July 12, 2013

From Bill Dayton... “How Great Thou Art….” 1A

Sermon…Song

“How Great Thou Art….” 1A

Introduction.

A. This is one of the greatest hymns of praise that was written in the 20^th century.

B. In April of 1974 the Christian Herald magazine named this the #1 hymn in America.

C. David sang God’s praises in Psalm 92:5.…O Lord how great are Your works.” Psalm 145.

D. (v 1,2) speak of The Creation, (v3) speaks of The Cross. (v4) speaks of the Coming of Christ

I. The Creation (vs 1,2)

A. Gen.1:1ff..God spoke, and it was so….6 days…then rested on the 7th

B. Psalm 148

II. The Cross (v 3)

A. Matt.1:21...”…bring forth a Son…Jesus He will save people from their sins…”

B. Jn.3:16.…“For God so loved the world…..”

C. 1Cor.2: 2...Paul determined to Know nothing except Jesus and Him crucified

III. The Coming Christ (v4)

A. Estimated, one of every 25 verses in the NT deals either directly or indirectly with our Lord’s return.

The word “rapture” is not seen in scripture…..

B. Jn.14:1-3...1Thess.4:13-5:1-2

C. Matt.24:36-44 ® “watch & be ready” 2Peter 3:1-12

D. What Will Happen When He Comes?

1. Jn.5:28,29; 1Cor.15:51,52 ®

2. 2Pet.3:10. “…thief in the night..heaven and earth will pass away, great noise fervent heat…”

3. Heb.9:27 death is an appointment, then the judgment. 2Cor.5:10 All appear judgment seat of Christ.”

4. 2Tim.4:7,8 “..fought the good fight, finished the race, kept the faith. Laid up , crown of righteousness

The Lord will give to me on the Day, not only me, all who LOVE His appearing.”

From Jim McGuiggan... The dead know nothing?

The dead know nothing?

The “Preacher” said (Ecclesiastes 9:5): “The dead know nothing at all.” That looks plain enough. It would be easy to say: “The Bible teaches that the dead either no longer exist or that after death while they might continue to exist they must be unconscious.”

Both those views are widely held. Atheists and “Conditionalists” (for very different reasons) share a similar view. The atheist believes that when a human dies he/she is obliterated; never to return. The Conditionalist believes that when a human dies the human ceases to be but that God will bring back into deathless life all those of all the ages who are embraced in his work in Jesus Christ. In the meantime however, on the Conditionalist view, humans cease to exist at death and that’s why “the dead know nothing at all.”

Then there’s the doctrine that’s often called the doctrine of “soul sleep”. Those who hold that view think that though humans experience biological death they continue to exist in a disembodied form. “The soul” survives biological death but it is unconscious until the resurrection when God re-embodies humans.

There are other ways to view the Preacher’s remark.

If he meant that at death the human simply ceased to exist, it’s possible that he was mistaken. We’re all aware that we mustn’t simply quote a text and say: “See? There’s what the Bible teaches as truth.”

In his confusion and agony Job said many things about God that were false to the core and in 7:9-21 he not only denies life after death he denies any possibility of restoration (see especially 7:9 and 21). It’s true he wrestles with the problem but in the end he gives more hope for a cut-down tree than for a cut-down human (14: 7-22). Without going into details God said Job’s friends had not spoken the truth about him (God)—42:7-8.

Good men and women can be mistaken in their beliefs and the Bible is perfectly willing to include their errors as well as truths. If this makes the Bible a more difficult book to work with and if it suits God for it to be that way then so be it. We’ll just have to become better students and listeners.

Then again, the Preacher might not have meant that death ended everything, only that death cut a person off from all knowledge of what is going on in life under the sun as well as cutting him off from the activities of this life as we now experience it. See Ecclesiastes 9:4-6. His language may only be the language of appearance in this life.

A psalmist in Psalm 89 responds to the praise God is given in 89:1-37 which concludes with God’s promise never to forsake David’s house or go back on his covenant with him (89:33-37). This psalmist protests that God hasdone what he said he wouldn’t do! He says (89:38-39, NRSV): “But now you have spurned and rejected him…You have renounced the covenant with your servant; you have defiled his crown in the dust.” But this is the language of appearance resulting from actual experience during a particular period of trial. The psalm doesn’t end with an accusation that God is faithless so we need to be careful how we understand his earlier words.

A deeply troubled psalmist in 6:4-5 asks for deliverance from death because, he says, “No one remembers you when he is dead. Who praises you from the grave?” Psalm 88 is one long plea for rescue from a very ill man who has been forsaken even by his closest friends. He wants to know how his death can profit God and how God can show him wonderful things while he is lying in the grave (88:10-12). He wants to know if people in the graveyards sit up and sing God’s praises (88:10). None of this has anything to do with his views about life after death or a coming resurrection. He sees death as the disruption of life and all the things he regards as precious in this life. If we had said to him, “Do you think there is life after death?” he would probably have said, “I’m not in the least interested in that issue at the present time. I want life before death!”

