Motivators for Christian Living | Power Today - #3 | John Lindell

[Music] the last couple of weeks we've been looking at acts chapter 1 and verse 8 and this morning i want to talk to you about motivators for christian living motivators for christian living in acts we learn how the first christians lived the very title of the book is the acts of the apostles it's an account of what the apostles did of what the apostles said we've been talking about power about that mighty power it tells us how they did what they did in acts chapter 1 and verse 8 but you will receive power when the holy spirit comes on you there's a purpose god has things he wants to do in you and through you the holy spirit lives in you for you he comes upon you for others that we might minister to people they had dunamis they had mighty power we saw this last week miraculous power 10 times it's used in the book of acts power to speak boldly to say what jesus said power to do miracles to do what jesus did that's why every single christian needs to be filled full of the holy spirit needs to be baptized in the holy spirit we talked about those terms so we've seen how they did what they did this morning i want us to look at why they did what they did we're not just filled with the holy spirit so we can say i'm full god isn't working powerfully in our lives and in this place so we can sit back and say wow isn't this wonderful though it is wonderful though we do worship him for that we are saved on purpose with the purpose and god has empowered us and he motivates us to go out and to do ministry so as we look at acts chapter 1 and verse 11 again we're going to go we're going to go through the first 11 verses three motivators for our service of christ motivator number one the resurrection let's pick it up again acts chapter one verse three after his that's jesus suffering he showed himself to these men and gave many convincing proofs i think the new king james says many infallible proofs in other words there was no way you could disprove it it was it was convincing it was infallible that he was alive and he appeared to them over a period of 40 days and spoke about the kingdom of god my question is as you read that i've been thinking about it all week why why many convincing proofs the word many there abundant plenteous he gave them abundant convincing proofs why did there need to be many have you ever thought about that i mean honestly we've heard of people who um they died they came back to life when they came back to life nobody needed proof that they were alive they were alive right i mean when jairus's daughter dies and she comes back to life jesus raises her to life nobody's saying prove she's alive i mean she's right there when lazarus comes out of the tomb after four days nobody needs proof lazarus is alive all you have to do is see that's lazarus and he's alive so why do the disciples need many convincing proofs that jesus is alive what's the difference why do they need it well the fact of the matter is when somebody comes when they die and they're brought back to life lazarus jairus's daughter people we might read about today those people are resuscitated they're brought back to life jesus was resurrected and there's a massive difference between resuscitation and resurrection i want you to think about this for just a moment that every time people saw jesus post-resurrection they didn't recognize him it's a very interesting thing you read mary in john chapter 20. she's at the tomb she sees two angels she's saying where have you taken him wherever you put him where's jesus at she turned to leaving saw someone standing there it was jesus but she didn't recognize him dear woman why are you crying jesus asked her who are you looking for she thought he was the gardener she doesn't know who he is she doesn't recognize him sir she said if you've taken him away tell me where you put him and i will go and get him mary jesus said as soon as she hears his voice she knows who he is she turned to him and cried out rabboni which is hebrew for teacher on the road to emmaus so this is a a few hours after mary's season which is on early on that first sunday morning in luke chapter 24 there are two disciples we don't know who they were uh we assumed they were not uh two of the of the eleven remaining disciples but they were people who followed jesus closely they may have been disciples they're making their way on the road to emmaus a village that is about seven miles from jerusalem as they talked and discussed these things with each other they're talking about what happened to jesus they're talking about the crucifixion they're talking about people saying now he's alive jesus himself came up and walked along with them but they were kept from recognizing him later in verse 30 so he's walking on the road they spend the afternoon talking with him when he was at the table it's evening they say hey why don't you stay with us he acts like he's going to keep on walking they sit down to eat when he was at the table with them he took bread gave thanks broke it and began to give it to them then their eyes were opened and they recognized him and he disappeared from their sight they run back to jerusalem they're telling the disciples who are in an upper room with the doors locked for fear of the jews because they're thinking they killed jesus they're going to kill us and now these disciples come back and they say it is true he's alive he has appeared to mary he is alive as they're hearing this story in luke chapter 24 and verse 35 then the two told what had happened on the way how