My Witnesses (Acts 1:4-11)

 Sermon for Milledgeville and Centenary UMC...

[Title] My Witnesses (Acts 1:4-11)

 

Today’s message is an introduction to the Book of Acts. As I mentioned last week, Acts is Luke’s sequel to his gospel account. It’s Jesus Part II. The Acts of the Apostles is the story of the early Church, the body of Christ continuing the ministry of Jesus.

 

[Slide] The key verse to understanding the Book of Acts is Acts 1:8.

 

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.

 

[Slide] Here is an outline of Acts, broken down to three major sections patterned after Acts 1:8. Witness in Jerusalem (Acts 1-7), witness in Judea and Samaria (Acts 8-12), and witness to the ends of the earth (Acts 13-28). Paul’s ministry takes him from Antioch, to Asia Minor (Turkey) to Greece (Macedonia) to Rome, the center of the western world.

 

[Slide] Here is a timeline.

The book of Acts begins 40 days after Easter. Scholars believe the date of Jesus’ birth that starts our calendar is not year zero. They made a mistake. Jesus was born anywhere from 4-6 BC. We know he was crucified around 33 years old. Therefore, Jesus’ death occurred in the years around 30 AD.

 

We will learn of a Pharisee named Saul who persecuted Christians and his sudden conversion to faith in Jesus in chapter 9. The first of the original 12 apostles, James, is beheaded by Herod Antipas in Acts 12. Saul, now known as Paul, goes on his first missionary journey around 46 AD, 15 years after Jesus rose from the grave. (Acts 13-14)

 

 

Jesus sent Paul to witness to the Gentiles. This caused controversy with Jewish followers of Jesus. Should Gentile disciples be circumcised and keep the law of Moses? A council was held in Jerusalem around 49 AD to settle the matter.

 

[Slide] Here’s a map of the world that Paul encounters as a witness for Christ. Soon after the Jerusalem Council, Paul sets out on his second missionary journey. (Acts 15-18) His journey takes him into Macedonia (Greece) to Athens, Corinth, and Thessalonica. [Slide] Paul’s third missionary journey is covered in Acts 18-21. In Jerusalem, while visiting the temple, Paul is arrested. The rest of Acts deals with Paul’s court appearances in Jerusalem, in Caesarea, before Israel’s king and Roman governors, and finally in Rome. God used Paul’s imprisonment to spread the good news about Jesus all the way to Caesar’s own household.

 

[Slide] There are four steps to becoming witnesses for Jesus.

 

The Church is called to be Christ’s witnesses.

The Church prepares to be witnesses.

The Church is empowered to be witnesses

The Church is sent into the world to be Christ’s witnesses.

 

After Jesus ascended to heaven, the Church prepared to be Christ’s witnesses. [Slide] They searched the scripture, prayed, reasoned, and made a choice (cast lots).

 

[Slide] After Jesus was crucified, Judas Iscariot hung himself in shame. Acts 1:18 gives the gory details of his death. Reflecting on Judas’ betrayal, Peter quoted Psalm 109:8: “let another take his office.”

 

Peter thought it important to replace Judas among the 12. Why? Israel had 12 tribes. Jesus chose 12 apostles to build His Church as the new Israel.

 

[Slide] They prayed and reasoned that they needed candidates who had been with them since the beginning, when John was baptizing, until Jesus ascended. They chose two valid candidates, cast lots to help them decide, trusting God’s hand was in it, and the lots fell in Matthias’ favor.

Now there were 12 apostles again.

 

[Slide] The Church’s commission in Acts is simple. Wait for the Spirit’s power and you will be my witnesses. Matthew 28:19-20 contains the Great Commission: “Go and make disciples, baptizing them and teaching them to obey all I have commanded you.” Mark’s commission is similar. John says, “I am sending you. Forgive others and they will be forgiven.” [Slide] Studying the various commissions in the gospels and here in Acts, I see four common parts.

 

1)   Jesus sends us (Go, I am sending you. My witnesses)

2)   Jesus empowers us (Holy Spirit, sign and wonders)

3)   Proclaim the good news about salvation through Jesus

4)   Make Disciples

 

[Slide] This brings us to Acts 2 when a Spirit-filled Peter preached to the crowds gathered in Jerusalem at Pentecost. The Church was called to be witnesses. The disciples prepared to be Jesus’ witnesses. They searched the scriptures and they prayed. Then God acted. Jesus empowered the Church with the Holy Spirit to be His witnesses. And The Church was sent as Jesus’s witnesses.

