WEBVTT 00:00:00.000 --> 00:00:05.360 is the Lord. 00:00:11.599 --> 00:00:16.240 Now in just a moment we're going to read from the book of Acts, from Acts chapter 1 verses 1 to 11. 00:00:16.800 --> 00:00:23.500 But this is not just the beginning of a new book, which it is, but it's the commencement of a new 00:00:23.500 --> 00:00:32.259 chapter in redemptive history. It's what we call a watershed moment, a moment in history where things 00:00:32.259 --> 00:00:40.799 change dramatically and irreversibly. Let me give you an example. On the 10th of January 49 BC, 00:00:41.659 --> 00:00:49.840 General Julius Caesar, governor of Gaul, stood at the edge of a river. It was rather more a wide 00:00:49.840 --> 00:00:57.180 stream than a river, but the river was called the Rubicon. And generals were prohibited from 00:00:57.180 --> 00:01:03.700 crossing the Rubicon with their armies, because a general who crossed the Rubicon would be crossing 00:01:03.700 --> 00:01:09.780 from Gaul into Italy, into Rome, and would therefore be a threat to the Roman Republic. 00:01:10.560 --> 00:01:16.379 Well if you know the story, Caesar crosses the Rubicon, he utters those famous words, the die is 00:01:16.379 --> 00:01:24.719 cast, and before too long. The Roman Republic fell, the Roman Empire commenced, and Julius Caesar became 00:01:24.719 --> 00:01:32.919 the first emperor of that empire. So there was a watershed moment. History changed on that pivot. 00:01:33.879 --> 00:01:41.280 We turn to Acts chapter 1, and we have a game-changing moment in the history of, in the human history, 00:01:41.280 --> 00:01:48.980 history, and in the redemptive history of God, because the Lord Jesus Christ ascends, and the Lord Jesus 00:01:48.980 --> 00:01:58.900 Christ ascends as a pre-view, or as a prerequisite for the Holy Spirit being poured out. God is up to 00:01:58.900 --> 00:02:06.939 something, and human history has never been the same again. Acts chapter 1, in my former book, 00:02:06.939 --> 00:02:15.960 Theophilus, I wrote about all that Jesus began to do and to teach, until the day he was taken up to 00:02:15.960 --> 00:02:23.259 heaven, after giving instructions through the Holy Spirit to the apostles he had chosen. After his 00:02:23.259 --> 00:02:31.539 suffering, he presented himself to them and gave many convincing proofs that he was alive. He appeared 00:02:31.539 --> 00:02:37.979 to them over a period of 40 days and spoke about the kingdom of God. On one occasion, while he was 00:02:37.979 --> 00:02:44.319 eating with them, he gave them this command, do not leave Jerusalem, but wait for the gift my father 00:02:44.319 --> 00:02:51.739 promised, which you have heard me speak about. For John, baptized with water, but in a few days you will 00:02:51.739 --> 00:02:58.139 be baptized with the Holy Spirit. Then he gathered round him, then they gathered round him and asked him, 00:02:58.139 --> 00:03:06.019 Lord, are you at this time going to restore the kingdom to Israel? He said to them, it is not for 00:03:06.019 --> 00:03:13.859 you to know the times or dates the father has set by his own authority, but you will receive power 00:03:13.859 --> 00:03:21.219 when the Holy Spirit comes on you, and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem and in all Judea and 00:03:21.219 --> 00:03:28.119 Samaria and to the ends of the earth. After he said this, he was taken up before their very eyes. 00:03:28.139 --> 00:03:35.639 And a cloud hid him from their sight. They were looking intently up into the sky as he was going, 00:03:36.079 --> 00:03:43.959 when suddenly two men dressed in white stood beside them. Men of Galilee, they said, why do you stand 00:03:43.959 --> 00:03:52.919 here looking into the sky? This same Jesus who has been taken from you into heaven will come back 00:03:52.919 --> 00:04:03.139 in the same way you have seen him go into heaven. May God bless to us this reading of his word. 00:04:03.859 --> 00:04:12.539 So already we have looked at two of three psalms in which the ascension of our Lord Jesus is prefigured. 