You Are My Witnesses (Luke 24:44-53; Acts 1:1-11)

 

[Title Slide] You Are My Witnesses (Luke 24:44-53; Acts 1:1-11)

 

 But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you, and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth.
Act 1:8

Forty days after Easter, Jesus was taken up to heaven. Happy Ascension Sunday! And It’s Mother’s Day! Congratulations and God bless all mothers, grandmothers, great grandmothers, and their families today!

 

The faithful prayers of mothers and grandmothers have aided many, unbeknownst to most. Saint Augustine’s mother, Monica, didn’t want her son to go to Rome. She prayed that he wouldn’t get on the ship, but he did. She prayed for Augustine while he immersed himself in the sinfulness of Rome. Augustine studied oration at university. His teacher was Bishop Ambrose. Ambrose inspired Augustine, which eventually led to his conversion to Christianity. Saint Augustine became one of the most influential theologians in Christian history. This happened because of the faithful prayers of his mother, who never gave in to despair, but just kept praying.

 

Christ ascended to heaven and is seated at the right hand of God the Father. He hears every prayer. Keep on praying for your families. The Kings of Kings and Lord of Lords hears you and is working out His good purposes for all who love Him.

 

The Ascension of Jesus reminds us that Christ is reigning from heaven in glory. His rising from the earth and disappearing beyond the clouds suggests that heaven is up above the earth, somewhere up there. Heaven is closer than we ever dreamed. Heaven is everywhere, underpinning our very existence. We pray, “Thy kingdom come, thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven.” Heaven is where God’s will is done. Jesus made it possible for us to experience heaven on earth. Jesus ascended into heaven. Freed from the limits of time and space, He poured out His Spirit upon the church. Through the Holy Spirit, we experience heaven in our hearts.

 

 

 

[Slide] Christian author Richard Foster wrote,

 

“the goal of the Christian life is not simply to get us into heaven, but to get heaven into us!”

 

Why is the Ascension important? John’s gospel tells us. Jesus said,

 

…it is to your advantage that I go away, for if I do not go away, the Advocate (Holy Spirit) will not come to you, but if I go, I will send him to you. (John 16:7)

 

When the Spirit filled the church, the ministry of Jesus spread like wildfire, because Jesus was no longer limited to the body of the preaching carpenter from Nazareth. From heaven, Christ empowers every disciple with grace, truth, and love.

 

[Slide] Luke tells us three important things that happened in the 40 days after Jesus’ resurrection.

 

1.    Jesus opened the disciples’ minds to understand the scriptures.

2.    He charged them to proclaim repentance and forgiveness in His name to all nations.

3.    He instructed them to wait for the promise of the Father.

 

 

Jesus opened the minds of His disciples to understand that He is the fulfillment of the scriptures. Jesus is the very goal of scripture. [Slide] Jesus helped them to understand that he is the prophet that is to come as Moses promised.

 

“The Lord your God will raise up for you a prophet like me from among your own people; you shall listen to him. (Deuteronomy 18:15)

 

 

 

[Slide] He helped them understand that the psalms foretold his suffering.

 

They pierced my hands and my feet.

I can count all my bones.

They look, they stare at me;

They divide my garments among them,

And they cast lots for my clothing. (Psalm 22:16b-18, NASB)

 

[Slide] When speaking of the resurrection, Peter quoted Psalm 16, while preaching to the crowd at Pentecost.

 

you will not abandon me to the realm of the dead,

    nor will you let your faithful one see decay. (Psalm 16:10)

 

[Slide] He quoted the prophet Joel.

 

‘In the last days it will be, God declares,

that I will pour out my Spirit upon all flesh,

    and your sons and your daughters shall prophesy,

and your young men shall see visions,

    and your old men shall dream dreams.

Even upon my slaves, both men and women,

    in those days I will pour out my Spirit,

        and they shall prophesy. (Joel 2:28-29; Acts 2:17-18)

 

With a fresh understanding of the scriptures, the disciples returned to Jerusalem and waited for the promise of the Father, power from on high, the Holy Spirit.

 

Empowered by the Spirit, the Church carried out the ministry of Jesus. They proclaimed repentance and forgiveness in Jesus’ name with divine authority behind their words, accompanied by miraculous deeds of power. They healed the sick and drove out demons.

 

 

[Slide] Jesus told his disciples,

 

You will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you, and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.” (Acts 1:8)

 

[Slide] Look at this map. Jerusalem is on the northeastern border of Judea. To the north is Samaria. As the church, empowered by the Spirit of Jesus, proclaimed the gospel, the church of Jesus Christ spread throughout the Roman world, [Slide] to the ends of the earth.

