Palm Sunday: Hosanna in the Streets: Triumphal Entry Luke 19:28-44

Prepared and preached by Pastor Steve Rhodes for and at Bethel Friends Church in Poland, OH on Sunday, March 24, 2024

C.S. Lewis, in one of his essays, says something like, “Monarchy is easily debunked. The actual record of kings is abysmal, full of tyranny. Yet where we are forbidden to honor a king, we will honor millionaires, athletes, or film stars instead, even famous gangsters. For spiritual nature, like physical nature, will be served; deny it food and it will gobble poison.”[Tim Keller shares] What is he talking about? He [Lewis] says, “We’ve gotten rid of the kings, we’ve gotten rid of queens, we’ve gotten rid of royalty, by and large, yet where we are forbidden to honor a king, we still do it.”^[1]

Isn’t that interesting? We still want kings. Why? I think it is because we were made for One King. We were made to surrender and worship One King—Jesus.

Luke 19:28–35 (ESV)

²⁸ And when he had said these things, he went on ahead, going up to Jerusalem. ²⁹ When he drew near to Bethphage and Bethany, at the mount that is called Olivet, he sent two of the disciples, ³⁰ saying, “Go into the village in front of you, where on entering you will find a colt tied, on which no one has ever yet sat. Untie it and bring it here. ³¹ If anyone asks you, ‘Why are you untying it?’ you shall say this: ‘The Lord has need of it.’ ” ³² So those who were sent went away and found it just as he had told them. ³³ And as they were untying the colt, its owners said to them, “Why are you untying the colt?” ³⁴ And they said, “The Lord has need of it.” ³⁵ And they brought it to Jesus, and throwing their cloaks on the colt, they set Jesus on it.

1. In verses 28-35, we see the Preparation.
   1. This account is a fulfillment of prophesy from Zech. 9:9. Sproul points out:
   2. “What is unique about the event recounted in this passage is that Jesus went out of His way to orchestrate the fulfillment of a particular prophecy.
   3. Scholars have examined the manifold prophecies that are found throughout the Scriptures that have their fulfillment in the historical Jesus. Some scholars have counted somewhere between 1,000 and 1,200 prophecies with respect to the coming Messiah that were clearly and definitively fulfilled in the life and ministry of Jesus. In fact, that very truth of the fulfillment of specific prophecies should be enough to stop the mouths of the most obstreperous skeptics. That should be proof enough for the claims of Christ to being the Son of God and the coming Messiah.”[2]
   4. Notice that the Bible says, after He said these things, or after He said this. Jesus had just given the parable of the money usage. Recall that Jesus had been in Samaria for a long time. While there Jesus told many parables and we have talked about some of these.
   5. Another source tells me this: “The elevation at this point is about 2,600 feet, and from it you have a breathtaking view of the Holy City. The Lord was about to do something He had never done before, something He had repeatedly cautioned others not to do for Him: He was going to permit His followers to give a public demonstration in His honor.”^[3] You know what it is like to travel and then you come to this gorgeous view. That’s where they are at, they are about to enter into Jerusalem.
   6. Now, Jesus sends two of His disciples on a mission. They are to go into this other village and find a colt and just take it. When asked they are to say that their Lord or Master has need of it.
   7. They do this, it happens just like Jesus says. They go to the village, and someone does ask, and they take the colt like it’s no big deal.
2. In verses 36-38, we have the adoration.
   1. As Jesus went along people were spreading their cloaks on the ground. Look at verses 36-38: And as he rode along, they spread their cloaks on the road.³⁷ As he was drawing near—already on the way down the Mount of Olives—the whole multitude of his disciples began to rejoice and praise God with a loud voice for all the mighty works that they had seen, ³⁸ saying, “Blessed is the King who comes in the name of the Lord! Peace in heaven and glory in the highest!”
   2. They were waiting for a King…
   3. Notice that Jesus receives worship.
   4. Sproul
   5. “The people in the crowd knew the Scriptures, and when Jesus appeared riding the donkey, they gathered in a huge multitude rejoicing and praising God for the mighty works they had seen. “The Messiah has come, and He’s coming now to take His place as the King of the Jews, as the King of Israel. Hosanna; blessed is He who comes in the name of the Lord.” They put their garments in the path in front of Him as He rode on the donkey.”
   6. Further: “Jesus didn’t think for a moment that there would be a revolution and that He was going to seize power and be crowned King of the Jews. The people didn’t understand, but He did, and He had just told them a parable that the kingdom was not going to come immediately. But they didn’t understand that either. Though there were smiles abounding on the faces of the crowd and they were cheering in ecstasy, Jesus rode with a heavy heart, knowing what His destiny was in the hours that lay before Him.”[4]
   7. I once had a Jewish Rabbi ask if Jesus ever said He was God. Well, Jesus did say that He was the Messiah (see John 4 :26), but Jesus also received worship. Angels told the people not to worship them (Rev. 22:9). Jesus received worship.
   8. Notice the commonality of the Gospel. The people worshipping Jesus were the common people. This was a grassroots event. After all, Jesus had been going to the common people, and He had healed many of them. Jesus is now worshipped.
   9. Jerusalem’s population would swell for Passover, and it is now during this time that these people are all worshipping Jesus.
   10. Jesus is now worshipped. This was the adoration of Jesus.
3. In verses 39-44 we have the condemnation by Jesus.
   1. Luke 19:39–44 (ESV)
   2. ³⁹ And some of the Pharisees in the crowd said to him, “Teacher, rebuke your disciples.” ⁴⁰ He answered, “I tell you, if these were silent, the very stones would cry out.”
   3. ⁴¹ And when he drew near and saw the city, he wept over it, ⁴² saying, “Would that you, even you, had known on this day the things that make for peace! But now they are hidden from your eyes. ⁴³ For the days will come upon you, when your enemies will set up a barricade around you and surround you and hem you in on every side ⁴⁴ and tear you down to the ground, you and your children within you. And they will not leave one stone upon another in you, because you did not know the time of your visitation.”
   4. The Pharisees missed Jesus once again. They asked Jesus to make the disciples stay quiet, and Jesus said if they were quiet, the rocks would cry out.
   5. Swindoll says this is the first reference to a rock concert!
   6. Keller: only Luke records where Jesus says something to the Pharisees. Notice how the Pharisees are freaked out over the fact he’s not just being declared by the crowd to be a king but the King, the messianic King, the Davidic King.
   7. They say in verse 39, “Teacher, Rabbi, rebuke your disciples.” Jesus says, “I tell you, if they keep quiet the stones will cry out.” You say, “That’s poetic, right? Exaggeration.” But the Old Testament … The prophecy goes like this. This is Isaiah 55. “Then the mountains and the hills will burst into song before the Lord, and all of the trees of the field will clap their hands.” Isaiah 55:12. Here’s Psalm 96: “Then the trees of the wood will sing for joy before the Lord. For he comes to rule the earth. Jesus says, “My lordship …” The Bible says (you see it in Isaiah 55) when the King comes back, when his ruling power comes upon something he made, it blossoms. It reaches its potential. It becomes everything it can be, everything it was made to be. That means the trees and the stones under the ruling power of Jesus Christ will dance and sing.[5]
   8. Now, Jesus approaches Jerusalem and weeps over the city. Then He pronounces judgment.
   9. This was Jesus’ condemnation.
   10. Sproul: Josephus tells us in his account of the destruction of Jerusalem in AD 70 that 1.1 million Jews were slaughtered. The Romans overran the rebellious nation of Israel and destroyed village after village and city after city until the inhabitants of the land fled for safety to that walled fortress, which they believed was indestructible. The Roman forces were led by Titus, who had instructions from his father the emperor to destroy every single inhabitant of the place—men, women, and children.”[6]
   11. Following this, Jesus will go and cleanse the temple.
   12. Then Holy Week will continue until as our King He dies in our place and then He rises again. He was our sacrifice and that is why we meet today. He is Our Mighty Savior, worshipped by common, ordinary men and dying for us.

Close:

I began this message with something from C.S. Lewis:

Keller shares:

Lewis asks another question. Why is it that in our so-called egalitarian democracies, when we don’t have any royalty we create it? We must have princes and princesses. We create it out of celebrity, we create it out of something, but we must have it…

What is there about the human psyche that needs, in the very center of it, something to serve? What Lewis is saying is, “Why this hunger for kings? Why this indelible need to crown someone or something psychologically, sociologically, culturally?” The answer is it’s a memory trace. It’s a memory trace in the collective unconscious of the human race.

It’s a memory trace of a perfect king, of an ultimate king, of a king of glorious splendor undimmed before the breaking of the world, whose wisdom and nobility and love and compassion and greatness and beauty was like the sun shining in its full strength. We remember a king like that.

What is the gospel? The gospel is “He will come. He’s coming back. He will come again. Blessed is the King who comes.” What the gospel says is the reason you need to crown someone or something, the reason you need kings even though you won’t admit it … The average modern person doesn’t admit what they’re doing, but you are doing it.[7]

There is one other connection that Tim Keller shares which connects all of this to the beginning of the Gospel of Luke and the cross:

If you read the whole book straight through, you’ll know the last time Jesus Christ was at the temple (according to the book of Luke) … He brings Jesus to the temple at the beginning of the book and at the end. The last time Jesus was at the temple he was 12, at least according to the book of Luke. The last time, in the story that Luke gives us, Jesus was 12. Why did he go to the temple when he was 12? 

Here’s why. That was his coming-of-age time. It’s like your bar mitzvah, of course, only this was probably before there were bar mitzvahs. It was his coming of age. The year you turned 12, the father would take his son and initiate him into his adult life. One of the things the father would do that year would be to apprentice him. Joseph, therefore, was apprenticing Jesus as a carpenter.

The other thing Joseph would have done is he took him on the Passover to the temple to show him how their religion worked. He would have taken Jesus around and said, “Here’s the temple. This is where we meet God. Here’s the priest. See that priest? The priest is the holy one who mediates the presence of God. Do you see the sacrifices? Do you see the altar? That’s where our sins are being atoned for.”

After Joseph had spent all this time showing Jesus around the temple and explaining all of these things, Joseph and Mary got in the caravan to go home after the Passover Feast was over. They get halfway home, and they realize Jesus isn’t there. They come running on back looking all over Jerusalem for him, and where do they find him? The temple. What’s he doing in the temple? He says, “My Father’s business.”

Joseph probably would have said, “What do you mean your father’s business? I’m your father.” But here’s what must have happened. Jesus’ real Father began speaking to him. Probably Jesus would have heard his heavenly Father say, “Yes, you’re coming of age, and this is the year your father tells you what you’re here on earth for. But I’m your heavenly Father, and I’m here to tell you your true identity.

Do you see that temple, that building? Do you think that can unite humanity with me? Do you see that priest? He’s just like everybody else. Do you think he’s holy enough to mediate the presence of God? Do you see that sacrifice? Do you see that animal being cut up and thrown on the altar? Do you think that dead animal can atone for the sins of human beings? No.

You will be the sacrifice that all of the sacrifices point to, my son. You will be the priest who will mediate the presence of God. You will be the temple. All of these other things are pointing to you. You will come and be the ultimate sacrifice, the ultimate priest, the ultimate temple. You will pay the debt for their sins. You will do it.” [8]

Pray

^[1] Timothy J. Keller, The Timothy Keller Sermon Archive (New York City: Redeemer Presbyterian Church, 2013).