 

[Slide] What is the content of Peter’s witness?

 

There are many places in the Book of Acts where one of the disciples shares the good news. And we will keep asking, “What is the content of the witness?”

 

1)   The death, resurrection and exaltation of Jesus is the fulfillment of scripture. These events are foretold in the Old Testament.

2)   Jesus is from God, as verified by miraculous signs and wonders surrounding his ministry.

3)   The Church is a witness to the reality that Christ is risen and reigning as Lord.

 

[Slide] Peter made sure the people heard that they were responsible for crucifying God’s Son and the Christ. They were cut to the heart at this truth. “What must we do?’ they pleaded.

 

Peter told them, “Repent and be baptized, every one of you, in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins. And you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. The promise is for you and your children and for all who are far off—for all whom the Lord our God will call.” With many other words he warned them; and he pleaded with them, “Save yourselves from this corrupt generation.” (Acts 2:38-40)

 

[Slide] Once the witness is made, a path for responding is offered.

 

Repent – Turn your life around. Stop sinning and live in obedience to God.

Baptism – Die with Christ to sin. Rise with Christ to new life.

Receive the Holy Spirit – Live life by the Spirit’s guidance and empowerment.

 

Repentance is a daily choice. Sin will knock at the door of our hearts. The devil will whisper His lies. We have a choice. Which voice will we heed; Jesus, Satan or our own?

 

Baptism is a sign of belonging to Christ and membership in His body, the Church. Baptism is also a daily choice. It is daily dying with Christ to sin, and rising with Christ into a Spirit-empowered new life. Am I truly made new in Christ? Or am I still enslaved to sin? Each day, resist sinful desires and choose lifegiving freedom in Christ.

 

And receive the Holy Spirit. All of you have received the Holy Spirit, but You may not yet know His power for you. The disciples felt a powerful wind and the warmth of fire resting upon them. Others speak of electricity running through their bodies. Still others speak of peace flooding their hearts and experiencing overwhelming love and joy.

 

But these mystic experiences are not the goal of faith. The goal is to be a faithful witness to the gospel. Christ gives the Spirit to empower your witness, what you say about Jesus, what you do for others in His name.

 

[Slide] Every Christian must prepare to be a witness. Search the scriptures and get to know the God of Israel and His Son, our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. Repent. Turn away from the things in life that are getting in the way of becoming a faithful witness for Jesus. Receive the Holy Spirit. Develop spiritual practices like prayer, meditation and fasting to connect you to the Spirit of the Lord. Every Christian should prepare their witness. How has Jesus transformed your life? What is your story?

 

[Slide] I was baptized as a baby. I’ve always been a Christian. BUT I have not always lived like one. I turned away from the faithful path my parents gave me and sought my own path. I set my sights upon being cool. I wanted to be an actor or a rock star. I partied like one. I performed in plays. I got my picture in the paper. I learned to play guitar. I performed live to applause. While it was fun, none of it satisfied my soul.

 

The cult of cool had a strong grip on me. All through college I drank alcohol, did drugs, and engaged in sinful behavior. I became sin sick. One night, I was walking down a dark street feeling depressed. I heard a vacuum cleaner. The sound was coming from a church. [Slide] The light from the church entryway summoned me. I found myself walking over there and asking to see the pastor. Next door at the parsonage, the pastor listened to me. I didn’t say, “I’m tired of feeling like a scumbag. I need to make a change.” Instead, I asked if there was a class of people my age that I could join. He said, “There is a class you could join, but isn’t the real reason you’re here is that you need God in your life?” His gaze peered into my tired, sad, sin-sick soul. I couldn’t hide. Tears welled up in my eyes. I couldn’t speak. He asked if he could pray for me. I don’t remember the words he prayed. I just remember walking away feeling like I’d met an old friend, a friend named Jesus.

 

I wish I could say I changed overnight. It took years for Jesus to pull me out of the cult of cool and into His marvelous light. He gave me the grace to stay sober. I found that what I really needed wasn’t to be seen as cool by others, but to be loved by my Father in heaven. Jesus loved me, even when I was running away from God. Jesus loved me and saved me. I have gained a bedrock unshakable faith since that night in Terre Haute. It’s been decades in the making, but it began when I invited Jesus back into my life. Because of Jesus, the coolest of the cool, I know myself as a beloved friend of God. There is no greater joy.

 

[Slide] What is your story?

 

I encourage you each to go home with these questions in mind?

 

What was my life like before Jesus?

What happened when I accepted Jesus?

How has faith in Jesus changed my life?