Life after the Resurrection

By Charlie Kim

“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.”

“Jesus promises the gift of the Holy Spirit”
If you had forty days with Jesus, how would you spend your time with Him? Would you take a picture with him and make it your Facebook profile picture? Maybe you would ask him to play one on one basketball with you. Or maybe you would take him to the latest movie in theaters, like The Hunger Games. Personally, I would love to take long walks on the beach with him and listen to him tell campfire stories about heaven. Thinking about it now, it would be amazing; it would feel like a dream.
Ah, it’d be like forty days in heaven. Forty days of being truly alive. Let’s take a look at the real deal: how the disciples spent forty days with Jesus.

In Acts, it says that after Jesus’ death and resurrection, “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.”

“Jesus gave them many convincing proofs that he was alive.” Can you believe it? All of your questions about the resurrection, answered. Yeah, sure, maybe there wasn’t a lot of time for basketball, or time to catch a movie. Instead, it must have been like a college course, “Jesus’ death and resurrection 101.” What’s important to see is that from this point on, Jesus’ main disciples had simple and clear resurrection faith. Like when Jesus appeared to Mary at the tomb, Mary was called by name and her faith in Jesus was restored. Like when Jesus appeared to Thomas who was doubtful, Thomas touched Jesus’ wounds and believed. The disciples became ‘sure of what they hoped for’ and ‘certain of what they did in fact see’. Focused Bible studies, times for prayer and fellowship, the disciples’ time with Jesus was centered on faith in the Resurrection and hope in the kingdom of God.

Jesus’ time had finally come at the end of the forty days, and just as soon as he came into their lives he would be leaving them again. But he wasn’t going to leave without giving them some guidance. Jesus wasn’t going to leave without giving them a part of Him. What was that part? Let’s look at verses 4 and 5.

“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. For John baptized with water, but in a few days you will be baptized with the Holy Spirit.”

Baptism with water, ok. But baptism with the Holy Spirit? This may have been a bit confusing to the disciples. So when the disciples met together they seized the opportunity to ask Jesus,

“Lord, are you at this time going to restore the kingdom to Israel?”

Here, we can see the disciples were still stuck on the earthly kingdom. Jesus understood this. So he answers, as he always does, with grace and truth. “Don’t worry about the time and place. But know this: 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.” In Communistic and all third world countries, in the Americas, both the North and South, in all fifty states of the US, in Chicago and in all CPS High schools, you will be my witnesses.

Wow. For the disciples there must have been a thousand more questions that still wouldn’t have been enough to satisfy their uncertainty. As a senior, I am only beginning to understand Jesus’ command. And as anyone else would, I too have many questions. Yet Jesus reassures me when he says, “Don’t worry.”

Lord, when will this all happen; this summer maybe? “Don’t worry, I know best.” Where should I go to college? “God knows best.” What should I do? What will I do? “You will be my witness from Jerusalem to the ends of the earth.” How can I do this? “Wait for my gift. You will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you.”
God, honestly, I’m scared. I don’t know if I can do this.
“Charlie, I will come back in the same way you have seen me go into heaven. And that’s a promise.”

When Jesus answered them and was taken up into heaven they were uncertain. But two angels were there to assure the disciples. This really touched their hearts. He made a promise to each of them, just as he has made a promise to each of us. That just as he left, he would come again.

What we can learn from this is, whatever our question may be, Jesus will answer us in the same way, “Have faith in me and the Holy Spirit will guide you.” Jesus has promised us the Holy Spirit. When Jesus commands his disciples to wait in Jerusalem for the baptism, he is telling them, “You will be my witnesses through the gift of the Holy Spirit.” It is like he is saying, “Do you remember my sermon on the mount? The Holy Spirit was with me and it will be with you. Do you remember when I fed the five thousand? The Holy Spirit was with me and it will be with you. Do you remember when I died on the cross and rose again? The Holy Spirit was with me and it will be with you. Do you remember the forty days we just spent together? The Holy Spirit was with me and it will be with you.”

In this first part of Acts 1, Jesus is promising the Holy Spirit. All we have to do is trust in him.

