1 UP, UP, AND AWAY! ACTS 1:1-11 MAY 17, 2015 ASCENSION SUNDAY When I say, Up, up, and away, what do you think of? Some of the younger generation might think of a hip-hop tune by Lil Wayne in 2012. Some who are a little older might think of the 5 th Dimension singing, Up, up and away in my beautiful balloon. It was 1967. And then some who are older still might hear Up, up, and away and think of Superman. Oh, you don t hear him say it these days. But prior generations heard it on the radio, on the black and white television series, and read it in the older comic books That was one of the stock phrases. There were others, and you always could count on hearing them. More powerful than a locomotive. Faster than a speeding bullet. Able to leap tall buildings in a single bound. (That was before they decided he could actually fly. And his primary enemies were the Nazis.) This looks like a job for Superman! Look, up in the sky! It s a bird! It s a plane. No, it s Superman! And when Superman raised his arms in preparation for flight he always said, Up, up, and away! And children would cheer, because he was always headed to the rescue. But when Jesus took off There was no cry of Up, up, and away! No cheering children. And he was not flying to the rescue. He was ascending to the right hand of God the Father. And he had recruited others to do his work in his absence. He recruited the church. He recruited you and me. But let s read the story as it took place so long ago. ACTS 1:1-5 This is Luke s second volume. Notice he says, In my former book, that is Luke s Gospel, I wrote about all that Jesus began to do and teach. Began to do and teach. That suggests his second volume is about what? What Jesus continued to do and teach. This, the second volume, is the Acts of the Apostles, the early history of the church. So what Jesus continues to do and teach is done through the church! As Paul would say in his letters, the church is the body of Christ, filled with the Spirit of Christ,
2 continuing the work of Christ. But for a little, forty days, after Easter the resurrected Jesus spent some time with his followers. Imagine what that must have been like. One day the conversation turned to the question of what was next on Jesus agenda. ACTS 1:6-8 They had some common Jewish ideas of what the messiah was all about. But they were wrong on all counts. Will you at this time restore the kingdom? At this time, right now? But Jesus said, It s not yours to know the times or dates. All the predictions that have been made throughout church history, naming this or that person as the anti-christ, this or that nation or empire as Babylon, or the sequence of four blood moons falling on Jewish holidays Nope. You don t know, and you don t need to know when. Even Jesus, during his earthly ministry, said he didn t know when the end would come. So stop trying to predict. Just live a faithful life each and every day. Will you restore the kingdom? Will you bring back the good old days? Will you set Israel free from Rome, and be our great warrior king in the mold of King David? No, it s not a return to the good old days. God is doing a NEW thing, bringing a NEW creation. And it s not going to be handed to you on a silver platter. You ve got a part in it. You ve got work to do. You will be my witnesses through your words and deeds. Will you restore the kingdom to Israel? After all, we re God s chosen people. But Jesus said, No, the reach of what God is doing is much broader than just Israel. It is much wider than just here at Northwest Hills. It is much bigger than those who are already in. God is concerned with the whole world. And if you re truly my followers. You won t be concerned only with yourself, your own wants and likes. You ll be concerned with the whole world, too. You ll be concerned with those who don t already know Christ, those who are new to the church and don t yet have friends here, those who don t already have a seat in your Sunday school class, those who can t find a parking place close to the church building. And you ll be concerned with those who live in faraway places, people who look different, who speak a different language. You ll be my witnesses in Jerusalem, in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth. (1Cor.12) (Mk.13:23)
3 That must have been a shocker on multiple counts. First, they d always thought of God s plan being just for Israel. They were the chosen people, freed from slavery in Egypt, led through the wilderness, given their promised land. God called us and wants to bless us. They d forgotten that when God blessed Abraham he blessed him to be a blessing to others, to be a blessing to the nations. (Ge.12:1-3) They d never considered those who were outside the family. They d never thought of God reaching out to Gentiles. They were always encouraged to steer clear of Gentiles, and assumed God did likewise. God loves US and people LIKE us. So we ought to devote all our attention and resources to US. Despite the fact that many of God s prophets called on them to be a light to the nations. (Is.51:4; 60:3) No, the mission is to go out to all people everywhere. Not just the Jews. That was shock number one. And, shock number two, YOU will be my witnesses. YOU. This little handful of Jewish nobodies. No education, no ordination, no money, no political power. Go to the WORLD? How on earth did he think they could do that? And yet, as Luke s second volume unfolds, we see the reach of the church following this exact geographic plan. Jerusalem, then chased by persecution into all of Judea and Samaria, then taking the gospel to the Gentiles, and by the end of the book Paul is in Rome, the very center of the empire. Have you noticed the big maps in the foyer? (It always amazes me how we can walk by something like that and not even see it!) The maps have over them the verse from Acts, You will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth. Jerusalem is mapped as San Antonio, with colored dots marking many places where our congregation is involved in service beyond the walls of the church in our city. You ll see the places where we ve served on our monthly Reach Out Days There s the San Antonio Food Bank, Magdelena House, Providence Place, Texas Ramp Project, and more. And there are dots indicating individual service done by members of the church. Some serve pizza to wounded warriors. Others deliver for meals on wheels. There are Blue Birds offering hospitality in the Methodist Hospital system. While Northwest Hills is not organizing those services,
