Well, good morning. Thank you. If you have your Bibles, please open and turn with me to Acts chapter 1. We will be looking at verses 6 through 14 this morning. Acts chapter 1, verses 6 through 14. This is the word of the Lord. So when they had come together, they asked him, Lord, will you at this time restore the kingdom to Israel? He said to them, it is not for you to know times or seasons that the father has fixed by his own authority, but you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you. And you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem and in all Judea and Samaria and to the end of the earth. And when he had said these things, as they were looking on, he was lifted up, and a cloud took him out of their sight. And while they were gazing into heaven as he went, behold, two men stood by them in white robes and said, Men of Galilee, why do you stand looking into heaven? This Jesus, who has taken up from you into heaven, will come in the same way as you saw him go into heaven. Then they returned to Jerusalem from the Mount called Olivet, which is near Jerusalem, a Sabbath day's journey away. And when they had entered, they went up to the upper room where they were staying. Peter and John and James and Andrew, Philip and Thomas, Bartholomew and Matthew, James the son of Alphaeus and Simon the Zealot, and Judas the son of James. All these with one accord were devoting themselves to prayer together with the women and Mary, the mother of Jesus and his brothers. Let's pray. Father, we thank you for your word. We thank you that it is living and active. We pray for its transforming power within our hearts, minds, and lives this morning. Give us ears to hear and eyes to see, we pray in Jesus' name. Amen. A few months back, I was reading an article about the importance of a certain substance to the existence of life on Earth. Now, I don't know how valid this scientific article was, but you can judge. But if you remember from science class in school, there's a balance between plant life absorbing carbon dioxide and releasing oxygen, and us breathing in oxygen and releasing carbon dioxide. Well, it is estimated that up to 70% of the oxygen that we breathe comes from marine plants, in specific, a marine plant called phytoplankton. What this article explained is that recent scientific evidence has proven a connection between a certain substance and the growth of phytoplankton. Apparently, phytoplankton lives on the surface of the ocean, while whales will often dive deep below the surface to feed, and then carry vital nutrients to the surface where they expel these out as fertilizer for the plankton. Without these nutrients being carried from the depths of the ocean to the surface by whales, phytoplankton would not flourish nor produce the amount of oxygen that we depend on to survive. Whale expulsion apparently plays a very important role in life on this planet. Now, if I'm honest, it makes sense. I get it. But I just don't think about the importance of this process to my life on a day-to-day basis. Unfortunately, I think for many of us, that's how we treat the Holy Spirit as well. When we think about it, sure, we realize how vital He is to our life as Christians, but most of us just don't think about Him much. In our passage, however, Jesus impresses the importance of the Spirit to God's mission in the world and our lives as Christ followers. Here, the disciples gather at Jesus' command, and they ask about the significance of the resurrection. All of the Gospels end with an account of Jesus' crucifixion, death, burial, and historic bodily resurrection from the dead, which we remember and gather to celebrate every Sunday. But why do we make such a big deal over the resurrection? Why do we celebrate a man coming back to life 2,000 years ago in the Middle East? So what? And that's the same question the disciples ask here as the book of Acts picks up where the gospel accounts leave off. Jesus had spent the better part of three years teaching and preaching, healing the sick, giving sight to the blind, raising the dead, casting out demons, walking on water, calming storms, performing many signs and wonders. And he lived the majority of that time with 12 men that he loved, discipled, and taught. Among the things that he taught them was that he would be betrayed into the hands of the chief priests who would reject and condemn him to death. They would turn him over to the Romans to be mocked and flogged and crucified. The disciples themselves would all desert him, but on the third day he would rise again from the dead. And it had all come true, every last word of it. And for forty days after His resurrection, He had appeared to them. He spoke and walked with them. He ate meals with them. He appeared to over five hundred of them at one time, had them stick fingers and hands in nail holes in His side. Why? to prove beyond a shadow of a doubt that it was true, that the resurrection had happened. And here the disciples want to know, what is the significance of all