I would like you, please, to turn with me to the book of Acts today. I want to read, actually, the first 11 verses of Acts chapter 1. And I'd like us just to think with me for a moment, for the time that the Lord had given us today, to think with me about the early believers, the first century Hebrew Christians or Messianic Jews or Jewish believers who came to faith in Yeshua the Messiah, what did they believe in? What did they hold or what principles or truth from the Word of God they held strongly to as believers in Yeshua the Messiah? And the reason that I'm thinking about those verses today is because I just came from Jerusalem.

And when we were standing there together, we had a conference together, and we were thinking about the ministry among our own people, among the Jewish people. And we, of course, made a note of the fact that the vast majority of the people who live in the city of Yerushalayim do not believe that Yeshua is the Messiah. In fact, many of them, though religious, conservative, Hasidic Jewish people, many are secular Jewish people. Many of them do not even, I'm sorry to say, even acknowledge the fact that God is existing. There are many who do not believe, many atheists, many people who still, Jewish people, who do not recognize the truth that God, the God of Israel, is existing.

Now, I do not want to put everyone under the same umbrella, but I just want to say to you, beloved brothers and sisters, that there are many, many of our own people who are, number one, are still without the Messiah. Number two, are not acknowledging the truth that the Creator God is existing. And therefore, many are very secular without the truth of the Word of God. And yet, as we are standing and sitting there and having a conference in the city of Jerusalem, at the same time, the passage such as Acts chapter 1 came to mind, that the first believers in Yeshua the Messiah were believers who trusted in Him, yet they were in the very city of Jerusalem where we have been meeting together for a conference.

And the gospel had been going forth to the rest of the world, beginning at the city of Jerusalem and ending up everywhere in the world in which we live in. And what a blessing it was to our own soul to think that 2,000 years ago, even before the church was founded, the early first century Jewish believers believed in the Messiah, believed in God, believed in the canon of scriptures, and some truths concerning their faith brought to light here in Acts chapter 1. And I want to read the first 11 verses, if you follow with me, please. I'm reading those verses. Luke is writing, and he said, "The former account have I made, O Theophilius, of all that Yeshua began both to do and to teach, "until the day in which he was taken, up after he, through the Holy Spirit, had given commandments unto the apostles whom he had chosen, "to whom also he showed himself alive after his death, by many infallible proofs, being seen of them forty days, "and speaking of the things pertaining to the kingdom of God.

"And being assembled together with them, commanded them that they should not depart from Yerushalayim, "but wait for the promise of the Father, which he saith, ye have heard of me. "For John truly baptized with water, but ye shall be baptized with the Holy Spirit not many days hence." "When they therefore come together, they asked of him, and they said, "Lord, will thou at this time restore again the kingdom to Israel?" "And he said unto them, "It is not for you to know the times, nor the seasons, which the Father has put in his own power. "But," he says, "Ye shall receive power after that the Holy Spirit is come upon you, "and ye shall be witnesses unto me both in Jerusalem, and in all Judea, and in Samaria, and unto the uttermost part of the earth.

"And when he had spoken these things, while they beheld, he was taken up, and a cloud received him out of their sight. "And while they looked steadfastly towards the heaven, as he went up, behold, two men stood by them in white apparel, "which also said, Ye men of Galilee, why stand ye gazing up into heaven? "This same Yeshua, which is taken up from you into heaven, shall so come in like manner, as ye have seen him go into heaven." "And I'm going to stop here, but you can notice, very interesting here, that in chapter one of the book of Acts, "there's more than one time the city of Jerusalem is mentioned." "And I would like brothers and sisters in this ministry meeting today to talk with you a little bit about what the early believers did believe." "What did they believe?

