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"Here as in Heaven."
For more information visit : garden.church
You're listening to the Garden Church podcast. We're in a series called Church on Fire, a journey through the book of Acts. This is a story of ordinary people filled with the spirit, carrying the presence of Jesus into every corner of the world. The same spirit that raised Jesus from the dead is alive and in us today. Join us as we step into the call to be people set on fire for his mission.
Bill Dogterom:Well, good morning. It's good to be, be with you this morning on this, first Sunday in the New Year. Frankly, it feels a whole lot like the last year. I don't know if anybody else has been impacted by by the gee, this looks like we've done this before. And what what was what was Christmas all about?
Bill Dogterom:Maybe a commercial break. I I don't know. And and of course, the point is not wanting to we have these arbitrary time divisions, right, where we we set new, new. And okay, fine. What are you gonna what what does that mean in terms then of how how how we live?
Bill Dogterom:What does what does the fact that we just celebrated incarnation, Christ come to be with us and for us, how does that impact Tuesday morning? How does that how does that new normal in the light of the fact that God is not just with us but for us impact as I walk into my high school classroom in a couple of weeks? How does that, what difference does that make? And then even more as we celebrated, in our worship this morning, the realization that that that that incarnation was was a station stop on a much longer journey. There's a a a big picture that is being explored here that includes the cross, that includes then, resurrection following Jesus' time on the cross.
Bill Dogterom:Well, what does that mean? How do how do if if if God is with us and for us and God has put death to death, how now do we live? Because if if this is just about having a a happy holy time on a Sunday morning, I've got other stuff to do. Really, if it doesn't work its way out into the the punching of the clock on Wednesday morning, if it doesn't work out in my marriage, if it doesn't work out in my negotiations for territory with my roommates, what what what are we what what what is this about? Right?
Bill Dogterom:And so we have made the decision that we wanna plunge right back into where we were, as we took a break for Advent and that is in the book of Acts. And to to look at this story of the early church not so that we can slavishly imitate its outcomes but so that we can learn from its practices and let that then inform how we as a still relatively nascent church, learn to live in the light of incarnation and and resurrection in anticipation of return because even resurrection is not the end of the story. We are living in this in between season where, man, sometimes the sun is hot and the water is gone, and it just feels like we're we're we're we're one foot in front of the other and three steps forward and and two and a half back and then eight sideways. It it it feels like what in the world? Does anybody recognize that?
Bill Dogterom:And especially, I don't know if your news feed is at all like mine but jeez Louise. I mean what a start to a year. It just feels oh. Anybody else feeling the weight of that? So how how now how now should we live in the light of what we have been about?
Bill Dogterom:And so the story we look at this morning kind of prelude earlier on wherein in Acts chapter five, Peter and John have made their way to the temple in their normal practice of attendance at the prayers which is a good practice for us to learn to be gathered with the the community in praying. These are are Jewish men who understand their faith in Christ to be the next step in their Judaism. They do not think that they are taking an off ramp from their their traditional faith structure. So they are happy to go into the temple and on their way into the temple they lock eyes with somebody who is sitting just in just as waiting for the people to to make their way in and and this is a strategic location. I don't know why I always have him over to that side but that's where he is.
Bill Dogterom:This is a strategic location for for for a a beggar to be. He can't because of his disability go into the temple. He has forbidden access. Just sit with that for a moment. We always find ways to protect us from the awkwardness of other people's pain.
Bill Dogterom:We we find a way to wall keep them out. So here he is on the outside. It's as close as he can get but he has found a way to leverage his disability to advantage in that people on their way into worship are likely to be generous wanting to maybe get a couple brownie points in before they end up going into into worship. So so here he is. He tradition suggests to us our awareness of that ancient near eastern culture is that this is not the first time he's been here.
Bill Dogterom:He's been here probably on a regular basis. This is his spot, if you will. Right? So Peter and John are making their way and and and by the way, they've probably walked past him before. Guess who else has likely walked past him?
Bill Dogterom:Jesus has probably walked past him. Just want you to sit with that. Right? Because healing, when it comes, is not about healing. It's about whom healing points to.
Bill Dogterom:Right? It's strategic, if you will. It's not simply so that people who were sick aren't sick anymore. It's so that God is glorified. God is lifted up.