 

Jesus told the church, “You are my witnesses.” [Slide] The Greek word we translate as witness is martys. It’s where we get the word martyr. The word means to witness or testify to what you have experienced. We are called to be Jesus’ witnesses to the world. We are here today because Christians through the millennia have faithfully answered the call to witness for Jesus.

 

[Slide] So how are we to become witnesses for Jesus? By proclaiming forgiveness and calling people to turn their hearts and lives toward God. And by continuing the ministry of Jesus in the power of His Spirit.

 

[Slide] Luke summarizes the ministry of Jesus very well.

 

They had come to hear him and to be healed of their diseases, and those who were troubled with unclean spirits were cured. (Luke 6:18)

 

What do you see?

 

[Slide] They came to hear him… hear what? They came to hear him teach good news about the coming reign of God’s love.

 

They came to be healed… Jesus healed lepers, restored the sight of the blind, and made the lame walk again.

 

And they came to be liberated from troubles. (Demons)

 

Teaching, Healing and Liberation is the ministry of Jesus.

 

[Slide] The Church continues the ministry of Jesus in many ways. We teach hope in the gospel through preaching and education. We restore health through healing prayer and compassionate care, visiting the sick and encouraging them.

 

We liberate lives through ministries of justice. We advocate for the poor and oppressed. We work to improve the situation of those who are marginalized in our society. We speak up and stand with them, working to gain them equitable treatment in society. The Church offers support groups for addiction recovery, divorce support and grief recovery.

 

Liberating lives is about transformation. With a foundation of hope in the gospel, lives are made whole, health is restored, and, in the power of the Holy Spirit, lives are transformed. Teaching, Healing and Liberation ministries bear the fruit of Hope, Health and Holiness. Holiness is simply sharing in the divine nature. We are made in God’s image, fallen from God’s image because of sin, and restored to our divine potential through the power of the Holy Spirit.

 

Romans 8:29 says we are “predestined to be conformed to the image of God’s Son.” Holiness, becoming like Jesus, is the goal of our faith.

 

Teaching hope, restoring health, and liberating lives is how we continue the ministry of Jesus as His witnesses.

 

It’s humorous how Luke ends the story of the Ascension. [Slide] Jesus disappears in the clouds and the disciples are looking up to the sky, when suddenly two angels appears and say,

 

“Men of Galilee, why do you stand looking up toward heaven?” (Acts 1:11)

 

In other words, “What are you standing around for? The Lord has given you your mission. Now go!”

 

They went back to Jerusalem, blessing God, worshipping daily at the temple, and waited for the promise of the Father. Soon they began the mission as witnesses for Jesus Christ.

 

How about us? In what ways are we standing around gawking and neglecting the ministry of Jesus? Some look to heaven as an escape. I know I’ve said many times, “Get me off this rock!” When is Jesus gonna come back and put an end to this mess?

 

You want to know why the church is dying in America? By and large, the church in America has become a spectator sport for religious consumers. It’s high time we learn to be Christ’s witnesses again.

 

That means being prepared to tell others how Jesus has transformed your life. Every Christian should have a testimony prepared to share with a friend, neighbor, family member or coworker.  Your testimony doesn’t need to be long. You don’t need to quote scripture. You just need to tell your story. What difference has Jesus made in your life? As you teach hope, restore health, and liberate lives, people are going to want to know why you do what you do. Be ready.

 

[Slide] I saw this on Facebook recently. Your testimony of what Christ saved you from, is another hurting person’s invitation to His grace. Someone in your network of relationships needs to hear your story.

 

Last weekend, I shared my story before singing Zach Williams’ Fear is A Liar. I shared that I live with PTSD from childhood trauma. I told them fear is a major preoccupation for survivors of domestic violence and sexual abuse. But fear is a liar. Trust in Jesus helps free me of fear and He can free you too.

A young man came to me afterward and told me my words meant a lot. He, too, had experienced child abuse growing up. He wept as he shared what happened. He’d never told anyone before. We prayed together, and calmness filled his heart. At the end of the weekend, he stood and told everyone he had come to the weekend hoping to find something he’d lost. With joyful tears he testified, “You know what? I found it! I found Jesus.”

 

I don’t know your stories, but I’m sure you have a story about how faith in Jesus made a difference for you. Someone needs to hear it.

 

[Slide] Christ ascended into heaven and is seated at the right hand of God the Father Almighty. He sounds far away, but the truth is the throne is right here, in your heart. “You are my witnesses!” Jesus says. So let us recommit ourselves to the ministry of Jesus. With power from on high, we can and will overcome! Somebody testify!