Acts Chapter 1:11-16

Most of your sin nature most blessed stuff comes from you focusing on yourself. Know a few years ago we set will you don't focus on yourself enough, there's a lack of self-esteem and that's why you really have problems and struggle and have said that so focus we need to mature as believers we can love and one another. Begin praying for one another we can serve in one because that's what Jesus did and that's what happened in the book of acts, and that's what needs to go on in the present nature.

Peter was restored as he poured himself out of dollars. Welcome to cross the bridge with David McGee.

David is the senior pastor of the bridge in Kernersville, North Carolina today. We want to find out what's the best way to mature spiritually and in the studio today. We have one of David McGee's associate pastors DA Brown welcome to the program. DA Bob we all would like to grow spirits. Everyone will like to mature in our relationship with Jesus, but also in our effectiveness in sharing the Bible talks about it. Specifically, we will have to guess we don't have to wonder pastor Dave take his time today and share with us what the word specifically says about how to mature spirits like this is an important teaching and this could help our effectiveness were God's places.

Listen to this teaching will be blessed right brother.

Let's jump in. As David McGee continues teaching to the world. Turn with me to ask chapter 1 verse nine that when he had spoken these things, while they watched, he was taken up in a cloud received him out of their sight while they look steadfastly toward heaven as he went up the whole two men stood by them in white apparel who also said, men of Galilee, why do you stand gazing up in the habit the same Jesus who was taken up from you into heaven, will so come in like manner as you see him go into heaven.

Notice were told in the word of God, the Bible that the way he is going to be the way he comes back is a huge clue in terms of end time events.

This lets us know that if you hear of a Rabbi New York City or somebody that is saying oh I'm Jesus I'm Jesus I this is the second coming that we can know that is not telling the truth. Either that or he's got some really cool video footage of him coming back on earth and clouds I mean either one but it lets us know there's a safety in there and so somebody comes and says that to you say okay will limiting a video and Shirley you know I got it on top and if they don't have the video now.

It's interesting to you really will need the video because it's going to be visible. I think everyone is a lot of false Messiah is run around the date you understand you can go online and I will encourage this futile search, but that mean there's a lot of guys running him in Ireland and it seems like there's a common theme to all of my so yeah, I'm him and all the Christians in the Bible. They got really confused.

Jesus said that there be false Messiah is an interesting prediction.

We talked about it last week. You know that this itinerant preacher traveling pastor out of the north part of Israel and ministering mainly in the north part of Israel. Born in Southport but you know in the small country says in the end times.

A lot of people are going to come and imitate me when what they saw when he said that pretty massive prediction. So Jesus will come back. Probably you will commit physically and it will involve the clouds.

This is interesting enough exactly what it speaks about the book of Revelation. Verse 12 then they returned to Jerusalem from the mount called Olivet, which is near Jerusalem, a Sabbath day journey on Sabbath day journey was about 2000 paces and you weren't supposed to walk beyond this 2000 paces on the Shabbat on the Sabbath day the Shabbat was on Saturday. It was from sundown Friday to sundown on Saturday and you weren't supposed to walk farther than 2000 or 2000 steps now, you could if you had a rope you could extend that a little bit because you tied the rope to your house then you know technically you had left home yet so you could walk the length of that rope and then 2000 more steps so that you know you could go further.

If you think that's silly. You know what don't you know we engage in silliness that's that's justice silly if not sillier when you got Israel. It's interesting you got. Be sure if you ever go with us on these trips. Be sure to get the right elevator because they have the Shabbat elevators that only Shabbat what they do so that you don't have to work to push a button. They stop and every floor and opened the door so if you get the wrong elevator if you got away, but we engage in silliness religiousness that had never told us to to engage in this part of the reason on the feast days, the people would camp out and gather right around Jerusalem because I didn't want to have to walk farther than the 2000 steps. Verse 13 and when they had entered. They went up into the upper room where they were staying, Peter, James, John and Andrew, Philip and Thomas, Bartholomew and Matthew James the son of Alpheus and Simon the zealot and Judas the son of James and think about how these men lived, think about how these men died.

These men died. For the most part of violent deaths.

The exception here is John. John was poisoned. John was boiled in oil and live through it.

They poured out them their life. Certainly they didn't feel like they were being inconvenienced to live for the Lord. Most of them died in foreign lands.

