Sunday, July 3, 2022 AM

Sunnyside Baptist Church

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July 4, 2022

Sunnyside Baptist Church "The King in His Kingdom" 6 Acts 1:1-11

04:17: Good morning, everyone. It's good to be together, to worship together this morning.
04:27: We'll get started with a few announcements. Come back this evening. We're going to have a special time to celebrate
04:32: Sunnyside's 70th birthday tonight. So come back. We'll have some brief remarks from some people, but then most of it's just going to be spent in fellowship, and I'm sure there will be food and drink shared among all of us.
04:46: Looking ahead to the rest of this week, our meal at 545 on Wednesday and then at 630 prayer and children's choir after that.
04:56: Looking ahead to this Saturday for you ladies in the church, the Words of Life Women's Retreat is going to be here at the church from 9 a .m.
05:03: to 4 p .m. this Saturday, July 9th. A few more announcements.
05:09: Some of you may have heard Linda Peeler. A lot of you, if you're acquainted with her, she was a member here for a long time.
05:20: She and her husband Claude, their kids came through here as well. If you knew the
05:25: Renfros, sister of Jack Renfro, obviously Jeanette as well.
05:30: But she passed away this past Monday. Her funeral and visitation is going to be this week.
05:36: The Asa Smith Funeral Home in Harrah. The visitation is going to be Monday, the 4th of July tomorrow from 2 to 4 p .m.
05:46: there at the funeral home. And then the funeral itself will be on Tuesday, July 5th at 10 a .m.
05:52: there at that time. Also, Ryan Mounts has been put forth after consideration for some time with the elders, put forth as an official candidate for an elder within the church.
06:05: So what we're gonna do is over the course of the next two weeks, please pray for Ryan during this period of time.
06:13: And if you have any questions regarding that candidacy, please talk to any of the elders about that.
06:21: So and then after that period of time, he'll be put forth officially, unless there are any major concerns, which
06:29: I can't foresee any of that. But put forth as an elder. All right, any other announcements before we get started this morning?
06:40: Our fighter verse for this week comes from the book of Proverbs chapter 18, verse 10. The name of the
06:46: Lord is a fortified tower. The righteous run to it and are safe.
06:52: We're gonna have a time to prepare our hearts for worship this morning in prayer. And at the conclusion of that,
06:57: Brian will come up and open us. Our Father in heaven, hallowed be thy name.
08:14: May we be reminded this morning through our times of singing praises to you and the opening of your word and the teaching from it and our speaking scripture that truly your name is hallowed.
08:33: It is holy. We are to be a people who are holy priests, one sharing the gospel.
08:44: Put that passion in each of us, Lord. May we not pass a day where we haven't thought of you, and thought of you often, and thought of what we are to do as believers.
09:02: Father, this morning I just pray for your hand upon this service. Make our hearts and our minds and our souls sensitive to all you have for us today.
09:18: We do look forward to this evening as we celebrate these many years of seeking you and being your church, and it is you who build this church.
09:35: May our hands find the work to do. We ask these things in Christ's name, amen.
09:49: Would you stand with me for our call to worship?
10:01: We're continuing in Psalms chapter 78. Today we're reading verses 46 and 50, or 46 through 50.
10:11: Read with me together. He gave the fruit of their labor to the locusts.
10:21: He destroyed their vines with hail and their sycamores with frost.
10:27: He gave over their cattle to the hail and their flocks to thunderbolts.
10:33: He let loose on them his burning anger, wrath, indignation, and distress, a company of destroying angels.
10:44: He made a path for his anger. He did not spare them from death, but he gave their lives over to the plague.
10:54: So if you would, turn to your Psalms for worship hymnal, page 78G as we just read.
11:03: We'll be singing verse one. He turned their mongers into blood which could not quench their thirst.
11:33: He sent devouring swarms of flies with frogs their host.
11:43: Their crops by insects were destroyed. To locusts all was lost.
11:53: He killed their tender vines with hail, their sycamores with frost.
12:03: He struck their flocks with lightning bolts.
12:09: With hail their herds destroyed. In anger, wrath, and hostile rage, the strange elves he deployed.
12:23: Before his anger stood a path. They were not spared from death.
12:33: But striking with a deadly blade, he took their breath.
12:48: Page 234. I'd just like to read this hymn this morning.
12:59: Awake, my soul, and see. Inhale him as thy matchless king.
13:08: Stories now we sing. Who died on high. Who died eternal life to bring.
13:15: And lives that death may die. Crown him with many crowns.
13:39: On hell, the hell, the anthem drowns.
13:46: Oh, music, burn it all. Awake, my soul, and see.
13:56: On him who crowned him the lord of law and sight.
14:24: Yet visible sky, holy bed of sight.
14:43: But down amidst his wondering eye had mystery so bright.
14:54: Crown him the lord of glory.
16:03: To thee be I magnified.
16:49: Let's open our Bibles to Isaiah chapter 28, starting in verse 16.
16:58: Isaiah 28, 16. Therefore says the
17:03: Lord God. Behold, I lay in Zion a stone for a foundation, a tried stone, a precious cornerstone.
17:15: Whoever believes will not act hastily. Also, the measuring line.
17:25: The hail will sweep away the refuge of lies, and the waters will overflow the hiding place.
17:32: Your covenant with death will be annulled. Your covenant with Sheol will not stand.
17:38: When the overflowing scourge passes through, then you will be trampled down by it. As often as it goes out, it will take you.
17:47: For morning by morning, day by day, and by night, it will be a terror just to understand.
17:57: For the bed is too short to stretch out on, and the covering so narrow, for the
18:04: Lord will rise up as Mount Parizm. He will be angry as the valley of Gibeon, that he may do his work.
18:17: Now, therefore, do not be mockers, lest your bonds be made strong. For I have heard from the
18:24: Lord God of hosts a destruction determined. Give ear and hear my voice.
