7th Sunday of Easter – Sermon 86

13th February 2011 Off By Derek Buckthorpe

Prayer to start

May the words of my lips and the thoughts of our hearts be graciously received for the Glory and Honour of our Lord Jesus Christ

AMEN

Introduction

Waiting is something most of us are not very good at – we like to be busy – doing things – solving problems –

Stillness or inactivity – can make us restless – and unsure of ourselves – we quickly want to fill it with something –

But – waiting on God – can be a valuable and rewarding time of refreshment – and growth

After His Ascension – Jesus told His Disciples to go back the Jerusalem and wait –

Wait for the coming of the Holy Spirit
Wait for the power they will need to be His witnesses – in Jerusalem, Judea, Samaria and the rest of the world

Our readings this morning concentrate on this period of waiting – between the Ascension and Pentecost –

For the newly formed Church – it was a time of uncertainty – and insecurity – after all – they had just lost their power source – It was also a time of preparation – Getting ready for the promise that Jesus made – to come true –

How did they cope? How prepared were they –
to carry out the most important task in the history of the World –
How prepared are we to carry it on today?


Point 1 The Disciples after the Ascension

The Book of Acts opens where Luke’s gospel leaves off – with Jesus appearing to His disciples – after His resurrection – building up their confidence – and reassuring them – about the mission ahead –

During these 40 days – He gave them proof – that He is alive – that there is life – after death

That – He is the promised Messiah sent by God – to fulfill all that’s written in the Scriptures –

That God is with them all the way – His love and promises are guaranteed – by coming back to them – He confirmed that all He said would happen – has happened –

When Jesus – Ascended to the Father – He secured – a free and confident access to God – for His disciples and – all who follow Him –

After the Ascension – the first thing the early church did was to come together –

The eleven Apostles – some women – Jesus’ mother – and Jesus brothers’ – around 120 people in all met together – in one room – and prayed –

And they stayed there for 10 days –
It must have been some prayer meeting – It was the first recorded public prayer meeting of the church –

Peter came forward – to speak – and to lead –
There were no longer 12 Apostles – Judas’ suicide left a vacancy – and they needed to complete their appointed number –

It must be someone who has been with Jesus from the beginning – from His Baptism – through His ministry – His death – His resurrection –

Two out of the 120 fitted the bill – they prayed again – they drew lots – and Matthias was chosen

The use of the lot was a well known OT method of seeking divine inspiration – they only used it this once – after that they relied on the Holy Spirit

This prayer meeting – was also the first business meeting – of the Church – some think that Matthias was the wrong choice – and they should have waited – unitl God had brought Paul on the scene – but Paul’s ministry was with the Gentiles – the twelve that David’s prophecy identified – were to take the message to the Jews –

The selection of Matthias was not mere chance – it showed some good principles for decision making –

They prayed and asked God for direction –

They appealed to Scripture
The choice was made by the whole group
They had a clear criteria
They used their minds to short list the candidates
They trusted God to over rule the way the lot fell –

The fact that Matthias name was not mentioned again in the Bible – doesn’t make him a mediocre choice – some of the other Apostles – whom Jesus chose – were never mentioned again – either

When Jesus left them – they thought they were on their own – it made them realized how powerless they were without Him – but they were prepared to make use of all the resources Jesus had told them – to use –

But what they hadn’t appreciated was that Jesus had foreseen – this time in between – and had already made preparations for their well-being –

Point 2 Jesus’ prayer for His disciples

Our gospel reading records the prayer Jesus said for His disciples – on the night of His betrayal

He was clearly worried about this rag-tag group of followers – He was going to leave behind –

even though He had death on His mind – He still found time to pray for them

He appeals to the Father –

“I pray for them” –He Said – “I am not praying for the world – but for those you have given me – because they belong to You…. I am coming to You … They are still in the world …..protect them by the power of Your Name …..that they may be one , as we are One …. Consecrate them by the truth, your word is the truth”

In Hebrew – the word – consecrate means – to set apart – or make available for a specific purpose –here Jesus is calling for them to become – agents of God – so they can proclaim the truth –

Jesus new that success would depend on their union with Him – He knew – during this time – they would need Him more than ever –

through these men – Jesus expected the world to be confronted – and His glory to be revealed –

Jesus asks the Father – to keep them – in His name – so they will not be picked off – by the devil – only one had been lost – Judas – the one doomed to be lost –

As Jesus’ disciples – we have a different vision to the rest of the world – we live to a different standard – one based on Jesus’ love

Prayer and devotion to the mind and will of God are central to our Faith – it’s this that prepares us – and enables us to be open – to the gift of the Holy Spirit –

Jesus is our king – and shepherd – He watches over us – and protects – even when we can’t see Him – He gives us everything we need – to keep us – in faith – and true to His word – He keeps us apart from the world – but a part of Him –

Point 3 What about us?

So we’ve looked at how the disciples coped –

What about us – 2000 years on – are we prepared to use all – the resources God has given us – and carry on the witness – they started –

How strong is our prayer life? – can we cope with a 10 day prayer meeting?

How important is Scripture – in the day to day decisions we have to make – as a Church – and as individuals?

How important is truth and faith?

As the first letter of John reminds us – our faith is grounded in the witness of Jesus Christ –its not about believing the facts – its about – accepting Him as our Saviour – relying on Him – everyday of our lives – turning away from
what God hates – and using Jesus to wipe away our sins –

Faith is not about asking for help – its about trusting that God will see us through – and believing in the truth –

Everything Jesus gives – Jesus is – He showed us the way – to live and love on this earth – Jesus is the way –

He showed us he truth about ourselves and about God’s love for us – Jesus is the truth –

He opened the door to eternal life – and showed us how to walk through it – He is the life –

Many of us have been asked the question – are we sure – we will go to heaven when we die – if we belong to Jesus – we know the answer is – yes –

After all – the disciples were shown that truth on Ascension Day

God wants us to be sure – about our love for Jesus – and His loves for us –

There must be no middle ground – no multiple chances –no 50/50 or asking the audience –

We cannot change anything in our world unless – we first change ourselves – its only when our hearts and minds are changed – and in full union with Jesus – when we have been redeemed and forgiven – and we reflect the image of Jesus to others – that life on this planet will be changed for the better –

Conclusion

Are we sure – about our love for Jesus – are we ready? Are we using everything God has given us?

People are waiting – we have the Holy Spirit –
What are we waiting for?

Prayer to Finish

In the name of the Father So and Holy Spirit

AMEN

Video of Sermon 86 on You Tube