God used them an incredible way answer question.

Have you ever going to do something and find out that it's Artie been done and eager to help somebody to cut down a tree and it's Artie been done when you get there you go, to help them move and they've removed or you can go help him fix car cars are the fixed and that sort of a weird place to find yourself in the that's not where we find ourselves in. Our job is not been completed yet. There's still a lot to do for the kingdom.

That's the next life lesson. There is still a lot to do for the kingdom. Still a lot to do at some point time as we know it will change, but we don't know when the time is Jesus tells us so many places to occupy till he comes redeeming the time, use the time to understand that at some point in the future, somebody will come to Jesus.

Somebody will be born again.

Somebody will get saved. That's the last person is the last person think about that often. On Sunday mornings. People come for this Lord to forgive the mother sent think to sit this one wouldn't be cool if you were the person who led the last person in that prayer I made you pray with them in the years to receive the Lord, and you say minute boy, you will be a hero in heaven once a people. I got here on the road to go to Laura. To me gender getting to where we are or might be WHO know what took you so long with the weight (but that's an awesome thing because there is so much to be done for the kingdom not just here in this community but around the world's we need to be busy in the kingdom. Verse 14 these all continued with one accord in prayer and supplication with the women and Mary the mother of Jesus, and with his brothers.

He got all these people. It says in there one in one accord note is that mean they're in the car made by the Honda know it doesn't mean there like in a Honda Accord. It means that there in unity during unity, which is really important for the body of Christ, and he mentions Mary the mother of Jesus.

Now this is cool because at this point understand Mary had been cleared and some of your little confused. Mary was a young woman we we think probably entertain still. When she showed up with the announcement that she was pregnant. Small town people talk. They talked about Mary and even Joseph Bley, struggled with this thinking fewer Joseph think if you are engaged to a woman and she shows up and she goes I'm pregnant and you are engaged to be engaging in that kind of behavior because were engaged were going to be married once okay with 20 minutes. Okay the Holy Spirit like what. So yes, blessed God highly favored you better. The people talked, you can sit in John chapter 8 when the Jewish people.

The Jewish leaders the ground they said were not born of fornication. I said where's your father but at this point, everybody knows Jesus died and was resurrected came back seemed all these people and then ascended up in the heaven, and Mary probably sat there with a questions I would notice something to this actually is the last place that we hear about Mary in the Scriptures. This is it in the early church did not seem to recognize that Mary was any sort of co-redemptions understand their segments of the Catholic Church that believe that Mary is co-read the redemptive Jesus. It's interesting they used to think that that Lisa teach and think that Mary died and they had this place in Israel, where they said this is where Mary is very well then they came up with this doctrine that she ascended closer churches can't say that she buried her but she ascended a closer church, but Mary is highly favored but not covered will be right back with more from David McGee on cross the bridge right now there's a word from associate pastor DA Brown. We want to take just a couple minutes to pray for some cities in our listening audience. Specifically, Inca high point Lexington mount all of Summerfield and Winston-Salem North Carolina and also Dickinson, North Dakota Louis, thank you for everyone who lives in the cities. We pray that your Holy Spirit would draw them, unto you, even right now that people would have the face to say yes with no boundaries on what you want to do in your life. We pray for the leaders in the cities that you give them wisdom and discernment and that they would work together father that they would look to your word for answers supernaturally on how to lead where you've called him. We pray that people get plugged in the churches begin to serve with the gifts that you give them father that they will be a blessing to other people in the same way that you bless them low, we thank you for the cities were expecting you to do great things and it's in Jesus name we pray. Amen, amen. Thank you brother and now get back to David McGee as he continues teaching verse by verse talk a little bit about this book out. I talked last week that were going briefly historically look over this little bit now. This book covers about 30 years of the church. It was written in a bout 61 6263 A.D. it ends with the imprisonment of Paul that helps us the date and not yet with his execution. It's a great book for us as a church to be going through while because it's what were supposed to be doing, which was to be telling people were specially praying together were supposed to be immunity were supposed to be serving one another and loving one another in doing these things and it call units is called the acts of the apostles or its really more the acts of Peter and Paul, if you will deals mainly with Paul in the last part of the book, and we believe that Luke wrote the book was a Gentile.

