Here is the sermon I was blessed to preach yesterday – thank you for reading and absorbing.

Scriptures:

John 21:15-19  Jesus Reinstates Peter

When they had finished eating, Jesus said to Simon Peter, “Simon son of John, do you love me more than these?”

“Yes, Lord,” he said, “you know that I love you.”   Jesus said, “Feed my lambs.”

Again Jesus said, “Simon son of John, do you love me?” He answered, “Yes, Lord, you know that I love you.” Jesus said, “Take care of my sheep.”

The third time he said to him, “Simon son of John, do you love me?” Peter was hurt because Jesus asked him the third time, “Do you love me?” He said, “Lord, you know all things; you know that I love you.”

Jesus said, “Feed my sheep. Very truly I tell you, when you were younger you dressed yourself and went where you wanted; but when you are old you will stretch out your hands, and someone else will dress you and lead you where you do not want to go.” Jesus said this to indicate the kind of death by which Peter would glorify God. Then he said to him, “Follow me!”

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Acts 1:1-11 Jesus Taken Up Into Heaven (early chapter written by Luke)

In my former book, Theophilus, I wrote about all that Jesus began to do and to teach until the day he was taken up to heaven, after giving instructions through the Holy Spirit to the apostles he had chosen. After his suffering, he presented himself to them and gave many convincing proofs that he was alive. He appeared to them over a period of forty days and spoke about the kingdom of God. On one occasion, while he was eating with them, he gave them this command: “Do not leave Jerusalem, but wait for the gift my Father promised, which you have heard me speak about. For John baptized with water, but in a few days you will be baptized with the Holy Spirit.”

Then they gathered around him and asked him, “Lord, are you at this time going to restore the kingdom to Israel?” He said to them: “It is not for you to know the times or dates the Father has set by his own authority. But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you; and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.”

After he said this, he was taken up before their very eyes, and a cloud hid him from their sight.

They were looking intently up into the sky as he was going, when suddenly two men dressed in white stood beside them. “Men of Galilee,” they said, “why do you stand here looking into the sky? This same Jesus, who has been taken from you into heaven, will come back in the same way you have seen him go into heaven.”

I thought starting this sermon – WOW – just like my sermon last time – WOW asks: What’s my Witness???!!!  And WOW  “What a busy week!”, I thought: “how am I going to find time to focus on a sermon?” – well thankfully God found my nooks and crannies of time – to work on witnessing His Word…  and WOW – I surely have a witness of His goodness in letting me march thru this week and keep marching… 

Well of course there are many who are in tough spots – so we count our blessings – and there are plenty of down times that I am not going to dwell on now – the truth is that we MUST keep marching thru life – the good and the bad – that is Truth – and the sermon is going to be about continuing our Journey with Jesus – this time speaking about OUR WALK WITH THE HOLY SPIRIT = and talk about a KICKSTART – WOW – it is the Holy Spirit which fuels our WOW.

Yes, I can say that if it seems that I am running on Holy Spirit fumes – it’s because I am…  And so to fuel myself and us, I want to start with this scripture from James – knowing that James too was able to experience the grace and mercy and Holy Spirit of his brother Jesus – realizing it after being sent the Holy Spirit, Jesus’s Advocate forever.

James wrote that:  Every good and perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of the heavenly lights, who does not change like shifting shadows. He chose to give us birth through the word of truth, that we might be a kind of firstfruits of all he created. James 1:17-18

Yes – every gift – especially for us to remember today when we celebrate the beginning of Pentecost – the birth of the church – the impetus to go out and share the Word – that the HOLY SPIRIT HIMSELF is our GIFT – a gift to the disciples and gift to us.  Now everyday is a journey with Jesus because we have the Holy Spirit in our midst.

And SO a sermon about Jesus after resurrection and about the Holy Spirit is not “hard” – even if I am running on ‘Holy Spirit fumes’ – because it is the Holy Spirit Himself feeding lines and the time to write them… it’s a flow, it’s a flow WE NEED TO TAP INTO: we are blessed “to be in the know”. This sermon is called “NOW WHAT?” – because we do have to figure out what to do as we follow Jesus. And I should have named the sermon “Guess What?” because we don’t know what God has around the corner for us to work on – but we DO know that He goes with us and He equips us with our tools and gifts to work in the world. Even Jesus said: “It is not for you to know the times or dates the Father has set by his own authority. But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you; and you will be my witnesses – … to the ends of the earth.”

