#1029 Pentecost, Part 4

1029 Pentecost, Part 4 Transcription

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We've been looking at Pentecost since it was three weeks back, and we've been working our way up through Acts chapter 1.

Acts 1:6 When they therefore were come together, they asked of him, saying, Lord, wilt thou at this time restore again the kingdom to Israel?

Just to reiterate in Acts 1:6. It says "wilt thou at this time restore again the kingdom to Israel?" See, they knew the kingdom teaching. They knew about the coming kingdom. The Lord Jesus Christ had covenant to them a position in the kingdom to come where they would sit and judge the 12 tribes of Israel. They knew that restoration would happen.

Isaiah 1:21-26 ²¹How is the faithful city become an harlot! it was full of judgment; righteousness lodged in it; but now murderers. ²²Thy silver is become dross, thy wine mixed with water: ²³Thy princes are rebellious, and companions of thieves: every one loveth gifts, and followeth after rewards: they judge not the fatherless, neither doth the cause of the widow come unto them. ²⁴Therefore saith the Lord, the Lord of hosts, the mighty One of Israel, Ah, I will ease me of mine adversaries, and avenge me of mine enemies: ²⁵And I will turn my hand upon thee, and purely purge away thy dross, and take away all thy tin: ²⁶And I will restore thy judges as at the first, and thy counsellors as at the beginning: afterward thou shalt be called, The city of righteousness, the faithful city.

Isaiah 1:21 says "How is the faithful city become an harlot! It was full of judgment; righteousness lodged in it; But now murderers" It sounds like the White House! What it once represented is gone, now it's all gone to pot. "Thy silver is become dross, thy wine mixed with water. Thy princes are rebellious and companions of thieves; Everyone loves gifts and follows after rewards; they judge not the fatherless neither doth the cause of the widow come unto them."

It's talking about Jerusalem, the city. They represented God: the place where God chose to place his name; the place that should righteousness should be there were judgment should be there. This is what it's become.

"Therefore saith the Lord of hosts, the mighty One of Israel. Ahh. I will cease me of mine adversaries and avenge me of my enemies. And I will turn my hand upon thee, and purely purge away thy dross and take away all thy tin: (and also sin) and I will restore thy judges. (This is what the promise said) as at the first and like counselors as at the beginning. Afterwords, thou shalt be called the city of righteousness, the faithful city."

You see, Jesus Christ knew that there would be a time coming when God would deal with Jerusalem. He would remove the iniquity and place in it good people and it would once again be a city of righteousness. The question, "Will thou now restore again the kingdom?" See this went through the minds of the disciples.

Jerusalem was perverted. The priesthood was perverted. The scribes and the Pharisees were working for themselves. They enlarged the borders of their own garments. They wanted to be seen and applauded of men. This was the condition of God's people.

Luke 22:29-30 ²⁹And I appoint [covenant] unto you a kingdom, as my Father hath appointed [covenant] unto me; ³⁰That ye may eat and drink at my table in my kingdom, and sit on thrones judging the twelve tribes of Israel.

"Wilt thou at this time restore again the kingdom?" Is this the time when Jerusalem is going to be purged? The time that it's going to be cleansed? Is this the time when the times of restitution are going to come? Is this the time that when you said, "I appoint unto you a kingdom; or I covenant unto you a kingdom (as my father has appointed)? Or has covenanted unto me; that you may eat and drink at my table in my kingdom and sit on thrones judging the 12 tribes of Israel."

Jesus went to his passion. He was raised from the dead. He spent 40 days teaching them the things concerning of the kingdom of God. What logical conclusion could they come to next, but to ask the question, "Is this the time Lord? Is this the time that all of that which we know about the Old Testament had prophesied and all that you have taught us those 40 days concerning the kingdom of God. Is this the time that is going to come to pass? What other question could they possibly ask knowing what they knew?

Acts 1:6 When they therefore were come together, they asked of him, saying, Lord, wilt thou at this time restore again the kingdom to Israel?

They were thinking about the coming kingdom. Is this really going to happen today? Is today the day? And yet, as wonderful as the promise of the coming kingdom was; and "…David a righteous Branch and a King shall reign and prosper, and shall execute judgment and justice in the earth. And in his days Judah shall be saved, and all Israel shall dwell safely."