I’m one of those who believe that something identifiable as us survives biological death. [Call it “soul” or “spirit”.]

I’m one of those who believe that Christians in some ways enter a deeper level of intimacy with Christ when they die (see Philippians 1:21-23 and click here for a little on that text).

I believe that mere “life after death” is profoundly less than the whole marvellous human story which comes to completion in a glorious resurrection when Jesus returns to obliterate death by resurrecting his redeemed to embodied immortality.

There are a number of profound truths that are not made known or fully developed in the OT scriptures; truths that have been made known and/or developed with the coming of Jesus. (See, for example, Ephesians 3:1-5, Acts 17:30-31 and 2 Timothy 1:7.) This means we should be careful how we use OT texts.

Many thanks to brother Ed Healy, for allowing me to post from his website, the abiding word.com.

From Jim McGuiggan... Sleepy-heads going to bed

Sleepy-heads going to bed

I really like Longfellow's poem Nature. It doesn't say enough about death; death is so much more than a "natural" thing, but what a thankless wretch I'd be if I didn't thank God for this fine way of looking at one of death's facets—especially in light of the resurrection of Jesus. It'd be poisonous to demand of every speaker/writer or thinker that he/she should give a full Christian perspective on anything when they open their hearts. Do we ever do anything but tell part truths? The truly hungry won't complain if in kindness they've been offered something substantial; they won't peevishly complain it wasn't all they would have wanted. No, with grateful hearts they'll please the giver by wolfing it down with a smile and then licking their lips and wishing.

As a fond mother, when the day is o'er,

Leads by the hand the little child to bed,

And leave his broken playthings on the floor,

Still gazing at them through the open door,

Not wholly reassured and comforted

By promises of others in their stead,

Which, though more splendid, may not please him more;

So Nature deals with us and takes away

Our playthings one by one, and by the hand

Leads us to rest so gently, that we go,

Scarce knowing if we wished to go or stay,

Being too full of sleep to understand

How far the unknown transcends what we know.

I've no wish to suggest that the sight and smell and sound of death is a pleasing experience for I take no pleasure in the thought of my own death though I have no particular fear of it. (When I seriously think of Ethel leaving I tremble.) Just the same, to have lived and by God's grace to have had an honest shot at it; making no great waves, no name in lights, no footprints in celebrity cement, no household name—just an honest simple go at it—to have done that and then for "Nature" to take you by the hand to a well earned grave with the assurance of better things, that's living and that's a fine death. What more should we expect who are blessed with that?

Many thanks to brother Ed Healy, for allowing me to post from his website, the abiding word.com.

From Jim McGuiggan... Paradise: what about it?

Paradise: what about it?

What about "Paradise"? a reader asked. Scholars tell us that it’s a Persian/Iranian word and means something like "a park". Greek writers used it of Persian public parks and in mythology there are stories from various nations about places where the heroes and righteous dead lived with the gods in idyllic conditions. The word is used nearly fifty times in the OT Greek—usually translating the Hebrew word for garden. It’s no surprise that it is used in Genesis 2 & 3 of the Garden of God (Eden). And prophets like Ezekiel and Isaiah spoke of a restoring of Israel’s land so that a paradise state would return (Isaiah 35 develops that kind of picture). Those promises are of an earthly state of affairs (though, in light of the fuller biblical witness not merely a return to "how things have been"—compare Romans 8:18-23).

But it’s clear that the word Paradise came to mean more than any earthly location since the dying thief went there with Christ the day he died and Paul was caught up into it—he was unsure if it was a bodily ascent. See Luke 23:43 and 2 Corinthians 12:2-3.

Because there are some tricky little questions generated by equating Paradise with heaven itself there are those who think that Paradise is some kind of waiting-room where the forgiven wait until after the judgement and then they get into heaven itself. The tricky little questions—maybe another time. In light of 2 Corinthians 12:2-3 I see no reason to differentiate them. Paradise is heaven viewed as a garden. One of the ways the Jews expressed their cosmologies was in various heavens. "Three heavens" was one way. Where the birds fly, outer space and where God himself dwells (third). That’s where Paul went and he calls it Paradise.

Some scholars think that Paradise was closed until Jesus opened it by his redeeming work and his resurrection and exaltation. There is something to be said for that view. Maybe it’s correct. Maybe.