18:32: Listen and hear my speech. Does the plowman keep plowing all day to sow?
18:38: Does he keep turning his soil and breaking the clods? When he has leveled its surface, does he plant the wheat in rows, the barley in the appointed place, and the spelt in its place?
18:54: For he instructs him in right judgment. His God teaches him. For the black cumin is not threshed with a threshing sledge, nor is a cartwheel rolled over the cumin.
19:06: But the black cumin is beaten out. Bread flour must be ground.
19:14: Therefore, he does not thresh it forever, break it with his cartwheel, or crush it with his horsemen.
19:21: This also comes from the Lord of hosts, who is wonderful in counsel and excellent in guidance.
19:29: Would you pray with me? I thank you for your sovereignty.
19:42: And we know, Lord, that you are altogether powerful, that you are sovereign over all things, and that you are altogether good.
19:51: We thank you, Lord, that you watch over us as your people and you provide for us.
19:57: And you've provided for us your Son, Jesus Christ, our greatest blessing. And by Him we are reconciled to you, a holy
20:05: God. And it's in Christ's name we pray. Amen. You may be seated.
20:23: Our next song is in our little Black Hymnals, Hymns to the Modern and Ancient, page 104. If you've been here on Sunday nights, you've been enjoying the series on the
20:32: Kingdom of Heaven, Brother Michael's been preaching, and much of that's been emphasized on expecting the bridegroom that cometh and the wedding supper, meal, wedding feast of the
20:51: Lamb and getting ready for that. So as we walk each day here on the earth, walking in faith in the
21:00: Lord, hopefully we are looking forward to His return and eternity in Heaven.
21:07: Sing with us together, Rejoice, Rejoice Believers. Rejoice, Rejoice Believers, And let your lights appear.
21:29: The evening is advancing, And darker night is near.
21:37: The bridegroom is arising,
21:43: And soon is drawing nigh. A prayer, watch and rest,
21:53: At midnight comes the cry. The watchers on the mountain
22:03: Proclaim the bridegroom near. For forth as he approaches
22:12: With alleluia's clear. The marriage feast is waiting,
22:22: The gates wide open stand. Arise, O pairs of glory,
22:31: The bridegroom is at hand.
22:37: The saints who here in patience Their troughs and sufferings bore
22:46: Shall live and reign forever, When sorrow is no more.
22:56: Around the throne of glory The lamb they shall behold.
23:06: In triumph cast before Him Their diadems of gold.
23:17: Our hope and expectation O Jesus, now appear.
23:27: O rise, O sun, so long For this benighted sphere
23:52: That sets your peace. I think we're waiting for that.
24:33: On Jordan's stormy banks I stand
24:39: And cast to Canaan's fair and happy land.
24:53: Possessions like those wide -extended planes
25:02: Shines while the sun forever reigns
25:15: And scatters night away. I am bound,
25:24: I am bound, I am bound For the promised land.
25:33: I am bound, I am bound,
25:40: I am bound For the promised land.
25:55: No chilling winds nor poisonous breath
26:02: Can reach that helpful shore. Sickness and sorrow pain
26:20: When shall I reach that happy place
26:26: And be forever blessed?
26:33: Where shall I see my Father's face
26:38: And in His bosom rest?
26:45: I am bound, I am bound,
26:51: I am bound For the promised land.
26:57: I am bound, I am bound, I am bound
27:05: For the promised land. I am bound for the promised land.
27:22: I am bound, I am bound, I am bound
27:30: For the promised land. Let's go to the
28:30: Lord together in prayer. Heavenly Father, we come before you today and we thank you for your faithfulness that you have shown season after season and year after year and decade after decade.
28:51: Generation after generation and century upon century and millennia upon millennia you have shown yourself to be faithful and good and true and just and holy and merciful.
29:06: We give you praise. We know that we can trust you. You have displayed your glory and your love and your light and your
29:16: Son, Jesus Christ. You have given us your Son and we know that with Him you will freely give us all things.
29:25: So we ask you today that as we bow the knee together to the truths of your
29:31: Word, as we rejoicingly submit to the scepter of Christ's authority in our lives, this clear and everlasting
29:42: Word, we ask that you would, by the power of your
29:48: Holy Spirit, bless our hearts with the grace of the Amen, that we would truly, from the heart, give an
29:56: Amen to the truth of your text. We would rejoice in your
30:03: Word. We ask that you would have your way in us, that as your will has been declared in heaven, it will be accomplished in our lives here upon earth.
30:18: We thank you for hearing our prayers for the sake of your Son, Jesus. It's in His name that we pray. Amen. I invite you to open your
30:27: Bibles and turn with me to Acts chapter 1. And we'll be reading once more, verses 1 through 11, as we examine this introduction to the book of Acts, the king in his kingdom.
30:45: It has been somewhat surprising to me in studying this passage, the significant themes that we encounter here, the doctrines that are so vital, the biblical truths that are going to be echoed time and again throughout the rest of the book of Acts, themes such as the kingdom of God and how it is anticipated in the
31:11: Old Covenant and brought about in the New Covenant, and the relationship of the two covenants together.
31:17: This is a very important theme. It's full of themes that we need to study and understand, and it takes a while to begin to wrap our heads around.
31:28: Also, the theme of the doctrine of Christ, who is Jesus, that He is
31:34: God's Son, that He is both fully man and fully God, that He lived in our place and for our sake died on the cross in our place and for our sake was raised from the dead the third day and has ascended to the right hand of the
31:50: Father, and that we anticipate His return. This is most central to everything.
31:57: And then, of course, the doctrine of the Holy Spirit, as we see in the life of the
32:06: Christians and the life of the church and in everything that has come since the book of Acts. And so we encounter these themes, and we have taken our time to do our best to understand them, to hear from the
32:19: Word of God, to see the trajectory from the Old Testament into the New as interpreted and fulfilled in Jesus Christ.
