SERMON: A CALL TO ACTION

A CALL TO ACTION
Sunrise Service -- Wright's Chapel UMC
8 April 2007

I. Introduction
-- turn in Bibles to Acts 1

1. In my former book, Theophilus, I wrote about all that Jesus began to do and to teach
2. until the day he was taken up to heaven, after giving instructions through the Holy Spirit to the apostles he had chosen.
3. After his suffering, he showed himself to these men and gave many convincing proofs that he was alive. He appeared to them over a period of forty days and spoke about the kingdom of God.
4. On one occasion, while he was eating with them, he gave them this command: "Do not leave Jerusalem, but wait for the gift my Father promised, which you have heard me speak about.
5. For John baptized with water, but in a few days you will be baptized with the Holy Spirit."
6. So when they met together, they asked him, "Lord, are you at this time going to restore the kingdom to Israel?"
7. He said to them: "It is not for you to know the times or dates the Father has set by his own authority.
8. But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you; and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth."
9. After he said this, he was taken up before their very eyes, and a cloud hid him from their sight.
10. They were looking intently up into the sky as he was going, when suddenly two men dressed in white stood beside them.
11. "Men of Galilee," they said, "why do you stand here looking into the sky? This same Jesus, who has been taken from you into heaven, will come back in the same way you have seen him go into heaven."
12. Then they returned to Jerusalem from the hill called the Mount of Olives, a Sabbath day's walk from the city.

-- if you would, please listen as I read from Henry Wadsworth Longfellow, "Paul Revere's Ride"
"Listen my children and you shall hear
Of the midnight ride of Paul Revere,
On the eighteenth of April, in Seventy-five;
Hardly a man is now alive
Who remembers that famous day and year.

He said to his friend, "If the British march
By land or sea from the town to-night,
Hang a lantern aloft in the belfry arch
Of the North Church tower as a signal light,--

One if by land, and two if by sea;
And I on the opposite shore will be,
Ready to ride and spread the alarm
Through every Middlesex village and farm,
For the country folk to be up and to arm."

-- In the spring of 1775, the American colonies -- especially the colony of Massachusetts -- were hotbeds of sedition -- they had been preparing for open conflict with England throughout the winter -- producing and storing arms and munitions -- training milita and minutemen -- and organizing defensive positions around key American towns and villages
-- in April, General Thomas Gage -- the English military Governor of Massachusetts -- decided to counter the brewing revolution by sending a force out of Boston to consfiscate the weapons in the village of Concord and to capture John Hancock and Samuel Adams -- leaders of the patriots who were staying in Lexington
-- when word of General Gage's intentions were made known, the patriots set up a messaging system to altert the countryside of any advance by the British troops -- Paul Revere arranged for a signal to be sent by lantern from the steeple of Christ Church if the British troops were on the move -- one if by land -- and two if by sea
-- on April 18th, 1775, two lanterns were lit in the steeple -- alerting Revere that the British were coming across the harbor towards Lexington -- so Paul Revere, William Dawes, and a few other riders took the road to Lexington -- to warn the villagers that the British were coming and to alert Hancock and Adams so they could get to safety
-- as they rode through the countryside of Massachusetts in the early morning hours of April 19th, they cried out to all the villagers they passed -- "To arms -- to arms -- the British are coming -- the British are coming"
-- and in the rider's wake, church bells began to ring -- drums began to beat -- gun shots rang out -- and pots and pans were beat on to announce the danger and to call the local militias to action

-- so what does the story of Paul Revere have to do with us being gathered here this morning at the foot of the cross to watch the sun rise on Easter morning? -- in one sense, nothing -- the story of the American Revolution may be stirring and patriotic, but it has nothing to do with the resurrection of Christ
-- however, in another sense, the story of Paul Revere -- of his willingness to not just stand by while others prepared for war -- of his willingness to become actively engaged with the enemy -- of his willingness to take action against oppression -- speak to us this morning as followers of Jesus Christ

