that which was from the beginning, which we have

heard, which we have seen with our eyes.

Which we have looked. Upon and our hands have handled

concerning. The word of life.

Infallible proofs. Undeniable for those who were

going through the transfer of the earthly ministry of Jesus to

the beginning of the Church. Was they?

Had to know with confidence that.

Jesus. Actually Rose again, John says

they heard him, he spoke to them, he said peace be with you.

He interacted with them in the way that only.

A resurrected physical. Person could interact, he says

they saw him, he appeared to them, they physically interacted

with him, it says they touched him or handled him and we.

Of course have the. Story of Thomas having his

doubts and Jesus saying here physically look at my hands,

feel my side, handle me without a doubt infallible says in the

gospel of John they ate with him, they were interacting with

him in a real intangible way and as we looked at in first

1 Corinthians 15 · chapter mention

Corinthians chapter 15, which gives the hypothetical

alternative as if the resurrection didn't happen.

Paul also. Says, but it did.

Happen and there were 500 witnesses who saw him, some of

them still alive at time of writing.

He wanted everyone to know, undeniably, it was not a

hallucination, it was not a myth, it was not a legend.

It wasn't a good idea. It that, you know, was handed

down through history. It wasn't something that came up

later. From the very beginning.

You have to believe in the power.

Of the Savior of the world. Conquering death and pouring out

his spirit to bring life and I say all of.

This. As one of the.

Ways that we look. Into a future and we see.

The the the. Horizon line of church closure

and a landscape that is going to shift under our feet and we look

for power that will endure and this is a non negotiable.

Power because Jesus says the gates.

Of hell will not prevail against my church, and he proved.

That he was declared reliable. In that when he stood against

the gates of hell and overcame and conquered.

And so we know. Those of us.

Who believe in the power of the resurrection.

You can throw anything at the Church of God You can throw

tragedy and scandal and hardship and difficulty and division.

You can throw in the the. Fall of leaders.

You can throw in the. The cultural shift away.

From, you know, a, a, a Christian friendly culture and

what we know. Is that death itself?

Doesn't win what we know. Is that whatever?

Happens. There is going to be life, and

life more abundant in the face of insurmountable odds.

That is true of the Church, and it's true of your.

Life. That is the only way your faith

will endure because Jesus promised in this world you'll

have much trouble, and part of that trouble will call into

question the faith that you've put in Jesus.

And if you do not have a theology of resurrection, you

will not endure the trouble when the marriage falls into crisis

and when the hardships come. Because you've lost your job.

And you've got all sorts of diagnosis that just seems to

remind you. Of trouble, trouble, trouble.

You must be a confident person that no matter.

What the world? Throws at you.

The promise is true. Take heart.

Jesus has overcome the first power.

Is the power of the resurrection.

He also says. Second part of verse 3 that he

showed them infallible proofs and he was speaking to them the

things pertaining to the Kingdom of God.

I I've heard so much speculation about what?

This 40 day crash. Course must have been like.

What? Would it have been like?

To be a family. On the wall or a disciple in the

room when the resurrected Lord spends 40.

Days teaching. Things pertaining to the Kingdom

of God, and there's all sorts of speculation about what that

might have looked like. And ultimately, we don't know in

full, but we do know in part, we know in.

Part what he was. Teaching his disciples who would

become his apostles, He was teaching them.

That what had just happened. In spite of all of their doubt,

instead of all of the confusion of what they were expecting

versus what they actually are seeing, he was showing them that

it was. All.

A fulfillment of Scripture we know, in part because the only

explanation we get of what Jesus was teaching post resurrection

is him teaching the Word. You'll remember in Luke chapter

Luke 24 · chapter mention

24 in the first Easter morning. It was a morning.

Filled with doubt, filled with people.

Who are mourning the. Loss of the hope they.

Put in the Savior Jesus. And in one of the scenes of that

first morning we found two men on the road to Emmaus going back

to where they came from. Hope shattered, heads down, and

as Jesus met with them, he rebuked their unbelief because.

