Intro:
1. John Bunyan, wrote Pilgrim's Progress testified, "Read the Bible, and read it again, and do not help to understand something of the will and mind of God, though you think they are fast locked up from you. Neither trouble yourself, though you may not have commentaries and expositions; pray and read, and read and pray; for a little from God is better than a great deal from man."
2. What we have before us is not a mere commentary from a dead man, but the inspired Word of God. How wonderful that God worked through a man named Luke to give us two volumes – Gospel of Luke and the book of Acts.
3. God made the message.
Trans: We need to see how important this book is, Wiersbe notes:
“Imagine how confused you would be, if in reading your N.T., you turned the last page of the Gospel of John and discovered – Romans! “How did the church get to Rome?”
You would ask yourself; and the answer is found in the Book of Acts.”
The subject is literally, “I composed” it is the independent clause, which is followed by four independent clauses.” Ac. 1:1-3
I. The message is about the Chronology of Jesus.
A. The first Account.
First – is an adjective, an adjective is a word joined to a noun to qualify it’s meaning. The Latin is “a thing thrown to.” The noun is λογος the Word…
Longenecker, “The Acts of the Apostles is the name given to the second part of a two-volume work…Originally the two volumes circulated together as two parts of one complete writing. [Gospel of Luke, 60 AD; Acts, 61 AD]. But during the late first or early second century, the first volume because associated with the Gospels. Luke’s second volume became separated, and given the title Acts.”
Lin. Key to the Greek N.T, “The first of two, not implying a third.”
“The Greek article τον specifies an antecedent writing and the suffix of the verb translated “I told you about” calls for the possessive “my.” Luke uses the word logos in the technical sense of a section of a work that covers more than one papyrus roll. The occurrence of the adjective protos, “first” rather than its comparative proteros “former” need not imply that Luke intended his Gospel to be the first in a series of three or more books.”
In my first book – that was the Gospel of Luke, it is best “in my first volume.”
Luke and Acts are two parts of one work…
Volume 1 is The History of the Founder of the church; Volume 2 is The History of the Followers of the church. The gospel of Luke is a narrative about Jesus Christ in His Incarnation; Life; Substitutionary death; Resurrection; and Ascension…
“The Gospel of Luke portrays Jesus as the incarnate Son of God – the Living, eternal, all-powerful God of heaven dressed in human garb. Here in flesh and blood was God in all His power, rubbing shoulders with humanity.”
B. The human Author.
I told you about – Luke is mentioned by name only 3 times in the New Testament: Col. 4:14/ 2 Tim.4:11/ Philm. 24
“Luke was a well educated Greek living in Asia Minor, a Gentle – the only Gentile writer of N.T. He was a physician, a doctor. He never actually met Jesus but wrote about 30 years after Jesus rose from the dead.”
He was Paul on various occasion as the “we” passages demonstrate – Ac. 16:10-17; 20:5-21:18; 27:1-28:16. Luke being a doctor gives details lacking in the other Gospels.
“He records how sick Peter’s mother-in-law was (4:38); he observed which ear of the high priest servant was cut off (22:50); he speaks of the drops of blood falling from our Lord’s face in the Garden (22:44); Luke tells us more about the birth of Christ then the other gospel writers; only Luke records – the announcement to Zacharias and Mary; the songs of Elizabeth and Mary; the birth and childhood of John the Baptist; the visit of the shepherds at Christ’s birth; the circumcision and presentation in the temple; and the childhood of Christ.”
I told you about – a verb, indic. mood, aorist tense, meaning “to make or to do.” Luke made this by the inspiration of the Holy Spirit. 2 Tim. 3:16-17/ 2 Pet. 1:20-21
C. The one being Addressed.
Dear Theophilus – “loved by God” or “friend of God” Lu.1:3 with Ac. 1:1
“Some people think of Luke may have been a slave, the personal Theophilus, who was seriously ill. Through Luke’s medical skill and care Theo was restored to health. In gratitude Theo gave Luke his freedom. Luke, in turn, to show his gratitude gave Theo the most precious gift he could think of – the message concerning Jesus.”