jesus was recognized by them when he broke the bread while they were still talking about this jesus himself stood among them and said to them peace be with you they were startled and frightened thinking they saw a ghost and he said to them why are you troubled and why do doubts rise in your minds look at my hands and feet this is an interesting statement if if i want you to recognize me the first thing i'm going to tell you to look at is what my face right yeah he says look at my hands and feet tells you something about his face his face is not the same now we could say that in one sense because isaiah tells us this in isaiah chapter 52 and verse 14. many were amazed when they saw him this is talking about him at the crucifixion his face was so disfigured he seemed hardly human and from his appearance no one would scarcely know he was a man that's how badly he was beaten wow back to the luke pacquiao passageway he says look at my hands and feet it is i myself touch me and see a ghost does not have flesh and bones as you see i have and when he said this he showed them his hands and feet and while they still did not believe it because of joint amazement he asked them do you have anything here to eat and they gave him a piece of broiled fish and he took it and he ate it in their presence then you come to john chapter 20. let me just set the stage john chapter 21. and you come to john chapter 21 jesus is is going to appear to them again at this point uh peter and the disciples at least six others are disappointed we don't it's john it's james it's peter and peter says i'm going fishing and the way he says it is is i quit i'm out because nothing's like he thought it would be i mean jesus is resurrected sure but he appears and then he disappears and then he appears and he disappears and it's just not the same as it was so peter goes back to the boat his fishing boat he takes six other disciples with him they're out all night on the sea of galilee trying to fish they don't catch a thing he's thinking i'm going to go back to the one thing i know but the one thing he thought he knew he couldn't do anymore and so you can imagine dawn breaks on the sea of galilee they're very very frustrated and all of a sudden there's a guy on the on standing on the shore and he calls out to them he says hey how's the fishing one of them says it stinks i've got an idea for you throw your net on the other side of the boat thomas says i doubt we'll be doing that they put the net john says what's it gonna hurt let's do it they put the net in the water and all of a sudden the water starts to team with fish and john remembers the one other time he's seen that happen was the time he left everything to follow jesus in luke 5. and he watches all the fish filling the nets and he says this has only happened one at a time and that was when jesus was around and he says to peter the person on the shore that's jesus peter says he hears that he's like well if it's jesus i'm gonna i'm gonna get as close as i can to him he leaves everybody else to take care of the fish good old peter he's he jumps in he goes over to the water there's jesus and when they get there there's 153 fish that they've brought in but jesus already has a fire and he's he's making them breakfast that's where we pick it up here and jesus said to them come and have breakfast none of the disciples there to ask him who are you that's an odd statement isn't it why would they even be tempted to ask that because he doesn't look like he used to look that's what i'm suggesting to you they knew it was the lord this was now the third time jesus appeared to his disciples after they were raised from the dead then we have another example this time he appears to the to 500 people paul tells us after that he appeared to more than 500 of the brothers at the same time so the 500 people who saw him at the same time most scholars believe that takes place in matthew chapter 28. in matthew chapter 28 we read this then the 11 disciples went to galilee to the mountain where jesus had told them to go when they saw him they worshipped but some doubted i mean what's the doubt if jesus is alive if jesus looks the same then what's to doubt i mean if he's got the nails in his hands and his feet the nail prints why are they doubting and so here they are they are looking and then we read this in verse 18 then jesus came to them and said so some of them they're seeing him from a distance we don't know exactly how he covers the distance from where he was to where they are some believe some commentators believe he actually floated to them which would be really far out wouldn't that be cool but he may have walked to them we don't know but as he gets closer then jesus came to them and said so at that point as he comes to them as he speaks their doubts are erased now all of this is simply to say what exactly is happening and why don't they recognize jesus what is it about jesus that is different i want to suggest to you they don't recognize him because now he has a resurrected body he is different listen to what paul says in first corinthians 15 but someone may ask how will the dead be raised and what kind of bodies will they have what a foolish question when you put a seed in the ground it doesn't in the ground it doesn't grow into a plant unless it dies first and what you put in the ground is not the plant that will grow it's a very interesting thing when you put a watermelon seed in the ground it does not look like a watermelon right it doesn't look like a watermelon plant it looks like a seed it is different it's planted in the