What fundamental truths they have held to when they have trusted that Yeshua was truly the promised Messiah of Israel and the Savior of this world." "I want you to remember that by the time we have arrived to Acts chapter one, the Lord Jesus the Messiah already died, he was buried and he rose from among the dead." "And there were only a few believers that have followed after him out of the multitude of people that heard about Yeshua himself." "But just the beginning was a very small group of believers." "But I want you to see brothers and sisters that they believed in the very same thing that you and I are exhorted by God." "Exhorted by

the word of God to believe and to hold on to this truth that the first century believers have held to when they have trusted Yeshua the Messiah." "First of all, just to mention about the book of Acts." "I know that it says the Acts of the Apostles." "If you open your Bible you find out the word Acts of the Apostles." "In Hebrew we call it Maasei Shlichim, the Acts of the Apostles." "But actually brothers and sisters, it's not correct to say so much the Acts of the Apostles." "But really it's more correct to say the Acts of the Holy Spirit of God through some of the Apostles." "Because really most of the names of the

Apostles are not so much mentioned in the book of Acts." "But specifically Peter and James and John and Paul are mentioned." "But not every Apostle necessarily is mentioned." "But it is the Acts of the Holy Spirit of God moving and working in the lives of mankind." "And the book of Acts is a very, very important book because it links between the Gospels and the Epistles." "If we wouldn't have the book of Acts in our hands today we would not even understand the writings of Paul to the Romans for example." "Or to the Corinthians or to the Ephesians and the Philippians and Galatians and so on." "All these epistles that we have in the New Testament

flow out of the events that occurred in the time of the book of Acts." "It is a book that it is really a transitional book that shifts us from what God had in mind for the nation of Israel which will yet come to pass." "But what God has in mind for the present day assembly, the Church of the living God." "It is interesting and a very important book, the book of Acts." "But let's just look for a moment for the time together today about these first eleven verses that we have in Acts chapter one." "What did the first century believers believed in?" "Let's begin with the introduction here in verses one and two." "And first

of all you notice there is a continuing from the end of the book of Luke." "What Luke was writing to a certain man, he continued to write to him." "And this man's name is Theophilius, which means a lover of God." "I am reading again verses one and two." "The formal account I have made, O Theophilius, of all that Jesus began both to do and to teach, until the day in which he was taken up." "After that he through the Holy Spirit have given commandments unto the apostles whom he have chosen." "Well he is writing to a man by the name of Theophilius, a lover of God, or loved by God." "Some suggest that Theophilius, when

you read about him in Luke chapter one, some suggest that he may have been one of those Roman officials that heard about Yeshua the Messiah." "And was very much interested in learning more about Jesus the Messiah." "You know there are many people who are in high places, officials, leaders, people who are maybe presidents, and governors, and kings, and queens, and premiers, and mayors, and all these people who are in official in a government, they have a high position, and yet they also have a need for their soul." "And here is Luke writing to this official, he calls him, in Luke chapter one and verse three, he calls him most excellent Theophilius." "He may have been

a governor, he may have been a governor, he may have been a very important person, and Luke is writing to him about Jesus the Messiah." "Luke is writing to him because he may have been very much interested to find out about Yeshua the Messiah, who he was, why did he come to this world, what have he done for us?" "And he may have been very much interested with the person of Yeshua, so Luke is writing to him, and he is telling him the events that occurred concerning the person of Yeshua the Messiah, and concerning the building up of the body of the Messiah, so he is writing to him." "In Luke chapter one, he is

calling him most excellent Theophilius." "In Acts chapter one, he dropped the word most excellent, and he only called him by his own name." "Some suggest that Theophilius did not anymore wanted to be called most excellent, because of what he found in the person of the Lord Yeshua the Messiah." "Because he was the most excellent." "Yeshua is far exceeding everyone that is existing here in this world, and it seemed to be that Theophilius did not want anymore this title, most excellent, and he wanted to leave it to the person of the Lord Jesus the Messiah.

And that's why in Acts chapter one, in verse one, you don't have this expression, most excellent. You know, it doesn't matter what titles you and I might have, the title that Yeshua the Messiah deserves is far superior than any title that men can give us here in this world. He is our Lord. He is our master. He is superior. He is the one that is above everyone else. He is the most excellent one, the Lord Jesus the Messiah." So, he is writing to Theophilius. He may have been so much in love with God, in love with the Lord Jesus at his name. Theophilius. Theophilius comes from the two Greek words "God loved" or "loved by God" or "lover of God." That was the meaning of the name of this person.

And he must have loved Yeshua the Messiah. He fell in love with him, and he was interested in learning more about him. So, Luke is writing to him. In the Gospel of Luke, he wrote about the beginning of the events in the life of the Lord Jesus the Messiah. But in the book of Acts, he continued to write to him about the things that Yeshua the Messiah did in the power of the Spirit of God through the disciples. And so, you notice, he says here in verse 1: "The former treaties, what I already told you before, Theophilius, I am going to tell you right now about additional events that happened through the person of the Lord, and through the power of the Holy Spirit of God.