-- as we all know, after the death of Jesus on the cruel cross of Calvary on Friday, the 14th day of the Jewish month of Nisan -- He was taken from the cross by Joseph of Arimathea and Nicodemus and was buried in Joseph's own tomb in a garden
-- in the early morning hours on the third day -- on Sunday morning -- Mary Magdelene and a few other women went to the tomb to finish anointing the body of Jesus with spices and oils in accordance with the Jewish burial traditions
-- as they approached the tomb, they saw that the rock that had been placed over the door to seal the tomb had been rolled away -- and they found the tomb empty -- Jesus' body was gone -- He had been resurrected, just as He had said -- and He subsequently appeared to Mary and to the disciples on many occasions
-- Luke tells us in this passage that Jesus continued to spend time with His disciples for 40 days after the resurrection -- teaching them through His Word and through the Holy Spirit what had happened on the cross and what it meant for mankind
-- at the end of those forty days, Jesus went with His disciples to the Mount of Olives -- a small hill located about ¾ mile from Jerusalem -- a place where they had often gathered to pray and spend time with Him
-- as they were walking toward the mount, they asked Jesus if He was going to restore the throne of Israel at that time -- in other words, they wanted to know if Jesus was about to set up His kingdom on earth

-- look back at verse 7

7. He said to them: "It is not for you to know the times or dates the Father has set by his own authority.
8. But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you; and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth."

-- "No," He said -- "It's not that time yet -- you don't need to worry about when that will happen -- for I have other plans for you -- I don't want you to sit around here waiting for me to set up the kingdom -- I want you to carry the message of my death and resurrection -- of the good news of the forgiveness of sins -- to Jerusalem and Judea and Samaria -- to all the ends of the earth -- tell them I have risen and that I am coming again"
-- right after He said this, Jesus ascended into heaven -- look at verse 9

9. After he said this, he was taken up before their very eyes, and a cloud hid him from their sight.
10. They were looking intently up into the sky as he was going, when suddenly two men dressed in white stood beside them.

-- I want you to get the picture of what is going on in that moment -- Jesus has just been standing there talking to the disciples -- in His last words, He tells them to go and be His witnesses to all the ends of the earth -- and when He finishes speaking, He starts to rise and physically goes up into the sky towards heaven
-- and all the disciples are standing there -- looking up at the sky -- where Jesus has just been -- straining their eyes to see Him -- when all of a sudden, two men dressed in white -- angels -- messengers from God -- appeared next to them -- standing there with them on the Mount of Olives
-- verse 11

11. "Men of Galilee," they said, "why do you stand here looking into the sky? This same Jesus, who has been taken from you into heaven, will come back in the same way you have seen him go into heaven."

-- now this is the key verse that I want you to focus on this morning -- "Men of Gallilee -- why do you stand here looking in the sky?"
-- that is a good question -- that is a loaded question -- in other words, the angels were sent by God to the disciples standing there to find out why they were still there
-- Jesus had just given them the Great Commandment -- He had just told them to go out in His name -- in the power of the Holy Spirit -- to be His witnesses -- to testify to His death and resurrection -- to tell people the good news of the Kingdom of God and to let them know that Jesus was coming soon
-- God wanted to know why the disciples weren't moving -- why they weren't responding -- why they weren't doing what Jesus had called them to do
-- and so He sent two angels -- two Paul Reveres -- who called out to the disciples and said, "To arms -- to arms -- the Lord is coming again -- the Lord is coming again"

-- Paul Skogstrom wrote that Paul Revere became a symbol for the American Spirit -- a citizen-patriot ever ready to drop his plow, grab his musket, and awaken the sleeping masses to the danger that was at hand -- writing at the onset of the Civil war, Longfellow wanted to ignite that same spirit in his fellow countrymen -- to call them to action -- and so he tried to stir the hearts of men with his poem about Paul Revere's ride
-- the angel's words to the disciples on the Mount of Olives was a call to action -- a call from God to stir their very spirits -- to compel them to go forth in the name of Christ -- to be His witnesses and to share His message to the ends of the earth

-- these very same words are a call to us who are gathered here this morning -- I believe God is asking us, "Why are you still standing here? -- Why aren't you moving and doing what My Son called you to do? -- Why aren't you going forth in the power of My Holy Spirit to share My message of reconciliation and the forgiveness of sins? -- Why are you still here?"
-- the message of the angels tells us that Christ did not die just so we could enjoy sunrise services -- He did not die so that we could spend our lives sitting in church each Sunday
-- Christ died for the forgiveness of the sins of the world -- and He has commanded us to go and make disciples of all nations -- baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit -- and teaching them to obey everything that He has commanded us to do