Jeremiah 23:5-6 ⁵Behold, the days come, saith the LORD, that I will raise unto David a righteous Branch, and a King shall reign and prosper, and shall execute judgment and justice in the earth. ⁶In his days Judah shall be saved, and Israel shall dwell safely: and this is his name whereby he shall be called, THE LORD OUR RIGHTEOUSNESS.

They knew that Scripture in Jeremiah.

Isaiah 9:7 Of the increase of his government and peace there shall be no end [to that increase], upon the throne of David, and upon his kingdom, to order it, and to establish it with judgment and with justice from henceforth even for ever. The zeal of the LORD of hosts will perform this.

They knew the Scripture in Isaiah. Is this the time to kingdom is going to be restored? He commanded them not to depart from Jerusalem, he had a covenant meal containing salt on the day of the Ascension when he gave these promises. He knew that the kingdom was given to David and his sons for ever by a covenant of salt. They know it too.

So is all this going to come together? Is all this going to be the time, and the day, and the hour? Now Lord, are you going to restore the kingdom? And yet there was something else that was in the mind of God. There was something else that God needed to do.

And yet there was something else that was in the mind of God. There was something else that God needed to do. What I want you understand is restoring the kingdom is at the end of the book. That's the final destiny. That's the finish. The end is the kingdom being restored coming to earth, living forever and ever and ever with the Lord. That's the end of the book. But it wasn't the end yet.

There was something else that God had to do; and wanted to do; and had planned to do. Something that he had kept secret since the foundation of the world and nobody knew. See? And in order for them to accomplish God's will: to carry out the secret - this mystery - they needed to have power they needed to have power, so the command was going to Jerusalem and wait there until you be endued with power from on high, also known as the promise of the father.

Acts 1:5-10 ⁵For John truly baptized with water; but ye shall be baptized with the Holy Ghost not many days hence. ⁶When they therefore were come together, they asked of him, saying, Lord, wilt thou at this time restore again the kingdom to Israel? ⁷And he said unto them, It is not for you to know the times or the seasons, which the Father hath put in his own power. ⁸But ye shall receive power, after that the Holy Ghost is come upon you: and ye shall be witnesses unto me both in Jerusalem, and in all Judaea, and in Samaria, and unto the uttermost part of the earth. ⁹And when he had spoken these things, while they beheld, he was taken up; and a cloud received him out of their sight. ¹⁰And while they looked stedfastly toward heaven as he went up, behold, two men stood by them in white apparel;

In Acts 1:5, it says, "For John truly baptized with water; (This is what Jesus Christ is telling them) but ye shall be baptized with the Holy Ghost not many days hence… and ye shall be witnesses unto me both in Jerusalem, and in all Judea, and Samaria, and unto the uttermost parts of the earth." Unto the uttermost parts of the earth!

So it's the last thing he's telling them. They're going to receive power and then they are going to witness for him over the uttermost part of the earth. First to Jerusalem, then to Judea, and then the whole world. That's what he said.

Acts 1:9-11 ⁹And when he had spoken these things, while they beheld, he was taken up; and a cloud received him out of their sight. ¹⁰And while they looked stedfastly toward heaven as he went up, behold, two men stood by them in white apparel; ¹¹Jesus, which is taken up from you into heaven, shall so come in like manner as ye have seen him go into heaven.

See? He was taken up and a cloud received him out of their sight. And while they looked steadfastly towards heaven. Two men stood beside them in white apparel they were looking at Jesus Christ. He was speaking in verse nine, and while he was speaking in verse nine it says, "And when he had spoken these things, while they beheld (They were looking at him right in front of them.) He was taken up and a cloud received him out of their sight."

He went up into a cloud and he disappeared. And while they were looking towards heaven, they were looking at that cloud. There were looking for the Lord and Savior. "While they looked steadfastly towards heaven as he went up, behold, two men stood by them in white apparel; which also said ye men of Galilee…" ye men of Galilee.

That's why we know Judas wasn't here. Because Judas wasn't of Galilee. He was from Iscar. Judas Iscariot from Iscar. Ye men of Galilee, That's what they said. "Why stand ye gazing up into heaven? This same Jesus, which is taken up from you into heaven, shall so come in like manner as ye have seen him go into Heaven."

Now, we got another promise that has entered the scene. They already have the promise of power from on high. Now God sends two angels (these are not men; these are angels.) God sends two angels; and the angels say to the apostles "This Jesus which is taken up from you into heaven, shall so come in like manner as you have seen him go into heaven."

