Sermon Cloud

Introduction – My Unlikely Witness
When I was 18 years old I caught a case. I was charged with a felony. Now, you don’t really need to know whether I was truly guilty or innocent. It’s good to leave some mystery surrounding that. All you need to know is that I was scared. There were people who were going to be testifying against me, doing their best to make others believe I was guilty of a serious crime so that I would spend years in prison. I was scared. I was scared because I didn’t want to go to jail. And I was scared because I only had one witness who could testify on my behalf. And he was the last guy I would have chosen to sit before an audience and testify about me. He is the last guy I wanted to stake my freedom on. He was unemployed. He was a poor student. He didn’t graduate from high school. And he had a serious addiction to weed that would put Harold, Kumar, and Snoop Dogg to shame. He was an unlikely witness. But he was my witness. Because he had the information that needed to be shared. He could tell the story that needed to be told. Well, of course, today we’re beginning our study of the book of Acts called “Sent One(s).” And what we’re going to see is that the early Church was filled with unlikely witnesses not so different from mine. And yet Jesus sent out these unlikely witnesses to change the world.

Luke – An Unlikely Witness
Let’s meet some of them by turning to Acts and let’s start by reading Acts 1:1-3. So here we encounter the author of this book who is writing a letter to a man named Theophilus. It’s clear from the first verse that this is the second letter the author has written to Theophilus. And both letters that Theophilus received were letters about a man named Jesus Christ. The first letter, the author tells us, covered what Jesus began to do and to teach until the day he was taken up into heaven. This letter will explain what Jesus continued to do and teach after he ascended into heaven. So this letter, like the one before it, is a letter that bears witness to who Jesus is and what Jesus did. And the one bearing witness is a man named Luke. And Luke was not the most likely choice to be a witness for this man named Jesus. Luke was of Greek origin from the city of Antioch. And many scholars believe that Luke was also a Gentile – meaning he was not Jewish. All of this makes Luke an unlikely witness of Jesus. Because Jesus was a poor Jewish man, from a little po-dunk Jewish town, who walked around with a small group of insignificant Jewish men, ministering to other Jewish people in the Jewish Temple and in Jewish cities. But there was something about this apparently average Jewish man that forever changed this well-educated Gentile physician from Antioch. And once he was changed he began to bear witness to who this Jesus was and what this Jesus did. And his witness, which began as a long letter to a man named Theophilus, has impacted millions and millions and millions of people over the course of 2,000 years in the books we know as “The Gospel of Luke” and “The Book of Acts.”

And before we go any further we need to say something about this unlikely witness. Luke was not writing as a preacher. Luke was not writing as a storyteller. Luke was not even writing as a mere friend. Luke was writing as a historian. Let me read to you what Luke said in the beginning of his first letter to Theophilus. This is found in The Gospel of Luke 1:1-4, “Many have undertaken to draw up an account of the things that have been fulfilled among us, just as they were handed down to us by those who from the first were eyewitnesses and servants of the word. Therefore, since I myself have carefully investigated everything from the beginning, it seemed good also to me to write an orderly account for you, most excellent Theophilus, so that you may know the certainty of the things you have been taught.”

As Luke witnesses about who Jesus is and what Jesus has done Luke is doing so as a historian. He says that he set out to carefully investigate everything from the beginning and write up an orderly account. He has researched this so thoroughly that he tells Theophilus that he can now have certainty of the things he has been taught. This is important to mention. Because today it is not uncommon for you to hear things like: “the Bible’s not supposed to be taken literally,” or “the people who wrote the Bible were writing parables.” But to say these things requires a supreme arrogance on our part. It requires that we say that we know what the author really meant even better than the author himself knew what he meant. “Luke claims to be writing history but what he really means is that he’s writing a fairy tale.” “Isaiah claims to be writing prophecy but what he really means is that he’s writing a parable.” We don’t get to do that. If the author claims to be writing carefully researched history then we must read his words as historical claims. They may be true or they may be false but they are not parables, they are not fairy tales, there is no moral to the story. Luke is claiming that a man named Jesus lived a morally flawless life, worked miracles, died a terrible death, rose from the dead, continued to show himself to people for 40 days, and then ascended into heaven as people watched. He is saying that these things really happened.