ground paul is saying that's how it is with the resurrection what you put in the ground is not the plant that will grow but only a bear seed of wheat or whatever you are planting then god gives it the new body he wants it to have a different plant grows from each kind of seed our bodies are buried in brokenness but they will be raised in glory they are buried in weakness but they will be raised in strength they are buried as natural human bodies but they will be raised as spiritual bodies for just as there are natural bodies there are also spiritual bodies what comes first is the natural body then the spiritual body comes later jesus has a resurrected body he has that spiritual body he is the prototype he was the same but he was different what are you and i going to be like we're going to be the same but we're going to be different you're going to look like you but you're going to look like a different you you say well how will i know people in heaven the bible says in that moment we will know even as we're fully known you're going to know everybody in heaven how do you like that you're going to know people you never met before in heaven you're going to know moses and you're going to know elijah and you're going to know paul and you're going to know peter and you're going to know that person that you gave commissions you paid for the well in burundi and somebody drank water and they came to know living water you're going to know them you're going to see them they're going to see you they're going to see a wonderful version of you i mean you say what's that going to be like i don't know it's going to be a new and improved jew turn to your neighbor and say as good-looking as you are there's a better you coming i mean it's just true i mean i'm excited instead of giving people a high four and a half i'm going to give them a high five i mean i'm going to get that thing back it went right to heaven i'm getting it back the disciples would need to understand jesus was not resuscitated that's what the liberal theologians say oh the grave was cool he just came out and he came back to life his face would have been very much disfigured they would have had no doubt that was him what they saw was not a resuscitated jesus what they saw was a resurrected jesus they would need to understand there is such a thing as a resurrection because our entire faith hangs on that you say what do you mean first corinthians chapter 15 and if christ has not been raised then all our preaching is useless and your faith is useless literally that word useless and the greek means empty if there's no resurrection we're wasting our time the joke's on you you should have gone to the lake i'm glad you didn't if you're watching from the lake way to go okay let's see your faith is useless it's empty you see what the resurrection says is that the sacrifice was accepted what was the sacrifice for our sins on the cross he who had no sin was made sin for us that we might become the righteousness of god it is the resurrection proves god accepted the sacrifice that jesus accomplished what he came for and we apostles would all be lying about god for we have said that god raised christ from the grave but that can't be true if there is no resurrection of the dead and if there's no resurrection of the dead then christ has not been raised and if christ has not been raised guess what you won't be raised it makes that argument later and if christ has not been raised then your faith is empty and you are still in your sins literally you're fixed in your sins you are a sinner for all eternity trapped in your sin doomed to an eternity in hell if christ did not rise from the dead the entire message hangs on the resurrection in order to preach your resurrection in order to lay down your life for a message of resurrection you've got to believe a person was resurrected and jesus spent 40 days giving them many infallible proofs many convincing proofs showing them a resurrected body a body that could do all the things a resurrected body like his did he could pass through walls he could be here and be there he could do this he could do that he was jesus yes but he was a different jesus he was a glorified jesus and they needed to understand he wasn't just resuscitated he didn't just kind of die he went down to death hell in the grave he resurrected he is alive and he is a glorified resurrected risen christ and as a result we're set free from our sins listen jesus had to convince them about the resurrection number two responsibility not only is there a resurrection but there is a responsibility acts 1 8 we're back there again you will receive power when the holy spirit comes on you and you will be my witnesses the greek word is martus we get our word martyr you'll be by martyrs you'll be willing to lay down your life for the message of a resurrected christ you'll be willing to lay down your life to tell people about jesus you'll be bold enough to say i don't care what people think i don't care what people say i love them it's not that i'm callous it's just that i'm committed to sharing the good news of christ and that is only possible when you have power there's a lot of christians who are chickens you're afraid to talk to people afraid to share christ afraid to be bold for christ because you don't have power when you have power when you're filled full of the holy ghost when you're baptized in the holy ghost you will have power that will take you i don't care if you're an introvert or an extrovert i don't care if you know how to talk to people or are afraid to say one word when the spirit