Saturday, September 28, 2013

Last weeks Sermon !



15                                       Finishing the Work
                                Acts 1: 1-11
I wonder if we really understand that the Christian life is all about helping the Lord Jesus Christ to finish the work that He began…... Well the first disciples got it…… They shook the known world with the Gospel of the Lord Jesus…..
They knew that they were called to finish the work that Jesus began…. Listen to what Paul said to the leaders from Ephesis….
Acts 20:24                         NLT   Neues Leben
24But my life is worth nothing to me unless I use it for finishing the work assigned me by the Lord Jesus—the work of telling others the Good News about the wonderful grace of God.
 24 Doch mein Leben ist nichts wert, wenn ich es nicht nutze, um das zu tun, was der Herr Jesus mir aufgetragen hat - das Werk, anderen die Botschaft von Gottes Gnade zu bringen.
What is the work that Paul and we have been given to do?.... the last part of v24…. the work of telling others the Good News about the wonderful grace of God.
We have been redeemed to Glorify God in our lives…… How do we do that?…… How does the individual Christian become what God wants him to be?……. I don't really think that most Christians understand their calling….. We are called to be witnesses……. To be salt and light in this dark and dying world……. Big job…
We desperately need the power of the Holy Spirit at work in us…..   working through us….. so that we can be effective witnesses for Him…… So that we can finish the work that Jesus began…. When we are in the position of really seeing the power of God in our lives….. When we really yield to the Spirit of God….. Then we can begin to be the salt and light that Jesus has called us to be….  We are here to finish the work that Jesus began…. We need to see the power of God at work in our lives….
 As we study the book of Acts….. We will see the birth of the church….. These same fearful believers that were hiding……. Have now seen and touched the Risen Lord Jesus…… Jesus continues with them….. Fellowshipping with them and teaching them… 
I wonder if we really understand that the Christian life is all about helping the Lord Jesus Christ to finish the work that He began…... Well the first disciples got it…… They shook the known world with the Gospel of the Lord Jesus…..
They knew that they were called to finish the work that Jesus began….
Turn with me please to Acts 1…... v1…
Acts1: 1-11                      NKJV
 1 The former account I made, O Theophilus, of all that Jesus began both to do and teach, 2 until the day in which He was taken up, after He through the Holy Spirit had given commandments to the apostles whom He had chosen, 3 to whom He also presented Himself alive after His suffering by many infallible proofs, being seen by them during forty days and speaking of the things pertaining to the kingdom of God.
4 And being assembled together with them, He commanded them not to depart from Jerusalem, but to wait for the Promise of the Father, “which,” He said, “you have heard from Me; 5 for John truly baptized with water, but you shall be baptized with the Holy Spirit not many days from now.” 6 Therefore, when they had come together, they asked Him, saying, “Lord, will You at this time restore the kingdom to Israel?” 7 And He said to them, “It is not for you to know times or seasons which the Father has put in His own authority. 8 But you shall receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you shall be witnesses to Me[a] in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth.”
9 Now when He had spoken these things, while they watched, He was taken up, and a cloud received Him out of their sight. 10 And while they looked steadfastly toward heaven as He went up, behold, two men stood by them in white apparel, 11 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.”
Acts 1: 1-11                  Schlachter 2000
1 Den ersten Bericht habe ich verfaßt, o Theophilus, über alles, was Jesus anfing zu tun und zu lehren,
2 bis zu dem Tag, da er [in den Himmel] aufgenommen wurde, nachdem er den Aposteln1, die er erwählt hatte, durch den Heiligen Geist Befehl gegeben hatte.
3 Ihnen erwies er sich auch nach seinem Leiden als lebendig durch viele sichere Kennzeichen, indem er ihnen während 40 Tagen erschien und über das Reich Gottes redete.
4 Und als er mit ihnen zusammen war, gebot er ihnen, nicht von Jerusalem zu weichen, sondern die Verheißung des Vaters abzuwarten, die ihr [— so sprach er —] von mir vernommen habt,
5 denn Johannes hat mit Wasser getauft, ihr aber sollt mit Heiligem Geist getauft werden2 nicht lange nach diesen Tagen.
6 Da fragten ihn die, welche zusammengekommen waren, und sprachen: Herr, stellst du in dieser Zeit für Israel die Königsherrschaft wieder her?
7 Er aber sprach zu ihnen: Es ist nicht eure Sache, die Zeiten oder Zeitpunkte3 zu kennen, die der Vater in seiner eigenen Vollmacht festgesetzt hat;
8 sondern ihr werdet Kraft empfangen, wenn der Heilige Geist auf euch gekommen ist, und ihr werdet meine Zeugen sein in Jerusalem und in ganz Judäa und Samaria und bis an das Ende der Erde!
9 Und als er dies gesagt hatte, wurde er vor ihren Augen emporgehoben, und eine Wolke nahm ihn auf von ihren Augen weg.
10 Und als sie unverwandt zum Himmel blickten, während er dahinfuhr, siehe, da standen zwei Männer in weißer Kleidung bei ihnen,
11 die sprachen: Ihr Männer von Galiläa, was steht ihr hier und seht zum Himmel? Dieser Jesus, der von euch weg in den Himmel aufgenommen worden ist, wird in derselben Weise wiederkommen, wie ihr ihn habt in den Himmel auffahren sehen!
 As Christians we talk a lot about the finished work of Christ, and we should…… On the cross when our Lord said, Tetellestai….  He said it is finished….. And He did finish the work of redemption…….    Salvation is a finished work……… Es ist vollbracht….
But   Jesus also has unfinished work….. one of those things is here in v 1….

Acts 1:1                   NKJV  Schlachter 2000
1 The former account I made, O Theophilus, of all that Jesus began both to do and teach,
1 Den ersten Bericht habe ich verfaßt, o Theophilus, über alles, was Jesus anfing zu tun und zu lehren,
Of all that Jesus Began to do and teach….. Jesus did so much in His earthly ministry…..The rest of the Book of Acts tells part of the story……. And as we talked last week…. The story is still being told today…. WE as believers are finishing the work that Jesus began….. And when it is finished…… The LORD JESUS Christ returns….. We are in the process right now of finishing the work which Jesus began…...
All through the Book of Acts, we have evidence that the men of God understood this….. As we read earlier In Acts chapter 20…. The Apostle Paul was on his way to Jerusalem….. And on the trip he had been told that he would be put in prison, and that he would suffer pain…... He knew that he would never see these leaders again…… this side of heaven….
Acts 20:24                         NLT   Neues Leben
24 But my life is worth nothing to me unless I use it for finishing the work assigned me by the Lord Jesus—the work of telling others the Good News about the wonderful grace of God.
 24 Doch mein Leben ist nichts wert, wenn ich es nicht nutze, um das zu tun, was der Herr Jesus mir aufgetragen hat - das Werk, anderen die Botschaft von Gottes Gnade zu bringen. 
Paul says, "Look, I only have one thing that I'm concerned about…... My life doesn't matter to me…... All I want to do is finish my part of the unfinished work of Christ….
That's all I want to do…... I'm not going to protect myself from trouble…… I´m going to follow the Lord Jesus wherever He leads me…… No matter what it costs….
Paul was totally committed to his calling…. He was totally motivated to finish the work that the Lord Jesus gave him to do….
We should all have this sense of motivation….   Look at what Paul wrote to the Ephesian believers…. Eph 5…. 15….
Ephesians 5:15,16     NKJV   Schlachter 2000
15 See then that you walk circumspectly, not as fools but as wise, 16 redeeming the time, because the days are evil.
15 Seht nun darauf, wie ihr mit Sorgfalt wandelt, nicht als Unweise, sondern als Weise; 16 und kauft die Zeit aus, denn die Tage sind böse.