It’s difficult to speak of life beyond the usual three dimensions. Certainly I don’t think we can talk about heaven without using spatial terms, as if it were a particular geographical address. As if you might be able to take a rocket ship, travel at a jillion times the speed of light and reach "heaven". That won’t work. It isn’t a "place" "out" there or "up" there somewhere. It’s more a "mode of existence". A way of existing that doesn't depend on three dimensional realities and present earthly necessities. Paradise (speaking of it as an equivalent to heaven) is more about how we relate to God in a non-embodied existence. It makes no difference "where" we are—we live with him in a blessed relationship independent of bodies and their functions until the resurrection and then a new phase of life with God begins.

Many thanks to brother Ed Healy, for allowing me to post from his website, the abiding word.com.

From Jim McGuiggan... Last letter before dying

Last letter before dying

So the old man is nearing the end in a prison and he writes his last letter to a young friend (2 Timothy). What will he talk about and what will he say about those matters? Will he tell the young man that if he had his life to live over again he'd take better care of himself? Will he say he wished he hadn't run so far so fast on so little? Will he say he regrets all the beatings and deprivations he suffered; privations that have led to being old before his time? (When you're lying on a hospital bed knowing that this is as good as it gets from here on out I suppose all kinds of thoughts come as unwanted guests. Guests you're too tired to turn away.) What will the old man ask for? Nothing but a couple of friends, an old coat that he could use when it gets cold and a few books.

And what about his message? Will he say it was all a mistake? That he'd got it all wrong? That he can hardly now believe how big a fool he was to have followed Jesus of Nazareth into what turned out to be a dead end in a Roman prison? Will he advise the younger man to jettison the faith and eat, drink and be merry for it was all one colossal blunder? And if he is indeed brought to the executioner will he apologise for anything he might have said that undermined the emperor's authority? Will he write a letter of apology to the Great Sannhedrin, renouncing Jesus of Nazareth and wishing he had pursued unchanged his Jewish heritage instead of this life-wasting pipe dream? (In prison or a nursing home, in a hospital waiting-room or in the quiet darkness of your bedroom where depression feeds on you, faith can take a beating.) How does the old man see the faith? He saw it as worth fighting for; as something worth keeping and he believed it was anything but a dead end. Life ("a crown of life," not fading laurel leaves) was ahead of him. All this he feels and is sure of because he knows Someone and that's why people like him could sing praises in prison and sleep like babies in their mother's arms before dying.

Many thanks to brother Ed Healy, for allowing me to post from his website, the abiding word.com.

From Mark Copeland... The Return Of Christ (Ac.1:10-11)

                          "THE BOOK OF ACTS"

                    The Return Of Christ (1:10-11)

INTRODUCTION

1. As the disciples watched Jesus ascend to heaven...
   a. Two men stood by in white apparel - Ac 1:10
   b. With a promise that Jesus would one day return - Ac 1:11

2. Those who look for the Lord's return often differ greatly over the
   details...
   a. The premillenialist looks for Christ to come in order to
      establish a literal kingdom on the earth, over which He will reign
      for a 1000 years
   b. The postmillenialist believes that Christ will at some point
      begin a thousand year reign from heaven, at the end of which He 
      will come to judge the world
   c. The amillenialist believes that Christ has been reigning as King
      of kings, and Lord of lords ever since His ascension to heaven, and
      that His coming will be to raise the dead, judge the world, and 
      usher in the new heavens and new earth

[In this lesson, the amillenial view will be presented, which I believe
most accurately teaches what the Bible reveals about the Second Coming of
our Lord.  Beginning with...]

I. THE CERTAINTY OF HIS COMING

   A. PROCLAIMED BY ANGELS...
      1. The "two men...in white apparel" - Ac 1:9-11
      2. Who said that "This same Jesus, who was taken up from into
         heaven, will so come in like manner as you saw Him go into 
         heaven." - ibid.

   B. PROCLAIMED BY APOSTLES...
      1. Peter - Ac 3:19-21; 2Pe 3:1-13
      2. Paul - 1Co 11:26; 15:22-23; 1Th 1:9-10; 2:19; 3:13; 2Ti 4:1
      3. John - 1Jn 2:28
      4. The writer to the Hebrews - He 9:27-28

[In the OT one finds the recurring theme "The Messiah is coming!"  In the
NT we learn not only "He has come!", but that "He is coming again!"  To
the certainty of His coming, we can add..]

