FIRST BAPTIST CHURCH-WEST

AT FIRST BAPTIST CHURCH-WEST, OUR THEME IS " MAKING FIRST THINGS FIRST IN WORSHIP, MISSION, EVANGLELISM, DISCIPLESHIP" OUR DOORS ARE ALWAYS OPEN TO EVERYONE AND WE ENCOURAGE YOU TO COME AND WORSHIP WITH US. WE'LL WELCOME YOU WITH OPEN ARMS. :-) HAVE A SAFE AND BLESSED DAY!

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SERMON OF THE MONTH

....................FBC-W....................


____________"THE END OF THE STORY"______

____________" LUKE 14:49-53"_______________


_______________Rev. Ricky A. Woods____________


__________________Senior Minister_____________


Luke concludes his gospel story in his first volume with the Story of the Ascension of Jesus. The resurrected Lord had spent several days with his disciples removing their fear and teaching them many things about the significance of his life among them. Now, the time had come for Jesus to return to His Father in heaven. However, before leaving Jesus provides a promise, gives a blessing and leaves the once fearful disciples worshiping him and with great joy. Luke had opened his gospel story about joy through the pronouncement of the birth of the Christ to shepherds and now concludes his story with a word about joy. Rarely does a story end as well as it starts, if it has a good start but Luke's story ends well. Although much has happened between the beginning and the ending, it is all book ended by the presence of joy. How are the disciples able to experience such joy even as their Master leaves them for his home in heaven? First, the disciples are able to have joy because of the promise of power. The experiences of the disciples at best could be described as lackluster. There were occasions when they showed great promise and possibilities but other occasions when they failed miserably. At one moment, they are casting out demons and the next moment arguing about position. There were occasions when they demonstrated great faith and courage and other occasions when they acted with embrassing shame. The variations of their behavior was because of their limited humanity. They were mere men with all the fallacies of humanity. But now, Jesus promises them something that they had never had before, power. The word Jesus used for power is dumosis from which we get dynamite. Jesus speaks of an explosive power that would be so great it could change their natural tendencies and behavior toward selfishness and give them the power to witness to the work of God. This power would be so great where they had failed in the past, they would now be able to succeed. Jesus tells them to stay in the city until you have been clothed with power that is not based upon the world's understanding of power but stay until you have received power from on high. In the past, they had depended upon Jesus' presence and power but the promise to the disciples is that you will have your own power living within you enabling you to work, worship and change the world in my name. The power that has been mine will soon be yours. The power that Jesus spoke of was the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit empowered this once fearful group of unlearned men and women to turn the world upside down. This same power is available to you and I. The Holy Spirit has come and he seeks to dwell in the life of God's people. The disciples could have great joy because they had a great promise, you shall receive power from on high. Secondly, the disciples are able to have joy because of a blessing received. They had already experienced the blessing of being led by Jesus before his death and now he continues to led them as far as Bethany, then Jesus lifted up his hands and he blessed them. This is the only record in Luke's gospel where Jesus blessed people. We are not certain what was said in the blessing but we do know that Jesus imparted upon his disciples a blessing. How remarkable it is that the last act of Jesus before ascending to heaven was to bestow a blessing upon his followers. Luke says while he was blessing them, he withdrew from them and was carried into heaven. Think upon that and ponder a moment that the last words spoken by Jesus before returning to heaven was words of blessing. Words like, may the Lord keep you and cause his face to shine upon you and give you peace. Words like, now unto him who is able to keep you from falling and present you faultless before his throne, to the only wise God our Father. Jesus lifted his hands and blessed the disciples. His parting words do not speak to their past failures nor his lack of confidence in their abilities to perform what they promised, he simply blessed them. Oh, how I want the Lord to bless me. Not with material things mind you, but with a word of his favor, with a word of assurance that everything will be all right. I want the Lord to bless me, not holding up my past mistakes and failures. No wonder the disciples had joy because they had received a blessing from the Lord. I believe that if the Lord blesses you, you cannot help but have joy. He lifted up his hands and blessed them, he reminded them of their acceptance to him and the high value he placed upon them. He lifted up his hands and blessed them knowing that they had a special future and providing his commitment to making that future a reality. We need such a blessing from God in our lives today that our joy might be complete. Finally, the disciples have joy because they worshiped him. This is the christological high point of the entire gospel, this is the first and only time that Luke says that the disciples worship Jesus. By doing this, Luke makes it clear that the promise of the beginning is fulfilled at the end and moreover that this entire life brings human beings great joy. In essence, one's joy cannot be complete until one worships the Christ "God's Anointed One." The disciples now come to understand that Jesus is not just to be followed or obeyed but Jesus is to be worshiped as the Son of God. Once one fully discovers Jesus, worship is a natural response to what God has done for us in the Christ. The disciples have a great praise because now what had been hidden was fully revealed, Jesus is the Son of God. Whenever we worship Jesus the result will be joy. For when we worship the Lord, we are responding the way God intended for humanity to respond in the beginning of creation. Worship brings a joy that cannot fully be expressed by the limitation of words. The joy that comes from worship is not the joy of the world but he joy that comes from God alone. This joy is the joy of knowing that life matters and there is one who cares. This joy is the joy of knowing that right will prevail over wrong and justice will be seen by the righteous. This joy is the joy of knowing that I have an Eternal Home not made by hands. Dr. Ricky A Woods, Senior Minister

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