Day 322: The Ascension (2024)
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Hey, everyone, before we get started today, I want to let you know the violin here has brought the word of god to so many people. As you know, you're part of this community changing lives and in so many incredible ways. We are humbled to play this role in god's plan and considered our ongoing mission to keep bringing the word of god to as many people as possible.

This so, but that one saying is the end of this year is not going to be the end of bible in a year. So far, essential has been able to add the podcast to youtube. You might have fd IT that way.

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I'm in his father, maximus, and you're listening to the bible in the year podcast, where we encounter god's voice and live life to villains of scripture. The bible in the year part cast route you, by a sense, using the great adventure viable title and will read all the way from genesis to revelation, discovering how the story observation ation unfolds and how we fit into that story. today.

IT is the one of the church and a day, three inner and and twenty two reading x of the postal chapter, one reading the litters of saying pole to the romans after one, as well as problems twenty six verses twenty fourth and twenty six. As always, the label translation i'm reading from is the revised denard version second catholic tion. I'm using the great adventure rival from a sense, if you want to download your own bible in the a year reading plan, you can visit a sentient press that comes sluch bible in the year, because then you would know that todays is three day, three hundred and twenty two, and we're reading x one, romans one, probably twenty six.

You can also subscribe to this podcast if you're so inclined um to do this on the home stretch because that's kind of where we are. This is kind of the beginning of the homestretch. I don't know.

I don't want to talk about IT as if it's over yet because we still have a bunch of days left. You've done so well, by the way. This might not be day three hundred and twenty two in a row for you, which is phenomenal.

That's not a problem. That's not even the beginning of a problem. It's only an imaginary problem when people say that I need to be right on top of things every day.

I mean, if you have aren't doing that great job boll done, but if you haven't done that, that is an imaginary problem. That's not even a real thing you showed up today and that's all you need to do on day three twenty two reading act, chapter one romans. Chapter one probable twenty six perses twenty four, three twenty six, the acts of the apostles.

Chapter one the promise of the holy spirit. In the first book of the office, I have dealt with all that jesus began to do and teach until the day when he was taken up after he had given commandment through the holy spirit to the apostles, whom he add chosen to them. He presented himself alive after his passion by many proofs, appearing to them during forty days. And speaking of the kingdom of god, and while staying with them, he charged them not to depart from jerusalem, but to wait for the promise of the father, which he said, you heard from me for john baptize with water, but before many days you shall be baptized with the holy spirit, the ascension of jesus.

So when they had come together, they asked him, lord, will you at this time restore the kingdom to israel? He said to them, IT is not for you to know times or seasons, which the father has fixed by his own authority, but you shall receive power when the holy spirit has come upon you, and you shall be my witnesses in jerusalem and in all judea and samaria and to the end of the earth. And when he had said this, as they were looking on, he was lifted up and a cloud took him out of their site.

And while they were gazing into heaven as he went, behold, two men stood by them in White robes and said, men of galaxy, 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, thus chosen to replace judice. Then they returned to jerusalem from the mount to called all of IT, which is near jerusalem, a sabic days journey away.

And when they had entered, they went up to the upper room where they were staying, Peter and john and James and Andrew, phillip and Thomas, partha mo and Matthew, James the sun of althias and Simon, the zella and judice, the sun of James. All these, with one accord, devoted themselves to prayer together with the women and marry the mother of jesus and with his brethren. In those days, Peter stood up among the brethren in the company of persons was in all about one hundred and twenty and said, brethren n, the scripture had to be fulfilled, which the holy spirit spoke beforehand by the mouth of David concerning judas, who was guide to those who arrested jesus, for he was numbered among us and was allotted his share in this ministry.

Now, this man bought a field with the reward of his weakness. And following headlong, he burst open in the middle, and all his bowlers gushed out. And he became known to all the inhabitants of jerusalem so that the field was called in their language, academia, that is, field of blood.

IT is written in the book of SMS. Let his habitation become desolate and let there be no one to live in IT. And his office let another take. So one of the men who have accompanied us during all the time that the lord jesus went in and out among us, beginning from the baptism of john until the day when he was taken up from us, one of these men must become with us a witness to his resurrection.

And they put forward to Joseph, called by service, who was surnames amon, justice and methods, and they prayed and said, lord, you know, the hearts of all men show which one of these two you have chosen to take the place in this ministry. And a postle ship from which juice turned aside to go to his own place. And they cast lots for them, and the lot fell on the fires. And he was enrolled with the eleven of postles.

The letter of paul to the romans chapter one, salutation paul, a servant of Christ jesus, called to be in a puzzle set apart for the gospel of god, which he promised beforehand through his profits in the holy scriptures, the gospel concerning his son, who was descended from David according to the flesh and designated son of god in power according to the spirit of holiness by as wise direction from the dead jesus Christ, ed, our lord, through whom we have received Grace and a postle ship to bring about the obedience of faith for the sake of his name among all the nations, including yourselves, who are called to belong to jesus Christ to all god's beloved in rome, who are called to be sense gracy to you and peace from god, our father and the lord, that jesus Christ per of thanksgiving first, I think my god throws us, cries for all of you. Because your faith is proclaimed in all the world for god is my witness who might serve with my spirit in the gospel of his son that without seizing, I mentioned you always in my prayers, asking that somehow, by god's will, I may now, at last succeed in coming to you very long to see you, that I may, in part to you some spiritual gift to strengthen you. That is, that we may be mutually encouraged by each other others' faith, both yours and mine.