Most excellent – Lu. 1:3/ Ac. 23:26; 24:3; 26:25 It means “the mightiest, strongest, most illustrious, best, most excellent. It is used in addressing men of prominent, rank, office, perhaps a Roman official?
Praise God we are all friends of God – Jn. 15:14-15
Joseph Scriven was a man who experienced the friendship of Christ during a life filled with trouble. As a young man in Ireland, about 1840, his intended bride was accidentally drowned the evening before their wedding. He has begun training as a military cadet, but poor health forced him to abandon his dreams of a career in this field. Moving to Canada, he became a servant of the underprivileged, helping those who were physically handicapped and financially destitute, but tragedy continued to stalk his steps. Once again, the plans for a wedding were cut short when his second fiancée’ died following a brief illness.
It seemed that Joseph Scriven was destined to go through life alone, knowing only the friendship of Jesus Christ. Through much of his life he experience loneliness, meager pay for menial work and physical illness. In Scriven’s last illness a neighbor came to visit him and the manuscript of this hymn which he had written to comfort his mother in special sorrow was at his bedside. Another neighbor asked if he had written it, and the replied, “The Lord and I did it between us.”
Here is the familiar hymn:
What a Friend we have in Jesus,
All our sins and grief’s to bear!
What a privilege to carry
Everything to God in prayer!
O what peace we often forfeit!
O what needless pain we bear!
All because we do not carry
Everything to God in prayer.
D. The center of Attraction.
about everything Jesus began to do and teach – speaking of Jesus.
about – is a preposition, a word joined to, and generally placed before a noun [or pronoun] to show the relation of the person or thing denoted by the noun to something else. Latin. “placed before.”
Barnes, “Of all. That is the principle, or most important parts of the life and doctrines of Christ. It cannot mean that he recorded ALL that Jesus did, as he had omitted many things that have been preserved by other evangelists. The word all is frequently used to denote the most important facts. Jn. 21:24-25
Began to do and teach – “A very important statement, dividing the work of Christ into two great branches: the one embracing His work on earth, the other His subsequent work from heaven; the one in His own Person, the other by His Spirit; the one the “beginning,” the other the continuance of the same work; the one complete when He sat down at the right hand of the Majesty on high, the other to continue till His Second appearing; the one recorded in “The Gospels,” the beginnings only of the other related in this book of “The Acts.” Hence the grand history of what Jesus did and taught does not conclude with His departure to the Father; but Luke now begins it in a higher strain; for all the subsequent labors of the apostles are just exhibition of the ministry of the glorified Redeemer Himself because they were acting under His authority, and He was the principle that operated in them all.” [Olshausen]
1. His Doing…His Works. “to do”
“To make, do, create, produce, work, accomplish, perform, act…” Maybe he is thinking about the miraculous works of Christ as recorded in Luke. Miraculous, Lu. 8:39; 9:42-43; including Salvation, Lu. 1:68,72.
Theological Dict. Of the N.T., “The works are mostly acts of power. The word denotes the appointment of the disciples in Mk. 1:7. Jesus is asked to justify his works (Mt.11:28); in them He is thought to make Himself equal with God (Jn. 5:18). He does the Father’s works; this does not express His subordination but the fact that God forces people to decision in His words and works. His work on the cross makes peace between Jews and Gentiles (Eph. 2:14-15). This the unique and once-for-all sacrifice for sin (Heb.1:3; 7:27). His ministry consisted of doing and teaching. (Ac.1:1).”
He is still doing – still saving, still interceding, still defending those who are His (Heb.7:25/I Jn. 2:1-2).
Wilkinson writes, “Our God specializes in working through normal people who believe in a supernormal God who will do His work through them…That means God’s math would look more like this: My willingness and weakness + God’s will and supernatural power = my expanded territory.”