What? Was happening was all a

fulfillment of everything God? Said would happen through his

word. Luke chapter 24, verse 25.

Luke 24:25

He says to them, oh foolish ones, and slow of heart to

believe in. All the prophets have spoken.

Ought not the Christ? To have suffered these.

Things and to enter into his glory and then it says this very

importantly and beginning at Moses.

This is the. Book of the Bible called.

Genesis and the books that Moses wrote, beginning at Moses and

the prophets. He expounds to them the

Scriptures of all the things concerning himself.

So we don't know. Exactly what these 40 days were

like. But we know that he opened up

the word and he showed them all. Of the ways that this.

Was the plan all along. They are now being confirmed by

Jesus teaching them in the things pertaining to the Kingdom

that the redemptive plan of God is on track and on time.

Just like he said. Through the prophets and the

Bible in the Old Testament, and one of the reasons I'm confident

that that is. Part of the crash course that.

These guys were getting. Is because you.

Cannot read the book of Acts without noticing.

All sorts of old. Testament quotes that come up.

Throughout the first birth of the church.

Moments in in acts chapter 1, the story will continue and

Acts 1 · chapter mention

Peter will stand up and say. We we've got to fulfill what it.

Says in Psalms that the betrayer must be replaced and they.

Cast lots to betray to replace Judas.

Acts, Chapter 2, Peter. Stands up and he realizes that

Acts 2 · chapter mention

the pouring out of the spirit. Is a.

Fulfillment of the prophet Joel and he then.

Quotes the Prophet. David in Psalms that said that

the Holy One will not see corruption and he later quotes

Deuteronomy and says that. This is all the the.

Fulfillment of the promised One like Moses who would be greater

and each time these men stand up to bring.

Clarity to what was. Happening and this massive

explosion of church growth is happening.

They're opening the Old Testament and saying this was

God's plan all along and the reason that is going to be

something that is so important for us to hold on to.

As we look for the power of the Church is that is just as.

True in our day that you must. Have the power of the Word of

God. If you're looking for one of the

through lines. As to why?

Churches that will have gatherings and they'll have

worship and they'll have a momentum.

They're meeting in a building. Why do some make it and why some

don't? One of them will be the

preaching of the powerful. Word of God.

And I have to say in my 10 year. Review and I've thought through

all of the. Ups and downs of why we've made

it in spite of times I didn't think we would.

It's because every Sunday I knew exactly.

What to do? There's a lot of confusion.

I didn't know what to do all the time, but I knew on Sundays we

would open the word and we would.

Do our best. To understand what God was

saying through it. So when you find a church that

has sound doctrine and does its humble best to understand how to

teach and obey the Word, you will find a church.

That has the. Power to endure a church that's

willing to preach the unchanging, always timely but

timeless. Word of God.

In spite of what the culture thinks, in spite of what the.

Preacher would. Prefer in spite of what you want

to hear when you find a church. That preaches the power of the

word. You'll find a powerful church to

endure, and the opposite. Is true, of course, if you.

Are looking for why some churches are withering on the

vine. It is.

Because they have instead of standing on the word, they've

made cultural stances instead of preaching what it says and doing

your best. To obey whether you like.

It or not, it has found a way to conform the word.

To the people, so that the people.

Can conform their lives however they want.

And what is? True of the people of God is

true of the. Person of God, you want to have

an enduring faith, never mind what you want to hear.

None of us are wise enough to know what is good for us.

Find the. Power of the Word of God, true.

As a foundation of your. Life are your.

Decisions rooted in the wisdom of the Proverbs.

Is your worship rooted? In the the the.

Praise. Of the Psalms, is your design

for life rooted in the teachings of Christ, telling you how to

find life and life more abundant?

Jesus says that. Heaven and earth will pass away,

but by no means will my word ever pass.

Away the word of God. Will not pass away.

There will be church styles and church structures and church

functions and church brands that pass away, but the Word will

endure, and so the power must be found in the Word Now.

It says in verse 4 and be and being assembled together with

them. He commanded them not to depart

from Jerusalem, but to. Wait.

For the promise. Of the father, which he said.