[2] Excerpt From; Luke; R.C. Sproul

https://books.apple.com/us/book/luke/id1534659946

^[3] Wiersbe, W. W. (1996). The Bible exposition commentary (Mk 11:1). Wheaton, Ill.: Victor Books.

[4] Excerpt From; Luke; R.C. Sproul

https://books.apple.com/us/book/luke/id1534659946

[5] Ibid.

[6] ibid.

[7] Timothy J. Keller, The Timothy Keller Sermon Archive (New York City: Redeemer Presbyterian Church, 2013).

[8] Timothy J. Keller, The Timothy Keller Sermon Archive (New York City: Redeemer Presbyterian Church, 2013).

Luke 16:19-31: Rich Man and Lazarus

Prepared and preached by Pastor Steve Rhodes for and at Bethel Friends in Poland, OH on Sunday, March 17, 2024

There was a popular book a few years ago titled Love Wins… by Rob Bell. The book made certain claims that, in the end, everyone goes to Heaven. Yet, we cannot get that from the Scriptures or from the Parable we will look at today.

Who can tell me my theme for Lent? Someone, anyone, shout it out—

The Gospel is for everyone… So, I do not have to have much money, do I? No, not at all. I do not have to be highly educated, do I? No, not at all. The Gospel is for everyone. My other theme is that we serve a Mighty Savior.

There is a professor at the seminary that I attended who gave an illustration of the wrath of God. Dr. Mulholland said that what makes me fall if I walk out of a window? The consequence of jumping out of a window is gravity makes you fall. Gravity does it. God’s wrath on sin is like gravity. God’s wrath on sin is a natural repercussion of sin. When I break God’s law, His wrath is a natural response to that violation.  The subject today is, on the one hand, a tough one. We are looking at the eternal destiny of those without Christ.

On the other hand, we have an encouraging subject as we look at the eternal destiny of those with Christ. We also will see how Jesus sympathizes with the poor man. Jesus, once again, looks after the poor and the marginalized.

From this passage, I could preach on hell. I will just do a little bit. But this passage is also saying that the Jewish lineage does not take care of your eternity. Jesus also says that your wealth does not take care of your eternity. Further, Jesus says that if people do not believe the Scriptures, they will not believe a resurrection.

I am going to teach this passage, and I wish to show you:

1. The Gospel is for everyone.
2. The reality of eternity.
3. The supremacy of Scripture.

Read with me:

Luke 16:19–31 (ESV)

¹⁹ “There was a rich man who was clothed in purple and fine linen and who feasted sumptuously every day. ²⁰ And at his gate was laid a poor man named Lazarus, covered with sores, ²¹ who desired to be fed with what fell from the rich man’s table. Moreover, even the dogs came and licked his sores. ²² The poor man died and was carried by the angels to Abraham’s side. The rich man also died and was buried, ²³ and in Hades, being in torment, he lifted up his eyes and saw Abraham far off and Lazarus at his side. ²⁴ And he called out, ‘Father Abraham, have mercy on me, and send Lazarus to dip the end of his finger in water and cool my tongue, for I am in anguish in this flame.’ ²⁵ But Abraham said, ‘Child, remember that you in your lifetime received your good things, and Lazarus in like manner bad things; but now he is comforted here, and you are in anguish. ²⁶ And besides all this, between us and you a great chasm has been fixed, in order that those who would pass from here to you may not be able, and none may cross from there to us.’ ²⁷ And he said, ‘Then I beg you, father, to send him to my father’s house— ²⁸ for I have five brothers—so that he may warn them, lest they also come into this place of torment.’ ²⁹ But Abraham said, ‘They have Moses and the Prophets; let them hear them.’ ³⁰ And he said, ‘No, father Abraham, but if someone goes to them from the dead, they will repent.’ ³¹ He said to him, ‘If they do not hear Moses and the Prophets, neither will they be convinced if someone should rise from the dead.’ ”

1. In verses 19-22, The rich man and Lazarus are introduced:
   1. This is a parable; it is a story with a purpose. I wonder what it would look like on the big screen. Think with me. There is a certain rich man. He has lots of wealth. In fact, the literal wording says that he was eating sumptuously every day. He had it his way every day. He was wearing purple linen. It was rare to be able to afford this type of clothing, yet he could.
   2. Now, at his gate… stop right there. He had a gate. This was rare as well. He had enough wealth to have a gate around his home. I remember being in the Dominican Republic, and I saw people with gates around their homes. I saw businesses with gates. We built a gate around a church. But that gate we built to protect the place. We saw others with gates, and they were elaborate; it was displaying their great wealth. In this case, the indication is that this man had wealth, and he was displaying it.
   3. Now, at the gate, sat Lazarus, who was poor. This is the only parable where Jesus gives a character a name. Jesus may not have made up this parable. It could have been a common Jewish story at the time.
   4. Also, this is not Lazarus he would raise from the dead later. Lazarus was a common name.
   5. The Bible says that this poor beggar was lying at his gate, but the language really says that he was thrown at the gate. That is some strong verbiage.
   6. Now, imagine with me: Every day, the rich man walks right by the poor man. Every day, maybe he tries not to look because if he looks, he may feel guilty. Maybe, just maybe, he looks on purpose. He does not care. He wants to flaunt his great, great wealth. He walks right on by the poor man and does not care. He will look at him and think, “Oh well, you should work harder.” Or “Serves you right, you were born to the wrong family.”
   7. Maybe the poor man, Lazarus, made the rich man sick because of his sores. The Bible says that he had sores on him. The Bible says the dogs licked the sores. These sores would not be leprosy. They would be sores from malnutrition or something else. The dogs would not be Ol’ Shep or some “Man’s Best Friend” dog. These dogs were wild pests. I remember being in the Dominican Republic and Belize, Central America, and seeing wild dogs. The people did not like them around. They were scavengers. Jesus, including these dogs in the parable, shows how bad Lazarus’ condition was. When the dogs lick his wounds, it would make them hurt worse. Yet, you know what? Imagine the rich man; he still walks right by this poor man, Lazarus.
   8. Jesus came for this poor man in addition to the rich man. Certain people always think they have a free ticket everywhere because of something they have accomplished, their family, or their great wealth. In this parable, Jesus shows that the Gospel is for everyone. That He cares about the poor and the destitute.
   9. Once, I heard a speaker on a video. She talked about being a pastor’s wife in Austin, Texas. Her family and a few others moved onto a nice street with a nice house. Everything was good except for that house next door. That house was overgrown and unkempt. They would not cut the grass or take care of the upkeep. She said something like: “Bye, bye resale value.” But then she realized something, whether through getting to know the person or God’s conviction or both. This house belonged to an elderly widow (I believe), and her children were draining her of her finances. She could not keep up the house, and her children were not treating her right. Then she had a pastor next door, and all they thought about was how bad the house made the street look.
   10. I do not know what the pastor and her family did to help their neighbor, but that was a good example of what we, as Christians, should be doing and should not think. Instead of thinking, “How can I serve my neighbor,” we often think, “Why don’t they clean up their house?”
   11. Back to the parable.
   12. They both die. It has been said that death always evens the score. We all die. No matter how good you are or bad you are, you will die. I will die. In this case, death switches their roles. The rich man did not care about poor Lazarus in life, but God cares about Lazarus’s eternity.
   13. Avoiding Hell: Not everyone is as fortunate as Alfred Nobel who in 1888 read his own obituary in a French newspaper. One of his brothers had died, but a careless reporter had used a statement prepared for the wrong man. Alfred, principal inventor of dynamite, was disappointed with the published account. He was described as a “merchant of death” who had made a fortune from explosives and human exploitation. This haunting image caused him to reevaluate his life and revamp his will. Consequently, his money has made possible the famous Nobel Peace Prizes.^[1]
   14. The poor man dies and is carried to Abraham’s side. They would have all known that this was paradise. This was Heaven. Sometimes, we think Abraham’s Bosom is a location. It just means he went to be with Abraham. Abraham represents the Old Testament saints.
   15. The rich man dies and was buried. Notice that Lazarus was not even buried. This means that he was very low in his station in life. Everyone was to be buried.
2. In verses 23- 24 we see in Hades their roles are reversed.
   1. The rich man is in torment. He is in Hades. Hades is not hell. Hades would be called Sheol in the Old Testament. It was known as a realm of the dead. But Jesus, in this parable, indicates that there was suffering. The text says, multiple times, that he was in suffering (verses 23, 24, 25, 28).
   2. Again, I think I could pull out things about Hades and hell from this passage, but my purpose is to show that the Gospel is for everyone. This poor man was not in hades. He was in paradise. The rich man who ignored the beggar was missing something in life. He calls Abraham “Father Abraham,” meaning that he was Jewish but did not care for the poor.
   3. The Reality of Hell
   4. The rich man of Luke 16 became painfully aware of hell and its stark reality, as will every person who rejects the love of the Savior. As one old preacher expressed it, “After you’ve been in hell five seconds, you’ll believe in it!”^[2]
   5. Now, the roles are reversed. Lazarus is being comforted. The Bible says that God is comforting Him. The rich man is in torture.
   6. Notice and this goes along with my next point, the rich man wants help, but it is too late. He sees Lazarus and just wants to dip the tip of his finger in water. But it is too late. Again, the roles are reversed. Before, Lazarus needed the rich man’s help, but now, the rich man needs Lazarus’s help.
3. In verses 27-31, we see that the Scriptures are sufficient as a witness.
   1. The rich man wants someone to warn his five brothers, but no. Abraham says that the Scriptures are sufficient.
   2. Notice that the text says in verse twenty-seven that he wanted Lazarus to warn his brothers. The literal word is to “testify.” He wants someone to witness to them. Throughout Acts, that same word is used of the Apostles being a witness.
   3. The rich man thinks that they will believe if someone rises from the dead. Abraham says, no if they do not listen to the Scriptures, they will not listen, even if someone rises from the dead.

Close:

This passage says that the Law of Moses is a witness.

I have Naked juice right here. This is perfectly healthy stuff. But, you know, it may not taste very good if it is healthy. So, why don’t I add some whipped cream? Everyone likes whipped cream. You know that probably is not enough to make it taste good, so let me add something else. How about I add some chocolate chips? Hmmm, everyone likes chocolate chips. Okay, now it may taste good enough. But what else could I add? If you have any other ideas, please share them.

What did I do? I just ruined the value of this drink. Okay, God has given us His Word to be a witness. His Word is sufficient to be a witness, yet sometimes we do not trust His Word as a witness, so we want to add to it or take from it. Sometimes, we wish for a special sign, but Jesus tells the Pharisees His Word is enough.

This passage says His Word is enough, and the Gospel is for everyone. It is not about money. It is not about possessions. It is not about having a nice gate around your place. It is not about having plenty of nice food. No, it is about our faith in the Savior and our works matching that faith (Ephesians 2:8-9). Do you have this faith??? Jesus came for everyone.

In Matthew 25:40, Jesus says that when we take care of those in need, we take care of Him. In James 2:14-26 the Bible teaches that our works must match our faith.

So, I hope you noticed.

1. The Gospel is for everyone.
2. The reality of eternity.
3. The supremacy of Scripture over the desire for miracles.  

Apply this to your life this week. Look to take care of those in need. Trust in the Scriptures and remember there is a real eternity. Be a witness.

Pray. 

^[1] Jones, G. C. (1986). 1000 illustrations for preaching and teaching (p. 153). Nashville, TN: Broadman & Holman Publishers.