So the song that triggered my refocus over the course of the last week was from Godspell – “All good things around us – are sent from heaven above”… YES!!!  And how can we not also praise the rain getting us all this green and the soon to be fruits of the summer – and our lives – and praise getting over those bad allergies this year – which of course showed how our bodies are working but ugh! So we will praise getting over the allergies and moving onto BEAUTIFUL spring weather, flowers and leaves abound… All good things … The song goes:

We plow the fields and scatter the good seed on the land..
But it is fed and watered by God’s almighty hand..
He sends us snow in winter, the warmth to swell the grain…
The breezes and the sunshine, and soft refreshing rain…

All good gifts around us – Are sent from Heaven above – So thank the Lord, oh thank the Lord for all his love…

We thank thee then, O Father, for all things bright and good,
The seedtime and the harvest, our life our health our food,
No gifts have we to offer for all thy love imparts
But that which thou desirest, our humble thankful hearts!

All good gifts around us  – Are sent from Heaven above – So thank the Lord, oh thank the Lord for all his love…

It’s paramount that we thank the Holy Spirit – thank Jesus – thank God – and as we are thinking of Jesus post Easter, we are to still think always of HOW He demonstrated the greatest gift of laying down His life – yes His actions expressed and completed God’s Grace Plan. When we are appreciating this great gift of GRACE, it is of FORGIVENESS – this is the WHY that Jesus came – because we can become closest to God in all His Almighty Love in the forgiveness of His GRACE brought by His Love. It is a costly grace, freedom is not without cost to God Himself, making this choice to sacrifice BEFORE the world began – and JESUS was in on the plan – not some pawn in the plan but JESUS AND the HOLY SPIRIT and GOD the Father – all three in our Holy Trinity – put this plan into play – knowing how it wins our relationships back to God – that is why we needed and need the Holy Spirit today – to  get us individually to that reconciliation point and then keep marching forward. Jesus post resurrection walked the earth to teach and reconcile – He still does it today in our witness of the Holy Spirit God moving – in us and in others around us.

Reconciliation is real and active and participatory and necessary.

Reconciliation is Holy Spirit Conviction without the condemnation.

Reconciliation is a GIFT of Mercy and Grace. 

Think about Peter’s reconciliation, Peter denying Jesus, three times that we know of… Peter impetuous and rash – he sank not only in his walking on the water, but sank deep into denial, fear, self-justification, and pride on that night of betrayal. “Oh not me! I didn’t mingle with him, I didn’t follow him!” – yeah…  how fear overcomes us too, even when we DO know that we KNOW the Lord. Peter’s denial is 3 times but now hear the Reconciliation of Jesus also 3 times: Do you love me Peter? Oh yes Lord… Feed my sheep.  Peter was not just reconciled to feel better, to get back into fellowship, “aww, it’s OK” but PETER specifically was reconciled for a mission: Feed my sheep.  Jesus does tells many of us to “FEED MY SHEEP” – a spiritual feeding of knowledge of Jesus – to WITNESS.

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I ALSO appreciate in this beach breakfast scene – a segment which moves the conversation from why to how and especially WHO – When Peter saw John, he asked, “Lord, what about him?” Jesus answered, “If I want him to remain alive until I return, what is that to you? You must follow me.” 

In this. Jesus has a conversation with Peter about John which indicates that Jesus is clearly saying to Peter: “[STAY IN YOUR LANE]” – “[What is it to you how he lives or dies early or late – what is it to you about his mission – YOU HAVE YOUR OWN]” – and Peter was even told by Jesus the method by which He would die – In other words the message to us all is “[Do what God has picked for you to do and don’t worry about the others]” !!!  A job (jobs) given by the Holy Spirit to each of us is/are unique and God directed, our lives can be spent in giving Him Praise – and of course what we are blessedly tasked with is not just a job but a mission…

And our mission is to follow Jesus. Not necessarily to make it all 100% better in the world, although we are blessed to share and help best we can, the mission that we are being tasked with is to follow Jesus…

But without Jesus in flesh, how???  – He ascended – so are we now going to go it alone? NO….  WOW….  NO !!!