 The German is perfect here…. Buy it up, maximize the time that you have on this earth….
 We need to be faithful to fulfill our part of the unfinished work of THE LORD JESUS…..   I realize I only have so much time….. And if I am to finish the work that Christ gave me, I've got to maximize the time that I have….. That's the way Paul felt…..
Now let's go back to Acts 1…..
Acts 1: 1-3                   NKJV
1 The former account I made, O Theophilus, of all that Jesus began both to do and teach,
2 until the day in which He was taken up, after He through the Holy Spirit had given commandments to the apostles whom He had chosen,
3 to whom He also presented Himself alive after His suffering by many infallible proofs, being seen by them during forty days and speaking of the things pertaining to the kingdom of God.
Acts 1: 1-3                  Schlachter 2000
1 Den ersten Bericht habe ich verfaßt, o Theophilus, über alles, was Jesus anfing zu tun und zu lehren,
2 bis zu dem Tag, da er [in den Himmel] aufgenommen wurde, nachdem er den Aposteln1, die er erwählt hatte, durch den Heiligen Geist Befehl gegeben hatte.
3 Ihnen erwies er sich auch nach seinem Leiden als lebendig durch viele sichere Kennzeichen, indem er ihnen während 40 Tagen erschien und über das Reich Gottes redete.
Luke says, "I wrote earlier about all that Jesus began." Now he says, "I am writing a book, the Book of Acts, about all that Jesus continued to do through His people." That's what the whole Book of Acts is all about...... finishing the unfinished work of the LORD JESUS…..  picking up where Jesus left off….. that's what you and I are called to do……
In order for us Join the Lord in His work…..  we have to have some tools….. These are the things that are needed for you and I to finish the unfinished work of Christ….



Tools for finishing the work…
1   The Correct message….  The GOOD NEWS…… Repentance for the forgiveness of sins….. mercy….
2  Our own personal experience with the risen Lord Jesus…….
3  The power of the Holy Spirit….
Let´s start with the first one…
1   The Correct message….  The GOOD NEWS…… Repentance for the forgiveness of sins….. mercy….
Up until the day in which He ascended through the Holy Spirit, He continually gave commandments to the apostles….. All through  the time Jesus had with those men He  taught and disciple them…..   
This text is talking about the time that Jesus spent with the disciples after the resurrection..... Jesus continued to do what He had always done with them…. Jesus spent 40  more days with them and during that time…. He appeared to them   and confirmed His word…. continued to speak of His Kingdom…. and continued to give them commandments…... And the reason He did was so that we might have this wonderful record that they might preach the proper message…….
 The Word of God is the foundation of all faithful ministry…..   
One of the great tragedies of the church is ignorance of the Word of God…... We ignore the Word of God and it destroys our personal walk with the Lord Jesus and our ability to minister to our own families and others…… Look in Hosiah 4: 6 ….
Hosea 4: 6       NKJV   Schlachter 2000
6 My people are destroyed for lack of knowledge.
Because you have rejected knowledge,
I also will reject you from being priest for Me;
Because you have forgotten the law of your God,
I also will forget your children.
6 Mein Volk geht zugrunde aus Mangel an Erkenntnis; denn du hast die Erkenntnis verworfen, darum will ich auch dich verwerfen, daß du nicht mehr mein Priester seist; und weil du das Gesetz deines Gottes vergessen hast, will auch ich deine Kinder vergessen!
Listen people….. God does not give bonus points for ignorance……. There are no bonus points for not knowing……. The scripture is clear even if we don´t know….. we are still without excuse….
The reason we have so much difficulty finishing the unfinished work of Christ is because we don't know what the message is….. We are substituting garbage for the true message…. Today there are all kinds of messages…... God wants to make you rich….. God wants to give you perfect wealth and perfect health….. 
The Apostle Paul knew what the message was, and he preached it and stayed with it…... In Acts 17:1…..
Acts 17:1- 4                    NKJV
1 Now when they had passed through Amphipolis and Apollonia, they came to Thessalonica, where there was a synagogue of the Jews. 2 Then Paul, as his custom was, went in to them, and for three Sabbaths reasoned with them from the Scriptures, 3 explaining and demonstrating that the Christ had to suffer and rise again from the dead, and saying, “This Jesus whom I preach to you is the Christ.” 4 And some of them were persuaded; and a great multitude of the devout Greeks, and not a few of the leading women, joined Paul and Silas.
Acts 17:1- 4                  Schlachter 2000
1 Sie reisten aber durch Amphipolis und Apollonia und kamen nach Thessalonich, wo eine Synagoge der Juden war.
2 Paulus aber ging nach seiner Gewohnheit zu ihnen hinein und redete an drei Sabbaten mit ihnen aufgrund der Schriften,
3 indem er erläuterte und darlegte, daß der Christus leiden und aus den Toten auferstehen mußte, und [sprach:] Dieser Jesus, den ich euch verkündige, ist der Christus!
4 Und etliche von ihnen wurden überzeugt und schlossen sich Paulus und Silas an, auch eine große Menge der gottesfürchtigen Griechen sowie nicht wenige der vornehmsten Frauen.
 this Jesus whom I preach unto you is the Messiah, and some of them believed."
Now that is the message...the message of the Kingdom...that Jesus is the Messiah, that He died   to die to pay the penalty of sin….. that He rose from the dead….. Paul reasoned with them out of the Scriptures…...