of god comes upon you he will empower you to do things that are beyond your own ability you'll tell people about jesus and he says you're going to tell them in several areas first of all you're going to be my martyrs my witnesses in jerusalem and all judea in other words you're going to take the gospel to those closest to you that makes sense doesn't it no need to talk about going overseas to share the gospel if you can't share the gospel here and jesus is so wonderful and having met him we we know the power of salvation and we know the the the fearfulness of eternity separated from him we know there's a real heaven we know there's a real hell we want people to spend eternity with jesus jesus says when you have power you're going to share jesus you're going to share the message of the gospel with people around you because honestly you can't keep something as wonderful as salvation to yourself and even if people don't want to hear it you just keep on telling them because you understand there is a heaven there is a hell there is a coming judgment and you don't want anybody to be there so you just tell people you tell your friends you tell your family tell your neighbors you look for people to tell kind of like one of our pastors on wednesday night he after the service because honestly it was such a powerful service so so he just said you know wow so powerful i need to just go tell people about jesus so he went over to a come and go and had a dialogue with two atheists who wouldn't let him pray with them and so then he went to mcdonald's there wasn't anybody there so he went over to taco bell there were three guys there he walked over their table they happen to have been in the service they were so overwhelmed by what they experienced none of them knew the lord all of them gave their heart to jesus christ listen that's the power [Applause] that's the power we're talking about you'll receive power there are people all over the place who need to know jesus when's the last time you walked into a place and said i wonder who in here doesn't know jesus and lord would you give me an opportunity to talk with them as you're going into the grocery stores you're going over to the new costco as you're waiting out on the benches that lambert says you're whatever it is you're doing wherever it is that you're at and you're thinking man i lord there's got to be i'm i'm on divine assignment there's got to be a reason why i'm here who is it that you want me to talk to about the lord and how about every now and then going fishing how about every now and then just saying i mean this is foreign to a lot of people a lot of people just don't ever think about it but how about saying i'm so want people to know jesus i'm just going to go for a little ride and see where i can find the person who needs to know jesus if the pastor doesn't do that on wednesday night three young men are not going to find christ as their savior i mean while the spirit of god is stirring in their heart and you never know and i never know when god is working and what god is doing and what god wants to do in somebody's life so jesus says you'll receive power and you'll be my witnesses and you'll start where you're at you'll witness to people right where you're at but if you don't have power you won't have the courage to be a witness and you won't do anything for jesus that's central to his commission his command which is go into all the world and preach the gospel that's not for preachers that's for everybody everybody has a responsibility to share christ with everybody and when you're full of power it changes how you view that assignment you move from one of of dreading a place of dreading it or thinking i can't do it to a place of i can't wait to see what god does because when you're full of power you realize what's happening in you is it's not you it's the holy spirit working through you and you're so full freely you've received freely you want to give and he just comes out of you as a river of living water that's what we're talking about that's why everybody needs to be baptized in the holy spirit because everybody god's design is that everybody would share their faith everywhere they go and you know listen as i'm saying this some of you are saying you know this just just seems very radical to me the reason why is because very few places who preach it you know listen i'll be honestly i'm i'm really happy you're here but if you've started coming expecting to be coddled you'll hate this place i mean because i'm not i i mean the bible doesn't cuddle christians we comfort christians but we're gonna we're gonna we're gonna cut it straight i'm not listen the bible's really clear you gotta go everybody's got to go [Applause] and there's great joy in going there's great joy in being filled with the kind of power that walks in the purpose and the appointments and the direction of the holy spirit to pray for people to talk to people to pray and have prayer answered listen you were designed to have your prayers answered you were designed for it god wants you to have answered prayer you know ask and you'll receive jesus said why that your joy may be full one of the reasons why christians aren't very happy some of them is because they don't know much of answered prayer [Music] the more you have answered prayer in your life the more you're like this is like blowing my mind this is like crazy this is like amazing and you're just like wow look god's doing this and he's doing that and he's doing that and that's what god has for you he wants you to know the joy of a walk with him well we're