Never Forget!

“NEVER FORGET!” Acts 1:1-11

FBCF – 5/24/20

Jon Daniels

INTRO – Are you a forgetful person?

- Someone once said, “I’m so forgetful & can hide my own Easter eggs.”

Alzheimer’s is a horrible disease.

- Sometimes, you & I suffer from spiritual Alzheimer’s

- May remember some of the things from the past – “the good old days”

- But our relationship w/ Jesus is a present-day reality

o It’s supposed to be active TODAY!

o It informs our everyday decisions – That’s why we are together TODAY!

o It should be our main motivating factor for getting up getting out of bed TODAY!

o Yes, we have heaven to look forward to “in the sweet by & by.” But our walk w/ Jesus is “in the present now & now!”

EXPLANATION – Open Bibles to Acts 1:1-11

One commentator called Acts 1 “The Great Days of Expectation.” Jesus had completed His earthly ministry, had gone to the cross, into the tomb, rose from the grave, had appeared to His disciples & to hundreds of other people, had given the Great Commission to His disciples, & was now about to ascend back to heaven where He would take His place at the right hand of the throne of God as our Heavenly Intercessor & Advocate, awaiting the Father’s word to go & bring His children home in the Rapture. You can sure feel the expectation & anticipation in these truths.

- He had taught His disciples about the coming Kingdom.

- Jesus had promised that He would send the Holy Spirit & that was about to happen.

- The angels promised that He would come again.

Jesus’ earthly ministry was complete. His mission was done. “It is finished!” And the book of Acts shows us that His work continues on now through His followers, through the Church – THAT’S US! So, let’s talk about some things we need to never forget as we move forward w/ great expectation that He is still at work in our world.

APPLICATION –

Never Forget!

1. Who Your Savior Is & Why He Has Saved You (& it’s not b/c you’re such a good person & He’s lucky to have you)

2. Where Lost People Go When They Die (that’s why we must be His witnesses)

3. Who You Are Living For (not yourself)

WHO YOUR SAVIOR IS & WHY HE HAS SAVED YOU (& it’s not b/c you’re such a good person & He’s lucky to have you!)

IF you’ve given your life to Jesus, then YOUR Savior the risen, living Jesus Christ, Savior of the world.

- 1 John 4:14 – “we have seen & testify that God has sent His Son to be the Savior of the world.”

- “Joshua of old was a savior. Gideon was a savior. David was a savior. But the title is given to our Lord above all others b/c He is a Savior in a sense that no one else can be – He saves His people from their sins!” (Spurgeon)

And here’s some things we need to remember about our Savior:

- He had an amazing earthly ministry – v. 1

- He gave commands for us to follow – v. 2, 4a

- He’s alive – v. 3

- He has sent the Holy Spirit to us – v. 4-5

- He came to seek & to save those who are lost

o Luke 19:10 – “For the Son of Man came to seek & to save those who are lost.” (NLT)

o That’s the WHY of “why He saved you.” Never forget that!

? You were lost, but now are found.

? You were dead, but now are alive.

? You were an enemy of God, but now are a friend of God.

? You were an object of God’s wrath, but now an object of His mercy.

That means that, if you’ve never given your life to Him, He’s still seeking you. He still wants to save you. And He will right now!

Jesus’ ministry on earth began w/ His work & teaching. First chapter – “The Great Days of Expectation.” His earthly ministry launched these great days, the greatest days of expectation that the world has ever seen. And His ministry continues today as He continues to seek & to save those who are lost!

NEVER FORGET WHERE LOST PEOPLE GO WHEN THEY DIE (& that’s why we must be His witnesses!)

This past week, a fire broke out in downtown Los Angeles. Several firefighters ascended an aerial ladder to get on the roof of the building, when explosions began to go off inside of the building. In just matter of seconds, a massive wall of flames erupted from the building, engulfing the ladder that the firefighters were desperately trying now to descend to get away from the deadly flames. Thankfully, none of the firefighters died, but 12 of them were injured, some severely.