Unstoppable - The Call to All, Part 1

Imagine this God of the universe has a plan.

He has a game plan for this entire planet in the universe. Now get this. That same God has a plan year one want to discover what it is. Welcome to this Edition of Living on the Edge shipping survival to daily discipleship program Christians to live what gratefully joined her sister begins a new series called unstoppable God's agenda for planet Earth, including you.

Over the next several programs to walk through the launch of century church five along the way. Hello back how God can use our lives in the same extraordinary ways. Use the disciples life is an intriguing thought. So I hope you make time to be with us for this entire series. Okay, if you have a Bible heavy turnout acts chapter 1 just message the call to all what you think.

For just a moment that the one who created all there is, has an agenda for this planet, the creator, the one who spoke in the cosmos came into existence the Alpha and the Omega, the one who's all knowing, all powerful. He has an agenda for all things and he has an agenda for all people to understand that agenda on our part, we have to go back to, literally, the dawn of creation beyond the great cosmos. To this one privilege planet and scientists know what I'm talking about the unique situation in which the earth orbits and where it's at in this galaxy.

And then on this one small planet. The pinnacle of God's creation, mankind ignited the greatest love story ever. In fact is you open the Bible you find that in Genesis chapters 1 and two, and then later at the Varian chapters 21 and 22 of Revelation we have the picture of God's great love story so softened so much of life and so much of what it means to follow God or hearing about Christ is fallen into religious ears instead of it's a love story, God lived in perfect harmony in relationship with the Godhead self existent, transcendent in need of nothing, and in need of no one but chose to create free moral beings in his image, place them in a perfect environment and in Genesis 1 and two we get the picture of knowing and being known to God the creator with the pinnacle of his creation, Adam and Eve loving and being loved and in the course of the time. The greatest divorce that is ever occurred in all of the universe occurred in a moment of weakness and temptation. Our first parents decided that they wanted to be like God, that they wanted to do their own thing and so something happened.

It literally it says that there was a fall, sin entered the world and the actual creation even groans to this day, and the explanation for hurricanes and earthquakes and things. It world was never supposed to happen happen when sin entered the world, God in his great great mercy killed an animal and closed our first parents and cover their shame and their nakedness and then he set them outside of this perfect environment because the tree of life within it, and if they would eat of it they would stay in this fallen state forever and ever and ever and what you need to understand is there's a perfect environment in chapters 1 and two of Genesis and there is a day that will come when the creator of all of life with.

Whosoever would trust and believe in the gift of Christ will live in a perfect environment called the kingdom of God, a new heaven and a new earth, but all of Scripture from chapter 3 verse 21 all the way through to chapter 20 Revelation is the great tsunami of God's grace. It's the movement of God, you know, we seen the pictures like you see if you're in one of those buildings and that tsunami wall is coming.

It's unstoppable unstoppable destruction we seen it happen recently. What I want you to get in your mind is that from the very first moment when God closed our parents. He begin this unstoppable wave of grace disgrace that wanted to redeem disgrace that wanted to reconcile this grace that wanted to forgive and atone for and so you actually see on your notes or put a little chart where you can see where that Old Testament begins and so he chooses in Abraham and in the Abraham and there's a story and then there's a law with Moses and in the law. We get all the inklings about sacrifices and redemption and then the 10 Commandments, and there's this nation of Israel and the goal of this nation would be this pinnacle draw all the world is able see the greatness of our God, until we get to the cross and all the prophets and all the time with the story of Israel because God promised he promised from the very first time in Genesis 3. Through multiple prophets in multiple times that one day a Messiah, the Savior, a deliverer would come in the this tsunami of grace would be clear and vivid and that God would live among us, and he would love us in his life would demonstrate the father's heart full of truth and grace, and then his death would actually pay for once and for all the sins of all people of all time and that tsunami grace was offered to the nation of Israel, and they rejected their own Messiah. And Jesus died and that he rose 3 days later and having paid for the all sin of all men of all time and conquering death and conquering Satan. He starts a new wave of grace called the church a supernatural community where the living Christ, who walked on the earth in his physical body would now God the Holy Spirit would come and live inside his followers who trust him and that tsunami wall of grace would rise higher and higher, and forcefully move and Jesus would say the gates of hell could not and will not prevail against his church and worse church, the founder of the church is Jesus in Matthew, Mark, Luke and John are the story of our founder Jesus and the book of acts is a story of his followers of what happened after he left and empowered them in this tsunami wave of grace. Moving forward if you open your Bibles to acts chapter 1 were to go on a journey together on this journey together working at watch and discover what did God do. How does this grace push forward. How does it move with just unstoppable force, century after century after century because if you do not understand what God was doing in that early church you'll never understand his agenda for your life if you can't get that the eternal God of the universe has a plan and is not just a plan for the plan. It it's a plan for every person on the planet, of which you are one and those of you who call Christ your Lord and your following him. You've got to understand this was the game plan for the first century church because it informs his game plan. The 21st century church.