II. THE MANNER OF HIS COMING

   A. HE WILL COME IN PERSON...
      1. "This same Jesus, who was taken up from you into heaven, will
         so come..." - Ac 1:11
      2. "the Lord himself will descend from heaven..." - 1Th 4:15-17

   B. HE WILL COME WITH THE CLOUDS...
      1. "This same Jesus...will so come in like manner as you saw Him
         go into heaven" - Ac 1:11 (referring to verse 9: "He was taken 
         up, and a cloud received Him out of their sight")
      2. "...in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air." - 1Th 4:17
      3. "Behold, He is coming with clouds..." - Re 1:7

   C. HE WILL COME WITHOUT WARNING...
      1. "...the day of the Lord so comes as a thief in the night." 
         - 1Th 5:2
      2. "For when they say, 'Peace and safety!' then sudden
         destruction comes..." - 1Th 5:3
      3. "...the day of the Lord will come as a thief in the night..."
         - 2Pe 3:10

[Of course, this unexpected coming of the Lord will not surprise the
faithful, who seriously watch for the Lord's coming (cf. 1Th 5:4-11). 
With joyful anticipation, they await the personal return of their Savior.
What will happen when the Lord returns?  To answer this question we now
consider...]

III. THE PURPOSE OF HIS COMING

   A. TO RAISE THE DEAD...
      1. "...for the hour is coming in which all who are in the graves
         will hear His voice and come forth..." - Jn 5:28-29
         a. Note that there is but one resurrection, including both the
            good and evil, that will occur at one time ("the hour")
         b. As Paul said, "...there will be a resurrection of the dead,
            both of the just and the unjust." - Ac 24:15
      2. Those who are alive at the Lord's coming...
         a. Will be "changed" in "the twinkling of an eye", being
            clothed with immortality and incorruption - 1Co 15:50-54
         b. Then "caught up...to meet the Lord in the air." - 1Th 4:16-18  

   B. TO DELIVER UP THE KINGDOM TO GOD...
      1. Contrary to the view that Jesus has yet to establish His
         kingdom on earth, He has been ruling over His kingdom since He
         first ascended to heaven!
         a. In fulfillment of the prophecy that God would raise up the
            Christ to sit on the "throne of David", Jesus was raised from
            the dead and made "Lord" - Ac 2:30-36
         b. All authority in heaven and earth has been given unto Him 
            - Mt 28:18
            1) He is far above all principality, power, might, and
               dominion, with all things placed under His feet - Ep 1:20-22
            2) At the right hand of God, angels and authorities and
               powers are made subject to Him - 1Pe 3:22
         c. Christians are said to be "in" His kingdom
            1) Having been "delivered...from the power of darkness and
               translated into the kingdom of the Son of His love" - Col 1:13
            2) They are "in the kingdom...of Jesus Christ" - Re 1:9
         d. Christ will continue to reign "till He has put all enemies
            under His feet" - 1Co 15:25
            1) Note that His reign will be concurrent with the fact
               enemies are still present
            2) As prophesied by the Psalmist:  "Rule in the midst of
               Your enemies!" - Ps 110:1-2 
         e. Thus Christ is NOW "the blessed and only Potentate, the
            King of kings and Lord of Lords" - 1Ti 6:15; cf. Re 19:16
         f. And He will reign "till He has put all enemies under His
            feet" - 1Co 15:25
            1) The last enemy that will be destroyed is death itself 
               - cf. 1Co 15:26
            2) Which we have seen will be destroyed at the coming of
               the Lord when He will raise the dead - 1Co 15:51-54
      2. So when Jesus comes, it will not be to set up His kingdom, but
         to deliver up His kingdom!
         a. As Paul clearly told the Corinthians - 1Co 15:23-26
         b. As taught by Jesus in His Parable of the Tares - Mt 13:36-43
            1) His kingdom will last until "the end of this age"
            2) After which "the righteous will shine forth as the sun
               in the kingdom of their Father" (i.e., the heavenly 
               kingdom)

   C. TO JUDGE THE WORLD AND PUNISH EVIL...
      1. God has appointed a "day" in which He will judge the world 
         - 2Pe 3:7
         a. The one appointed to be the Judge is Jesus Christ -

            Ac 17:31; 2Co 5:10
         b. The standard by which He will judge will be the words He
            has spoken - Jn 12:48
      2. It will be a day of perdition (utter destruction) of ungodly
         men - 2Pe 3:7
         a. Those who know not God and have not obeyed the gospel will
            be punished with everlasting destruction - 2Th 1:7-10
         b. Those not in the "Book of Life" will be cast into the "lake
            of fire" - Re 20:11-15

   D. TO USHER IN THE NEW HEAVENS AND NEW EARTH...
      1. As taught by Peter - 2Pe 3:10-14
         a. This will follow the "passing away" of the present heavens
            and earth
         b. It is in fulfillment of God's promise - cf. Isa 65:17-19;
            66:22-23
         c. It is something we are to "look for" (13-14)
         d. It will be a realm where righteousness dwells, therefore
            the need for us to be found "in peace, without spot and 
            blameless" when Christ returns (13-14)
      2. As taught by John - Re 21:1-22:5
         a. It will follow after the first heaven and first earth have
            "passed away" - Re 21:1; 20:11
         b. It will be the place where the New Jerusalem will abide
            when it "comes down out of heaven" - Re 21:2; 3:10; 21:10
         c. God will dwell with us in this "New Jerusalem" that has
            "come down out of heaven" - Re 21:3-27; 22:1-5

CONCLUSION

1. The purpose of Jesus' second coming can be summed up by His
   statement in Re 22:12...
   
   "And behold, I am coming quickly, and My reward is with Me, 
   to give to every one according to his work."

