The Story Continues: Series

SERMON OUTLINE:

(1). A New Book (vs 1-2).

(2). A New Experience (vs 3-8).

(3). A New Assurance (vs 9-11).

SERMON BODY:

ill:

• Christopher Columbus died in 1506, In Valladolid, Spain, where he passed away,

• If you go, there today you will see a monument commemorating the great discoverer.

• Perhaps the most interesting feature of the memorial,

• Is a statue of a lion destroying one of the Latin words on the memorial.

• The words had been part of Spain’s motto for centuries.

• The words are "Ne Plus Ultra," which means "No More Beyond."

• Before Columbus made his voyages,

• The Spaniards thought they had reached the outer limits of earth.

• Thus, their motto was "Ne Plus Ultra," which means "No More Beyond."

• The word being torn away by the lion is "Ne" or "no,"

• And so, today it reads "Plus Ultra."

• Columbus had proven that there was indeed "more beyond."

• The world could never be understood the same way ever again.

• TRASNSITION: The book of Acts continues the story of Jesus,

• It is a reminder that although Jesus has ascended back to the Father,

• When it comes to Jesus you can never write "Ne Plus Ultra," - "No More Beyond."

• With Jesus there is always, "Plus Ultra."

• The message of the book of Acts is very clear there is “more.”

• And so, the story of Jesus and his Church continue.

• The book of Acts records for us, the first 30–35 years of church history.

(1). A New Book (vs 1-2).

“In my former book, Theophilus, I wrote about all that Jesus began to do and to teach 2 until the day he was taken up to heaven, after giving instructions through the Holy Spirit to the apostles he had chosen.”

• The book of Acts was written by Luke who also wrote the gospel names after him.

• Three things concerning Luke:

FIRST: He was a Gentile (according to most Biblical scholars).

• The word simply means one who is not Jewish:

• The term Gentile, is a translation of the Hebrew ‘goyim’, ‘the nations’,

• Refers to those who are not of the house of Israel.

• Question: Any Israelis (Jewish people) here tonight?

• Answer: Then the term ‘Gentile’ refers to you lot!

Ill:

• When I first moved down to Hampshire, I had a weekly market stall in Fareham.

• I sold second-hand books, mainly Christian books and Bibles.

• On one occasion I set the market stall up ready for business,

• I also had a mid-morning assembly booked in at Park Gate Junior School.

• Around, about 9.00am John & Christine King come down to the stall,

• They would ‘man it’ look after the stall when I zoomed away to do the assembly.

• When I returned, they said to me?

• “The trader on the next market stall had purchased a Bible”.

• The trader was a man called Harold and he was Jewish.

• Later that day, John & Christine had left, and I was back on the stall,

• Harold looked over at me and said, “I bought one of your books!”

• So, I replied, “good”.

• He then said (tongue-in-cheek), “But I have torn your half out.”

• Meaning the New Testament.

• I can still remember the look on his face when I said,

“What do you mean my half?

The New Testament is a Jewish book written by Jewish men!

There are only two books in the Bible written by a Gentile the rest is Jewish.”

Luke was not Jewish, he was a Gentile (non-Jew, like most of us):

• He is the only Gentile who wrote any part of the Bible.

• The word ‘Bible’ just means ‘books’ & there are 66 in this library.

• 39 in the O.T. & 27 in the N.T.

• Luke wrote two of those books (his Gospel and the book of Acts)

• In fact, Luke penned 28% of the New Testament.

• That means he wrote more material than any other New Testament writer.

SECOND: He was a doctor

• Luke was not one of the twelve disciples.

• He travelled alongside the Apostle Paul on his second missionary journey.

• This meant he would have encountered all the key people of the early Church.

Ill:

• Luke was a doctor:

• Which probably meant that at one time he had been a slave.

• Most physicians in Roman times, were educated slaves.

• The 4th Century historians Jerome & Eusebius.

• Refer to Luke as being a citizen of and also trained and educated in Antioch. Syria.

• This is where he acquired his excellent writing skills & medical training.