Greg Laurie - The Grand Finale (09/22/2017)
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In this final message of the "God Came Near" series, Pastor Greg Laurie examines Jesus' post-resurrection appearances to Thomas the skeptic and Peter the failure, before delivering the Great Commission to all believers. The sermon shows how Jesus meets us personally in our doubts and failures, forgives, restores, and commands us to go make disciples, concluding with an urgent call to commitment as we await His return.
Jesus Meets the Skeptic: Thomas's Encounter
The title of my message today is "The Grand Finale". Let's pray together. Father, we ask now for your blessing on this time as we open your word and learn more about Jesus. We pray that we'll gain a greater insight into who he is and what he wants each of us to do. So speak to us from your word. In Jesus' name we pray. Amen.
Well, as I said, this is the final message in the God Came Near series. And this has been a chronological look at the life of Christ from all four Gospels. We have followed Jesus from his birth, through his life, his teachings, his ministry, his death, his resurrection. And now we will look also at his ascension.
We've looked at Christ from four different angles. Each Gospel author brings a different perspective on the life and ministry of Jesus. It's sort of like Jesus in Quadraphonic. Now, if we had gone in depth, we would have been in this series for 25 years. But instead, we were in it for two years because it's been sort of a flyover of his ministry.
And I've called this series, God Came Near. And that's exactly what happened when Christ came. You will call his name Emmanuel, the Bible says. A verse often quoted in the Christmas season. Which means, God is with us. We wonder, what is God like? The answer is, take one look at Jesus, and you have the answer. God became a man. He walked in our shoes. He breathed our air. He lived our life. Then he died our death. Indeed, God came near.
In Jesus, God spilled himself out in language that everyone can understand. Jesus was God with skin on. Now, in this final message in this series, we're going to look at three vignettes from Scripture. Each one of them shows an appearance of Christ after his resurrection. And we're also going to look at his closing words to his disciples and really, in effect, to us.
Now, you may relate to one of these people we're going to look at. Number one, it will be Jesus and the skeptic. Then it will be Jesus and the failure. And finally, Jesus and you.
How Jesus Reaches Every Individual
We're going to start with Jesus and the skeptic. We're going to look here in John chapter 20. Turn there, by the way. As well as Matthew 28, if I didn't say that already. And this is the appearance that Christ made. A custom appearance, if you will, for Thomas.
You know, I've always been impressed with the fact how Jesus dealt with individuals. We have many accounts in Scripture, of course, where he spoke to the multitudes and gave great messages to them. But I've always been moved by his interaction with individual people, meeting people where they are, lovingly reaching out.
There's Jesus and Nicodemus. Jesus and the woman at the well. Jesus and Zacchaeus. Jesus and the rich young ruler. And now, Jesus and Thomas. And this is a reminder that God always reaches us where we are. God always reaches us where we are.
Psalm 18:26 says, To the faithful, speaking of God, you show yourself faithful. To those with integrity, you show integrity. To the pure, you show yourself pure. But to the crooked, you show yourself true. It's an interesting verse. To each individual, God makes himself known.
It can be a little child. It can be a man or a woman with a towering intellect. It can be someone who is down and out. It can be someone who is incredibly successful. Just last Thanksgiving, or just a few days ago, I should say, I was in Skid Row preaching on the 70th anniversary of the Fred Jordan mission that was started by my uncle Fred Jordan. And has been run faithfully by my aunt, Willie Jordan.
Willie, to me, is like a modern-day Mother Teresa down there for just generations, bringing the gospel to folks who are in need. And one of the things I thought of when I was there, I mean, we're not that far from Rodeo Drive, and I thought, you may be on Rodeo Drive, which is an exclusive shopping street in Beverly Hills, or you may be on Skid Row, but the bottom line is, everybody needs Jesus.
And Jesus makes himself known to every person, no matter where they are in life. Jesus will always reveal himself to the true seeker.