While they beheld, he was taken up a cloud which received him out of their sight. The two angels were on a mission from God to further confirm this solemn event. Jesus spent 40 days teaching them concerning the things of the kingdom of God. He then commanded them to go to Jerusalem and not to depart until they received the promise from on high. He had a covenant salt meal together with them before he left. They knew about the knowledge of the kingdom. They knew it was given to David and his sons forever by a covenant of salt. They knew that they were covenant a position in the coming kingdom to sit and judge the 12 tribes of Israel. They knew Isaiah 1 and about the restoration of Jerusalem and how it would be safe. They knew Isaiah where his government is going to last forever; and is going to judge in righteousness. They knew Jeremiah where Judah would dwell in safety.

They had all these promises round and round in their head and all of those things that Jesus did to prepare them. And then God does something else with all of that. If all that is not enough, God does something else. And you know what he does? He sends two angels. Why? He sends two angels, because God continues to certify and to emphasize the words of the Lord Jesus Christ by sending these two angels who gave them further encouragement.

And the further encouragement that the angels gave was about his return. It was about his return. And it's interesting to note that the first words of encouragement the angel spoke was regarding the hope of the return of the Lord Jesus Christ. "You will see him come in like manner." They gave them the return.

This great truth was repeated in the the book of Thessalonians to the Thessalonian believers. When Paul received this revelation things were real tough for the Thessalonicans. That's why God gave them the revelation of the hope of the return of Jesus Christ to keep them going; to help them move through the hard times that was coming and that they were enduring. They needed the revelation of the hope to keep them going.

Acts 1:9-11 ⁹And when he had spoken these things, while they beheld, he was taken up; and a cloud received him out of their sight. ¹⁰And while they looked stedfastly toward heaven as he went up, behold, two men stood by them in white apparel; ¹¹Which also said, Ye men of Galilee, why stand ye gazing up into heaven? this same Jesus, which is taken up from you into heaven, shall so come in like manner as ye have seen him go into heaven.

Likewise, God reminded the apostles and the disciples of the hope on the day that Jesus Christ ascended so they could have that burning in their hearts; that he is what? coming back in like manner.

In like manner, Sir Ernest Shackleton was an explorer and adventurer. And on August 8, 1914; one week after Germany declared war on Russia, 29 men set sail in a three masted wooden ship from Plymouth, England to Antarctica. They were on a quest to become the first to cross the Antarctica continent on foot.

Shackleton had recruited his crew through advertisements. His bill read like this: "Men wanted for a hazardous journey. Small wages, bitter cold, long months of complete darkness, constant danger, safe return doubtful. Honor and recognition in case of success."

Shackleton was an honest man and his crew experienced everything that his hand bill promised in spades. Shackleton was also an able leader and he was a certified hero.

His men came to refer to him as the boss, although ever although he never thought of himself in that way. He worked just as hard as anyone of his crew members. And he built a solid team of unity upon the ship that he aptly named "Endurance".

And in January 1915, the ship became trapped in an ice pack and it eventually sank; leaving his men to set up camp on a flat free-floating piece of sea ice called an ice flow. Shackleton kept his men busy day and night. He kept them working during the day. He kept them entertained at night.

They played Ice soccer. They had nightly song fests. They held regular sled dog competitions. It was on this ice flow that Shackleton proved his greatness as a leader. He willingly sacrificed his right to a warmer, fur-lined sleeping bag so that one of his men could have it. He personally served hot milk to his men every morning in their tents.

In April of 1916, their thinning ice flow began to break apart, forcing the men to seek refuge on nearby Elephant Island. Knowing that rescue from such a desolate place was unlikely, Shackleton and five others left and crossed 800 miles of open Antartic sea in a 20 foot lifeboat with a little more than a hope and a promise to return to those people with a rescue party.

Finally, on August 30 after a 105 day trip and three earlier attempts; Shackleton returned to rescue his stranded crew becoming their hero. But perhaps a real hero of the story was a man named Frank Wilde.

Frank Wilde was Shackleton's second in command. He was left in charge of Shackleton's camp during his absence. He maintained the routine that his boss had established. He assigned duties. He served meals. He held sing-alongs. He planned athletic competitions. And in general he kept the morale of the people up.

The camp was in constant danger of being buried from snow and becoming completely invisible from the sea where the rescue party would be looking for it. Wilde kept the men busy by shoveling away the snowdrifts.