this? What does it mean? Does it mean you're at this time going to restore the kingdom to Israel? It's a good question. What does the resurrection mean? What is the significance of Christ's resurrection to human history for them then and for us now? What does it mean for your life today? What should you do about it? Have you answered that question? Have you even asked it? The disciples do. And Jesus tells them the significance is the outpouring of the Spirit. Jesus does not directly outright correct them here. He doesn't say, I'm not restoring the kingdom to Israel at this time, but instead, which is very Jesus-like and very patient, I might add, He redirects them. He says, that's not yours or for you. The times and epics are the Father's. They are His to be decided and concerned about. Yours is something else. First, it is the receiving of power by the outpouring of the Spirit. The same Spirit that had been hovering over the deep in Genesis 1 and at God's Word had brought forth the world out of nothing, He creates life within the dead, cold, fallen, evil heart of man. It's called regeneration, recreation, or new creation. That's why Paul calls us new creations in Christ. Regeneration is a supernatural work of God's Spirit alone, one we don't instigate or participate in. The Spirit takes up residence in our hearts and brings life out of death. The Spirit then creates faith by which we lay hold of Christ and are united to Him. Romans says we are united to Him in His death and His resurrection. Just as Jesus was resurrected from the dead, not only do we have the promise of our own bodily resurrections from the dead, but we also have resurrection life now. The Spirit dwelling in our hearts, sanctifying us more and more. The Westminster Catechism says it this way, the Spirit enables us to die unto sin and live unto righteousness. See the resurrection metaphor there? The Spirit and resurrection are tied together. It is by the Spirit that we walk in newness of life, Romans 6, 4. And the indwelling Spirit, this resurrection life, is the down payment guaranteeing our eternal inheritance in Christ, eternal life. Now, we've tried to explain some of these things to our younger kids, but the significance of the resurrection is really about Easter for them, about Easter baskets, egg hunts, bunnies, specifically for my kids, chocolate bunnies. And that's our fault, I mean, but it's fun, you know. But the significance of Easter or the resurrection for them is not yet the outpouring of the Spirit. The meaning of the resurrection for the disciples was something different as well. Why were they concerned about the kingdom being restored to Israel? Well, their interactions throughout the Gospels reveal that it probably had a tad bit to do with power, prestige, and glory. They were constantly arguing over who would be the greatest in the kingdom. The significance of the resurrection for them was probably tied to a need for comfort, security, stability, and ease associated with the blessing of their nation. I'm not so sure our understanding of the significance of the resurrection for our lives today is all that dissimilar. How many today view Christianity, the resurrection, as being about making our lives easier? more comfortable, more stable and secure. Is the great blessing of the gospel my own personal peace and affluence? My needs for relationship and community being met, being equipped to be a better person, having my best life now?" The disciples asked, will you be giving us our best life now? And Jesus said, you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes upon you. And the Spirit would be power for missions. Look with me again at verse 8. but you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem and in all Judea and Samaria and to the end of the earth. Jesus says here, to the end of the earth. Today, we can travel to the end of the earth by plane in a matter of days, or communicate a message basically anywhere in the world via internet instantly with a stroke of a key. I've talked face to face over Skype with a friend of mine while I was in Jeannette, Pennsylvania, and he was in Accra, Ghana, Africa. The end of the earth means nothing to us. But to them, even if they had sent a letter, someone had to carry it. And Paul, who probably traveled the greatest distance of all of the apostles, struggled sorely for it, shipwrecked, and so on. The end of the earth was no small task, and yet it was the very purpose for the pouring out of the Spirit, so that they might be his witnesses to the end of the earth. You see, the Spirit is power for impossible missions. The Spirit is power for impossible missions. Jesus, after being raised from the dead on Sunday says, and Jesus came and said to them, all authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, Matthew 28. And here in our passage, he says the power for that mission is the Holy Spirit. The Spirit is a missionary spirit. You cannot have the Spirit and not be on mission at some level. Jesus said, follow me and I will make you fishers of men. But not only is the Spirit power to us for missions, it's the Spirit's work of converting the lost. We can't reach into anyone's heart. We can't argue anyone into heaven. The conversion of even one sinner to Christ is a supernatural miracle of God likened unto the power exerted at the creation of the world. 