-- Jesus does not want us to be like the disciples -- just standing there on the Mount of Olives -- looking up to Heaven and waiting for His return
-- He does not want us to be static Christians -- to be static churches -- content with coming to sunrise services -- content with coming to church every Sunday -- content with just sitting on the pews while the world around us is going to Hell
-- He is calling us to arms -- to battle against the spiritual forces of evil in this world -- to assail the very gates of Hell itself -- and to win souls for His kingdom

-- in the same way the angels called the disciples to action, Paul Revere called a nation to action -- let me ask you this morning, "Who among you is going to be our Paul Revere?" -- Who among you is not going to be content to just do church any longer? -- Who among you is not going to be happy just sitting in a pew, doing nothing?
-- Who among you is going to rise to the challenge -- to carry the message of God to your family and your friends -- to the cashier at the grocery store -- to the waitress who serves you?
-- Who among you is going to be stirred to action -- to fulfill the command of God?
-- God is calling us to more than we are -- to more than we do -- He is calling us to be His hands and His feet -- to be His army who responds to the call and wins the battle for Him

-- a few years ago, a group of salesmen went to a regional sales convention in Chicago -- they had assured their wives they would be home on Friday night in plenty of time of supper
-- well, on Friday, they were running late -- and as they were rushing through the airport, trying to make it to the gate to get on the plane which was already boarding -- one of the salesmen accidentally kicked over a table which held a display of apples
-- apples flew everywhere -- rolling all across the terminal floor -- but without stopping or looking back, the salesmen all managed to reach the plane in time for their nearly missed boarding -- all but one
-- this one salesman looked back -- he paused -- took a deep breath -- and felt a twinge of compassion for the girl who owned the apple stand
-- he told his buddies to go on without him and to call his wife and tell her that he would be taking a later flight and would miss supper
-- he went back to the table that they had knocked over -- and he was glad he did
-- the teenaged girl who owned the apple stand was totally blind -- she was softly crying -- tears running down her cheeks in frustration as she helplessly groped around on the floor -- trying to find her apples that had rolled away and that she couldn't see
-- the salesman knelt on the floor with her -- gathered up her apples, and put them back on the table -- as he did, he noticed that many of them had become battered and bruised -- he put those in another basket
-- when he had finished, he pulled out his wallet and said the to the girl, "Here, please take this $40 for the damage we did -- are you okay?"
-- she nodded through her tears -- he said, "I hope we didn't spoil your day too badly -- and as he started to walk away, the bewildered blind girl called out to him, "Mister" -- he paused and turned to look back into those blind eyes -- "Are you Jesus?"
-- he stopped in mid-stride and his heart skipped a beat -- he slowly made his way to the gate to catch the later flight with that question burning and bouncing about in his soul -- "Are you Jesus?"

-- do people mistake you for Jesus? -- that's our destiny, isn't it? -- that's our calling -- that's the challenge from the angel's message to the disciples -- to be so much like Jesus that the world cannot tell the difference as we live and interact people that are blind to His love -- His life -- and His grace
-- if we claim to know Him -- if we claim to be Christians and to be part of His church -- then we should live and walk and act as He would
-- knowing Jesus is more than simply quoting Scripture and going to church -- it's actually living the Word and sharing His message with others as life unfolds day to day

-- we are gathered here this morning because we are like the apples in this story -- we have been bruised and battered by a fall -- but Jesus stopped what He was doing and He picked us up on a hill called Calvary -- and He paid the price for our damaged hearts -- for the sins that we had committed -- and all He asks in return is that we do the same for others -- that we take a moment and share with them His message of salvation and forgiveness of sins
-- we can't do that sitting in our pews -- we can't do that standing at the foot of the cross looking up at the sky -- we can only do that if we leave where we are and go back into the world
-- will you be a spiritual Paul Revere today? -- Will you carry the message of Christ to this world -- letting them know that the battle has been won and that Christ is coming again? -- Will you take up your arms for Him?
-- let us pray