I am writing to you all what Yeshua both began to do and to teach. First of all, he did it, then he taught it." What an example the Lord Jesus was to the disciples. He did not just talk and told them what to do. He first did it. And then he taught the disciples. What a beautiful principle to learn for all of us. We are to do something ourselves, and then to be able to teach others also. And so, he taught them. It says in verse 2: "Until the day in which he was taken up, after that he, through the Holy Spirit, had given commandments unto the apostles whom he has chosen." You know, after the Lord Jesus rose from among the dead, he stayed here for 40 days after the resurrection.

And he was teaching the apostles. He was teaching them. For example, I am going to give you just an example. In Matthew chapter 28, we read of some of the things that he taught them. Matthew chapter 28 and verse 18. The Lord, in the last words to the apostles there, he said to them, "You know, all power hath been given unto me in heaven and in earth." He said to them, "You go and teach all nations, baptizing in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you. And lo, I am with you always, even unto the end of the age, the end of the world.

Amen." The Lord was telling them, he was teaching the disciples, he was instructing them. And he was giving them information what they are to do while he is getting ready to leave them and to go to the presence of the Father, to go to the Father's house. And so, let's see in those verses, dear brothers and sisters, what did he teach them and what did they held to as first century believers. There are four things that I would like to suggest that he taught them, at least from those verses. And those things are really important for you and I to hold on today. The first thing that he taught them is found in verse 3, the first part of this verse.

The first thing that he taught them and the first thing that the believers held to is the truth of the resurrection. Look at this. It says, verse 3a, "To whom also he showed himself alive after his death by many infallible crews and being seen of them for forty days." Now pause here with me for a moment. One of the most important things to hold on as believers is the truth of the resurrection of the Lord Jesus the Messiah. I know today in the world in which we live in, many would tell you, "What do you tell me about the resurrection?" I don't believe in the resurrection.

Once you die, you are six foot underground and it is all over. There is no such thing as a resurrection. Many would say. They would even say more. Not only that there is not such thing as resurrection, there is no such thing that Jesus the Messiah ever rose from among the dead. Now brothers and sisters, the truth of the resurrection is a fundamental truth of the Bible. In fact, if the Lord Jesus the Messiah did not rise from among the dead, we would never have assurance of salvation today. We could never be assured that we have a hope beyond the grave if Yeshua the Messiah was not raised.

This is the Bible truth. Even before the New Testament had been written for us by many of those disciples and Matthew and Mark and Luke and John and Paul and others and Peter and James and Jude and so on. Even before the new Brit Hadashah was given unto us, the truth concerning the Messiah's resurrection was given to us in God's word. The father had promised to us that when the son of the Messiah will be given to the nation of Israel, when he will come to this world, he is not going to only die the death with respect to the need of man. He will be buried and he will also rise again on the third day.

That is a fundamental truth of the scriptures. I am going to just for a moment just give you a verse or two that we need to connect with that. You know we have read Psalm 16 today in our reading. And in the book of Psalms, the psalmist speaking prophetically. The voice of the Lord is being heard in Psalm 16 and verse 10. Where the psalmist said, speaking to God, he said, For you will not leave my soul in Sheol, neither will thou suffer thine holy one to see corruption. You see, the psalmist speaking, he voicing the voice of the Lord. David is a picture of the Messiah. And David is speaking prophetically about the Messiah's voice.

The Messiah is speaking to God and he's telling to him, God, he says, you will not leave my soul in Sheol. Verse 10. And you will not suffer your holy one to see corruption. What does he mean? You see, he's talking about the soul and the body. The soul will not remain in Sheol. Also, the body will not see corruption. In other words, you know, when the body is being placed in the grave, it doesn't take too long for the body to see corruption, to decay. Coming to us from what we have in Genesis, when God judged Adam and Eve. He said, dying, you shall die.

The body will also see corruption. But the Messiah's body did not see corruption. The Messiah's body had been resurrected from among the dead. That's why he said, you will not leave my soul in Sheol. Neither will suffer thy holy one to see corruption. You will show me the path of life. In thy presence there is fullness of joy. At thy right hand there are pleasures forevermore. The early first century believers, Jewish believers, they believed in the resurrection of the Messiah. You see, they understood it from the Psalms. They understood that from the prophets, that when the Messiah will come, he will not remain in the grave any more than three days and three nights, and rise again from among the dead.