Doubting Thomas Becomes a Believer
So when someone says, well, I'm a seeker of truth, here's my response. If I present the gospel to them, and they reject it, and reject Christ for their life, I do not believe they're a seeker. You say, well, how do you know? Because God says those that seek me will find me.
God will reveal himself to the true seeker. God is more willing to talk to you than you are willing to listen. God does not play hide and seek. Jesus revealed himself to people. Now, to those that really wanted to know him, he revealed himself. To those who really did not want to know him, he concealed himself.
You say, well, that doesn't make any sense. Well, hold on. Remember Jesus and the wicked, twisted King Herod? He was brought into his presence, and Herod never heard Christ speak a single word. Because Herod didn't really want to know Jesus. He had no interest in spiritual things. So Jesus, in effect, did not waste his time on the wicked king.
But to Pilate, also a godless man, a Roman ruler, a governor, Jesus interacted with him. And Jesus revealed himself to that man. But we don't know that Pilate ever believed. But the point was, God will reveal himself to the true seeker.
Well, as our story begins, Jesus has made many appearances now after his resurrection. And one was in the upper room where the disciples were gathered. And he breathed on them the Holy Spirit. Well, guess who was in there? Thomas. Thomas.
So the next day they said, hey, Thomas, should have come to the Bible study last night. Uh, why? I'm just kind of down and discouraged since Jesus died. Well, guess who showed up? Who? Jesus. Oh, yeah. I'll believe that. When I can put my hand in his side and touch the wounds in his hand.
So, eight days later, they got together. And guess who showed up? Oh, Thomas. He was there this time. And guess who else showed up? Again, Jesus. And that's where our story picks up.
John chapter 20, verse 24-29. After eight days, his disciples were again inside. And Thomas was with them. Jesus came, the doors being shut, and stood in the midst and said, Peace to you. Then he said to Thomas, Reach your finger here and look at my hands. Reach your hand here and put it into my side. Don't be unbelieving, but believing.
And Thomas answered and said, My Lord and my God. Poor old Thomas. You know, he has this nickname, Doubting Thomas. I don't know if that's really the best description. I would think of him more as skeptical Thomas.
He did not ask for anything other than what the others had also seen. He didn't ask for a special revelation. He simply asked for the same proof. And he got it when he gathered with other believers.
The Power of Gathering in Church
And let me emphasize, we miss a lot when we're not in church. Because when we gather together for worship and for prayer and for learning from Scripture, we get perspective.
The Bible tells the story of King Asaph, who was grappling with doubt like Thomas. He was wrestling with the age-old question, why do the wicked prosper? Or another way to put it, why do bad things happen to good people? And maybe even more inexplicably, why do good things happen to bad people?
How is it that someone can blatantly break the commandments of God and seemingly get away with it year after year, decade after decade? How does that work out? So he's wrestling with this question. And then he received perspective when he got with God's people in the house of God.
Psalm 73:16-17, he writes, When I tried to understand this, it was oppressive to me till I entered the sanctuary of God. Then I understood their final destiny.
You know, sometimes you come to church, and frankly, we weren't really that much in the mood to go to church that day. And we're not really in the mood, if you will, to worship that day. But we come, and as we begin to honor the Lord, suddenly everything changes because we're getting a different perspective.
Sometimes we can come to church with big problems, right? Some of you have come here today with big problems. You're having problems with your family. Because Thanksgiving just happened, and you were stuck with them in a room for a prolonged period of time. You're having problems with your family. You're having problems with your finances. You're having problems with your health. Not to even mention the problems in the world. You have big problems.
But sometimes when we worship and hear God's word, our problems come into perspective because one of the reasons we often have big problems is because we have a small God. But if we have a big God, we see our problems in the proper light. Big God, small problems. Big problems, small God.
So it's when I worshiped with God's people, Asaph writes, that I got perspective. And Thomas now was with the people of God.
