Mark 16:19-20 Jesus works with us as we do his will. Part 2.
Last week I started a two part series on the Ascension, That’s Jesus going into heaven where he is now seated at the right hand of the Father.
Again I will start with the point, that so much of what we know of Jesus after he was raised from the dead and ascended into heaven is a mystery.
In some respects I think that the Gospel writers left this a mystery. Why? Because their experience was that Jesus continued to work with them and evidenced himself so much in their lives, that they were assured he was with them even after the ascension.
Let’s look again at Mark 16:19-20: “After the Lord Jesus had spoken to them, he was taken up into heaven and he sat at the right hand of God. Then the disciples went out and preached everywhere, and the Lord worked with them and confirmed his word by the signs that accompanied it.” (Mark 16:19-20)
Often in life we see that people see God as a concept more than a reality, they may have a picture him as a distant energy source, an angry man with a big stick, a violent lightening bolt thrower, or a cloud riding Santa Claus who rewards good boys and girls.
Jesus is often depicted as a character of history, a mystic healer, a rebel, a hippie, a prophet and many more descriptions.
Looking at his first disciples, those who preached his word, those who followed after him in the early days of the church; we see a group of people who were so sure that he was the son of God that he was God, and he was with them in their lives. They were willing to follow his way of living, his commands, his call on their lives and if necessary to share his suffering and death, by giving up their own lives for him.
We too can be assured that Jesus works with us, works in us, and for our good.
Last week we explored what it was to have Jesus working with us, from his place in heaven at the right hand of the Father.
This may be a little confusing but how often have you worked with somebody remotely, on the phone sharing recipes, on face book chatting, reading instructions, yelling something across the office.
Jesus is our Great High Priest who acts on our behalf with our Heavenly Father. Remember what was discussed last week that ‘Jesus works with us as we do his will.’
So if we are doing the will of God; (which funnily enough is similar to our vision statement “Living for God; serving all people) Jesus is working with us.
How does Jesus work in us?
1) Jesus said these words to his disciples, “If you love me, you will obey what I command. And I will ask the Father and he will give you another Counsellor to be with you forever – the Spirit of Truth. The world cannot accept him, because it neither sees him nor knows him. But you know him, for he lives with you and will be in you. I will not leave you as orphans; I will come to you. (John 14:15-18)
Jesus said this pre-crucifixion, pre-ascension, before the whole raised up and seated at the right hand of God scene.
Jesus is pointing out that the Spirit of Truth, aka The Holy Spirit, aka The Spirit of Christ, who at that stage was with them at that stage physically, would come through the Holy Spirit and be with them again.
Jesus said for this to happen the requirements were: “If you love me, you will obey what I command.” (John 14:15)
Then what: “…I will ask the Father, and he will give you another Counsellor to be with you forever-…”
How long will the Counsellor be with them? Forever!
The promise of Jesus to his disciples, those who love him; is the Holy Spirit working with them, but not only that, in them as they are obedient to his commands. If you have not experienced the work of the Holy Spirit in your life you don’t know what youre missing!
This is of great interest for a number of reasons. So much still had to occur before these events could occur, Jesus was making it clear that after his resurrection and ascension that he would not be leaving the disciples as orphans, or without his guidance.
Counsellor, if you look up words that have the same meaning as counsellor on the computer it brings up, psychotherapist, therapist, shrink and the like. While there are times by my own admission I could probably do with a bit of couch time, this is not what Jesus was talking about.
The Holy Spirit was to be sent as and I’m referring to the original Greek again. ‘As their intercessor, helper as the one who was to encourage and comfort.’
This is an interesting thing, Jesus was to leave these people and ascend to heaven, if his followers loved him and did as he commanded; Jesus would ask the Father, who would give the Holy Spirit, the very Spirit of Christ back to his disciples. No wonder many of them were so willing to live their entire lives for him. Christ was still working in them through his Holy Spirit, interceding on their behalf, helping them, encouraging them and comforting them.
In our own lives how does this look?