You have heard from me and here is the promise for.

John truly baptized with water, but you shall be baptized with

the Holy Spirit. Not many days from now, this is

going to be the most glaring and obvious, foundational and

powerful. Marks of the First Church.

And of your life, everything that we've said so.

Far. Is pointing us to our absolute

need for the Holy. Spirit, the word is.

Not living and. Active, able to cut through.

Bone and marrow until it is alive.

By the Holy Spirit. And your ability to have the

newness of life promised in the resurrection, that is not just.

A historical fact, but it is a spiritual for.

Reality for anyone who puts faith in it is a spiritual born

again reality. By the power of the Holy Spirit.

Says in Romans. Chapter 6.

Romans 6 · chapter mention

Verse 3. Do you not know that as many as.

Of us who were baptized. Into Jesus Christ were baptized

into his death. Good Friday is something that

you are modeling in your life. You give your old life.

To the water of baptism. Therefore we were buried.

With him through the baptism. Into death, that just as Christ

was raised from the dead by the glory.

Of the Father, Even so. We also should walk.

In the newness. Of life by the power of the Holy

Spirit, the power of the Holy. Spirit is what makes a church

alive and you know I can say that confidently that all of the

other things that we. Do by the grace of God to.

To to be conformed and moved and allow the Holy Spirit to animate

our efforts are fine, but none of them matter unless they are

empowered. By the Holy.

Spirit sermon series three songs and a message greeting people

with a with a friendly hello all of these things are fine, but

unless they are part of the. Power of the Holy Spirit.

Making us alive in Christ, then they don't matter.

And this is not only the the most glaring and obvious.

Powers of the First Church. It's also the most difficult.

To actually. Be obedient to in our.

Lives we actually get. A reminder just the human nature

tendency to listen to this message and then and then kind

of go about our business as usual.

Jesus gives them this beautiful promise of the Father that

they're going to have the. Spirit.

And this is their response. Therefore, verse 6.

When they had come together, they asked him saying OK.

Cool Lord at this. Time will you restore the

Kingdom of Israel? Great.

So all that stuff about the Spirit.

Sounds great. We also have some functions we'd

like to bring to your attention. According to our reading of the

word and the crash course we just got on the Old Testament,

there is a restoration of the Kingdom.

We're very in tune with that and we would like to, you know, get

on with that work. We thought our hopes were.

Dashed when you died, but now you're born.

Now you're you're, you're alive. And we're alive in the hope that

we can get back on track. And how many of us can relate

to? The desire to.

Hear the message of the. Word put our.

Confidence in the message of the resurrection and then say OK

and. I love the speech about the Holy

Spirit. But I've also got some plans

that I'd like to present to you. Jesus says to them now or to

them then and us now. It's not to for you to know the

times or the seasons which the. Father has.

Put in his own authority, he's less concerned about when the

work and the movement. Of the.

Restoration in its full happens, and he's more concerned with how

I think that's just a word for us this morning.

In the church age we live in, it's like all of this is in the

balance. I know that I have often times.

Asked the Lord to. Hurry up with the plan for the

revival. Hurry up with the the.

Next great awakening of this country.

It is now the Time Lord We just had a great Easter message and

some people gave their life to you.

Now is the time correct? No doubt you feel that in your.

Life as the word speaks. And you get encouragement and

the Lord is clearly giving you the promise of what he's going

to do in your life. And you say, OK, well then let's

do it. He says it's not feeding other

times. But this is this is not the

wind. This is the how.

Here is the how it's going to happen.

You shall receive power. When the Holy Spirit has come

upon you, and you shall be witnesses to me in Jerusalem and

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

What made these men go from afraid and hopeless to bold and

powerful was witnessing the power of the resurrection,

putting their confidence in the word of God, and then having all

of it come alive with the. Power of the Holy Spirit alive.

In them and this is going to be true.

Of our age as well. I can't think of how many

strategies for the coming years that we can come up.

With as good creative. Thinkers on how to.

Curb the. Horizon line of 100,000 church

closures and we can come up with better brands and better

strategies and better ideas to organize and and figure.