The Importance of Family Church Attendance
You know, I wish we would think more about how important it is for us to be in fellowship regularly. Not only for ourselves, but really, especially for our children. I wish more parents would think about the kind of example they pass down when they blow off church and only go when they're in the mood or when it's convenient. And that kind of impact it has on their little ones.
A study disclosed that if mom and dad attend church regularly, 72% of their children will also be faithful in attendance. Listen to this. If only dad attends regularly, 55% of the children will remain faithful. If only mom attends regularly, only 14% remain faithful. And if neither attend regularly, only 6% remain faithful.
Isn't that interesting? Did you notice how much higher it was if a dad attends? Sorry, moms, not to denigrate you in any way. But it shows the need for male leadership in the home. It shows the importance of a man leading his family.
Now, some of you girls might say, well, Greg, my husband, you know, he's a Christian, but he just doesn't like to go to church. And he's sort of nominal in his commitment. He doesn't want me to go to church either. He wants me to stay home and watch football games with him on Sunday. What do you think I should do? Submit to him?
Can I offer you a word of advice? Say, honey, enjoy your football game. The kids and I are going to church. Okay? Now, listen. Don't do it in a mean way. Feed him and he'll be much happier. Make him a nice breakfast. What do you want today? Pancakes? You got it. Bacon? Here you go. Eggs? Oatmeal? Tofu? Whatever he's into. Here's your meal. Enjoy it, honey. Have a great morning. And we'll see you after church and we'll go out to lunch. You know?
You say, well, no, Greg, you shouldn't do that. No, you should do that. Because, number one, ladies, you need to be in church. Number two, your kids need to be in church. Okay? So, go ahead and make a stand for what is right.
And maybe while your husband is sitting in his big, fat chair on his big, fat pillow, he might think, I'm a big, fat loser. And I should be in church with my family.
So, you know like when you're in the airplane and you're getting ready to take off and they're going through their little routine and they tell you about those oxygen masks? Have you ever noticed they always say, if there is a loss of cabin pressure, if you're with a child, put the mask on yourself first and then on the child?
That almost doesn't make sense. No, the child, get it on the child first. No, get it on yourself first. Why? Because you need the presence of mind to now help the child. So, first you need oxygen, now get oxygen to the little one.
And in the same way, if you're going to help your children, you need to be the example, setting the pace, showing how important it is. Men, I'm talking to you. So, you be the leaders in the home. But if they won't be, ladies, then you're going to have to pick up the slack there and you make that stand.
Well, Thomas found what he needed when he was gathered together with the people of God. Now, when he sees Jesus, he doesn't need any more proof. He just looks at him and falls down on the ground and says, My Lord and my God.
That was more than enough for Thomas. His skepticism gave way to belief. He saw Jesus was real. Maybe you've come here today as a skeptic, but you can leave as a believer like Thomas.
Jesus Restores the Failure: Peter by the Sea
Now, we come to Jesus and the failure. Vignette number two. Jesus and the failure. I'm talking about Simon Peter.
Now, remember, Peter denied the Lord three times, and he didn't just deny him. He took an oath. On his third denial, he in effect said, I swear to God, I never knew Jesus. That's what it meant when the scripture says, he cursed and swore. It doesn't mean he used profanity. It means he took an oath saying he swears to God.
And after he made that statement, he made momentary eye contact with Christ. Can you imagine that? Looking into the face of Jesus after you just said, I swear to God, I never knew Jesus. And then, of course, the rooster crowed for the last time, and Peter was absolutely devastated.
After Jesus is risen, what is the message that goes on? Jesus is risen. Go tell the disciples and who? Who knows? Come on, Bible students. That's right, and Peter.
The message was not, go tell the disciples and Thomas, or go tell the disciples and Mary, or go tell the disciples and Matthew. No, it was, go tell the disciples and Peter. Why? Because Peter needed help. Peter was down. Peter had messed up. And so there was a special message.
Now, we don't know when this happened, but we know there was an appearance of Christ to Peter before the one we're going to read about in a moment, where the Lord forgave Peter of his sin. Because the scripture says, actually, that he appeared to Simon in Luke 24:34.