Because of how Luke makes these claims we are left with only 3 options. Our first option is that Luke was deceived, that somehow as he was doing his extensive research he was lied to by a number of people and he fell for it. This is certainly possible but it is unlikely because Luke gathered his information from a number of independent witnesses who all testified of the same thing. It’s also unlikely because at the time Luke wrote of these things most of the people he was writing about were still alive. If he had been misled he would have been quickly corrected and his second letter wouldn’t have been a continuation of the first, it would have been an apology. Our second option is that Luke was lying, that he knew his claims were false but he wanted to pass them off as true. This is certainly possible but it is also unlikely because Luke did not profit from writing this book. He didn’t earn any royalties, he didn’t get invited to speak at great universities. No, by writing the book he was actually putting his life at risk because Christians were facing persecution at the hands of both the Jews and the Romans. If you’re going to lie it seems like you’d pick a lie that would benefit you. Our third option is that Luke is reporting what really happened. Of course this is also unlikely because people don’t generally work miracles and rise from the dead. But as unlikely as it is it makes the most sense in light of all the data. And this is how we’re going to approach the book of Acts over the next few months – as a history book that details the teaching and works of Jesus Christ before and after his ascension into heaven. And all of this comes to us through the unlikely witness of Luke, a well-educated Gentile doctor turned historian who risked everything he had – including his life – to witness about who Jesus is and what Jesus did.

The Apostles – Unlikely Witnesses
Of course Luke was not alone in this. There were other witnesses who were just as unlikely. Luke tells us about these witnesses, Jesus’ apostles, in the rest of this chapter. Let’s read verses 4-11 together. We see here that Jesus has purposefully selected a small group of men to be his witnesses. He has chosen them to proclaim this message about his perfect life, and his substitutionary death, and his victorious resurrection. But before sending them out to witness he gave them very specific instructions. He tells them in verses 4 and 5, “Do not leave Jerusalem, but wait for the gift my Father promised, which you have heard me speak about. For John baptized with water, but in a few days you will be baptized with the Holy Spirit.” Now, at this point, Jesus’ witnesses – his apostles – don’t know precisely what’s going on. They know something major is happening.  They just saw their Lord rise from the dead and now he is promising to send them the Holy Spirit he has told them so much about. All of this has them thinking that this must be the end. God must be moments away from restoring Israel, judging Israel’s enemies, and establishing the fullness of his kingdom forever. So they ask Jesus in verse 6, “Lord, are you at this time going to restore the kingdom to Israel?” But Jesus doesn’t answer as they expect. He doesn’t say “yes” and he doesn’t say “no.” Instead, he says this in verses 7 and 8, “It is not for you to know the times or 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 in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.” 

So Jesus’ answer to the question, “Will you now establish your kingdom? Is this the end?” is “that’s not your concern.” It’s funny that even today it’s so easy to become preoccupied with “the end” and when it’s coming, how it’s coming, and so forth. But Jesus says to his witnesses “This is not your concern. This is the Father’s concern.” And then he goes on to tell his witnesses what they should be concerned about. He says, “You will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.” The apostles asked him, “Jesus, will you now restore the kingdom to Israel?” Jesus’ response is to tell them, “That’s not your concern. Instead, your concern is to preach about my life, death, and resurrection to bring restoration, not just to Israel, but to the whole world!” Jesus is telling them that the Kingdom of God is bigger than Israel. The Kingdom of God is going to spread throughout the whole world. And he’s not just going to smite their enemies, set up his throne, and be done with it. No, he’s going to send them, and the Kingdom of God will spread and be established through their preaching about his life, and death, and resurrection. The Kingdom of God came through Jesus and his ministry but it will expand through the preaching of these men. Of these men. He chose these men to carry the most important message in the history of the universe – the message about who God is and how to be reconciled to him. Now, remember, these are the same guys who 40 days earlier denied Jesus. These are the same guys who 40 days earlier abandoned Jesus and fled from him when the authorities captured him. These are the same guys who 40 days earlier were so frightened that they did not even come to the defense of their leader. These are the same guys who were such cowards that 40 days earlier they were content allowing the man they loved to die a terrifying and humiliating death with only one friend by his side. If ever there was an unlikely witness it was these guys. These guys were about as reliable as a computer with a Windows operating system. And that’s bad. Yet Jesus chooses these guys. These guys. Jesus Christ, the risen Lord of the universe, chose these men to be his witnesses. He says to these most unlikely witnesses in verse 8, “you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.”

And after giving them his instructions…he left. He gave them their mission – this ridiculous mission that must have shocked them to their core -- and then he ascended into heaven as these unlikely witnesses watched him disappear into a cloud. As they stared in awe two angels appeared next to them. “Why do you stand here looking into the sky?” they asked. “This same Jesus, who has been taken from you into heaven, will come back in the same way you have seen him go into heaven.” Just as Jesus did, the angels tell the apostles to get their heads out of the clouds. Yes, Jesus will return to consummate his Kingdom. But you have a job to do until he does. And that should be your concern.  

