Acts 1 (Click title for audio access)
"Now What!?" • 5.1.11 • Calvary Christian Fellowship, Sunday Morning Service
Intro.
- We sit here today in a new month, looking at a new book. A lot happened in our last month, but nothing like what happened in the month that the disciples had after Christ had raised!
- We begin the book of Acts today, which begins a little over a month from the events of the resurrection. Jesus has appeared several times and has been instructing His disciples.
- They are a small band, but God is about to do something mighty through them! That's the theme of the book of Acts: God doing amazing things through ordinary people!
- I pray that we'll see ourselves in good ways, and be challenged to look deeply at ourselves when His Spirit convicts us in areas that are not so good.
- I present this outline for you, as we look at this first chapter today.
I. Luke's Prologue (v.1-3)
II. God's Promise (v.4,5)
III. The Holy Spirit's Purpose (v.6-12)
IV. The Apostle's Practice (v.13-26)
Text
I. Luke's Prologue (v.1-3)
• Acts 1:1-3 : "The former account I made, O Theophilus, of all that Jesus began both to do and teach, until the day in which He was taken up, after He through the Holy Spirit had given commandments to the apostles whom He had chosen, to whom He also presented Himself alive after His suffering by many infallible proofs, being seen by them during forty days and speaking of the things pertaining to the kingdom of God." : The book of Acts begins with a call back to a "former account" or treatise made by the author. We'll identify the author of the book by the recipient.
- The recipient is Theophilus, a man whose name means "lover" or "friend" of God. He received a full treatise on the life of Jesus. That book we know is the gospel of Luke.
- Turn with me back to Luke 1. We get more regarding Theophilus from that introduction.
• Luke 1:1-4 : "Inasmuch as many have taken in hand to set in order a narrative of those things which have been fulfilled among us, just as those who from the beginning were eyewitnesses and ministers of the word delivered them to us, it seemed good to me also, having had perfect understanding of all things from the very first, to write to you an orderly account, most excellent Theophilus, that you may know the certainty of those things in which you were instructed." : Luke had investigated thoroughly and come to an accurate understanding of things pertaining to Christ. What a noble concept! I wish more would take the challenge!
- He presents his first volume, the book of Luke, so that Theophilus would know for certain, beyond doubt regarding that which he had come to learn.
- Luke calls him, "most excellent," which was a way to address high ranking officials. Theophilus might have been a governor!
- Whoever he was, somebody had brought news of Christ to this man. Luke was commissioned with the task of verifying what had been learned.
- As for Luke, we know that he was a travel companion to Paul which bears out in the later part of this book, and that he was a physician according to Colossians 4:14.
- In the days of antiquity, physicians did not hold the prestige that they do today. Physicians in these days were employed by rich households. Luke was likely an Theophilus' employ.
- Returning back to our text, Luke wrote of all that Jesus began to do and teach, his works and words were accurately reported by Luke for this man. Note the word "began!" Jesus is not done!
- Luke's first account lasted to the day that Jesus was taken up, referring to His Ascension, which is recorded in Luke 24:51. Jesus just started to float up toward heaven!
- He was taken up after He had discharged His final instructions to His disciples which He did through the Holy Spirit.
- Even post resurrection, Jesus the Son of God shows His dependance upon the Holy Spirit by conferring commandments via the power of the Holy Spirit.
- The spotlight from the second verse is on the person and work of the Holy Spirit.
- Jesus commanded them and clearly revealed Himself as a man that was alive. The word "presented" refers to standing alongside one in order to answer their questions.
- He had done this with infallible, plainly and surely known, proofs. What were these proofs? Jesus had allowed them to touch Him. They saw Him. They heard Him. He ate in front of them.
- I Corinthians 15:6 says that over 500 people saw Him at once, many of whom were still alive at that present time!
- By any objective standard of judgment, the attestation that Jesus physically rose from the dead is clearly overwhelming!
- All of this happened over a period of 40 days! What was Jesus doing? Speaking of things that pertained to the Kingdom of God. He was preparing them for the rest of their work.
II. God's Promise (v.4,5)
• Acts 1:4,5 : "And being assembled together with them, He commanded them not to depart from Jerusalem, but to wait for the Promise of the Father, 'which,' He said, 'you have heard from Me; for John truly baptized with water, but you shall be baptized with the Holy Spirit not many days from now.'" : The Lord's last command to them was to stay and wait. The word "depart" is just as often translated "separate."
- They were to remain in Jerusalem and wait together for the Promise of the Father, which was the promise of the baptism with the Holy Spirit.
- When was this promise made? I would recommend that you read John 14-16 today, when Jesus promises that the Holy Spirit will come after He leaves.
- He even goes so far as to say that it will be better for them when He goes because the Helper will come! The beautiful thing is that this is a promise of God the Father's for His people.
- You can imagine what that must have been like for these men. They stood together in anticipation for something that the Lord had promised that they would receive.
- John had baptized with water and the purpose of his baptism was the forgiveness of sins. It was a baptism of repentance. This imminent baptism would exist for a different reason.
- This baptism would be the fulfilment of a promise that would initiate God's people into an entirely different experience than they had previously known.