32:29: We remember that the purpose of the book of Acts is the same as the gospel of Luke, as Luke is the author of them both and he is writing to his patron
32:36: Theophilus, and he wants Theophilus to be well -established in the things that he has been taught by going through an orderly account of the person and work of Jesus Christ, not only in His birth and His life and His death and resurrection, but also here in the book of Acts, His ascended reign.
32:56: How is it that Christ still reigns and shows His authority in this world today by the power of His Holy Spirit in the lives of His people?
33:06: And so, here at the very beginning of the book of Acts, we're looking at the king in his kingdom.
33:12: I invite you to stand with me as I read Acts 1 -11.
33:21: This is the word of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ by His Holy Spirit through His servant
33:26: Luke. The former account I made, O Theophilus, of all that Jesus began both to do and teach, until the day in which
33:35: He was taken up, after He, through the Holy Spirit, had given commandments to the apostles whom
33:43: He had chosen, to whom He also presented Himself alive after His suffering by many infallible proofs, being seen by them during forty days, and speaking of the things pertaining to the kingdom of God.
33:59: And being assembled together with them, He commanded them not to depart from Jerusalem, but to wait for the promise of the
34:07: Father, which He said, You have heard from Me, for John truly baptized with water, but you shall be baptized with the
34:13: Holy Spirit not many days from now. Therefore, when they had come together, they asked
34:19: Him, saying, Lord, will You at this time restore the kingdom to Israel? And He said to them,
34:24: It is not for you to know times or seasons, which the Father has put in His own authority, but you shall receive power when the
34:33: Holy Spirit has come upon you, and you shall be witnesses to Me in Jerusalem, and in all
34:40: Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth. Now when
34:45: He had spoken these things while they watched, He was taken up, and a cloud received
34:51: Him out of their sight. And while they looked steadfastly toward heaven as He went up, behold, two men stood by them in white apparel, who also said,
35:02: Men of Galilee, why do you stand gazing up into heaven? This same
35:08: Jesus, who was taken up from you into heaven, will so come in like manner as you saw
35:14: Him go into heaven. This is the word of the Lord. Thanks be to God.
35:21: You may be seated. So what time is it?
35:36: What time is it? Common enough question. Why are we always asking what time it is?
35:43: Because we need to know what we're supposed to be doing. We don't keep track of the time.
35:48: Suddenly we've discovered that we have run out of time to do what we wanted to have time to do.
35:58: We're always asking what time it is. We instinctively know that there are certain times in which we do certain things.
36:10: This is the problem with babies. They don't run by the established clock.
36:17: 3 .30 is not mealtime in the morning. 3 .30 in the morning is not time to get up.
36:24: But we know our lives are run by that clock. We're always asking what time it is.
36:30: And so we're going to be doing different things in the day. We do different things in the different parts of the week.
36:38: It's Sunday, so we're gathering here on the first day of the week, rejoicing in the Lord's resurrection from the dead and celebrating
36:45: Him today. We know that we do different things. We pay bills at certain times in the month.
36:51: And we know that there's different seasons in the year. And we do different things depending on what season it is.
36:58: And we reflect upon the fact that and are grateful to the Lord that in 1952, on June 30th,
37:07: Sunnyside Baptist Church began and gathered together and they were officially started.
37:16: As we reflect upon that, we also are aware of the fact that it is no longer 1952.
37:25: It's not even 82. It's not the early 2000s. This is the 2022nd year of our
37:34: Lord Jesus Christ. And though the times have changed, Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today, and forever.
37:42: And we give Him the praise for that. But we're concerned about time, and we need to know what time it is.
37:51: Knowing what time it is helps us to know where we are in the story. Knowing what time it is helps us to understand what the agenda ought to be.
38:01: If we know what time it is, we know what we're supposed to be doing. And Jesus was always telling people what time it was, especially in His parables.
38:12: The kingdom of heaven is like. We tell stories, once upon a time.
38:18: Well, Jesus wasn't saying anything too different from that when He was saying, the kingdom of heaven is like.
38:26: He's telling them what time it is. One of the stories He told, and there's variance on it, but one of the stories
38:33: He told starts off this way. The kingdom of heaven is like. Or we can say, once upon a time, once upon a time, a certain noble man went into a far country to receive unto himself a kingdom, and to return.
38:58: Dearly beloved, this is the time in which we live. We live in the time when the noblest of all,
39:06: Jesus Christ, has gone into a far country to receive to Him all authority in heaven and on earth.
39:14: And He will return. This is the text that we're looking at now here in Acts chapter 1, verses 9 through 11.
39:21: Two important events. Two mountains of momentous truth.
39:30: And we live in the valley between them. There is the ascension of Christ, and there is the return of Christ.
39:38: And we live between them. This is the time in which we live. Let's look at verses 9 through 11 again to remind ourselves.
39:49: Now when He had spoken these things, while they watched, He was taken up, and a cloud received Him out of their sight, and He went up toward heaven as He went up.
39:59: Behold, two men, two men, two men, and Jesus, who was taken up from you into heaven, will so come to you into heaven.
40:15: Well, the kingdom is all about the progress of the kingdom so far. We looked at the kingdom presented in the first three verses.
40:23: We've considered the progress of the kingdom. The kingdom can only progress according to the provision made by the king.
40:31: But here in the last three verses, we see the preeminence of the king. We see that Christ is exalted and magnified above all, and that even in His like manner,
40:43: He will return. And in light of all that He has commissioned
40:49: His apostles to do, in light of what He expects His people to be about, in proclaiming the gospel of the kingdom to the uttermost parts of the earth, as we recognize our neediness in this commission, we are to recall that the sufficiency of the kingdom is all about the supremacy of the king.
41:09: How will this kingdom advance? How will things progress? How will the desires of heaven become the realities on earth?