It all out but the. Only.

Way that the church will. Actually, endure is for us to

wait and trust that God has more power.

Through His Holy Spirit. Animating people who will trust

in him and be used by him than. All of the.

Church strategy workshops combined and this is one of the.

Great tests of our faith. I think once again back to my my

10 year acceptance of this role and I remember just feeling.

What I hope. All of you feel at times in your

pursuit of following Jesus. Lord, I think you've called me

to something by mistake. I think you got the wrong guy.

This is not something that comes naturally to me and I don't

have, you know, all of the required tools in my current

tool belt to do this. I can't do this.

And if you haven't felt that way in your.

Pursuit of Jesus. You might not be pursuing him to

the things he's actually calling you to because when you get.

To the place to say. Lord, I can't do this.

You are now ready to receive the promise of the.

Power of the Holy. Spirit who can do it in you?

And this is our only hope. As the people.

Of God and the season that we live in.

AW. Tozer wrote this nearly a

century ago, and I think it's worth sharing now.

He said if the Holy Spirit was. Withdrawn from the church today,

95%. Of what we do would.

Go on. And no one would know the

difference if the Holy Spirit had been withdrawn from the New

Testament church 95%. Of what they did would.

Stop and everybody would see it. This is what you.

Actually long for, you know, part of the reason that I was so

excited to look at the beginnings of the church is

because I'm full aware that we live in a church age that can be

so confusing. With what is Holy Spirit?

And what? Is the power of God.

And what are the bells and whistles of the modern American

church? And so.

As we go through this. Journey with the First Church.

May we long for the actual? Power to be the Holy Spirit it

the. Power will not be in a better

liturgy. The power will not be in a

fancier service or more eloquent speaker.

The power will not be that the music is.

Just right, all of those. Things we can do, and God can

bless. But the power.

When you strip everything away. Is.

Only. The power of the Holy.

Spirit making the people of God completely different than the

people. Of the world, Paul says.

This to the church in Corinth, and my speech and my preaching

were not. With persuasive.

Words of human wisdom, but in the demonstration.

Of the spirit of power. That your faith should not be in

the wisdom of men, but in the. Power of God this.

Is just the memory verse. For our age, get.

Rid of the eloquent speech and the demonstration of personality

and the things that we look at on the stage.

Of the churches that we've. Built up and look for the

demonstration. Of the power of God.

If for some of you, maybe you're.

At our church for. The second week ever, because

you're, you know, came to Easter, you said I'll try it

again. Look for the demonstration of

the power and don't look for it in just the people that stand on

the stage. But we look for it.

In the. People that we are the.

Church, Does God have your life demonstrating?

His power. And when he does, we're going to

go from churches closing to churches planting.

We're going to go from people predicting the the demise.

Of the church to people. Trying to explain the revival of

the church and this is now the. Great 4th power.

And this is the. Power of the First Church.

This is the power of every revival.

You'll ever study? This is the power.

That we long for and the power that I am so encouraged by over

the last 10 years, and this is the.

Power. Of transformation.

Jesus says that. You.

Are going to be my witnesses. The the Spirit is poured.

Out not just so they get some, you know, spiritual excitement

and emotional moment. Not so they can have some, You

know, a moment where? They get to speak a A.

Language they never knew it's not so they have.

A. A.

A a little. Church gathering that seems

really exciting. The Spirit is poured out so that

God. Can show the.

World what it looks like. When he.

Has a hold of a. Man or woman's life, you're

going to be witnesses to my power now.

They were literal witnesses. To the bodily.

Resurrection. They have a different kind of

witness than we do, but we are witnesses to the.

Power of the Holy. Spirit to transform a life says

you're going to be my witnesses in Jerusalem, in Judea and

Samaria and all the end of the earth and as we, you know, study

this as our intro to the book of.

Acts, I will say. That that is going to give us a

little outline to where the book takes us.

Witnesses in Jerusalem Acts chapter one through 7 witnesses

in Judea and Samaria acts chapter 8 and 9 and then to the

Acts 8 · chapter mention

end of the earth it'll end in Rome, which is the.