When we come to Christ and confess our sins we are forgiven and we receive the Holy Spirit.
The Holy Spirit is with us from that time forward. For some this might be a extremely impacting experience, for others an awareness of things no longer being as they were, an ability to understand scripture better than they did before, a feeling of anointing a kind of head and shoulders feeling, for some a mystical experience. Always what ever the experience, God is at work and life change occurs.
Most often this is challenged by the persons past reality, friends or family. We have an enemy that does not want what we were originally intended to have and that is a right relationship with God.
With the Spirit of Christ resident in a person they become more Christ like. Christ works in them, he works in us.
What happened to Jesus disciples; they came to love the Lord and did as he commanded.
Here is the saviour of the world seated maybe depending on what is going on. He could be standing at the right hand of the Father impacting us for our good.
As we come to love him and we do as he commands, Jesus Spirit dwells in us, impacting us for our good.
So in what areas of our lives does Jesus, impact us for our good?
2) Well this is a biggie, Paul the apostle and you may well remember the impact that Jesus had on his life. I don’t know if you remember the power point that I showed last week of the artist’s impression of him at the stoning of Stephen, Paul who had in his own words been a “persecutor” of the church of God.
Paul this former bad bloke says this. “And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose.” (Romans 8:28) Yes, I’ve preached on this before.
Paul does not say in some things, or in the odd thing but in “all things.”
The point is, all who hear the message of Jesus are called to follow him. Salvation is for all men. For those who answer the call and come to love God, all things then work for their good.
I have over the years found this a bit of a battle to understand this, the broken arm, the crashed car, the argument, the rotten day at work, all things?
Yip all things!
Remember what I said about those disciples, those early followers of Jesus, because his Holy Spirit was with them, because they knew he was working with them, because they knew he was at the right hand of the Father and empowering them by the Holy Spirit who was in them, because they were sure of their place in eternity, they knew.
The calling of Jesus to us is to take on his attributes to become like Jesus in every way. Last week I talked about how Jesus was so different to the rest of us and how I could get grumpy, snotty and spit the dummy.
If we are serving the Risen Saviour it is his intention to abide with us and to work in us impacting us for our good. We can even become less like our old selves, less grumpy, snotty – even gaining complete self control, through Christ at work in us.
Again this is about personal and collective holiness, as individuals with God abiding in them and as a body of believers living for God.
Jesus said this “If anyone loves me he will obey my teaching. My Father will love him, and we will come to him and make our home with him.” (John 14:23)
God does abide in his people and will abide in his people. He works in us impacting us for good.
Who are his people, those who obey Jesus teaching! The following verse reads this way. “He who does not love me will not obey my teaching. These words are not my own they belong to the Father who sent me.” (John 14:24)
The truth of the matter is that God cannot impact you for your good if you disobey the teachings of Christ. Often I hear people say that God does nothing for them, Why? For Jesus to really impact your life you have to surrender the old ways you had of living, stop intentionally sinning.
How can the Spirit of God impact us as much as he would like if we are not willing to be fully impacted. If we still keep up the old habits, if the old self is still sneaking through?
Love Jesus and obey his commands then from his place at the right hand of the Father he will ask and you will be given the Holy Spirit.
Plain as day: (On one hand – on the other)
• Love Jesus – don’t love Jesus
• Obedience – disobedience
• The Holy Spirit, God himself making his home in you – flying solo in cloud without an instrument rating
• The Holy Spirit Counselling for eternity – the advice of maybe some radio talkback host, or some other individual for a matter of minutes
Jesus is there at the right hand of the Father, wanting to change lives, working at impacting lives for their good, we serve a Risen Saviour.
I see this as plain and simple either we accept Jesus words as truth or reject them. Either we live lives following his teaching or we don’t.
He wants to work in us for our good!
What do you want?
Benediction:
Through our obediance to and also our love for Jesus,
we are conformed to his likeness!
May you be fruitful producing the fruits of the Holy Spirit,
as you love and obey him!
Amen