^[2] Jones, G. C. (1986). 1000 illustrations for preaching and teaching (p. 155). Nashville, TN: Broadman & Holman Publishers.

Wash Their Feet John 13:1-11

Prepared and preached by Pastor Steve Rhodes for and at Bethel Friends Church in Poland, OH on Sunday, March 10, 2024

Tony Evans shares:

In football, they tell the offensive line, no matter how big you are, stay low. So that you can have leverage, stay low. No matter how big you get in life, stay low. No matter what title you have in front of your name, how much money you have in the bank, or how many people know who you are, stay low. The moment you use your knowledge, prestige, power, or resources to attempt to be like God, it will be made very clear, very soon, there is only one God. Humble yourself beneath His mighty hand.^473,[1]

In today’s text Jesus lays aside His social status in order to serve the disciples. Once again, I notice the commonality of the Gospel. Once again, I notice that the Gospel is for everyone. I also notice that we serve a great and mighty Savior. The disciples are common, ordinary, everyday men. They are not high on the social ladder. They are not even a little bit high on the social ladder, yet Jesus serves them. Jesus is beyond high on the social ladder. Jesus is off the charts. Jesus invented the ladder, yet Jesus lowers Himself and lowers Himself even more to serve in this dirty way.  Jesus knew all and Jesus knew that He came from God and He knew He would be betrayed, yet, He serves. Our mighty Savior serves in the lowest way possible.

Please read the passage with me and let’s talk about it. Notice the commonality of the Gospel and notice our mighty Savior.

John 13:1-11:

It was just before the Passover Festival. Jesus knew that the hour had come for him to leave this world and go to the Father. Having loved his own who were in the world, he loved them to the end.

² The evening meal was in progress, and the devil had already prompted Judas, the son of Simon Iscariot, to betray Jesus.³ Jesus knew that the Father had put all things under his power, and that he had come from God and was returning to God;⁴ so he got up from the meal, took off his outer clothing, and wrapped a towel around his waist. ⁵ After that, he poured water into a basin and began to wash his disciples’ feet, drying them with the towel that was wrapped around him.

⁶ He came to Simon Peter, who said to him, “Lord, are you going to wash my feet?”

⁷ Jesus replied, “You do not realize now what I am doing, but later you will understand.”

⁸ “No,” said Peter, “you shall never wash my feet.”

Jesus answered, “Unless I wash you, you have no part with me.”

⁹ “Then, Lord,” Simon Peter replied, “not just my feet but my hands and my head as well!”

¹⁰ Jesus answered, “Those who have had a bath need only to wash their feet; their whole body is clean. And you are clean, though not every one of you.” ¹¹ For he knew who was going to betray him, and that was why he said not every one was clean.

As we look at this, we can notice Jesus’ love stated, secondly His love rejected, then His love shown.

1. In verse 1, we see Jesus’ love stated, this shows that Jesus came for everyone.
   1. This shows the commonality of the Gospel.
   2. Now, let’s put this narrative in context. It is just before the Passover festival. It is now Thursday of Holy Week. That is the time of the week and the time in the ministry and life of Jesus.
   3. Later, on this very night, Jesus will be betrayed, and so will begin the crucifixion process.
   4. John spends a lot of time on this evening, more than the other Gospels. John spends chapters 13-16 on this supper.
   5. I must read Luke 22:24-26 to put this in context. John does not record it, but Luke records a conversation that took place right before the last supper. Luke 22:24–27 (ESV) ²⁴A dispute also arose among them, as to which of them was to be regarded as the greatest. ²⁵ And he said to them, “The kings of the Gentiles exercise lordship over them, and those in authority over them are called benefactors. ²⁶ But not so with you. Rather, let the greatest among you become as the youngest, and the leader as one who serves. ²⁷ For who is the greater, one who reclines at table or one who serves? Is it not the one who reclines at table? But I am among you as the one who serves.
   6. Here we have the disciples competing to be the greatest, and now Jesus sets things straight in this way. Now, Jesus will show who the greatest is.
   7. But in this passage, it says that Jesus knew that the time had come for Him to leave the world. The text is saying that Jesus knew that He came from the Father, and it was time to go back.
   8. Jesus loved the people He was with, and it says that He loved them until the end. He loved them until the crucifixion.
   9. There is a Greek verb for love used, and it is agape. This is a type of intentional love. This is not brotherly love. This is intentional love.
2. In verse 2 we see that Jesus’ love is rejected.
   1. We see that His love is spurned.
   2. Judas is going to betray Jesus. The verse says that the devil prompted Judas. Actually, the Greek says that the devil threw himself into Judas. In verse 27, it says that Judas was possessed by the devil.
   3. Now, Judas is already making plans to betray Jesus.
3. Jesus shares His love.
   • This is verses 3-11.
   • Notice our mighty Savior.
   • In verse 3 it says that Jesus knew that He had all things under His power.
   • Who was the greatest the disciples were asking. Jesus is the greatest. All things are under His power. Jesus knew that He came from the Father and He will go back to the Father.
   • Yet, for common, ordinary, everyday men, Jesus stooped as low as He could go.
   • Only slaves and women and children would wash feet. This was never accepted, yet Jesus did it.
   • I wonder if the disciples were all thinking, “No, this is not for Him to do.” Yet, Peter spoke up and told Jesus not to.
   • One source tells me that he knows of no other ancient source that has the leader doing something so humble: He writes: A familiar rabbinic story is told in Pe’a 1.15c.14 of Rabbi Ishmael, whose mother sought to honor him by washing his feet when he arrived home from the synagogue. After he refused her because he viewed her effort as dishonoring to her and ultimately to him, she sought a censure against him from the rabbinic court for his refusal to allow her to honor him. This story provides some insight into the perspectives of shame and honor in Judaism.^[2]
   • So, Jesus showed His love. Jesus loved them till the end, and He shows that we are all called to serve.
   • When I was an intern at a church I was going to preach, yet prior to my sermon the pastor had me take off my shoes and washed my feet. Many times, churches will have foot washing ceremonies during Lent on Maundy Thursday.
   • I recently listened to a book called “Breakout Churches” by Thom Rainer and he referenced churches that grow usually have pastors that do not credit themselves but those around them.
   • But in the first century humility was not a strong point. It was not a trait one wanted to have. Yet, Jesus taught the disciples to be humble. Jesus showed these common, ordinary, everyday men, that the Gospel is for everyone. He taught them that, though He is the mighty Savior, and the Greatest, He would serve them. He washes their feet.

I have watched the show, Undercover Boss. The show is about different corporate C.E.O.’s who actually go and work a few days in the company. They work as common employees in training. I always wonder what that is like. But you know, Jesus is the creator, and He became part of His creation. This is a much lower step to take than an undercover boss. Now, Jesus serves His creation. Next, Jesus will die a death of humiliation for His creation. He did this for everyone. The Gospel is for everyone. Now, He also calls us to serve everyone and to take the Gospel to everyone.

Let’s pray

^[1] Tony Evans, Tony Evans’ Book of Illustrations: Stories, Quotes, and Anecdotes from More than 30 Years of Preaching and Public Speaking (Chicago, IL: Moody Publishers, 2009), 158.

^[2] Borchert, G. L. (2002). John 12–21 (Vol. 25B). Nashville: Broadman & Holman Publishers.

Struggling to stay awake while driving… When I was in college, I drove an hour each way to college. When I was in seminary, I drove two hours each way to the seminary. I did this twice a week and sometimes every day for mini-terms. I enjoyed the driving time. I even memorized Hebrew during this time. I listened to sermons and books on C.D. I prayed during this time as well. When I was in college, I drove close to half an hour each way to work. The problem with driving, especially at night, is when we cannot stay awake. The worst feeling I have is falling asleep while driving. I used to take coffee and snacks with me to help with this.  It is a terrible feeling when I cannot stay awake while driving.

You may know the feeling of trying to stay awake when your body wants to sleep:

I have had trouble staying awake while fishing.

I have had trouble staying awake in class. During my senior year at Cedarville University, I worked overnight at McDonald’s and then went to school without sleep. I wanted to stay awake in class, but the first class was tough.

I don’t have trouble anymore, but maybe you have trouble staying awake during our worship service… Not at this church, ha, ha!

I have had trouble staying awake during prayer. Praying on my knees helps.

That seems to be the disciple’s problem in this passage.

These common, ordinary, everyday men were invited up to see Jesus in His glory, and they could not stay awake, but they would be awakened. As I teach this, realize that the Gospel is for everyone! Jesus showed His glory to these common men, and He will for you as well. Realize the following:

1. The commonality of the Gospel.
2. The power of prayer.
3. The Mighty Savior.
4. Listen to Jesus.

Let’s read the passage:

Luke 9:28–36 (ESV)

²⁸ Now about eight days after these sayings he took with him Peter and John and James and went up on the mountain to pray. ²⁹ And as he was praying, the appearance of his face was altered, and his clothing became dazzling white. ³⁰ And behold, two men were talking with him, Moses and Elijah, ³¹ who appeared in glory and spoke of his departure, which he was about to accomplish at Jerusalem. ³² Now Peter and those who were with him were heavy with sleep, but when they became fully awake they saw his glory and the two men who stood with him. ³³ And as the men were parting from him, Peter said to Jesus, “Master, it is good that we are here. Let us make three tents, one for you and one for Moses and one for Elijah”—not knowing what he said. ³⁴ As he was saying these things, a cloud came and overshadowed them, and they were afraid as they entered the cloud. ³⁵ And a voice came out of the cloud, saying, “This is my Son, my Chosen One; listen to him!” ³⁶ And when the voice had spoken, Jesus was found alone. And they kept silent and told no one in those days anything of what they had seen.