00:04:13.379 --> 00:04:21.019 Psalm 68, when you ascended on high, you took many captives. You received gifts from people, even from the 00:04:21.019 --> 00:04:30.219 rebellious, that you, Lord God, might dwell there. Praise be to the Lord, to God our Savior, who daily bears our 00:04:30.219 --> 00:04:42.299 burdens. Our God is a God who saves. From the sovereign Lord comes escape from death. Victory, triumph, salvation, 00:04:42.300 --> 00:04:53.139 praise. Psalm 47, which we just sang a moment ago. God has ascended amid shouts of joy. The Lord amid the 00:04:53.139 --> 00:05:01.340 sounding trumpets. Sing praises to God, sing praises. Sing praises to our King, sing praises. For God is the King 00:05:01.340 --> 00:05:11.800 of all the earth. Sing to him a psalm of praise. This ascended King is worthy of all praise, is worthy of all 00:05:11.800 --> 00:05:19.579 honor, is worthy of the sounding of trumpets and the praise of every voice. Now if we had more time 00:05:19.579 --> 00:05:25.759 this evening, we could have sung from Psalm 24. Lift up your heads, you gates. Be lifted up, you ancient 00:05:25.759 --> 00:05:32.280 doors, that the King of glory may come in. Who is this King of glory? The Lord strong and mighty, the Lord 00:05:32.280 --> 00:05:38.920 mighty in battle. Lift up your heads, you gates. Lift them up, you ancient doors, that the King of glory may 00:05:38.920 --> 00:05:47.020 come in. Who is he? The King of glory, this King of glory. The Lord almighty. He is the King of glory. 00:05:47.340 --> 00:05:53.720 These psalms point us to the identity of the ascended one, that he is none other than God himself. 00:05:54.500 --> 00:06:00.319 These psalms point us to the work of the ascended one, that he is the God who saves, the God who bears 00:06:00.319 --> 00:06:08.199 burdens, the God who is high and lifted up, and the God who is King of the nation. And he is worthy of all 00:06:08.199 --> 00:06:19.219 joy and praise, honor and glory. Long live the King. So in this preview or prefiguring, we have a picture 00:06:19.219 --> 00:06:28.079 of the ascension. And now when we come to the gospel and the book of Acts, we have the event itself. And 00:06:28.079 --> 00:06:34.099 that's one of the great values of reading both the Old and the New Testament together. Because very 00:06:34.099 --> 00:06:42.560 often what we see is promise and fulfillment, preview and the main event. And it gives us an idea of how 00:06:42.560 --> 00:06:52.039 significant and how important these events are and how we ought to respond to them. So as we look at Luke 00:06:52.040 --> 00:07:01.260 and as we look at Acts, we will see that there is a key movement. Literally, the Lord Jesus is moving. 00:07:02.080 --> 00:07:09.860 But that this movement is accompanied with a message. Both a message before and a message after. 00:07:10.620 --> 00:07:17.460 And this is a great reminder because what we need not only is a record of the events, 00:07:17.459 --> 00:07:22.379 and that's what the Bible does. The Bible gives us a record of the events, the life of Jesus, 00:07:22.879 --> 00:07:28.339 the death of Jesus, the resurrection of Jesus, the ascension of Jesus. It's an accurate, reliable 00:07:28.339 --> 00:07:35.740 record. But the Bible does more than that. Because what we need is not only the work of God, 00:07:36.079 --> 00:07:43.139 we need the word of God to explain the work. Otherwise, it seems perplexing, does it not? 00:07:43.139 --> 00:07:51.519 Unless we have an explanation of the cross, what do we see? We see a guiltless man bearing sin. 00:07:52.039 --> 00:07:59.579 We see a morally pure man being punished. We see a guiltless man being found guilty. And it really 00:07:59.579 --> 00:08:07.659 is confusing. But the Apostle Paul gives us an insight in verse 18 of 1 Corinthians chapter 1. 00:08:07.660 --> 00:08:14.760 He said, for the word of the cross is folly to those who are perishing, but to us who are being 00:08:14.760 --> 00:08:23.720 saved, it is the power of God. You see, to the observer, it seems ridiculous. And yet to us, 00:08:23.720 --> 00:08:31.440 we see the power of God. So not only do we need to understand the event, we need to understand what 00:08:31.439 --> 00:08:39.600 it means. So God not only records for us in Luke's gospel and in the book of Acts the event, but God 00:08:39.600 --> 00:08:47.519 gives us an explanation so that we can understand the event and then apply that lesson to our own 00:08:47.519 --> 00:08:56.440 hearts and lives. So the first, let's look at the movement itself. And the ascension is a key moment. 00:08:56.440 --> 00:09:03.300 It's a key moment in the life and work of Jesus of Nazareth, the Son of God. In fact, it's kind of 00:09:03.300 --> 00:09:10.360 like a bookend. If you think of Bethlehem as one bookend and the ascension would be the other bookend. 