III. The Holy Spirit's Purpose (v.6-12)
• Acts 1:6-8 : "Therefore, when they had come together, they asked Him, saying, 'Lord, will You at this time restore the kingdom to Israel?' And He said to them, 'It is not for you to know times or seasons which the Father has put in His own authority. But you shall receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you shall be witnesses to Me in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth.'" : The disciples still wondered if the promise of the Kingdom would be the physical presence of God's rule in Israel.
- The physical Kingdom upon the Earth was not their business. That is in the hands of God. Only He has the authority to bring that to pass and one day, it will happen by God's doing.
- They were not to usher in a physical Kingdom or even a moral representation of the Kingdom. That is just too small an agenda for God's people to have.
- Their promise was much greater than a temporal, moral or political majority created in the name of Jesus. Their promise and ours is to receive the power of the Holy Spirit. That is the purpose!
- Notice this: You shall receive. It's one word in the original language. The word means to take possession of something that is not yours intrinsically.
- This power would be received power, given from God, to His people.
- I say that because this is the essence of Christian existence. We are not ones who have in and of themselves, power to live the life that we proport to be Christianity. That is received from Him.
- Do you have His power? Do you long to have more? I cannot imagine anyone saying "no!"
- First, it's received. Now, note it's nature. It's dynamic! That's what the original word refers to. It speaks of strength, might, influence, ability or resource. Any of those words work.
- It's received. It's dynamic and it's for the purpose of being witnesses. Notice that it's not power for "doing witnessing." It's for being a witness!
- A witness is one who testifies to something that they have seen. They have been spectators and are to attest to what they have seen, heard and experienced.
- Think of how easy that job is! This is what I have seen in my life. This is the experience that I have had with the risen Savior. This is what He's done in my and my Family's life!
- It would be that way in Jerusalem, the epicenter, the place where the Messiah had died and risen again. Judea describes the enitre Jewish region that Jesus frequented.
- Samaria was nearest to Judea, but was a place where Jewish people did not want to go. The Samaritans were hated half breeds.
- Ultimately, Jesus wants witnesses to look at the Earth as He does. He wants His disciple to look to the very end, literally, the last part, the eschatos of the earth.
- Redemption is for the entire world. Jesus tells them that wherever they went, they were to have a heart that matched His heart for the entire world!
• Acts 1:9-11 : "Now when He had spoken these things, while they watched, He was taken up, and a cloud received Him out of their sight. And while they looked steadfastly toward heaven as He went up, behold, two men stood by them in white apparel, who also said, 'Men of Galilee, why do you stand gazing up into heaven? This same Jesus, who was taken up from you into heaven, will so come in like manner as you saw Him go into heaven.'" : Jesus physically ascended to heaven. His body rose from the ground and went up into a cloud.
- When you think about clouds, what comes to your mind? Scripture tells us over and over again that the presence of a cloud is a sign of the presence of God.
- The cloud led the people in Israel. The cloud descended upon the mountain where Moses met with and received the law of God. This cloud received the Lord in the air!
- The disciples stood there motionless, just staring toward heaven. They looked on as we might look toward a lost balloon. They would have kept looking had it not been for these "men."
- These are no doubt angels, who promised them that just as Jesus ascended, He would again descend upon the earth from the air.
- Daniel 7:13 and 14 speak of Christ's return with the clouds. Jesus Himself speaks of this in Matthew 24:30. Revelation 1:7 also comments upon this truth.
- Jesus will return to this earth physically and will step down upon it, ushering in the Millenial reign, 1,000 years of peace upon the earth. Where will He return? Right where they were standing!
• Acts 1:12 : "Then they returned to Jerusalem from the mount called Olivet, which is near Jerusalem, a Sabbath day’s journey." : When they watched Jesus ascend into heaven, it was literally on the mount that He will return to: The Mt. Of Olives!
- Turn with me to Zechariah 14. The Prophet Zechariah gives a specific prophecy regarding what these angels have just announced.
• Zechariah 14:1-4 : "Behold, the day of the Lord is coming, and your spoil will be divided in your midst. For I will gather all the nations to battle against Jerusalem; The city shall be taken, the houses rifled, and the women ravished. Half of the city shall go into captivity, but the remnant of the people shall not be cut off from the city. Then the Lord will go forth and fight against those nations, as He fights in the day of battle. And in that day His feet will stand on the Mount of Olives, which faces Jerusalem on the east. And the Mount of Olives shall be split in two, From east to west, making a very large valley; Half of the mountain shall move toward the north and half of it toward the south." : Whoa! Talk about leaving an environmental footprint! Jesus will touch down right outside of Jerusalem!
IV. The Apostle's Practice (v.13-26)
• Acts 1:13,14 : "And when they had entered, they went up into the upper room where they were staying: Peter, James, John, and Andrew; Philip and Thomas; Bartholomew and Matthew; James the son of Alphaeus and Simon the Zealot; and Judas the son of James. These all continued with one accord in prayer and supplication, with the women and Mary the mother of Jesus, and with His brothers." : We have the Lord's disciples gathered here in Jerusalem, about 2 miles from the Mt. Of Olives. We see the names that we expect to see there in the upper room.
