To Do List

Overview

Did Jesus Finish His To-Do List?

When Jesus ascended into heaven, had He completed everything He came to do? The opening verses of Acts give us a striking answer. Luke addresses his second volume to Theophilus, recalling that "in the first book… I wrote about all that Jesus did and taught from the beginning, until the day when he was taken up to heaven" Acts 1:1-2. The Gospel of Luke records what Jesus began to do and teach. The implication is unmistakable: Acts is the record of what Jesus continues to do—now through His church, by the power of the Holy Spirit. Volume one is the work of the ascending Christ; volume two is the work of the ascended Christ.

Before Pentecost, the disciples still misread the mission. They asked, "Lord, is this the time when you will restore the kingdom to Israel?" Acts 1:6—imagining political reform and the overthrow of Rome. That is the wrong work. Like Martha, who was "worried and distracted by many things" while Mary chose the better part by sitting at Jesus' feet Luke 10:38-42, they were busy with the wrong agenda. Jesus redirects them to the right work: "You will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth" Acts 1:8. That single verse is also the outline of the book—Jerusalem (chapters 1–7), Judea and Samaria (chapters 8–9), and the ends of the earth (chapters 10–28). The promise of the Father, the Holy Spirit Jesus pledged in John 14:16-17, is the power for that mission.

Three things are revealed here for every disciple: content, power, and purpose. The content is the gospel—that we are sinners in need of redemption, that Christ was crucified, raised, and ascended. The power is the Holy Spirit, given to ordinary believers for an extraordinary calling. The purpose is witness—near, far, and farther still.

We will all be witnesses; the only question is what kind. The pastoral charge is straightforward: grow deeper in the content of God's Word through patient, week-by-week study until Scripture seeps from our pores and shapes how we think and speak; grow more dependent on the power of the Holy Spirit rather than our own striving; and grow more diligent in living out the purpose of bearing witness to Jesus Christ in our homes, our communities, and the world. Jesus has not laid down His to-do list. He is still at work—through His church, and through us.

Transcript

To do lists, to do lists. Do you have any of those? Why they can be lists of the 0s

rather mundane things and also lists of rather important things? Here's my 7s

question for you this morning. Did Jesus Christ complete his to do list by the 13s

time he ascended into heaven? Let's study. In the very first chapter of Acts verse 1, 33s

it gives us some clues with regard to the authorship of this book. Look when they 45s

are in the first book, theophilus, I wrote about all that Jesus did and taught from the 50s

beginning. So the question immediately comes to mind, well what's the first book and 61s

who's theophilus? Because those are clues for us to investigate. Keep your finger here, 65s

would you? And turn over to Luke the first chapter. That's page 48 in the New Testament, 71s

if you're in a few edition. Luke the first chapter verse 1. And we see the question answered. 77s

Luke chapter 1, picking up in verse 1. Since many have undertaken to set down an 87s

orderly account of the events that have been fulfilled among us, just as they were 93s

handed on to us by those who from the beginning were eyewitnesses and servants of the 99s

verb. I too decided after investigating everything carefully from the very first to write an 105s

orderly account for you most excellent, theophilus, so that you may know the truth concerning 114s

the things about which you have been instructed. So who's the author of Acts? 123s

It's the author of Luke. And I asked a question the other evening to the confirmation class and 135s

they were taken back a little bit. I said, who wrote Luke? And they thought, well, it can't be that simple. 144s

So they looked back and there's a little bit of hesitation and one tentatively said, Luke, I 151s

said you're exactly right. Luke. So who's the author of Acts? It's Luke. So what's the first volume? 156s

What's the first book? It's the gospel of Luke. What's the second volume? It's the book of Acts. 163s

Let us how Luke describes the parameters here of his first volume. So back to Acts the first chapter. 175s

Verse 1, in the first book, Theophilus, I wrote about all that Jesus did in taught from the beginning. 185s

Until the day when he was taken up to heaven after giving instruction through the Holy Spirit to the apostles who he had chosen. 192s

After his suffering, he presented himself alive to them by many convincing proves appearing to them during 40 days and 202s

speaking about the kingdom of God. So that's the parameters, isn't it? Of the first volume. 211s

It's the parameters of Luke. So what do you have? You have the teaching of the instructions that Jesus gave. 219s

You have the teachings about the cross. You have the teaching about the resurrection. He says he set out 227s

until the day when he was taken up into heaven. So when you look at the first volume that Luke wrote, 235s

it was about all that Jesus had done until he was taken up until he ascended in the heaven. 244s

Well if that's what the first volume is about, what's the second volume about? 255s

What's the second book? Acts. What's that all about? 262s

When I was in school, I worked at the drugstore called Pansy in the state of Washington. 270s

I stocked the shelves, I unloaded boxes, and I would do some checking at the registers. 277s

There was one fella that would always come through. He was dressed 283s

immaculately every single time and he would always pull out a piece of paper. 289s

For a couple of times through I decided to take a glance down and see what was on this paper and it was his 296s

to-do list, to-do list. It was typed out. It wasn't handwritten. It wasn't scrolled quickly on a piece of paper 304s

that he just grabbed at the last minute or an envelope that he'd been used. No, this was a nice stationary 315s

note that had his to-do list on it all typed out. And when we would close off the transaction, 323s

he would take out a very, very nice expensive pen and there at the counter, he would draw a very 330s

straight line across go-to Pansy. This is what I noticed though. Never did he ever 339s

complete the list. There was always more things on the list his to-do list. 352s

We all understand, right? We all understand that we're all going to die with it unfinished, right? 364s

We're all going to die with our to-do lists and it's going to be unfinished. 374s