41:16: How will this come to pass except by the supremacy of our reigning
41:22: Lord? So we look at the preeminence of the king, the fact that He is higher than all, the first of all, the most important of all.
41:30: And we see this truth emphasized here in verses 9 through 11.
41:36: The preeminence of the king. And there's simply two events that we need to take note of, and consider that between these two mountains, we live in this valley of time, between the ascension of the king and the return of the king.
41:53: So first of all, the ascension of the king. We recognize the wonderful truth that Jesus Christ is risen from the dead, that He presented
42:06: Himself to His followers by many infallible proofs.
42:12: The most undeniable fact in all of history, which anchors history so that it remains history, is the fact that Jesus Christ rose from the dead.
42:22: It is the foundational historical fact of all history. Given that Jesus Christ is risen from the dead, that He died once, but He's alive forevermore, that the death that He died,
42:36: He died to sin once for all, but the life that He lives, He lives to God. The question should be asked with the faith of a child, well, then where is
42:46: He? He rose from the dead to die no more, well, where is He?
42:51: And the Scriptures tell us at the end of the Gospel of Luke and here at the beginning of the book of Acts, attended by many other passages in the
42:59: Bible, we are told that Jesus Christ, Jesus of Nazareth, who is the Christ, the Son of the living
43:05: God, having been raised from the dead, has also ascended to heaven to be seated at the right hand of God, enthroned on high with all authority.
43:19: That's where He is now. Now, there's two parts to this.
43:26: Part of it is that there is a separation. Once upon a time, a nobleman went to a far country.
43:36: Do you see the theme of apparent separation and distance in the text?
43:43: He was taken up and a cloud received Him out of their sight.
43:52: He was taken up. He was taken away. The end of the
43:57: Gospel of Luke says that He was parted from them. There was a separation.
44:04: Now, Jesus had been preparing His followers for just this moment. He assured them that He was going to prepare a place for them.
44:12: He was assuring them that He had to go away, that it would be better for them, but He would not leave them orphans.
44:18: And He promised them another helper, another comforter, the Holy Spirit. And that's indeed in our text.
44:24: He's told them, you need to go back to Jerusalem. You need to stay there and wait there for the promise from the
44:30: Father, the other comforter, the other helper who's going to come as power from on high for you.
44:37: There is a genuine separation here, as Christ visibly and bodily and historically ascends and is parted from His apostles.
44:49: But that's not the main point. The main point is that He is going up.
45:00: Going up. Why up?
45:08: Why could it just not be that He was among His disciples, He said what He had to say, and then
45:14: He just disappeared? Why must He ascend up?
45:20: What's the point? The necessary metaphor is still with us today.
45:30: How you fly your flags matters. Whose flag is on top matters.
45:37: Isn't it correct that there's laws and customs which emphasize that the federal flag must fly higher than the state flag?
45:47: I'm looking to see which one of you is from Texas because you're already going to tell me, yes, but in Texas we can fly them at equal height.
45:58: I love Texans. Texas is Oklahoma's big brother, and we're just always in competition.
46:06: It's a healthy competition. It's a good thing. When I was in college, I would welcome all the freshmen because I was an
46:11: RA, and most people came in and said, Hi, my name is, and I'm from, but the
46:17: Texans all came in and said, Hi, I'm from Texas, and my name is. But it matters how you fly the flags.
46:24: There has to be some flag higher than the others to show what? Dominance, dominion, a hierarchy of authority.
46:34: When Solomon built the temple and his palace, the temple was built on the threshing floor of Arunah, higher than the site that Solomon selected for his palace, so that in the temple, in the
46:52: Holy of Holies, was the Ark of the Covenant, and upon the Ark of the Covenant was a seat, a chair, a place where God was understood to be enthroned, called the mercy seat.
47:09: And even as the visions of heaven show God enthroned in heaven, surrounded by His angelic beings of glory, so also the pattern, the type upon the earth, the
47:21: Ark of the Covenant, in between the cherubim was the throne, the mercy seat of God.
47:29: And that was elevated above Solomon's throne. He built a staircase that went from his throne, his palace, up to God's palace, and God's throne called the temple.
47:46: Who was ascendant? Who was higher up? Who was in charge? The higher the throne is, the more dominion that throne has over other dominions.
47:56: And seeing that Jesus Christ has received all authority, in heaven and on earth, it makes sense that His throne is above all other thrones, ascendant to the highest degree.
48:09: And this is the necessity for the building of the faith of the apostles and us, that we recognize that when
48:17: Jesus, having completed His work here upon earth, when He left, it was not simply a departure, but an ascension.
48:25: He went up because His throne is above all. He ascended to be seated, to take possession of His kingdom.
48:40: Psalm 115 verse 3 says, Our God is in the heavens. He does whatever
48:45: He pleases. That's a good thing. That God does whatever He desires, and all
48:52: He desires is good. In Isaiah, the
48:57: Lord says, Heaven is My throne, and earth My footstool.
49:04: Where is the house that you will build Me, and where is the place of My rest? Truly, man is unable to build an exalted enough throne for God.
49:18: However we may try, however sincere we may be, there's no possible way to actually construct the throne upon which
49:27: God should magnificently reign. Heaven is My throne, He says, and earth is
49:33: My footstool. I'm so glad He says, Heaven is My throne, and earth is
49:38: My footstool. This means that He has not abandoned us. His reign has an impact here among us.
49:48: So the question lingers, where is the house that you will build Me, and where is the place of My rest?
49:56: This of course will be answered by the true son of David, who builds the true temple. As we consider what happens here in Acts, we see
50:06: Christ ascending, we see Him separated, yes, but coronated,
50:13: He is taken up to the throne of God, where He sits down and all authority has been given to Him, and every knee will bow before Christ, who is
50:22: Lord of all. There's a hierarchy.
50:31: There's a hierarchy. And Christ is Lord. Christ is
50:37: King. Christ has the authority. And in every other hierarchy that exists in a human experience,
50:46: Scripture tells us Christ is at the head of every single chain of authority.