1. First, let’s talk about the commonality of the Gospel (verse 28).
   1. Notice that Jesus takes Peter, James, and John up on this mountain with Him. There are a few things that I want you to take away from the series that I am preaching for Lent. I want you to remember that Jesus showed that the Gospel is for everyone. Jesus did not come for any group specifically. Jesus did not come for the Jews only. Jesus did not come for the Pharisees specifically. Jesus did not only come for men, or only come for women. There is no racism with Jesus. There is no preferential treatment with Jesus.
   2. Now, I do wish to be very careful of what is called eisegesis. This means that I would be interpreting or teaching a text based on my own presuppositions. That would make a text say what I wish it to say and not what God wants it to say. I want to study and teach from exegesis, and this means that I teach a passage by exegeting the text, which means to bring out of the text what God wants it to say. Why do I say that? I am glad you asked. As I looked at my themes and my sermons for Lent, I noticed that Jesus came for everyone. Now, I do not want to have a sermon and then find a text. I do not want to have a theme and make the Bible support that. I really do believe that this passage says this.
   3. Peter, James, and John were common everyday men. Some say they were too common. In Acts, there was that criticism. Acts 4:13 has the people observing the confidence of Peter and John in that they were not educated.
   4. Jesus brought them on the mountain, and here they see Jesus in glory. Here, they see Elijah; here, they see Moses. Think about this: The Pharisees were the religious scholars of the day. Sometimes, the Pharisees were the scribes as well. The Sadducees were the religious scholars of the day. One would think Jesus should have invited them up to see Moses and Elijah, but HE DID NOT. Peter, James, and John went with Jesus. In fact, most all the disciples were common men. Sure, Matthew was probably the most educated, but none of them were like the Apostle Paul. Now, Paul, he was educated. He was a Roman citizen, not these guys. Not at all. Yet, Jesus invited them up on the mountain with Him. Wow!
   5. As I think about it, no wonder Jesus was murdered. I know that is a very strong statement, but humanly speaking, worldly speaking, I could understand jealousy. The Pharisees and the Sadducees invest their life in the study and the memorizing of the Old Testament and Jesus does not invite them on the mountain! What a shock. They memorized the Mosaic Law, but they were not invited! Jesus came for everyone.
   6. Peter, James, and John, saw these great Old Testament heroes. There is a scene in Star Trek III the Search for Spock when Uhura is talking to a young guy. The young guy is complaining that nothing happens exciting where he is stationed. Then, suddenly Admiral Kirk comes in. The young man is excited. He exclaims: “That’s Admiral Kirk!” In this case these disciples are getting lots of excitement. They are traveling with Jesus. But now these common, ordinary men are about to see some important people. They see Moses and Elijah; they see Jesus in His glorified state. Notice the commonality of the Gospel.
2. Notice the power of prayer (verse 29).
   1. Jesus was praying when this happened. What do you think about that? Verse 29 says, “As He was praying, the appearance of His face changed, and His clothes became as bright as a flash of lightning.” Wow! You know, in the parallel accounts, it actually says that He was metamorphosized. He was transformed into His heavenly presence. That is exactly what it means when it says “Transfigured.” Luke avoided that term, likely because his audience was more Greco-Roman; they were more pagan, and they would think of the gods and those myths. Jesus was not a “god” He was and is God.
   2. The way this is set up and it is like this was an answer to Jesus’ prayer. While praying, this happens. In the Old Testament, revelations occur during prayer. Daniel chapter 9 is an instance.
   3. We must pray and expect God to answer. Expect to see mighty things.

• The Mighty Savior.
  1. He is transfigured (verse 29).
  2. Verse 32: Peter and the companions were sleepy, but then they woke up.
     1. For me, sometimes when I am tired, whether driving or reading, or working, there is something that shocks me to being awake. I bet this shocked them to wake up.
     2. Think about this: Have you ever been in a car accident because of falling asleep? It was early May 2005, right after my college semester ended. I was driving to work at about 4:00 A.M. As I already stated, I had about a 30-minute drive ahead of me. I was on a dark state route, and I was sleepy. I remember really struggling to stay awake. But I managed, for a while. Then I entered the suburb of Englewood, this was right outside Dayton, and this was where I actually worked. The state route I was driving on was now 4 lanes with a turn lane, much like 224. I was now passing businesses and restaurants. I now drive past Jack’s Aquarium and Pets where I used to work. I now drove past National Road, which could take me up to the Junior High and High School I attended. I drove past the location I would get a speeding ticket in a few weeks. I was only a couple miles from work. But I was still sleepy. Suddenly there was a thud. There was a car accident. I ran into the passenger side curb. I pulled into the Midas store. I looked, and I had two flat tires. It was much worse. There was axle damage. There was wheel damage. But it was not nearly as bad as it could have been. I didn’t hit a telephone pool, just the curb. I was probably driving 30 miles per hour, not 55 miles per hour as earlier. I didn’t cross left of center and hit a car. If it happened 15 miles earlier, it would have been worse. This woke me up! I drove a block to Grismer’s tire and parked the car. I walked to work and called Meagan to see if she could take care of it when she woke up. But I was awakened. That shock! That scare woke me up. You know what, the disciples also were awakened to a type of fear. There was a reverent fear as they saw the man Jesus transformed in Glory. There was fear in verse 34 as God spoke.

• Our Great and Mighty Savior revealed His awesome glory to common every day, normal people as Peter, James, and John. Our Great and Mighty Savior reveals Himself to you and me. I hope that awakens you. It woke them up! I hope this excitement awakens you as a fearful experience would awaken you, as a car accident awakened me.

1. Elijah and Moses are not equal to Him. We see in verse 33 Peter wanted to make tents for Elijah and Moses and Jesus. These were for worship like the Feast of Booths in the Old Testament. There is a parenthetical statement that Peter did not know what he was saying. The problem was that Peter wanted tents for all of them. Peter did not understand that Jesus was and Is the one God. Peter equated Moses and Elijah with Jesus.
2. This is not the best example because this was something of God. When Mercedes was a toddler, I took a quick turn and heard a noise in the back seat. Mercedes starts saying, “No, Daddy…” Or something similar in fear. I look back, and her car seat tipped over. Somehow, the seat belt buckling the car seat in came undone. I buckled her seat back in and fixed things. As I start to drive, Mercedes says, “I don’t want to fall again!” Well, neither did I want her to fall; it was scary as well. There is a great fear of the unknown. In this passage, a cloud enveloped Elijah, Moses, and Jesus, and a voice spoke. This made fear in Peter, James, and John. This was a reverent fear (verse 34).

• Last application: listen to Jesus (verse 35).
  1. Here God speaks. God says, “This is My Son, whom I have chosen; listen to Him.”
  2. God is authenticating Jesus once again. This was said at Jesus’ baptism (Luke 3:21ff).
  3. Jesus is to be listened to more than Moses and Elijah. Jesus fulfilled the law.
  4. So, are we listening to Him?
  5. You don’t have to be a pastor, an elder, or a church leader; you don’t have to be educated; Jesus came for all. Jesus came for the common man. The Gospel is for everyone.

Close:

Last week we talked about Jesus healing the woman with the blood issue (Luke 9:40-48). Remember, she was unclean, she was a woman, she was not allowed in the temple, but Jesus came for her. Today, we see that Jesus takes His common, ordinary men up on the mountain and they see Moses and Elijah. We see that the Gospel is for everyone. The Gospel is for us. If you know Jesus, share that message with others. Share the Gospel is for everyone.  If you do not know Jesus, commit to Him today.

God created us to be with him. (Genesis 1-2)

Our sin separated us from God. (Genesis 3)

Sins cannot be removed by good deeds (Gen 4-Mal 4)

Paying the price for sin, Jesus died and rose again. (Matthew – Luke)

Everyone who trusts in him alone has eternal life. (John – Jude)

Life that’s eternal means we will be with Jesus forever. (Revelation 22:5)

Pray

Come, Touch the Robe: Luke 8:43-48

Prepared and preached by Pastor Steve Rhodes for and at Bethel Friends Church in Poland, OH on Sunday, February 18, 2024

I think that most of us know of Mother Theresa. We know how she ministered to the people left out. I probably simply must mention her name in order to make us think of the ministries she would lead and take part in in India. I saw a video once showing her decades ago asking United Nations to let her in to a war-torn area in order that she could serve the people there. United Nations would not let her in unless there was a cease fire. She prayed and there was a cease fire. But she didn’t only lead others in the ministry of service, she was a part of the service to others. She was a model example. Praise God for examples such as her.

Today, we begin a special series for Lent. We are stepping away from the book of Acts for the next several weeks. My Lenten theme is going to be that the Gospel is for everyone, amen??? Congregation respond by saying amen if you agree. My theme for this season is that Jesus went to the marginalized, the left out, the people who were unclean. I hope that is encouraging, but I also hope that compels all of us to take the Gospel to everyone as well. I also hope that through this Lenten series, we are all reminded that we serve a “mighty Savior.”

So, some of us need encouragement today. We need to remember that the Gospel is for us as well. We may feel that we are marginalized, unclean, or left out. I hope this series and today’s message encourage us.

Whether we realize it or not, we do marginalize people. We have presuppositional thoughts about other people, and we must realize today that the Gospel is for everyone. Jesus does not marginalize.

Read with me:

Luke 8:43–48 (ESV)

⁴³ And there was a woman who had had a discharge of blood for twelve years, and though she had spent all her living on physicians, she could not be healed by anyone. ⁴⁴ She came up behind him and touched the fringe of his garment, and immediately her discharge of blood ceased. ⁴⁵ And Jesus said, “Who was it that touched me?” When all denied it, Peter said, “Master, the crowds surround you and are pressing in on you!” ⁴⁶ But Jesus said, “Someone touched me, for I perceive that power has gone out from me.” ⁴⁷ And when the woman saw that she was not hidden, she came trembling, and falling down before him declared in the presence of all the people why she had touched him, and how she had been immediately healed. ⁴⁸ And he said to her, “Daughter, your faith has made you well; go in peace.”

1. In the Gospel, we find that the Gospel is for everyone, and we see Jesus’ mighty power.
   1. If you look at Luke 8:1-2, we find out that Jesus was traveling from city to city proclaiming and preaching the Kingdom of God, and women were with Him. Even though there were certain cultural ideas regarding women, Jesus allowed them with Him. They were even part of His circle, so to speak. One of the proofs of the Gospel’s truth is that the Gospels would not include women if they were not true. Women would hurt the credibility of the Gospels. Jesus was open and accessible to all.
   2. Now, this is a narrative: Jesus is on His way to heal Jairus’ daughter, and He is interrupted. Do we notice that interruptions can be of God?
   3. Verse 42 tells us that Jesus was traveling and the crowds were pressing against Him. If it was today Jesus could travel in a limousine. He could have traveled in a private plane. He could have guards to keep people away.  Jesus does not do that. Even in His day Jesus could have set Himself apart from the people, but He didn’t. Sure, there are times, such as Mark 1:35, when Jesus goes into seclusion to recharge, but here we see Jesus with the people. Jesus was no respecter of persons. Jesus did not show prejudice. Jesus came to serve. The Gospel is for everyone.
   4. So, in verse 43, this woman has a hemorrhage for 12 years. Imagine what it was like for her. We do not know how she was bleeding, but it was likely a type of female ailment. This probably caused her to be physically weak. We do know based off Leviticus 15 that she would have been considered unclean. She was an outcast. She was marginalized. She was physically weak and maybe in pain. She was emotionally scarred by being looked upon as an outcast. She was spiritually excluded from the Temple and synagogue. For 12 years, she suffered from this. In my translation, it says that she could not be healed. In other translations, it says that she exhausted all her money trying to get better. Unfortunately, some of you know how she feels. Let me tell you that Jesus heals her physically, but most importantly, emotionally and spiritually. He will do the same for all of us.
   5. Verse 44 tells us that she came up behind Him and touched the hem or fringe of His garment. The wording here makes it sound like she simply brushed by or tapped His garment. But in the original language, she grabbed and held onto it. After 12 years, she wanted to be made well. After 12 years of physical problems, emotionally being an outcast, and spiritually being an outcast, she wanted to be made well. She is “immediately” made well. No delay. We serve a mighty Savior who came for everyone.
   6. You know what? By touching her, Jesus could be unclean. Even if an unclean person simply brushed by a clean person that would make the clean person unclean (Lev. 15).
   7. Anyone in the crowd could be unclean. Jesus was willing to risk that to make this woman well. Jesus never rebuked that, either.
2. Jesus responds…
   1. Verses 45-46 have Jesus asking who touched Him. But Peter speaks up, stating that there is such a crowd they couldn’t know.
   2. Jesus says that He felt power go out. We must understand this correctly. Jesus did not have a loss of power. Jesus is all-powerful; He could just know that something happened.
   3. Verses 47-48 are key: The woman comes trembling and falls down before Him.
   4. Imagine how she felt. She has been an outcast socially. She has been an outcast from Jewish practices. She has been in pain and physical turmoil. This has gone on for 12 years. 12 years! Now, she was instantly made well.
   5. I wonder what it was like, the instant relief she felt???
   6. But the instant relief was likely matched by her instant fear going before Jesus, what would He say? What would He do? Would He make her sick again? Would He strike her down? What went through her mind? Was there a combination of tears of joy and tears of fear?
   7. Verse 48, Jesus calls her “daughter.”
   8. Get that! This is the only time in the New Testament Jesus addresses a woman as “daughter.” Wow! She was an outcast all those years, but to Jesus, He considers her as family.
   9. How did she feel now? We all know that words have meaning. I wonder if she instantly felt some type of joy.