Isaiah said it in a very similar way. In the same verse, Isaiah 53 and verse 10, it says, It pleased Jehovah to bruise him. He had put him to grief. But then listen. When you make his soul an offer for sin, he shall see his seed. He shall prolong his days. In other words, it's another way to say that the Messiah's body will be resurrected from among the dead. He shall prolong his days. The pleasure of the Lord shall prosper in his hand. This is beautiful verses to see how the promise of the resurrection of the Messiah is given to us in the Word of God, in Scripture.

And so Yeshua, even Yeshua himself, before his death, you remember what he said to the disciples in the book of Luke? You remember when those who went to Emmaus and they were very much discouraged? He told them. He told them. He told them. He says to them. He showed them his hands and his feet. And he said, Look, it is I. He said to them in verse 39. And then he told them in verse 44 of Luke chapter 24. He said to them, Isn't it written in the law of Moses and in the prophets and in the Psalms concerning me? He said to them. It is written. It behooved the Messiah to suffer and to rise from the dead on the third day.

And he says the necessity of the resurrection of the Messiah. It was prophesied by the prophets. It was spoken by the Psalms. The importance of the resurrection. Today, brothers and sisters, if you and I do not preach the resurrection of the Messiah, we are missing the most important truth of the gospel. In fact, the person cannot be saved if he does not believe in the resurrection of the Messiah. It is essential. And those first century believers, they understood the resurrection of the Messiah. They understood the importance of the resurrection of Yeshua, the Messiah. You know that this truth is part of the gospel. In 1 Corinthians chapter 15, it says, "I deliver unto you, first of all, that which I received, how that the Messiah died for our sins according to the Scriptures, and that he was buried, and that he rose again on the third day according to the Scriptures." The resurrection is so important.

And the first century Jewish believers in the city of Jerusalem believed in the resurrection. That's what makes it so special in our faith in God through Yeshua, the Messiah, is because we have a living Savior, not a dead Savior. We have a living, loving Savior at the right hand of God the Father, and not someone who is in the grave. The resurrection of our Lord Jesus the Messiah. Very important that first century believers did believe in. The Bible tells us in 1 Corinthians chapter 15, "If Christ be preached that he rose from the dead." How some say among you that there is no resurrection from the dead.

Paul is saying to the Corinthians, look what he is telling them in verse 17. "If the Messiah be not raised, then your faith is in vain, and you are still in your sins." That's what 1 Corinthians 15:17 says. "If the Messiah is not risen, then really we believe in vain, and we are still in our sins." "If the Messiah hadn't been risen from among the dead." And so, the importance of the resurrection, brothers and sisters, early 1st century believers in Yeshua did believe in the resurrection of the Messiah. And I trust all of us get a hold of this. Get a hold of this truth that the Messiah is no longer in the tomb.

He is no longer on the cross, but he had been resurrected from among the dead, and now seated at the right hand of God the Father. That's a fundamental truth that we must hold to. This is an essential truth of the gospel that the Lord Jesus the Messiah had been resurrected from among the dead. But not only this. In the next part of verse 3, in this first chapter of the book of Acts, we find out that he taught them even more. He didn't only teach them about the resurrection because he was alive after his death. He showed himself by many infallible proofs, being seen of them for 40 days.

He taught them, and he taught them, and he spoke with them concerning many things, and he proved to them that he rose from among the dead. But now notice, he continued to speak with them, and he spoke with them also, secondly, about the kingdom of God. You know, and I love that part, this expression, the kingdom of God. It's come from the Hebrew expression, "Malchut Ha'elohim," or "Malchut Ha'shamayim." The kingdom of God. We, now, already 2,000 years into the church age, and many times we hear from professing Christians that Israel have forfeited the kingdom, the promised kingdom. That he is no longer going to the hopes of Israel restored kingdom under the headship and kingship of the Messiah had been completely set aside.