50:52: And those who have authority and exercise a stewardship within a hierarchy, whether it be the family, or the church, or the state, they do not govern and steward their authority well unless they acknowledge the kingship of Christ and submit to His authority.
51:14: We see the elevation of Christ in the ascension, but we are also told of His divine glory. For He was carried up into heaven,
51:21: Luke tells us, in the Gospel of Luke, in chapter 24, but also here in Acts 1, it says
51:27: He was received by a cloud. These two ideas hang together.
51:36: These two ideas hang together, and we can see a preview of this glorification in Luke 9.
51:43: In Luke 9, Jesus has gone up a mountain with some of His disciples.
51:52: And in verse 28, we read,
51:57: Now it came to pass after about eight days after these sayings that He took Peter, John, and James and went up on the mountain to pray.
52:04: As He prayed, the appearance of His face was altered, and His robe became white and glistening. And behold, two men talked with Him who were
52:11: Moses and Elijah, who appeared in glory and spoke of His decease, which
52:18: He was about to accomplish at Jerusalem. But Peter and those with him were heavy with sleep, and when they were fully awake, they saw
52:26: His glory and the two men who stood with Him. Then it happened, as they were parting from Him, that Peter said to Jesus, Master, it is good for us to be here, and let us make three tabernacles, one for You, one for Moses, and one for Elijah, not knowing what
52:42: He said. While He was saying this, a cloud came and overshadowed them, and they were fearful as they entered the cloud.
52:51: And a voice came out of the cloud saying, This is my beloved
52:56: Son, hear Him. When the voice had ceased, Jesus was found alone.
53:04: But they kept quiet and told no one in those days any of the things they had seen. What goes on here?
53:11: We remember the cloud that overtook the tabernacle when it was built and consecrated and none could go near.
53:20: We remember the cloud that overtook the temple as Solomon finished and consecrated, and none could go near.
53:28: And here we find the cloud enveloping the one who says, I am the temple, destroy this body, and in three days
53:36: I will raise it up. And in the Shekinah glory cloud, it is declared that Jesus Christ is the greatest of all.
53:46: The disciples are frightened, understandably, and whereas Peter is once again talking before he's thinking, and he sees
53:55: Elijah and Moses and Jesus of Nazareth, he thinks the glory of Christ is on par with Moses, indeed on par with Elijah.
54:08: But God makes it clear when the glory cloud envelops Christ and His apostles that Jesus is superior to Moses and Elijah.
54:19: God says, hear Him. Hear Him. And when they can finally open their eyes, they see
54:26: Jesus Himself alone. So Jesus Christ is not an option among many or even an option among few.
54:35: There was one mediator between God and man, the man Christ Jesus. There was one Savior.
54:40: He is the way, the truth, and the life, and none can come to the Father except through Him. He's the only begotten
54:46: Son of the Father, full of grace and truth. The uniqueness of Christ is emphasized in this divine glory being revealed here in His ascension.
54:58: Glory is a word that signifies weight.
55:05: It also signifies light, but it also signifies weight. Going back to Solomon when he built the temple and he built his palace, ensuring that the throne of God was elevated, ascendant above his own throne, he also constructed the two palaces, the temple and his own.
55:29: He constructed them in different weights, sharing the same construction materials of the cedars from Lebanon and stonework, incorporating the same art style as in the temple and in the palace.
55:46: Nevertheless, in the temple, Solomon covered everything with gold in contrast to his own house.
55:55: The temple was far heavier, far, far more glorious than the palace and the throne room and the throne where Solomon did his ruling business.
56:09: If one were to go to the throne room of God, if one were to go to the temple, one would find a much more weighty, far more glorious place of ruling than Solomon.
56:25: And when we see Christ glorified as He goes up to heaven and the Shekinah glory cloud receives
56:32: Him out of their sight, we are to remember that this weightiness about Christ is not dead weight but compelling weight.
56:44: We often think of weight as that which goes down and stays still. But theologically, the more glorious, the more weighty, the more ascendant, the more high, and the more compelling force it is.
56:57: And so what we find here is the disciples standing up and looking as Jesus of Nazareth, as the
57:05: Christ is taken from their view by the cloud, and they're still trying to see if they can catch a glimpse of Him.
57:12: And the angels come and say, why are you standing still, gazing up?
57:18: What were His instructions? Go back to Jerusalem. Stay there for the power of the
57:23: Father, the Holy Spirit, and then you're going to go. Jerusalem, Judea, Samaria, the uttermost parts of the earth.
57:29: So why are you standing still? This glory is not for standing still, looking up. This glory is for compelling us to go forth here below.
57:40: This is a glory that puts us on the move, not a glory that keeps us still.
57:46: And as we read through the book of Acts, we're going to find the weightiness of Christ at work.
57:51: As the church moves forward with the battle cry, Jesus is Lord, over and against the most common phrase in political culture,
58:02: Caesar is Lord. No, no, no, no. Jesus is Lord. And we find in the book of Acts, this gospel of the kingdom as a wrecking ball, crashing through the structures of Second Temple Judaism and the
58:16: Roman Empire, making an impact in cities and upon islands and among individual lives, such as Saul of Tarsus.
58:24: And we're going to see how the weightiness of Christ, the glory of Christ, becomes the new center around which everything must revolve.
58:34: Everything since Christ's life, death, and resurrection and ascension, everything has been in orbit around Him.
58:43: He's the glorious second Adam, Son of God, Son of Man, King of Kings.
58:49: Everything is a relationship to Him. His weightiness is such that He puts all things in motion and God has put all things into motion to reconcile all things by the blood of His cross so that Christ will have preeminence in all things.
59:06: So, we see the elevation of Christ, His majestic elevation. We also see His divine glory.
59:12: But we also see the fulfillment of prophecy when we read what happens here in the ascension of Christ.