So, we think of Mother Theresa; she served the people left out; who do we need to go to? What mindset do we need to change?  Jesus came for everyone.

So, as we look towards Easter, as we look towards the cross, it is important that we all realize that Jesus came for us, and Jesus came for all. We must be reminded that the Gospel is for everyone. Jesus came for the marginalized, the sick, the hurting. Jesus came for the unclean. We must be available and even go to the marginalized, the sick, and the hurting as well.

I like what one preacher says:

He wasn’t done with her. She needed to be restored physically. She needed to be restored socially. She needed to be restored spiritually. Your faith has saved you. Go in peace, not psychological peace, go in peace with God, objective peace. Your faith has saved you. Go in peace. You have made peace with God. Matthew 9:22 said, “He said, ‘Be of good comfort.'” Eusebius, the church historian says, there’s a statue of this lady in his day, in her town as a living testimony that she became a believer in Jesus Christ. Listen, Jesus knows you. He knows your hurts, your needs. He is accessible to you. He is available to you. He is interruptible by you. And He is inexhaustible in meeting your need. And it’s personal with Him. He feels the flow of power into your life. This is our God manifest in Jesus Christ. Let’s pray.

Pray

The Christian Community Shares a Life in Common (Acts 2:42–47)

Prepared and preached by Pastor Steve Rhodes for and at Bethel Friends Church in Poland, OH on Sunday, February 11, 2024

Biblical Fellowship, let’s talk about this idea for a few minutes.

Today, we are going to look at a summary passage of the early church.

What are things the world would call fellowship? Football games, basketball games, golf, time at a bar or at a pub? Any others? Name a few… (Actually allow people to name some things)

What are some things that are purely Christian fellowship? Bible study, youth group, communion, baptisms, church dinners, what else? Name a few.

Where do you see these overlapping and where do they not overlap? Just think with me for a minute or sixty.

What breaks up fellowship? Clicks, gossip, secrets, racism? Name a few things.

What encourages fellowship? Love… Name a few things.

Context: this is a summary passage following Peter’s Pentecost message.

Acts 2:42–47 (ESV)

⁴² And they devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching and the fellowship, to the breaking of bread and the prayers. ⁴³ And awe came upon every soul, and many wonders and signs were being done through the apostles. ⁴⁴ And all who believed were together and had all things in common. ⁴⁵ And they were selling their possessions and belongings and distributing the proceeds to all, as any had need. ⁴⁶ And day by day, attending the temple together and breaking bread in their homes, they received their food with glad and generous hearts, ⁴⁷ praising God and having favor with all the people. And the Lord added to their number day by day those who were being saved.

1. As an early church, they were disciples of Christ, and this convicted them to worship, ministry, and evangelism, and this all happened in fellowship.
   1. We see discipleship specifically in verse forty-two, but I think it really had to do with the way they lived. Look at verse forty-two.
   2. Acts 2:42: And they devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching and the fellowship, to the breaking of bread and the prayers.
   3. This word actually means “continually devoted.” think about it: James 4:4 says that “Friendship with the world makes us enemies with God.” But the world pushes and prods and tempts us. But the early church faithfully endured.
   4. People in the church struggle with health and other needs. So, how can we do that? How can we still live the Christian life? What is key is the fellowship of believers. We’ll come back to that.
   5. Apostle’s teaching??? (Matthew 5-7), (Matthew 22:36-40)
   6. An open application is a simple question: How are we doing as a disciple of Christ? How is this working corporately?
   7. Acts 2:43: And awe came upon every soul, and many wonders and signs were being done through the apostles.
   8. Worship: Worship is an individual spiritual discipline, but worship is also a corporate spiritual discipline. Worship is adoring God.
   9. In a worship service, we have times of praise. These are songs that help us praise God. Then we have times of adoration. These are the more contemplative songs. They are more Theological. They are more meditative. We do this as a community of Christians.
   10. Out of their discipleship and worship, they saw signs and wonders, and there was a sense of awe. This happened in fellowship.
   11. Ministry: Now, how are we doing with sacrifice? Are we sacrificing for the body of Christ? Are we sacrificing our money and our lifestyle for others?
2. Fellowship: we must be a support in our trials, in our struggles and in our joys.
   1. In fellowship: they had a sense of awe which is godly fear (verse 43).
   2. They experienced miracles and wonders (a miracle regarded as startling , imposing, amazing, often used elsewhere for a strange appearance in the Heavens) and signs (the word refers to miracles with a different end and for a purpose).
   3. Fellowship includes accountability as a group: Proverbs 27:17: as iron sharpens iron so a man sharpens his brother.
   4. Fellowship includes building each other up as a group: Ecclesiastes 4:13: a cord of three strands is not easily broken.
   5. Bearing each other’s burdens: 1 Corinthians 12:26.
   6. If one rejoices, we all rejoice: 1 Corinthians 12:26.
   7. So how can we live the Christian life? In community.
   8. Evangelism: Notice that evangelism was an outflow of their discipleship, worship, ministry, and fellowship. Verse forty-seven says that the Lord added to their number daily those who were being saved.

Close:

Fellowship, what helps, what hurts, what is fellowship?

I read the following a few weeks ago:

“I’ve asked the Lord to take from me
My super-sensitivity
That robs the soul of joy and peace
And causes fellowship to cease…”

This group was filled with the Holy Spirit, and they were a Godly community on fire for God. In fellowship, they were about evangelism, discipleship, worship, and ministry.

Do you have the Holy Spirit? Are you of Christ?

Do you know that you are a Christian and you are going to Heaven?

In 2 Cor. 13:5, Paul said to examine yourself and make sure that you are in the faith?

In 1 John 5:13, John says that you may know that you are a Christian.

Are you? You can go to church every Sunday of your life and not be saved.

Peter Preaches at Pentecost (Acts 2:14–41)

Prepared and preached by Pastor Steve Rhodes for and at Bethel Friends Church in Poland, OH on Sunday, February 4, 2024

There are different types of preaching, public speaking, and teaching. Now, it is said that public speaking is one of the fears of most people. I was required to take public speaking in high school, college, and seminary. I remember being in high school and I was so nervous to deliver my speech. It was terrible. My public speaking class followed lunch; do you know how hard it is to think about your speech all day long. It just ruined lunch. I was nervous. In college, I was still nervous. I was not as nervous because, by this point, I had preached and taught at church, but I didn’t know my audience that well. In seminary, I was used to public speaking and so I was not that nervous at all.

In like manner, I was required to take two preaching classes in college and one in seminary. By this time, I had done some preaching in my church and other churches, so I had a bit of confidence, even though I was preaching to my peers. In college, we didn’t have to preach without notes. In seminary, we were required to preach without notes, and that was quite frustrating and challenging, though a good challenge. But, as stated, there are different types of preaching. In college, I had to preach a sermon called: “A Story Told.” This means that I was required to take the character or part in a Bible passage. So, you could preach a sermon from the church mouse’s perspective. I preached Samuel’s call in 1 Samuel 3 from Eli’s perspective. Later, while serving as associate pastor, there was a day when someone else was scheduled to preach, and the senior pastor was away. But I received the 7 A.M. phone call. The voice on the other line said, “Steve, I am sick and too sick to preach, I am so sorry.” Or something like that. So, I dug out that sermon from college, and it was well received. There are other types of preaching. Some preaching is prophetic, delivering God’s call to His people. Some are more expository, which is usually my style. This means to talk and teach about a passage. Of course, an expository sermon can be prophetic, or a story told, or another form.

Why do I tell you all of this? I am talking about this because we are about to talk about Peter’s first sermon in Acts. Actually, I dare say that this is Peter’s first sermon, period. Was Peter nervous? I doubt it.

I intend to show you that this sermon is an evangelistic sermon. Peter is declaring that Jesus is the Messiah they were waiting for, and Peter challenges them to repent and receive Jesus as their Lord and Savior.

Think of an evangelist, who is an evangelist that you may think of? Name some names. Now, think of Peter in that way. Peter is proclaiming Christ, not unlike Billy Graham or another evangelist.

1. This is the fulfillment of prophecy (vv. 15–21)

Acts 2:14–21 (ESV)

¹⁴ But Peter, standing with the eleven, lifted up his voice and addressed them: “Men of Judea and all who dwell in Jerusalem, let this be known to you, and give ear to my words. ¹⁵ For these people are not drunk, as you suppose, since it is only the third hour of the day. ¹⁶ But this is what was uttered through the prophet Joel:

¹⁷   “ ‘And in the last days it shall be, God declares,

     that I will pour out my Spirit on all flesh,

     and your sons and your daughters shall prophesy,

and your young men shall see visions,

and your old men shall dream dreams;

¹⁸   even on my male servants and female servants

in those days I will pour out my Spirit, and they shall prophesy.

¹⁹   And I will show wonders in the heavens above

and signs on the earth below,

blood, and fire, and vapor of smoke;

²⁰   the sun shall be turned to darkness

and the moon to blood,

before the day of the Lord comes, the great and magnificent day.

²¹   And it shall come to pass that everyone who calls upon the name of the Lord shall be saved.’

1. 1. Notice this. Peter stands up to address the crowd to proclaim the fulfillment of the prophesy. We see this in the initial few verses.
   2. In verse 15, Peter begins to make a defense. He is stating that the people are not drunk. Remember our context here. In the previous verses, the first few verses of Acts 2, the people receive the Holy Spirit. The people started talking in foreign tongues, and the others are likely wondering what is going on. Think about this: the Holy Spirit has come upon the church like a mighty rushing wind. It is likely that anyone in the area heard a tornado type of wind. They saw tongues of fire, and now, Peter started to preach. The other people thought the disciples were drunk.
   3. Peters says that they aren’t drunk because it is too early. It is only 9 A.M., and at 9 A.M., people are not drinking yet.
   4. I read in my studies that in that day, people would not drink wine without eating meat, and that meal would come in the evening, so they definitely were not drinking yet.
   5. An explanation (vv. 16–21): Now, Peter quotes a passage from the Old Testament. He quotes Joel 2:28-32, and this is his defense; this is his explanation. This passage was written following a locust invasion of the Jewish people, but Peter applies it to his day and age. This passage is saying that God will pour out His Spirit in the last days. I believe, at least partially, Peter is applying this passage to their day and age. Peter is essentially stating that they are now in the last days. They are living in the last days. God says in this passage that in the last days, He will pour out His Spirit on the people. God says that this will affect men and women who will both see visions and prophesy. This is an amazing prophesy, which has now come about. Verse 19 mentions wonders and signs. In Acts, these are almost always listed together; signs and wonders go together.
   6. Verse 20 likely has not yet happened, though there are different thoughts about that verse.
   7. But verse 21: “everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.” This is now happening.

• Jesus is the Messiah (vv. 22–32) Look how Peter breaks down the Gospel.