2. His teaching – His Words. Verb, pres. act. Often He taught the scriptures (Lu. 4:16-22). He is still teaching us through the scriptures. He is teaching us through many ways, Bruce Wills noted:
“I was riding one of our Shetland ponies, Trigger or Sugarfoot. They were prone to buck you off from time to time and one of those occasions occurred. Well, as I hit the ground I heard someone call my name “Bruce.” I rolled over to see who it was and no one did I see. However, when I looked back the pony had just stepped where I rolled from. In God’s grace, He was teaching me to learn to listen to His voice and to trust Him to protect me. God was teaching me to depend upon Him for the help I would need in living life.”
II. The message is about the Change.
Until the day he ascended to heaven – the first account [Luke’s gospel] tell about all Jesus began to do and teach until his ascension. The book of Acts picks up Jesus narrative after his ascension and carries it forward about 30 years tracing the spread of the gospel from Jerusalem to Rome. Lu. 24:50-52
The same word is used in Mk. 16:19/Ac.1:2,11,22/ I Tim.3:16/ Lu. 9:51 is also related to the Ascension. That which he “began to do and teach” recorded in the Gospel of Luke, that historical narrative ended with the ascension…
II. The Ascension.
A. Statements about the Ascension.
1. In the OT. Two references foretell the ascension of Messiah (Psa.68:18; 110:1);
2. In the saying of Christ. Our Lord spoke of going to His Father (Jn.7:33; 14:12,28;
16:5,10,28) and specifically of the Ascension (6:62; 20:17).
3. In the writing of the N.T. The debated ending of Mark records the Ascension (16:19); Lu. Speaks of it twice (Lu. 9:51; 24:51); but the principal description is in
Ac. 1:6-11. Other N.T. passages refer to it (Eph. 4:10/ I Tim.3:16/Heb.4:14/I Pet.3:22), and others that tell of the present exaltation of Christ presuppose it
(e.g., Col. 3:1).
B. Description of the Ascension.
1. The Place. It occurred in “the vicinity of Bethany” (Lu. 24:50 NIV), that is, on the Bethany side of the Mount of Olives (Ac. 1:12).
2. The Procedure. Christ actually traveled up as if supported by the cloud (v.9). The ascent was not a sudden disappearance but a gradual, though not long, movement upward.
3. The Promise. As the disciples watched, two angels appeared and promised that He who had just been taken from them would return again “in just the same way.” (v.11).
C. Problems Raised with Regard to the Ascension.
1. It was contrary to the laws of nature. Yes it was, but Christ’s resurrection body was not necessarily subject to the laws of nature and Christ, as God, could superseded the laws He made.
2. Did He ascend to heaven before the public ascension? Some think that John 20:17 indicates one or more ascensions before the one detailed in Acts 1. However, the verb “I ascend” is most likely a futuristic present referring to the coming public ascension of Acts 1 and referring to it with certainty. It is as if the Lord were saying to Mary, “Stop clinging to Me. There is no need for this, as I am not yet at the point of permanent ascension. You will have the opportunity to see Me. However, there is no question but that I certainly will ascend to My Father.”
D. Significance of the Ascension.
“The Ascension marked the end of the period of Christ’s humiliation and His entrance into the state of exaltation. Even the forty days between His resurrection and His ascension involved some limitation as, for example, with respect to showing His glory. Notice that His post-resurrection, pre-ascension appearances did not startle the disciples as far as the appearance of His resurrection body was concerned. But the post-ascension appearance of Christ to John described in Rev. 1 must be shown His glory much more vividly. The Ascension having taken place, Christ then was ready to ready to begin other ministries in behalf of His own and of the world.”
III. The message about the Chosen.
After giving his chosen apostles further instructions from the Holy Spirit - He gave two basic commandments to them.
Phillips, "In fact Jesus had many disciples. Then after all-night prayer, Jesus deliberately chose twelve from the ranks of His disciples, "twelve whom also he named apostles" (Lu.6:13). In the synoptic gospels, the word apostolos occurs just 9 times. In the historical books it always refers it always to the Twelve [except in Ac. 14:4,14]. The word also occurs once in John 13:16, where it is used of one sent on a special errand. The word apostle is applied to a select few besides the original twelve who were commissioned by the Lord. The eleven chose Mattias to take the place of Judas and appointed him to be an apostle (Ac.1:26)...It was to the original very limited and carefully selected group that the Lord gave His new marching orders."
