Sermon Cloud

            The last words of great leaders are of major significance.  The last words Jesus speaks in the book of Matthew, one of the 4 books in the bible about Jesus, are so significant that we're spending three weeks studying them.  Matthew 28:16-20  As we read, I'm going to be providing some running commentary.  And there is no way to turn this feature off, like on a DVD. 

            16 - the 11 - Something is wrong here.  Up until now, anytime we've read about the disciples been "the 12."  But one of them was gone.  This is like a BB team with just 4 guys on the court.  Judas hung himself after betraying Jesus.  12 is complete, 11 is limping along.  We can all tell stories of Christian leaders that have blown it, affairs, embezzling funds, but their actions doesn't invalidate the message of Jesus.  Jesus doesn't just give up on the 11.

             disciples - This doesn't say "Jesus told his all-stars.  He told his disciples.  At least some of these guys weren't exactly the sharpest bulbs in the tanning bed.  But Jesus chose them anyway.  Which is good news for those of you that are just average (not me). 

            17 - doubted/ worshipped - isn't amazing that this little detail, "but some of them doubted" is included in this story?  The bible is a very real to life book.  The people in the bible weren't super human, they had the same doubts as you and me.  Some of you showed up this morning with your own doubts, not sure about this God and church "thing,"  It's okay, there are room for your doubts.  Despite their doubts, they still worshipped.  The question isn't whether we'll have doubts, the question is whether we'll give our lives to God despite our doubts! 

            Vs 18 - Jesus came Jesus didn't move away from the doubters, he moved toward them.  They were there on the mountain, trying to believe, even though it may have been tough for them.  "It was easy for those guys, they saw Jesus."  What do you think is more difficult, believing in someone we've never seen or watching your friend get crucified and then seeing him standing before you.  Would you believe your eyes?  Either way, it's hard, which is why we call it faith.

            all authority - just let that sink in, Jesus is the MAN!  He's in charge of it all.  Nowhere you could go and be outside of Jesus' jurisdiction.  Nothing you could ever face is stronger than the one who conquered death. 

            Vs. 19, therefore, go - so we don't just sit on our butts and be impressed by Jesus' power.  His power motivates us to share his message with others.  Don't just sit there, move out!

            all the nations - at least Jesus didn't say the entire world.  He was serious here.  "I want my message shared with the ENTIRE WORLD!"

             F/S/HS - this is what we call the Trinity.  God is one, but God is 3, but God is one. (?) We're going to talk about this next Sunday. 

            Vs. 20 - all the commands, The greek reads, panta hosa.  Panty hose?  we're all about following the teachings of Jesus.  Because it's the best way to live.  The dude who created us, knows what he's talking about. 

            end of the age - this is the good news.  There is no aspect of the Christian life that we have to do alone.  I will be with you. 

            Now I'm going to turn off the commentary and we'll read through it one more time.  This time, pay attention to all the "alls." Matthew 28:16-20

             There was a scholar named Adolf Hornack (he must be old, I'm guessing there aren't a lot of people named Adolf anymore, went the way of the Hitler mustache), he called what we just read Jesus' manifesto.  He said the author who recorded Jesus' words obviously had the highest possible impression of Jesus' greatness, his future and his person.  "One cannot say anything greater or more in 40 words."  Powerful, powerful last words. 

            But if you really think about it, just a bit overwhelming.  Jesus is giving orders to 11 guys who just a few weeks earlier, completely wussed out while Jesus was being crucified, they ran for cover.  Peter denied even knowing Jesus to a slave girl.  Again, not necessarily first-stringers.  "You are going to take my message all over the world."    

            Impossible.  It wasn't going to happen.  How's the JV going to win the Super Bowl?  How's the understudy going to win the Oscar?  Following me?  These guys didn't have it in them.