I want you to know, brethren, that I have often intended to come to you, but thus far have been prevented in order that I may read some harvest among you as well as among the rest of the gentiles. I am under obligation both to greeks and to burberry ans, both to the wise and to the foolish. So I am eager to preach the gospel to you also who are in rome, the power of the gospel, for I am not ashamed of the gospel.

IT is the power of god for solvent, to everyone who has faith, to the jew first, and also to the greek. For in IT, the righteousness of god is revealed through faith. For faith as IT is written, he who through faith is righteous shell live god wrath against man's weakness.

For the raft of god is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness weakness of men who buy their weakness, suppress the truth, for what can be known about god is playing to them, because god has shown IT to them ever since the creation of the world. His invisible nature, namely his eternal power and DVD, has been clearly perceived in the things that have been made. So they are without excuse for, although they knew god, they did not honor him as god or give thanks to him.

But they became futile in their thinking, and their senseless minds were darkened, claiming to be wise. They became fools and exchanged the glory of the immortal god for images resembling model men, or birds, or animals, or repetitions. Therefore, god gave them up in the lists of their hearts to empire, to the dishonoring of their bodies among themselves, because they exchanged the truth about god for a lie and worships, and served the creature, rather than the creator who is blessed forever, a man.

For this reason, god gave them up to dishonorable, able passions. Their women exchanged natural relations for unnatural, and the men likewise gave up natural relations with women and were consumed with passion for one another. Men committing shameless acts with men and receiving in their own persons the due penalty for their error.

And since they did not see fit to acknowledge god, god gave them up to a base mind and to improper conduct. They were filled with all manner of weakness, evil covetise ness, mAlice, full of envy, murder, strife to seat malignity, their gossips, slanders, haters of god, insulant, hoti boast, ful, inventors of evil, this obedient to parents, foolish, faithless, hartless, ruthless. Though they know god's decree that those who do such things deserve to die, they not only do them, but approve those who practice them.

The book of proverb chapter twenty six versus twenty four to twenty six he who hates decembers with his lips and harbors deceit in his heart when he speaks graciously believe him not for there are seven abominations in his heart though his hatred be covered with guy, his weakness will be exposed in the assembly. Father and having, we thank you so much. We give you praise.

Thank you for not only for this new day, thank you for this new age, this new step we're taking in the age of the church, the age in which we are living currently that we're hearing, described in these first chapters of the acts of the apostles and the first chapter, the litter of thankfull to the romance. We thank you, god, not only for your son for salvation, we thank you for the holy spirit dwells inside of us and enables us not only to pray, but also to hear your word and let IT transform our hearts. We ask you, lord, to please come and fill us with your holy spirit, just like the apostles gathered together, united with each other and united with mary.

We ask you to send your holy spirit upon us this day, that we can be filled with their spirit so we can bring your gospel and bring you you. We want to bring new lord to the world. We make this payer in the mighty name of jesus Christ, our lord, amen, and the name of the father of the sun and the holy spirit, a man.

Goss, you guys, this is so good. Oh my gosh. okay. So here we are in the accident puzzles. And this is the age of the church.

As we noted before, the actually puzzle s written by luke himself and so this is just an extension is jeff pointed out, I think of the very beginning of the gospel of luke. He pointed out that look and acts at one point were all one just complete first book, second book. And we've separated them, of course, because makes sense um but they're still here.

And so what do we have? Well, a couple things we have the ascension of jesus now the end of looks gospel he talks about the ascension a bit and in the beginning of the exit puzzles look talks about again be gives us different details. Here's one details that I love highlighting because it's just it's unremarkable.

I just I think it's phenomenon and it's this is that here they are. Jesus leads them after the reaction, the been with him forty days. Jesus lead the outside the city of jerusalem and they know who he is now.

They know that he is the asia. They know that he is king who has come to establish the kingdom of god. And so they ask him, lord, will you at this time restore the kingdom of israel? This is what they have been praying for.

He is the promised one, right? He is the the king demas a you guys, we know the whole story already. We know that god had promised he was going to establish a kingdom on the earth, and that this kingdom would never end, and that through this kingdom he would bless the entire world.

So postles knowing that jesus is who he says he is, they asked the big question, the twenty five thousand other question, when you're going to do IT, when will will you, at this time, restore the king of to israel? And jesus answers very critically, he says, basically not for you to know the times are seasons, which the father is appointed so basically i'm not telling, but the next thing he says is he says, but you shall receive power when the holy spirit has come upon you and you shall be my witnesses in jerusalem and in all judea in soma, until the ends of the earth basically, jesus, are you going to restore the kingdom of israel? And jesus says, you are jesus, you're the mi.