going to uh to the places nearest jerusalem and all judea and samaria samaria represents the people who are near you but not like you people who are different they don't do things like you do they don't see things like you do perhaps they don't even like you they're different from you when for the jews remember when when john and and james were with jesus in a samaritan village didn't want anything to do with jesus because because he was a jew here's how john and james felt about it they're like lord do you want us right now to call down fire we'll just crisp those people that'll show them and jesus is like that's crazy so now all of a sudden they're going to samaria and they're sharing the gospel because when you're full of the spirit you're not only going to share people with the gospel with people who are near you you're going to share the gospel with people who aren't in your social social circle who don't share your political values that don't share your world view you're going to go because hey everybody needs to know jesus and third to the ends of the earth the gospel isn't just for america any more than it was just for israel the gospel is for everyone everywhere listen to this acts chapter 17 verse 30 but now god commands all men everywhere to repent every the gospel's for everyone jesus said therefore go and make disciples of all nations so we go we make disciples and then it says in matthew 24 verse 14 and this gospel of the kingdom will be will be preached in the whole world as a testimony to all nations and then the end will come so we're going to preach the gospel everywhere that's the responsibility and i mean honestly that's why james river church we put a real premium on on seeing people come to know christ we give an invitation every sunday because every sunday there are people who need to know jesus we're involved in missions church planning in the us we're we're about helping people we're trying to reach people across the country we're helping motorcycle chaplains and prison chaplains and people that are running missions and people that are doing outreaches and people that are planning churches we're we're helping all kinds of people reach people in the united states and then we're also helping missionaries almost 500 missionaries across the globe and and trying to to give them the resources they need to continue to be involved in reaching people for jesus christ because jesus said you'll be my witnesses in jerusalem and all judea and samaria and to the ends of the earth it's our responsibility number three the return the return acts 1 6. so when they met together they asked him lord are you at this time going to restore the kingdom to israel they're asking okay let's talk about you being king because we'd really like to rule and reign with you and he said to them it's not for you to know the times or dates the father has set by his own authority would you notice he's not saying there's not a time he's going to come back and reign he's just saying it's not for you and i to know god has given us everything you and i need to know to faithfully serve him right now in this day and this time in which we live and it's it's a wonderful thing to think about what might happen in the future but we have to be careful that we're not so focused on end time events that we lose sight of present time responsibility to share the gospel with people around us verse 9 and when he had said these things they were looking on so they're walking out east of jerusalem they're going up the mount of olives as they do they were looking on he was lifted up and a cloud took him out of their sights so he starts to just descend and there's a cloud that comes maybe forms around his feet and lifts him up maybe it forms as he's going up and they're sitting there and they're looking and watching and they're thinking well that's that's pretty amazing and that's pretty amazing and then all of a sudden they look right beside them and there's two angels looking up there with them and saying yeah that's pretty amazing isn't it he's way up there yeah he's coming back the same way you saw him go look at it it says this and while they were gazing into the heavens and he went behold i mean can you believe this two men stood by them in white robes they said men of galilee why do you stand looking into heaven this jesus who was taken up from you into heaven will come in the same way as you saw him go in to heaven he's going to come back in the same way jesus described as coming this way at that time the sign of the son of man will appear in the sky and all the nations of the earth will mourn and they will see the son of man coming on the clouds of the sky with power and great glory and he will send his angels with a loud trumpet call and they will gather his elect from the four winds from one end of the heavens to the other he's coming again not only is he coming again he's coming soon jesus said behold i come quickly and if it was if it was quickly back then it's even more quickly right now that's why we have a responsibility right now to tell people the good news because the time is short he's coming back we wouldn't want anybody we love to miss his coming you say when do you think people ask me all the time when you i know we're not supposed to date so when do you think he's coming he's coming soon what signs do you think need to be fulfilled i think there's only one sign to be fulfilled matthew 24 and verse 14 and this gospel of the kingdom will be preached in the whole world as a testimony to all nations and then the end will come i'll tell you