We Believe
Part of Sermons 2020 - Non-series Messages
April 26, 2020

WE BELIEVE

Text: Acts 1:1-11

1 The former treatise have I made, O Theophilus, of all that Jesus began both to do and teach,
2 Until the day in which he was taken up, after that he through the Holy Ghost had given commandments unto the apostles whom he had chosen:
3 To whom also he shewed himself alive after his passion by many infallible proofs, being seen of them forty days, and speaking of the things pertaining to the kingdom of God:
4 And, being assembled together with them, commanded them that they should not depart from Jerusalem, but wait for the promise of the Father, which, saith he, ye have heard of me.
5 For John truly baptized with water; but ye shall be baptized with the Holy Ghost not many days hence.
6 When they therefore were come together, they asked of him, saying, Lord, wilt thou at this time restore again the kingdom to Israel?
7 And he said unto them, It is not for you to know the times or the seasons, which the Father hath put in his own power.
8 But ye shall receive power, after that the Holy Ghost is come upon you: and ye shall be witnesses unto me both in Jerusalem, and in all Judaea, and in Samaria, and unto the uttermost part of the earth.
9 And when he had spoken these things, while they beheld, he was taken up; and a cloud received him out of their sight.
10 And while they looked stedfastly toward heaven as he went up, behold, two men stood by them in white apparel;
11 Which also said, Ye men of Galilee, why stand ye gazing up into heaven? this same Jesus, which is taken up from you into heaven, shall so come in like manner as ye have seen him go into heaven.

  • The text verses show us several things the early church believed and taught: the death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus; His ascension and exaltation; His commissioning of the church, and His second return.
  • But, if Jesus was not raised from the grave, nothing else matters or could have even taken place. If Jesus didn’t rise, then his death is irrelevant.
  • If Jesus didn’t rise, then there could be no ascension, no exaltation; the commission means nothing, and there will be no second return.
  • The resurrection is the of our faith.

1. The Evidence Of The Resurrection (v. 3)

1) The

tomb

2) The

’s existence

3) The

of eyewitnesses

2. The Guarantees Of The Resurrection

1) The guarantee of justification (Rom. 4:25)

  • Justification is a legal transaction whereby the guilt of the sinner is put to the account of Jesus and the righteousness of Jesus is put to the account of the believer.
  • The believer is not actually righteous, but God sees, accounts, and accepts him or her as righteous. Why? Because they accept this one fact: Jesus died for sin.
  • The fact that God raised Jesus from the dead means God accepted this one fact: Jesus sufficiently and completely for sin by his death.

2) The guarantee of

for living life now (Eph. 1:19-20)

3) The guarantee of our

resurrection (2 Cor. 4:4; 1 Cor. 15:35-49; cf. 1 John 3:2)

3. The Warning Of The Resurrection (Acts 17:31)

  • The resurrection of Jesus proclaims a warning: is coming upon this world and unbelievers who refuse to repent of sin and turn to God.
  • Repent means to have a change of mind that leads to a change of heart.

Bottom line: The resurrection me to turn from sin to Jesus and me my salvation based on Christ’s finished work.