Seat of the. Empire of the Time, that will be

chapters 10 through 28. This is This is.

How the book unfolds now. But if you're looking for

another way the book unfolds, you can really break it down to

two people. You can see the life of Peter

and the life. Of Paul.

And when you see it in those lens, what?

You actually see is you're. Reading a book and a history of.

2 lives that are specifically highlighted.

So that we could understand the operation of the Church.

Is to show the power. Of transformation, Peter going

from denial and betrayal and doubt and fear to standing up

and preaching A sermon that created.

The biggest church growth. Sermon of all time 3000 saved.

Peter will go from not fully understanding the the the

welcoming of the Gentile world into commissioning it, and Paul

will go from enemy of the church to missionary of the church.

This is the greatest. Testimony of the Power of the

Resurrection and it. Will be the power of the future

Church age. That will be undeniable.

It is why I continue to be a pastor of with encouragement and

excitement. It's because I know over the

last 10 years I have seen lives go from broken to healed, from

lost to found, from darkness to light.

From someone who had doubt to someone who has hope.

And when the power of transformation on is on display,

when the light shines. Out of the church.

The Church doesn't just endure. But the church explodes.

And what is? True of the people of God is

true of the person. Of God.

That is the call. On your.

Life to be a. Person that is being

transformed. Day by day by day.

The power of transformation is the power.

Of the church. And finally, we'll look at this

in verse 9 now, when he had spoken these things.

While they watched. He was taken up and a cloud

received him out of their sight and while they look.

Steadfastly towards. Heaven as he went up, behold, 2

men stood by them in white apparel, who also said, Men of

Galilee, why do you stand gazing up into heaven?

This same Jesus who was taken up from you into heaven will so

come in like manner as you saw him go into heaven.

This is the ascension. This is Jesus fulfilling the

promise. That it would be better.

For him to go because when he is removed.

He pours out his spirit. On the church, the helper has is

on its way. Jesus has made room.

For the people of God. To now be animated by the Holy

Spirit of God and we end here one because this is just an

incredible moment of church history when you know, wouldn't

you love to see the. Replay of this.

As Jesus ascends into heaven. But also because this gives us.

Another incredible moment of power, and that is a power any

one of. These you lose this.

Moment of power and you begin to lose the enduring power of the.

Church, this is the power of hope.

Look what? It says once again the angels

look at them. They say what are you staring?

The same Jesus will so come in like manner as you saw him

leave. The church had a crash course.

To understand the redemptive plan of God, to give them the

confidence that they were on time for the church age.

They looked back to understand the power.

Of the word. And from that moment on, from

the ascension on, they lived with the incredible hope that

they now have a clearview of the end.

Of the story. Same way you saw him leave, he's

going to return and with confidence that he was coming

and coming quickly. They were willing to give their

lives the mission of Christ. One of the challenges of your

faith in Christ, one of the challenges that the church.

Always has to face. Is the reports of impending

doom. You know that if you if you

didn't know. The story of the Gospel.

That Jesus is coming back. There's a.

Lot of different alternative endings that you may hear

preached from the world it's going to end in a a nuclear

Holocaust. It's going to end in World War

three. It's going to end as the the the

power source of the sun just. Fades us all to black.

There is no ending that gives you hope until you know the

ending of the coming King. For his people.

And when you know the ending, you can stare at the impending

doom and say that's not the end, he's coming again in the same

manner he left. And when you have the confidence

of that? As a.

Church and as a person of God, you have the most.

Radical hope. That will help you endure.

All of the. Ups and downs and church in the

balance moments. So you put it all together,

Power of the resurrection, the power of the Word, the power of

the Holy Spirit to give you the. Power of a transformed life and

when you. Have all of that.

We are the people. We're not some of the.

People, we are the people of hope.

On this planet, and that is the mission.

That the church started. Then and the Church Now holds

now. Thanks for joining us today.

If you would like to watch the full service, check out the link

in the description. For next steps and to learn

more, visit calvaryboise.com.