2 Corinthians 4, 6, for God who said, let light shine out of darkness. When did He say that? at creation, has shown in our hearts to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Christ. But the Spirit does this through the gospel, His word through us as witnesses on mission. And so a greater outpouring of the Spirit means greater revival of missions and conversions. Is this how you view God's Holy Spirit? as a missionary spirit? When we pray for God to fill us with His Spirit, when we celebrate the resurrection, this is the implication. Missions, witness, evangelism, disciple-making. It's why we're here, I believe, and God does not immediately translate us to heaven upon conversion. And so the question this morning is, will you go? Jesus told them the resurrection meant spirit-empowered missions, and then he floated away. Jesus ascended into heaven. Here the disciples are. They've gathered at the Mount of Olives, the place they had gone with Jesus on the night he was betrayed, although this was probably happened on the backside near Bethany. And they ask him what it all means. And he tells them he will pour out his spirit from heaven, and then he floats away, like a balloon when someone lets go of the string. And the disciples just stand there, looking up, gazing intently, the text says. But why? What are they looking for? Are they expecting something more? I mean, that's it. That's the grand finale, the great, no great fireworks show, no rending of the sky, no bright, spectacular lights. And so two angels appear and stand among them and ask, what are you guys doing? Maybe they were wondering where he was going. Where was he going? Well, believe it or not, we have an answer in the Old Testament, a picture in the Day of Atonement, Yom Kippur. On the Day of Atonement, as the high priest entered into the Holy of Holies, bearing upon his chest the names of the 12 tribes to sprinkle blood and atone for the people's sins, Hebrews 8 speaks of this earthly tabernacle as a picture of the heavenly one. And Hebrews 9 mentions Yom Kippur and then says, but when Christ appeared as a high priest of the good things that have come, then through the greater and more perfect tent, not made with hands, that is not of this creation, he entered once for all into the holy places. That's where Christ went. And in doing that, he purified us. He bore our names, as it were, on his chest into the heavenly tabernacle. And then rather than leave as the Old Testament high priest did, he sat down at the right hand of the majesty on high until all things would be brought into submission under his feet. And then he poured out his spirit for that very purpose. And the result? Revival. Peter gets up and preaches a sermon and 3,000 come to faith at one time. The great truths of scripture that Jesus has ascended to heaven, that he is our great high priest interceding on our behalf, that he is seated at the right hand of God, that he's enthroned with all authority in heaven and on earth, is that he is bringing all things into submission under his feet. Pittsburgh, Jeanette, the United States, Africa, all. Resurrection means the submission of all things to the Son by the gospel going forth by the power of the Spirit through His people on mission. Jesus tells them this, floats away, and how do they respond? They gather together to pray. The response of the disciples to the great truths that we just looked at. And Jesus' promise to pour out His Spirit, His ascension into heaven to be enthroned and bring all things into submission under His feet, was to withdraw together and pray. Why? Because they knew they couldn't do it. They knew they were insufficient for such a task. They knew that if God didn't do something, if he didn't cause all of this to happen, nothing would happen. The disciples don't withdraw to the upper room to strategize and plan. They don't meet to figure out what resources they have and how best to disperse them to reach the end of the earth. Okay, Peter, you stay here in Jerusalem. James, you take a boat to Spain. Thomas, you've got Great Britain and Russia. Anybody want Russia? No, they said, we can't do this. Peter, you're a coward. Thomas, you doubt. James and John, you're a bunch of hotheads, and we're all uneducated Galileans. But God, you're God, and you can do anything you want, in any way you want, with anyone you want. This is what you said you want. You do it, please. Prayer is a humble reliance upon God to fulfill that which he has promised because we are helpless and hopeless on our own. Spurgeon once wrote, the sweetest prayers God ever hears are the groans and sighs of those who have no hope in anything but his love. Psalm 102, 17, he regards