But it is so interesting in these verses that the Lord Jesus himself, that Yeshua himself, taught his disciples, and he spoke with them during those 40 days when he was here on earth, before he was ascended. He talked with them about the kingdom of God. A kingdom means that there is a king, and the king has subjects, and this is the kingdom that God is ruling over the affairs of mankind. Well, a kingdom was promised to the nation of Israel. A kingdom was promised to the Jewish people, to the people of Israel. And so, he promised, he was speaking with them about the coming kingdom. If you go further down into the verse 6, you notice the disciples told him, "Wilt thou at this time restore again kingdom to Israel?" You see, they understood.

They were Jewish believers. They were not yet forming what is known to us today, the body of Messiah, the church. In Acts chapter 1, the church did not yet exist. The church existed or began, it had its start in Acts chapter 2, when the Spirit of God came to form the body of Messiah. So, at this time, their mind was very much about the restoration of Israel. They wanted so much to see their nation being restored. They did not understand the truth of the body of Christ. It was not yet taught. They did not understand the truth of the bride of Christ, or the bride of the Messiah.

It was not yet taught. Later on, Paul received, Shaul received revelation from the glorified Messiah about the truth of the church, of the body of Messiah. So, their mind was so much focused with the restoration of the nation of Israel. They looked around. They saw that the rest of the nation did not accept the Messiah. They looked around. They look at themselves, and they see, "Wow! We are accepting Yeshua as the Messiah, but what about the rest of the nation? What about all our people? What about the promises of God?" And so, they were very much concerned with the kingdom that had been promised by the God of Israel to the nation of Israel.

We find out that the Lord was spending the time to talk to them about the kingdom of God. You can just imagine. Again, I'm saying that because we were sitting in Jerusalem, and we were looking around us, and we see the problems, the mounting problems in Israel. Problems with the Palestinians. Problems with the nations around. Problems within the nation, religious and secular groups. Problems. Where is the kingdom? Where is the kingdom where God is ruling over the nation? Where the Messiah is there as the King of kings and Lord of lords? Where the nations are subjects to the God of Israel, and the nation love the Lord, love the Bible, love the God of our fathers?

And it is a non-existent state. All kinds of needs among the people of Israel. But you know, the Lord Yeshua took the time to teach His disciples about the kingdom that is going to come. The kingdom of God. You know, when you look, you think, it's no longer the promises. Where are they? Where are the promises of God to the nation of Israel? Well, Jesus, the Messiah, spent the time with His disciples to talk to them, to speak with them of things that pertain to the kingdom of God. Every Jewish person who truly loved the Lord, also loved to talk about the things concerning the future kingdom of God.

What about the restoration of the nation? What about the time when Israel will dwell in peace? There will be Shalom in the land. What about the time that we are exhorted to pray for? Pray for the peace of Yerushalayim. Shalu Shalom Yerushalayim. Well, that is a desire of every person who really loved the Lord and loved the Bible. Well, Jesus, the Messiah, spent the time to speak about the kingdom of God. In our reading today, also when we read in the opening of the meeting today and we light the seven full candles, we do mention that. We do speak about the time when the kingdom will be established, where there will be a time of peace, where he says here, and there shall come forth a rod out of the stem of Jesse, and a branch shall grow out of his roots, and the spirit of the Lord shall rest upon him.

We are talking about the person, the Messiah, the stem that's going to come out of the family of Jesse, and the branch that's going to come out of his roots. And the Holy Spirit of God will dwell upon him. And as it says here, he will have the spirit of wisdom, the spirit of understanding, the spirit of counsel, the spirit of might, the spirit of knowledge, and the spirit of the fear of the Lord. And how he will rule this world. It says here that his delight will be in the fear of the Lord. And then it says here that he will rule in righteousness.

And that he will reprove with equity. And that it says here, he shall smite the earth with the rod of his mouth, as the breath of his lips shall he slay the wicked. Righteousness shall be the girdle of his loins, and faithfulness the girdle of his reign. He will reign. The Messiah will reign. The kingdom will be established where the Messiah will have his rightful reign over the face of this world. And the kingdom of God will be established here upon the face of this earth. And those disciples longed for that. They were waiting for the establishing of the kingdom. That's why they asked him, Are you going to restore the kingdom to Israel right now, Lord?