So Peter was forgiven. But I think Peter in his mind thought, God, I'm forgiven. I accept that. But God would never use me again. I could never be a leader. I could never speak for God in any way, shape, or form.
So Peter just went back to doing what he knew best, fishing. Have you ever wanted to just hang a sign on the door of your office, gone fishing? Just get away from it all? That's what Peter did.
He said, look, I'm useless to God now, but I do know how to catch fish. So he said, I'm going fishing. The other disciples said, we'll go with you. Peter was a leader.
Now he's out there in the Sea of Galilee, bobbing around on his boat, and he didn't catch anything. And it's morning, and the sun is still rising, so it's still dark out, and there's a silhouetted figure on the shore that calls out, Boys, did you catch anything?
I wonder how they reacted. Who's this guy calling us boys? We're full-grown adult men. He's calling us boys. Boys, did you catch anything? No, they reply.
And why don't you throw your net on the other side of the boat, and you'll find a lot of fish. They do it. Of course, there were so many fish, it overflowed the net.
John, a perceptive one spiritually, said, It's the Lord. And they came into the shore now, and here, and the glow of a fire that Christ himself had made with breakfast cooking. They're going to have breakfast with Jesus. That's John 21.
Breakfast with Jesus and Restoration
And we're starting in verse 12. Now come and have some breakfast, Jesus said. Verse 12. None of the disciples dared ask him, who are you, knowing it was the Lord. And Jesus served them bread and fish.
This was the third time Jesus had appeared to his disciples since he had been raised from the dead. After breakfast, Jesus asked Simon Peter, Simon, son of John, do you love me more than these? Underline that phrase more than these?
Yes Lord, Peter replied, you know I love you. Then feed my lambs, Jesus told him. Jesus repeated the question, Simon, son of John, do you love me? Peter said, yes Lord, you know I love you. Jesus said, okay, then take care of my sheep.
A third time he asked him, Simon, son of John, do you love me? Listen to this. Peter was hurt and he asked the question a third time. He said, Lord, you know everything. You know that I love you. Jesus said, then feed my sheep.
I love this. Breakfast with Jesus. How good would that be? You know, breakfast is my favorite meal of the day. Second only to lunch and dinner. But I love breakfast.
I don't know about you, but I wake up hungry in the morning. How many of you wake up hungry? My wife, she's not hungry until like 11. Sometimes she'll say, I think I forgot to eat lunch. I mean, I don't even, I can't even wrap my mind around the concept of forgetting to eat lunch. But she's not hungry in the morning, but I love breakfast.
And here they are coming in from fishing. And there's Jesus making them breakfast. And he has a question. And remember, he called out to them in verse 5, do you have any food? Really, in a way, he was almost asking them to admit their failure.
Do you know that God likes to ask questions? Remember when Adam and Eve sinned in the garden after they ate the forbidden fruit? They heard the voice of the Lord God walking in the garden in the cool of the day. And God was asking, Adam, where are you?
And then the Lord goes on to ask the question, what is this that you have done? Now, did God ask that because he was oblivious to the whereabouts of Adam? Of course not.
That's like when I play hide and seek with my grandkids. I always know where they are. They go to the same hiding places probably when I showed them already. They're not good at hiding.
But God was not looking for Adam as in he didn't know his whereabouts. He was wanting Adam to come clean. Adam, where are you? In other words, hey, how's it going, Adam? How did eating of that forbidden fruit work out for you?
He wanted Adam to say, God, I'm hiding because I sinned and I messed up. And said, Adam says, it's not my fault. It's the woman you gave me. See, God wants us to admit our failure.
God wants us to admit when we have done wrong or when we have been wrong. We have the story of the prophet Elijah. We think of him courageously standing on Mount Carmel, taking on the prophets of Baal, calling down fire from heaven. What an epic moment.