At this point the apostles must have been flabbergasted. It was even more shocking than hearing that New Kids on the Block were getting back together! They had abandoned their Lord in his death. And then he rose from the dead and not only accepted them in spite of their failures he chose them and commissioned them to be his witnesses throughout the earth. He chose them and commissioned them to play a key role in the expansion of the Kingdom of God! And after assigning them this daunting task? He left. He ascended into heaven to sit down at God’s right hand. And it appeared that he had left them alone. So how did they respond? How did they respond to being given this assignment that was far beyond their capabilities? How did they respond to being left to carry out this mission without Jesus physically walking with them? They did what all of us should do.

First, they gathered in community, like we’re doing right now. Look at verses 12-14. As they gathered in community they also prayed together, in community, as we are doing tonight.  We see this in verse 14. Then, they discussed the Holy Scriptures – the Word of God – together, as we are doing right now. Read verses 15-20. Then they established their leadership, as we have done. Let’s see how they did this in verses 21-26. And one more thing they did – which is of the utmost importance – they confirmed the message they were sent to preach. Read verses 21 and 22 again. The apostle they will select to take the place of Judas must be someone who was a witness to all Jesus did in his life, death, resurrection, and ascension. This was essential. Because they knew that the message they were being sent to preach, the message Jesus was sending them to proclaim to the world, the message that would bring peace between men and God was not a message about rules, regulations, and how to live a moral life, it was not about signs or wonders, it was the message about who Jesus is and what Jesus did. The world would be restored, the Kingdom of God would come, through the gospel message – the message that Jesus Christ has lived the perfect life we cannot live, he has died the death we should have died, he has received the judgment we deserve to receive, and he has risen from the dead achieving victory for us over sin, and death, and evil. This is the message Jesus was sending them to be witnesses of. And this is why they had to select leaders who were witnesses of these glorious things. And yet even as they witnessed these things they were still inadequate witnesses. Remember, these men have largely shown themselves to be cowards. They have shown time and again that they still have a lot to learn. And we’re told in verse 15 that there were only about 120 of them. 120 people. Jesus enlisted 120 people to change the whole world? Jesus enlisted these 120 people to bring in the reign of God? Jesus enlisted these 120 average people to proclaim the message of how human beings can be reconciled to God and each other?      

Interview – Cole Brown an Unlikely Witness
In all honesty, on nearly every level, this makes no sense. Surely, Jesus could have chosen more people! Surely, Jesus could have chosen braver people! Surely, Jesus could have chosen smarter people! Surely, Jesus could have chosen more qualified people. But he didn’t. He chose these unlikely witnesses to carry the most important message in the history of the universe. By every possible human standard their mission should have failed. But it didn’t. Two thousand years later, and 7,000 miles away, you and I are sitting here celebrating the person and work of Jesus because of these initial 120 very unlikely witnesses. And I am standing here because God sent to me another very unlikely witness. I was 21 years old. I was living my dream working in the music industry for the very label and very producer I had always dreamt of working with. As far as I was aware I was totally content. I was a heathen, who had no particular use for God, and I was a hedonist, whose greatest pleasure was in pursuing my own pleasure. And then one of the artists on the label came to me and told me this story about Jesus Christ. To be honest I really didn’t have a clue who Jesus was. Oh, of course, I heard the name and I knew he had something to do with Christianity and Christmas. But I had no idea who he claimed to be. And I was even less aware of what he claimed to do. As this man witnessed to me about who Jesus was and what Jesus did I found myself drawn to this Jesus for the first time in my life. Over the coming weeks and months he would continue to bear witness to this Jesus. And eventually, somehow, I would believe. And then, assured that I had been reconciled to God, the course of my life changed completely and changed forever. And all of this came through this man who witnessed to me about Jesus. But, looking back, this man was a seriously unlikely witness. He was arrogant. He was selfish. He was a known liar. A cheater. He didn’t really understand all of the intricacies and implications of the gospel. He had a drug problem. And some speculated that he had some mental issues as well. He was the kind of guy I wouldn’t even trust to change my oil. And yet Jesus chose him to be his witness. Jesus chose to send him to me. Jesus chose for me to hear about him for the first time – at age 21 – through the lips of this unlikely and undeserving witness. And thank God. Thank God that he did that. Thank God that he chose to use that young man in spite of all the things that could have disqualified him. Thank God that he used the imperfect words of an imperfect witness to save me, to rescue me, to show me himself. 

