Sermon Tone Analysis

*Kingdom*

*Acts 1:1-8*

* *

*How many days was Jesus around for?*

*Acts 1:3*– 40 days

Another snag

check out *Luke 24:36-53*

What’s the problem – was it forty days or no days?

You figure it out.

Answer:

The “Then” – doesn’t always mean the very next thing in time that was done.

Sequential ~/ Chronological.

“This year I am going to Canada to play in a hockey tournament and *then* I am going to Africa to dig a well”

 

Yesterday I Got up, *then* I went to work,* then* I went to bed.

I think this is what is happening between *49-50*

 

Also Luke wrote both Luke and Acts, and maybe after he finished Luke (remember, no computers – you can’t just do a reprint) but maybe he wanted to be more clear.

– in Acts he is giving us a time frame.

Besides convincing everybody that he was really alive,

*What was he talking about for 40 days?*

* *

*Kingdom** of God*

What in the world is that?

*What is a kingdom?*

Two possibilities:

1) A region of land -- A physical place, -- a chunk of land somewhere with people to rule, and a king to rule them “United Kingdom” – Kingdom of God could be then – a piece of land somewhere, with people over which God the king rules *(Luke 13:29 – seems like a place)*

2) A realm of authority (spiritual) – sphere of influence, exercise of rulership,  “animal kingdom”  – the world of animals you could say, everything pertaining to animals.

So the “K of G” could be God’s kingdom, God’s world, everything pertaining to God. *(Romans 14:17 – doesn’t seem like a place at all)*

So which is it?

can it be both?

(sure it can, “heart” in English, physical and spiritual meanings – “I give my heart to you)

It has to be both – physical, and spiritual

Over 100 occurrences of the term kingdom of God~/Heaven in N.T. and they bounce between both these ideas all the time.

So when we read *Acts 1:3*

Which do you think it is?

I think Jesus is more concerned about teaching them about God’s world, everything pertaining to God’s world – a God’s world way of thinking – “hey guys, God would do it this way, this is how to operate in God’s world” – Jesus is about to send them out as messengers of the kingdom – so he want’s them to be clear about how things are supposed to operate in God’s world, in God’s realm of authority.

So what is the kingdom in Acts?

*/The reign of God over the hearts and lives of those who have trusted him/*

So what’s the deal with the physical kingdom – is that going to happen, and if so when?

*Luke 11:1-2* – tells us to pray for it

*Acts 1:9-11 – *gives us a promise that it will one day happen.

That return one day, is when King Jesus is going to take over the world, he will rule physically the earth – when he comes back again, it’s not just going to be in the spiritual realm it will be a physical rule.

So the Kingdom of God has a two part definition.

*/ /*

*/The Kingdom of God is here now in a spiritual way, whenever the gospel of Jesus penetrates the heart of a person, and they embrace God’s rule in their life.

/*

*/ /*

*/The Kingdom of God will arrive at some point in the future in a physical way when Jesus Christ the king of the kingdom  returns to earth.

/*

* *

Kind of confusing isn’t it?

a kingdom is both a region of land and a realm of authority, there is a

Spiritual kingdom now, and a physical kingdom in the future, Wow!

Guess what, the disciples were confused too.

Check out what they say.

*1:6*

Jesus has spent 40 days talking with them about how to live life under God’s rule.

Jesus finishes up, and says “any questions?”

And this is their big question

What does the kingdom of Israel have to do with anything?

Well,

Because of many O.T. Scriptures The Jews for a long, long time believed Messiah was going to come.

He was going to kick out the bad guys (in this case the Romans) and set up a Jewish kingdom –  in which everyone else in the world would be forced to submit to the messiah and the Jews or be crushed like little grapes.

The disciples thought Jesus was the man for the job – this was the dream of every Jew to “rule the world” -- but when he was crucified all hope was lost.

But then he rose from the dead and so now, even after all this, they still were thinking of a physical Jewish kingdom run by Jesus– they were thinking land, and power, and control – and so that’s why they asked the question.

They still didn’t get it even after 40 days hangin’ with the resurrected Jesus, The kingdom of God is a different animal than the kingdom of Israel.

The disciples needed some serious help to get the bigger message of the kingdom of God.

Where is that help going to come from?

*Vs 4-5*

The Holy Spirit was going to open their eyes like never before.

They would see Jesus as king of the world not just the Jews.

The message of the kingdom a spiritual one, not a physical one

But for right now they still didn’t get it.

So Jesus answers their question

*Vs 7*

In regular language what does Jesus tell them?

Don’t worry about dates and times for future events – that’s not what matters – God is going to take care of the future.

Stop spending time trying to figure out when the kingdom of Israel is going to be restored instead spend your time doing what?

*Vs 8*

Being a witness.

This is good advice for us – sometimes we as Christians can really get hung up on issues of what’s going to happen and when – (Pre trip, mid, post pre mil etc) lets not worry about that stuff too much.

Again what is the one thing Jesus wants us to be?

This is what matters

 

So what does it mean to be a witness?

-- And whose witnesses are we to be?

 

Witnesses of Jesus Christ.

A Good witness for Jesus will *Know what happened*

We need to know what happened and how it all fits together, friends get the facts about Jesus.

Study it out for yourselves.

But is that all?

Would a good witness of Jesus Christ just simply say – “yeah I saw Jesus after he rose from the dead, yawn”

No a good witness for Jesus Christ is also *Passionate about what happened.*

* *

I had the privilege to go to both Holocaust museums – one in Washington D.C. and one in Jerusalem.

They are a witness to what happened.

They stand as a memorial of the tragedy, and they point people back to those horrible days and they say – LOOK!

You walk through and look at all the facts – your heart sinks with sadness.

Real people, innocent people lives

At the end of the tour you know what happened, but before you exit they give you a pen and some paper and you are to write out your thoughts.

This is what you have learned, now what are you going to do with that knowledge?

This is where the knowledge turns to passion -- Most people I am assuming write stuff like “Never Again” “we must work hard to never have this kind of racism again” “This was so wrong, lets teach our children to love and not hate”

You take the knowledge and it becomes a passion with you.

That is what Jesus is calling us to do here.

Jesus looks into our eyes and he says – you know what happened, now go and do something about it.

Get passionate about it!

A good witness for J.C. knows what happened, he gets passionate about what happened and then he *proclaims what happened – *

*Vs 8*

They are not to take an oath of silence as the go from Jerusalem, to Judea, to Samaria, to the ends of the earth.

Witnesses do not keep their mouths shut.

– hey world, Jesus Christ is alive, he is my savior, and he can be yours, if you repent and turn to him.