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Psalm Sunday is the day we talk about Jesus’ triumphant entry into Jerusalem. This is the start of what we refer to as Passion Week. During Passion Week Jesus was involved in series of events that ultimately led to his arrest, trial before Pilate, and ultimate crucifixion. Jesus had informed his disciples, “We are going up to Jerusalem, and everything that is written by the prophets about the Son of Man will be fulfilled. He would be turned over to the Gentiles, they would mock him, insult him and spit on him, they would flog him and kill him. On the third day He would rise from the dead.

Luke 18:34 says, “The disciples did not understand any of this. It’s meaning was hidden from them, and they did not know what he was talking about.

Everything happened just like Jesus said.

So, what’s next, and how do we prepare for what is coming?

“After 40 days with his disciples, Jesus returned to heaven. It was important for the disciples to see Jesus taken up into heaven; they knew without a doubt that He was God and that his home was in heaven. The two men dressed in white were angels who proclaimed to the disciples that one day Jesus would return in the same way he had gone—-bodily and visibly. History is not haphazard or cyclical; it is moving toward a specific point—-the return of Jesus to judge and rule over the earth. We should be ready for his sudden return, not by standing around “looking into the sky,” but by using the gifts God has given us to spread the gospel so that others will be able to share in his great blessings.”[1]

After Jesus rose from the dead, during those 40 days before He ascended into Heaven, He would meet with his disciples and talk with them about the kingdom of God. He instructed them not to leave Jerusalem, but wait for what the Father had promised, the Holy Spirit.

The disciples asked Jesus when the Holy Spirit comes would He be reestablishing the kingdom and restoring it to Israel? Some things such as times and dates of future events are not meant for us to know. In the case of the restoration of Israel, only the Father knew that date.

For the moment, what was most important was the coming of the Holy Spirit. They and we would receive power and ability when the HS comes upon us. Because of the HS, they and we would become witnesses to tell people about Jesus, in Jerusalem and in all Judea, and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.

There might be somebody here today that has visited Jerusalem, Judea, and Samaria, and had an opportunity to share their faith, but I have not, yet. So, our focus to be God’s witness should be in the area none as the “ends of the earth,” primarily Kansas City, Kansas, and the metro area.

So, what happens next for Hillview?

We must embrace the work of the Holy Spirit in our lives, and in the ministry here at Hillview. When we accept Jesus as our Lord and Savior, the Holy Spirit took up residence inside of us.

1 Corinthians 3:16

Don’t you know that you yourselves are God’s temple and that God’s Spirit dwells in your mist?

John 14:17

The Spirit of truth, the world cannot accept him, because it neither sees him nor knows him. But you know him, for he lives with you and will be in you.

Why is this important?

“Acts 1:8 is a key verse from our text. To begin with, it explains that the power of the church comes from the Holy Spirit and not from man. Ordinary people were able to do extraordinary things because the Spirit of God was at work in their lives. The ministry of the Holy Spirit is not a luxury; it is an absolute necessity.”[2]

Everything we plan as a church function must be led by the Holy Spirit.

We are called to be witnesses for the Lord.

In the Bible, a witness is someone who testifies or provides evidence about something they have seen or experienced. Characteristics of a witness:

• A witness must be truthful
• A witness must be reliable, whose testimony can be trusted.
• A witness must be courageous because standing up for the truth can sometimes be challenging or even dangerous.
• A witness must be God-fearing, one that follows God’s commands and seeks to honor Him in all they do.
• A witness is accountable for their testimony and may need to justify or explain their statements.
• A witness must be honest and forthcoming in their testimony.

“In the Bible, being a witness refers to testifying about one’s faith and beliefs in Jesus Christ. It involves sharing the Good News of salvation and the Gospel with others. As Christians, we are called to be witnesses by living out our faith in our words and actions, and by sharing the love of Christ with those around us. This can include sharing personal testimonies of how God has worked in our lives and pointing others towards the truth found in the Bible. Ultimately, being a witness means being a light for Christ in a world that desperately needs His love and grace.”

Being a witness means you can not be a secret saint. You can not blend in with the world, and you shouldn’t want to.

My last point this morning is that Jesus is coming back. According to scripture, He is coming back in the same way He was taken up into Heaven, visibly and bodily. Here are several passages of scripture that give us some insight into Christ’s return.

Mt 24:36

“But about that day or hour no one knows, not even the angels in heaven, nor the Son, but only the Father.

The return of the Lord will be sudden and unexpected.

Luke 17:26-30

“Just as it was in the days of Noah, so also will it be in the days of the Son of Man. People were eating, drinking, marrying and being given in marriage up to the day Noah entered the ark. Then the flood came and destroyed them all.

“It was the same in the days of Lot. People were eating and drinking, buying and selling, planting and building. But the day Lot left Sodom, fire and sulfur rained down from heaven and destroyed them all.

“It will be just like this on the day the Son of Man is revealed.

We plan for our vacations and for other events, but we can’t schedule when Jesus will return, so, we must be ready at all times.

As a believer in Jesus Christ, we have reason to be on the look-out for His return.

John 14:3

And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come back and take you to be with me that you also may be where I am.

When Jesus comes, He will judge the world.

Mt 25:31-33

“When the Son of Man comes in his glory, and all the angels with him, he will sit on his glorious throne. All the nations will be gathered before him, and he will separate the people one from another as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats. He will put the sheep on his right and the goats on his left.

It’s possible for us to be fooled by a person who has infiltrated our congregation. The scripture refers to them as wolves in sheep’s clothing.

You can’t fool Jesus. He knows if you are His, and He knows if you are not. The penalty for not being His is being cast into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels.

Mt 25:41

Then he will say to those on his left, ‘Depart from me, you who are cursed, into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels.

Taste and see that the Lord is good; blessed is the man who takes refuge in him.

Study Questions for 4/12/26

1. What have you experienced, that when it was over you said, “What comes next?” Example: once you retired.
2. In your opinion, why was receiving the Holy Spirit more important than knowing when Israel would be restored?
3. How knowledgeable are you in the Holy Spirit? Explain.
4. How effective are you in being a witness for Jesus?
5. Describe your approach to witnessing.
6. Are you prepared for the return of Jesus to judge the world?
7. Why or why not?
8. If you could choose a topic for a small group Bible study, what would it be?

[1] Life application study bible, NIV, study notes on Acts 1:10, 11, pg 1865.

[2] The Wiersbe Bible Commentary, NT, Warren W Wiersbe, published by David C Cook, 323.

If anyone would like to have a copy of the sermon notes, please email LaTanya Dunn.

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