A. The Channel - the Holy Spirit.
B. The Commandments.
1. To Wait. Lu. 24:51/Ac.1:2
2. To Witness. Lu.10:4; 24:47/ Ac.1:8
C. The Chosen. Lu.6:13; 9:10; 11:49; 17:5; 22:14; 24:10/ Jn.15:16
IV. The message is about the presentation of Christ.
Acts 1:3 (NKJV)
3 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.
"Sign, proof, convincing adn decisive proof; in logic, demonstrative proof; in medical language, demonstrative evidence of a sure symptom, in legal language proof from which there was no getting away, an indication which is irrefutable and indisputable."
Morris, "Infallible proofs" is one word in the Greek and occurs only this one time in the N.T. It emphasizes that the evidences for Christ's resurrection were not philosophical speculations but but certain facts. It is appropriate that the word occurs only once, for other event of Biblical history has been confirmed more certainly than His bodily resurrection."
A. Convincing proof. Lu. 24:39-40/I Jn.1:1
"Alive and kicking, Jesus appeared to His people in all sorts of places and situations. He spoke their names, touched them, invited them to touch him, ate with them, hiked and fished with them. The scars of the crucifixion were visible in his hands, feet, and side."
B. Continual proof. 40 days.
"Jesus spend 40 days teaching his teaching his disciples, and they were changed drastically. Before they argued with each other, deserted their Lord, even lied about knowing Jesus. Now in a series of meetings with the living, resurrected Christ, the disciples had many questions answered. They became convinced about the resurrection, learned about the Kingdom of God and learned about their power source - the Holy Spirit. By reading the Bible, we can sit with the resurrection Christ in His school of discipleship.
By believing in Him, we can receive His power by the Holy Spirit."
[Application Bible Note]
The vast body of evidence makes it certain that Christ died for our sins and rose again for our justification. (1) His 10 or more appearances to the disciples; (2) the evidence of the empty tomb; (3) the undisturbed grave clothes; (4) the remarkable change in the disciples; (5) the spread of the church as a result of its preaching the change to worship on the first day of the week; (6) the age long observance of Easter and the Lord's Supper; and (7) all the testimonies found in the writers of the N.T.
seen - "The Greek word is optanomai, from which we get our word ophthalmologist or an eye doctor. It literally means Jesus was being "eye-balled" by them, "stared at" or "scrutinized." The disciples stared at Him."
"For 40 days the Lord came and went, overcoming the unbelief and hesitation of His disciples by "many infallible proofs" so that, in the end they were abosolutely convinced of the reality of His resurrection. No doubt was left in their minds."
"The Greek word translated infallible proofs speaks of "convincing, decisive proof." Christian belief is not built on speculation or myth, but on the sovereign acts and words of God incarnate in the time-space universe. The birth, ministry, death, resurrection, and ascension of the Lord Jesus Christ are solidly rooted in history." [Nelson Study Bible]
C. Coming Kingdom.
"The kingdom is not to be confused with the church. The Lord Jesus offered Himself to the nation of Israel as King, but was rejected. His literal kingdom on earth was therefore postponed until Israel repents and receives Him as Messiah. At the present the king is absent. However He does have an invisible kingdom on earth...in its inward reality it includes only those who have been born again...The church is something entirely new. It is not the subject of O.T. prophecies. It is composed of all believers from Pentecost to the Rapture." [MacDonald]
Both these volumes are about Jesus Christ - Ac. 2:33; 7:55,59; 9:5,10-16,34;
10:13-15; 16:7; 18:9; 20:35; 22:7-10,18-21; 23:11; 26:14-17.
Johnny Palmer Jr.
www.strugglingthruscriptures.ning.com
www.blogtalkradio.com/strugglingthruscriptures