2. That Jesus has not yet come is only an indication of God's
   long-suffering, but rest assured "that day" will one day come! - 2Pe 3:8-9

3. In the meantime, what should be our attitude be toward the coming of
   our Lord?  One of...
   a. Prayerful preparation - Lk 21:34-36; 2Pe 3:14
   b. Joyful expectation - Php 3:20-21
   c. Patient endurance - He 10:35-39

From Mark Copeland... The Ascension Of Christ (Ac.1:9)

                          "THE BOOK OF ACTS"

                     The Ascension Of Christ (1:9)

INTRODUCTION

1. Forty days following His resurrection, Jesus ascended to heaven...
   a. Watched by His disciples, until a cloud received Him out of their
      sight - Ac 1:9
   b. Which took place near Bethany, while Jesus blessed them - Lk 24:50-51

2. Following His ascension to heaven....
   a. What happened next?
   b. What's happening now?

[Jesus' ministry as Lord and Savior did not end with His life here on
earth.  Important to our faith and hope is understanding what happened
after Jesus ascended to heaven, beginning with...]  

I. THE EXALTATION OF CHRIST

   A. PROPHESIED IN THE OLD TESTAMENT...
      1. Despite efforts by rulers and kings against God's anointed 
         - Ps 2:1-7; cf. Ac 4:23-28
      2. Spoken of the Suffering Servant - Isa 52:13; 53:12
      3. Seen in a vision by Daniel - Dan 7:13
      -- The psalmist and the prophets foretold that the Messiah would
         be exalted

   B. PROCLAIMED IN THE NEW TESTAMENT...
      1. Jesus told disciples He was about to enter His glory - Lk 24:25-27
      2. He is now seated at the right hand of God - Mk 16:19
      3. He has been exalted to be Prince and Savior - Ac 2:33-35; 5:31
      4. He has been given a name above every name - Php 2:9
      5. He has obtained a more excellent name than the angels - He 1:3-4 
      -- Jesus and His apostles proclaimed the exaltation of Christ in
         glory

[So Jesus has been exalted in glory.  But what is He doing at the right
hand of God?  Biding His time until His return?  No!  For there is much
revealed about...]

II. THE REIGN OF CHRIST
   
   A. PROPHESIED IN THE OLD TESTAMENT...
      1. To rule the nations with a rod of iron - Ps 2:8-12
      2. To rule in the midst of His enemies, till they are made His
         footstool - Ps 110:1-2,5-7
      3. To have a government of peace, judgment, and justice - Isa 9:6-7
      3. That all peoples, nations, languages, should serve Him - Dan 7:14
      -- The psalmist and the prophets foretold that the Messiah would
         reign over His enemies

   B. PROCLAIMED IN THE NEW TESTAMENT...
      1. Jesus has all authority in heaven and on earth - Mt 28:18
      2. He is above all principality, power, might, dominion, and
         every name - Ep 1:20-22
      3. Angels, authorities, and powers have been made subject to Him
         - 1Pe 3:22
      4. He must reign until all enemies are put under His feet,
         including death - 1Co 15:24-26
      5. He is the ruler over the kings of the earth - Re 1:5
      6. He rules them with a rod of iron - Re 2:26-27
      7. Thus He is King of kings, Lord of lords - Re 17:14; cf. 1Ti 6:14-15
      -- Jesus and His apostles proclaimed the present reign of Christ
         from heaven!

[Just as God reigned over kingdoms of men (Dan 2:21; 4:17), so now His
Son reigns in the midst of His enemies (Ps 110:1-2) until the last enemy
is defeated (1Co 15:25-26).  In the meantime, there is also...]

III. THE PRIESTHOOD OF CHRIST

   A. PROPHESIED IN THE OLD TESTAMENT...
      1. To serve as a priest forever according to the order of
         Melchizedek - Ps 110:4
      2. To be a priest on His throne - Zec 6:13
      -- The psalmist and the prophet foretold of One who would be both
         king and priest!