And you notice that he didn't, he didn't criticize them. He didn't tell them for a moment, Oh, forget about that kingdom. It's not going to be established. He didn't tell them that. In fact, we read here in verse 3, B, that he was speaking of the things pertaining to the kingdom of God. He was telling them about the kingdom. He was sharing with them. Remember, they didn't have New Testament. They only had the Tanakh, the Old Testament. So he was opening to them the scriptures. And he was showing to them things that will happen when God's rule is going to be upon the face of this earth.

When Israel is going to be restored. When God's kingdom is going to be established. And it must have warmed their hearts. And it ought to warm our hearts. Yes, there is a coming kingdom. There is a coming establishment of the kingdom in a future day. And even though you and I look around today and we see everything is in disarray. Everything is in disorder. Everything is out of right. Everything is messed up around us. We have to hold on to the truth. That yes, there is a kingdom that is going to be established one day upon the face of this earth. He is going to establish the messianic kingdom in the coming days.

There will be peace. There will be shalom here in this world. There will be blessing here in this world. And we are to hold on to this truth. And to wait for that. And in the meanwhile, brothers and sisters, the kingdom of God takes a different form. While we don't see the king here. While the king is not ruling over the face of this earth. He is ruling over the hearts of those that believe on Yeshua the Messiah. He is the one that is the king of those that their hearts are subject to his own will. He has a rule over the lives of those that trusted in him.

Over your life and of mine. He is the ruler. He is the king. And he is the one that is going to rule over our lives. It takes like a mystery form. A form that is not seen. We don't see the king, but we see his subjects love him and follow after him. And subject themselves to him. There are many verses that we can read. But I think a verse that you are very well aware of concerning the future kingdom. Where it is mentioned in the Bible, in the book of Daniel. In chapter 2 and verse 44 it says this. And in the days of these kings shall the God of heaven set up a kingdom.

Which shall never be destroyed. And the kingdom shall not be left to other people. But it shall break in pieces and consume all these kingdoms. And it shall stand forever. The kingdom when the Messiah will rule. And the kingdom which will be not left to other nations or other people of this world. The kingdom that will be given to the Messiah. And through the nation of Israel. This is the kingdom that shall never be destroyed. And it will stand forever. What a beautiful thought it must have been when the disciples were sitting around Yeshua the Messiah. And hearing what he had to say about the kingdom of God.

And so they believed in that. They believed in the resurrection of the Messiah. But they also believed in the coming establishing of the kingdom of God upon the face of this earth. And you and I need to believe it and to hope for that day to come back to this world. Thy kingdom come, we read in the Gospel of Matthew. Thy will be done. Thy kingdom come.

that we need to pray for as well for coming day so this one is mentioned in verse 3b now here's the next thing that the lord jesus taught these believers and that they did believe is they also believed that the spirit of god will lead them and empower them in the preaching of god's word now i know that we talk a lot about the holy spirit of god but we have to realize that the holy spirit of god is a real person the holy spirit of god is a divine person just the same like we have god the father we have god the son god the holy spirit is a divine person he's being grieved

when we grieve him he's being quenched when we do not give him liberty but he also using the people of god for the proclamation of the word of god and you know it had been said by someone that if we don't present the message of the gospel in the power of the spirit of god it is all in vain because the spirit of god will empower the people of god to proclaim the message of the word of god and so notice that in this verses verse 4 being assembled together wisdom he commended them that they should not depart from jerusalem but wait for the promise of the father which he says ye have heard of

me john truly baptized you with water but ye shall be baptized with the holy spirit not many days hence you see in verses 4 and 5 we learn that yeshua told them look you go back to the city of jerusalem and you will wait for the promise of the father what did the father promise the father have already promised which we read it in the gospel that he will give the believers the holy spirit of god you know the holy spirit of god is a real person it's not merely feeling or wind it is a real divine person god one of the persons of the godhead he will come and will indwell every believer and

will unite them together and so he's telling them you shall receive that power of the holy spirit of god and he said unto them it is not for you to know the time of the seasons verse 7 which the father had put in his own power but ye shall receive power after that the holy spirit is come upon you and ye shall be witnesses unto me both in jerusalem and in all judea and in samaria and in the uttermost parts of the earth you notice this expression power it's said sometime when we think of the spirit of god as someone to be for us as a person that we can use him as we please