Bill Dogterom:Right? So in this moment, at some point in time, it was to God's glory that Jesus walked past him. Peter and John walked past. But today, for some reason, a a pulse of the spirit trained by Peter's awareness of how God is at work and he they lock eyes with this man who has been there, invisible before. And he is begging alms and and their response is is is is we don't have any money.
Bill Dogterom:Right? But what we do have, we're happy to share with you. In the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, rise up and walk. And he did. He did for the first time in his life.
Bill Dogterom:He got Now just think about that. Babies need time to learn how to walk. This man in a moment was not just restored to verticality, he was restored to mobility. Right? So he is he is not just walking and notice where he goes almost immediately sitting here on the edge of worship, he finds himself propelled by his gratitude into the presence of a God who he has been denied access to because of his sickness.
Bill Dogterom:Walking, yes, but leaping and praising God. Right? Well this is gonna disturb some folks on a Sunday morning. This is not normal practice. We we like to go about our religion and then get on to the next thing.
Bill Dogterom:We like to do our thing and then and then beat the Baptist to the buffet. We we like to to to to to do that. We don't do buffets anymore. No. That would just Let's just have a moment of grief.
Bill Dogterom:No. Well, anyway, so so here he is. He's he's he's there. He's dancing around. He is bouncing up and down testing to see if this is gonna stick.
Bill Dogterom:Right? And that gathers a crowd and that's where we pick up the story. Right? We pick it up in Acts chapter three. Excuse me, I said five.
Bill Dogterom:Acts chapter three verse 11. The man was holding on, clinging to Peter and John. And all of the people were astonished and came running to them in the place called Solomon's Colonnade. When Peter saw this, he said, fellow Israelites, why does this surprise you? Why do you stare at us as if by our own power or godliness we made this man walk?
Bill Dogterom:It is the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, your God. The God of our fathers who has glorified his servant Jesus. You handed him over to be killed. You disowned him before Pilate even though he had decided to let him go. You disowned the holy and righteous one and asked that a murderer be released to you.
Bill Dogterom:You killed the author of life but God raised him from the dead and we are witnesses of this. It is by faith in the name of Jesus that this man whom you see and know was made strong. It is Jesus' name the faith that comes through him that he has been completely healed as you can see. Now, fellow Israelites, I know that you acted in ignorance as as did your your leaders. But this is how God fulfilled what he had foretold through the prophets saying that his Messiah would suffer.
Bill Dogterom:Repent. Turn to God so that your sins may be wiped out and that times of refreshing may come from the Lord. That he may send the Messiah who has been appointed for you, even Jesus. For heaven must hold him, receive him until the time comes for God to restore everything as he promised long ago through his holy prophets. It was Moses who said, the Lord your God will raise up for you a prophet like me from among your own people.
Bill Dogterom:You must listen to everything he tells you. So anyone who does not listen to him will be completely cut off from their people. Indeed, beginning with Samuel, all the prophets have spoken who have spoken have foretold these days. You are heirs of the prophets and of the covenant that God made with your fathers as he said to Abraham, through your offspring, all people on earth will be blessed. When God raised up his servant, he sent him first to you to bless you by turning each of you from your wicked ways.
Bill Dogterom:It's an astonishing story. And and and I think it's probably worth just recognizing again the the the invitation that it contains for us. So so so Peter and John on their way in the regular pattern of worship. Worship is disrupted by this miraculous occurrence. That's why they're called miracles.
Bill Dogterom:They don't happen all the time. They aren't the norm and part of our challenge is to discern when it is God moving to heal versus the times when it is God moving to sustain. Right? We we need to be alert to that Jesus was aware of this. This is why he didn't heal everybody he could have healed including perhaps the man that he walked walked by.
Bill Dogterom:That awareness is important because you're gonna you're gonna need that because you are invited into this story not as, oh, isn't that interesting but send me in coach. Right? This is a a a an invitation to join him in his plan to save the world. So you gotta learn what God is doing and when God is doing it. So that as you step into your classroom, as you step before your clients, as you answer the phone, you can start to be alert to what it is that God is doing in the lame that are all around you who don't know it yet.
Bill Dogterom:Right? So so here's Peter and and the crowd is gathering and just the change in Peter is remarkable. Right? Because he says, guys, guys, you you you why are you so surprised? And and of course everybody's looking at Peter like, duh.
Bill Dogterom:This this this isn't what we normally expect. Right? But for Peter who has been able to step in to resurrection life, things like this are not anomalous. They're not unusual. They don't happen all the time.
