YouTube video sermon
Acts 1:1-11
I want to invite you to take your copy of God’s Word and turn with me to Acts 1. This morning I’m going to start a little 4-week series on Hope. This will take us up to the beginning of Advent, where we’ll celebrate the birth of Hope. But for the next several weeks, I just felt we would all need to be reminded of the hope we have in Christ. So, if you have your copy of God’s Word, would you join me in Acts 1. As you’re finding your place, listen to this story.
In 1996, an underwater sea salvager named George Tulloch maneuvered his ship directly over the wreckage of the Titanic which sank in 1912. He went down in a submarine that had a robotic arm, in order to do what nobody had ever done before – salvage pieces and artifacts from the Titanic. Now, as you might imagine, there was a huge controversy about this. Nevertheless, Tulloch came back up with all sorts of things: reading glasses, dishware, jewelry, and so forth.
While he was down there, he discovered that there was a piece of the starboard side hull that had broken off and was laying away from the rest of the wreckage. The piece weighed around 15 tons and measured 26 feet by 12 feet, and he decided that it would make for a great Titanic exhibit. So, his team went back down and began securing this “big piece” with ropes and they raised it up (2 ½ miles) to the surface of the North Atlantic. As they were trying to complete this salvage expedition of the “big piece” a storm arose and it broke free at the last moment and sank back down in the inky darkness of the ocean.
Well, George was determined that he was going to do something. So, he took a sheet of metal that they had available and went back down in his submarine and located this “big piece” and attached that sheet of metal to it. And on that sheet of metal were these words: “I Shall Return.”
For history buffs out there, like me, that sounds a little bit like Gen. Douglas McArthur when he was fleeing the Japanize from the Philippine Islands on March 11, 1942. And as you know, Gen. McArthur did, indeed, return to the Philippines on October 20, 1944.
Well, true to his word, two years later (in 1998), George Tulloch returned and successfully raised that starboard side hull piece from the wreckage of the Titanic and here it is (show pictures). I’ve been calling this part of the Titanic’s hull the “Big Piece” because that’s what it’s referred to today. It’s on display in the Luxor Hotel & Casino in Las Vegas, NV.
This is a computer-generated image (CGI) showing where the “Big Piece” would have been positioned on the Titanic. The portholes that you can see on the “Big Piece” came from C Deck and were part of cabins C-79 and C-81. Although these cabins were unoccupied, nearby cabin C-83 housed New York theatrical producer Henry B. Harris and his wife Irene. Also, nearby was the cabin occupied by W.T. Stead, the most famous journalist in England at the time. Irene Harris survived, but both her husband Henry and W.T. Stead lost their lives in the disaster.
Well, long before Gen. McArthur said it, and long before George Tulloch engraved it on the side of the Titanic, it was said of Jesus. If you have your copy of God’s Word you’re going to see that in Acts 1. I want to take us there this morning. Follow along as I read:
1 In the first book, O Theophilus, I have dealt with all that Jesus began to do and teach, 2 until the day when He was taken up, after He had given commands through the Holy Spirit to the apostles whom He had chosen. 3 He presented Himself alive to them after His suffering by many proofs, appearing to them during forty days and speaking about the kingdom of God.
We have, at best, three accounts of Julius Caesar’s crossing of the Rubicon with a handful of German mercenaries, and yet nobody questions that event. Why? Because western civilization has changed. We have no written documentation or eyewitness accounts that Hannibal ever crossed the Alps with elephants, but we know he did. How do we know? Because Rome was attacked. And yet, here we have an incredible record of Jesus’ appearing over the course of 40 days to His disciples speaking about the kingdom of God.
On that Sunday morning He appeared to Mary at the tomb. On that same night He appears to ten of the disciples: Judas is not there, and Thomas is not there. A week later He appears to the disciples again. This time Thomas is there and we get that famous confession from Thomas after he touches Jesus’ wounds, “My Lord and my God!” (John 20:28). He appears to his half-brother, James, who would go on to become the leader of the church in Jerusalem and the author of the Epistle of James. He appears to two of His disciples on the road to Emmaus.
He appears in the morning and the evening. He appears in the light and the dark. He appears inside and outside. He appears to 500 people at one time. He appears to them in Jerusalem and the Sea of Galilee, and now He’s back in Jerusalem outside the city on the hill that we know as the Mount of Olives. And that’s where we are. That’s the background. Let’s continue with verse 4:
4 And while staying with them He ordered them not to depart from Jerusalem, but to wait for the promise of the Father, which, He said, “you heard from me; 5 for John baptized with water, but you will be baptized with the Holy Spirit not many days from now.” 6 So when they had come together, they asked Him, “Lord, will you at this time restore the kingdom to Israel?”
Now they had two good reasons for asking that question. The knew the prophecy of Zechariah 14:4, where the Prophet Zechariah, speaking of the future coming of the Messiah said this, “On that day His feet shall stand on the Mount of Olives that lies before Jerusalem on the east, and the Mount of Olives shall be split in two from east to west by a very wide valley, so that one half of the Mount shall move northward, and the other half southward.” That’s where they’re gathered. That’s where Jesus’ has appeared to them in Acts 1.