the prayer of the destitute and does not despise their prayer. And so why don't we pray as we ought? We don't think we're destitute. We think we can do this on our own. By not praying, we say, I got this, God. I can love my wife without your help. I can raise these kids. I can solve this problem. I can live the Christian life. I can resist temptation, serve like Jesus, reach my neighbors, fix this church, fix this community, plant other churches, make your kingdom come, bring about your will on earth as it is in heaven. I got this, God. I don't need you. Lord, have mercy on us. Lord, make us a praying people. Pray for God to pour out his spirit. In 1859, it is recorded that revival broke out in Ulster, Ireland. Historians record that in this revival, whole towns were awakened. One minister wrote, the problem used to be getting people into the church. Then the problem became getting people out. The benediction would be pronounced over and over again, but each time people would break forth anew in praise, and the weeping of the penitent would be heard. One historian wrote, the churches could not even contain all the people coming to pray. Even the large buildings began to be insufficient space, and so they met in the highways and the open fields. They record that 20,000 gathered at the Botanic Gardens at one time. People would crowd into churches at all hours of the day and then send someone to hunt down a minister and have him dragged from whatever he was doing and come and lead a service. They record that ministers would often wake to crowds of people in their homes each morning begging to hear the gospel. And who is the man whose preaching sparked such a revival? No one. It was the Holy Spirit. It began by a handful of people gathering to pray for revival. One historian writes, there was an absence of great names connected with this revival. Lay people in prayer were the prime instrument used by God in awakening the people. There are records of one humble Christian woman leading 20 prostitutes to Christ, and it is estimated that over 100,000 people came to faith in Ulster alone. You can't make this happen. No one can. But God can. Is God less willing to hear the cries of His people today than He was in 1859? What is the significance of the resurrection for us today? Is it comfort, ease, prestige, or glory, security, and personal peace? Do we stand together looking up into heaven, waiting for something more, waiting for Christ to return? Or is it Spirit-empowered missions and prayer for revival, for God to pour out His Spirit? Let your voices ring in the ears of God. To be a church on mission, we must be a church on our knees. God can do more in one instant than we can do in centuries of planning. I don't know how you, who are parents, feel about sleep training, about letting your children cry it out until they learn to self-soothe and put themselves to sleep on their own, but honestly, I hate it. It works, but I hate it. But after a couple weeks of our second-born son, Uriah, fighting us at bedtime, waking up six times a night, and spending entire nights in a rocking chair, fighting to stay awake, fighting his squirms and his kicks and his cries, we decided it was necessary for his health and maturity and for our sanity. And so we went through bedtime routine, bath, diaper, jammies, feed, rock. And then we laid him down, awake, and left the room. A few seconds later, the whimpering began, then the crying, and then the blood-curdling screams. If you've heard it, you know. We tried it a few times, and it wasn't long before my wife Amber and I would start fidgeting. And then one of us would stand up and start pacing the floor while the other one tried to talk them down. You know this is necessary. This is for his good. We have to do this. But there's something about the cry of your own child. You hear the anguish, and you cannot resist for long. God is a better Father than you and I. But for some reason, we've lost the persistent determination of our childhood. We give up. We don't let our anguished cries for God's Spirit ring in the Father's ears till he can resist no longer. The disciples wanted to know the significance of the resurrection. Jesus told them it was the outpouring of the Spirit for missions, and they cried out for it. Cry like Uriah until he responds. Pray he would make Pittsburgh or wherever you're from like Ulster. Let's pray right now that he would do that very thing. Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, we thank you that Christ you came and died for our sins. and that on the third day you were resurrected for our justification, that you ascended into heaven where you are now enthroned until all things be brought into submission under your feet, and that, Holy Spirit, you are poured out that we might be your witnesses to the end of the earth. We pray, send laborers. We pray, pour out your spirit. We pray for revival here and abroad. We pray, Lord God, help us to be witnesses, ambassadors on mission, and we ask it in Jesus' name, amen.