Psalm 103:8-22 (NIV) 

⁸ The Lord is compassionate and gracious, slow to anger, abounding in love.  ⁹ He will not always accuse, nor will he harbor his anger forever; ¹⁰ he does not treat us as our sins deserve or repay us according to our iniquities.  ¹¹ For as high as the heavens are above the earth, so great is his love for those who fear him; ¹² as far as the east is from the west, so far has he removed our transgressions from us.

¹³ As a father has compassion on his children, so the Lord has compassion on those who fear him;
¹⁴ for he knows how we are formed, he remembers that we are dust.  ¹⁵ As for man, his days are like grass, he flourishes like a flower of the field; ¹⁶ the wind blows over it and it is gone, and its place remembers it no more.  ¹⁷ But from everlasting to everlasting the Lord’s love is with those who fear him, and his righteousness with their children’s children—¹⁸ with those who keep his covenant and remember to obey his precepts.

¹⁹ The Lord has established his throne in heaven, and his kingdom rules over all.

²⁰ Praise the Lord, you his angels, you mighty ones who do his bidding, who obey his word.  ²¹ Praise the Lord, all his heavenly hosts, you his servants who do his will.  ²² Praise the Lord, all his works everywhere in his dominion.

Praise the Lord, O my soul.

Acts 1:1-11 (NIV)

¹ In my former book, Theophilus, I wrote about all that Jesus began to do and to teach ² until the day he was taken up to heaven, after giving instructions through the Holy Spirit to the apostles he had chosen.  ³ After his suffering, he showed himself to these men and gave many convincing proofs that he was alive.  He appeared to them over a period of forty days and spoke about the kingdom of God.  ⁴ On one occasion, while he was eating with them, he gave them this command: “Do not leave Jerusalem, but wait for the gift my Father promised, which you heard me speak about.  ⁵ For John baptized with water, but in a few days you will be baptized with the Holy Spirit.”

⁶ So when they met together, they asked him, “Lord, are you at this time going to restore the kingdom to Israel?”

⁷ He said to them: “It is not for you to know the times or dates the Father has set by his own authority.  ⁸ But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you; and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.”

⁹ After he said this, he was taken up before their very eyes, and a cloud hid him from their sight.

¹⁰ They were looking intently up into the sky as he was going, when suddenly two men dressed in white stood beside them.  ¹¹ “Men of Galilee,” they said, “why do you stand here looking into the sky?  This same Jesus, who has been taken from you into heaven, will come back in the same way you have seen him go into heaven.”

The theme in this next sermon series is about what was going on in the early Church through the Gospel of Luke & Acts, Luke was the author of both.

Luke is writing to Theophilus – his name means “God loves.”  Luke is writing for a non-Jewish audience.  Luke is developing a theme of proofs of what took place around Jesus.

Luke is asserting this truth for skeptical people.  The truth is about who Jesus is/was and the ramification of the truth.

When we look at the people who were experiencing all of this around Jesus, I think they behaved like we would have behaved when we see things that don’t work with what we know about reality.

The disciples had a difficult time accepting that Jesus was alive because of the way He was killed.

People in the early Church needed convincing, they needed proof, just like us today.

What proof would you need, maybe to feel Jesus wounds, He speaks again, or see Him eat or perform another miracle?  What would you put you over the line of belief?

The disciples believed, they preached the gospel about Christ.  Others believed the truth and were willing to die for that belief in Christ.

Luke is writing about Jewish life, events that are true.

Christianity is a matter of life and death, when we die and face God, He will want to know if we are with Jesus, whether we put our faith in Him.

Christianity is true and it is practical, helpful and is strength giving.

When we figure out (believe) that Christianity is true, that Jesus died and rose again 2000 years ago, this is when an adventure with God begins.

A question is asked to set the pretext if one of the most important questions of our new relationship with God.  “Lord, are you, at this time, going to restore the Kingdom to Israel?

Jesus answers, “You’ll get the Holy Spirit.”  Then He leaves, He ascends into Heaven.

Jesus ascends to the right hand of God, to the throne of God.  This image God gives us is to communicate the fundamental changes in our relationship with God.

When Jesus ascended, He went to the throne, throne of the Universe and this means relational intimacy, historical strategy, and transforming advocacy.

The historical picture in Ephesians (1) God raised Christ up from the dead and seated Him at the right hand in the heavenly realms above all other rule and authority and placed all things under His feet and approved him to be the head over everything for the Church, His body.  This matters because Christ went to Heaven, the throne.  He is continually everything in history for us.

Romans 8:28  And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose.

Jesus is controlling history so that He is now in control of all things.

Jesus is controlling all things so that all circumstances and events become a part of His plan, overruling the evil we saw in Job, and even using the evil to accomplish God’s plan of salvation.

When we pray, we trust that God is working out His plan, whether it seems like it or not.  Jesus is on the throne working out the plan, whether it seems like it or not.  Jesus is on the throne working out the plan.  Remember the Cross, even that was created by God to save us.

Transforming advocacy.  In the ancient world the king was the power in the land and was the lead justice in the land.

In heaven, the throne is also a courtroom.  Hebrews 7:25  Therefore he is able to save completely those who come to God through him, because he always lives to intercede for them.

1 John 2 :1 says “Jesus is our advocate, what is essentially a lawyer (our advocate for us in God’s court of law.)”

The thing is that everyone deep down knows there is a standard out there for how we are supposed to live, and that we aren’t living up to it.  That is why the good news of Jesus representing us before God.  Jesus is pleading our case before God, we are guilty we have many feelings, but we are sorry for our sin.

1 John 1:9  If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness.

Jesus isn’t asking for only mercy, but also justice.  Why?  The penalty for my sins that I commit has been already paid for.  Jesus took our sins, and He thinks we are pretty excellent.

Then the Holy Spirit comes to make things we have talked about today become real to your heart, that you experience confidence, love, and intimacy.

You are valued, loved, and forgiven.  God will give you courage, poise, grace – whatever you need just ask.  When we truly know God’s love for us, we will be over-taken by pure joy.  Reread the sermon, meditate on your transforming relationship that we have with Jesus.  God bless.  Call me, let’s talk about this wonderful God.