Bill Dogterom:We remember in the book of Acts what we've got here is this this this kind of highlight reel of a cliff's notes. In other words, we've just got episodic moments that that point in a theological direction and as a church, we're not interested in slavish imitation but we wanna learn the culture of a church that is obedient, discerning, attentive to what God is doing in the moment. Right? So Peter says, why are you so surprised? This is what resurrection looks like.
Bill Dogterom:This is what life after death looks like. This is the the invitation. It's just a a little glimpse, little little snippet, a little awareness of of what we can anticipate going forward and oh, you don't you you don't you don't think it was us, do you? You don't you don't think we had anything much to do with this except being aware and alert of what God is doing and stepping into that. I mean, it it we're not it's not hard.
Bill Dogterom:Let me tell you. You know my story. You you read you watched the TMZ episode on my betrayal of him. So you know it's not my righteousness that's actually activated today. This is and by the way, notice what Peter's failure to own his relationship with Jesus has produced in him in this moment.
Bill Dogterom:Because there is a lot even in our twenty first century, there are a lot of folks who having this capacity occur want to leverage it to their advantage. They want to leverage it to their advantage. They want to make them self the healer. Right? And Peter is saying none of that.
Bill Dogterom:This has nothing to I'm No. No. No. No. No.
Bill Dogterom:This is all about Jesus which is why God can trust Peter with this miracle. Right? Is is is that his heart has been so broken open by his own betrayal of Jesus that he is now able to say with complete honesty and integrity, guys, you know me, this is not about us at all. You know this wasn't about us. And the reason we wanted to pause on that, I wanted to pause on that, is some of you are feeling your season, whatever it has been over the last several weeks has been disqualifying.
Bill Dogterom:Can you hear Peter say to you, oh no, no, no. You're just getting started. Don't don't don't stay down there and wallow in guilt. Stand up and be humble and let God do in you what could not have been done. He could not have trusted you with this apart from your brokenness.
Bill Dogterom:Does that make sense? So so Peter is is saying, this is what we ought to expect. It clearly has nothing to do with us. In fact, the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, your God. You guys should have seen this coming.
Bill Dogterom:You should have you should have been aware that this is the kind of thing that God does. He has glorified his servant Jesus. And because you are all scholars of the old testament who are gathered around Peter and John in this moment, you will recognize instantly Isaiah 53 where the suffering servant, the one who had no form or comeliness that we would, we couldn't even look on him so brutalized was he, becomes the medium, becomes the manner, becomes the way in which God is present in this moment. He has glorified his servant, his broken, brutalized, beaten servant Jesus in this moment of healing, in this moment of restoration of life. And you, you you handed him over to be killed.
Bill Dogterom:Peter is not faith does not ever deny reality. You gotta you gotta be where you are. So Peter wants him to know, you you you handed him over. When Pilate was ready to release him, what did you do? You chose an instrument, a person who was a murderer, an instrument of death over the giver of life.
Bill Dogterom:You chose death over life. I don't I don't and you should have known you should have known better. He's gonna make the point as Luke does on the road to Emmaus. This is how it had to be. He's gonna make that same point.
Bill Dogterom:Anybody else sometimes just look at those folks and they go, how could they have missed it? If I'd been there, it would have gone down exactly the same way because I still regularly choose comfortable death over revolutionary life. I know how to deal with death. I know how to deal with my own brokenness. I know how to deal.
Bill Dogterom:I found a way. I put I put wall to wall carpeting in the tent of despair. So why would I give that up for some uncertain life? Anybody else recognize yourself in that mirror? Man, man.
Bill Dogterom:So Peter says, look, you you you you did this but God overrode you. He raised him from the dead and then he says, we are witnesses of not just John and I but you all. None of you have been living under a rock. When Peter is talking to the guys here, this is only what, maybe a couple of months from resurrection Sunday. They they they will all have heard the story.
Bill Dogterom:They will all in likelihood have heard the the the rumors circulating around and the counter the the fake news that's coming out. Oh they paid them off, they kidnapped, all of that, they would have been fully aware of how the algorithms are shaping the story for the benefit of the powerful. They will be aware of that. So when he says we are witnesses, he is making them now complicit in the reality into which they stand. How are you?
Bill Dogterom:Well you saw the guy. You walked past him every week like we did. You you know him. You recognize him and you can't get him from from the outside the gate to inside the gate except through the door of Jesus. You can't do that.