In verse 10 of the same chapter, "And the brethren immediately sent away Paul and Silas by night unto Berea, who coming there went to the synagogue of the Jews again. These were more noble than those in Thessalonica in that they received the Word with all readiness of mind and searched the Scriptures daily. Whether those things were so, therefore many of men believed." The message is Jesus Christ, dead and risen again, and they searched the Scriptures........ that's the message…… And our effectiveness in finishing the unfinished work of Christ is directly related to our understanding of the Word of God…... We have to know the scriptures for our own walk with the Lord…… We have to teach the scriptures to point others to Jesus…. He is the only source of Mercy and forgiveness…… Jesus alone provides hope for a lost and dying world…
To finish the work that Jesus began, we have to know the message….. And that's why all through His ministry, he poured that message out…… That message is recorded in the gospels and commented on in the rest of the New Testament…… And the better we know the gospels and the better we know the commentary on the gospels….. which are the Epistles…. the better able we are to defend the truth, right?
That's why the Bible says, "Study to show yourself approved unto God…. 2 Tim 2: 15…
2 Timothy 2: 15    NKJV      SChlachter 2000
15 Be diligent to present yourself approved to God, a worker who does not need to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth.
15 Strebe eifrig danach, dich Gott als bewährt zu erweisen, als einen Arbeiter, der sich nicht zu schämen braucht, der das Wort der Wahrheit recht teilt.
 Rightly dividing the Word of truth….. We do not follow legends or traditions…. We must live and teach the truth…. And there is only one truth…. Francis Schaeffer said we need to teach “true truth”…. Peter says in 2 Peter 1: 16….
2 Peter 1: 16-21               NKJV  
16 For we did not follow cunningly devised fables when we made known to you the power and coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, but were eyewitnesses of His majesty. 17 For He received from God the Father honor and glory when such a voice came to Him from the Excellent Glory: “This is My beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased.” 18 And we heard this voice which came from heaven when we were with Him on the holy mountain.
19 And so we have the prophetic word confirmed, which you do well to heed as a light that shines in a dark place, until the day dawns and the morning star rises in your hearts; 20 knowing this first, that no prophecy of Scripture is of any private interpretation, 21 for prophecy never came by the will of man, but holy men of God spoke as they were moved by the Holy Spirit.
2 Peter 1: 16- 21                   Schlachter 2000
16 Denn wir sind nicht klug ersonnenen Legenden gefolgt, als wir euch die Macht und Wiederkunft8 unseres Herrn Jesus Christus wissen ließen, sondern wir sind Augenzeugen seiner herrlichen Majestät gewesen.
17 Denn er empfing von Gott, dem Vater, Ehre und Herrlichkeit, als eine Stimme von der hocherhabenen Herrlichkeit an ihn erging: »Dies ist mein geliebter Sohn, an dem ich Wohlgefallen habe!«
18 Und diese Stimme hörten wir vom Himmel her ergehen, als wir mit ihm auf dem heiligen Berg waren.
19 Und so halten wir nun fest an dem völlig gewissen10 prophetischen Wort11, und ihr tut gut daran, darauf zu achten als auf ein Licht, das an einem dunklen Ort scheint, bis der Tag anbricht und der Morgenstern aufgeht in euren Herzen.
20 Dabei sollt ihr vor allem das erkennen, daß keine Weissagung der Schrift von eigenmächtiger Deutung ist.12
21 Denn niemals wurde eine Weissagung durch menschlichen Willen hervorgebracht, sondern vom Heiligen Geist getrieben haben die heiligen Menschen Gottes geredet.


Look at the end of verse 16…. "We were eyewitnesses." Peter says… "I'm giving you my testimony….
That´s good, but even better….  but watch this...verse 19...
"We have also a more sure word of prophecy."
A more sure word than experience is the Word of the Scripture….. Experiences can deceive us….. We need the Word of God….. It is certain…. We got to know the Word, or we can't finish the work that Jesus began......
Sometimes you get trapped in that experience-centered Christianity….. where all you've got to say to anybody is all about your experience….. and there isn't any content there….. I mean this is my argument in one area with the charismatic movement as we see it today…... It's all experience…… Everybody's got an experience….. but nobody knows anything about the Scripture….. That's an unfortunate blissful ignorance of the Word of God…...
And then of course there's also the danger of using a self centered approach in evangelism…...you're really   appealing to somebody's egoismus…. Selfishness….….. How would you like….. You need…. You deserve…. Just have enough faith…. Just claim it….. speak it into your life….. These ideas about faith and God´s plan for us is not Biblical….
That´s not what the Bible teaches…. In 2 Timothy 3… Paul wrote about his own suffering for the sake of others…. For the Gospel…. He said that all who live Godly lives will suffer….

It's very dangerous…... If we're going to finish the work that Jesus began….. we're going to have to teach what Jesus taught….
Back to Acts 1….. v1….
Acts 1:1               NKJV   Schlachter 2000
1 The former account I made, O Theophilus, of all that Jesus began both to do and teach,
1 Den ersten Bericht habe ich verfaßt, o Theophilus, über alles, was Jesus anfing zu tun und zu lehren,
The account is All the things that Jesus began to do and teach…… Everything that  Jesus taught He also Did….. Jesus was not a hypocrite…… Sadly…. People often refuse to listen to our message because the way we are living doesn´t match with what we say… There is an saying in English…
Practice what you preach….. Jesus said this too….
in Matthew 23...
In order to continue and finish the work of Christ we need something more….
2  Our own personal experience with the risen Lord Jesus …. Look at verse 3…


Acts 1:3            NKJV     Schlachter 2000
3 to whom He also presented Himself alive after His suffering by many infallible proofs, being seen by them during forty days and speaking of the things pertaining to the kingdom of God.
3 Ihnen erwies er sich auch nach seinem Leiden als lebendig durch viele sichere Kennzeichen, indem er ihnen während 40 Tagen erschien und über das Reich Gottes redete.
Now Jesus knew it wasn't enough just to have information…... There had to be  a personal encounter…. A very personal experience with a Risen Lord Jesus…..   And so He appeared to them over and over again….. so that they might know that He was alive……
Listen folks…… We cannot finish the unfinished work of Christ unless it flows out of a vital reality of Christ in our lives, unless we're seeing and feeling and knowing and fellowshipping and sharing with Him…… You can't be a secondhand witness….. You can't give somebody else's testimony…... You can't pass on Scripture that is irrelevant to you because you've never personally met Jesus Christ…... You say, "Yeah, but I can't see Him." Well, you don't need to see Him…..

Peter says, in 1 Peter 1:8….
1 Peter 1: 8                  NKJV   Schlachter 2000
8 whom having not seen you love. Though now you do not see Him, yet believing, you rejoice with joy inexpressible and full of glory
8 Ihn liebt ihr, obgleich ihr ihn nicht gesehen habt; an ihn glaubt ihr, obgleich ihr ihn jetzt nicht seht, und über ihn werdet ihr euch jubelnd freuen mit unaussprechlicher und herrlicher Freude,
…. Though now you do not see Him, yet believing, you rejoice with joy inexpressible and full of glory….. We can experience the risen Lord Jesus because the Holy Spirit has been sent…. To convict the World of sin…. The Holy Spirit also shines the Truth of the Word of God in our hearts so that we will repent and believe the Good News….. And that produces Joy in us….. And hope for the world….
He makes himself real by the indwelling Spirit….. And we have the record of the infallible appearances. We have the record of His 500+ witnesses….. We have the record of the empty tomb…..  We have all the evidence that He is alive… and the evidence is also here in our hearts……  because we know Him to be alive and active in our own lives……
Because we know the Lord Jesus we also have  a firsthand message….. I couldn't get so excited about Jesus Christ if I didn't know that He was alive….. I couldn't get excited about Him if I didn't know that He was in my life….  
Back to Acts 1…. V4….