in our own way in our own will and we don't recognize that the spirit of god is a divine person and he has the power to work in lives the power to change individuals the power to redeem a soul that was doomed to eternal separation from god a power to make a switch a change in the life of a person now if the spirit of god will not work what's the use what's the use for us to just talk in the energy of our own flesh without to be led by the holy spirit of god there is no value in that everything that we do that is not in the power of the spirit of

god actually it's the power of the flesh it's a human power and a human power not getting and will never get us anywhere it must be the power of the spirit of god you remember romans 1 16 when paul was writing to the romans believers at rome he says i'm not ashamed of the gospel of the messiah for it is notice he used the same word the power it is the power the dynamite of god and to salvation to everyone that believe in the gospel message presented by the power of the holy spirit of god it enabled for a sinful individual to turn about and come to faith in yeshua the messiah and their destiny

will change instead of heading into eternal separation from god a person who are redeemed who the spirit of god worked in his or her soul his or her destiny is changing because of the work that the holy spirit of god would do and that's what we should trust in beloved brothers and sisters these early believers did not believe in their own power to change lives but they believed in the power of the spirit of god most of us have family members and we sometimes wonder why aren't they seeing what we see why they don't believe in yeshua why they don't recognize that they are sinners why they don't realize that god loved them and he

sent the messiah for them why is it well you know the reason why it is because they need the work the power of the spirit of god to work in their hearts we cannot change them we cannot doesn't matter what we say and how much we shove verses into their hearts and to their mind it does not matter a person need the work of the spirit of god in their soul in order for that person to come to faith in yeshua the messiah and so he's telling them you will receive power after that the holy spirit of god will come upon you and then he said and you are going to be witnesses to me

both in jerusalem in judea in samaria and unto the uttermost parts of the earth the spirit of god will enable you to witness for me to be a testimony for me to be a witnesses of the fact that god loved you so much loved us so much and given his son gave us a way whereby we can receive forgiveness of sins you are going to be witnessing you notice it's not witnessing about the church it's not witnessing about israel it's not e-witnesses about ourselves but he says ye shall receive power after the holy spirit come upon you and you shall be witnesses unto me both in jerusalem judea samaria and uttermost part of the earth

the witness of the holy spirit is concerning the person of the lord jesus the messiah that's what we should witness about we should witness about the person of yeshua the messiah who he was what did he do the price that he paid in order that we will receive forgiveness of sins that's what we are to witness and it is the spirit of god that is going to work in the lives of people to bring them to the knowledge of the messiah to convict them to bring about a work in their hearts towards the lord jesus the messiah well you see these brothers and sisters that they believe in the resurrection of the messiah and then

they believe in a future kingdom to be restored one day to the nation of israel but they also believed that if they are going to preach to be witnesses faithful witnesses to the lord they are going to need the power of the holy spirit of god it was the prophet of israel who said many years ago to israel not by might not by power but by my spirit says the lord it is the spirit of god he is the one that convicts individuals nobody is yet a child of god unless the spirit of god does a work in his or her soul and we should trust it and we should allow the holy spirit of

god to be the one that is working in the lives of individuals it is the power it is the dynamite that's what we want i tell you when a person is being exposed to the spirit of god that person as the spirit of god working in his or her soul will ultimately turn to the lord and receive the gift of salvation and so we are exalted to preach the word to share the word in the power of the holy spirit of god we should really examine ourselves sometime do we share the message of the gospel in the energy of the flesh do we pride ourselves in our ability do we pride ourselves in our intellect

or in a mental knowledge or physical capabilities you know there is no value it does not speak to souls if it is being done in the power of a human energy we need to do it in the power of the spirit of god and that's wonderful when the spirit of god works a person will ultimately turn to the lord yeshua the messiah as their lord and savior and so they believe in the resurrection they believed as well in the coming kingdom but they also believed in the power of the holy spirit of god and now fourthly and lastly notice here in the same verses in verses 9 10 and 11 they also believed in his

return the messiah return back to this earth you notice it says and when he had spoken these things verse 9 while they beheld he was taken up and a cloud received him out of their sight i would have like to see that sight you know he was on mount of olives harazetim in jerusalem and they were looking and he was taken up and up and up he was taken away from them he was disappearing from them now he have left in a sense he have gone into the presence of the father he was taken up and they literally saw him taken up and they were looking up and imagine most of them if not all