Acts 2:22–32 (ESV)

²² “Men of Israel, hear these words: Jesus of Nazareth, a man attested to you by God with mighty works and wonders and signs that God did through him in your midst, as you yourselves know— ²³ this Jesus, delivered up according to the definite plan and foreknowledge of God, you crucified and killed by the hands of lawless men. ²⁴ God raised him up, loosing the pangs of death, because it was not possible for him to be held by it. ²⁵ For David says concerning him,

     “ ‘I saw the Lord always before me,

for he is at my right hand that I may not be shaken;

²⁶   therefore my heart was glad, and my tongue rejoiced;

my flesh also will dwell in hope.

²⁷   For you will not abandon my soul to Hades,

or let your Holy One see corruption.

²⁸   You have made known to me the paths of life;

you will make me full of gladness with your presence.’

²⁹ “Brothers, I may say to you with confidence about the patriarch David that he both died and was buried, and his tomb is with us to this day. ³⁰ Being therefore a prophet, and knowing that God had sworn with an oath to him that he would set one of his descendants on his throne, ³¹ he foresaw and spoke about the resurrection of the Christ, that he was not abandoned to Hades, nor did his flesh see corruption. ³² This Jesus God raised up, and of that we all are witnesses.

1. His works attest that He is the Messiah (v. 22): Peter references miracles, wonders, and signs. But the greatest miracle was the resurrection.
2. Do you ever think about that? How easy it is for us to forget, neglect, and trivialize the resurrection. Jesus is not dead. Can you have a relationship with a dead person? Of course not. But we can with Jesus because He is alive.
3. His resurrection attests that He is the Messiah (vv. 23–32): Verse 25 begins a quote from Psalm 16:8-11 and this attests to Jesus as the Messiah. The writer is stating that God would not allow Jesus to stay in the grave. In verse 29, Peter states that the writer of the Psalm is not talking about himself. They knew exactly where David’s grave was, and David was dead. But Jesus was resurrected (Verse 31).

• Jesus, the glorified Messiah, poured forth the Holy Spirit (vv. 33–36).

Acts 2:33–36 (ESV)

³³ Being therefore exalted at the right hand of God, and having received from the Father the promise of the Holy Spirit, he has poured out this that you yourselves are seeing and hearing. ³⁴ For David did not ascend into the heavens, but he himself says,

     “ ‘The Lord said to my Lord,

     “Sit at my right hand,

³⁵      until I make your enemies your footstool.” ’

³⁶ Let all the house of Israel therefore know for certain that God has made him both Lord and Christ, this Jesus whom you crucified.”

1. So, now we see Jesus as the Messiah with the Holy Spirit. Verse 33, Jesus is exalted at the right hand of God. Verse 35 is a quote from Psalm 110:1.
2. The people respond with the question of what they are to do.

• Application (vv. 37–40)

Acts 2:37–40 (ESV)

³⁷ Now when they heard this they were cut to the heart, and said to Peter and the rest of the apostles, “Brothers, what shall we do?” ³⁸ And Peter said to 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. ³⁹ For the promise is for you and for your children and for all who are far off, everyone whom the Lord our God calls to himself.” ⁴⁰ And with many other words he bore witness and continued to exhort them, saying, “Save yourselves from this crooked generation.”

1. Peter does not hold back.
2. They must repent and be baptized into Jesus.

Repent means to have a change of heart. I wonder, have you repented?

Have you turned your life over to Jesus?

Think with me again about evangelists. Billy Graham always asked for a response. I need you to respond as well.

Maybe you need to receive Christ for the first time. Maybe you have never surrendered to Christ. I am not talking about saying a prayer as a child, being infant baptized, or anything else. I mean repentance and surrender. Are you living for Christ?

Maybe some of you need to be like Peter and preach the Gospel. Maybe some of you need to commit to living the Gospel. Maybe some of you must recognize that Jesus is Lord.

God created us to be with him (Genesis 1-2).

Our sin separated us from God (Genesis 3).

Sins cannot be removed by good deeds (Gen 4-Mal 4).

Paying the price for sin, Jesus died and rose again (Matthew – Luke).

Everyone who trusts in him alone has eternal life (John – Jude).

Life that’s eternal means we will be with Jesus forever (Revelation 22:5).

Pray

The Spirit Descends at Pentecost (2:1–13)

Prepared and preached by Pastor Steve Rhodes for and at Bethel Friends Church in Poland, OH on Sunday, January 28, 2024

Mount Everest:

Several years ago, I was watching Dateline on NBC. In this episode, they talked about people climbing to reach the summit of Mount Everest. It turns out that a few years ago, it was the deadliest season of climbing Mount Everest. As I watched this show, I was amazed in a few ways. One was the wind. They had a small window of time when they could climb from the last camp to the very top of Everest. Some didn’t finish in time, so they faced very bad weather as they came down. The weather was so bad that many people died. They said that the wind was hurricane-force, and the temperatures were something like 15 degrees below zero. I cannot imagine that situation. Hurricane winds, 15 degrees below zero, snow flying and to be 29,000 feet high.

I look forward to an opportunity to climb Mount Everest someday. But that is not why I am telling that story. I tell this story because of the idea of wind, hurricane-force wind.

Has anyone here ever been in a hurricane?

Has anyone in here ever been in a tornado?

I bet you have heard the stories of the wind. Most of you know that I like to run a little bit. When I was training for my first marathon, weekly, I would run country roads. If you are on country roads, there is very little to stop the wind, and I faced some very rough wind. There were a few times when I would be running east, and everything would be going well. I would think that I was going to run the whole 26 miles, but then I would turn north and then turn west, and, wow, the wind would hit me in the face as I turned. There was one time that I was warm and sweating as I ran east. But then I turned north, and the wind was so cold that when I tried to talk, my lips were numb. Wind can make cold air worse; wind can pick up fires and spread them; wind makes the snow hard to keep off the streets, and wind can be dangerous. But how often have we wanted a nice breeze on a hot day?

Today, we are talking about the Holy Spirit. Notice that prior to the Holy Spirit’s descent upon the church, they heard a mighty rushing wind. We are now in our fourth sermon on the book of Acts, beginning with chapter 1:1. In today’s sermon, we are going to look at Acts 2:1-13, and we will see the Holy Spirit’s descent unto the church. I want to show you that the Holy Spirit came upon the church fulfilling Acts 1:8 and I believe the Holy Spirit never left the church. We still have power through the Holy Spirit to be Christ’s witnesses.

The Spirit descends in verses 1-4.

Acts 2:1–4 (ESV)

When the day of Pentecost arrived, they were all together in one place. ² And suddenly there came from heaven a sound like a mighty rushing wind, and it filled the entire house where they were sitting. ³ And divided tongues as of fire appeared to them and rested on each one of them. ⁴ And they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in other tongues as the Spirit gave them utterance.

1. Do you notice something? The verse begins simply stating, “When the day of Pentecost had come…” It is as if they all knew about the Day of Pentecost. But also note that they expected Pentecost to come. Pentecost was a Jewish holiday. One writes: 2:1. The day of Pentecost was an annual feast that followed the Feast of Firstfruits by a week of weeks (i.e., seven weeks, or 49 days) and therefore also was called the Feast of Weeks (cf. Lev. 23:15–22). The name “Pentecost,” of Greek derivation, means 50 because it was the 50th day after the Firstfruits feast (Lev. 23:16).^[1]
2. The disciples were all at one place. We really don’t know where they were. They might have been in the upper room where they were in the previous chapter.
3. We also do not know how many people were there. We know the 12 disciples were there. There may have been more, but we do not know. I believe there were more. I think there could have been 120 people or so present. In chapter 1, we know that about 120 men and women were present in the prayer meeting, so there is no reason to believe this is limited to the disciples. Now, God is about to act.
4. They hear a loud noise. This noise comes from Heaven, and it happened suddenly. This was something unexpected. The noise filled the whole house where they were sitting, so we know they were in a house. The idea that it came from Heaven may mean that it came from Heaven, literally. Or simply that it came from above. In the Bible, we have Heaven referring to the place where God resides, the atmosphere, and outer space. Notice that they hear the noise first.
5. Verse 3 mentions these tongues of fire. Remember the Old Testament? Remember Moses and the burning bush? At that time Moses saw a bush on fire but not being consumed (Exodus 3). I think that image is here. The fire comes down and is dispersed upon the disciples, but the fire does not consume them. Fire and wind were always signs of God’s activity in the Bible. It is possible that the fire and the tongues only happened to the disciples, but it is also possible that this happened to others as well.
6. They then speak in other tongues. There are two views on tongues. One is that tongues are a known language. The other is that tongues are more of a prayer language. Either way, it seems that in this case the tongues mean a known language. In a few moments (verse 6), the people are able to hear their own language spoken.
7. I was once listening to a tape of an actual miracle. In this particular tape the people were praying for a revival and they heard a mighty wind rush through the place and, you know what? God was about to do great things. You see that was an Eskimo area and they struggled with alcohol abuse. There were many problems. But God was about to change things through the Gospel.

We see the details of what happened in verses 5-13.

Acts 2:5–13 (ESV)

⁵ Now there were dwelling in Jerusalem Jews, devout men from every nation under heaven. ⁶ And at this sound the multitude came together, and they were bewildered, because each one was hearing them speak in his own language. ⁷ And they were amazed and astonished, saying, “Are not all these who are speaking Galileans? ⁸ And how is it that we hear, each of us in his own native language? ⁹ Parthians and Medes and Elamites and residents of Mesopotamia, Judea and Cappadocia, Pontus and Asia, ¹⁰ Phrygia and Pamphylia, Egypt and the parts of Libya belonging to Cyrene, and visitors from Rome, ¹¹ both Jews and proselytes, Cretans and Arabians—we hear them telling in our own tongues the mighty works of God.” ¹² And all were amazed and perplexed, saying to one another, “What does this mean?” ¹³ But others mocking said, “They are filled with new wine.”

1. In the next several verses, we see that there were people here from many different countries. You see, Pentecost was a major holy day. …Jerusalem would swell in population. People were required to come from far away. One first century writer name Josephus said that Jerusalem’s population could swell to 3,000,000. It was at this time that the Holy Spirit came upon the church.
2. It is likely that the disciples were in a house, but the Spirit coming upon the church made such a disturbance that people heard this, and when people heard this, the disciples came out where they could talk with the people. We know that by the end of this chapter, 3000 people were saved, so they had to be somewhere to accommodate such a large group.
3. Verse 7 says that the people were amazed and bewildered. They were wondering why all the people were not Galileans. Galileans had an accent. Dr. Constable from Dallas Theological Seminary references insights in this:
4. “Galileans had difficulty pronouncing gutturals and had the habit of swallowing syllables when speaking; so they were looked down upon by the people of Jerusalem as being provincial (cf. Mark 14:70). Therefore, since the disciples who were speaking were Galileans, it bewildered those who heard because the disciples could not by themselves have learned so many different languages.”
5. Through verse 11 we see many places listed that were represented. Note that many of these places will be visited in the book of Acts. These people heard the Gospel in their own language.
6. Verse 12 shows that many were amazed. Verse 13, but some were not. They rationalized it and we must never do that.