The first century church. What was God's agenda. Then I want you to learn the first five verses is that his followers are given the task to finish what he began to do and to teach the end of Luke.

The authors Luke is a doctor is a researcher Luke and acts are almost like a documentary and he does all the research and he's writing many people believe to a person of great influence. The obelisks and of the very end of Luke chapter 24, Jesus opens the mind of his disciples to understand the Scriptures, and then he gives in this assignment. He says in this message of the kingdom of God of repentance will be preached through every nation in the earth, and I will empower you and you'll be my messengers, you will be the unstoppable synonymy force of my grace and love to go to all the earth and let them know there's hope there's deliverance in me and then in acts. He continues his documentary we pick it up. He says in my former account, Theophilus, I wrote of all that Jesus began to do and to teach until the day he was taken up to heaven, after giving instructions through the Holy Spirit to the apostles he had chosen after his suffering. Speaking of the cross. He showed himself to these men and gave many convincing proofs that were literally in Greek is a sure sign of this is the idea of supernatural miraculous things that they experienced.

It was Thomas touching the holes in his hand that was him walking through a wall. It was multiple things so they knew over 40 days the New Testament has 10 specific occurrences that in a resurrected body. He comes to his disciples and lets them know this is real.

I really rose from the dead. It wasn't one person here one person there and then he did some teaching. He says that convincing proofs that he was alive and many appear to them for over 40 days and spoke about the kingdom of God and all that means is the rule of God.

This is how life works when God is in control. I'm going to send you to finish what I began and is giving them instruction is opening their mind to the Old Testament and giving him a picture of what's going to happen and what the role is in it. On one occasion while he was eating with them he gave in this command do not leave Jerusalem, but wait for the gift my father promised what you've heard me speak about. For John baptized with water, but in a few days you will be baptized with the Holy Spirit in your body might circle that phrase Holy Spirit in the book of acts. It occurs 70 different times. The second person of the Godhead is good.

Take a personal residence inside the human bodies of his followers and they are going to live the way Jesus lived when he walked on the earth. They will feel and care for those the way Jesus cared and field for those when he walked on the earth. They're going to finish what Jesus began. Now if you are a Jew at this time and you were well schooled as these men were, and he talked about the Holy Spirit in the kingdom of God, your mind would drift back to Ezekiel chapter 36. The Holy Spirit was not a new concept for Old Testament saints and you would think because Ezekiel talks about the coming of the spirit and the restoration the kingdom and God promises in Ezekiel 36 is coming a day when the kingdoms can be restored. Israel's can be restored. There's going to be peace.

The crops can be great.

Israel, as you knew it in the old days is going to happen and it's going to be wonderful and they thought maybe this is the time so look at verse six. Notice the question.

The apostles ask. So when they met together, they ask him and the 10th of this verb literally as they were. They were continually asking him into the got an answer, Lord, are you at this time going to restore the kingdom to Israel. He said to them, it's not for you to know the times are the dates the Father has set by his own authority. But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you and you will be my witnesses, and they tell some sort of the game plan is the outline of the book, you will be my witnesses. Literally the word, we get our word martyr.

You'll be my martyr. You'll be my eyewitnesses. You're the one set of senior the ones that have hurt, you can experience my power in you to be my witnesses in Jerusalem, the city Judea. The area Samaria area.

Beyond that, and to the uttermost parts of the earth. And so what you see is God's agenda. First and foremost is.

He says to his followers.

You finish what I began and then second, he says their focus was to fulfill the global agenda, not their national political interests. See, when I heard about the Holy Spirit, their lot like us at all. Great. You take down Rome. These cultural wars can be over the religious wars can be over. I mean this was a wicked time of life when this was a this is a polluted time filled with corruption and filled with all kind of idolatry and so they're thinking Craig Jesus is calm 50s. The king is risen from the dead. He's a man were to sit on the throne. Let's go for any is no you see there's this parentheses. Everything that God promised to Abraham and David will be fulfilled. But this parentheses. This is the time of the church. The supernatural agency of blessing of God's purposes on the earth will be the church and it's a new thing. Paul describes it and explains it in chapters 1, two and three of the book of Ephesians and he says guys stop thinking about your political interests and your national interest and what you want done for you and your protection and your comfort. He says there's a global agenda you're to be my witnesses where you are next to where you are extended from where you are and to the uttermost parts of the earth will, as he does that that he gives them some assurance because I don't about you, but if you got that word from Jesus at that point in time with your worldview, a deal disappointing and to be impossible but are you kidding me, and I mean appears pretty forthright. I can see hey John, there's 120 of us is he joking. I mean he may come to the wall and give us some assurance or something again but I mean 120 of us really go to the ends of the earth, so the third part of his agenda. He makes very clear. He says there assurance of success was the indwelling Holy Spirit and the certainty of Jesus return what he wants them to know in this very first launch of the church and this tsunami wave of grace is you can't do it and so we pick up the story in verse nine. After he said this, he was taken up before their eyes, and a cloud hid them from their site and they were looking intently up into the sky as he was going, when suddenly two men dressed in white stood beside them to Angel show up.

