Preparing for the Lord's Day
As we near the Church's celebration of Pentecost, which is the pouring out of the Holy Spirit upon the apostles to empower them for their ministry, it seemed appropriate to look at the first part of Acts 1. Here, Luke summarizes the things that Jesus said to the apostles as he prepared them for life and ministry. What did Jesus want to impart to the apostles as his final words. He wanted them to fully understand the nature of the coming kingdom of God as well as the power that will usher it in through the coming Holy Spirit.This was needed as the apostles were still holding out hope that Jesus was going to restore the kingdom to Israel. What Jesus tells them is that this coming kingdom is not a physical kingdom but a spiritual kingdom. And it's not going to be a Jewish kingdom but a glocal (not a typo!) one in its makeup. Finally, that kingdom will not come quickly, like a revolution, but slowly, like a reformation. To prepare for this sermon, you'll want to read Acts 1:1-11, Ephesians 2:11-16, 2 Peter 3:8-9 and Joel 2:28-29.
As we come together this Lord's Day as the Church gathered, we rejoice in and give thanks for the triune work of God in redemption, especially the Holy Spirit's work of applying the salvation that Jesus accomplished in our lives. We'll sing a newer song composed by the Getty's that speaks of God's missional work entitled, May The People's Praise You. We'll sing verse 4 of the beloved hymn, "Crown Him with Many Crowns." You'll note several words in that verse that are unusual and I thought I would take a quick second to highlight them.
Crown Him the Lord of years, the Potentate (sovereign ruler) of time;
Creator of the rolling spheres, ineffably (indescribale/unspeakable) sublime (lofty/grand):
All hail, Redeemer hail! for Thou hast died for me:
Thy praise, shall never, never fail throughout eternity.
As we'll be partaking of the Lord's Supper this Sunday, we'll anchor that supper by sing hymn #671, "How Sweet The Name of Jesus Sounds" as our hymn of preparation and hymn #690, "I Know That My Redeemer Lives" as our hymn of response. Until we're together this coming Lord's Day, the Lord bless you and keep you.
Sermon Information
Text: Acts 1:6-8
Title: What Happens Next (Part 2)
Outline:
- The Kingdom of God is spiritual in nature.
- The Kingdom of God is glocal in makeup.
- The Kingdom of God is gradual in expansion.