Acts 1:1-11

What a wonderful time for the apostles as they stayed with Jesus the 40 days after his resurrection. He instructed and strengthened them during these 40 days.

In John 16 Jesus said that it's to their advantage that He goes. It must have been difficult to understand this, after they had such close fellowship with Him. Why did He say that? Because He sent the Comforter, the Holy Spirit. Also, He went to prepare a place for us. There were many reasons why He had to go. Do we know and understand why Jesus went. Many are filled with unbelief in our day. They want Jesus first to reveal Himself to them. You won't believe, if you don't believe the Holy Spirit revealing Jesus already through His Word.

The most important reason why it's to our advantage that He left, is the Holy Spirit He sent 10 days later. Pentecost is also very important in the Christian calendar, because the Holy Spirit gives us power to be His witnesses. Without Him we will be depressed, weak and useless. Jesus also sent the Holy Spirit as He promised. He is true to His Word.

In Eph 4 we read of the gifts He gave when He ascended. What gifts? Eph 4 from verse 11 gives the answer.

And He Himself gave some to be apostles, some prophets, some evangelists, and some pastors and teachers, ¹²for the equipping of the saints for the work of ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ, ¹³till we all come to the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to a perfect man, to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ; ¹⁴that we should no longer be children, tossed to and fro and carried about with every wind of doctrine, by the trickery of men, in the cunning craftiness of deceitful plotting, ¹⁵but, speaking the truth in love, may grow up in all things into Him who is the head--Christ-- ¹⁶from whom the whole body, joined and knit together by what every joint supplies, according to the effective working by which every part does its share, causes growth of the body for the edifying of itself in love.

These are gifts are to the church and mankind to proclaim the Good News. He gave these gifts for the equipping of the saints, ... till we all come to the perfect man and fullness of Christ - that we might no longer be swayed by the trickery of men. This is the church and the reason He ascended. He gave these men and women with different ministries to build up the church. To bring us to a point where we are mature in Christ and have unity in the faith. We need to be built up and grow spiritually, so that we are not tossed about with every wind of doctrine. Maybe you pray and say to people, "if only God would speak to me." This is God's Word - this is how God speaks to you. If you don't believe God's Word, He is not going to speak to you in another way. If He would speak to you out of heaven this afternoon, by tonight you'll doubt if that voice was from God. If He speak to you through a dream, the devil will come to you and say, 'Did you not eat to much meat', and cause you to doubt. However, this is God's Word, where He speaks to you and me. If you truly believe this word God speak to you, you will have no love for the world and the fashions of the world.

Why did Jesus ascend to the right hand of the Father? Hebr 9:24 and 7:25 makes it clear.

Hebr 9:24 "For Christ has not entered the holy places made with hands, which are copies of the true, but into heaven itself, now to appear in the presence of God for us"

Hebr 7:25 "Therefore He is also able to save to the uttermost those who come to God through Him, since He always lives to make intercession for them"

He makes intercession for us who come to Him. Think of this. He intercedes for you and me. How can we then make excuses for our failures, saying we're weak. Then we don't believe. Remember when Peter sinned. Before he sinned, Jesus said to him, "Simon Peter, the devil has desired to sift you as wheat, but I have prayed for you that your faith will not fail." Jesus' prayer was answered. After Peter sinned, he stood up, wept bitterly and repented and served God faithfully to the end. You cannot fall and stay in your sin, because He prays for you. He is able to save to the uttermost, because He intercedes for you. It doesn't matter what your problem is, lust, jealousy, anger, hate or whatever. He can change you completely and forever - to the end.

He is able to save to the uttermost those who come to God through Him. There is no distinction made. Those who come, them He will save. Do you believe Him? If you do, then look at your life and your spiritual state, test yourself and see if you really believe.

What kind of people ought we not to be, if this is true? There is no excuse to say, "Oh, I'm weak". To be weak is an advantage. Remember Paul, when He prayed to God about the thorn in the flesh. God's answer, "My grace is sufficient for you, because my grace is made perfect through weakness." Paul did not go sit in a corner and mourn and use his weakness as an excuse to sin. No, Paul said, "I therefore rejoice in my weakness, because then the power of God can be manifested through me." Weakness is no excuse for sin, but an opportunity for God's power to be manifested in your life.

Some of us live a life of "Will I make it or not - will I be faithful to the end". You and I are not able, but He is able. When you read the New Testament - Paul's, Peter's and the others' writings, you see how they looked forward to Christ's coming. They lived for that. That was their passion that drove them. In prison they never got depressed and down, for they looked for that great day when they would be saved to the uttermost. It is a wonderful Gospel. But you might still not believe and stay as miserable as you are, depressed by your sin.

Today is the day of salvation. When George Whitfield preached, sometimes in the open air, like at the Royal show, the people repented and changed in a day - even those having the beer gardens closed it down and the prostitutes got converted, never to return. Will you not come today, and be changed in a moment by the power of God?