Men of Galilee, they said, why do you stand here looking into the sky. This same Jesus who has been taken from you into heaven, will come back in the same way you have seen him go up into heaven. That's really interesting that scholars when you study this talk about three different specific words, the talk about the ascension of Jesus in those first nine verse 10% separate words. He is taken up. He's received into heaven. The picture is not imagined listening and it's one of those times. And Jesus is speaking and he's talking about what's going to come. He's given you this assignment and like midsentence. He just starts to elevate and elevate and elevate and then this bright cloud comes around him and he elevates it and the word here for it. It's litter like they're awestruck.

It's a medical term doctors when someone goes like that's that's the word used here and in that moment there snap out of it by a couple angels as a guys. What surprised you about this. This same Jesus who promised to return this talk to you about the kingdom of God who gave you the outline of the great tsunami of grace of redemption and reconciliation. Just the way he's left he's going to come visibly physically bodily. He left at the Mount of olives will be coming back. The Mount of olives.

The difference he came the first time as a savior to say, whosoever whosoever would turn from your sin and receive the free gift of forgiveness purchased in my blood. I want to love you and to save you and forgive you when he comes back he'll come back as Judge to come back on a white horse, and upon his vital right faithful and true, and he will now balance the scales in justice and equality in perfection as he ushers in a new heaven and a new earth.

And so what he tells the guises you know verse eight.

You can't do this. It's the spirit of God in you, you can receive power, but it's not you it's can be the spirit of God in you, and you can indoor anything because life is not just about now you have a friend at the right hand of the father who's praying for you now you have an advocate and you can know for certain that whatever you have to go through. He's going to come back he will make things right and earlier. He told them there's great reward for those that go through difficult life in a fallen world. Finally, they responded in obedience to Jesus words and look to Scripture for their marching orders and so remember what he said. He said I want you to go back until you get the promise member. The promise and be baptized with the Holy Spirit. So I want you to go back to Jerusalem and begin to learn is about the call to Sabbath days walk which is about two thirds of a mile having to go back to, literally. The articles there. The upper room the same upper room.

It's on the third floor hold between 120 250 people and you nothing and it just obeying what he said that.

Can you imagine they were running for their life. Just a few days ago that had these amazing emotional experiences any what would you talk to would like your best friend or your wife after Jesus showed up came through wall eight some fish talked about some things you felt his hands. You know you seen two or three amazing miracles and you realize this is real. This is God. This is the Messiah.

Now what we do and then he goes up into the sky and says I want you to go back to Jerusalem and pray and wait. And that's don't do anything to get power.

What we pick up the story. Verse 12 and they returned to Jerusalem from the hill called the Mount of olives, Sabbath days walk from the city and when they arrived they went upstairs to the room where they were staying and those present were Peter and John and James and Andrew and Philip and Thomas, Bartholomew and Matthew James a son of Alpheus and Simon the zealot and Judas the son of James and they all join together constantly in prayer, along with the women and Mary the mother of Jesus and his brothers and in your Bibles where it says in prayer. Literally as an prayer member. When they asked Jesus in Luke 11, teach us to pray and he teaches them the Lord's prayer and at the end, he gives a little illustration and then he says asked to seek not and then at the end of it. He says and seek the father and ask him to give you the Holy Spirit.

See, they're not prime just general prayers one prayer the prayer we know they're praying they're praying that prayer.

They taught him and they're praying God, you promised the Holy Spirit were asking you to bring him in our life right now so they meet Jesus. He goes in the air. The angel say this is so guess what, they go and they get before God got one scholar that I trust a lot says as best we can figure from the time he ascended until Pentecost next week when the Holy Spirit comes it's about 10 days so there 10 days, in community there, praying in the sharing in unit during that time of sharing what you can find is you know they're there looking the Old Testament passages and saying you know, I wonder what we should do what's the next step is so we pick it up.

Look at verse 15. In those days Peter stood up among the believers in a group, numbering about 120 and he said brothers.