But then Queen Jezebel puts a contract out on Elijah. She wants him whacked effectively. And he goes into hiding and he's in a little cave and the Lord comes to him in the cave and says, Elijah, what are you doing here? Hey, buddy, what's going on? Why are you hiding right now?
God asked questions so we will admit our failure. And that's what Peter needed to do.
The Great Commission: Jesus and You
So here's Peter now. He comes into the shore. He looks at Jesus in the fire, looks at the face of our Lord and the glow of the fire. And he was probably really uncomfortable. This was awkward. He didn't know what to say.
Maybe there was a bit of a flashback, a little deja vu. Let's see, where did I see Jesus last in the glow of a fire? Right, I remember when I denied him in the courtyard of Caiaphas.
Probably one of those moments where he'd look up and Jesus would look up and he'd look away. Then he'd look back and now our Lord breaks the silence and he asks this question.
Simon, son of John, do you love me more than these? Notice he says, Simon, son of John. He doesn't call him Peter. Simon's given name was Simon. He was a son of John.
Now, Jesus gave him the new name of Peter. Notice Jesus doesn't say Peter. He says Simon. Because sometimes he acted like a Simon and sometimes he acted like a Simon Peter.
Sometimes he acted like that waffling personality he could be and other times he acted like the rock Christ said he was. Sort of like when you get in trouble with your parents and they use your full name.
I remember as a little boy my mom would get mad at me and she'd say. Gregory, idiot Laurie, come here. That's my middle name, by the way. I made that up. It's not true. But you know how your full name is used. Oh, now you're in trouble. Your full name is being used.
Jesus is Simon, son of John. Do you love me more than these? Notice it's that phrase. He only used that once, by the way. Do you love me more than these? Not just do you love me, but do you love me more than the others?
Remember, it was Simon that boasted in the upper room, though all deny you, I will never deny you. All right, Simon. How did that work out? Do you still love me more than these?
Simon just said, I love you. No. He'd learned his lesson. He had been humbled. And he had been prepared. He had been deflated. And now Jesus is going to recommission him.
Okay, good. Then go feed my sheep. Then go feed my lambs. Here's the takeaway thought from this vignette. Jesus can use us even when we have failed.
Maybe you've failed in life. Maybe you've messed up. God can forgive you. God can restore you. And God can still use you.
Now we come to our final vignette in our story. This is Jesus and you. Jesus and you. We've looked at Jesus and the skeptical Thomas. We've looked at Jesus and the failure Peter. Now we're going to look at Jesus and you.
This is the final commissioning of Jesus before his ascension to heaven. So we follow the Lord from the cradle to the cross, from the cross to the resurrection. And now from the resurrection to his ascension.
So he takes his disciples, the scripture says, to a high mountain. Why do you think he did that? Maybe so they can get the big picture. And now he's going to give to them his last words.
I've always been interested in the last words of people. Words they may have spoken on their deathbed. Words they may have spoken before death came. And they didn't even know these would be their last words.
And here we find the final charge of Christ to his disciples and to us. And we're going to go to a whole different passage. Go to Matthew 28. Matthew 28. And we'll look at verses 16 to 20.
Starting in verse 16. Then the eleven disciples went away into Galilee to the mountain, which Jesus had appointed for them. And when they saw him, they worshiped him. And some doubted.
And Jesus came and spoke to them, saying, All authority has been given to me in heaven and earth. Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all things that I have commanded you. And lo, I am with you, even to the end of the age. Amen.
Now, this is often called the Great Commission, right? But for many, it has become the great omission. Why is it we do not share our faith?
I think there's two answers. One is a fear of failure. Yes, we're afraid that if we tell someone about Jesus, they're going to laugh in our face or walk away or something else will happen. There might even be a physical assault, depending on where you live. But we don't want to take that risk of failing.
But I think for some of us, maybe one of the reasons we don't share our faith more is a fear of success. Because we're afraid if we succeed, we won't know what to do with the person then. Because we know there's a responsibility there.