Close:

John Piper provides the following helpful illustration of the Holy Spirit before and after Pentecost:

Picture a huge dam for hydroelectric power under construction, like the Aswan High Dam on the Nile, 375 feet high and 11,000 feet across. Egypt’s President Nasser announced the plan for construction in 1953. The dam was completed in 1970 and in 1971 there was a grand dedication ceremony and the 12 turbines with their ten billion kilowatt-hour capacity were unleashed with enough power to light every city in Egypt. During the long period of construction the Nile River wasn’t completely stopped. Even as the reservoir was filling, part of the river was allowed to flow past. The country folk downstream depended on it. They drank it, they washed in it, it watered their crops and turned their mill-wheels. They sailed on it in the moonlight and wrote songs about it. It was their life. But on the day when the reservoir poured through the turbines a power was unleashed that spread far beyond the few folk down river and brought possibilities they had only dreamed of. Well, Pentecost is like the dedicatory opening of the Aswan High Dam. Before Pentecost the river of God’s Spirit blessed the people of Israel and was their very life. But after Pentecost the power of the Spirit spread out to light the whole world. None of the benefits enjoyed in the pre-Pentecostal days were taken away. But ten billion kilowatts were added to enable the church to take the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ to every tongue and tribe and nation.1

In Nik Ripkin’s book The Insanity of God, he tells the story of Aisha, a 24-year-old Christian widow and convert from Islam. She was so outgoing in her witness to Christ in the hostile environment of her Islamic town that the authorities arrested her and put her in the dark, unfinished cellar of the police station. At the point when she felt she could take no more and was about to scream, instead, to her surprise, out of her mouth came a heart-song of praise to Christ. As she sang, she could tell the movement upstairs ceased. They were listening.

That night the police chief came down and said he was taking her home on one condition: You must come to my house in three days. Then he said, I don’t understand. You are not afraid of anything. My wife and daughters and all the women in my family are afraid of everything. But you are not afraid of anything. … I want you to come to my house so you can tell everyone why you are not afraid. And I want you to sing that song.

Do you know Jesus?

God created us to be with him. (Genesis 1-2)

Our sin separated us from God. (Genesis 3)

Sins cannot be removed by good deeds (Gen 4-Mal 4)

Paying the price for sin, Jesus died and rose again. (Matthew – Luke)

Everyone who trusts in him alone has eternal life. (John – Jude)

Life that’s eternal means we will be with Jesus forever. (Revelation 22:5)

Pray

^[1] Toussaint, S. D. (1985). Acts. (J. F. Walvoord & R. B. Zuck, Eds.)The Bible Knowledge Commentary: An Exposition of the Scriptures (Vol. 2, p. 357). Wheaton, IL: Victor Books.

Matthias Replaces Judas (Acts 1:12–26)

Prepared and preached by Pastor Steve Rhodes for and at Bethel Friends Church in Poland, OH on Sunday, January 21, 2024

TONY EVANS ON GETTING UN-STUCK

Tony Evans, a popular black preacher from down in Texas, spoke of being on an elevator in a high-rise building. He said he’d never been particularly comfortable on such elevators. There was something about riding up and down in a little box several hundred feet off the ground that has never sat well with him. He worried that something would go wrong.

One day it did. The car he was riding in got stuck in between floors way up in the higher floors. He noted that some of the people in the car became frantic. They began to beat on the door hoping to get someone’s attention. Others began to yell in the hopes that their voices would get someone on the surrounding floors to come to the aid. But nobody heard their noise or their cries.

Then Evans quietly made his way to the front of the car, opened a little door in the wall, and pulled out a telephone. Immediately he was connected with someone on the outside. He didn’t need to beat on the wall to get their attention. He didn’t need to speak loudly in the phone to receive their help. He could have whispered and they would have heard him.

Evans said that – in this world, we’re going to get “stuck” in places we aren’t comfortable with. Some people begin to beat against the walls, others cry out in dismay. But the person who trusts in the power of confident prayer knows there’s someone on the other end who hears their call and comes to their aid.

What an awesome illustration!

In today’s sermon, we will look at a time when the disciples needed to make a decision. How did they make this decision? We are about to find out, but one thing is that they did seek the Lord.

Let’s look at the passage:

Acts 1:12–26 (ESV)

¹² Then they returned to Jerusalem from the mount called Olivet, which is near Jerusalem, a Sabbath day’s journey away. ¹³ And when they had entered, they went up to the upper room, where they were staying, Peter and John and James and Andrew, Philip and Thomas, Bartholomew and Matthew, James the son of Alphaeus and Simon the Zealot and Judas the son of James. ¹⁴ All these with one accord were devoting themselves to prayer, together with the women and Mary the mother of Jesus, and his brothers.

¹⁵ In those days Peter stood up among the brothers (the company of persons was in all about 120) and said, ¹⁶ “Brothers, the Scripture had to be fulfilled, which the Holy Spirit spoke beforehand by the mouth of David concerning Judas, who became a guide to those who arrested Jesus. ¹⁷ For he was numbered among us and was allotted his share in this ministry.” ¹⁸ (Now this man acquired a field with the reward of his wickedness, and falling headlong he burst open in the middle and all his bowels gushed out. ¹⁹ And it became known to all the inhabitants of Jerusalem, so that the field was called in their own language Akeldama, that is, Field of Blood.) ²⁰ “For it is written in the Book of Psalms,

     “ ‘May his camp become desolate,

and let there be no one to dwell in it’;

and

     “ ‘Let another take his office.’

²¹ So one of the men who have accompanied us during all the time that the Lord Jesus went in and out among us, ²² beginning from the baptism of John until the day when he was taken up from us—one of these men must become with us a witness to his resurrection.” ²³ And they put forward two, Joseph called Barsabbas, who was also called Justus, and Matthias. ²⁴ And they prayed and said, “You, Lord, who know the hearts of all, show which one of these two you have chosen ²⁵ to take the place in this ministry and apostleship from which Judas turned aside to go to his own place.” ²⁶ And they cast lots for them, and the lot fell on Matthias, and he was numbered with the eleven apostles.

1. Jesus had told them to wait.
   1. Jesus has just now told the disciples to wait until the Holy Spirit comes upon them and not do anything until.
   2. Now, they leave the Mount of Olives, and they go back to Jerusalem. Now, the Bible says they go about a Sabbath day’s journey; what? A Sabbath day’s journey was about ¾ mile. It was what the rabbis decided a person would be allowed to walk on the Sabbath.
   3. They arrived back in Jerusalem and went upstairs to the room they were staying in.
   4. Some may think that this is the upper room where they ate the Passover meal with Jesus, and that is possible, but not likely. That was my first thought, but it was likely another room available in Jerusalem. In the ancient world, the larger rooms were on the second and third floors. This was because the smaller rooms would have more walls which helped support the next floor. On the third floor, they could eat, host meals, and even have guests. They could also use these rooms to charge for guests.
   5. This is no different.
   6. Now all the disciples were there.
2. What happened to Judas?
   1. Verses 15-19 tell us about Judas.
   2. Verse 15 lets us know that there were about 120 people in the room.
   3. Notice that Peter speaks up. Peter is very often a spokesperson in Acts, and this is especially true in the first several chapters until the Apostle Paul comes on the scene. Peter addresses them as “brothers” though the word can also include women.
   4. Peter speaks: something I read says:

This address of Peter (vv. 16-21) is the first of some 23 or 24 speeches that Luke reported in Acts. About one-third of the contents of Acts is speeches.

“To an extent, of course, all the speeches in Acts are necessarily paraphrastic, for certainly the original delivery contained more detail of argument and more illustrative material than Luke included—as poor Eutychus undoubtedly could testify (Acts 20:7-12)! Stenographic reports they are not, and probably few ever so considered them. They have been reworked, as is required in any précis, and reworked, moreover, in accord with the style of the narrative. But recognition of the kind of writing that produces speeches compatible with the narrative in which they are found should not be interpreted as inaccurate reporting or a lack of traditional source material. After all, a single author is responsible for the literary form of the whole.”

Josephus “recorded” many speeches in his histories, but he clearly put them in his own words. One example is Herod the Great’s speech to the Jews encouraging them to defend themselves against the attacking Arabians. The same speech appears in both the Antiquities of the Jews and The Wars of the Jews, but the content is somewhat different. Another is Herod Agrippa I’s speech to the Jews discouraging them from getting into war with the Romans.

1. Now, Peter talks about a Scripture being fulfilled regarding Judas. Psalm 41:9 is one of the Psalm references that has to do with being betrayed by one whom you trust.
2. The next couple of verses simply share what happened to Judas. This is a somewhat gruesome passage, but he bought a field, or actually, the money he used to betray Jesus was used to buy a field, and he burst open in the field. I like what the Bible Knowledge Commentary says about this:

1:18–19. Though Judas himself did not personally buy a field, he did so indirectly. The priests used the betrayal money Judas flung into the temple to make this purchase in Judas’ name (Matt. 27:3–10).

The account of Judas’ violent end in Acts 1:18 seems to contradict Matthew 27:5, which starkly says he “hanged himself.” One explanation is that Judas’ intestines quickly became swollen and distended after he hanged himself, so he burst open. Another explanation, more probable, is that Judas hanged himself over a cliff and the rope or branch of the tree he was using broke. When he fell to the rocks below, he “burst open.”^[1]

• Verse 20 is a quote from Psalm 69:25 and 109:8.
• In verses 21-26 we see the disciple’s response
  1. The disciples make the decision to replace Judas.
  2. Notice verse 23 says that they need a witness? It was critical that they replace Judas with someone who had witnessed Jesus’ life, death, and resurrection.
  3. Verses 24-25 are composed of their prayer.
  4. It is important to note that they prayed for this decision.
  5. They give credit to God’s omniscience “Lord you know the hearts of all men.”
  6. They appeal to God as the One who has chosen.
  7. They want this person to occupy the ministry and the apostleship.
  8. Verse 25 they drew lots.
  9. The lost fell to Matthias and he was added to their number. Now, remember that the Holy Spirit has not yet come upon the church, but this is the last time we see this form of decision making in the Bible.

“Prayer is surrender-surrender to the will of God and cooperation with that will. If I throw out a boat hook from the boat and catch hold of the shore and pull, do I pull the shore to me, or do I pull myself to the shore? Prayer is not pulling God to my will, but the aligning of my will to the will of God.”[2]

• Applications:
  1. Verse 14 says that they all joined together constantly in prayer. We must also be in prayer with the community.
  2. We must be in prayer in unity with the community as well.
  3. Verses 16 and verse 20 affirm the strong authority of Scripture. We must always affirm the authority of the Scriptures.
  4. In verse 22 they consider it important that one of them is a witness. We are also a witness of what Jesus has done in our lives and we must take that seriously.
  5. In verse 24, the disciples affirm that God knows everyone’s heart, and they seek His guidance. We also must always seek His guidance, knowing He knows all, our heart and the others.
  6. We must seek the Lord and depend upon Him for our everyday needs.
  7. The overall theme is still seeking God for the witness of the Gospel. We must also seek God for the witness of the Gospel.

Conclusion:

When you get stuck, what do you do? The disciples prayed and asked the Lord to help them out of this. I encourage you to do so as well.

Why are we here?

C.S. Lewis writes:

It is easy to think that the Church has a lot of different objects—education, building, missions, holding services. Just as it is easy to think the State has a lot of different objects—military, political, economic, and what not. But in a way things are much simpler than that. The State exists simply to promote and to protect the ordinary happiness of human beings in this life. A husband and wife chatting over a fire, a couple of friends having a game of darts in a pub, a man reading a book in his own room or digging in his own garden—that is what the State is there for. And unless they are helping to increase and prolong and protect such moments, all the laws, parliaments, armies, courts, police, economics, etc., are simply a waste of time. In the same way the Church exists for nothing else but to draw men into Christ, to make them little Christs. If they are not doing that, all the cathedrals, clergy, missions, sermons, even the Bible itself, are simply a waste of time. God became Man for no other purpose. It is even doubtful, you know, whether the whole universe was created for any other purpose.[3]

Prayer

Do you know Jesus?