59:20: For the fact that Christ would ascend and be received by a cloud into heaven to be enthroned is not a new idea here in the end of the
59:32: Gospel of Luke or the beginning of the Book of Acts. That's not a new idea. We can go back to Daniel 7, verses 13 -14, where Daniel says,
59:44: I was watching in the night visions, and behold, one like the Son of Man, Jesus' favorite title for Himself, one like the
59:54: Son of Man, coming with the clouds of heaven, and He came to the
01:00:00: Ancient of Days. In other words, here we read in the Book of Acts, here's the Son of Man, the King of the
01:00:05: Kingdom, and He ascends up to where a cloud takes Him from the view of the apostles.
01:00:12: Well, what happens on the other side of the cloud? Where did
01:00:18: He go? Daniel 7 is telling us what happens next.
01:00:24: After He's taken up by the cloud, they can no longer see Him. Now we check in to see the rest of the story.
01:00:31: He came to the Ancient of Days, and they brought Him near before Him. Then to Him was given dominion and glory and a kingdom, that all peoples, nations, and languages should serve
01:00:44: Him. His dominion is an everlasting dominion, which shall not pass away, and His kingdom the one which shall not be destroyed.
01:00:56: And, of course, we see this again in Revelation 5, verses 6 through 10.
01:01:05: And I looked, and behold, in the midst of the throne and of the four living creatures, in the midst of the elders, stood a
01:01:11: Lamb as though it had been slain, the Lamb of God slain for the sins of the world.
01:01:18: Yet here He is resurrected and ascended, and He comes to the throne, having seven horns and seven eyes, which are the seven spirits of God, sent out to all the earth.
01:01:28: Then He came and took the scroll out of the right hand of Him who sat on the throne. And this is good news, because the question has been, who is worthy, who is worthy in all of creation to come and take this scroll?
01:01:42: And none was found, so that John the apostle was weeping, because none was found worthy.
01:01:47: But wait, see the Lamb of God, He is worthy to take the scroll and to break the seals.
01:01:56: Verse 7, then He came and took the scroll out of the right hand of Him who sat on the throne. Now when
01:02:01: He had taken the scroll, the four living creatures and the twenty -four elders fell down before the Lamb, each having a harp and golden bulbs full of incense, which are the prayers of the saints.
01:02:10: And they sang a new song, a new song, saying, You are worthy to take the scroll and to open its seals, for You were slain and have redeemed us to God by Your blood, out of every tribe and tongue and people and nation, and have made us kings and priests to our
01:02:29: God, and we shall reign on the earth. Where are we?
01:02:39: The throne room. The throne room. Who's there?
01:02:47: Who's reigning? Christ is reigning. He's been given all authority.
01:02:53: He's the one who is reigning. This is the fulfillment of the vision that Daniel saw in Daniel chapter 7.
01:03:01: He's the one who is worthy to come and take the scroll. He's the one who is worthy to rule.
01:03:06: And look, Jacob's ladder is still in place.
01:03:14: Heaven is my throne and the earth is my footstool. Who will build a house fitted for me? Who's going to bridge that gap?
01:03:21: Who's going to build something big enough to encompass heaven's throne even to earth as a footstool?
01:03:27: Who's going to bridge that gap? The one mediator bridges that gap. There is a ladder from heaven to earth.
01:03:36: Jacob saw it, the angels ascending and descending on it. Jesus of Nazareth told Nathaniel, you will see angels ascending and descending upon the son of man.
01:03:49: He's saying, I'm Jacob's ladder. He's the one who mediates between heaven and earth. And look here, he's enthroned in heaven.
01:03:55: He says, my kingdom is not of this world. But look, his kingdom is in this world. Verse 10, you have made us kings and priests to our
01:04:02: God and we shall reign on the earth. Why? Because you have made us this way. See, your authority is mediated in our lives and your kingdom, your kingship, and your priesthood are mediated through us.
01:04:14: You have made us this way. And so, heaven is his throne and earth is his footstool and Christ is
01:04:21: Jacob's ladder, Jacob's stairway. Of course, the question is asked again in another way in the
01:04:31: Old Testament in Psalm 24. This is all anticipated. Jesus' ascension.
01:04:38: In Psalm 24, the question is, Who may ascend to the hill of the Lord? Who may stand in His holy place?
01:04:45: That's the question. Who may go up the hill of the Lord? Who may ascend even to the heights of Mount Moriah?
01:04:52: Who can go to the highest place and enter into the holiness of God there in the temple? That's the question.
01:05:00: And then there's this announcement in verses 7 through 10. Because the worthy one has been found.
01:05:13: He gets to come in. He's the one who ascends. He's the one who can go to the holy of holies. Who is this king of glory?
01:05:20: The Lord, strong and mighty. The Lord, mighty in battle. Who is this king of glory?
01:05:31: The Lord of hosts. He is the king of glory. You know what Lord of hosts means?
01:05:37: It means that He is king of kings and Lord of lords. And all authority has been given to Him in heaven and on earth.
01:05:43: And all the hosts of creation are His to command and to rule and to govern. So Christ is the one who enters.
01:05:50: And where is He going? He's going up the hill of the Lord. He's going into the holy place.
01:05:56: And why is He worthy? Why does He get to go there? Because He is indeed our high priest and our king.
01:06:06: Of the order of Melchizedek. Melchizedek which means king of righteousness.
01:06:14: Priest of God most high. King of Salem. King of the city of Salem. Or in the
01:06:19: Hebrew, Jerusalem. Hebrews 9 verse 11. But Christ came as high priest of the good things to come.
01:06:27: With the greater and more perfect tabernacle. Not made with hands.
01:06:32: That is not of this creation. Not with the blood of goats and calves.
01:06:38: But with His own blood. So He comes with His own blood. Where is He going? He goes up the holy hill of Zion.