WOW – not alone – How about that Holy Spirit? Yeah – WOW – Holy Spirit is the Jesus Advocate for us in the world of people – and we do know the image of fire and tongues when the Holy Spirit came to the disciples – but we must remember that the Holy Spirit comes again and again for us to have a fresh filling – to fall onto others too – to help us when we ask that questions “Now What?!”

I had a moment about 9 years ago now – crucial to my understanding of the Holy Trinity, 3 in One, in a continual awakening to ask: WHY? WHY Jesus Why Holy Spirit, Why? What is that we need to know from Jesus’s time on the earth” – on our ground. Well, there was something that I found “on the ground” –  I found a piece of paper, likely from a Bible class, on the ground in a front pew (and weird as no one ever sits in a front pew at my old church) –that day I was being an usher and cleaning up. Well it was reference to a scripture in John 16 which has totally changed me and I how I thought about Jesus and His mission and the Holy Spirit – this paper (from the ground) taught me, led me… Found me where I was – on the ground – and I am certain that I was led to find it.  THIS IS HOLY SPIRIT at work – this is the leading that we are following – the Word that God is leaving out for us to find, ingest, remember, live by – and not return to God void.  We are living out our lives WITH the Holy Spirit to fill that void that is the life on earth today.

SO Jesus spoke to His disciples three parts in John 16:

First:

But very truly I tell you, it is for your good that I am going away. Unless I go away, the Advocate will not come to you; but if I go, I will send him to you.

OOOOHHHHHH… THAT IS WHAT I NEEDED TO HEAR… SO it wasn’t just “sad that the people killed Jesus before His time – wasn’t just “bad luck” of bad people in the world – it was PART of the PLAN – to use even evil for good…  AND WOW “unless I go away – the advocate – meaning the Holy Spirit – won’t come”…  it was a path and a plan…

Second. Verses 8-10: When he [the Holy Spirit] comes, he will prove the world to be in the wrong about sin and righteousness and judgment: about sin, because people do not believe in me; about righteousness, because I am going to the Father, where you can see me no longer; and about judgment, because the prince of this world now stands condemned.

SATAN IS CONDEMNED!!!

Third – found in verse 12-15:   “I have much more to say to you, more than you can now bear. But when he, the Spirit of truth, comes, he will guide you into all the truth. He will not speak on his own; he will speak only what he hears, and he will tell you what is yet to come. He will glorify me because it is from me that he will receive what he will make known to you. All that belongs to the Father is mine. That is why I said the Spirit will receive from me what he will make known to you.”

The Holy Spirit points to Jesus, advocates, brings us back to Him, it’s good… all good things around us, are sent from heaven above…

Jesus says:

1) I have to go.

2) The world has people who need to understand Who I am and Why I came. And now Satan is condemned

3) The Holy Spirit will help you, tell you what to say when time is come, SO YOU even in your brokenness can hear from God, FROM Jesus, from Holy Spirit directly TO you – to move you – to witness and encourage – to help and hope.

It’s NOT about fixing the world – It’s about FEEDING the world – feeding the world with Living Water, the Bread of Life, it is not necessarily about fixing the world but about leading the world to Jesus. Jesus will not fix the world without first bringing human beings to God first and asking us to be pouring our fruits of the spirit to the world to share – all in order to point back to Him.

And here is just one more interesting thing about the Holy Spirit – demonstrating power – John was an old old man when he wrote down his gospels – he lived until his 90s – John also must have told stories in many age groups and throughout his long life – John ALSO took Mary under his household and therefore her stories were also recorded by the likes of Luke the physician. And John was exiled on Patmos – and he had visions come to him all about heaven and the vividness of his writing is amazing is in the Book of Revelation – of how Jesus returns and how the world ends and how we are taken to a new Jerusalem – new life – amazing life reconnected with God – without us showing blemish thanks to Jesus forgiveness.   JOHN was on that unique path of what Jesus was talking out – the Holy Spirit led following of Jesus even after He is gone from earth – the  “[what is it to you, Peter, in how he lives and dies?]” –“[Stay in your lane, Peter]” moment on that beach eating fish.

