Pre-Reading Introduction
Before we come to our reading, a brief word of introduction.
Three things:
1. It’s always good to bear in mind that the book of Acts is a sequel – it’s part 2. Luke first wrote the Gospel that bears his name.
2. In Acts 1:1, Luke says in his Gospel he wrote about what Jesus began to do and teach. The implication is that in the book of Acts Luke’s going to tell us about all that Jesus continues to do and teach through the followers of Jesus, the Church.
3. Acts begins in the 40 day period after Jesus’ resurrection from the dead. Jesus is busy making sure the disciples understand just how alive he is! And he wants them to know he has a crucial job for them to do. Let’s read the passage together...
Reading: Acts 1:1-11
Introduction
Have you ever watched a relay race?
Now, it seems to me that the moment you hand over the baton is the vital moment.
Fumble around and you lose time.
Drop it and you’re in trouble.
Don’t pass it on and game over!
But with a good handover you’re on track to win.
In a sense, that’s what we have here in Acts chapter 1.
Jesus has run his race.
His race included being born as one of us;
Living a life of perfect obedience to the Father;
Proclaiming by word and deed the Kingdom of God;
Suffering a vicarious death for the sins of the world;
And rising from the dead.
It was now time to pass on the baton.
To pass it on before he returns to heaven.
It’s a crucial time.
If the Disciples drop the baton that’s it.
Before he goes, Jesus has lots of instructions to hand on. He wants them to Expand, Embrace and Encounter:
1. Expand your understanding of the Kingdom
v3, “He appeared to them for forty days and spoke about the Kingdom of God...” And the disciples ask Jesus this question: v6, “Lord, are you at this time going to restore the Kingdom to Israel?”
Jesus had always spoken a lot about the Kingdom.
“The Kingdom of God is near. Repent and believe the good news”.
He told lots of parables to explain the Kingdom...
The Kingdom is like a precious pearl.
You sell everything you have so you can buy it!
The Kingdom is like a small seed that grows into something huge.
He even taught us to pray, “Your Kingdom come”
And the apostle Paul taught a lot of the Kingdom.
Acts 28 tells us Paul spent 2 whole years in Rome teaching about the Kingdom of God.
We need to learn more about the Kingdom of God.
Many people get confused about it.
The disciples were confused because they thought the Kingdom was a political thing.
You can’t blame them.
Jesus had gathered 12 disciples around him.
Everyone had understood the symbolism of that.
12 Tribes of Israel – 12 Disciples...
It seemed He was making a new Israel.
A new day was dawning.
He was the Messiah.
He would soon rule from Jerusalem as King.
They quite liked the idea of all that.
It’d mean a good bit of status for them.
They’d surely get good positions in the new administration.
James and John had asked for that a long time ago: Lord can we sit on your right and on your left?
And now Jesus has risen from the dead... so the long awaited restoration of Israel must be imminent.
After all, didn’t the Psalms and Prophets say:
“He will rule from sea to sea... and all nations will serve him” (Psalm 72:8,11)
They were confused.
And many Christians today get confused.
They think the Kingdom of heaven is where you go when you die.
But Jesus taught us to pray, “Your Kingdom come, your will be done on earth as it is in heaven”.
In other words, the Kingdom was not just for heaven, but also for earth.
You see, God is not only interested in getting people into heaven when they die.
God is passionate that heaven comes to earth.
God wants his people to live heaven’s values on earth.
No lies and immorality in heaven – so they stand up for truth and purity.
No hunger in heaven – so they feed the hungry.
No oppression in heaven – so they fight for justice.
So, Jesus isn’t talking about the Kingdom of Israel, he’s talking about the Kingdom of God.
God hasn’t given up on Israel – just read Rm. chapters 9-11. Israel will be restored one day.
But God’s plans are much, much bigger than the restoration of Israel...
Jesus wants the disciples to expand their understanding of the Kingdom.
What about us here at HBC?
How is our understanding of the Kingdom?
Do we think Christianity is all about going to heaven?
Or being a nice person or a nice church?
Or do we know that God is calling us to something much bigger?
To proclaim and spread his rule on earth?
Secondly, Jesus tells them,
2. Embrace your call to be a witness
v7-8, “It is not for you to know the times and dates the Father has set by his own authority. But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you; and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria and to then ends of the earth.”
The believers are to proclaim the good news about King Jesus all over the world.
The message must go out.
It will begin locally (that’s Jerusalem).
It will spread throughout the region (that’s Judea).
It will cross the borders into the neighbouring country (that’s Samaria).
After that it will go further and further until there is a witness everywhere on earth.
That’s the pattern the book of Acts will show us...
But it will not spread on its own.
God will not build the Kingdom all on His own, even though he could if he wanted.
The disciples must join Him.
They must be witnesses for Jesus.
They must tell the world what they’ve seen and heard.
In those days a new Roman Emperor would send out heralds to the farthest parts of the Empire, West to Spain. North to Britain, South and East...
There was no TV, Internet, Newspapers or SMS.
But there were heralds. And the heralds would travel the land announcing the good news of a new Emperor.
The disciples were the heralds of God’s Kingdom.
They were witnesses that Jesus was King of kings,
had died, risen from the dead and was coming again.
Jesus tells his disciples – YOU!
You will be my witnesses.
Some people are scared of being a witness for Jesus.
They wonder what they have to do!