The firing of a gun was the prearranged signal that the rescue ship was going to be nearing the island so they could listen for it. But as Wilde reported, many times when the glaciers were claving and chunks fell off would report like a gunshot. We thought it was the real thing but time after time we began distrust these things; but we never lost hope in the boss.

Confidently Wilde kept the last tin of kerosene and a supply of dry combustibles ready to ignite instantly to use as a locator symbol when the day of wonders would arrive.

With barely 4 days of rations left in the camp, Shackleton finally came on a Chilean icebreaker. He personally made several trips in the icy waters in a small lifeboat to ferry his crew back to safety. Miraculously the fog had lifted long enough for all the men to make it onto the icebreaker within one hour.

Shackleton later learned from the men that they were prepared to break camp quickly. They were being trained from a fortnight after I left Wilde. He would roll up his sleeping bag each day and he would say to the men, "get ready boys. Today may be the day the boss is coming for you, and he kept that hope alive in those people's hearts.

And sure enough one day the mist opened and revealed the ship which they had been waiting, longing, and hoping for. For over four months, Wilde's cheerful anticipation proved infectious and we were all well prepared when the evacuation day came.

Shackleton's stranded and threatened crew desperately hoped for their captain that he would come back for them. But as diligent as that is, and is dedicated that Shackleton was; his crew could not be certain that he would return. He was after all a mere man battling the elements that he had no control over. They knew that he might not make it back.

Man needs hope to carry on. Man needs that hope to look towards. And on the day of the Ascension; after all that Jesus did, after all that was accomplished; there was one more thing that needed to be done. and God sent two angels to do it: and that was to give them hope. The hope of the return of their Savior, of their Lord. "For like manner, he shall return." Because God knew what was going to happen; and the pressure that they were going through. And he needed to get them to the day of Pentecost so they could be endued with that power to carry out the mission.

Titus 1:2 In hope of eternal life, which God, that cannot lie, promised before the world began;

God doesn't what? lie. and he made a promise. He promised, "wait for the promise of the father". And he made another promise on the day of the Ascension. that promise was "Ye men of Galilee, why stand ye gazing up into heaven? This Jesus shall return in a like manner." He promised that Jesus would come back. He gave them hope.

Hebrews 10:23 (ESV) Let us hold fast the confession of our hope without wavering, for he who promised is faithful.

The English standard version reads of Hebrews 10:23. "Let us hold fast the confession of our hope without wavering, for he who promised is faithful." You hold on to it, but don't let anybody talk you out of it. And that's what those angels told those believers who went on to do great things for God. This Jesus in like manner is going to return.

Acts 1:8-11 ⁸But ye shall receive power, after that the Holy Ghost is come upon you: and ye shall be witnesses unto me both in Jerusalem, and in all Judaea, and in Samaria, and unto the uttermost part of the earth. ⁹And when he had spoken these things, while they beheld, he was taken up; and a cloud received him out of their sight. ¹⁰And while they looked stedfastly toward heaven as he went up, behold, two men stood by them in white apparel; ¹¹Which also said, Ye men of Galilee, why stand ye gazing up into heaven? this same Jesus, which is taken up from you into heaven, shall so come in like manner as ye have seen him go into heaven.

You'd be looking up in heaven, too if you have seen somebody beaming up in slow motion. And next thing you know, you've got two guys down here in white apparel. They gave them the hope. They needed the Hope.

Hebrews 2:10 For it became him, for whom are all things, and by whom are all things, in bringing many sons unto glory, to make the captain of their salvation perfect through sufferings.

Jesus Christ is coming back. This is our hope. He's going to guide us through the storms of life. We can hang in there, we can push through this, because he promised he's coming back. And unlike Shackleton, our Lord and our Savior - the captain of our salvation - has all authority over heaven and all authority over earth (including controlling the elements!)

Hebrews 13:8 Jesus Christ the same yesterday, and to day, and for ever.

This was the Word of the Lord to the apostles on the day of the Ascension. This was to give them hope. This is the word of the Lord to the church today to give us hope: the hope of his return: our Lord and our brother the captain of our salvation, Jesus Christ.

Let's pray. Lord, thank you for your Word. Thank you for your promise, that you cannot lie. Thank you, that we can hold fast to our confession of this hope, father. And thank you for the captain of our salvation, our Lord and our Savior Jesus Christ. And may we continue to walk in this holiness, and in this blessedness in his precious name. Amen.

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