They also knew the prophecy of Joel 2:28-29 where Joel writes, “And it shall come to pass afterward, that I will pour out my Spirit on all flesh; your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, your old men shall dream dreams, and your young men shall see visions. Even on the male and female servants in those days I will pour out my Spirit.” Jesus had just told them to stay in Jerusalem because His Spirit would be given to them.
So, they had two very good reasons, two very good prophecies that were leading them to the conclusion that perhaps this was the time (the chronos) when Jesus would restore the kingdom of Israel. And notice Jesus’ response (v. 7), “He said to them, ‘It is not for you to know times (chronos) or seasons (kairos) that the Father has fixed by His own authority.’” You might recall that Jesus spoke about this earlier in His ministry. In Matthew 24:36 Jesus said, “But concerning that day and hour no one knows, not even the angels of heaven, nor the Son, but the Father only.” So Jesus says, “Hey guys, don’t worry about that. Don’t worry about the day and the hour, the time of year or the season. That’s not for you to know.”
But notice what Jesus does tell them in verse 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.” Jesus says I don’t want you worrying about the time. I don’t want you worrying about the date. I don’t want you worrying about when I’ll come back. What I do want you to concern yourself with is this: you be the witness in the world at this time! Did you hear that church? I want you to be sure that you got that.
Jesus did not say that He wanted us to be concerned about the political situation. He didn’t say that He wanted us to be concerned about the bottom line and economics. He didn’t say that He wanted us to be concerned about religious liberty. Not that any of those things is bad. Indeed, the Bible has an awful lot to say about those things, as I believe we saw in our study in Romans. No, what Jesus said was I’ll take care of the return, you take care of the witnessing.
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.”
In the few remaining minutes that we have, before we take the Lord’s Supper, I want to give you 4 reasons for hope in these humbling times. Three of them are implicit – that is, they’re not expressly stated in the text but rather are clearly implied. The fourth is explicit and is mentioned in verse 11. The first is the completion of Christ.
Completion of Christ
Remember, this event that we’re reading about in Acts 1 is taking place after Jesus’ resurrection and Jesus has been with His disciples for 40 days. It’s as if this is His encore. When you go to the opera or a performance of a symphony or an orchestra, at the end of the regular performance people used to holler out “Encore!” Today, when you go to any concert or musical or special performance and the show is over, if the audience continues their applause after the group or conductor leaves the stage, then usually they come back to play another round. That’s kind of the sense that we get. Jesus was resurrected and now He’s been called back for a 40-day encore. But eventually the show must end, and verse 9 says that “as they were looking on, He was lifted up, and a cloud took [Jesus] out of their sight.”
It’s as if God, Himself, is writing it in the clouds: It Is Finished! It’s done. It’s completed. Those things that were intended for salvation have been accomplished. Now let me tell you; I’m not aware of anybody else in history (and believe me I’ve read a lot of history) who with their last dying breathe sat up on their deathbed and said, “I finished it all.” No, what you generally read is, “I can’t die now. I have too much to do. I can’t go now. There are still things left for me to accomplish.” And yet, Jesus, while He was on the cross exclaimed “tetelestai!” It is finished!
What was accomplished on the cross of Calvary was the greatest work in human history. It restored and redeemed mankind back to the Father, and Jesus could say “It is finished.” Now do you realize what that means for you and me? There’s not a single thing that you or I need to do in order to help complete the work of salvation. Indeed, we can’t do anything – for to do something robs God of the glory and the honor and the praise that’s due to His most holy name. There’s nothing the Roman Church can do. There’s nothing the Baptist Church can do. There’s nothing the Methodist Church or the Presbyterian Church or the Pentecostal Church or the Lutheran Church or the Episcopal Church or the Community Church can do. Jesus did it all! And His ascension is the implication that the work of salvation is done.
Listen, if you’ve repented of your sin and accepted the grace of Jesus Christ through His life, death and resurrection, then let me tell you something; there’s nothing that can happen on Tuesday that will ever snatch you out of the Father’s hand. You’re eternally secure. Your ultimate hope in life isn’t pinned to a ballot box or the White House. It’s been pinned to Calvary’s cross and you have a mansion in heaven that’s being prepared just for you.
The second hope in these humbling times is the exaltation of Christ.
Exaltation of Christ
The ascension of Jesus into heaven – described here in Acts 1 – highlights His exaltation. The Apostle Paul described this very event in his Epistle to the Ephesians when he said, “I also pray that you will understand the incredible greatness of God’s power for us who believe Him. (Listen, here it is.) This is the same mighty power that raised Christ from the dead and seated Him in the place of honor at God’s right hand in the heavenly realms. Now He is far above any ruler or authority or power or leader or anything else – not only in this world but also in the world to come. God has put all things under the authority of Christ and has made Him head over all things for the benefit of the church. And the church is His body; it is made full and complete by Christ, who fills all things everywhere with Himself” (Ephesians 1:19-23).