Are you going to restore the kingdom? Um you are, you're onna. Restore the kingdom, the holy spirit will come upon you. The holy spirit will come upon you in power, that word for power. Inverse eight of chapter one, you shall receive power is the greek word dynamics, or dynamic, right? Is where we get the word dynamic.

And this is the power of the holy spirit, the kind of power that can blast holes in the rocky mountains and carve roads through mountains, right? So this is the kind of dynamic power the jesus promises. Now that chapter two that might be tomorrow, we'll see.

We'll see if we read tomorrow. Course we're going, but jesus is promising the dynamic power of the holy spirit, not little fun snaps you like little kind of firecrackers, but dynamic power. And you'll receive dynamics power when the holy spirit has come upon you.

And then you will be my witnesses in jerusalem, here in town, right here in the city, in all judea, in soma. We know those places are into the ends of the earth is so important for us to understand this. The word witness is the word greek, word martis or marter, right?

The word where we get the market from, you'll be my witnesses. You'll be my mothers. You will be the ones who bear witness ness to my life, death direction.

You'll bear witness to mercy, triumph over evil. You'll be the ones bearing witness to Grace, triumph over having triumph, having Victory over disGrace. You're the ones who will bring hope, whether is no hope.

Now, this is remarkable thing. We've been reading the bible for three hundred and twenty two days. Whether that been three hundred and twenty two consecutive days or not, IT doesn't matter.

But what matters is, the lord is, let us to this moment where we know who the lord is. We know who god is. We know the story. We know that we're part of the story. And here is jesus making, you know that the inter, we always do.

Every single day, we point out how the story of something unfolds in how we fit into that story today, that we say every single day when we do this, the truth that the matter is, this is where we fit, are in lord, are you gona restore the kingdom? No, you'll receive power when the holy spirit comes upon you. And you will, I cannot emphasize this enough.

We, for three hundred plus days, have allowed the law to shape our hearts, to shape with the way we look at the world, the way we look at ourselves, the way we look at each other. And i'd had him, and now he is calling us to not only know his mission, but to join his mission. Now he's not only calling us to have knowledge of, here's my god has done, but to be a part of what god is doing.

My friends, this is incredible. This is an an invitation that is just like SHE is walking along the shores of the sea galy and seeing Simon and anders say, he can follow me sing, James and john can follow me walking up to Matthew the tax letter and saying, come follow me jesus today is saying, you know the story, you know who I am, you know, you can trust me now, come and follow me. And this is so important, so it's so critical and is so a massively unnecessary for every single one of us.

Now, quickly, when IT comes to the next temples, letter to the romans, this is its samples s masterpiece. When I talk to any scriptures of the, basically, say, a simple letter to the room's or the letter to the heroes can be some of their favorite things to read at all. Uncompleted pause writing the romance.

He's never been there yet. He hasn't ever bent to the community. He didn't found this community.

He wants to come see them, and he wants to visit them. He wants to help them, us, to sustain them. And also he wants them to sustain him, to encourage him.

He's even says that in chapter one, verse twelve, but he also talks about how he's not ashamed of the gospel. I love this such a powerful, powerful line, but i'm not ashamed of the gospel. This is very sixteen.

In chapter one, IT is the power of god for salvation, everyone who s faith to the jew first, and also to the greek. Now this is one of the issues that's happening in rome, is that there is a Christian community made up both of jewish Christians and of gentle Christians, right, to those who were not raised jewish. And what's happened is right before this up leading up to this, there has been a kind of a split in that community, and there's a number of circumstances that LED to that kind of split.

And so they're not necessarily seeing each other as they should see each other. They're not really seeing the role of the old testament and the filament of god's promises in the testers as they should right now. And so that's what polls going to be some of the things paul is going to be addressing as he unpacks the heart of the gospel throughout the course of this letter to the romans.

And he begins by talking about how, in jeter one, here are people who do not know who god is, but they should the gentle, right? So there are gentle romans, who here are people who are not raised jewish. They didn't have a law.

But that's not an excuse for them because they could look around the world and they could see that god exists. They can see the beauty of creation and say, I wait, there was a creator here. Um nona less.

They are exchanging god himself for an image. They're exchanging the creator for a creature, and that exchange leads them to commit. As paul describes very serious sense in verse twenty six, he begins to describe them.

And these are sexual sense. Doesn't limit that. He was on diverse twenty nine to talk about all the of weakness, evil, confidence.

ss. Ever says this obedience to parents is being part of this whole thing. Because one of the things we know to be true is when we turn away from god, our intellective darkened even further. We turn away from god, the human heart almost knows no boundaries. When IT comes to the evil that we can devise and the evil that we can choose.

And so here is paul, beginning by talking about how those gentle, so those who weren't raised jewish, they need the lord, they need the gospel, and actually, they need to have the obedience of faith, because they have no excuse. They, you would know, you should know that some of these things you ought to never do in chapter two years, going to go on to talk about how the juice should have known Better as well. But that's for tomorrow.

We just started today. And what a gift. What incredible beginning today. I know that there's also the episode with jeff and I introducing this last age, this age of the church right now. If you haven't checked that already, please check that out. I am praying for you, I promise, and please pray for me, my named for the mike. I cannot wait to see you tomorrow dugas.