This sermon is part of One Year Later; a 4 part series that looks back over the 12 months that followed North Village Church moving to its new location. You can watch all 4 here.
Sermon manuscript:
Some of us might remember, but a little over a year ago we were moving into this space, and we told a story about Ted Lasso putting a piece of paper on the wall that said “Believe.” Do you remember?
At one point in the show, no spoilers here, but Coach Lasso stands before his team and references the phrase, “It’s the hope that kills you.” It’s a reference to the football club not doing so well in the game, so that the fans keep having this great hope and then the team keeps letting the fans down.
Then Ted Lasso says, “I ain’t too crazy about this phrase.” (Coach Lasso is from Kentucky.). Ted Lasso says, “It’s not the hope that kills you, but I think it’s the lack of hope that comes and gets you.”
The lack of hope. I think that’s a great question for us to think about this morning. Is it possible that some of us have lost some hope in life in Austin? Is it possible that the ups and downs of the day have lost some luster in Austin, TX.
It might be a lack of hope in our spiritual life? It might be a lack of hope in our marriage? It might be a lack of hope in our city? In the show, Ted Lasso says, “I believe in hope.” He said, “I believe in believe.”
In Ted Lasso, they are talking about a soccer team winning and losing games but when we are in Christ, we aren’t just believing in hope to believe but when we are in Christ, we can believe with confidence that there are better and brighter days ahead of us. Do you believe that this morning?
Do you believe there are better and brighter days are ahead in your marriage in Austin? Do you believe there are better and brighter days are ahead for our country? Our career in Austin? Do you believe that better and brighter days are ahead for our church family in Austin?
This morning we are going to be in Acts 1:8 and we are going to see three sub-points; 1. We Have Power. 2. We Have the Holy Spirit. 3. We Are Witnesses. Let’s look at our first sub-point; 1. We Have Power.
- We Have Power.
Acts 1:8, “8 but you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you shall be My witnesses both in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and even to the remotest part of the earth.”
At the end of the gospels, we see Jesus’ life, death, and resurrection where the resurrected Jesus walks around for 40 days hanging out with people and in Acts 1, we see the description of the resurrected Jesus ascending into the heavens.
Who’s heard of that term Ascension? Our culture will give a lot of attention to Jesus’ birth (Christmas), the death of Jesus (Good Friday) and the resurrection of Jesus (Easter), but you don’t hear a lot about the ascension of Jesus.
When Jesus ascends into the heavens it’s not that Jesus ascends into the clouds, or Jesus’ ascends into outer space, or Jesus ascends into the multi-verse of madness but instead Jesus ascends into the heavens, so as to make Himself available to all people at all times and all places.
It is because of the ascension that today we don’t have to go to Jerusalem to be close to Jesus. It is because of the ascension we don’t have to go to a special church to be close to Jesus. We don’t have to go to a special person to be close to Jesus. But instead because of the ascension Jesus is always available to all people at all times and in all places, so that there is power in the ascension.
Second, the follower of Jesus doesn’t just have power because of the ascension, but Jesus tells the disciples that power is coming. Do you see that in verse 8? That word “power” in the original language is the word “doo-na-mis” which is where we get the English word “dynamite.”
Now, we are going to talk about the Holy Spirit in our second point, but I just want us to draw out the emotional roller coaster of the disciples in the context of Acts 1. The disciples had just spent the last 3 years with Jesus, eating, praying, miracles, teaching. They had watched Jesus put to death on the cross. Three days later they experience the resurrection of Jesus. Then they spent what must have been 40 glorious days with the resurrected Jesus and in this moment, Jesus says to them, “I am leaving, ascending into the heavens, but wait for it, the Holy Spirit is coming.”
Now we might know what it means to know the “Holy Spirit is coming” but the disciples had just spent 3 years with the most influential person in the world, they are watching Jesus ascend into the heavens, so that I am guessing the promise of the Holy Spirit wasn’t their focus. Do you know why?
