A Transition Of Power (Part 2) Series

A TRANSITION OF POWER

Part 2

Acts 1:1-3

(Antioch Baptist Church: Sunday morning – February 2nd, 2025)

Throughout my life I have witnessed seven transitions of power as one presidential administration handed over the responsibility of governing the United States to another. On May 6th, 2023, we witnessed the coronation of King Charles after the death of Queen Elizabeth. Many of us have seen the elections of numerous foreign presidents & prime ministers. In recent decades we have even seen dictators removed and replaced with more democratic forms of government.

The Bible records many instances when kings, emperors, and other national leaders fell and another rose to power. There are also many occasions where certain religious leaders were replaced by others. For example: God used Moses to lead the Israelites out of Egypt and through the wilderness for many years. However, Moses would ultimately be replaced by Joshua and he was the one who led God’s people into the Promised Land. God chose Saul to be the first King of Israel but as a result of his sin and rebellion, he was eventually replaced by King David. The books of Kings & Chronicles record numerous transfers of power in Israel and Judah.

The opening verses of the Book of Acts record the most important transition of power in the history of the world. Before His ascension, Jesus promised His followers that they would be “endued with power from on high” (Luke 24:49) This was a reference to the arrival of the Holy Spirit. Once they were filled with the Holy Spirit, Jesus would use these ordinary men to do extraordinary things. That faithful group of followers would soon turn the world upside down in His name. Though Jesus would soon ascend to Heaven, His powerful work would continue through His Apostles and other faithful followers. This unparalleled work continues today and as Christians we are blessed to be used in the advancement of Christ’s Kingdom.

Advancing the Kingdom is not a work that we are able to accomplish on our own, but when we present ourselves as willing vessels, God can (and will) fill us with His Spirit and use us to do what otherwise would be impossible.

- Last week we began to examine this amazing transition and today I would like to pick up where we left off and conclude our study of “A Transition Of Power”.

What we know as The Book of Acts was originally a letter from Luke to a man named Theophilus. As he reviewed the life and works of Jesus Christ, Luke references His resurrection. He says that Jesus “presented Himself alive after His suffering by many infallible proofs, being seen by them during forty days” (v3). It was important for Theophilus to know that after His suffering and death, Jesus rose from the grave and was seen by many witnesses.

The Disciples didn’t just see Jesus after He arose, He remained on earth for some forty days and He taught them about their mission and the Kingdom of God. Luke wrote about “all that Jesus began both to do and teach” (v1). During the time that Jesus spent with the Disciples after His resurrection He taught them many things, especially concerning their future ministry and the Kingdom of God. Jesus took this time to teach His men and to prepare them for the task at hand.

After providing Theophilus with an informative review of the life and ministry of Jesus, Luke goes on to share in intriguing preview of some things that Jesus said would take place after His ascension. This preview involved information concerning the coming Kingdom and the imminent arrival of the Holy Spirit.

- Let’s take some time and consider:

AN INTRIGUING PREVIEW

Quite often we see previews of soon-to-be-released movies or television shows. These brief clips are pieced together in an effort to create enough intrigue that consumers will be willing to spend their time and money at a movie theater or streaming online. Previews intentionally avoid giving away the entire plot, but they do provide enough highlights to pique one’s interest. Jesus provided His followers with much information concerning what was to come, but there were some things that they simply would not be able comprehend until they experienced it first-hand.

- Verse 3 shows us that the Apostles received:

A PREVIEW OF THE KINGDOM OF GOD

v3 (Jesus was) speaking of the things pertaining to the kingdom of God.

Throughout their time with Jesus, the Disciples had often asked Him about the establishment of His Kingdom. In fact, the Kingdom was on their minds and a topic of conversation just moments before Christ ascended. Verse 6 says that “when they had come together, they asked Him, saying, "Lord, will You at this time restore the kingdom to Israel?"