01:06:45: He goes into the holy place. He entered, verse 12 of Hebrews 9.
01:06:50: He entered the most holy place once for all. Meaning once for all time.
01:06:55: In a singular event. He enters into the holy of holies. Unlike the other high priest who went in once a year.
01:07:02: Time and again. One high priest being replaced by another high priest after that one dies.
01:07:08: No. No. He enters the most holy place once for all. Having obtained eternal redemption.
01:07:14: For if the blood of bulls and goats and the ashes of a heifer. Sprinkling of the unclean sanctifies for the purifying of the flesh.
01:07:20: How much more shall the blood of Christ. Who through the eternal spirit offered
01:07:25: Himself without spot to God. Cleanse your conscience from dead works to serve the living God. And for this reason
01:07:31: He is the mediator of the new covenant. By means of death for the redemption of transgressions under the first covenant.
01:07:38: That those who are called may receive the promise of the eternal inheritance. I just want us to notice where Christ went to when
01:07:44: He ascended. It says He entered the most holy place. Do you remember where the most holy place is in the temple?
01:07:53: It's the most inner room. It's a perfect cube. Symmetrical in all dimensions.
01:08:00: And in the center of the holy of holies. The most holy place. What is there? The ark of the covenant.
01:08:08: Upon which is the mercy seat. The throne of God. In other words. Our high priest.
01:08:16: Has entered the most holy place. Once for all. And I didn't see anywhere where it says
01:08:22: He's come back out. He's still there. He's still there.
01:08:28: Enthroned upon the mercy seat. With His own blood. Permanently enthroned as our great high priest.
01:08:34: Indeed He is of the order of Melchizedek. The high priest. And king. King of the city of peace.
01:08:42: The city where we have peace with God. And with one another. The city that Abraham looked forward to.
01:08:49: Because it was a city that was built by God. And had foundations. A city that is talked about in Hebrews 12.
01:08:58: But you have come to Mount Zion. And the city of the living God. The heavenly Jerusalem. Same place where Christ ascended.
01:09:05: You have come to an innumerable company of angels. To the general assembly and church of the firstborn.
01:09:10: Who are registered in heaven. To God the judge of all. To the spirits of just men made perfect. To Jesus the mediator of the new covenant.
01:09:19: And to the blood of sprinkling that speaks better than that of Abel. So when Christ ascended. He went to Mount Zion.
01:09:24: The true one. He went to the city of the living God. Meaning the heavenly Jerusalem. That's where He went to.
01:09:31: And there. There. All of God's people are gathered. The general assembly.
01:09:37: There. Those who have died and their bodies are laid in the ground as seeds of hope for the resurrection. There their spirits are gathered.
01:09:44: The spirits of just men made perfect. And we're all gathered to Jesus the mediator. Who is the high priest of the new covenant.
01:09:52: And to the blood of sprinkling. Where is He? He's in the holy place. Where did you sprinkle the blood?
01:09:57: On the mercy seat. There's Christ. Enthroned. On the mercy seat. In the most holy place.
01:10:04: That's where He ascended. Where is Jesus? He's enthroned in the right hand. Which means
01:10:09: He's in the throne room of God. Which means He's in the holy of holies. Which means He's enthroned on the mercy seat. And there
01:10:15: He is. Forever. Our mediator. Standing there.
01:10:23: Eyes wide open. Staring at the disappearance of Christ. For our hearts should ever be.
01:10:38: It is true that they weren't supposed to just stand there. Immobile. And not go. Eyes just...
01:10:48: It is where their heart is supposed to be. In Colossians 3 it says, If then you were raised with Christ.
01:10:55: Seek those things which are above. Where Christ is. Sitting at the right hand of God.
01:11:01: Now notice it says, Set your mind on things above. It doesn't say set your eyes on things above.
01:11:07: Don't stand there staring. But you are to set your mind on things above.
01:11:12: Meaning that your entire world view. Every which way that you think. The entirety of your affections. Your inner man.
01:11:18: Must be oriented to the gravitational glorious weight of Jesus Christ.
01:11:25: Who is enthroned at the right hand of God. Why? For you have died. And your life is hidden with Christ in God.
01:11:32: When Christ who is our life appears. Then you also will appear with Him in glory. Do you know what time it is?
01:11:40: Christ is ascended. He is returning. What are you supposed to be doing? What's the agenda? Well the agenda begins with the inner man.
01:11:47: And our inner man, our minds. Must be fully set upon the right hand of God. Where Christ is enthroned.
01:11:53: And He should hold all of our affections. And all of our fidelity. Our loyalty.
01:12:00: The apostles were looking at the ascended Christ. But they had things to do.
01:12:07: They weren't supposed to just stand there. They were supposed to go to Jerusalem. So that they would receive the Holy Spirit. And by the power of the Holy Spirit.
01:12:13: To spread out to all the earth. Preaching the gospel of the kingdom. There were horizons for them to look at.
01:12:20: That they were going to be distracted from. If they kept on looking up. They needed to bring their eyes down.
01:12:26: Their heart stays there. Their mind stays there. Their eyes need to come down.
01:12:33: Because they had to start walking. They had to look to the horizon. And start walking to Jerusalem.
01:12:39: After that, their eyes needed to be turned to Judea. And to Samaria. And the other most parts of the earth.
01:12:45: Their eyes had to be set upon the horizons. Of the generations to come. The horizons of the linguistic and cultural barriers.
01:12:53: That people needed to hear. That Christ is king. And that He's ascended. That He's returning. And the gospel of the kingdom had to be preached to all the nations.
01:13:01: And so their eyes had to be upon the horizons. Not upon the heavens. Their heart was to be upon heaven.
01:13:06: But their eyes were to be upon the horizon. What time is it? It is a day to survey the horizons in hope.
01:13:13: Because Christ is risen. And He has ascended. And Christ is returning. It is a day to survey the horizons with hope.