It is because in moments of loss, which is what the disciples most surely would have felt as Jesus ascends into the heavens, we are most likely to focus on what we have lost instead of what we are promised. Does that make sense?
We’re not thinking about a better and brighter future in Austin. We’re thinking about what we don’t have, and I think it’s possible that some of us might be in that place this morning. In our heads, we might fully believe that when we are in Christ we have better and brighter days ahead but instead of focusing on the promise we get wrapped up in the loss. Maybe some of us have been in that place as a church in Austin? Maybe some of us are in that place right now?
I know in my life personally, when I have walked through difficult seasons, I tend to focus on what I have lost. I focus on what I can’t do. I focus on what I can’t have, but I want you to see in God’s Word that He understands our pain, He understands our loss and He is with us in our pain and loss but at the same time He is always lifting our eyes to the promise of what is to come, therefore, let’s look at our second sub-point; 2. The Holy Spirit.
- The Holy Spirit.
Acts 1:8, “8 but you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you shall be My witnesses both in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and even to the remotest part of the earth.”
The Holy Spirit is the third person of the trinity. The Holy Spirit is involved in creation in Genesis 1 “hovering over the face of the waters.” The Holy Spirit doesn’t get a lot of airtime on a Sunday morning so we can be a little less familiar with the Holy Spirit but the Holy Spirit comes with dynamite power in our life and has specific roles in our life.
2 Thessalonians teaches us the Holy Spirit is the One who holding back darkness and death around the world. John 16 teaches us the Holy Spirit is the One who brings conviction of our sin, so that we see our need for Jesus. John 14 teaches us the Holy Spirit is the One who teaches us. When we learn things about God through sermons, scripture, or Tik Tok, we are communing with the Holy Spirit.
Romans 12 teaches us the Holy Spirit gives us spiritual gifts that move us into serving one another. John 15 teaches us the Holy Spirit leads us to be obedient to God’s Word. Romans 8 teaches us the Holy Spirit intercedes through prayer on our behalf. So that in Acts 1 Jesus is ascending into the heavens but lifting their eyes to the hope of what is to come in the Holy Spirit.
Think about it practically. The disciples are a rag tag group. The disciples barely understand what is taking place. In Acts 1 the disciples are asking Jesus, “Are you going to set up your Kingdom for Israel now or later?” Which means the disciples are still expecting a literal, political kingdom on earth, so technically they barely understand what is taking place, and yet the Holy Spirit is so powerful that it is with this group of 120 people that all of humanity is radically transformed over the last 2,000 years.
Just sin in that for a second. Every other spiritual leader of world religions are there to make things happen. But Jesus ascends into heaven, leaves some people in charge that somewhat understand what they are getting into, and the Holy Spirit is so powerful that a group of 120 people ignite something that transforms that last 2,000 years.
That’s why we believe in the hope of a better and brighter future. We have Jesus who has ascended into the heavens and is available to all people at all times and all places. And, when we trust in Jesus we are indwelled with the Holy Spirit and the Holy Spirit comes with dynamite power.
That’s why we have hope of a better and brighter future as a church in Austin. That’s why we can be confronted with challenges in our marriage, at the office, in our country, our church family and believe, genuinely believe, the possibilities are limitless.
Right now, we have this challenge of sharing the 3 Circle Gospel Presentation with people in our life and I am sure that all of us are filled with a myriad of questions. Do I have time for this? Am I really the best one to present that gospel? Are we going to be able to be persuasive enough? Are we going to be winsome enough? Are we going to be culturally engaging enough?
The answer is NO! But when you are in Christ, you are indwelled with the Holy Spirit and the Holy Spirit comes with dynamite power, so that we have no idea what might happen. Did you know that?
- We Are Witnesses.
Acts 1:8, “8 but you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you shall be My witnesses both in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and even to the remotest part of the earth.”