of them were galileans and so it says here that while they were looking steadfastly towards heaven as he went up in verse 10 two men stood by them with a white apparel which also said and they told them ye men of galilee why stand ye gazing up into heaven and then notice this expression this same jesus this same yeshua which is taken up from you into heaven shall so come again in the same or in the like manner as ye have seen him go into heaven that's beautiful as well brothers and sisters you know today a lot of people do not believe in the return of the lord they don't believe that the lord is

going to return they think that all what we have here in the scripture is only a story it's just a story that we have we can read a nice book but there is no return according to them there is no return of the lord back to this world i would like to say today brothers and sisters on the basis of what we read here in the word of god that the lord jesus is going to come again he's coming back he's coming back in a two-fold way number one he is coming it's not here of course he's going to come to take his church in a rapture to meet the believers in the air first

thessalonians chapter four but he also coming back to this earth the same one that was rejected by man is going to come back to this world by the way we don't have here yet the truth of the rapture of the church that's with this information we learn later on those jewish believers did not know about the church as yet they did not know about the rapture as yet that was given information a little bit later but they were occupied with the lord's coming again to establish the kingdom to have his rightful place here in this earth and you see they were even told by these two men angels appearance and they saying to them why

do you look up steadfastly into heaven why and it says this same jesus have you thought for a moment when you read such a thing this same yeshua you know the same yeshua that two thousand years ago was walking here the same yeshua that men reject him and say i do not want to hear about you the same yeshua that was once taken by wicked heads and hung upon a cross a roman cross where people spitted at him where they mocked him where they laughed at him where he was scourged by the roman soldiers when he was beaten by the jewish leaders where he was hanging on a cross and man says crucify him crucify

him the same jesus that was once rejected and spitted upon is the same yeshua that is going to come again the very same one not another not a different one the one that was despised is the one that is going to come the one that was rejected is the one that will have to be accepted the one that people laughed at is the same one that's going to come that every knee will have to bow before him everyone will have to acknowledge him that he is the one that came to this world to pay for the penalty of our sins in the book of philippians i just want to read these verses that come to

my mind it says here listen to these verses let this mind be in you philippians 2 verse 5 which was also in the messiah yeshua who being in the form of god he thought it not robbery to be equal with god but he made himself of no reputation and he took upon himself the form of a servant and he was made in a likeness of men and being found in a fashion as men he humbled himself and became obedient unto death and that the death of the cross therefore god have highly exalted him and given him a name which is above every name that at the name of yeshua every knee should bow things in

heaven things in earth things under the earth and that every tongue would confess that yeshua the messiah is lord to the glory of god the father you know it's precious isn't it the one that was despised is the one that will be acknowledged by men one day this same jesus this same yeshua which was taken up from you into heaven he will come i use here the word like manner you're going to come in the same way you remember again brothers and sisters revelation chapter one where john we see the revelation of the messiah so behold he comes with clouds and every eye shall see him and they also which pierce him and all the

kinders of the earth shall wail because of him even so amen every eye will see him he's coming in power and in glory the same jesus the same yeshua brothers and sisters is going to come again do we believe in the coming again of our blessed lord every one of us she says i surely believe just the same like the first disciples believed in the coming of the lord the first jewish disciples i want to emphasize why because it is those in the city of jerusalem two thousand years ago early even before the church was formed they believed that he's coming they believed that no other but the same yeshua is going to come back

to this earth and how it does good to the heart when he's going to come and have his rightful place here in this world the same jesus that you and i believe on him today we never seen him whom having not seen ye love peter said that we never seen him but we are going to see him one day face to face when he is going to come to take his rightful place here in this world may the lord hasten this day may yeshua come very soon and take his rightful place here upon the face of this earth brothers and sisters that just came to my mind because i was just came from jerusalem and

these things were part of our conference where we were dealing with the work of the lord among the jewish people what did they believe they believe exactly what you and i are exhorted to believe in the resurrection he died he was buried he rose in the future this kingdom that is the kingdom that is going to come is going to be established one day and we are today in a mystery form in a kingdom where he's ruling over our own life we believed also in the power of the spirit of god that salvation will come about as the holy spirit of god working in lives of people and they also and we also believe in

the coming of the lord in the second coming as well as in the rapture of the church when he is going to meet the church in the cloud this is the thought that i want to share with you today and i trust that you and i will be encouraged to continue to follow after yeshua our Messiah can we say amen today amen