Living
a life with Jesus is much like riding a roller coaster. It can be terrifying, exciting,
and suspenseful. There are many unexpected twists and turns and bumps along the
way; It is a fun ride nonetheless. Just like a roller coaster it is a ride that
is not for everyone. While it is available for anyone to ride not everyone will
choose it. Some will turn away intimidated by it, others will decide it’s not
worth it and could think of a “better” way to spend their time.
A few
years back, my wife and I went to one of the oldest and largest amusement parks
on the east coast, Kings Dominion in Virginia. While we were riding on the Ferris
wheel I asked my wife to join me on this seemingly innocent looking wooden
roller coaster. It looked much smaller and quieter when we were 100ft off the
ground. She hesitantly agreed and we waited in line and paid little attention
to the instructions given. We strapped in our seats and once it took off we realized
we still had our glasses on and we were not sitting properly. We were tossed to
and fro, jerky from side to side, screaming at the top of our lungs, and
holding ever dear to each other and our glasses.
A
roller coaster is a very powerful machine, and in order to have an enjoyable experience
it is vital to listen closely to the instructions. When preparing to ride a
roller coaster you have to do a great deal of waiting, and waiting, and more
waiting. It is not prudent to attempt to cut in line and cut your waiting time.
Chances are that such a stunt could land you with more of a wait time. Despite the
discomfort of waiting; it is the wait that makes the ride all the more
enjoyable.
Throughout
the ministry of Christ, the disciples went through an eventful, emotional, and
rewarding ride with Jesus. By the time Jesus ascended into heaven, His
followers were ready to take on the world and jump head first into the work
they had been given; however, Jesus had some final instructions to give them.
Jesus life was empowered by the
Holy Spirit of God. Through His works He gave us the example of the model life.
Through His Teachings He gave us the perfect theology. In all these things he
set the example for us and showed us the way of life.
1.
Believers
must accept BOTH the works and words of Jesus vv.1
Luke wrote of all the things which Jesus began to do and
teach.
It is
important for believers to surrender their life to the words and works of
Jesus. It is not enough to accept the goodness of the life of the man Jesus. We
must fully embrace both his actions and His teachings and apply them to our
lives. John Calvin calls this the “Holy Knot.” You must take His words and His
works and bind them to your own life.
Jesus
was more than just a good teacher He was divine. Only God has the power to
forgive sins, and to raise himself from the dead and to cause himself to ascend
into heaven!
a.
By the Spirit His Birth was announced
b.
By the Spirit He was conceived
c.
By the Spirit He was preserved from danger
d.
By the Spirit He grew in understanding and favor
e.
By the Spirit He lived
f.
By the Spirit He taught and led many to follow
Him
g.
By the Spirit He performed many signs and
wonders
h.
By the Spirit He rose again
i.
By the Spirit He bore all our sins and
punishment
j.
By the Spirit He lives in and with all of us
k.
By the Spirit His work carries on.
2.
His
Ministry was confirmed by many convincing proofs
The ministry of Jesus and his resurrection were
confirmed and verified by a number of convincing proofs. These are the things
that confirmed that he truly did raise from the dead with a glorified body:
a. He
ate real food
i.
No ghost or phantom can do such a thing
b. He
ran and walked Luke 24
c. He
preached
d. Walked
through walls
e. Omnipresence
The question then
for us who remain is: does our life bear out these convincing proofs of the resurrected
Christ? Our lives ought to bear out the convincing proof that God has resurrected
our life. Yet statistics tell us that for many there is not significant
lifestyle change among a number of Christians and non-Christians. Take for
example the divorce rate: Nationally 50% of all marriages end in divorce that
number is the same in and out of the church. In Josh McDowell’s book “The Last
Christian Generation” he references a survey of a number of teens and young
adults and found that there is less than a 3% difference between the behavior
of Christian and Non-Christians.
For many churches
and Christians there is an extreme shortage of fruit production. We live in a
society which caters to the comforts and whims of selfish people. Largely
speaking it seems that society is unwilling to be challenged or to be asked the
hard questions. Responsibility and morality are traits that are hard to find.
Take for example that most young adults put of leaving the nest till they are
well into their 30’s. In the United States the adolescence extends on till the
age of 27. It is a crime and a shame when parents don’t teach their children to
be self-sufficient. It’s even worse when we live lives so contrary to scripture
that there is little difference between our lives and that of those outside the
church.
3. He Commanded Them to wait
a.
Jesus lived a life empowered by the Holy Spirit. He
waited on God’s timing and was always about His father’s business. He never deviated
from the plan or the timing.
b. He
commanded His followers to wait on the same empowerment
God has a plan for our life. There is a mission set before
each of us; however, in our haste we can jump out ahead of God and miss the fullness
of the mission. Sometimes, allot of times for me, God tells us to slow down and
wait for Him. I'm speaking of the power of the Holy
Spirit. The word used in verse 8 for power is the same word from which we get
the word dynamite. In fact, the man who discovered dynamite went to a friend of
his, a Greek NT scholar and asked him for the most powerful word he could think
of and he gave him the Greek word "dynamos." Basically what Jesus is
saying, if you will wait on my timing and yield yourself to my Spirit you will
be like dynamite in this world and no force on earth will be able to stop the
message you carry.
The disciples were eager to conquer
the world. Before Jesus sent them to conquer the world He wanted to conquer
their hearts. God has a purpose for us and will empower us to carry it out. The
question is, are we willing to wait on the Spirit to direct us? Just like we
could decide to jump on the a roller coaster track and run solo without the safety
of the vehicle, we can decide to attempt to do what God has called us to do
without waiting on His timing. We may walk the length of the track but we would
not be able to enjoy the fullness of it.
Sometimes the waiting is the
hardest part. Sometimes waiting on God is painful. While we are waiting God
will shape us into the people, the followers He desires for us to be. It is in
those waiting moments that our character is defined. If we will worship God in
our waiting and trust Him for the outcome we will overcome.
Once God tells us to move let’s not
be idle, let’s move ahead bold a confident.
I want to challenge you to write
down at this moment what you believe God is asking you to do today…..
Write it out and spend time praying
about how you should respond.
After you wrote it down spend time listening to this
song and as God how you ought to respond.
For some of us God is telling us to
wait on Him and watch Him act.
Others of us God is calling us to
move ahead with confidence.
He wants me to just do the next right thing.
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