Bill Dogterom:You can't do So now you are witnesses too. Welcome to the party. Welcome to the celebration of resurrection life. Now what are you all gonna do with that? Because you can't deny it anymore.
Bill Dogterom:Your eyes are opened and once you see it, you can't unsee it. You can't say to that man who is jumping up and down in celebration of new life, please take your seat. You can't do that anymore. Right? So here he says, you are witnesses with them.
Bill Dogterom:It is by faith in the name of Jesus, in the character of Jesus that this man who you know and see has been made strong. Jesus' name and faith that comes through him has healed him has made him whole. And and by the way, why does he say this? Why does he always make clear it's not about us? Because you're gonna need that same discernment and awareness when you pick up the phone to make a business call on Tuesday morning.
Bill Dogterom:Because if resurrection is just good for Sunday, if life in Christ is just good for what happens on here, I got other stuff to do. Any anybody else? I I got I got things to do. If it doesn't work its way out in the other six days of my life, if it doesn't take this new year and turn it on its head for the glory of God, I I got something better to do. And Peter is wanting us to know the very same power that raised this guy and made him dance is available to each and every one of you because you are witnesses of it.
Bill Dogterom:You know it's not about you. You know it's not about Peter and his righteousness. You know that you have at least as much righteousness as Peter does. And maybe some of you have been qualified by your failure in a new way. So he invites them to say, fellow Israelites, I know you acted in ignorance.
Bill Dogterom:Inexplicable perhaps, chosen perhaps. Right? Because your leaders led you in this way. This is how however God makes it clear. He's fulfilled what he foretold through the prophets, how his Messiah would suffer.
Bill Dogterom:So you can't beg ignorance anymore. Now you have a reality that has come crashing in and you can't live anymore as if it were not true. You cannot, you cannot. If you're here this morning and you saw this guy get up and dance before the Lord, you can no longer claim ignorance because you're witnesses. This is what resurrection life looks like.
Bill Dogterom:So so here's what you need to do. You need to repent. Turn and live a new way. That's what repent means. It's not it's not feel bad enough for long enough until you can feel okay about feeling okay.
Bill Dogterom:That's not repentance. Repentance says, oh, wait, resurrection is the real deal. Why in the world would I live as if it's not? Why would I live as if it's about somebody else and not me? So I don't want you to live in ignorance anymore.
Bill Dogterom:We we recognize that that if we follow the story to its logical conclusion, he's coming back. This isn't the end of anything. Just like death isn't the end of life, it's the beginning of life. It it's it's not the it's not the end of anything. Not when you have the author of life as the Lord of your life.
Bill Dogterom:This is this is how how it becomes a This is why I don't know why I'm landing on this but this is why your failure is a backdoor to wonder. It's an opportunity to say, wait a minute, wait a minute, I don't have to get stuck in this. Landed on this then in the first service this morning as well. So I'm I'm suspecting there's a bunch of us that feel that we've disappointed Jesus. What might he be inviting you into through that moment?
Bill Dogterom:Do do you see? So so he says, look, don't don't act ignorant and and by the way, he is coming back. We know that heaven is holding him in this season but he is gonna restore the world. He is going to put things to right. He is going to to to make creation great again.
Bill Dogterom:He's going to he's going to speak wonder into being again. You you all, we have been participants in in the breaking of it and he is going to restore it. You get to join him in that restoration. Now, here's the problem. You can't do it the way you think you can do it.
Bill Dogterom:You can't do it the way it got broken. If you keep doing broken stuff, if you keep doing stupid stuff, you don't get less stupid. You get more stupid. Right? It starts to compound interest.
Bill Dogterom:Anybody got compounded interest on stupid? You know how that works. So so so you're going to have to and here's where the challenge is. You're gonna have to die to the ways that you have been trying to save the world including yourself in order to raise to the new life that God has in Christ for you. This is why by the way we'd just as soon be ignorant because dying sounds like it's going to hurt and it in fact will.
Bill Dogterom:But it's the only way to life. So so Peter says, look, he is he is going to restore all things, he told us this, and and you've gotta listen to him now because if you don't, you're you're you're gonna be on the wrong side of the of the greatest story that has ever been told. So this is what he promised. This this ignorance is no longer an excuse and if you step into the life that he has invited you into, guess what occurs along the way, especially in the heat of the day, especially when you feel like giving up, especially when you wonder if it's all worthwhile. He will give us these times of refreshing.