00:09:10.720 --> 00:09:18.720 We have a 33-year ministry, 33 years in which Jesus was physically on earth, begins in Bethlehem and 00:09:18.720 --> 00:09:27.120 ends with the ascension. And by way of a personal confession, I can't remember the last time I 00:09:27.120 --> 00:09:36.180 preached on the ascension on its own. It would be, I mean, I couldn't imagine not preaching on the 00:09:36.180 --> 00:09:41.300 Bethlehem, the birth of Jesus. I couldn't imagine not preaching on the death of Jesus, not preaching 00:09:41.300 --> 00:09:46.399 on the resurrection of Jesus. But it was when I was preparing a message a couple weeks ago on the 00:09:46.399 --> 00:09:53.519 exaltation of Jesus. I realized how little time and attention I personally have given to the ascension 00:09:53.519 --> 00:10:00.139 of our Lord, which is completely out of proportion to the time and attention which the Bible gives to 00:10:00.139 --> 00:10:09.720 it, Old Testament and New Testament. So this movement is key in the life and ministry of Jesus. 00:10:09.720 --> 00:10:20.660 And this movement brings one key chapter to an end and commences a new chapter. And in fact, we'll see 00:10:20.660 --> 00:10:28.980 that actually all three major events of the New Testament are brought together in Acts chapter 1 verses 00:10:28.980 --> 00:10:39.180 8 to 11. Quite remarkable. So the movement literally, Jesus Christ physically ascends. He was physically 00:10:39.179 --> 00:10:48.699 present on earth and he physically ascended to heaven. How did that happen? I don't know. You see, the Bible 00:10:48.699 --> 00:10:58.000 so often presents something without an explanation. How can a human being physically ascend? It is miraculous. 00:10:58.379 --> 00:11:06.279 It is beyond human explanation. How can God become a human being? I don't know. It seems impossible. 00:11:06.279 --> 00:11:15.740 And yet it happened. How can a human being live a life of perfection? No sin. It seems impossible. And yet it happened. 00:11:16.500 --> 00:11:24.500 How can a human being who is both God and man die? It seems impossible. And yet it happened. 00:11:24.500 --> 00:11:35.620 So we see the ministry of Jesus punctuated by these key events that remind us that he is no ordinary human being. 00:11:36.179 --> 00:11:47.960 No ordinary teacher, preacher, prophet. His birth signaled his uniqueness. And his ascension highlighted or underscored 00:11:47.960 --> 00:11:57.480 that uniqueness. You'll see in the book of Luke and in the book of Acts that the moment or the movement is 00:11:57.480 --> 00:12:03.780 sandwiched between two messages. And we'll take a moment to look at both of those messages to see 00:12:03.780 --> 00:12:11.400 what is happening here. So if you took a look for a moment just back at the Luke passage in Luke chapter 24, 00:12:11.399 --> 00:12:25.000 before Jesus ascends, he teaches. And if you ever feel like you don't get the Bible, if you ever feel like you read 00:12:25.000 --> 00:12:33.679 and you're just not grasping what's going on, you're in good company. Because the disciples were exactly at that place. 00:12:33.679 --> 00:12:42.159 They simply did not understand what Jesus was doing. At least three times he said, 00:12:42.279 --> 00:12:50.279 I am going to be handed over. I am going to be crucified. I am going to die, be buried, and rise on the third day. 00:12:51.039 --> 00:12:58.099 The third day came. Lo and behold, he rose. And none of the disciples expected it. 00:12:58.100 --> 00:13:05.840 His teaching was clear. His ministry was direct. And not only did he say it, but he repeated the point 00:13:05.840 --> 00:13:12.960 several times, and yet they didn't get it. Likewise, these disciples that were walking on the road to 00:13:12.960 --> 00:13:23.139 Emmaus, they didn't get it. So Jesus summarizes his ministry. Look at verse 45 at the end of Luke's 00:13:23.139 --> 00:13:29.120 gospel, Luke 24. Then he opened their minds so that they could understand the scriptures. 00:13:29.899 --> 00:13:38.120 He told them, this is what is written. The Messiah will suffer and rise from the dead on the third day. 00:13:38.879 --> 00:13:45.720 And repentance for the forgiveness of sins will be preached in his name to all nations. 