The word “witnesses” in the original language is the word “martyrs.” A martyr is someone who dies for their belief, so, get excited! I am not sure we are at a place in our country where we are going to lose our life for following Jesus, but we definitely will lose some comforts of this world.
Therefore, if our level of comfort is what determines the power of the Holy Spirit working in our life, then we might have misunderstood our faith in Jesus, because the whole concept of Acts 1 is that we aren’t to settle into comfort but to be witnesses in Jerusalem, Judea, Samaria, and even to the remotest part of the earth.
If you looked on a map you would see circles expanding geographically as the name of Jesus starts in Jerusalem with Stephen’s death in Acts 7. Then, we begin to see the name of Jesus spread into Judea, then Samaria in Acts 8. In Acts 9 we begin to see Paul and Barnabas taking the name of Jesus into the Roman Empire, and that’s what has been unfolding over the last 2,000 years.
In the 400’s there were people like St. Patrick who sold himself into slavery so that the Irish may here about the name of Jesus. In the 800’s you see the Moravian people who are so committed to proclaiming the name of Jesus that they would send people out in boats with coffins because they knew they would die proclaiming the name of Jesus.
In the 1700’s you have people like David Brainerd taking the name of Jesus to the Native American and he wrote in his journal, “The Native American are coming to me with tears in their eyes wanting to know Jesus. It is an amazing season of God’s power as it seems that the heavens have come and down and that God was about to convert the whole world.”
In the 1950’s there was an explosion of people coming to faith in China and today there are people coming to faith in the Middle East in ways that are supernatural and unexplainable, and it all started in Acts 1.
Acts 1:8, “8 but you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you shall be My witnesses both in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and even to the remotest part of the earth.”
Listen, I know there are challenges sometimes in our life, but we can’t let those challenges overtake the hope of what we have in Jesus. We have an enemy that would love to lull us to sleep. We have an enemy that would love for us to focus on our differences. We have an enemy that would love to stir up strife and division, but we have the power of the Holy Spirit to be His witness in Austin and around the world! That’s who we are North Village Church in Austin!
First, we must see ourselves in Christ above all things. It isn’t our career and Christ. It isn’t our marriage and Christ. It isn’t our sexuality and Christ. It isn’t the Domain and Christ. It isn’t Brentwood and Christ. It isn’t Crestview and Christ. It isn’t the University of Texas and Christ. It isn’t our ethnicity and Christ. It isn’t our children, finances, comfort, or preferences and Christ.
Second, the people around us must see Jesus as first in our life. The people around must know we follow Jesus in Austin. We have to stop worrying about being accepted. We have to stop worrying about offending people. We have to stop whispering His name. We have to stop worrying about getting fired from our jobs or rejected by our friends.
It isn’t because we are trying to be obnoxious to the people around us but it’s because Jesus is first in our life and the people around us know Jesus is first in our life, unapologetically. Will you pray with me?
North Village Church
This article was written by Pastor Michael Dennis, Lead Pastor at North Village Church; a non-denominational church in Austin, TX, established in 2009 and built around Jesus and Bible teaching.
Are you looking for a church in Austin? At North Village Church we put Jesus at the center of our church family. We worship together every Sunday at 10:30am, encourage Christ centered fellowship through groups, and host special events such as Bible studies and Theological Training, to ensure that we are rooted in in God’s Word. We also serve our local community in association with several Austin based organizations.
North Village Church is made up of professionals, married couples, singles, and families who are wanting to experience the life-transforming power of Jesus. If you are a family with children or teens, we can support you with either or both our Kids Ministry and Youth Ministry.
Check out our North Village Church calendar highlights such as our Christmas Eve Service and Easter Sunday Service.
You are welcome to contact us if you would like more information.
NVC Online
Unable to attend this Christian Church in Austin? Don’t worry, because, through God’s provision, we have created NVC online, an Online Church streaming a worship service every Sunday from 10:30am Central Time. You can also watch our short, powerful sermons on demand and follow us on Instagram for daily Christ centered content.