God created us to be with him (Genesis 1-2).

Our sin separated us from God (Genesis 3).

Sins cannot be removed by good deeds (Gen 4-Mal 4).

Paying the price for sin, Jesus died and rose again (Matthew – Luke).

Everyone who trusts in him alone has eternal life (John – Jude).

Life that’s eternal means we will be with Jesus forever (Revelation 22:5).

Pray

^[1] Toussaint, S. D. (1985). Acts. (J. F. Walvoord & R. B. Zuck, Eds.)The Bible Knowledge Commentary: An Exposition of the Scriptures (Vol. 2, p. 356). Wheaton, IL: Victor Books.

[2] E. Stanley Jones, in Liberating Ministry From The Success Syndrome, K Hughes, Tyndale, 1988, p. 73

[3] C. S. Lewis, Mere Christianity (New York, Simon & Schuster Touchstone, 1996), p. 171.

The Ascension of Jesus (Acts 1:6–11)

Prepared and preached by Pastor Steve Rhodes for and at Bethel Friends Church in Poland, OH on Sunday, January 14, 2024

At a past church, we used to sing a song that started out:

My God can never fail, He’s been proved time and again, trust Him and see, He’s got all the power you need.

We sang another song that started like this:

There’s no rock, there is no God like our God.

I wonder, do we believe that there is no God like our God? Do we live like that? Do we live with a trust that He is God and there is no other? Do we live with a conviction that He is the authority? Do you see how those two ideas go together? So many times, we forget or trivialize the power and authority of God, and this affects the way we trust Him. We so often trivialize the power and authority of God, and this means that we don’t live under the conviction that His ways are best and only His ways. He Is God, and we are not.

I once heard a powerful sermon by Francis Chan in which he talked about our mighty God. Francis talked about the Sunday School stories. You remember the stories, don’t you? As a child, you likely learned about how the young boy David trusted God, and God helped him conquer the giant (1 Samuel 17 and Goliath). We serve a strong God. Okay, another one, long before David, there was a man named Noah, and Noah trusted God and was faithful (Genesis 6, 7, and 8). So, though God flooded the earth, God saved Noah and his family. We serve a strong God.

What are other examples of our strong and mighty God in the Bible?

Please share… What are some examples that you remember from a recent study or something a long time ago?

Walk down and actually allow people to share a few examples.

We serve a mighty God. He is the Lord.

A few weeks ago, I shared a few of the verses that Chip Ingram talked about:

He is before all things: Psalm 92:

Rev 1:8: Alpha and Omega

He created all things:

Colossians 1:15-20

Heb. 1: He upholds all things.

He is above all things: Eph. 4:6.

Isaiah 45: I am the Lord, and there is no other…

Mary said that nothing is impossible with God.

Daniel 4: God rules all things.

When I was at another church, we sang a song that started out: Mighty, Mighty Savior, Mighty, Mighty Lord…

Today, we are going to look at Jesus’ ascension into Heaven, and I want to show you that once again, we see that Jesus is a Mighty God. Correction, Jesus is THE Mighty God. We will apply this passage as well.

Acts 1:6–11 (ESV)

⁶ So when they had come together, they asked him, “Lord, will you at this time restore the kingdom to Israel?” ⁷ He said to them, “It is not for you to know times or seasons that the Father has fixed by his own authority. ⁸ 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.” ⁹ And when he had said these things, as they were looking on, he was lifted up, and a cloud took him out of their sight. ¹⁰ And while they were gazing into heaven as he went, behold, two men stood by them in white robes, ¹¹ and said, “Men of Galilee, why do you stand looking into heaven? This Jesus, who was taken up from you into heaven, will come in the same way as you saw him go into heaven.”

1. The disciples ask the question.
   1. Notice that the disciples first ask plainly if He is now going to restore the Kingdom. The Bible says that they gathered around Him. It appears that the 11 disciples are with Him and there may be close to 120 people altogether with Him. Verse 15 tells us that there were about 120 people in the upper room.
   2. The disciples do not yet have the Holy Spirit, and though they have been with Jesus for some three years and Jesus has been with them for forty days post-resurrection, they still struggle to understand. They are still looking for Jesus to have an earthly reign. They are still thinking that Jesus is now going to overthrow Rome, but that is not what is going to happen.
   3. Now, in the context of Acts, Luke is the writer, and he is reviewing his gospel. That is why we discuss Jesus and the disciples in this sermon on Acts.
   4. Also, we must remember the disciples were likely young men, very young men. It is a big deal that Jesus has chosen and trained them, but without the Holy Spirit, they lack understanding. We also must put ourselves in their world. We must think that by their Jewish understanding, they were looking for a Messiah who would rule Israel as King David reigned in the Old Testament. They were looking for one to reign over an earthly Kingdom.
   5. But what about us? Where is our understanding of Kingdom, of God’s Kingdom? Do we lack understanding as well? We have the Holy Spirit to guide and teach us, but we also are still stuck in our mold of thinking, especially in that we interpret things based on our past understanding. When Mercedes was a toddler, she would be trying to unfasten a safety belt and she might say, “Stuck, stuck.” I would say, “Yes, Mercedes, that is stuck for a reason.” So, sometimes our thinking is stuck, sometimes because of our own fault, and sometimes simply because that is all God is allowing us to understand for the moment. For their moment in time, they were looking for an earthly reign.
2. Jesus responds: So, now Jesus responds.
   1. They are not to know the times and the dates.
   2. Jesus says that the Father has set these times and dates. Do you think about that? It is by God’s authority that He has set these times and dates.
   3. Notice that Jesus didn’t rebuke their understanding of Kingdom. Jesus will eventually reign on earth. Jesus will eventually make things right. Jesus will eventually conquer all these powers. Jesus will eventually have His Kingdom come on earth as it is in Heaven. Jesus will eventually restore Israel. But not yet.
   4. Again, we serve a strong God, we serve a mighty God, we serve the only true God and He is in control, and we must surrender to trust Him.
   5. But they are to fulfill the great commission with the power of the Holy Spirit.
   6. Acts 1:8: 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.”
   7. Luke is likely alluding to Isaiah 49:6: … he says: “It is too light a thing that you should be my servant to raise up the tribes of Jacob and to bring back the preserved of Israel; I will make you as a light for the nations, that my salvation may reach to the end of the earth.”
   8. It is interesting that at first, Jesus simply says that they do not know the times and the seasons, but now He jumps to the Holy Spirit. Jesus says that they must fulfill the great commission. It is as if Jesus is stating that the Helper will come upon them, and they will receive power. They don’t need to worry about when the Kingdom will come. Instead, they must proclaim the Gospel.
   9. That is what we must do as well. We must trust in Christ always. We must understand that He is the Mighty Savior, and we must stay the course proclaiming the Gospel.
3. Jesus ascends.
   1. Then Jesus was lifted up, and a cloud took Him out of their sight. The disciples are gazing up into Heaven in amazement.
   2. Let me ask: “Are you amazed at this narrative?” “Am I amazed?” I honestly was not amazed at first, but as I thought about this passage, it struck me. Think about it: They are watching, and Jesus talks to them, and then a cloud simply takes Him up and carries Him away. When was the last time you saw this happen? I am not talking about seeing this on television; I am talking about really happening. This really happened. This is so amazing that even though they had seen all those miracles before, this stood out to them.
   3. Eventually, two angels were standing next to the disciples. That is what the Bible means when it says, “Two men in white.” These angels tell the disciples that Jesus will return the same way, wow! It is as if the angels are telling the disciples to quit staring at the heavens and get to the Lord’s work and they do.
4. What are the applications of this passage?
   1. We must trust Jesus as He is in Heaven ruling the earth. Jesus has ascended to Heaven and He is reigning.
   2. We must trust Jesus as He alone can know times and seasons. We must not doubt. We must surrender to God as He is God. He has things under control.
   3. We must trust Jesus as He is coming back in the same way that He left this earth.
   4. Jesus was taken away in a cloud; this shows His power and ability over creation. We must trust Him as He is the powerful, mighty God.
   5. This passage once again shows that we must be amazed by Jesus. We must be amazed by His power and authority. He is taken away, showing once again, that He is not limited by the earthly physics or laws of nature (compare to Jesus’ walking on water: Matthew 14:28; calming the storm: Matthew 8:26; Mark 4:39; Luke 8:24; Jesus raises Lazarus: John 11:43).
   6. We must await Jesus’ coming again in the clouds.
   7. We must be a witness, knowing that the Holy Spirit has come upon us, and we have this power from above.
   8. We must be a witness, starting locally and going far.

Conclusion:

Piper writes:

Albert Einstein’s indictment of preachers illustrates what I am trying to say. Charles Misner, a scientific specialist in general relativity theory, was quoted this way:

I do see the design of the universe as essentially a religious question. That is, one should have some kind of respect and awe for the whole business.… It’s very magnificent and shouldn’t be taken for granted. In fact, I believe that is why Einstein had so little use for organized religion, although he strikes me as a basically very religious man. He must have looked at what the preachers said about God and felt that they were blaspheming. He had seen much more majesty than they had ever imagined, and they were just not talking about the real thing. My guess is that he simply felt that religions he’d run across did not have proper respect … for the author of the universe.⁶

This is devastating, because I cannot imagine that from our vantage point sixty years later preachers would seem to Einstein any more moved by greatness than they did then.

What’s wrong? There is a disconnect between the greatness of God and the emotional response of the preachers. To Einstein it looked as if they were not “talking about the real thing.” It felt so out of proportion to Einstein that it seemed like they were blaspheming. In other words, if here is a God of the sort that Christians say they believe in, you have dealings with him and respond as unemotionally as that.

Scientists know that light travels at the speed of 5.87 trillion miles a year. They also know the galaxy of which our solar system is a part is about 100,000 light-years in diameter—about 587 thousand trillion miles. It is one of about a million such galaxies in the optical range of our most powerful telescopes. In our galaxy there are about one hundred billion stars. The sun is one of them, a modest star burning at about 6,000 degrees centigrade on the surface and traveling in an orbit at 155 miles per second, which means it will take about two hundred million years to complete a revolution around the galaxy.

Scientists know these things. Einstein was awed by them. He felt something like this: “If there is a personal God, as the Christians say, who spoke this universe into being, then there is a certain respect and reverence and wonder and dread that would have to come through when we talk about him. And certainly we would be talking about him all the time since he is the most important reality.”^[1]

Do you know Jesus?

God created us to be with him. (Genesis 1-2)

Our sin separated us from God. (Genesis 3)

Sins cannot be removed by good deeds (Gen 4-Mal 4)

Paying the price for sin, Jesus died and rose again. (Matthew – Luke)

Everyone who trusts in him alone has eternal life. (John – Jude)

Life that’s eternal means we will be with Jesus forever. (Revelation 22:5)

Pray

⁶ Quoted in First Things (Dec. 1991): 63 (italics added).

^[1] John Piper and Mark A. Noll, Think: The Life of the Mind and the Love of God (Wheaton, IL: Crossway, 2011), 194–195.