00:13:46.100 --> 00:13:52.799 Beginning at Jerusalem, you are witnesses of these things. I am going to send you what my 00:13:52.799 --> 00:14:00.879 father has promised, but stay in the city until you have been clothed with power from on high. 00:14:01.779 --> 00:14:09.299 So Jesus is telling us that there is now a message with a ministry. That the message of Jesus 00:14:09.299 --> 00:14:18.219 is accompanied with ministry that will be conducted by the spirit himself. Jesus will ascend. He will 00:14:18.220 --> 00:14:26.879 return. The spirit will be poured out. And in so doing, repentance and forgiveness of sins will be 00:14:26.879 --> 00:14:35.800 preached to all nations. So we have an indication that something big is happening. Something big is 00:14:35.800 --> 00:14:43.800 about to happen. Something big has happened. He died. He rose. But something big is about to happen. 00:14:43.799 --> 00:14:49.639 He is going to ascend. He is going to ascend. And the spirit is going to come down to be poured out. 00:14:51.039 --> 00:15:01.879 Now, in theology, we speak of redemptive events. In the Old Testament, the major redemptive event was the 00:15:01.879 --> 00:15:10.279 exodus. The people of God were slaves. One moment, one day, the next day they were out of Egypt on their way to the 00:15:10.279 --> 00:15:18.860 promised land. It was an event which illustrated the power of God, the grace of God, but it illustrated his 00:15:18.860 --> 00:15:28.500 redemptive plan and purpose. What we have here is the key redemptive events in the New Testament. And these are 00:15:28.500 --> 00:15:38.399 events of the first magnitude. We cannot find anything more important than this. And when I say first magnitude, let me 00:15:38.399 --> 00:15:46.679 give you an illustration. Near where I live in New Jersey is the Barnegat Inlet. The Barnegat Inlet is a 00:15:46.679 --> 00:15:52.799 very narrow stretch of water which connects a large bay, the Barnegat Bay, with an even larger ocean, the 00:15:52.799 --> 00:15:59.220 Atlantic Ocean. It's very narrow. There's rocks that you can see. There's rocks that you can't see. 00:15:59.679 --> 00:16:07.539 There's shoals of sand that shift quite significantly. So for almost 200 years, there's a lighthouse that has 00:16:07.539 --> 00:16:15.659 stood at the inlet because the lighthouse needs to warn ships. This is the inlet. There's rocks here. 00:16:16.059 --> 00:16:23.879 There's sand here. Because prior to the lighthouse, hundreds of ships foundered on the rocks. Hundreds 00:16:23.879 --> 00:16:32.240 of ships sank just a few hundred yards from the beach. And when they first built this lighthouse, 00:16:32.240 --> 00:16:40.279 they equipped the lighthouse with a fourth magnitude light. There's a problem. The light was not strong 00:16:40.279 --> 00:16:47.100 enough. It was not bright enough. It couldn't be seen far enough. So the engineers realized that 00:16:47.100 --> 00:16:53.299 something needed to be done differently. So they fitted the Barnegat lighthouse with a light of the first 00:16:53.299 --> 00:17:00.480 magnitude. The brightest light that can be seen most clearly. The light that can be seen from the 00:17:00.480 --> 00:17:08.400 greatest distance. Why? Because this is a dangerous place. And sailors need to know that's the Barnegat 00:17:08.400 --> 00:17:15.640 light. That's the Barnegat inlet. And unless we're careful, we will join that list of ships that have sunk 00:17:15.640 --> 00:17:22.759 on its sands and on its rocks. We turn to the New Testament and we see that there are three events 00:17:22.759 --> 00:17:31.039 that are of the first magnitude. The brightest, the most significant, the most substantial. And these 00:17:31.039 --> 00:17:41.180 events shine clearly. Event number one, Jesus has arrived. Jesus has arrived, Bethlehem. Jesus has lived 00:17:41.180 --> 00:17:48.900 30 years or so in relative obscurity. Jesus conducted a public ministry of three years. He preached. He taught. 00:17:48.900 --> 00:17:55.640 He told parables. He healed the sick. He performed miracles. He was betrayed. He was handed over. He was, 00:17:55.740 --> 00:18:02.759 you know, the story. He was condemned. He was sentenced to death, death on a cross. He was executed. He died 00:18:02.759 --> 00:18:11.400 and he was buried. And on the third day he rose again. That's the first magnitude one event, the arrival 00:18:11.400 --> 00:18:17.320 of Jesus. The second magnitude one event, you can't get brighter, you can't get more significant, 00:18:17.319 --> 00:18:25.439 is the arrival or the outpouring of the Holy Spirit. And that's what's happening at this pivot. 