But listen, here's what you need to know about the Great Commission. Two very important things. Number one, in the original language, it's a command. It's not a suggestion. It's a commission. And it's a command.
Jesus says, go into all the world and make disciples of all nations. The commission of the church is not to wait for the world to show up. The commission of the church is to go to all the world.
As I've said before, Jesus did not say the whole world should go to church. But he did say the church should go to the whole world. So this is a command from Christ himself.
Number two, these words are directed to every follower of Jesus. They're not merely addressed to the original 12. Or to the so-called professionals out there. Those who are pastors or evangelists or missionaries.
No, these words are to every follower of Jesus. They're to every person who names the name of Christ. And that means you. That's why I put this last category under the heading, Jesus and you.
Listen, if I am his disciple, I am commanded to go and make disciples of others. If I'm not making disciples of others, then I'm not being the disciple he wants me to be.
Let me say that again. Listen now. If I am his disciple, I am commanded to go make disciples of others. And if I am not making disciples of others, I am not being the disciple he has commanded me to be.
So here's my question to each of you. Are you doing your part to fulfill the great commission? Are you going into all of your world?
You say, oh yeah, right, Greg. Another message about evangelism. I know that's important to you. Whatever. That's if you're a teenager. Whatever. No, it should be important to everyone.
And here's why. These are the words of Jesus. And he saved them for the end of his earthly ministry. These are his final words to us before he ascended to heaven.
Let me put it another way. This is a big deal to Jesus. Therefore, it should be a big deal to us.
Because the series, as I said, has been called God Came Near. And soon we'll be celebrating his birth in Bethlehem. But why was Jesus born? So we could assault one another in stores on Black Friday? What is with that?
I saw a video a day ago of one of these riots that always break out in these stores. You know, they have a few super special offers. And everyone wants to get those. And there was a lady with her child walking along with a box. And some other woman grabs the box out of the little child's hands. And they're throwing punches. And I'm thinking, it's beginning to look a lot like Christmas. Isn't this beautiful?
And right, this is all to celebrate the birth of Christ, right? So was Jesus born so we could go shopping? Was Jesus born so we could let it snow? No.
God came near to us so we might come near to him. God became a man. So men might become sons of God. The son of God became a man so men might become sons of God. That's what C.S. Lewis said.
So this is something we're all called to do.
Living Out the Great Commission Today
I was interviewed by a website recently called The Blaze. And they actually asked me the question, Why am I ramping up my ministry instead of considering retirement at my age? As many others do.
I'm thinking, what? I'm getting older? Are you serious? Remember when you were young how you looked forward to birthdays? I don't look forward to them anymore. Do you? I'm just glad when they're over.
But my answer was, look. My ministry started with Jesus. And it's going to end with Jesus. Okay? So that's why I do what I do.
But I actually believe this stuff that I preach, as you do. And I really believe I'm commanded by Christ to go into all the world and preach the gospel. I really believe eternity is real. And I really do believe that life is short. And I really do believe that Jesus is coming back.
That's how we're doing Harvest America. I mean, folks, this is a half crazy idea. I hope you know that. It's a little crazy. To go to one of the largest stadiums in the country and do an event on this scale.
Why do it? Could we fail? Yes, we could fail. Could we succeed? Yes, we could succeed. My feeling is, let's go big or stay home. I mean, let's pull out the stops and see what God will do.
Instead of sitting around in complacency, as many do. Let's all do our part to get the gospel out. And so, this is the commission of Christ to do this.
Look at verse 20. Teaching them to observe all things that I have commanded you. You teach it. What does this mean? Okay, understand. Discipling someone. Making a disciple means that you, to the best of your ability, lead a person to Christ.
And you can lead people to Christ. And you should be leading people to Christ. And I believe if you will say, Lord, use me, you will start leading people to Christ.
We way overcomplicate this thing called evangelism. Jesus says, lift up your eyes and look. The fields are white for harvest.