 “The power of the Holy Spirit”

Peter had heard all of this. But what had caught his attention were Jesus’ words, “You will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you…” Power. What did this “power” really mean? Peter definitely wanted power, but somehow he knew Jesus didn’t mean some sort of physical, social, or political power. In Acts, he knew Jesus meant another kind of power.

But not too long ago, Peter had wanted that other kind of power, a worldly power. Let’s think about Peter’s life before the Resurrection.

Throughout the gospels, we find a Peter who was like Jesus’ right hand man. For all of Jesus’ miracles, Peter was there; he felt like he was on top of the world. For all the times Jesus was in the temple courts, Peter was there, cheering Jesus on. But when it came time for Jesus’ death and resurrection, Peter was afraid because he thought he would lose his sense of power. So in Gethsemane, Peter was willing to kill, not for Jesus, but for this false sense of power. During Jesus’ trial before the religious leaders, Peter was so ashamed that he denied Jesus three times. After Jesus’ death on the cross, Peter was so afraid that he hid in an upstairs room. All power that he thought he had in Jesus faded away before his insecurities. He was alone again, just a fisherman out at stormy sea.

But one day, as Peter and his friends were fishing, Jesus appeared to him. When they could not catch anything, Jesus guided them, and they caught a large number of fish. As soon as Peter realized who it was, he proclaimed, “It is the Lord!” Then he jumped out of his boat half naked and met Jesus on the shore. This Peter, who jumped out of the boat, was a new Peter who took a leap of faith. This Peter, who met Jesus on the shore, was a new Peter who believed in Jesus’ promise that He would come again. This image of Peter finding Jesus again was a real image of resurrection faith.

After the resurrection, Peter was alive again. So when the day of Pentecost came and “suddenly a sound like the blowing of a violent wind came from heaven,” Peter wasn’t afraid. Now, Peter knew what Jesus meant by “power.”

“They saw what seemed to be tongues of fire that separated and came to rest on each of them. All of them were filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in other tongues as the Spirit enabled them…”

Peter understood when Jesus said, “You will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you.”

“Parthians, Medes and Elamites; residents of Mesopotamia, Judea and Cappadocia, Pontus and Asia, Phrygia and Pamphylia, Egypt and the parts of Libya near Cyrene; visitors from Rome; Cretans and Arabs – we hear them declaring the wonders of God in our tongues!”

This is just utterly amazing! Haha, get it? “Utterly”? I mean, I can speak English, a little Spanish, and absolutely no Korean. But to hear about the power of the Holy Spirit allowing these disciples to speak in tongues of nations I can’t even pronounce is amazing.

But of course, there always has to be a group of non-believers. “Bah, these men are drunk.” When the crowds responded to their speaking in tongues with doubt, Peter could have been shaken. He could have easily been afraid. He could have had a flashback to the night he disowned Jesus three times. He could have had a relapse to the time when he felt all alone in that upstairs room. But he didn’t. He didn’t because he was filled with the Holy Spirit. And so what did Jesus say to do next? “Witness.” Peter remembered this and that’s exactly what he did.

In Acts 2:32-36, Peter says, “God has raised this Jesus to life, and we are all witnesses of the fact. Exalted to the right hand of God, he has received from the Father the promised Holy Spirit and has poured out what you see and hear. Therefore, let all Israel be assured of this: God has made this Jesus, whom you crucified, both Lord and Christ.”

“When the people heard this, they were cut to the heart and said to Peter and the other apostles, “Brothers, what should we do?”

Peter replied, “Repent and be baptized, every one of you, in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins. And you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.”

Those who accepted his message were baptized, and about three thousand were added to their number that day.”

The disciples would go on to do some amazing things: heal the sick, drive out demons, and see visions. But they would also be persecuted. Stephen, the first martyr, was stoned to death at the feet of Paul himself. Peter was crucified upside down. And Paul was put in jail, stoned, and despised by his old friends. By the end of their lives, they would die for their faith in Jesus. They could only do this because they had Resurrection faith. This was the power of the Holy Spirit.

Senior year is the best year in high school, hands down. All your classes are chill. More people know you, or at least you think more people do. You feel like you can do whatever you want. You’re on top of the school. You feel you have a new kind of confidence, a new power over your life.