00:18:26.159 --> 00:18:33.579 Because Jesus says there's a change happening. That repentance and forgiveness of sins will be 00:18:33.579 --> 00:18:39.700 preached to all the nations. You're going to begin in Jerusalem. You're going to continue to Judea. 00:18:39.700 --> 00:18:44.839 You're going to continue to Samaria. And you're going to continue to the ends of the earth. 00:18:44.839 --> 00:18:53.519 But here's a problem. This message is now entrusted to very weak messengers. 00:18:54.519 --> 00:19:00.679 The disciples, the 11 surviving disciples, are characterized by weakness, are characterized 00:19:00.679 --> 00:19:09.639 by ignorance, are characterized by slowness and dullness. So how on earth can God entrust such 00:19:09.640 --> 00:19:20.360 a message to such an audience to such messengers? That's event number two. We need power from on high. 00:19:20.740 --> 00:19:28.300 And that power is found in a person. And the person is the Holy Spirit. And that's why in the 00:19:28.300 --> 00:19:36.740 introduction to the book of Acts, Luke takes great care to tell us that the Holy Spirit is active. 00:19:36.740 --> 00:19:43.019 The Holy Spirit is active in the Word of God. And the Holy Spirit will soon be poured out. 00:19:43.859 --> 00:19:50.059 Verse 5 in Acts chapter 1, for John baptized with water, but in a few days you will be baptized with 00:19:50.059 --> 00:19:59.019 the Holy Spirit. This is a game changer. This is a watershed event. And again, personal confession. 00:19:59.019 --> 00:20:06.799 Most of my first 25 years of preaching, I would have focused on event one. I would have had very 00:20:06.799 --> 00:20:12.440 little to say on the Holy Spirit, very little to say on the Pentecost event. But I realized that 00:20:12.440 --> 00:20:21.299 that's an omission that is glaring. And you can't sustain that scripturally, because otherwise, 00:20:21.299 --> 00:20:28.799 without the Spirit, we are completely incapable. Without the Spirit, we are weak, we are blind, 00:20:28.919 --> 00:20:36.539 we are dull. We need God himself to work and to work in such a way. Because the Spirit empowers us, 00:20:36.799 --> 00:20:45.139 weak people. The Spirit enables us, incapable people. And the Spirit equips us so that we can fulfill 00:20:45.140 --> 00:20:53.520 the work of God. If you want to find out more about the Spirit, read those chapters, chapters 14, 15, 00:20:53.520 --> 00:21:01.680 and 16 of John's Gospel. John chapter 16, for example, Jesus says, nevertheless, I tell you the truth. 00:21:02.220 --> 00:21:09.440 It is to your advantage that I go away. For if I do not go away, the helper will not come to you. 00:21:09.440 --> 00:21:16.680 But if I go, I will send him to you. Going away is the ascension. He goes up to heaven, 00:21:17.019 --> 00:21:23.519 and he goes up to heaven with the promise that he will send the Spirit. And when he, the Spirit, 00:21:23.640 --> 00:21:30.559 comes, he will convict the world concerning sin and righteousness and judgment. So we have a ministry 00:21:30.559 --> 00:21:38.860 to proclaim repentance and forgiveness of sins. And the Spirit himself will take that message and 00:21:38.859 --> 00:21:45.039 apply that message to human hearts and to human lives. Sin, righteousness and judgment. 00:21:46.179 --> 00:21:51.139 Concerning sin, because they do not believe me. Concerning righteousness, because they do go to 00:21:51.139 --> 00:21:58.719 the Father and you will see me no longer. Concerning judgment, because the ruler of this world is judged. 00:21:59.719 --> 00:22:08.679 So the Spirit is promised. And Jesus says, it's to your advantage. And this is the remarkable thing. 00:22:08.859 --> 00:22:15.419 Jesus says, I'm going. And in going, that is to your advantage, not disadvantage. 00:22:16.359 --> 00:22:21.759 Our natural response is, Jesus, I'd like to see you. I'd like to have you here. I'd like to have you 00:22:21.759 --> 00:22:26.099 right by my side. And you can imagine the disciples who had seen him for three years, 00:22:26.479 --> 00:22:31.359 they're saying, how can you possibly mean that you going away is to our advantage? 