As you get ready for Sunday’ teaching, I am asking you to read ahead in two places:
As you heard Scott J. teach last Sunday morning, the book of Acts is actually “Luke Part 2.” Luke finished the story of Jesus’ earthly life, and then continued it with the story of the work and mission of the Church in the book of Acts.
This whole year we have been teaching a series called, “The Book of Jesus,” because we cannot understand anything in scripture until we come to understand who Jesus is. At the resurrection of Jesus at Easter, the redemptive work of Christ was complete. We are now finishing this series of messages because he—Jesus—is handing his redemptive work over to the Church. And who is the Church? It’s all of us who call Jesus Lord and live in community with him.
The key point Scott showed us last week as he taught from Acts 1:1-8 was this:
- The redemptive work of Jesus has restored his image in us (the broken, imperfect people, who are reconciled to God through Christ and reborn to new life).
- Now God commissions his new creation—the Church—to reveal his image to all the world, walking together as witnesses of the risen Lord.
This Sunday, as we study these assigned passages, I want us to stand with the disciples on the hill as we listen to Jesus’ final words before he ascends into heaven. What did they do? They watched him go into the clouds. They did what we would do: watch in wonder and amazement, trying to grasp what they had just heard and witnessed. They were staring into the sky, until two men dressed in white appeared and 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.”
Acts 1:11
Did you catch that statement?
Why didn’t Jesus just take them with him into the heavens, if that is the greatest life? What were they to do next? What are we to do next while we are still on this soil—earthlings who have been restored, yet are still living in the broken?
- What’s the purpose for his delay?
- What’s the plan for me while I wait?
- What’s the security I have while he prolongs?
- What’s the certainty that he will come back to get me?
Read the assigned passages, and we will be together this Sunday morning at 10 a.m. as we meet through one of the 3 doors to LifeWay Church.
- 1: Watch online in your own home
- 2: Join a small group and stream the service together
- 3: Come to church and join us inside the building (remember to register!)