01:13:22: Both eyes on the horizon. And all the heart upon Christ. That's the day in which we live.
01:13:27: As we live between the valley of Christ's ascension and His return.
01:13:36: This morning, just a little bit more about the return of the king. Do you see what they say?
01:13:42: Do you see what the angels say? And they encourage. They fix the hope. They strengthen the faith of these men.
01:13:48: Do you see what they say? Jesus. The same
01:13:53: Jesus who is in heaven will so come in like manner as you saw
01:14:01: Him go into heaven. Do you see how the ascension of Christ is connected to the return of Christ?
01:14:09: So the nature of His ascension is intrinsically connected to the nature of His return.
01:14:15: In other words, if you would really like to meditate on the nature of Christ's return.
01:14:22: Then you should meditate on the nature of His ascension. So think about this.
01:14:31: He went into heaven. He ascended visibly, bodily, historically.
01:14:40: He is going to come back that way. He is going to come back bodily and visibly and historically.
01:14:49: So that much is obvious. That's the low hanging fruit. But also consider that Christ ascended victoriously.
01:15:02: When He ascended on high, He let captivity captive. And He gave gifts to men.
01:15:09: He disarmed principalities and powers. And He made a public spectacle of them. Triumphing over them in it.
01:15:15: That's how He ascended. He ascended in victory. He ascended as one who had destroyed
01:15:22: Him who had the power of death. That is the devil. So He ascended in victory over death.
01:15:30: That's the nature of His ascension. This also qualifies the nature of His return as He returns victoriously over death.
01:15:39: 1 Corinthians 15 says that He must reign until He has put all enemies under His feet.
01:15:49: And the last enemy that will be destroyed is death. In other words, as He ascended in victory over death,
01:15:55: He will return in victory over death. As His ascension, so His return.
01:16:00: Not only victorious, but also glorious. He was enveloped by the Shekinah glory cloud as He ascended.
01:16:07: Glory was on the minds of everyone who saw Him as He ascended. But He also returns in glory.
01:16:14: Matthew 25 verse 31 says, When the Son of Man comes in His glory, and all the holy angels with Him, He will sit on the throne of His glory.
01:16:24: So as He ascended in glory, so He will return in glory.
01:16:30: We can consider also, very briefly, 1 Thessalonians chapter 4. And as we look at this passage that is so well known as being descriptive of the return of Christ, notice the glory involved.
01:16:43: 1 Corinthians chapter 4, verses 15 through 18. For this we say to you by the word of the
01:16:51: Lord, that we who are alive and remain until the coming of the Lord will by no means precede those who are asleep.
01:16:57: Meaning that those who are alive when Christ returns are not going to have an advantage over those who have already died.
01:17:05: For the Lord Himself will descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of an archangel, with the trumpet of God. The dead in Christ will rise first.
01:17:14: Then we who are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds, remember the clouds of glory, to meet with the
01:17:20: Lord in the air. And thus we shall always be with the Lord. Therefore comfort one another with these words.
01:17:26: In other words, there's going to be a glorious gathering with Christ in His return.
01:17:32: As He ascended, and it was glorious, so also His return will be glorious. And in Luke chapter 24, at the very end of the
01:17:40: Gospel of Luke, it says that when He ascended, they rejoiced and worshipped Him.
01:17:45: They worshipped Christ in His ascension, so also in His return
01:17:52: He shall be worshipped. 2 Thessalonians chapter 1 verse 10, When He comes in that day to be glorified in His saints, and to be admired, to be admired among all those who believe, because our testimony among you was believed.
01:18:08: So, as the ascension of Christ, victorious and glorious and worshipped, so also the return of Christ, victorious and glorious and worshipped.
01:18:17: As the ascension of Christ, visibly and bodily and historically, so also the return of Christ, visibly and bodily and historically.
01:18:26: Do we know what time we live? There's two mountains, the ascension of Christ and the return of Christ. And we live in the valley between them.
01:18:33: This is the time in which we live. It is a time that is marked from the beginning point and the ending point of this moment of time.
01:18:42: It is marked by victory and by glory and by worship. So do you know what time you live in?
01:18:49: We live in a time of victory by faith. And what is the victory that we have?
01:18:55: We overcome the world by our faith in Christ. It is a time for declaring the glory of Christ.
01:19:02: That the glory of God, the knowledge of the glory of God, shall cover the face of the earth as the waters cover the seas.
01:19:10: It is a time for proclaiming the weightiness of Christ and the glory of Christ. And it is a time for worship.
01:19:16: Of worshiping our king in his kingdom. Of ascribing him the value of his kingdom.
01:19:24: What time is it? Well, once upon a time, a certain nobleman went into a far country to receive for himself a kingdom and to return.
01:19:40: This is the time in which we live. Let's give praise to the Lord. We thank you, Father, for the time that you've given us in your word today.
01:19:48: I pray that it has been helpful to us all. We ask, Lord, that you would help us to remember the time in which we live.
01:19:56: This kingdom of Christ. Help us to rejoice in what you have revealed to us.
01:20:05: What we know by faith, not by sight, but we know by faith, that Christ is enthroned on the mercy seat at your right hand.
01:20:13: And we give you the praise. We pray all these things in the name of Christ. Amen. Would you stand with me for our song of benediction?
01:20:30: Singing again, Forever Jesus. Forever Jesus.
01:21:19: So for all my days, I will sing my praise to the
01:21:26: King. For He's us.
01:21:32: Though the storms may rage, He is strong to save.
01:21:39: He's the King. He's us.
01:21:45: When I meet His gaze, I will sing my praise to the
01:21:52: King. Forever Jesus. All my sorrows passed,
01:22:01: I am home at last. With my King.
01:22:06: Forever Jesus. With my
01:22:11: King. Forever Jesus. With my
01:22:18: King. Forever Jesus.
01:22:29: May the love of the Father, and the grace of the Son, and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit be with us all.