   B. PROCLAIMED IN THE NEW TESTAMENT...
      1. Jesus has become a merciful and faithful High Priest - He 2:17-18
         a. To make propitiation for the sins of the people
         b. To aid those who are tempted
      2. He is a sympathetic High Priest - He 4:14-16
         a. Sympathizing with our weaknesses, having been tempted
         b. Making it possible to obtain mercy and grace to help in
            time of need
      3. According to the order of Melchizedek - He 5:10; 6:19-20;
         7:20-28; 8:1
         a. Called by God
         b. In the Presence of God beyond the veil
         c. Made a priest by the oath of God
         d. The surety of a better covenant
         e. An unchangeable priesthood because He continues forever
         f. Able to save to the uttermost those who come to God through
            Him
         g. Who always lives to make intercession for them
         h. A High Priest holy, harmless, undefiled, separate from
            sinners, higher than the heavens
         i. Does not need to offer daily sacrifices, His own sacrifice
            offered once suffices
      4. He is a better High Priest - He 8:1-2; 9:11-15; 10:11-14,19-22
         a. Seated at the right hand of God
         b. Minister of the sanctuary and true tabernacle erected by
            the Lord, not man
         c. Having obtained eternal redemption, even for those under
            the first covenant
         d. Offering the promise of eternal inheritance
         e. Sitting at the right hand of God, till His enemies are made
            His footstool
         f. By one offering perfecting forever those who those being
            sanctified
         g. Giving us boldness to draw near to God with assurance of
            faith  
      -- Jesus is truly the perfect and better High Priest for us in
         heaven!

CONCLUSION

1. Thus we have seen that with the ascension of Jesus...
   a. He was highly exalted above all things in heaven and earth
   b. He began His reign as King and ministry as High Priest
   c. Thus we have nothing to fear, and everything to hope for! - cf.
      Ro 8:31-38

2. Jesus will one day return; until then, what will you do...?
   a. Freely volunteer in the day of His power! - cf. Ps 110:3
   b. Submit to His kingly authority as Lord, obey the gospel! - cf. Ac 2:36-38
   c. Enjoy the blessings with Him as your High Priest in heaven! - cf.
      1Jn 1:7-9

If we do not, then as His enemy we will eventually be crushed under His
feet, and experience His wrath for having despised God's grace when we
had ample opportunity... - cf. Ro 2:4-11; 2Th 1:7-10

From Mark Copeland... Witnesses For Christ (Ac.1:8)

                          "THE BOOK OF ACTS"

                      Witnesses For Christ (1:8)

INTRODUCTION

1. Before Jesus ascended to heaven, He gave His disciples a promise and
   a charge...
   a. "you shall receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you"
      - Ac 1:8
   b. "you shall be witnesses to Me in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and
      Samaria, and to the end of the earth" - ibid.

2. The charge to be "witnesses" for Christ has been appropriated by
   many...
   a. In their efforts to share the gospel of Christ with the lost
   b. That in doing so they are "witnesses for Christ"
   c. In so doing, they use "witnessing" as a synonym for evangelism

[But is "witnessing" an accurate term for our evangelistic efforts?  Can
we "witness" today like the apostles did in carrying out their charge? 
Let's first review...]

I. WITNESSING FOR CHRIST TODAY

   A. AS COMMONLY PRACTICED...
      1. After telling others how to receive Christ, one is encouraged
         to share their own experience in "accepting Christ as their 
         personal Lord and Savior"
         a. This sharing of experiences of one's own conversion is
            called "witnessing"
         b. Used to convince a prospect of the power of the gospel to
            transform one's life
      2. New converts are often encouraged to quickly develop their own
         "witness"
         a. That is, a personal testimony proclaiming how their lives
            were changed
         b. For example, their testimony or "witness" might describe:
            1) Their actions and attitudes before they accepted Christ
            2) Circumstances that surrounded their conversion
            3) Changes that took place in life after receiving Christ
         c. Of course, the more remarkable one's story (witness), the
            better

   B. JUSTIFICATION FOR SUCH WITNESSING...
      1. The New Testament speaks of people being witnesses
         a. E.g., in our text:  "you shall be witnesses to Me" - Ac 1:8
         b. This passage is taken to mean that all Christians were to
            "witness" for Christ
      2. Yet consider the following questions:
         a. Are the "witnesses" in our text referring to all
            Christians, or a select few?
         b. What were they to bear witness to?  Their own conversion,
            or something else?
         c. Does the text imply that all Christians are to be 
            "witnesses"?

[To help answer this question, let's examine more closely...]