The Scripture had to be fulfilled with the Holy Spirit spoke long ago to the mouth of David concerning Judas, who served as a guide for those who arrested Jesus.

He was the one of our number and shared in this ministry with the reward he got for his wickedness.

Judas bought a field, and then he fed fell headlong his body burst open as intestines buildout, and everyone in Jerusalem heard about this so they called the field in the language in their language killed Dom a Ford is the field of blood melt before before go on, you need understand so the story of Judas if if you're familiar with the Gospels. He betrays Jesus and afterwards he has this worldly sorrow and realize what is done in he doesn't repent. But what he does is he takes the 30 pieces of silver and he throws it into the face of the high priests in our thinking. This is blood money. We don't want it, and so they bought this field, where the you know people that can afford a grave and so it'd become known that this field is called the field of blood and so they're reciting, what's happened in the days following all this just I mean can you imagine the form what's occurring and then Peter is is in community is talking at Annie's. He's the point person at this point and he quotes Psalm 69 and he says it's written the book of Psalms verse 25 made this place be deserted. Let there be no one to dwell in it and Peter says you that's almost talking about the issue with Judas and any quotes Psalm 109 verse eight it says, and may another take his place of leadership is so all they know is were supposed to stay here and to pray and to wait to carry but the Bible is really clear that we had 12. Now we got 11 were supposed to discern who's next one. Listening to part one of the call to all will be right back with his application to drink from a series of unstoppable God's agenda for planet Earth, including you, chips, teaching through the first five chapters of the book of acts revealing God's plan to rescue this lost world were learning how God raised up the early church and the apostles to carry out this mission, and more than 2000 years later we're continuing that assignment through the series chip highlights the growing pains and hardships of the first Christians explains what we can learn from them to be better Christ followers and disciple makers today to check out all the resource details for unstoppable go to LivingontheEdge.org or call AAA 333-6003 app listeners simply tap special offers will chips so much as changed so fast. So even in the last year and the terms of the church's place on the world stage. In that context. What's significant about why you chose to hear the series now all day. God's plan hasn't changed, and this is Jesus telling the disciples to go into all the world and make disciples. I mean there's 11 disciples and about 120 pretty committed followers in 500 people that have at least had some experience and have seen he's resurrected and they watched him ascend and and we take a lot of this for granted in the book of acts is the story of how Jesus by way of the Holy Spirit inside the disciples turned the world literally upside down in some of the lessons that we find in this particular series are so relevant to today. I mean the persecution the growth of faith. All the kind of things they experienced. I find myself as saying God I need a fresh wind of faith. I need to see how you really work. I need to remember again that you work in supernatural ways and I need to expect you to do that in my life and through my life and I find myself going back and reading the book of acts, so bring a look at the first five chapters of acts.

I mean, verse by verse. I just want to encourage our our listeners stay with me.

This is an exciting encouraging series that I think will really bolster your faith thanks to know if you really want to get the most of the series. Let me encourage you to get chips message notes and follow along as you listen every day. These message notes include Scripture references questions and additional insight from ship another thought would be to share the chipping roadmap so you and a friend can listen and study the series together. Okay triplets get to that application. As we close today's program I realized this was sort of a history lesson. In some ways, but I want to pull back the lens.

I want you to think with me that the God who created all that there is a mean I gave you this really big picture from you to the very beginning of creation to the fall into a reconciliation and redemption in God, visiting the planet and then I took you to the first century and and I just want you to pull back the lens of time with me and realize the God who visited the planet in the second person of the Trinity, the Lord Jesus. He actually had a plan. I mean, he had a design and he entrusted this design to regular ordinary people that he hung out with for about three years his followers to were they going to finish the job. The agenda was actually global now can you imagine someone saying I mean even if it was like you know a commercial agenda today and says we want to get this product in every country in the world. We got satellites.

We got TD I mean we got all kind of technology Jesus gave them that agenda. And guess what they did it.

They did it without much technology they did it without satellites. They did it in the power of the Holy Spirit.

Here's what I want you to get out of today.

If you are a Christ follower. You are a part of an unstoppable tsunami wave of grace that is forcefully powerfully pushing through world history and God has a place for you to ride on this wave and make an incredible difference, but you'll never understand his plan for you until you get his plan for the universe for the first century church and then in our next broadcast working to find out his plan in the 21st century is a great way to stay engaged and connected to chip and Living on the Edges with the chip and remap you get free access to chips messages. His message notes and much more. Not only that, but it couldn't be easier to call or email directly from the app will be with us again next time when chip continues a series unstoppable. So live this is Dave really saying thanks for listening to this Edition of Living on the Edge