You know, we're saying, I want to be in ministry. Lift up your eyes and look. Ministries everywhere. Opportunities are everywhere.
We're in a restaurant here in Riverside recently, having lunch, the pastors and I. And we have a server, a very friendly lady. We always banter with her a bit and sort of joke around, make our order.
And then she came up to us on this particular day and said, guys, I have a serious question I want to ask you. Okay, go ahead. Sure.
One of your service times, he said, well, they're 8, 10, and 12. And why do you ask? Well, I need to come to church. Well, good. Please come to church.
I need to get right with God. I know I need to do this. And she said, so I'm going to do it on Sunday. I said, no, you are not going to do it on Sunday.
She looked at me like, what? I said, you're going to do it right now, right here. And we're going to pray.
So I know the owner of the restaurant, he's a Christian, so I knew it was okay. She wouldn't get in trouble for this. And so I said, we're going to pray right here. Yeah, right here, right now. Let's pray.
And we prayed. And after we're done praying, she said, I feel happy, you know. Yeah, Christ just came into her life.
Here's my point. There are people that are waiting for someone to be bold enough to say that to them.
Now, I'm not complimenting myself. This was like, if I missed this, I was the biggest idiot of all time. And I have to turn in my evangelist credentials, okay? Anyone would have caught this one, trust me.
But my point is simply this. The opportunities are there. Now, here's our responsibility. We lead them to Christ.
Now we want to get them up on their feet. We want to integrate them into the church. We want to invite them with us. We want to introduce them to our Christian friends. Show them what a Christian looks like.
That is discipleship. And that's what we're commanded to do, to go preach the gospel and make disciples.
The Ascension and Our Mission Until He Returns
One final movement. Do you want to turn to one more verse? Are you tired? Are your fingers tired? Are they okay? Okay.
Turn to Acts chapter 1. This is the final movement of the story. Though it's in Acts, it's really commenting on the resurrection and ascension of Christ.
So here are the disciples talking to Jesus. He's risen. They're thinking it's back to plan A. And in their minds, plan A was Jesus establishes his kingdom on earth. Drives out the Romans, and they rule and reign with him.
That was what they thought he had come to do. He made it very clear he had not come for that purpose. He had come to die on a cross.
So now he's died on a cross, which looked like the biggest failure of all time in their eyes. But now he's risen from the dead. And they're all excited like, now we get it. You're alive again. So now let's get back to plan A.
No, he never came for their plan A. He came for God's plan A. So they ask him the question in Acts chapter 1 verse 6. Lord, will you at this time restore the kingdom to Israel?
In other words, Lord, will you now establish your kingdom on earth? He says, It is not for you to know times or seasons which the Father has put in His own authority.
But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you. And you will be witnesses to Me in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth.
Now when He had spoken these things, while they watched, He was taken up, and a cloud received Him out of their sight.
And while they looked steadfastly toward heaven as He went up, behold, two men stood by them in white apparel, who also said, Men of Galilee, why do you stand gazing up into heaven? This same Jesus, who was taken up from you into heaven, will so come in like manner as you saw Him go into heaven.
We're still asking this question today. Lord, when are you going to come back and establish your kingdom? Lord, do you read the newspapers? Lord, do you follow the news? Do you know what's going on in the world? Do you know how wicked it is? When are you going to come back?
The answer that Christ gave to them, 2,000 years ago, is the same answer he would give to us. Which is, look, don't be so worried about when I'm going to come. Just focus on what you're supposed to be doing while you await my return.
We don't know when Christ will come. Anyone who says they know is wrong. I don't care who they are. Anyone who sets a date is wrong, because no one knows the day or the hour.
However, Jesus said, of the times and seasons you know. So we read the signs of the times unfolding all around us, alerting us to the fact that Christ could come in our lifetime. Christ could come this year, next year, this month, this week, today.
But even if he doesn't come in our lifetime, we're going to spend ourselves in worship and service to him.