II. WITNESSING IN THE NEW TESTAMENT

   A. WHO WERE TO BE WITNESSES FOR CHRIST...?
      1. The context of Ac 1:8 reveals it was the apostles - Ac 1:1-11
         a. They are specifically mentioned in verse 2
         b.  Note the pronouns used throughout the text (to whom, them,
            they, you)
         c. They were "Men of Galilee" (many disciples were from other
            regions)
      2. To be such a witness required very specific qualifications 
         - cf. Ac 1:21-22
         a. One had to have been with the apostles
         b. From the time of Jesus' baptism until His ascension to
            heaven
         c. Because of what they were to bear witness

   B. WHAT WAS THEIR WITNESS FOR CHRIST...?
      1. They bore witness to Jesus' resurrection - cf. Ac 1:22; 2:32;
         3:15; 5:30-32; 13:30-31
      2. They also bore witness to His life - Ac 10:38-42
      3. The apostle Paul was a special witness - Ac 22:14-15; 26:16,22
      4. The focal point of apostolic witness is the resurrection of
         Jesus from the dead!

   C. WERE THERE OTHER WITNESSES FOR CHRIST...?
      1. The Greek word for witness (martus) is also used as a
         designation for those who have suffered death in consequence of
         confessing Christ - Complete Word Study Dictionary
      2. Used of Stephen, Antipas, and others - Ac 22:20; Re 2:13; 17:6

[But the term "witness" is never used of one who simply tells others
about Christ, or of their own conversion experience.  Is this a
distinction without a difference?  Does it really matter, along as Jesus
is glorified...?]

III. APPRECIATING THE DISTINCTION

   A. BETWEEN THE CONTENT OF THE WITNESS...
      1. The modern witness:  provides testimony involving one's own
         conversion
         a. Personal testimony that describes the change in one's life
         b. The more dramatic, the better
            1) Prone to exaggeration, even fabrication
            2) Especially if one can "sell" their testimony through
               appearances, videos, books
      2. The apostolic witness:  provides testimony concerning the
         resurrection of Jesus
         a. Eyewitness accounts based on empirical evidence - e.g.,

            1Jn 1:1-2; Ac 10:40-41
         b. Evidence that has been confirmed by:
            1) The number of witnesses
            2) The credibility of the witnesses (their life, teaching,
               suffering, even death)
      -- The former is subjective evidence, the latter provides
         objective evidence

   B. BETWEEN THE PURPOSE OF THE WITNESS...
      1. The modern witness:  to have you place your faith in Jesus on
         the basis of another's conversion experience and manner of life
      2. The apostolic witness:  to have you place your faith in Jesus
         on the basis of historical facts that Jesus was raised from the
         dead and thereby declared to be the Son of God - Ro 1:4
      -- The former produces faith based on emotional appeals, the
         latter produces faith based on historical evidence

   C. BETWEEN THE STRENGTH OF THE WITNESS...
      1. The modern witness:  what if those upon whose "testimony" we
         came to believe later disappoint us?
         a. Whose "conversion" proves to be less than real or
            short-term?
         b. Will not our own faith be shaken?
      2. The apostolic witness:  their testimony forever remains
         unchanged
         a. Sealed by their manner of life, their exemplary teachings,
            their own blood!
         b. Faith based on their testimony is therefore more durable!
      -- The former leaves one open to great disappointment, the latter
         provides the foundation for a life of strong faith in Christ

CONCLUSION

1. Jesus acknowledged that people would come to believe in Him through
   the words of His apostles...
   a. As He mentioned in His prayer - cf. Jn 17:20
   b. Therefore He equipped them with infallible proofs and the power
      of the Spirit - Ac 1:2-3,8

2. As impressive as many modern day testimonies may sound...
   a. Beware of those who may be improperly motivated to enhance their
      story
   b. Be aware that "remarkable transformations" take place in many
      different religions (they can't all be true)

Place your faith instead in the witness Christ Himself has given to you
and all:  the testimony of His specially chosen witnesses, the apostles!
- 1Jn 1:1-4

Just as important, have you heeded what they proclaimed...? - cf. Ac 2:36-39

From Mark Copeland... The Restored Kingdom (Ac.1:6-7)

                          "THE BOOK OF ACTS"

                     The Restored Kingdom (1:6-7)

INTRODUCTION

1. Before Jesus ascended to heaven, His disciples asked a question...
   a. "Lord, will you at this time restore the kingdom to Israel?" - Ac 1:6
   b. To which they were told it was not for them to know the times or
      seasons - Ac 1:7

2. Many commentaries suggest the disciples were mistaken regarding the
   kingdom...
   a. That they were still looking for an earthly, political kingdom
   b. That they still failed to appreciate the spiritual nature of the
      kingdom

[Yet Jesus did not correct them about the nature of the kingdom, only
their concern about the timing.  In fact, there are reasons to believe
they were not mistaken about the nature of the kingdom...]