3  The power of the Holy Spirit….
Look at verse 4.....
Acts 1:4               NKJV   Schlachter 2000
4 And being assembled together with them, He commanded them not to depart from Jerusalem, but to wait for the Promise of the Father, “which,” He said, “you have heard from Me;
4 Und als er mit ihnen zusammen war, gebot er ihnen, nicht von Jerusalem zu weichen, sondern die Verheißung des Vaters abzuwarten, die ihr [— so sprach er —] von mir vernommen habt,

He says… "Wait for the promise of the Father which you've heard from Me."

You say, "Now what is the promise of the Father?"   It's the Holy Spirit……  
The Holy Spirit could not be sent until Jesus went to the Father….. Jesus said in John chapters 14 to 16 that "He would go and send the comforter, and He would have to be there before the comforter could come…… The comforter was sent to the believers as a reward from the Father for the faithful work of Christ." Don't go anywhere until the Spirit comes……

Jesus says…… Just hang on….. Do you remember what Jesus said when he was comforting them as they finally began to understand that He was going away?…. John 14….v 18…
John 14: 18                      NKJV Schlachter 2000
18 I will not leave you orphans; I will come to you.
18 Ich lasse euch nicht als Waisen zurück; ich komme zu euch.
Because Jesus went to the Father……. He sent the Holy Spirit to us….. In this wonderful sense…… Jesus has not left us….. He has come to us… In this present age…. Every genuine Christian possesses the Holy Spirit as soon as they are born again….. Back to Acts 1…v 5




Acts 1: 5- 8                      NKJV
5 for John truly baptized with water, but you shall be baptized with the Holy Spirit not many days from now.” 6 Therefore, when they had come together, they asked Him, saying, “Lord, will You at this time restore the kingdom to Israel?” 7 And He said to them, “It is not for you to know times or seasons which the Father has put in His own authority. 8 But you shall receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you shall be witnesses to Me in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth.”
Acts 1: 5- 8          Schlachter 2000
5 denn Johannes hat mit Wasser getauft, ihr aber sollt mit Heiligem Geist getauft werden2 nicht lange nach diesen Tagen.
6 Da fragten ihn die, welche zusammengekommen waren, und sprachen: Herr, stellst du in dieser Zeit für Israel die Königsherrschaft wieder her?
7 Er aber sprach zu ihnen: Es ist nicht eure Sache, die Zeiten oder Zeitpunkte3 zu kennen, die der Vater in seiner eigenen Vollmacht festgesetzt hat;
8 sondern ihr werdet Kraft empfangen, wenn der Heilige Geist auf euch gekommen ist, und ihr werdet meine Zeugen sein in Jerusalem und in ganz Judäa und Samaria und bis an das Ende der Erde!
verse 8......, then you will receive Power after the Holy Spirit has come on you."
That's why I want you to wait…... notice it says… You shall be baptized with the Holy Spirit"...that's a classic use of the passive verb.... you shall be baptized…..  There's no effort involved…… The Spirit of God descends and comes as the Father sends Him…... And what happens? We receive Power to be witnesses for the LORD JESUS…..
Jesus is saying to his disciples..."I want you to finish My work…… I'll give you all the tools you need….
 I'm going to put My Holy Spirit in you….. and He'll do it through you……
The Holy Spirit gives us the power to do the thing that God has given us to do.....
Jesus given us His Holy Spirit…... He is living in us…. We are to be witnesses for Him….
look at verse 9….
Acts 1: 9- 11                      NKJV  
 9 Now when He had spoken these things, while they watched, He was taken up, and a cloud received Him out of their sight. 10 And while they looked steadfastly toward heaven as He went up, behold, two men stood by them in white apparel, 11 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.”

Acts 1: 9- 11                      Schlachter 2000 
9 Und als er dies gesagt hatte, wurde er vor ihren Augen emporgehoben, und eine Wolke nahm ihn auf von ihren Augen weg.
10 Und als sie unverwandt zum Himmel blickten, während er dahinfuhr, siehe, da standen zwei Männer in weißer Kleidung bei ihnen,
11 die sprachen: Ihr Männer von Galiläa, was steht ihr hier und seht zum Himmel? Dieser Jesus, der von euch weg in den Himmel aufgenommen worden ist, wird in derselben Weise wiederkommen, wie ihr ihn habt in den Himmel auffahren sehen!

Jesus is coming again….. We have a job to do…..
Remember what I said about Paul as we began today?...
Paul was totally committed to his calling…. He was totally motivated to finish the work that the Lord Jesus gave him to do….
We should all have this sense of motivation….   Look again at what Paul wrote to the Ephesian believers…. Eph 5…. 15….
Ephesians 5:15,16     NKJV   Schlachter 2000
15 See then that you walk circumspectly, not as fools but as wise, 16 redeeming the time, because the days are evil.
15 Seht nun darauf, wie ihr mit Sorgfalt wandelt, nicht als Unweise, sondern als Weise; 16 und kauft die Zeit aus, denn die Tage sind böse.

 The German is perfect here…. Buy it up, maximize the time that you have on this earth….
 We need to be faithful to fulfill our part of the unfinished work of THE LORD JESUS…..   I realize I only have so much time….. And if we are going to finish the work that Christ gave us…. We must use the time that we have….. That's the way Paul felt….. Jesus is  Coming back….. And if we're going to do anything… we're going to need to do it now!
Jesus is coming again…… And the fact that He's coming moves me because I don't know how much time…..
You know, we can finish the work that Jesus gives us……. His unfinished work....... We have everything we need……. We have the tools….
Tools for finishing the work…
1   The Correct message….  The GOOD NEWS……Repentance for the forgiveness of sins….. mercy….
2  Our own personal experience with the risen Lord Jesus…….
3  The power of the Holy Spirit….
Jesus is coming again….. The message is still the same… Judgment is certain…. Repent the Kingdom of Heaven is at hand… We don't know when He's coming….
One last scripture… Col 4… v….17.. Paul was always on message…. Get to work….. finish the work….
Colossians 4:17    NKJV   Schlachter 2000
17 And say to Archippus, “Take heed to the ministry which you have received in the Lord, that you may fulfill it.”
17 Und sagt dem Archippus: Habe acht auf den Dienst, den du im Herrn empfangen hast, damit du ihn erfüllst!
Let´s finish the work…. Let´s fulfill the mission of the Lord Jesus…. Remember verse 1 of Acts 1…. All that Jesus began to do and teach…… Jesus himself has begun a good work in each of us…. And He will fulfill it…. Phil 1…verse 6…
Dear friends….  we have everything  we need…… The only missing thing is the commitment to use those things for His glory……