00:22:31.359 --> 00:22:39.099 Well, the fact that we are sitting here tonight is a visual demonstration of that fact. 00:22:39.819 --> 00:22:45.079 There may be some of us who have a Jewish background, but I would suggest that most of us are 00:22:45.079 --> 00:22:50.240 Gentiles, you know, by our heritage, you know, and those are really the two categories of people. 00:22:50.399 --> 00:22:56.779 You're a Jew or you're a non-Jew, a Gentile. And the fact that we Gentile people are gathered to worship 00:22:56.779 --> 00:23:04.720 Jesus is an illustration that over these last 2,000 years, the promised Spirit has done the work 00:23:04.720 --> 00:23:11.700 that Jesus says the Spirit will do. He is convicting us of righteousness. He is convicting us of sin. 00:23:11.700 --> 00:23:20.599 He is convicting us of the judgment to come. So this key moment now is introduced by virtue of Jesus 00:23:20.599 --> 00:23:29.379 Jesus returning. Scene 1, the ascension. Jesus physically goes to heaven. The end of that first 00:23:29.379 --> 00:23:36.599 redemptive event, Bethlehem, life, death, resurrection, ascension. The introduction of event 2, 00:23:37.419 --> 00:23:46.039 the Spirit and his ministry, the Spirit and his work. And you see today, in every nation state on this 00:23:46.039 --> 00:23:52.839 planet, not yet every people group, but in every nation state, there is some manifestation of the 00:23:52.839 --> 00:24:00.539 Christian church. It might not be large. The nation of Turkey, for example, is a nation of 75, probably, 00:24:00.539 --> 00:24:08.680 75 million people. The Christian church in Turkey might be 10,000. That's a very small percentage of 00:24:08.680 --> 00:24:16.660 the Turkish population. But in 1960, it was 12, not 12,000, but 12 people. 12 Turks were Christians 00:24:16.660 --> 00:24:25.580 in the 60s. Now, maybe 10,000, maybe more. The Spirit is doing the work of the gospel. The Spirit is 00:24:25.580 --> 00:24:31.519 accompanying the preaching of the gospel, and the Spirit is doing divine work because the Spirit is a 00:24:31.519 --> 00:24:40.160 divine person. So, just as the movement of Jesus from earth to heaven is previewed with a message, 00:24:40.279 --> 00:24:46.619 Jesus explains what he is about and what the Spirit is going to do. But notice there's a message that 00:24:46.619 --> 00:24:55.079 bookends the event that after the ascension, there's also a message. So, after he had said this, 00:24:55.079 --> 00:25:03.659 verse 9 in Acts chapter 1, he was taken up before their very eyes, and a cloud hid him from their sight. 00:25:05.159 --> 00:25:10.559 You can imagine what I would have done, what you would have done, we would have just been staring 00:25:10.559 --> 00:25:15.799 with our mouths open. I've never seen anything like this before. Nobody's ever seen anything like 00:25:15.799 --> 00:25:23.179 this before. Verse 10, they were looking intently into heaven, into the sky as he was going. Then 00:25:23.180 --> 00:25:29.759 suddenly, two men dressed in white stood beside them. Men of Galilee, they said, why do you stand 00:25:29.759 --> 00:25:38.100 here looking into the sky? This same Jesus, who has been taken from you into heaven, will come back 00:25:38.100 --> 00:25:48.240 in the same way you have seen him go into heaven. I said that there are three events. The arrival of 00:25:48.240 --> 00:25:53.140 Jesus, his life, his death, his resurrection, his ascension, that's event one. First, magnitude 00:25:53.140 --> 00:25:58.620 events. You can't get more important than the life of Jesus, the death of Jesus, the resurrection 00:25:58.620 --> 00:26:05.120 of Jesus, the ascension of Jesus. But of equal magnitude and importance is the outpouring of the 00:26:05.120 --> 00:26:12.060 Spirit. The Spirit who enables, the Spirit who equips, the Spirit who empowers, the Spirit who accompanies 00:26:12.060 --> 00:26:17.280 the preaching of the gospel. And if you're a Christian here tonight, it's not because you understood the 00:26:17.279 --> 00:26:25.440 message. You're not a Christian here tonight because you believe. Well, yes, you did. Yes, I mean, you did. But the 00:26:25.440 --> 00:26:31.779 only way any of us can believe, the only way any of us can understand, is because the Spirit has enlightened 00:26:31.779 --> 00:26:39.980 us, and the Spirit has enlivened us, and the Spirit has enabled us. Spiritually speaking, we're dead. Dead people 00:26:39.980 --> 00:26:46.920 can't do anything unless the Spirit makes us alive. So