When Jesus died, when he was raised, when he ascended into heaven, had Jesus completed everything 384s

on his to-do list. No. No. You see the first volume, Luke, that's about what Jesus did 398s

until he ascended into heaven. The second volume acts is what Jesus did 415s

after he ascended into heaven through his church. So the first volume is what he did before 425s

as a sentient and the second volume is what he did after he ascended through his church. 434s

Luke would make please, adverse form. While staying with them, he ordered them not to leave 444s

Jerusalem but to wait there for the promise of the Father. What's the promise of the Father? 452s

Well, in John 14, Jesus said, I will ask the Father and he will give you another advocate 462s

to be with you forever. This is the spirit of truth. So what's the promise? 468s

Promise is the coming of the Holy Spirit. We see it echoed in the remainder of the verse, verse 4 again. 476s

While staying with them, he ordered them not to leave Jerusalem but to wait there for the promise 484s

of the Father. This, he said, is what you have heard from me. And for John baptized with water, 490s

but you will be baptized with the Holy Spirit, not many days from. No. 498s

So volume 1 was the work accomplished. Volume 2 is the work that he would accomplish 507s

after his ascension. What was the power for the accomplishment? But the power for the accomplishment 515s

was the Holy Spirit and what then was the work for the church? What was the work? 523s

I think it looked 10 of two sisters, Mary and Martha. Martha greets Jesus at their home. 531s

Jesus comes in and Mary sits at the feet of Jesus and listens to his teaching. Martha. 546s

Well, Martha is just all a Twitter. She's just working away trying to get probably the meal on 554s

all the things that need to be done. And so finally she turns to the Lord and says, Lord, don't 560s

shoot care that she's not doing anything and I'm doing all the work. Don't you care about that? 564s

It's so fascinating, isn't it? As adults sometimes our communication can become childlike. 572s

It's childlike. That's something a child says, right? It's not fair that I'm doing all the work. 578s

That's what a child says. And then she turns to Jesus and says, in effect, 583s

make her help me. Make her help me. It's not fair that I'm doing the chores and she is a make her 590s

help. Jesus responds and says, Martha, Martha, you're worried and distracted by many things. 598s

There's need of only one thing. Mary's chosen the better part which will not be taken from 606s

what Mary's doing. If you were sitting, listen to teaching. What was Martha doing? 614s

Who's the wrong work? Who's the wrong work? What did Jesus value? 624s

Sit and listen to me teach. Look at the text, verse 6. 631s

So when they had come together, they asked him, Lord, is this the time when you will restore the kingdom to Israel? 639s

What they were anticipating is that when the Messiah would come the Messiah would overthrow the Roman government 647s

that justice would finally reign a new government, a just government for the Jew would then be brought 652s

about. What they were interested in was political reform, political power. That's what's behind the question. 659s

That's the wrong work. It's the wrong work. It's not why Jesus came. So wrong work. 668s

Look at his response. Verse 7, he replied, it is not for you to know that times or periods that the 676s

father has set by his own authority. Jesus changes his subject. It says, I'm not here for to be 683s

example. Political leader here is going to overthrow the Roman government. This is language in 689s

verse 7 that talks about the inauguration of the kingdom of glory when he will come again. 695s

And then in verse 8, he gives them the work for them to do in the meantime until verse 7 is 702s

actualized. He says, but you, verse 8, will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you. 708s

And you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem in all Judea and Samaria and to the ends of the earth. 715s

And thereby the way is the outline, the outline of the book of Acts. Verse 8 again, 726s

you'll be my witnesses in Jerusalem. That's chapter 1 to 7. Judea and Samaria. That's chapter 8 736s

tonight. The ends of the earth. That's chapter 10 to 20. God comes and through his gospel writer Luke 744s

gives them the content of the cross and the need for the cross that we are all sinners and need of 756s

redemption that we've been redeemed through the blood of Jesus Christ that Jesus Christ has been 764s

raised from the dead. Indeed, death has been overcome that Jesus Christ has ascended into heaven. 770s

What is revealed is the content, the power and the purpose. Content, power, purpose. 778s

See, we're all going to be a witness, aren't we? We're all going to be a witness. The question is, 794s

what kind of witness are we going to be? That's the question. My prayer, 806s

as we start this wonderful journey in the book of Acts, it's outlined for you and your bulletin 814s

how we're going to approach it and we're going to be moving through the different chapters on all 820s

that I'm so looking forward to this. We're just going to expositionly verse by verse, move through 825s

this great, great book. My prayers this, that we will be a people even more committed to the 830s

content of God's work. That as we enter into the new year of 2018, that when we come by the grace of 839s

God to the end of the year, if the Lord hasn't come or hasn't called us home by that time, 847s

my prayer is, is that all of us will be deeper in our understanding of the content of His Word. 853s

That only comes through study, that only comes through the week by week exposition of the scriptures. 860s

As we gather for worship and study, that's how God grows us to be immersed in the content of His Word. 867s

So our very pores, it just seeps out of us so that when we think and speak, it is the Word of God 876s

that immediately comes to mind. That is born out of study. That's my prayer that is a congregation 884s

in 18 will become more and more immersed in understanding the content. Secondly, become more and 891s

dependent on the power of the Holy Spirit and third more diligent to live out our calling, 900s

to be witnesses to Jesus Christ. In Jerusalem, that's the area nearest to us in Judea and 910s

Samaria, that's the next concentric circle out geographically in the Holy Land, and to the ends of the 919s

Word. So when Jesus descended into heaven, had Jesus completed His to do this? 926s

Nope. When you study the book of Acts, you see Jesus Christ at work through His church. 942s

As we study Acts, see Him at work, see Him continue His work, see Him accomplish His to do list. 955s

Now through the church, and watch, watch, how God is going to use this localized expression of the body 968s

of Christ, called living Word, watch how Jesus is going to continue His work through us, through us. 982s