Sunday, September 8, 2013

This weeks Sermon




2013.09.08                                     Luke 24: 32-53     
            Genuine Repentance brings forgiveness                                
We have been studying the Resurrection of the Lord Jesus in the Gospel of Luke….. Paul writes in Romans 10:9,10 that if you confess with your mouth Jesus as Lord and believe in your heart God has raised Him from the dead….. you shall be saved….. Salvation comes by repenting and believing in the bodily resurrection of the Lord Jesus…..
God raised Jesus from the dead because He had offered an acceptable and perfect sacrifice for sin on the cross….   God put His stamp of approval on Jesus´sacrifice by the torn Temple curtain and  the resurrection…...  When Jesus was crucified….. The disciples world fell apart… Fear and doubt overwhelmed them all….
Their unbelief and doubts were turned into a deep and genuine faith when they saw and touched the Lord Jesus….. All 4 Gospel records tell us how the disciples were transformed when they met the risen Lord Jesus……  
These appearances, these experiences sealed the faith of the apostles who then went out preaching the resurrection…… And they saw many believe……. and the church began on the Day of Pentecost…….. with 3,000 being saved on one day……
Luke gives us eyewitness accounts of people who saw the risen Christ…… His accounts begin in verse 13 of chapter 24 with two disciples on the road to Emmaus…...
 They have heard the testimony of the women that the tomb is empty, that the angel explained to them He is risen. They have heard the testimony of the women, Mary Magdalene and the other women, that they saw Jesus and He is alive…… They do not yet believe it…... They think it is nonsense…...   They didn’t even believe when they were told by separate people the same things…...  
So we meet them in verse 13, the two ordinary disciples on Resurrection Sunday….. going home to Emmaus….   
We studied that last week….. As these two unknown disciples walked home full of sadness and discouragement…… They made a wonderful discovery……. First as their heart burned within them they discovered that….
1 The Word of God is alive…… Everything that was written is true…. and Jesus death and crucifixion and the resurrection were all part of God´s plan…… Good News….
2 Jesus is alive…….. They saw and ate with the Risen Lord Jesus… What a day….
Beginning in Luke 24 v 27… Jesus gave them the greatest OT survey lesson ever…… They believed all that was written in the scriptures…… It was all true and life changing for them as Jesus opened the Word of God to them….  I´m sure He ended up in the Suffering Servant passages in Isaiah 52 and 53…..   talking about the suffering servant who dies as a substitute for guilty sinners…….
By the time that Jesus was finished teaching them…..  Their hearts are on fire….. We´ll pick up the text in Luke 24….. let´s back up a bit and start in verse 32…..
Luke 24: 32- 43                  NKJV
32 And they said to one another, “Did not our heart burn within us while He talked with us on the road, and while He opened the Scriptures to us?” 33 So they rose up that very hour and returned to Jerusalem, and found the eleven and those who were with them gathered together, 34 saying, “The Lord is risen indeed, and has appeared to Simon!” 35 And they told about the things that had happened on the road, and how He was known to them in the breaking of bread.

36 Now as they said these things, Jesus Himself stood in the midst of them, and said to them, “Peace to you.” 37 But they were terrified and frightened, and supposed they had seen a spirit. 38 And He said to them, “Why are you troubled? And why do doubts arise in your hearts? 39 Behold My hands and My feet, that it is I Myself. Handle Me and see, for a spirit does not have flesh and bones as you see I have.”

40 When He had said this, He showed them His hands and His feet. 41 But while they still did not believe for joy, and marveled, He said to them, “Have you any food here?” 42 So they gave Him a piece of a broiled fish and some honeycomb. 43 And He took it and ate in their presence.
Luke 24: 32- 43                  Schlachter 2000 
32 Und sie sprachen zueinander: Brannte nicht unser Herz in uns, als er mit uns redete auf dem Weg, und als er uns die Schriften öffnete?
33 Und sie standen auf in derselben Stunde und kehrten nach Jerusalem zurück und fanden die Elf und ihre Gefährten versammelt,
34 die sprachen: Der Herr ist wahrhaftig auferstanden, und er ist dem Simon erschienen!
35 Und sie selbst erzählten, was auf dem Weg geschehen war, und wie er von ihnen am Brotbrechen erkannt worden war.
36 Während sie aber davon redeten, trat Jesus selbst in ihre Mitte, und er spricht zu ihnen: Friede sei mit euch!
37 Aber bestürzt und voll Furcht meinten sie, einen Geist zu sehen.
38 Und er sprach zu ihnen: Was seid ihr so erschrocken, und warum steigen Zweifel auf in euren Herzen?
39 Seht an meinen Händen und meinen Füßen, daß ich es bin! Rührt mich an und schaut, denn ein Geist hat nicht Fleisch und Knochen, wie ihr seht, daß ich es habe!
40 Und indem er das sagte, zeigte er ihnen die Hände und die Füße.
41 Da sie aber noch nicht glaubten vor Freude und sich verwunderten, sprach er zu ihnen: Habt ihr etwas zu essen hier?
42 Da reichten sie ihm ein Stück gebratenen Fisch und etwas Wabenhonig.
43 Und er nahm es und aß vor ihnen.
The living Word of God set their hearts on fire as they saw that it was all true…… Jesus is the Messiah and He is alive…. This wonderful transformation from sorrow and fear into joy and excitement was caused by the Living Word of God….They left their supper and went back to Jerusalem…Verse 33….