So this is what he's saying to these guys. Look, you just get on with what I've called you to do. Don't worry about the time. Just do what I've called you to do.
And that's what we should all take to heart today.
Final Call to Commitment
And I think we need to close with a prayer and ask ourselves the question, Am I being the disciple he's calling me to be? And am I going to making disciples of others? And if not, I want to start today.
Maybe you're skeptical like Thomas. Maybe you've come here with your questions about God. And Jesus wants to make himself known to you.
Maybe you have failed like Peter. You've crashed and burned. You were hoping to do great things for God. And that didn't work out for you. In fact, to the point you even fell into some kind of sin. And you're wondering if God would ever forgive someone like you.
The answer is yes, he will. And he'll do it right now. But remember, we pointed out Jesus was looking for admission. Boys, did you catch anything? Adam, where are you? In other words, God's saying, you need to just say, I need help.
And if you need God's forgiveness today, he'll give it to you. But you must admit your sin and turn from that sin and ask Jesus Christ to forgive you.
Maybe you've never asked Christ to come into your life. You're not sure that your sin is forgiven. You don't have the confidence that you'll go to heaven when you die.
You can say, Lord, forgive me. And he'll do that for you today.
And maybe you're a person who is a Christian. But like Peter, you've sinned against the Lord. Maybe you've even denied the Lord. Lord, he'll forgive you as well. But you must come to him like Peter did and admit your sin.
Let's close in prayer and do that. Father, we've heard your word. Now we want to put it into action. And I pray for anybody here that does not yet know Jesus. Help them, Lord, to see their need for you. Help them to come to you and believe in you today, we pray.
Well, our heads are bowed and our eyes are closed and we're praying together. How many of you would say, Greg, I need Jesus right now. I want to be forgiven of my sin. I want my guilt taken away. I want to go to heaven when I die. Pray for me. I'm ready to say yes to Jesus.
If that's your desire, if you want Christ to come into your life, if you want him to forgive you of your sin, would you raise your hand up wherever you are? Let me just pray for you.
You want his forgiveness today. God bless you. Lift up your hand where I can see it, please. God bless you. God bless you. Anybody else? Raise your hand now. I'll pray for you.
You want Christ to come into your life. Lift your hand up. Let me pray for you. God bless you. Some of you are watching on a screen. I can't see you, but God sees you. Would you raise your hand as well wherever you are, saying, yes, I want Jesus? Jesus.
Anybody else, God bless you. While our heads are still bowed, maybe some of you would say, hey, I'm a lot like Peter. I've failed. I've sinned. I've messed up. And now my life is a mess and I don't know what to do.
Well, you need to come to Jesus and ask him to forgive you like Peter did. If you need to return to the Lord, you need to recommit your life to Christ, would you raise your hand up and let me pray for you right now, wherever you are.
God bless you. Anybody else, God bless you. God bless you. Raise your hand up higher. I can see it, please. God bless each one of you.
Now I'm going to ask every one of you that has raised your hand, if you would, please stand to your feet. And I'm going to lead you in a prayer of commitment or recommitment to Christ.
Just stand up. Every one of you that lifted your hand, or even if you did not raise your hand, but you want to make this commitment or recommitment to Jesus, stand to your feet. We're going to pray together.
Stand up wherever you are. Go ahead. Stand up. Others are standing. You're not alone. You're not the only one, stand up to your feet.
You watching the screen, stand to your feet. We're going to pray this prayer together. Anybody else, stand up now. God bless you that are standing. Anybody else, stand now. I'll wait one more moment. Stand now.
You need to make this commitment, a recommitment to Christ. God bless each one of you.
Now pray this prayer out loud right where you're standing. Again, as I pray, pray this prayer out loud after me right where you are. Pray this after me.
Lord Jesus, I know that I'm a sinner, but I know that you're the Savior who died on the cross and rose again from the dead. Now come into my life. I choose to follow you, Jesus, from this moment forward. Thank you for loving me and forgiving me. In Jesus' name I pray. Amen.