Jesus Message to His Church

Luke 24:46 And said unto them, Thus it is written, and thus it behoved Christ to suffer, and to rise from the dead the third day:
24:47 And that repentance and remission of sins should be preached in his name among all nations, beginning at Jerusalem.
24:48 And ye are witnesses of these things.
24:49 And, behold, I send the promise of my Father upon you: but tarry ye in the city of Jerusalem, until ye be endued with power from on high.
24:50 And he led them out as far as to Bethany, and he lifted up his hands, and blessed them.
24:51 And it came to pass, while he blessed them, he was parted from them, and carried up into heaven.
24:52 And they worshipped him, and returned to Jerusalem with great joy:
24:53 And were continually in the temple, praising and blessing God. Amen.

I. The Message (Jesus gave the message.)
a. Christ must suffer and die.
b. Christ must rise from the dead.
c. Repentance and remission of sins through Christ must be the first thing all nations should hear.
d. Repentance must begin at Jerusalem.
e. Repentance must be preached by the witnesses of Christ.

II. The Promise for Power to deliver the Message. (Jesus gave the Promise of Power.)
a. I send the Promise of the Father upon you.
b. Don't try to take this Message by fleshly means!
c. Tarry ye in the city of Jerusalem. (Why? Because Jerusalem is the beginning point!) Jerusalem also represents the beginning of the Church and also represents each of us as an individual Believer. God must come into us first! Jesus said of us: "Ye are a city set upon a hill! A city with power flowing to it! That city must be hooked up to the power of God! It must not be experiencing power failure!

TARRY! WAIT! AT THE PLACE WHERE THE LORD SAID TO TARRY!

Tarry_Jesus said! But He added the word UNTIL! Ye be endued with power from on high!

Stay there until the Promise comes!

Don't leave there with a theory! "Well,this is what Jesus said__ No! You stay there until that Promise of the Holy Ghost falls upon you and you know "Thus saith the Lord!"!

III. The Response to Jesus' Message and His Promise.
Luk 24:52 And they worshipped him, and returned to Jerusalem with great joy:
Luk 24:53 And were continually in the temple, praising and blessing God. Amen.
"Waiting with joy?"

"We don't have time to wait on the Lord today, much less, wait with joy!"

But we see a picture of a few Believers right after the crucifixtion of Christ being given the Promise of an enduement of Power from on high by the Resurrected Lord! They're told to tarry in the city of Jerusalem!

At the cross death came to all their hopes in their thinking. And they would have had no hope unless that "God raised Him from the dead!"

What joy! Hallelujah! Jesus is alive!

He bought my soul__and is here before me__giving me the Promise of the Father! But I must wait! Tarry ye in the city of Jerusalem!

For fourty days Jesus shows Himself to Believers after His Resurrection. The Bible said to as many as five hundred brethren at once on an occasion.

As Jesus led them out on the 40th day that He would be received up into heaven, His first emphasis was not on the doing but on the waitng or tarrying for the Promise of Power! Then and only then the works would come!

Luke 24:50 says: and he led them out as far as to Bethany, and he lifted up his hands and blessed them.

Jesus' last 40 days with his disciples wasn't a 40 day list from the "Purpose Driven Church."

No! Jesus message was still the same before the cross. That if you are going to come after Me, you must deny yourself and take up your cross and follow Me! You can't remain the same!

He didn't give them 40 days to strategize to defeat the devil. No! He broke every power and hold of the devil on His cross! All that holds you was broken! You must take up your cross and follow Him!

Now! He's giving a commandment! Not a suggestion! A commandment to His disciples to tarry__in the city of Jerusalem for the Promise of Power to proclaim liberty to those still held captive by their sins.

It was time to go into heaven and as He led them out as far as to Bethany, (it's fitting if you think about as far as He led them was to Bethany, the town Lazarus lived and became sick and died! A city where hope was gone for his two sisters, Mary and Martha. It had been 4 days!"If you'd only been here Jesus, our brother would not have died!"

John 11:25 Jesus said: "I am the Resurection and the Life, he that believeth in Me, though he were dead, yet shall he live!"

John 11:26 And whosoever liveth and believeth in Me shall never die. Believest thou this?

Yes! They believed it with joy! They believed what Jesus said!

I believe Lazarus, Mary, and Martha were present in that company!

Now He's about to be received into heaven, He lifts up His hands, an example you and I have from our Savior and Lord. At the last moment of being on planet earth, for coming here! He's alive!

He has revealed Himself to His disciples!
He's given them a commandment__tarry!
He goes as far as the city of Bethany that reminds them all that Jesus is the Resurrection and the Life!

The dead can hear His voice and live!

And the Living can fulfill His purpose!

He blesses them and is carried up into heaven!

The disciples response.

They didn't forget the Promise!


They worshipped Him as long as they could see Him until He became just as a jot or a tittle and then disappeared but they continued to worship Him when the visible became invisible again!

Just because they couldn't see Him didn't alter their worship of Him!

They had been blessed by Him!
They had been given a command to tarry!
They had been given the Promise of the Father!

They worshipped Him!
They returned to Jerusalem not with sadness, wondering how everything is gonna work itself out. No! All that was settled at the cross! Jesus paid it all!!

They returned with great joy to Jerusalem!
They didn't come setting dates when the Promise would come! No! They returned with great joy knowing that they had been given the Promise of Power and they must tarry! Wait for the Promise!
They didn't know when it would come but they knew it would come__and it would be soon!

Most of the people in the church today needs to stop its doing and begin to tarry before the Lord in prayer! Stop trying to invent the church! Get shut in with God! Pray with all that is within you for Jesus Christ to baptize you in the Holy Ghost and with Fire!

Act 1:5 For John truly baptized with water; but ye shall be baptized with the Holy Ghost not many days hence.

It won't take the Lord long if you are willing and obedient to tarry!

The First Church prayed until and the Last Church must pray until! We are the same Church!

That Promise and Command was enough!
They returned to where Jesus said to go with great joy and were continually in the temple praising and blessing God which is a picture of what the Holy Ghost would do when He moved into His New Temple____His people!

He would continually be in the Temple__praising and blessing God!

Act 2:1 And when the day of Pentecost was fully come, they were all with one accord in one place.
Act 2:2 And suddenly there came a sound from heaven as of a rushing mighty wind, and it filled all the house where they were sitting.
Act 2:3 And there appeared unto them cloven tongues like as of fire, and it sat upon each of them.
Act 2:4 And they were all filled with the Holy Ghost, and began to speak with other tongues, as the Spirit gave them utterance.

As the "Early Church" tarried upon the Lord to send the promise, they were all filled with the Spirit and spoke with other tongues as the Spirit gave the utterance!

They were saved and waiting for the Promise of the Father! As obedient children they tarried until! They were all filled and began to be that witness unto Christ!

A true Holy Ghost baptized person will witness the Life of Christ!

"All forms of life will manifest itself."

There are certain things about all forms of life that let you know what kind of life it is.

Hogs grunt...............ducks fly..............chickens cluck.

"And Holy Ghost filled people worship God and witness Jesus!"

That's what they did after they were filled!

May God fill you with that hunger and thirst after righteousness!

Let His Church go forth and be the Church filled with power and walking like Jesus! Amen!