Luke 24:33                    NKJV   Schlachter 2000
33 So they rose up that very hour and returned to Jerusalem, and found the eleven and those who were with them gathered together,
33 Und sie standen auf in derselben Stunde und kehrten nach Jerusalem zurück und fanden die Elf und ihre Gefährten versammelt,
They return to Jerusalem to find the 11……  To tell them that Jesus is alive….. and that they had been with Jesus…..
Just a couple of grammar notes….. Found gathered together......   that’s a perfect passive participle…. it means that were gathered together…… They didn´t decide to gather …It was the  Spirit of God  who gathered them together so that they could see Jesus……
The 2 disciples are excited to tell the others that they saw Jesus…. But  before they can  tell their story…. The others who were already in the room speak first….. v34…
Luke 24 : 34   NKJV   Schlachter 2000
34 saying, “The Lord is risen indeed, and has appeared to Simon!”
34 die sprachen: Der Herr ist wahrhaftig auferstanden, und er ist dem Simon erschienen!
It had been a rough week for Peter…… So when the LORD appeared to Jesus it must have been incredible….
Because of God´s unfailing love and mercy….. Peter´s faith was restored and he became the leading evangelist in the early days of the Church…… Transformed by the resurrection of Jesus…..  One day denying Jesus to a servant girl…. and the next day…… Peter was proclaiming the Gospel to the whole world….. beginning at Jerusalem on Pentecost….
His wrote this in his first letter…1 Peter 1…v3….
 1 Peter 1:3                   NKJV   Schlachter 2000
3 Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who according to His abundant mercy has begotten us again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead,
 3 Gelobt sei der Gott und Vater unseres Herrn Jesus Christus, der uns aufgrund seiner großen Barmherzigkeit wiedergeboren hat zu einer lebendigen Hoffnung durch die Auferstehung Jesu Christi aus den Toten,
He got it…… This living Word shows all who really want to understand….. A living Hope because of the resurrection…. verse 35…
Luke 24: 35   NKJV  Schlachter 2000
35 And they told about the things that had happened on the road, and how He was known to them in the breaking of bread.
35 Und sie selbst erzählten, was auf dem Weg geschehen war, und wie er von ihnen am Brotbrechen erkannt worden war.
More and more people have  got the same testimony…... We saw Him..... we saw Him too...
He’s alive.......
Then Jesus Himself suddenly appears…… v36…
Luke 24: 36- 43                                NKJV  
36 Now as they said these things, Jesus Himself stood in the midst of them, and said to them, “Peace to you.” 37 But they were terrified and frightened, and supposed they had seen a spirit.
38 And He said to them, “Why are you troubled? And why do doubts arise in your hearts?
39 Behold My hands and My feet, that it is I Myself. Handle Me and see, for a spirit does not have flesh and bones as you see I have.”
40 When He had said this, He showed them His hands and His feet.
41 But while they still did not believe for joy, and marveled, He said to them, “Have you any food here?” 42 So they gave Him a piece of a broiled fish and some honeycomb.
43 And He took it and ate in their presence.
Luke 24: 36- 43                  Schlachter 2000
36 Während sie aber davon redeten, trat Jesus selbst in ihre Mitte, und er spricht zu ihnen: Friede sei mit euch!
37 Aber bestürzt und voll Furcht meinten sie, einen Geist zu sehen.
38 Und er sprach zu ihnen: Was seid ihr so erschrocken, und warum steigen Zweifel auf in euren Herzen?
39 Seht an meinen Händen und meinen Füßen, daß ich es bin! Rührt mich an und schaut, denn ein Geist hat nicht Fleisch und Knochen, wie ihr seht, daß ich es habe!
40 Und indem er das sagte, zeigte er ihnen die Hände und die Füße.
41 Da sie aber noch nicht glaubten vor Freude und sich verwunderten, sprach er zu ihnen: Habt ihr etwas zu essen hier?
42 Da reichten sie ihm ein Stück gebratenen Fisch und etwas Wabenhonig.
43 Und er nahm es und aß vor ihnen.
Notice that verse 37 says that they were terrified….. Why was that?....
Let´s listen to what John wrote about this evening as he described the same scene…. John chapter 20 v19…
John 20: 19          NKJV  Schlachter 2000
19 Then, the same day at evening, being the first day of the week, when the doors were shut where the disciples were assembled, for fear of the Jews, Jesus came and stood in the midst, and said to them, “Peace be with you.”
19 Als es nun an jenem Tag, dem ersten der Woche, Abend geworden war und die Türen verschlossen waren an dem Ort, wo sich die Jünger versammelt hatten, aus Furcht vor den Juden, da kam Jesus und trat in ihre Mitte und sprach zu ihnen: Friede sei mit euch!
 Jesus says Peace…. But They were still afraid of the Jewish leaders and ….. When he appeared so suddenly some though that He was a ghost….
He says…. V 38….

Luke 24: 38,39       NKJV   Schlachter 2000
38 And He said to them, “Why are you troubled? And why do doubts arise in your hearts? 39 Behold My hands and My feet, that it is I Myself. Handle Me and see, for a spirit does not have flesh and bones as you see I have.”
38 Und er sprach zu ihnen: Was seid ihr so erschrocken, und warum steigen Zweifel auf in euren Herzen?
39 Seht an meinen Händen und meinen Füßen, daß ich es bin! Rührt mich an und schaut, denn ein Geist hat nicht Fleisch und Knochen, wie ihr seht, daß ich es habe!
Jesus says…. Calm down….. Rühe leute….  No panic attacks please…. It´s me….. everything is OK….. relax…. V39…. Look it´s me…. verse 40….
Luke 24: 40- 43                          NKJV  
 40 When He had said this, He showed them His hands and His feet. 41 But while they still did not believe for joy, and marveled, He said to them, “Have you any food here?” 42 So they gave Him a piece of a broiled fish and some honeycomb. 43 And He took it and ate in their presence.

Luke 24: 40-43                             Schlachter 2000
40 Und indem er das sagte, zeigte er ihnen die Hände und die Füße.
41 Da sie aber noch nicht glaubten vor Freude und sich verwunderten, sprach er zu ihnen: Habt ihr etwas zu essen hier?
42 Da reichten sie ihm ein Stück gebratenen Fisch und etwas Wabenhonig.
43 Und er nahm es und aß vor ihnen. 
He says…… It´s me really me….. look at my hands and feet…. V41….
 “And while they still could not believe it for joy...” Wonderful….. It´s too good to be true…..
Now it’s dawning on them that this is actually the risen Lord Jesus Christ…..   This is not possible……   But here it is…… Then he asked for something to eat…..
Jesus says to them…..….  You’ve heard the testimony of the many eyewitnesses…. Here I am…  I am alive….  You’ve seen and touched me….  You’ve seen me eat…... Believe it, I’m alive…….
Since that day, that Resurrection Sunday in 29 A.D., the triumphant cry of the church has been the Lord Jesus is alive…. He is risen from the dead……
This is what the church has always preached…... He rose from the dead……. On the Day of Pentecost, Acts 2, Peter stands up said about Jesus, “You killed Him, God raised Him from the dead.” This is repeated over and over in the book of Acts…..….
Chapter 3, “You killed Him, God raised Him.” Chapter 4, “You killed Him, God raised Him.” Chapter 5, “You killed Him, God raised Him.” On and on it goes….. Jesus is alive….. The Word of God is true…. Listen to what Peter said in   Acts 10…. V 40…
Acts 10: 40-43                NKJV
40 Him God raised up on the third day, and showed Him openly, 41 not to all the people, but to witnesses chosen before by God, even to us who ate and drank with Him after He arose from the dead. 42 And He commanded us to preach to the people, and to testify that it is He who was ordained by God to be Judge of the living and the dead. 43 To Him all the prophets witness that, through His name, whoever believes in Him will receive remission of sins.”
Acts 10: 40- 43                     Schlachter 2000
 40 Den hat Gott auferweckt am dritten Tag und hat ihn erscheinen lassen,
41 nicht dem ganzen Volk, sondern uns, den von Gott vorher erwählten Zeugen, die wir mit ihm gegessen und getrunken haben, nachdem er auferstanden war von den Toten.
42 Und er hat uns geboten, dem Volk zu predigen und zu bezeugen, dass er von Gott bestimmt ist zum Richter der Lebenden und der Toten.
43 Von diesem bezeugen alle Propheten, dass durch seinen Namen alle, die an ihn glauben, Vergebung der Sünden empfangen sollen.
Remission of sins….. forgiveness…. Hope….. All in the Name of Jesus…. The Lamb of God who takes away the sins of the world… Beginning on the day of Pentecost….
They went on preaching the resurrection as eyewitnesses of the resurrection……
The physical resurrection of Jesus Christ is visible proof that God was satisfied with His sacrifice…...  Saving faith comes when you acknowledge Jesus as Lord….
Let´s continue… Luke 24… v 44…
Luke 24: 44-53                  NKJV
44 Then He said to them, “These are the words which I spoke to you while I was still with you, that all things must be fulfilled which were written in the Law of Moses and the Prophets and the Psalms concerning Me.” 45 And He opened their understanding, that they might comprehend the Scriptures.
46 Then He said to them, “Thus it is written, and thus it was necessary for the Christ to suffer and to rise[h] from the dead the third day, 47 and that repentance and remission of sins should be preached in His name to all nations, beginning at Jerusalem. 48 And you are witnesses of these things. 49 Behold, I send the Promise of My Father upon you; but tarry in the city of Jerusalem until you are endued with power from on high.”
50 And He led them out as far as Bethany, and He lifted up His hands and blessed them. 51 Now it came to pass, while He blessed them, that He was parted from them and carried up into heaven. 52 And they worshiped Him, and returned to Jerusalem with great joy, 53 and were continually in the temple praising and blessing God. Amen.