the arrival of the Spirit, which is previewed here, 00:26:47.500 --> 00:26:55.079 Acts chapter 2 is the event itself. But there's a third event that's spoken of at a distance, yes, 00:26:55.579 --> 00:27:03.440 but still it's brought together. Because we're told this same Jesus who just went up, you're looking, 00:27:03.440 --> 00:27:12.340 he just went up. This same Jesus who has been taken from you into heaven will come back. That's event 00:27:12.340 --> 00:27:19.500 three. That's another game changer. The arrival of Jesus changed human history. The outpouring of the 00:27:19.500 --> 00:27:26.720 Holy Spirit changed the course of human history. And the return of Jesus will change the course of human 00:27:26.720 --> 00:27:35.779 history. These three first magnitude redemptive events brought together in four verses. Why do we 00:27:35.779 --> 00:27:43.339 have this? So we have an insight into what has happened, what is happening, and what will soon take 00:27:43.339 --> 00:27:52.039 place. So Jesus goes up physically, Jesus will come back physically. This same Jesus goes up, the same 00:27:52.039 --> 00:28:01.680 Jesus comes back. Jesus, his name speaks of his nature, that he is God who saves, the God man who saves. 00:28:02.039 --> 00:28:08.680 He is same in nature, but different in condition. His earthly ministry was a ministry of poverty, 00:28:09.359 --> 00:28:18.059 a ministry of humility, of humiliation. But his second arrival, that he will return in glory, 00:28:18.059 --> 00:28:26.419 that he will return in majesty, that he is in heaven, and he will return. He will literally come 00:28:26.419 --> 00:28:33.819 back as he literally went to heaven. So what do we do with this? Just a few observations. 00:28:34.819 --> 00:28:42.839 We live now by faith, not by sight. We won't see Jesus until he returns or until he takes us home. 00:28:42.839 --> 00:28:52.119 The disciples had sight faith. They saw Jesus. They physically saw him. They saw his miracles. They 00:28:52.119 --> 00:28:58.879 heard his teaching. They were present, and they witnessed his resurrection or the outworking of 00:28:58.879 --> 00:29:06.599 his resurrection. But we have a faith that is characterized not by sight. We believe not because 00:29:06.599 --> 00:29:13.879 we have seen. We have another reminder here that just as this world was not Jesus's home, he returned 00:29:13.879 --> 00:29:20.619 to heaven. We need to be reminded that this world is not our home. We will one day be with him in heaven. 00:29:21.119 --> 00:29:29.119 Because to be with Jesus is to be at home. We are with him. We are united to him, yes. But a day is 00:29:29.119 --> 00:29:34.399 coming when he will take us to be with him. He's preparing a place, and one day we will be with him 00:29:34.400 --> 00:29:43.940 there in heaven. For those of us who find assurance difficult, think about it this way. 00:29:45.220 --> 00:29:55.080 Your hope is not here in this world. Your hope is not here in yourself. Your hope is him. And where is he? 00:29:55.360 --> 00:30:03.060 He's in heaven. And if he's in heaven, one day we will be in heaven. He will complete 00:30:03.059 --> 00:30:11.220 and conclude his work. So even though we despair sometimes of our own weakness, of our own inability, 00:30:11.339 --> 00:30:20.000 of our own capacity, he is our security. He is in heaven, and he will come back. He is faithful. 00:30:20.639 --> 00:30:27.440 So I want us to notice how significant these events are. And the ascension is that pivot 00:30:27.440 --> 00:30:36.360 that moves us from the ministry of Jesus on earth to the ministry of the Spirit and previews the return 00:30:36.360 --> 00:30:41.039 of the coming King in triumph and in great majesty. 00:30:44.340 --> 00:30:51.320 My favorite preacher, because I'm a historian, most of my best friends are who have lived long ago, 00:30:51.319 --> 00:30:57.759 was Charles Spurgeon, and he was preaching on the ascension. And as he concluded, he concluded in 00:30:57.759 --> 00:31:05.079 this frame. He said, brothers, do not let anyone spiritualize away all this from you. Don't kind of 00:31:05.079 --> 00:31:12.899 think of these things in spiritual, like abstract terms. He says this, Jesus is coming as a matter of 00:31:12.899 --> 00:31:19.980 fact. Therefore, go to your sphere of service as a matter of fact. Get to work. Teach the ignorant. 