We think this for number of reasons, one of which is in Colossians chapter 4 verse 10 says Aristarchus my fellow prisoner greets you with Mark the cousin of Barnabas about whom you received instructions. If he comes to you welcome them in Jesus who is called justice is not Jesus Christ. Jesus was a common name of the day. These are my only fellow workers for the kingdom of God who are all of the circumstances and they have proved to be a comfort to me couple verses down this is Luke, the beloved physician, and the mouse greet you just as easily guys are of the circumcision letter serving with me, and in a few verses later says hey Lucan Dimas Ceja so we believe from this passage that Luke was a Gentile. One of the earliest Gentiles in the church and this is also where the book of acts is where non-Jewish believers enter the picture.

Understand, up till this time it was only Jewish Christians, and for some of you that me bear some explanation.

Jesus was a Jewish man preaching from a Jewish book. He was a Jewish Messiah with Jewish disciples.

The Gentiles had not yet entered the picture. In fact, when we did enter the picture.

They actually had to vote on whether or not they wanted us to me that's in there. Praise God so mom said yes because that was the plan of Jesus to have Paul bring the gospel to the Gentiles. I mentioned this Theophilus and the talked about last month last week that that means friend of God. That's a parallel verse two Luke chapter 1 verse three says it seemed good to me.

Also, having had perfect understanding of all things.

From the very first to write to you and orderly account, most excellent Theophilus, so we have a connection there between the gospel of Luke written talking about Theophilus and the book of acts here.

We believe again that he was how Roman official, but it says they were in one accord.

There were immunity unity is so important to the body of Christ so important that you not have come to appreciate unity more and more as a pastor and in the preciousness of it because here's the thing in and we deal with this. Sometimes smile come to me and said such and such as being divisive. They're saying this are saying that there they go to somebody else will guess what we have to do when when we hear that it can be such a cancer to the body of Christ we stop what were doing so we can deal with these issues and we go to that person.

We confront them want to be me know.

Hopefully, to restore them, but if they say you know want to keep run around a run of the mouth and we suggest that they find another church. Why because the vision can hurt the body of Christ so much and certainly you see the your pastor another another pastor here and other people in leadership have to stop what one in order to deal with these issues now. It only makes sense that the enemy would use this distraction is an old ploy and division is one of the most damaging distractions I can go on in the body of Christ versus the impacting lives for eternity and and were just sitting around and then edited, edited, don't do this is a this is a common thing that happens in churches and a lot of churches knowing talk about it because some of you going to get offended but the reality is I remember when I was a young kid and we all week. We sat around we were praying for something like is for the meal we probably frame for the meal. If Lord blesses sweet kind of thing we got through and we were with my uncle and his family sits check out his eyes open. But that's it.

How you know I could just sense it, that I was blasted because I open my eyes and it was looking at him, who had his eyes open. Probably looking at me right.

It's interesting because every now and again some argument that soldiers a gossip I you know might only surmise an email not see understand gossip and division take two parties, the person is talking person is listening person is talking the wrong clearance in guess what person it's listening there in sin as well. I can't tell you the number times of had to shut people down. You started down the path and see you know I don't, I will hear this.

I don't hear this. This is not edifying if you got a problem with this brother that broke got from this district… So important, why because we begin to turn from what were supposed to be doing to wasting her time. Time is precious were supposed to be on this glorious adventure of impacting lives for eternity. Not just sit down and getting but that's not from here it's another churches but just so you might want to verse 50.

That's a people a second service in by just thought I'd share with you guys just in case you see one of them okay verse 50 and in those days Peter stood up in the midst of the disciples.

Altogether the number of names was about hundred and 20 and said men and brother in the Scripture had to be fulfilled, which the Holy Spirit spoke before by the mouth of David concerning Judas became a God, to those who arrested Jesus and we tracked Peter here to Matthew Mark Luke and John a few weeks ago we were looking at his public restoration is Jesus asking Peter do you love me look at Peter's doing now standing up in this group of people being used by God he's been restored. That's good. Any God is in the rest to ration business and understand God loves to restore people. Here's Peter. Peter knew better. Peter publicly denied him three times. Shirley has training of the three and half years told him that he should have done that but he did it. So Jesus showed up in John 21 and 6 feet you're done. Know what he said now Peter do you love me you love me was perfect love in Peterson I love you as a friend in the Greek we went over that I could pay Owen for Leah Peter do you love me perfectly and I love you as a friend, Peter, do you love me as a friend. Yes you know I love you as a friend okay will start their and look what he does with Peter and look the trust.

