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Apr 24, 2022

Signs of Life

Signs of Life

Passage: Acts 1:1-11

Speaker: Andrew Kerhoulas

Series: General Topic

Keywords: kingdom of god, holy spirit, ascension, return of christ, witnesses, proofs

If Easter really happened—if Jesus is risen indeed—where’s the proof? The scriptures tell us that before his ascension, Jesus spent forty days demonstrating to his followers that he was alive. But he did more than quell their skepticism. Before he left for heaven, Jesus promised his followers a power like no other that we may be signs of life to the ends of the earth.

Readings & Scripture

AFFIRMATION OF FAITH: The Apostles’ Creed
ALL: I believe in God, the Father almighty,
creator of heaven and earth.
I believe in Jesus Christ, his only Son, our Lord,
who was conceived by the Holy Spirit
and born of the virgin Mary.
He suffered under Pontius Pilate,
was crucified, died, and was buried;
he descended to the dead.
The third day he rose again from the dead.
He ascended to heaven
and is seated at the right hand of God the Father almighty.
From there he will come to judge the living and the dead.
I believe in the Holy Spirit,
the holy catholic church,
the communion of saints,
the forgiveness of sins,
the resurrection of the body,
and the life everlasting. Amen.

CENTRAL TEXT: Acts 1:1-11
In the first book, O Theophilus, I have dealt with all that Jesus began to do and teach, 2 until the day when he was taken up, after he had given commands through the Holy Spirit to the apostles whom he had chosen. 3 He presented himself alive to them after his suffering by many proofs, appearing to them during forty days and speaking about the kingdom of God. 4 And while staying with them he ordered them not to depart from Jerusalem, but to wait for the promise of the Father, which, he said, “you heard from me; 5 for John baptized with water, but you will be baptized with the Holy Spirit not many days from now.

6 So when they had come together, they asked him, “Lord, will you at this time restore the kingdom to Israel?” 7 He said to them, “It is not for you to know times or seasons that the Father has fixed by his own authority. 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.” 9 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. 10 And while they were gazing into heaven as he went, behold, two men stood by them in white robes, 11 and said, “Men of Galilee, why do you stand looking into heaven? This Jesus, who was taken up from you into heaven, will come in the same way as you saw him go into heaven.”

CONFESSION OF SIN:
ALL: Almighty God, in raising Jesus from the grave, You shattered the power of sin and death. We celebrate Him! But we confess we remain captive to doubt and fear, bound by ways that lead to death. We come, asking You to forgive our sin and eradicate evil in the world; by Your Word and Spirit, purify the good, and raise us from death to a life more abundant and free. Transform us into faithful followers of Jesus Christ, the One who rules the world and is Head of the Church. This we pray in the Name of our Risen Lord, Amen.

ASSURANCE OF PARDON: based on 1 Corinthians 15:20-22
LEADER: Christ has been raised from the dead,
the first fruits of those who have died.
For since death came through a human being,
the resurrection of the dead has also come through a human being;
for as all die in Adam, so all will be made alive in Christ.

ALL: Gracious God,
pour out your Holy Spirit upon us,
that the bread we break and the cup we bless
may be the communion of the body and blood of Christ.
By your Spirit make us one with Christ,
that we may be one with all who share this feast,
united in ministry in every place.
As this bread is Christ’s body for us,
send us out to be the body of Christ in the world.
Thanks be to God.

BENEDICTION: from Ephesians 3:20-21
LEADER: Now to him who by the power at work within us is able to accomplish abundantly far
more than all we can ask or imagine, to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus to all
generations, forever and ever. Amen.

ALL: Let us go forth to serve the world as followers of the risen Christ.

LEADER: The peace of the Lord be with you all.

ALL: And also with you.

RELATED SCRIPTURES:

  • Genesis 22:16-18
  • 2 Kings 2
  • Joel 2:28-32
  • Luke 1:1-4; 11:13; 24:36-53
  • John 3:34; 5:39; 7:39; 14:16; 15:26-27; 16:1-15
  • Acts 2:32-33, 38-39; 5:32; 10:44-45; 11:17
  • Romans 5:5; 6:10-11
  • Galatians 3:7, 16, 29
  • 1 John 4:13
  • Genesis 22:16-18
  • 2 Kings 2
  • Joel 2:28-32
  • Luke 1:1-4; 11:13; 24:36-53
  • John 3:34; 5:39; 7:39; 14:16; 15:26-27; 16:1-15
  • Acts 2:32-33, 38-39; 5:32; 10:44-45; 11:17
  • Romans 5:5; 6:10-11
  • Galatians 3:7, 16, 29
  • 1 John 4:13

DISCUSSION QUESTIONS:

  1. For many, Easter is a big celebration once a year. How could a season of Easter shape your spiritual formation? 
  2. What “proofs” (v.3) did Jesus give for his resurrection before his ascension? Do you agree with New Testament scholar and historian N.T. Wright that the combination of the empty tomb and Christ’s resurrection appearances to eyewitnesses are “necessary and sufficient for the rise of early Christian belief”? Why or why not? Is there a better explanation? 
  3. What is the “promise of the Father” that Jesus told his apostles to wait for? How does it apply to his followers today? 
  4. Why was it necessary for Jesus to ascend to heaven? Name at least one reason why it matters that Jesus maintains his full humanity and divinity in heaven?
  5. Jesus has supplied all we need to become effective witnesses—signs of his life—in our broken world? What has he given us? How could you be a witness this week?

ILLUSTRATIONS:

QUOTES:

  • “The combination of an empty tomb and appearances of the living Jesus forms a set of circumstances which is itself both necessary and sufficient for the rise of early Christian belief. Without these phenomena, we cannot explain why this belief came into existence, and took the shape it did. With them, we can explain it exactly and precisely.” N.T. Wright
  • Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday
    Friday, Saturday, sometimes Sunday
    Love is hard, sex is easy
    God in heaven, could you please me?
    You think you invented life
    You find it hard to define
    But you do it every time
    Then you do it again
    Looking for signs of life
    Looking for signs every night
    But there's no signs of life
    So we do it again
    —Arcade Fire

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