Yes – in Acts 1 first verses, Luke, the physician, writing from eyewitness accounts of everyone from Peter to Paul and unnamed people, wrote to his mentor Theophilus about so many moments about Jesus interacting with regular people as well as His disciples. That knowledge of Jesus ALSO came thru the Holy Spirit…  How else would we know what Jesus did and taught – Holy Spirit remined what happened the day Jesus was taken up to heaven – because imagine that you would need some Holy Spirit help too in writing any of the gospels details after you are completely in awe of a resurrection and then ascension!

Also in Acts 1, Luke wrote about all that Jesus began to do and to teach until the day he was taken up to heaven, after giving instructions through the Holy Spirit to the apostles he had chosen. [YES JESUS ALSO GOT HOLY SPIRIT HELP] After his suffering, he presented himself to them and gave many convincing proofs that he was alive. He appeared to them over a period of forty days and spoke about the kingdom of God. On one occasion, while he was eating with them, he gave them this command: “Do not leave Jerusalem, but wait for the gift my Father promised, which you have heard me speak about. For John baptized with water, but in a few days you will be baptized with the Holy Spirit.”

And here is another way of how the apostles, including Peter, were so human – just like us – and can we blame the apostles for asking human questions? The disciples asked in Acts – JUST before Jesus was taken up to heaven – that age old question – a fall back into to the old vision of a savior king – a Christ – a Messiah? Fix fix fix…  “Lord, are you at this time going to restore the kingdom to Israel?”

SO here is THEIR ASK: time “to restore the kingdom to Israel?” He said to them: “It is not for you to know the times or dates the Father has set by his own authority. But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you; and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.” [THAT IS US TOO!] After he said this, he was taken up before their very eyes, and a cloud hid him from their sight. They were looking intently up into the sky as he was going, when suddenly two men dressed in white stood beside them. “Men of Galilee,” they said, “why do you stand here looking into the sky? This same Jesus, who has been taken from you into heaven, will come back in the same way you have seen him go into heaven.”

WOW – there was some understanding for Jesus’s mission and even yet – after all this time – it was not just a restoration of a kingdom – it was a restoration of a RELATIONSHIP between Jesus and PEOPLE – between Jesus and the Jews yes but also Jesus and the Gentiles – and to the Gentiles and to the rest of the world… Jesus and everyone – how is that knowledge going to get out? US – we are His Hands and Feet.

We also need to be the eyes of the Holy Spirit – and look for Jesus to come back  – as we have hope in His return – we also have work to do here on earth – on the ground…  If one continued to read the book of Acts – you would hear about the Acts of the Apostles and the people they meet and the places they went. We are the recipients of these travels – that is how the Word of Jesus got to us – because the HOLY SPIRIT is moving the Word with continued sharings… Holy Spirit action is in the re-pointing back to Jesus.

Now think of these opportunities!!! Think how God is placing opportunities right in front of you to both help and specially to witness!!! We CAN think about these things in JOY – even sometimes hardship times. I think about those times that we see people who have lost everything in a tornado or flood or fire and are just thankful to be alive – they see the losses but better than that they see the gains!  And we are to think back to the many tough situations that our brothers and sisters in Christ are in – some under persecution even now against living their true faith, brought to them by the Holy Spirit – think how they could be martyred killed and how yet they still witness to Jesus.

In closing – which is a new beginning, I offer thought and action – I think of these little cards that you can get with scripture verses as Holy Spirit miniatures like those chocolate miniatures – bite sized– and even thankful for big handouts like we got at our prayer gathering – BIG handouts from the Lord… Ready to be placed in the right hands by the Holy Spirit… we will continue to be the boots on the ground as Jesus was risen up. A little card itself helped me find the end of this long-winded but hopefully Holy Spirited sermon:   From David, Psalm 143:10 –

Teach me to do your will, for you are my God;  may your good Spirit lead me on level ground.   

Amen – and please pray with me: May we know Lord, You ARE with us always – advocating for us – leading us – working the WOWs of Your Work – may we see the paths ahead of us – one step at a time – without our worry – just our willingness to be led and fed – to now feed and lead.  AMEN