A Transition Of Power (Part 1) Series

A TRANSITION OF POWER (Part 1)

Acts 1:1-4

(Antioch Baptist Church: Sunday morning - January 26th, 2025)

This week for the 46th time in our nation’s history we transitioned from one presidential administration to another with the inauguration of our 47th president. Many significant changes have already been made and there are certainly many more on the horizon. Though our leadership has switched from one political party to another, many of the opportunities and responsibilities remain the same. The important work of the United States government continues and many of us are interested in the process and consequences of this period of transition.

The book of Acts records the most important transition of power in the history of the world. Jesus Christ had lived here on earth for some 33 years. During the last 3 years of His life our Savior was actively involved in His amazing public ministry. He traveled the region teaching, performing miracles, demonstrating His awesome power, and changing countless lives. Now, His work on earth was complete; He had gone to the cross, laid down His life, and victoriously risen from the grave. Very soon He would ascend to Heaven, but before He departed Jesus promised His followers that He would not leave them alone. He promised that they would be “endued with power from on high” (Luke 24:49) This was a reference to the arrival of the Holy Spirit.

The Gospels record several of His references concerning the arrival of the Holy Spirit. The Lord said in John 14:16-18: “I will pray the Father, and He will give you another Helper, that He may abide with you forever, the Spirit of truth, whom the world cannot receive, because it neither sees Him nor knows Him; but you know Him, for He dwells with you and will be in you. I will not leave you orphans; I will come to you.” Jesus went on to say in John 14:25-26: "These things I have spoken to you while being present with you. But the Helper, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in My name, He will teach you all things and bring to your remembrance all things that I said to you.” Then in John 16:7-11 the Savior said: “nevertheless I tell you the truth. It is to your advantage that I go away; for if I do not go away, the Helper will not come to you; but if I depart, I will send Him to you. 8 And when He has come, He will convict the world of sin, and of righteousness, and of judgment: 9 of sin, because they do not believe in Me; 10 of righteousness, because I go to My Father and you see Me no more; 11 of judgment, because the ruler of this world is judged.”

The Disciples of Christ had the amazing privilege of walking, talking, and living with Jesus for some time, but soon they would experience His power like never before. The Book of Acts shows us what can happen when Spirit filled servants of Jesus are obedient to Him. Our Lord was about to use this faithful group of followers to turn the world upside down in His name. Amazingly He chooses to use people like you and me to advance His Kingdom today.

Many of the amazing things that God did through the Apostles are recorded in the Book of Acts. However, it is important for us to remember that these men were simply human vessels under the control of the Holy Spirit of God. We have the same opportunity that they had, for the Holy Spirit indwells all genuine followers of Christ.

Though Jesus ascended to His rightful place in Heaven, it is clear that His work continued after His departure (and it continues today). Jesus is and always will be the ultimate source of power but He has chosen to fill His followers with the Holy Spirit and use them to accomplish His purposes. In a sense, (beginning with the Apostles) Jesus has transferred His power to His people. I would like to survey the first 4 verses of this chapter and examine “A Transition Of Power”.

Before we get to our selected text, I would like to examine some important facts about the Book of Acts. This Book is a sequel to the Gospel of Luke. In fact there is a seamless transition from one book to the other. Let’s take a moment and consider:

THE AUTHOR OF THE BOOK OF ACTS

As is the case with every book in the Bible, there is a human author and there is a divine author. The human author, the man that the Holy Spirit used to put pen to paper was Luke. Luke was Paul’s close friend, traveling companion, and co-laborer in the Gospel ministry. Luke was a medical doctor; he is described as “the beloved physician” in Colossians 4:14. Luke was also a historian who spent much time researching the information that is contained within his writings. Some of the information Luke records came from things that he saw with his own eyes as he traveled with the Apostle Paul. Some of the other content came from interviewing eyewitnesses such as Peter, John, and others in the Jerusalem church.