But it’s simple.
A witness just tells others what they’ve seen and heard.
A sceptic once promised a preacher that he would attend his church for the four Sundays that the preacher presented the main truths of Christianity.
The sceptic came to church for those four Sundays.
He listened closely to the sermons.
And after the fourth one he told the preacher he wanted to join the church because he had received Christ as his Saviour.
The preacher was over the moon, and asked,
“Which of the four sermons changed your mind?”
“Your sermons were OK”, he said.
“But it wasn’t them that persuaded me.
What persuaded me was an old lady.
I was helping her walk down a slippery path and she looked up at me and said,
“I WONDER IF YOU KNOW MY SAVIOUR, JESUS CHRIST. HE IS EVERYTHING IN THE WORLD TO ME.
I’D LIKE YOU TO KNOW HIM TOO.””
And that had melted his heart.
Some of us get nervous about being a witness for Jesus.
But really it’s very simple.
We tell others our experience of Jesus.
We pray and ask God to help us see the opportunities during the day.
We are always ready to give an answer to those who ask us to give the reason for the hope we have.
And we do it with gentleness and respect. (1 Pt.3:15)
In May our Home Groups will begin a new set of studies in how to be a witness for Jesus.
I invite you to come join a group as we learn together.
Embrace your call to be a witness.
Thirdly, Jesus says to them that they must,
3. Encounter the power of spirit
They’ve been with Jesus for three years.
They’ve probably seen every miracle, heard every teaching, understand the reason why he had to die on the cross. They’ve seen in alive – REALLY alive!
They’re friends with the Saviour.
But instead of saying: Go for it! Jesus says, Wait!
v4, “Do not leave Jerusalem, but wait for the gift my Father promised, which you have heard me speak about.” Before you are my witnesses, v8, “You will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you”.
Some of us like to wait!
Jesus says wait, and we say, no problem!
We want to wait until all the ‘T’s are crossed and all the ‘I’s dotted!
We want to wait till we’re really ready!
Till we’re really sure. No problem waiting, Jesus.
We’ll wait!
But others of us hate waiting! We want to get out there.
We’ve got a job to do. Let’s get on with it. Why wait! Waiting is a waste of time!
But when Jesus tells them to wait,
It’s not till they’re perfect enough to begin.
It’s not so they can make sure all the ducks are lined up before they go.
And it’s not because there isn’t an urgent job to do.
There’s a world out there that needs to hear there’s a King called Jesus who’s conquered death and paid for sin and who longs to save and bring in heaven’s wonderful rule.
But Jesus knows something they still don’t know.
And it’s this:
The mission he’s just given them is impossible.
Impossible without the power of God.
Now this is bad news and it’s good news!
It’s bad news because their best efforts at witnessing,
their best sermons,
their finest bravery,
their most sacrificial acts of love wouldn’t enable the Kingdom to come.
Unless the power of God was on them.
Unless the presence of God was with them.
But this is good news because it’s the power of God that makes us good witnesses – not our own power!
And the word Jesus uses for power, v8, is the word dunamis.
Dunamis is the word from which we get our English words dynamite, dynamo, dynamic.
Get the picture?!
We can only do this thing with God’s dynamite in us!
God’s dynamite is the Holy Spirit.
And we best encounter the Spirit by waiting in prayer.
Five college students went to a big and famous church to hear a famous preacher preach.
The students were greeted by a man who told them he’d show them around.
And he’d show them the heating system of the church.
It was a hot summer’s day and to be honest the students weren’t very interested in seeing heating system!
But the man led them down to the basement of the church anyway.
He quietly opened a door and there were 700 people fervently praying for the service about to begin.
Yes, a prayer meeting was the heating system of that big and famous church.
Our prayer meeting is the 4th Sunday of every month, here in church, 9.30-10.30am!!!
Thank God the first disciples took Jesus seriously when he said wait!
v14 says, “They all joined together constantly in prayer...”Until the power of God fell upon them.
They waited by praying. In my experience, private and corporate prayer is the best way to continue to encounter the power and presence of the Holy Spirit.
I wonder if you have ever invited the Holy Spirit to come and fill you and have His way in you?
O, He came into you when you received Christ as Lord.
And He’s the One who always ’bugs you’ to do the right thing!
But the Bible tells us to go on being filled with the Spirit.
To keep in step with Him.
And that the Father will give Him to those who ask for Him.
So often I’m tempted to try to do it on my own.
To just ‘get on and do the work’.
And then God reminds me...
Wait! Get back to the place of prayer and dependence.
When will we learn that witnessing is a partnership with Spirit?
Friends, we need less holding back, more power.
Less shyness, more power.
Less fear, more power.
Encounter the power of the Spirit.
Conclusion
And so... we have a job to do.
God wants this church to be witnesses in our Jerusalems,
Then in our Judeas,
Then in our Samarias,
Then to the ends of the earth.
Wherever we are, He wants us to start witnessing there.
In that Home or Embassy or School or Office or Playgroup.
And after that, to keep on moving out, and out and out...
Every one of us a missionary, every one a witness.
A witness to the difference it makes to know Jesus.
God wants us to:
Expand our understanding of the Kingdom,
Embrace our call to be his witness.
And Encounter the power and person of the Spirit.
He’s the One who urges us...
“Only one life.... ‘Twill soon be past...
Only what’s done for Christ will last.”