            So, they needed something.  Something beyond themselves.  A strength that wasn't already in them.  But what was it...?  Play Home Improvement theme song 

            Surely you remember Tim the Toolman Taylor, from that great sitcom Home Improvement?  Tim always wanted one thing.  And his audience always helped him with it?  Remember, it was MORE POWER!!!  Whether is was putting dual exhaust and a V-6 on his riding mower or supping-up his table saw so it could cut through concrete, the factory specs just were never enough for Tim.  He always needed MORE POWER!!! 

            That's exactly what the disciples needed.  They didn't have it in them, the factory specs just weren't enough.  And Jesus knew they didn't have it in them.  Which is why in another part of the bible, we read that Jesus told his disciples, "I'm giving you this mission, but you need to be patient.  After I ascend - wait.  When the time is right, I will send the Holy Spirit to you and the Spirit will give you MORE POWER!"  I'm pretty sure Jesus left off the grunts.  Acts 1:1-9 

            Began - very important word here.  Acts is the sequel to the book of Luke.  Luke tells about the things Jesus began to do, Acts tells the things Jesus continued to do.  But the key difference being in Luke it was Jesus' own physical body, in Acts it's Jesus working through the bodies of his followers, as we discussed last week. 

            I'm task-oriented and I hate to wait.  If I were the disciples, I would've wanted to get in the first camel-train out of town, because I've got people to tell.  When Jesus said, "wait and pray" they were probably thinking, "but we've got work do to."  But prayer was their work.  They weren't going to be able to accomplish anything without spending time in prayer.  But that was them, it has no connection with us today, right?  We don't really need prayer. 

            The disciples obeyed Jesus, they spent several days huddled together in prayer.  And then this happened.  Acts 2:1-4 

            Pentecost - Penta means what - 50.  This was a Jewish feast held 50 days after the Jewish Passover.  Which is actually today, the day of Pentecost. 

            Maybe Jesus was giving a Tim Allen grunt at this point.  You want power, I'll give you power.  Power exploded among these first Christ-followers as the Holy Spirit burst into their lives. 

            If you haven't been around church much, you may hear that title, "Holy Spirit" and think "what in the world?"  The cliff notes version is this.  God is three persons, but one being.  God the Father, God the Son and God the Holy Spirit.  We'll be going into more detail next Sunday.  The Holy Spirit is a part of God.  There are 3 symbols used in this passage that give us insight into the role of the Holy Spirit; fire, wind and languages.  What's represented by these symbols is exactly what will be happening in our lives when we have MORE POWER! 

            Languages - Because Pentecost was such a big deal, there were Jewish people from all over the world gathered in Jerusalem.  You can read the list of languages, this list is meant to represent the four corners of a map.  What's happening here is that people who speak different languages, from different parts of the world, are able to understand the disciples' message about Jesus.  The Holy Spirit helps us communicate Jesus in way that makes sense.  We don't need a seminary degree, but we do need MORE POWER! 

            There's a wonderful example right here in our own church.  Some of you are aware that Emily Crow and my wife Erin have been on an incredible journey together.  Erin has bee walking with Emily as Emily has taken some huge spiritual steps.  Which means hours of conversation.  And what's amazing is that Emily will tell you, Erin will know just what to say at just the right time.  And Erin will say, "I don't know where it came from."  That's the Holy Spirit; knowing what's going on in Emily's life and giving Erin the right words. 

            Talking about God does not mean you have to sound like the teacher in Peanuts.  Neither does it mean you have to use big smart-sounding words.  We see it right here, everyday, common language that people understand. 

            Wind - Wind is a symbol for MORE POWER!  This time of year, we know all too well the power of wind.  As I was saying earlier, these first disciples didn't have it in them to tell others about Jesus.  They needed the kick in the butt and the boldness that comes from the Holy Spirit. 

            The perfect example is Peter.  Weeks earlier, he denied knowing Jesus to a slave girl.  On the day of Pentecost, he gets up and gives a ballsy message about Jesus.  Knowing that those who killed Jesus were listening to him, wanting to do the same to him (which eventually happened).  But Peter has the courage to get in their face and say "turn from your sin and follow Jesus."  Peter was preaching to thousands of people.  Power and courage, it comes from the Holy Spirit. 