Without even knowing it, I have been trying to fit this image of a high school senior. Lately, I’ve wanted the approval of those around me. I’ve been acting a certain way around certain people because I thought they would like me more. If I didn’t feel accepted I felt worse. So I acted or spoke a certain way to be accepted. I’ve been trying to hold on to a false sense of power.

But because of this I have lost myself. How did this happen? In a word, I have been trying to live someone else’s life. Because I have been trying to live by the standards of society, I have let go of God and the Holy Spirit. I’ve forgotten God’s blessing. These past few days, we have been thinking about the resurrection of Jesus and what it means. What I learned from this conference is that if there is anything I want in life, if there is anything I want in this world, it is to be alive. But we have to remember what it is that makes us alive. Our hobbies or interests don’t make us truly alive. Our job doesn’t make us truly alive. Our classmates, peers, even our friends, don’t make us truly alive. We have to remember it is by Jesus that we are made alive.

Senior year is great, and high school in general can be an amazing time. Sure, sometimes we have our ups and downs. But when we forget God, we slowly dig a hole for ourselves. We become slaves to school, popularity, girls, guys, and we lose ourselves. When this happens we have to remember the gift Jesus has given us. We have to remember the power of the Holy Spirit. If you are feeling alone or depressed, remember the power of the Holy Spirit so that God can pull you out of it. If you believe that you don’t have Resurrection faith, ask for the power to believe. If you want to share the gospel with someone close to you, pray that you will have power to be Jesus’ witness.

“The Church Alive”

Acts 2:15-17 describes a community of believers who lived by the Holy Spirit.

“They devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching and to the fellowship, to the breaking of bread and to prayer. Everyone was filled with awe, and many wonders and miraculous signs were done by the apostles. All the believers were together and had everything in common. Selling their possessions and goods, they gave to anyone as he had need. Every day they continued to meet together in the temple courts. They broke bread in their homes and ate together with glad and sincere hearts, praising God and enjoying the favor of all the people. And the Lord added to their number daily those who were being saved.”

At school, there is fellowship. On sports teams, there is fellowship. In class, there is fellowship. Among friends, there is fellowship. At home, there is also fellowship. At church, there is fellowship. And in HBF, we have fellowship.

What distinguishes each of these fellowships? For believers, it is the message of Christ.

Colossians 3:16-17 says,¹⁶ Let the message of Christ dwell among you richly as you teach and admonish one another with all wisdom through psalms, hymns, and songs from the Spirit, singing to God with gratitude in your hearts. ¹⁷ And whatever you do, whether in word or deed, do it all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him.”

                The essential ingredient for the Corinthians, for the author of Acts, and for all of us is the message of Christ. For us to enjoy our lives to the fullest in love and fellowship, we need to “let the message of Christ dwell among us richly.”

                Honestly, when I see HBF, I see a part of my family. Some of my best friends I have made in HBF and they are still very close to me. Through HBF, I have gained a lot of friendships, love, and support. But HBF isn’t just a name. HBF is a church. And we are a church when we “let the message of Christ dwell among us richly.” I pray that we can “teach and admonish one another with all wisdom through… the Spirit.” This means looking out for one another, loving one another, and supporting one another, through the Holy Spirit. Then we can be truly alive as a church.

Conclusion: “Alive through the Holy Spirit”
Sometimes as teenagers, all we want in life is to feel alive. When we are young, we hold onto the truth easily and give our all as if there was no tomorrow. But as we grow older, many of us nurture skepticism, doubt, and uncertainty of our beliefs as if we were watering weeds in our heart’s garden. Maybe we grow tired of hearing the same things. Maybe we begin to resent responsibility. Maybe we just become plain-old lazy. Whatever it is, our heart’s soil grows hard, thorny, path-like, and we begin to feel dead inside.

But if we were to look honestly at ourselves, at our lives thus far, and at the lives of those around us, we have nothing left to do but to be thankful and full of joy for what Jesus has already done for us. We have heard quite a few messages. But the central message is the same. Jesus has died once and for all for our sins. He rose from the dead, and makes us alive. We need only to accept this and remember Him.

If you take one thing from this morning, I pray that it is that God is with you through the Holy Spirit. Life after the resurrection is hard at times, but in the end it is beautiful. In the message of the cross is the message of new life. If we live by the Holy Spirit, our life is full. By the power of the Holy Spirit, we are made truly “alive.”