Luke 24: 44- 53          Schlachter 2000
44 Er aber sagte ihnen: Das sind die Worte, die ich zu euch geredet habe, als ich noch bei euch war, daß alles erfüllt werden muß, was im Gesetz Moses und in den Propheten und den Psalmen von mir geschrieben steht.
45 Da öffnete er ihnen das Verständnis, damit sie die Schriften verstanden,
46 und sprach zu ihnen: So steht es geschrieben, und so mußte der Christus leiden und am dritten Tag aus den Toten auferstehen,
47 und in seinem Namen soll Buße und Vergebung der Sünden verkündigt werden unter allen Völkern1, beginnend in Jerusalem.
48 Ihr aber seid Zeugen hiervon!
49 Und siehe, ich sende auf euch die Verheißung meines Vaters; ihr aber bleibt in der Stadt Jerusalem, bis ihr angetan werdet mit Kraft aus der Höhe!


50 Er führte sie aber hinaus bis in die Nähe von Bethanien und hob seine Hände auf und segnete sie.
51 Und es geschah, indem er sie segnete, schied er von ihnen und wurde aufgehoben in den Himmel.
52 Und sie warfen sich anbetend vor ihm nieder und kehrten nach Jerusalem zurück mit großer Freude;
53 und sie waren allezeit im Tempel und priesen und lobten Gott. Amen.
Jesus eats for their sake…. And then He opens up the scriptures to them….. just like he did for the two on the road to Emmaus…. Here we see something more than just the suffering servant and the resurrection….. The Christ must Suffer and be crucified…. And be raised from the dead…. Now we see more….. We see what is to happen next….  We   see that the Gospel is to be preached to everyone….. Repentence and the remission of sins…. (Forgiveness)… Is to be preached to all nations beginning in Jerusalem…. That is also found in the OT scriptures….  Jesus is showing them the Big picture because it contains the marching orders for all believers in the church age…
What we just read is Luke’s version of the great commission…...
Jesus is saying.,…. Here´s the message that you are to preach…… Call all men to repent and be forgiven of their sins in the name of Jesus Christ…….
The gospel of Luke ends by putting the reader in the same place as the Apostles and the first disciples….. We are all  responsible for the proclamation of the Good News of the Gospel…..
Why…. Because we Know the truth….. There is hope…. There is a Savior….. His name is Jesus…… He is alive…. This book is alive….. Don´t lose hope….
You see…. Jesus ascension into Heaven isn´t the end of the story….. The end of the story will be written by us….. it will be written by you and me and all believers who obey this commission…... The history of redemption is not over… The church will continue to proclaim the Good News until the end…..   till the Lord brings all human history to an end at His return in the heavens with great glory….
And we’re part of it…... This entire understanding that we now have of the life and work of Jesus Christ….. Is laid on us..……. We as believers have a great responsibility to share the Gospel….
Just like first the disciples…. WE have also received the command to go to the world with the message of repentance and forgiveness in the name of Jesus Christ…..  We carry the same responsibility …... The baton has been passed down every generation to the next…... It’s ours now…...
In these verses we have Our Lord’s mandate for the church in the world…..   
Matthew also records what Jesus  said as He was giving them this commission in Galilee… Matt 28… v 18…
Matthew 28: 18- 20     NKJV
 18 And Jesus came and spoke to them, saying, “All authority has been given to Me in heaven and on earth. 19 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, 20 teaching them to observe all things that I have commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age.” Amen.
Matthew 28: 18- 20         Schlachter 2000
 18 Und Jesus trat herzu, redete mit ihnen und sprach: Mir ist gegeben alle Macht2 im Himmel und auf Erden.
19 So geht nun hin und macht zu Jüngern alle Völker3, und tauft sie auf den Namen des Vaters und des Sohnes und des Heiligen Geistes
20 und lehrt sie alles halten, was ich euch befohlen habe. Und siehe, ich bin bei euch alle Tage bis an das Ende der Weltzeit! Amen.
You go and proclaim the Good News….  This our mission….  We have been sent on a mission from our master The LORD JESUS…. To make disciples and to teach…..
It is essential to understand this because we can get caught up in the life of the world around us….. and we can even get caught up in the life of the church……
Let’s talk about the life that we live as Christians in the world….  
We get very active in good things like learning and teaching the Word…  We   fellowship and share our lives together…. We serve and minister to each other…. We comfort and encourage one another…... We pray….. We pursue holiness in our own lives…..  These are all very good things…. And all these things are commanded of us in Scripture….. We are living a life that will make the message of the gospel believable……  The fruit of the Holy Spirit is becoming more and more evident in our lives…. We do good Christian things….. worship, prayer, and we love and serve others…..
But none of them is the goal….. All of them are simply means to the goal….. The goal is to proclaim the gospel…..   
Scriptures tell us how to fellowship….. Scriptures teach us doctrine…… The Scriptures tell us how to worship, how to obey, how to be holy, how to serve and pray…… That’s never the goal however…... That’s never the end…… Your spiritual growth is not the end…..
 All these things are to help to mature and to grow into usable vessels for the Lord….  Loving and encouraging each other…. And reaching out to the lost….
Jesus said, “The Son of Man has come to seek and to save that which was lost,” Luke 19:10… that’s why He came, to seek and save the lost…… And He has passed the baton to us……. We do the seeking from the human viewpoint…. He does the seeking and the saving from the divine side…...We are all responsible for this….. The church is composed of missionaries…., the church is a mission in the world…..   we are citizens of heaven…… But we are left here…… We are left here and God puts up with our stumbling worship….. and our sometimes obedience….. and our almost non existent prayer……. and our ridiculous efforts at holiness and all the rest……
God leaves us here….. Because there’s one thing we can do here that we’ll never do in heaven…… and that is evangelize the lost….. So we’re all missionaries….. We need  to learn the responsibilities that are laid upon us in this passage before us… Of course this was all part of God´s great plan of redemption…. We see the unfolding plan of redemption all through the scriptures…. We see it in the first pages of Luke´s Gospel…. Remember in Luke 1… v77    Zechariah prophesies that Jesus is going to be the one who provides salvation by the forgiveness of sins…..  
Luke 1: 77-79                            NKJV    
77 To give knowledge of salvation to His people By the remission of their sins,
78 Through the tender mercy of our God, With which the Dayspring from on high has visited us;
79 To give light to those who sit in darkness and the shadow of death, To guide our feet into the way of peace.”