- The twelve continued with one accord. This is an interesting word in the Greek language. It's used 12 times in the New Testament, 10 of which occur in the book of Acts.
˚ "Homothumadon is a compound of two words meaning to 'rush along' and 'in unison.' The image is almost musical; a number of notes are sounded which, while different, harmonize in pitch and tone." Strongs Note[i]
- The beauty of what the Lord preserves for us here is that while these were singular voices, they were united to lend their voices to a single piece of music!
- This is a beautiful picture of what God wants to see from His church: Unity. The Spirit gives us this word, letting us know what it sounds like to Him.
- They were in one accord because they were engaged in prayer and supplication. They were communicating with the Lord and supplicating.
- Prayer regarding their mission and supplication regarding their need of Him.
- Interesting, but you rarely hear about disunity when believers are praying together!
- It's rare to hear someone say, "I totally disagree with you on that point of prayer!" The disciples were enjoying this with the added company of the various Marys and the Lord's brothers.
- It seems that while they were unbelievers before, they have started to come around now that Jesus has indisputably risen!
- This will be the last time that we see Mary, the Mother of Jesus in the Bible. What is she doing? She's waiting for power as well!
• Acts 1:15-20 : "And in those days Peter stood up in the midst of the disciples (altogether the number of names was about a hundred and twenty), and said, 'Men and brethren, this Scripture had to be fulfilled, which the Holy Spirit spoke before by the mouth of David concerning Judas, who became a guide to those who arrested Jesus; for he was numbered with us and obtained a part in this ministry.' (Now this man purchased a field with the wages of iniquity; and falling headlong, he burst open in the middle and all his entrails gushed out. And it became known to all those dwelling in Jerusalem; so that field is called in their own language, Akel Dama, that is, Field of Blood.) For it is written in the Book of Psalms: Let his dwelling place be desolate, And let no one live in it’; and, ‘Let another take his office'" : Peter addressed 120 in this upper room of theirs. His first order of business was to deal with the loss of Judas, the man who had betrayed Jesus.
- Peter, having looked at the scriptures, specifcally Psalm 69:25 and 109:8, concluded that this was what God wanted them to do. Notice Peter's high view of scripture: The Holy Spirit spoke!
- Peter believed in the authority, the authenticity and the inspiration of the Bible.
- The Apostles are beginning to recognize and utilize the scripture to mark their moves. I would pray that you find this familiar: The Bible says something for our lives, so let's do it!
- It was not that Peter stood up on His own authority and mentioned the good idea that He had. He noted that scripture that the Lord had given Him regarding the situation.
• Acts 15:21,22 : "Therefore, of these men who have accompanied us all the time that the Lord Jesus went in and out among us, beginning from the baptism of John to that day when He was taken up from us, one of these must become a witness with us of His resurrection.'" : The criteria for apostolic succession was clear. This was to be a man who had been with them from the beginning of the Lord's ministry.
- There had been other, unnamed followers who had been around during those days.
- That public ministry began at John's baptism of Jesus. That was the inauguration to ministry. Then there was the coronation, His ascension. He had to be witness to that as well.
• Acts 15:23-26 : "And they proposed two: Joseph called Barsabas, who was surnamed Justus, and Matthias. And they prayed and said, 'You, O Lord, who know the hearts of all, show which of these two You have chosen to take part in this ministry and apostleship from which Judas by transgression fell, that he might go to his own place.' And they cast their lots, and the lot fell on Matthias. And he was numbered with the eleven apostles." : Frankly, the jury has been out on this for a long time. Traditionally, I have heard over and over again, people trashing Peter for this.
- Many point to Matthias' obscurity in life against Paul's greatness as an apostle, and assume that God's real choice for the office was Paul.
- On that point, you could say the same thing about most of the disciples! What did Andrew do in the book of Acts? Anyone want to quote their favorite Bartholomew story!?
- Peter responded to the Word of God and used common sense in the best way that he knew how at this time. But wait!? They cast lots! That's not spiritual!? That's akin to throwing dice!?
- That's true, but mark the progression that brings them here.
- They have had an extended time of prayer, expressing deep need for God to speak to them. As they have done that, they have been examaning the word. They sought to be obedient to it.
- Two guys fit the bill, but how do you make the decision? They prayed again! "Lord, only you know the hearts. Who have you chosen?" They still defer to His sovereignty.
- How does one remove themselves from the situation and give God the full authority in the Old Testament? They cast lots. They put names in a hat. This was a very common OT method.
- Take a listen to the heart behind why they did this from Proverbs 16:33. "The lot is cast into the lap, but its every decision is from the Lord."
- They were practicing for what God was about to do. God leaves this for us so that we might see the difference between this and the much more dynamic work He is about to expose to them.
Conclusion
- A few statements and we are done. The early church was waiting for a promise to be fulfilled. We don't have to wait! It's ours to take!
- We'll be lead to follow similar procedures, prayer, reading and applying the word but it's His Spirit that speaks to us and works through us!
- Are you living in that promise or are you still waiting? God invites you today to experience His power that He longs for you to have. Will you receive it?
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