Speaker: Zach Forbes
Jesus is at the forefront of the gospels, busy doing his father’s work progressing the gospel. I suggest that he is just as active now… In fact more!
We will see that Jesus was busy during the Acts working in much the same way as before except with more power.
We will have a look at what we can find in the new testament about Jesus’s work today and see if we can find a few titles that help us understand what he is for us now.
The conclusion being that he is working in our lives today.
Our core verses are going to be the following
Matt 28:
18 Then Jesus came up and said to them, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me.
20 teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And remember, I am with you always, to the end of the age.”
All Authority has been handed over from God to Jesus following his resurrection
Jesus tells his disciple that he is with them always, forever
Rom 1:4 who was appointed the Son-of-God-in-power according to the Holy Spirit by the resurrection from the dead, Jesus Christ our Lord.
Jesus isn’t just sitting at the right hand of God doing nothing! He is now the Son of God in power. He has been promoted from what he was in before his resurrection! If that is the case shouldn’t he be even more busy?
So first we want to prove that Jesus was active after the gospels, that he didn’t just sit down at the right hand of God and then stop, the best place to look after the gospels is to see what happens in Acts
When we read through the Acts we can see that Jesus is currently in control
Acts 7
55 But Stephen, full of the Holy Spirit, looked intently toward heaven and saw the glory of God, and Jesus standing at the right hand of God.
59 They continued to stone Stephen while he prayed, “Lord Jesus, receive my spirit!”
Jesus is not sitting, he is standing! Stephen is willing to communicate directly with Lord Jesus.
SLIDE: Lord Jesus, receive my spirit! He is even in the position to receive God’s breath back from a man! Proof again that God has given all power and authority over.
Acts 9:32-34
Acts 9:34 Peter said to him, “Aeneas, Jesus the Christ heals you. Get up and make your own bed!” [I-Nay-Us]
Jesus the Christ heals you Not in the name of Jesus Christ but rather it is Jesus himself doing the healing.
Acts 9:5 - It is Jesus who talks to Saul from heaven
After Saul goes around killing Christians (even Stephen from before). Jesus decides that he is willing to work with Saul to change him. No matter who we are - Jesus is willing to work in our lives to effect change.
Notice also that Paul is having a full conversation with Jesus!
In fact, Jesus Christ himself taught Paul the gospel…
Gal 1:12 For I did not receive it or learn it from any human source; instead I received it by a revelation of Jesus Christ.
Final instance of Jesus Acting in the Acts we will look at today and to me it is the most interesting!
Acts 16:7 - It is the spirit of Jesus that prevents them from going into Bithynia
The Spirit suffered them not. -- The better MSS. and versions give the reading, "the Spirit of Jesus,"
This is an expression that I was not expecting while looking at Christ’s activity in Acts.
We will explore what I think the ‘Spirit of Jesus’ is...
Jesus in spiritual form as todays helper/advocate/comforter (John 14-16)
16 Then I will ask the Father, and he will give you another comforter to be with you forever –17 the Spirit of truth, whom the world cannot accept, because it does not see him or know him. But you know him, because he resides with you and will be in you.
The comforter is with us forever (Can’t just be the Holy Spirit gifts). Must therefore be with us today.
It was residing with the disciples at the time...
14:25 “I have spoken these things while staying with you. 26 But the Comforter, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, will teach you everything, and will cause you to remember everything I said to you… 28 You heard me say to you, ‘I am going away and I am coming back to you.’ If you loved me, you would be glad that I am going to the Father, because the Father is greater than I am.
This Comforter comes in Jesus name, linked to the Holy Spirit
I am going away, I am coming back (in what form?)
16:7 But I tell you the truth, it is to your advantage that I am going away. For if I do not go away, the comforter will not come to you, but if I go, I will send him to you.
Jesus was limited while on earth. He couldn’t help everyone at once. He had to leave flesh form to ascend to spirit form. It was necessary that he ascended to the position of Son-of-God-in-power.(Rom 1:4)
Confirmed to be Jesus in 1 John 2:1
But if anyone does sin, we have a Comforter with the Father, Jesus Christ the Righteous One,
The only other time the word is used in the New Testament.
So maybe ‘The Spirit of Christ’ we read about in Acts 16:7 is Jesus in his new spirit state. Also, Parakletos
The son-of-god-in-power is unveiled to be the Spirit of Jesus, the comforter.
So what does that mean for us?
Jesus is very much active today.
Have a relationship with Jesus.
Realise that he is working in your life
Is this spirit the comforter?
Did Jesus need to ascend to be with us in spirit instead?
BONUS:
Why doesn’t God just rule rather than working through Jesus?
Deut 18:16-18 Israel were too scared to deal with God directly
Heb 2:17-18 God can relate to us but perhaps we struggle to relate to him
2 cor 3:17,18
17 Now the Lord is the Spirit, and where the Spirit of the Lord is—freedom! 18And we all, with unveiled faces reflecting as in a mirror the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same appearance, from glory into glory, just as one would expect—from the Lord who is the Spirit.
Phil 1:19, Gal 4:6, Rev 1:1 - God > Jesus > Angels > Servant
Speaker: Zachary Forbes
Participants:
Theme: Israel : Jesus is Active Today
Speaker: Bro Zachary Forbes
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