You – An Unlikely Witness
So how does this happen? Why does this happen? How and why did God choose to save me through the words of a man I would never choose to represent me? How and why did God choose to save the world through the words of 120 average Jewish cowards? How did this message spread throughout the globe and literally change the world forever through the unlikely witness of Luke, and the Apostles, and the borderline crazy kid who shared Jesus with me? The answer is right here in this chapter. The answer is in verse 8. “You will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you; and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.” Jesus has chosen to use unlikely witnesses, and inadequate witnesses, because Jesus has not left these witnesses to their own knowledge, or wisdom, or power. Jesus has filled his witnesses with the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit is none other than the living God. God the Holy Spirit has existed eternally in perfect fellowship with God the Father and God the Son. And now, Jesus says to his apostles, this same Holy Spirit will fill and empower YOU! This is how those who were afraid to speak now spoke boldly. This is how those who were afraid to die were now able to look death right in his eyes. This is how a small group of Jewish people took the message of God’s love to the ends of the earth. This is how a man that I would have never listened to was able to persuade me to stop worshiping myself and start worshiping Jesus Christ. And this is how you will do all of the same things. You! If your faith is in Jesus he has chosen you to be his unlikely witness in this city at this time. If your faith is in Jesus he has filled you with his Holy Spirit so that you have the same power that was active in his ministry and in the ministry of his first apostles!

Think about this with me. If you are a Christian Jesus Christ has done everything that is necessary to reconcile you to God. You were at odds with God. You were his enemy. You denied him and gave your trust, and your love, and your worship to other people and other things. You rejected him and looked to other people and things to give you security, and comfort, and peace. You turned your back on the God who gave you life and who sustained you by your every breath. And this God rescued you. While you were still his enemy he sent his Son, Jesus, to bring you into a right relationship with him. Jesus lived perfectly because you didn’t. Jesus died under God’s wrath so that you won’t. Jesus rose from the dead so that you could live forever in perfect harmony with the Creator and with all of creation. Jesus did this for you! Jesus gave up his glory and gave up his life and experienced Hell for you! And he has made it so that you – you, who deserve to be eternally separated from God – you now not only have peace with God because of Jesus but you have the Spirit of the living God dwelling within you! The God who should be forever removed from you has made his home in you because of Jesus’ work! That alone should drive you to your face in humility and awestruck worship! But that is not the end of the story! Jesus has taken you – his former enemy – and he has trusted you with the most wondrous work. He has sent you – his former enemy – to his enemies to offer them the same peace he has given you. He hasn’t just rescued you he has allowed you to play a role in rescuing others.  You! And that should not only drive us to our face in humility and awestruck worship – it should move us to obey him by witnessing to others about who he is and what he has done.

But wait, you say, I’m afraid. Of course you are! But you are filled with the Holy Spirit and he is not afraid. But wait, you say, I’m weak. Of course you are! But you are filled with the Holy Spirit and he is not weak. But wait, you say, I’m still battling sin myself. Of course you are! But you are filled with the Holy Spirit and he is perfect in righteousness! But wait, you say, my relationship with God doesn’t even feel all that strong. Okay. But you are filled with the Holy Spirit who is God himself and who is eternally united to the Father and the Son! But wait, you say, I don’t know what to say. Yes, you do. All you need to know is who Jesus is and what Jesus has done. And you are filled with the Holy Spirit whose very job it is to testify about Jesus to you and through you. But wait, you say, I’m not even a Christian. Okay. But maybe today the Holy Spirit is using me as that unlikely witness in your life. And maybe today Jesus is calling you to become one of his unlikely witnesses. You say you’ve never been attracted to Christianity. You say you would never want to become a Christian. Join the club. We did not begin to worship Jesus because that’s the first thing we wanted to do with our life. We began to worship Jesus because the Holy Spirit preached to us, revealed the truth to us, and irresistibly drew us to the loving arms of Jesus Christ. I pray he is doing the same for you right now.   

I also pray that every one of us in this room will respond to this commission. That we will not take this lightly. That we will not allow the mission Jesus has given to his Church to become a secondary concern. That we will not become so pre-occupied with being Christians and living the Christian life that we forget that we are not just called to believe this message we are commanded to speak this message, and speak this message, and speak this message, and speak his message, and speak his message. This is the last thing Jesus said to his people before he ascended into heaven. His last instructions to us were not about where we should go to church, or who we should marry, or what we should do for a living. His last instruction to us was for us to tell people about him. To tell people about him. And we have no excuse for not doing so. Because he has not left us to our own devices. He has filled us with the Holy Spirit and given us the power to be speak clearly and boldly. Two thousand years ago 120 obeyed Jesus’ instructions and changed the entire world forever. If 120 could change the world certainly the 30 of us can change Portland. If we submit to he Father, trust in Jesus, and speak in the power of the Holy Spirit. What are we waiting for?