Luke 1: 77-79                   Schlachter 2000
77 und Erkenntnis des Heils gebest seinem Volk in der Vergebung ihrer Sünden,
78 durch die herzliche Barmherzigkeit unseres Gottes, durch die uns besuchen wird das aufgehende Licht aus der Höhe,
79 damit es erscheine denen, die sitzen in Finsternis und Schatten des Todes, und richte unsere Füße auf den Weg des Friedens.
Luke begins with a promise that the one who comes will be the Son of God…. that He will provide salvation….. the forgiveness of sins….. When you come to the end of Luke´s Gospel…. Here in chapter 24… We see that It happened exactly according to God´s Word….  Jesus Christ came… the Son of God suffered, died, rose again the third day…. By his sacrifice Jesus provided forgiveness of sins to all who would repent…….   
Since He died and rose again….  We know that He is the Son of God…. He is the Lord…. He is the Redeemer… salvation is accomplished….. Es ist vollbracht….  forgiveness of sin is available to all who will repent and come to Him…. Good News….
And now Jesus says….  You go tell the world the Good News….. That is exactly what the disciples did…. They obeyed the Lord …
 Everywhere in the book of Acts….. they went to preach..... every time they preached to Jews…. they started from the Old Testament Scripture…….. Showing and proving that Jesus is the Messiah…. And many were saved as they repented and believed the Gospel….

The gospel changes us from the inside……And it´s all grace….
 How does the Gospel transform us?
 Why is it so important to believe that Jesus died and rose again the third day? Why is it so important to believe He’s the Son of God? Why is it so important to believe that Jesus is the Messiah the Savior of the world….. Redeemer? Why is that so important?
It is the forgiveness of sins….. We know deep in our heart that we are lost sinners without hope….. condemned to death because of our sins…
Dr Karl Menninger…… A famous Psychiatrist wrote a book…. What ever became of sin? He correctly identified a serious problem in our world today…… We deny the very existence of sin….. We are free to do whatever we want…… We call evil good and good evil……. But according to Dr. Menniger….. The guilt of the sin that we refuse to say even exists…. Continues to terrorize our subconscious…. we feel the guilt of our sin and it makes us sick…… Our hearts condemn us…. 1 John 3…. Dr. Menninger says that the guilt of sin is at the root of most mental illness…. Well we do live in a sick society….. In a lost and dying world…. But there is Hope….. That´s why Jesus saved us…. We have a message of hope….
The Good News of the Gospel is this simple message….. Because of Jesus finished work on the cross….. We can  repent and ask for the forgiveness of sins in the name of Christ…... And when we cry out to Him….. We are forgiven….
As believers we want people to be saved from their sins….. and to be rescued from the certain punishment of those sins in hell…….
The Christian gospel is this….. God is merciful….. He  will forgive your sins if you will repent and believe the Good News…… The Father has provided a substitute…. Jesus the  Christ……
Forgiveness of our sins…… That´s the Good News….. That´s the source of our joy….. We know that we do not deserve to be forgiven….. It´s the grace and mercy of God…… He so loved the world that he sent His only son…….. What good news…
Conclusion
Ephesians 2: 1-10                    NLT
2 Once you were dead because of your disobedience and your many sins. 2 You used to live in sin, just like the rest of the world, obeying the devil—the commander of the powers in the unseen world.[a] He is the spirit at work in the hearts of those who refuse to obey God. 3 All of us used to live that way, following the passionate desires and inclinations of our sinful nature. By our very nature we were subject to God’s anger, just like everyone else.

4 But God is so rich in mercy, and he loved us so much, 5 that even though we were dead because of our sins, he gave us life when he raised Christ from the dead. (It is only by God’s grace that you have been saved!) 6 For he raised us from the dead along with Christ and seated us with him in the heavenly realms because we are united with Christ Jesus. 7 So God can point to us in all future ages as examples of the incredible wealth of his grace and kindness toward us, as shown in all he has done for us who are united with Christ Jesus.

8 God saved you by his grace when you believed. And you can’t take credit for this; it is a gift from God. 9 Salvation is not a reward for the good things we have done, so none of us can boast about it. 10 For we are God’s masterpiece. He has created us anew in Christ Jesus, so we can do the good things he planned for us long ago.
 Ephesians 2: 1-10                    Neues Leben
1 Auch ihr wart früher tot aufgrund eurer Sünden.
2 Ihr habt genauso in der Sünde gelebt wie der Rest der Welt, beherrscht von Satan, der im Machtbereich der Luft regiert. Er ist der Geist, der in den Herzen derer wirkt, die Gott nicht gehorchen wollen.
3 Wir alle haben früher so gelebt und uns von den Leidenschaften und Begierden unserer alten Natur beherrschen lassen. Wir wurden mit dieser Natur geboren und waren Gottes Zorn ausgeliefert wie alle anderen Menschen auch.
4 Doch Gott ist so barmherzig und liebte uns so sehr,
5 dass er uns, die wir durch unsere Sünden tot waren, mit Christus neues Leben schenkte, als er ihn von den Toten auferweckte. Nur durch die Gnade Gottes seid ihr gerettet worden!
6 Denn er hat uns zusammen mit Christus von den Toten auferweckt und wir gehören nun mit Jesus zu seinem himmlischen Reich.
7 So wird er für alle Zeiten an uns seine Güte und den Reichtum seiner Gnade sichtbar machen, die sich in allem zeigt, was er durch Christus Jesus für uns getan hat.
8 Weil Gott so gnädig ist, hat er euch durch den Glauben gerettet. Und das ist nicht euer eigenes Verdienst; es ist ein Geschenk Gottes.
9 Ihr werdet also nicht aufgrund eurer guten Taten gerettet, damit sich niemand etwas darauf einbilden kann.
10 Denn wir sind Gottes Schöpfung. Er hat uns in Christus Jesus neu geschaffen, damit wir zu guten Taten fähig sind, wie er es für unser Leben schon immer vorgesehen hat.
We we saved to do good works…. Paul goes on to write in Eph Ch 5 v 8….. Walk as children of light…..
We who have repented of our sins have been forgiven….. even though we didn´t deserve it…… We have been saved by His grace….. We have been saved for a purpose…. These are the good things that God has planned for us long ago…… That we would be the salt of the earth and the light of the world
The Lord Jesus said you go into all the world and proclaim the Gospel…… The early disciples got it…. They knew that they were to follow the Lord Jesus …. And every prophet that ever lived….. By calling all men everywhere to repent of their sins and believe the Gospel….They obeyed the Lord Jesus and the world was turned upside down….  
If we had the cure for cancer would we keep it hidden?
 We have something far more valuable….. Will we open our mouths? Will we reach out to the lost with the Good News?
Let´s pray…