Bill Dogterom:It's a it's an echo from the Psalms in in which God just makes that gentle rain come and and and refreshes and restores. We call it revival. It's not a permanent dress resting place. It's it's it's we ought not seek out revival necessarily. Right?
Bill Dogterom:Because we will tend to build a tent there. Right? And what he invites us to do is keep on doing what you gotta do. Keep one foot in front of the other. Keep on showing up at the temple to to pray.
Bill Dogterom:Keep on being in community. Keep on. Sometimes it's gonna be really really hard. Sometimes you're gonna feel exhausted. You're gonna be in the in that eighteenth or nineteenth mile of the 23 whatever it is.
Bill Dogterom:The 26.2. What's the marathon? Twenty six two. Did I get that right? See, know numbers.
Bill Dogterom:I don't know how to run. So so somewhere in the So you you know how it is though? You come to that place where you feel like like like like you you're just gonna And then somebody hands you a jar of a bottle of water. Times of refreshing. Don't stop running.
Bill Dogterom:Don't camp out in the times of refreshing. There is a race to run. So keep on going but take advantage of the refreshing that comes along the way. That's what Sunday I think is largely about in many ways. Right?
Bill Dogterom:But you can't live here but you you can live out from here and that's what the invitation is as as because you're gonna need it. Right? You're gonna feel like your life is just rung out sometimes. That eighty third conversation with somebody who's just obstreperous. I like that word.
Bill Dogterom:But you you know what you know what I mean. I mean it's just it's just like, oh, come on. You push the boulder and then it rolls back on. You you know how it is. And and and whether it's in relationships or with you're gonna need the times of refreshing.
Bill Dogterom:But they come to those who have already determined to live not stay dead.
Intro/Outro:Right.
Bill Dogterom:They are they come to those who have determined as well and as best they can by the grace and power and in filling of the Holy Spirit. Right? To to step in to the life that Jesus has has brought and continues to bring. And so he says, oh, by the way, you you know why this all was going down. Right?
Bill Dogterom:He says it here in verse 25. He said to Abraham, through your offspring, all of the people of the earth will be blessed. Oh, that's how God plans to save the world. Not big programmatic operational things but one tiny presence at a time redeeming a moment, redeeming a relationship, redeeming a brokenness, redeeming a victory and in each of those spaces recognizing God is at work in this space and you are invited to join him in that so that all the nations of the earth This is how God is going to save the world the way he saved you by dying for it like he died for you. It will not be saved through through through through more and more stupid.
Bill Dogterom:It will only be saved by surrender and sacrifice. Right? So the invitation then is to join Jesus in this revolutionary identity and to bear witness. This has missional implications for us. So here we are.
Bill Dogterom:Here we are. First Sunday. Right? I don't care what your New Year's resolution was. Here's God's plan for your life.
Bill Dogterom:Live in the light of resurrection. Live as if Jesus raised from the dead. Not just came, not just died, but raised and now you're living in the in between. He's coming again. So let's live heads lifted high.
Bill Dogterom:Let's lift hearts wide open. Let's live moment by moment as we step it because I mean, otherwise we get stuck in the miracle. It's pretty cool. It's pretty cool. I like that.
Bill Dogterom:You know, we can Instagram the moment. We can post it. We can probably get some people who are gonna come next week just in case something like that happens again. Can I be honest? This miracle is far less important than when a mean girl becomes kind and generous.
Bill Dogterom:This miracle, lame people walking, that's easy peasy compared to a guy who is driven by anger becoming instead driven by compassion. It's a whole other ball game to see somebody who has been driven by their lust become a kind and generous and generative person who never objectifies another person for their own advantage. That's the transformation that we're looking for. That's the stuff that ought to be headlined. Right?
Bill Dogterom:And that's how God's gonna save the world. Are you in?
Intro/Outro:Yeah. Yeah.
Bill Dogterom:Let's pray. Lord Jesus, I pray that you would help us to join you in this revolution of generativity, in this revolution of life, in this invitation to partnership with you in in resurrection life, in saving the world. Lord, there are so many voices right now in our own heads who are pushing back against this even as a possibility in our own lives, let alone through our lives for the world. And I pray that you would help us to listen deeply to your voice, to attend to what you say to us, to, take seriously your invitation to repent, to turn from the ways that we have been trying to save ourselves and others, and instead find ourselves humbled at the foot of your cross and receive from you an invitation to the life that follows after that death. In Jesus name.
Intro/Outro:For more information, visit us at garden.church.