Obviously, this well-placed Jesus Snoopy can do these things.

Peter was dismantled and broken. Jesus put them back together again and used them for the glory of God may be sitting here this morning you feel beat up and you feel broken, but God can put you back together and use you for his glory. It was part of the plan. Jesus knew it the whole time. He said in Luke 2232 talking to Peter, but I pray for you that your faith should not fail. And when you have returned to me, strengthen your brethren. Peter, this is what you need to do after this is over. After you've been on me begin to strengthen your brethren. That's what Jesus did take instance I will figure out what happened to look inward and see what went wrong, look in your past. Pete and figure out what would cause you to do such a thing insane Bible tells us not looking behind us.

Looking forward forgetting the things that are behind us pressing forward towards Mark the following of Jesus Christ Peter that message changed his life and this is part of our maturity. Part of Peter's maturity was just a hysterical rowboat always goes with me up with you to going to be another center is the final life lesson. Here we mature spiritually, and often the heel spiritually as we serve others we mature spiritually, and often heel spiritually as we serve others to live times we get trapped into this and ask a lot of different things and I know this is speak and write the some heart issues but I want to do that as a victim mentality it's rampant in the world.

Woe is me. This happened to me in everybody's mistreated me and I just going to kind of sit here have me little pity party. The world jumps in. We have all these doctors and counselors and all these people. It the very best they can look at you go out you know you're really your messed up. I know because I've been doing my 16 years old I set the first people in the best child psychiatrist and state a set and he looked at me any listed all these things I was doing. He said something wrong with you you're going to do drugs to the U.thanks for that ray of hope their doctor will praise God he was wrong and what the world would have you to believe is focus on your wounds.

Focus on what has gone wrong, but that's not the way you Jesus. Jesus is you want to be healed. Go story brothers go story sisters lot because the focus then goes from what is from you to other people here spend most of your sin nature much that stuff comes from you focusing on yourself and know a few years ago we set will you don't focus on yourself enough, there's a lack of self-esteem and that's why you really have problems and struggle and have sent that's so bogus.

I mean, if you've ever taught like four or five years older six or so you know that's bogus.

You think they snatch each other's toys because they lack self-esteem. We need to mature as believers we can love and one another. Begin praying for one another begin serving one another because that's what Jesus did and that's what happened in the book of and that's what needs to go on in the present day church.

Peter was restored to support himself out of some of you may be thinking why I need to get some this straightened out. Some of that straightened out get this past begin to pour your life friend you know for sure that your sins have been forgiven. You can know right now only Legion a short simple prayer simply telling God you're sorry and asking him to help you to live for him.

Please pray this prayer with me out loud right now. Dear Jesus, I believe you died for me that I could be forgiven and I believe you were raised from the dead that I can have a new life not done wrong things I have sent and I'm sorry. Please forgive me of all those things.

Please give me the power to live for you.

All of my days in Jesus name, amen it friend if you prayed that prayer according to the Bible you've been forgiven you've been born again, congratulations premium just made the greatest decision that you will ever make. God bless you, if you pray that prayer with David for the first time we'd love to hear from you. You can visit cross the bridge.com to receive our first steps package with helpful resources to help you begin your walk with Christ. Or you can write to cross the bridge at PO Box 12, 515 Winston-Salem, NC 27117 and share how God is working your life you're the Bible tells us that the free gift of God is eternal life in Jesus Christ our Lord. But it does cost for us to come and bring that message to you and to others in your neighborhood through radio through the Internet and through the mobile technologies that God has gifted us to be able to use so if you like to support this ministry. Please go to cross the bridge.com.

Click on the donate button and ask God how much he would have you give either on a one-time basis or continuing basis each month to help ensure that the teaching of God's word continues to go out through cross the bridge. Thank you so much ODA before we go. What are some ways that we can bless our listeners each day. You can wake up with encouragement from Pastor David to the word of God with his email devotional life lessons to consider daily reading plan and the thought to meditate on throughout your day.

From the heart. The David McGee those are terrific and it's easy and it's free so folks sign up today@crossthebridge.com. Thanks again for listening and join us next time. As David McGee continues teaching verse by verse in the book of acts