your Christian presence and service in the community is part of what Jesus sent his followers to do. You are the body of Christ, the church, making a difference in San Antonio. Judea and Samaria is mapped as the United States. There are dots indicating where we ve made mission trips in the U.S. There s the New Orleans mission trip, which has been made several times and will occur again this summer. And there are markers for several youth mission trips, where they ve served the poor in Appalachia, Las Vegas, in Oklahoma, on a South Dakota Indian reservation, and this year in Fort Collins, Colorado. And there are a bunch of little dots where members of NWH have done in-prison ministry with KAIROS Prison Ministry in prisons scattered over the state. Finally, to the ends of the earth is signified by the world map. There you ll see dots mapping medical mission trips to Vologda, Russia, a couple of mission trips to work on behalf of orphans in Peru, mission trips to Malawi and Uganda, where we ve worked among some of the poorest of the poor, and a dot in South Sudan, for Amy Jorgensen, who grew up at Northwest Hills, is financially supported by NWH, and serves as a full time missionary in Sudan working with prostitutes and their children. You ll also see a number of small dots that indicate children that are sponsored by members of Northwest Hills through organizations like World Vision, Compassion International, and Watoto Childcare Ministries. And every bit of the involvements indicated on those maps is about being his witnesses. It s that kingdom work that is supposed to radiate out from his church to the very ends of the earth. Northwest Hills is doing a lot more than most people are aware of. What are you doing to be his witnesses beyond the walls of the church? Where is your dot on the map? If you re serving as a volunteer in the community but don t yet have a dot on the map, let Kelly know at the Connections Center, so she can include you. If you hear God s call and are looking for a service opportunity, Kelly can help you with that, too. If you don t have a dot, and you don t hear God s call, you re just not listening. So Jesus gave his followers marching orders, to be his witnesses. They re probably thinking, OK, Jesus, we re with you. With God all things are possible. Lead on! So let s go! 4
5 And then ACTS 1:9-11 Up, up, and away. He was gone. That was NOT according to their script. But that s what they got. What did it mean? First, Jesus ascension was his enthronement. When we recite the Apostles Creed we say we believe he ascended into heaven, and sitteth at the right hand of God the Father Almighty. And that s based on multiple verses of the New Testament saying that s where Jesus is after the ascension. (Lk.22:69; Ep.1:20; Col.3:1; He.8:1) The place of highest honor in a kingdom was at the right hand of the king. It was the place reserved for the crowned prince, the number two in command. When Jesus ascended to heaven, he was seated at the right hand of the Father. It was his enthronement in the place of highest honor. Second, Jesus ascension reminds us of his intercession on our behalf. Paul, in his letter to the Romans, wrote of Jesus who died, who was raised to life, who is at the right hand of God and is also interceding for us. (Ro.8:34) Imagine that, Jesus, the Son of God, praying for us. I can imagine him sitting next to the Father, whispering in his ear what our needs are. What a prayer partner we have! In the first generation of the church, a man named Stephen was being stoned to death by people who didn t want him preaching the gospel. As he prayed, he look up and saw Jesus standing by the right hand of the Father, (Ac.7:54-56) standing as if offering strength and help. Jesus was interceding for him. As you face life s difficulties, and as you take on the challenge of being his witness, he prays for you. Third, Jesus ascension is not the final word. It is the prelude to his return. Remember the angels told them, He will come back in the same way you saw him go. He IS coming back. And when he does, he will set all things right. When we recite the Apostles Creed we say, he ascended into heaven, and sitteth at the right hand of God the Father Almighty. From thence he shall come to judge the quick and the dead. We don t usually think of Jesus as the judge. We prefer Jesus who forgives. But he is also the one seated on the great white throne, judging deeds done and not done,
6 and seeing whose name is recorded in the Lamb s book of life. (Re.20:11-15) He s not coming back the second time to site see. He s coming back to set all things right, once and for all. Finally, Jesus ascension means we have a job to do. Until he returns, we are the body of Christ on earth, called, equipped, and sent to do the work of Christ on earth. We are to be his witnesses, here, there and everywhere. It s not just about doing humanitarian good deeds, but doing what we do explicitly in the name of Jesus. Our every thought, word, and deed is to reflect his heart, his soul, his mind, his will, and our mouths speak his name, so it all gives glory to God. So get your dot on the map. Or join one of the dots that are already there. A little boy about 10 years old was standing in front of a shoe store on a cold winter day. He was barefooted, peering through the window, and shivering with cold. A lady saw him and said, "Why are you looking in that window?" He said, "I was asking God to give me a pair of shoes." She couldn t stand it. She took him by the hand and went into the store. She then asked if he could give her a basin of water and a towel. The store clerk brought them. She took the little guy to the back part of the store, knelt down, washed his bare dirty feet, and dried them with a towel. She pulled a pair of socks onto the boy's feet, and they tried on shoes until they found the right style and size. She paid for them, patted him on the head and said, Now, doesn t that feel better? As she turned to go, the boy caught her by the hand, and looking up in her face, said, "Are you God's wife?" Now there is a dot on the map. You will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, in Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth. YOU will be. And you will be. And you will be. Right? SERMON NOTES: Acts 1:1-5 (1Cor.12) Acts 1:6-8 At this time? (Mk.13:23) Restore?
7 Acts 1:9-11 To Israel? (Ge.12:1-3; Is.51:4; 60:3) Jerusalem, Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth Enthronement (Lk.22:69; Ep.1:20; Col.3:1; He.8:1) Intercession (Ro.8:34; Ac.7:54-56) Return to judge (Re.20:11-15) We have a job to do in the meantime.