00:31:19.980 --> 00:31:25.980 Win the wayward. Instruct children. Everywhere tell out the sweet name of Jesus. As a matter of fact, 00:31:26.279 --> 00:31:32.160 give of your substance. And don't talk about it. Because what's happening here? The men who were 00:31:32.160 --> 00:31:39.519 standing looking up into the sky, two angels come and say, don't do that. Don't do that. Don't stare up 00:31:39.519 --> 00:31:48.440 into heaven. But rather, get to work. This same Jesus who has been taken from you into heaven will come 00:31:48.440 --> 00:31:54.440 back in the same way you have seen him go into heaven. We've been given marching orders. We are 00:31:54.440 --> 00:32:02.640 to be his witnesses. Here, Jerusalem, Edinburgh, Judea, the rest of Scotland, Samaria, England, 00:32:02.920 --> 00:32:07.779 Wales, Northern Ireland, if you like, you know, kind of applying that. And to the ends of the earth, 00:32:07.860 --> 00:32:13.820 to all the nations and to all the peoples. So don't spiritualize it. We need to get to work and to do 00:32:13.819 --> 00:32:19.639 what he has called us to do. And Spurgeon closed in this way. He said, serve the Lord in some way or 00:32:19.639 --> 00:32:25.299 other. Serve him always. Serve him intensely. Serve him more and more. Go tomorrow and serve the Lord at 00:32:25.299 --> 00:32:30.679 the counter or in the workshop or in the field. Go and serve the Lord by helping the poor and needy, 00:32:30.740 --> 00:32:35.659 the widow and the fatherless. Serve him by teaching the children, especially endeavoring to train our own 00:32:35.660 --> 00:32:43.060 children. Do what Jesus has given you the power to do. And then men and women of Britain, you will not 00:32:43.060 --> 00:32:49.080 stand gazing into heaven, but you will wait upon the Lord in power and you will receive the spirit of God. 00:32:49.460 --> 00:32:55.540 You will publish to all around the doctrine, believe and live. Then when he comes, he will say to you, 00:32:55.640 --> 00:33:04.700 well done, good and faithful servant. Enter into the joy of thy Lord. So may his grace enable us so to do. 00:33:04.700 --> 00:33:16.539 Amen and amen. Let's pray. Father, we do often find ourselves staring, wondering, yes, in awe, 00:33:17.360 --> 00:33:24.700 wondering how great you are and how great your work is. But sometimes we fail to do that which we ought to 00:33:24.700 --> 00:33:31.140 do. Sometimes we're silent. We should speak. Sometimes we're inert. We should act. Sometimes we are passive. 00:33:31.140 --> 00:33:36.520 We should be active. But remind us, Lord, that whatever we do, we do not do in our own wisdom, 00:33:36.620 --> 00:33:41.540 but we do so with your wisdom. Remind us that whatever we do, we do not in our own strength, 00:33:41.600 --> 00:33:46.880 but the strength of the spirit. Remind us that whatever we do, we are not dependent upon our own 00:33:46.880 --> 00:33:54.040 resources, but your resources. So help us to remember what Jesus has done. Help us to be aware of what the 00:33:54.039 --> 00:34:01.220 spirit is doing and help us to recognize that the day is coming when the same Jesus who went up will 00:34:01.220 --> 00:34:10.039 come back. And when that same Jesus comes back, he will close this era of human history. Help us, 00:34:10.199 --> 00:34:16.599 Lord, to be doing when that day comes. Help us to serve. Help us to speak. Help us to witness. Help us to 00:34:16.599 --> 00:34:23.719 encourage. Help us to bear one another's burdens. To encourage one another along the way. And in all 00:34:23.719 --> 00:34:32.119 things, may all glory, majesty, and honor be yours. God, Father, God, the Son, God, the Holy Spirit, 00:34:32.119 --> 00:34:43.360 three in one. Amen and amen. Let's close now. We're going to sing Holy Spirit, living breath of God. 00:34:43.360 --> 00:34:51.900 Let's join our voices to recognize the person, the work of the Spirit in our lives and in whatever we 00:34:51.900 --> 00:34:59.840 do in the name of Jesus. The Spirit accompanies us personally and powerfully. Let's stand to sing. 00:35:13.360 --> 00:35:41.620 Holy Spirit, living breath of God. Breathe new life into my willing soul. Bring the presence of the risen Lord to renew my heart and make me whole. 00:35:41.619 --> 00:36:02.119 Cause your word to come alive in me. Give me faith for what I cannot see. Give me passion for your purity. 00:36:02.119 --> 00:36:06.880 Holy Spirit, breathe new life into me.