Folks, listen to me. Christ rules over everything. He rules over this universe, over this world, over governments, over nations… You say, “Now wait a minute, pastor. We’ve got a world that’s in confusion and chaos because of a microscopic little virus. Wait a minute, preacher, do you know what China is doing in the South China Sea? Pastor, do you know that they’ve declared they’ll be number one militarily and economically by the year 2050? And you wanna tell me… Have you seen the stock market lately? Do you see how the Republicans and Democrats treat one another?”
Christ’s ascension is proof positive of His exaltation and He’s in control: not Xi Jinping, not Trump, not Biden, not Putin, not Boris Johnson, not Kim Jung-un. Jesus has been exalted and He’s in control. He’s got a plan. It may not be our plan, but make no mistake about it – He’s in control.
The third hope in these humble times that we see in Acts 1 is the impartation of the Holy Spirit.
Impartation of Christ
We’ve seen the completion of Christ, the exaltation of Christ, and now the impartation of Christ. What did Jesus tell them in Acts 1? They were to remain in Jerusalem until they received the power of the Holy Spirit. Do you remember back in John 7 “On the last day of the feast, the great day, Jesus stood up and cried out, ‘If anyone thirsts, let Him come to me and drink. Whoever believes in Me, as the Scripture has said, “Out of his heart will flow rivers of living water.”’ (Then John adds this little commentary for us.) Now this He said about the Spirit, whom those who believed in Him were to receive, for as yet the Spirit had not been given, because Jesus was not yet glorified” (John 7:37-40).
Well, Acts 1 is the fulfillment of John 7. Jesus has been received into heaven. He’s ascended back to the Father and Jesus sends forth His Spirit on the Day of Pentecost and the disciples begin proclaiming the Good News of Jesus and thousands of people repent of their sin and accept the Lord Jesus as their Savior.
Now here’s the interesting thing about Acts 1-7. Those seven chapters cover approximately eight (8) years, and all eight years are spent in Jerusalem. You’d have thought they would’ve taken the world by storm in those eight years and gotten on with Jesus’ instructions to go to Judea, Samaria and the rest of the world. After all, they now have the indwelling of the Holy Spirit but they didn’t. It’s not until Acts 8 when they move on from Jerusalem to Judea and Samaria. Do you know why? The Jews kill a deacon of the church. Somehow, when you kill a deacon of the church, the church decides it’s time to move.
“Pastor, I’m not sure I know what your trying to say.” Simply this. There are some of us in these humbling times that are afraid to get on with the mission of the church. We’re hunkered down. We’re glued to our televisions and our computers and our social media feeds. It’s like we’re waiting for someone to tell us it’s okay to get back in the pool after eating lunch. We need to remember that we have the Holy Spirit of the living God at our disposal and there’s a charge to the church that hasn’t yet been fulfilled. We need to take the gospel of Jesus to our Jerusalem, and our Judea, and our Samaria, and also to the ends of the earth. We need to be on mission.
Fourth, and finally, in these humbling times there’s hope because of the consummation of Christ.
Consummation of Christ
This is the only reason for hope that’s explicitly stated in the text. The previous three were implied from the fact that Jesus has ascended into heaven, but this one is right here in black and white. Look at verses 10-11 again, “And while they were gazing into heaven as He went, behold, two men stood by them in white robes, 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.’”
There it is right there. Did you hear it? This same Jesus… This very one… Not an imposter. Not an ambassador. This Jesus that you know and love with all of your heart, mind and soul, will come again in the same way as you saw Him go. And if you read ahead, in Revelation 19, then you see Jesus coming on the back of a war horse with every single believer with Him to consummate His kingdom on earth. Why? Because if you know Jesus as your personal Savior, then you were made for a happy ending. Let me tell you how it’s all going to wind up. Let me tell you what the consummation of Christ looks like. Let me share with you the greatest hope for these humbling days. Are you ready?
1 Then I saw a new heaven and a new earth, for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away, and the sea was no more. 2 And I saw the holy city, new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband. 3 And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, “Behold, the dwelling place of God is with man. He will dwell with them, and they will be His people, and God Himself will be with them as their God. 4 He will wipe away every tear from their eyes, and death shall be no more, neither shall there be mourning, nor crying, nor pain anymore, for the former things have passed away.” 5 And He who was seated on the throne said, “Behold, I am making all things new.” (Revelation 21:1-5).
Folks, if you’ve repented of your sin and accepted the free gift of God’s grace through Jesus Christ, then you get the happy ending.
Listen to me church. Tuesday is going to come and go, and we’ll either have the same president or a new president. Neither result changes the fact that Jesus has completed everything that you and I need in order to be made right with the Father. The final vote that’s cast on Tuesday doesn’t change the fact that Jesus has been exalted and rules and reigns over every nation and government and people on the planet. Whether your candidate wins or loses doesn’t remove the Holy Spirit of God who indwells us and empowers us for His glory. And whether we’re looking at a Republican administration on Wednesday or a Democratic one doesn’t replace the fact that this same Jesus will come again and make all things new.
So, there you have it – four reasons to hope in humbling times: the completion of Christ, the exaltation of Christ, the impartation of Christ, and the consummation of Christ.