            Marty and Lindsay's story  It's my job to talk about Jesus, but that doesn't mean it's easy.  Every day, I'm depended upon the boldness of the Holy Spirit.

            Fire - The fire represents purity.  Like the fires used to refine precious metals.  If this story had been written today, rather than using fire, the author might have used another example, like fuel injector cleaner.  There's gunk in your engine that chokes your cars' power.  This stuff flushes it out.  There's gunk in our life that keeps us from living the type of life God created us to live.  That gunk is called sin.  You want to love your wife, but the same stuff keeps popping up and it hurts your relationship.  You want to be a good example for your kids, but there are some destructive patterns you just can't break.  Sin clogs your life.  Sin keeps you from being who God created you to be.  When we decide to live for God, the Holy Spirit starts working in our lives.  Pointing out the sin that's clogging us up and if we give God permission, the Spirit purifies us of that sin.  And when we begin living the way God wants us to live, we find that things go a lot smoother. 

            Language, power, purity - that's what the Holy Spirit does in our lives.  Some of you are thinking, "I need that.  I need the courage to talk to my friends about Jesus.  Or I need the purity to live life the way it was meant to be lived.  Something's gotta change in my life."

            If you're thinking that way, I want to share the last part of Peter's message.  Acts 2:36-38  Before we can start living with the power and purity God wants for us, we must decide to turn from a life lived on our own terms and say, "God, I'm willing to follow you."  That's the first step toward the life God wants for you.  We're going to pray together, you can take that step.  If you're not ready for that step yet, that's okay.  We don't pressure people.  But even if you're not yet convinced, I'd encourage you to stick around.  God is doing great stuff in this church and if you hang out a bit, you're sure to encounter the presence of God. 

            Some of you have made that decision, but you haven't had the opportunity to lead other people toward Jesus.  We see what to do in the example of the disciples; prayer.  "God, fill me with your Spirit.  I want to be Jesus' body to those around me." 

            Together as a church, we're going to take a few moments to pray.  If you haven't spent much time in prayer, this may feel a little awkward but you may be surprised.  You'll have a few different ways to pray.  If you're not sure what words to use, we'll have two prayers on the screen.  One is a short prayer, one you repeat over and over.  Then we'll put up a traditional prayer Christians have been praying for centuries. 

            Or, you could ignore those prayers and pray on your own, whatever you want to lift to God. 

            You could also have someone pray for you.  We have two guys here, Ben and Josh, who are both licensed as pastors in our church.  They have bottles of cooking oil.  Oil is used in the church to represent the Holy Spirit.  They'll put a drop of oil on your forehead and pray for you.  Maybe you need to get some gunk out of your life.  Maybe you need some power.  Maybe you're facing a big decision.  If it's private, you don't have to share.  They'll place a drop of oil on your forehead and pray for you. 

            We'll spend 3 minutes in prayer, then the band will lead us in some more songs.
            David, put up this prayer for the first minute and a half - "Holy Spirit, breath of the Living God, renew me and your entire world."  Then put up the attached prayer.

            prayer , music

            The events of the first Pentecost were amazing.  But the best part was the lasting change that happened in the lives of the first Christ-followers.  They didn't just get excited for awhile and then it fizzled out.  Their lives, their relationship were forever changed.  Listen to this description from the end of chapter 2, Acts 2:42-47. 

            Christianity was growing because other people have never seen a group of people living so different than everyone else.  The things these first Christ-followers were committed to are the same things we're committed to.  The 5  I won't go through it one by one, but you can see each one of these things we're committed to being lived out by the first church. 

            We can only live this way through the power of the Holy Spirit.  And was we live it out, not only are we changed, but the world around us is changed as well. 

            Blessing

            So here's what I want you to do.  May you be people who live with the language, the power and the purity of the Holy Spirit.  May your world be changed because of your commitment to Jesus.  Go live for Jesus.  Go change your world.