what we are really really really really close on this they figured that in the next 10 years every spoken language on planet earth every spoken language group will have a portion of the gospel in their language i'm not saying in 10 years he's coming but i'm just saying it's that's how close you are that's how close you are i mean we're really really close the gospel is right now because of of the incredible missionary movement of the last 100 years i mean it has circled the globe and we're really really close [Music] and jesus said this in luke chapter 12 you also must be ready we want everybody to be ready are you ready because the son of man will come at an hour when you do not expect him how does a person get ready well in this parable because peter says lord are you speaking to other people are you speaking to us and jesus says who is the the wise steward he's the one who's busy about his master's work when his master comes readiness for the believer is you're carrying out your responsibility to share the gospel readiness is saying listen this is what really matters i'm going to share the gospel where i can and i'm going to send people to share the gospel where i can't go i'm going to be ready i'm going to make jesus my priority he's going to know when he comes that i was looking for his return that i was ready for his return that i was serving him with all my heart that i was full on for god that's when you know you're ready [Music] i think as well you must be ready have you given your heart to jesus we talk all the time about you know every week and there are some and and for whatever reason you've heard an invitation just not responded to the invitation invitation that's a real concern to me because there's coming a day when the christians are gone when he comes the christians are gone they're in heaven we're all in heaven and if you haven't given your heart to jesus you're going to be on earth and it's going to be a very very difficult time in fact jesus put it this way unless that those days had been cut short in other words unless they had been limited no one would have survived that's how i mean hey hurricane ida is bad as it is child's play compared to the tribulation you can't imagine when demonic beings are unleashed on the earth and satan is cast down to the earth and satan is at that point running the entire thing and it's cataclysm after cataclysm because god is judging the earth you can't imagine what that's going to be like i can say this you don't want to be there and unless you're right with christ you're not ready for his return there are some and you would say you know well john there was a time when i was ready but i was walking with the lord but you know today you're not ready in fact if if jesus were to come today scare you half to death the thought of that because you're not sure you would go on the rapture why in the world would you want to live there i mean he brought you here today because he wants you to hear the word that you need to be ready the only way to be ready is to to give your heart to christ if you haven't to rededicate your heart if you're away from him and to be actively serving him if you're a believer jesus says you want to be ready because the son of man will come in an hour when you do not expect him one more scripture first thessalonians 5 and verse 2 for you know quite well that the day of the lord's return will come unexpectedly like a thief in the night when people are saying everything is peaceful and secure then disaster will fall on them as suddenly as a pregnant woman's labor pains begin and there will be no escape and just boom it happens and the issue is are you ready because there's not going to be much more warning than we have right now i mean all you have to do is look at the earth and you say wow we are really really close to the return of the lord and that merits a response of faith that says i want to be ready because he's coming and he's coming soon and every single one of us needs to be ready i want to be found doing his work i want to be found full on for him and i want everybody who doesn't know him to come to know him so that together we can enjoy eternity with christ amen [Music] today i really want to encourage you right now to order new normal on amazon or wherever books are sold you can pick up one for yourself a friend or family member because god wants you to live in a land that's full of his promise and possibility and we believe this book will help you on your journey to a new normal we also have an amazing study guide available on amazon so you can go through the book with a small group your spouse or even friends at a coffee shop so you can get the most out of this amazing resource as you go throughout your day this is our prayer for you may the lord bless you and protect you may he smile on you and be gracious to you may he show you his favor and give you his peace god bless [Music]

Channel: James River Church

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Keywords: james river church, pastor john lindell, john lindell, holy spirit, christianity, bible, james river church sermons, sermon, sermons, church, church online, online church, john lindell sermons, god, jesus, holy, spirit, christian, encoruagement, theology, power, promise, promises, god's promises, powerful, what is the holy spirit, chrisitan living, living, christian life, how to live as a christian, acts ofthe apostles, the book of acts, acts, power today, resurrection, tribulation, james river

Id: GQKy7rz5TGQ

Length: 39min 43sec (2383 seconds)

Published: Mon Sep 06 2021