I. THE DISCIPLES' EDUCATION

   A. DURING JESUS' MINSTRY...
      1. They were given privileged instruction about the kingdom
         a. They were given to know the mystery of the kingdom - Mk 4:10-11
         b. The parables about the kingdom were privately explained to
            them - Mk 4:30-34
      2. They heard Jesus speak openly about the nature of the kingdom
         a. When Jesus spoke to the Pharisees about the coming of the
            kingdom - Lk 17:20
         b. How it would not come with observation, but would be
            "within you" - Lk 17:21
      3. Jesus also told Pilate about the nature of the kingdom
         a. That His kingdom was not of this world - Jn 18:36
         b. That He was indeed a King - Jn 18:37 

   B. AFTER JESUS' RESURRECTION...
      1. Jesus spoke of things concerning the kingdom of God for 40
         days - Ac 1:3
      2. He explained the Scriptures to the two disciples on the road
         to Emmaus - Lk 24:25-27,32 
      3. He opened the apostles' understanding to comprehend the
         Scriptures - Lk 24:44-45

[It seems unlikely that with such opportunities to learn from the Master
Teacher, the disciples were still mistaken about the nature of the
kingdom.  I prefer to think they properly understood about...]

II. THE RESTORED KINGDOM

   A. PROMISED IN THE OLD TESTAMENT...
      1. God promised David to establish his kingdom and throne forever
         - 2Sa 7:12-16
      2. A promise reviewed in Psalms 89
         a. A sworn oath, an everlasting covenant - Ps 89:3-4,28-29,35-36
         b. Which at times appeared to have been renounced - Ps 89:38-39,
            Ps 89:49
      3. Yet despite the divided kingdom, the captivity, etc.,
         continued to be promised
         a. By prophets to the northern kingdom, Israel -

            Hos 3:5; Am 9:11
         b. By prophets to the southern kingdom, Judah - Isa 9:6-7;

            Jer 23:5-6; Eze 34:23-24
         c. Even after the restoration of Israel - Zech 6:12-13

   B. ANNOUNCED IN THE NEW TESTAMENT...
      1. By the angel Gabriel to the virgin Mary - Lk 1:31-33
      2. By Zacharias after the birth of John - Lk 1:68-70
      3. By Peter in the first gospel sermon - Ac 2:30-36
      4. By Jesus to the church in Philadelphia - Re 3:7

   C. FURTHER OBSERVATIONS...
      1. As announced by both Isaiah and Gabriel, Jesus would:
         a. Be given the throne (authority) of David - Isa 9:7; Lk 1:32
         b. Reign over the kingdom of David and house of Jacob -

            Isa 9:7; Lk 1:33
      2. As proclaimed by Jesus and His apostles, His reign includes
         the Gentiles
         a. Jesus has all authority in heaven and on earth - Mt 28:18
         b. The gospel was to spread to all nations - Mt 28:19;

            Lk 24:46-47; Ac 1:8
         c. God has made Him Lord over all - Ac 2:36; 10:36; Re 3:21
         d. He is now head over all things - Ep 1:20-21; 1Pe 3:22;

            He 1:8-9; Re 1:5
         e. He is truly Lord of lords, King of kings! - 1Ti 6:14-15;

            Re 17:14; 19:16
      3. As explained by James, the Lord's brother...
         a. The tabernacle (house) of David has been rebuilt -

            Ac 15:13-16; cf. Am 9:11
         b. Which now includes the Gentiles (nations) - Ac 15:17; cf.
            Am 9:12
      4. The timing of its restoration began when Jesus...
         a. Ascended to heaven, given dominion, glory, and a kingdom 
            - Ac 1:9; cf. Dan 7:13-14
         b. To sit at God's right hand, over all principality, power,
            might, dominion - Ep 1:20-22
         
CONCLUSION

1. So the kingdom proclaimed by Jesus is a restored kingdom...
   b. The fulfillment of promises made to David and Israel
   b. In which a descendant of David now reigns over Israel

2. But the restored kingdom is even better; the reign of the Son of
   David is...
   a. Not just over the house of Israel, but includes Gentiles as well!
   b. Not limited to the land of Israel, but in heaven and on earth!
   c. Not physical (ruling over bodies), but spiritual (reigning in the
      hearts)!

There were certainly things the disciples still had to learn about the
kingdom (e.g., that Gentiles would not have to be circumcised and keep
the Law of Moses, cf. Ac 10,11,15); things about which the Holy Spirit
would later guide them (Jn 16:12-13).

But instead of assuming the disciples were still confused about the
nature of the kingdom, perhaps we should ask ourselves whether we might
be the ones confused about the nature of the kingdom...