THE BOOK OF ACTS
Jesus First Wrods To His Church
Acts 1:1-11
INTRODUCTION:
Can you recall what your favorite class was in High School? ( name them, Gym, recess, math…)
When I was in High School, my favorite subjects were Music, English and History.
Many of my classmtes had not choice to choose history, because they were sick on class selection day and so were left with lttle choice but history and cooking with Mrs.Smith. On the oh=ther hand I loved hoistory. I took every history class possible.
Many people do not appreciate history because they feel it is boring. After all, who wants to hear about the then and past. Most people want to know about the here and now.
The book of Acts is classified as one of the ‘Historical’ books of the Bible. It tells the story of how the church began, How the church spread throughout the world and how it endured struggles and persecution , and yet grew to be the one force that would take down an empire.
Some would argue that since Acts is merely a history it is not really relevant for ustoday. Some would even dismiss it as theologicly weak.
However, I would argue that not only is it relevant to us today, but it is also a book of sound teachng and theology.
There are two ways to teach doctrine,; one is by traditional lecture method. The other is to live it by example. As you follow the church fulfilling its call and mission, you will come face to face with theology being practically and radically lived out.
The author of Acts is Luke, who also wrote the gospel. It was written to an unknown Roman bureacrat named Theopholis. We don’t know much about Theopholis, whether he was a seeker, or a new believer. Luke explains his purpose in writing as to give a detailed account of, ‘all that Jesus began to do and teach.’ Here is the main point,
THE BOOK OF ACTS IS THE STORY OF JESUS’ CONTINUING WORK THROUGH HIS SPIRIT EMPOWERED CHURCH
If you turn too Chapter 29, you will notice something quite unique. Did you see it? There is no chapter 29.
As you come to the the end of chapter 28, Luke ends it quite abruptlly. The message I believe is that there is some unfinished business that still needs to be taken care of. The message to us is clear,
JESUS CONTINUES TO WORK THROUGH HIS CHURCH ( 1-3)
1In my former book, Theophilus, I wrote about all that Jesus began to do and to teach 2until the day he was taken up to heaven, after giving instructions through the Holy Spirit to the apostles he had chosen. 3After his suffering, he showed himself to these men and gave many convincing proofs that he was alive. He appeared to them over a period of forty days and spoke about the kingdom of God.
The Gospel of Luke records what God accomplished through the deeds and teachings of the Spirit annointed Jesus. In his second volume, Luke emphasizes the CONTINUING WORK OF JESUS through His Spirit empowered church.
In the first verse of Acts 1, Luke refers to his gospel as a record of ‘all that Jesus began to do and to teach. He then looks back to the main events of Luke 24;
• The appearance of the risen Jesus to the disciples
• The promise of the baptism in the Holy Spirit
• The acsension of the risen Christ into Heaven
In verses 2,5 notice that the Holy Spirit is refered to twice in terms of instructions ot the apostles. What this simply means is that Jesus’ ascension into Heaven DOES NOT MEAN HE IS ABSENT. The Risen Lord Jesus Christ continues to be present in the church and the in His word.
Acts 2:1-4
Acts 2:37-41
3:1-8,16-20
4:13
4:30
9:1-5
9:32-35
The overwheliing message is that Jesus continues to work wonders and miracles, and HE does so through Spirit empowered believers.
JESUS INSTRUCTS HIS FOLLOWERS TO WAIT PATIENTLY FOR THE PROMISE OF THE HOLY SPIRIT ( 4-5)
B eforeJesus’ departure for Heaven, we are told that ‘Through the Spirit’ He gave instructions to the believers. These people included the 11 Apsotles, Mary the mother of Jesus, the women who first witnessed the resurrection, and up to a total of 500 who were witnesses of the risen Christ,. These men and women were chosen by Jesus and HE instructed them to continue His work through the power of the Holy Spirit. Listen to how Luke describes these events,
Acts 1:4-5 “On one occasion, while he was eating with them, he gave them this command: "Do not leave Jerusalem, but wait for the gift my Father promised, which you have heard me speak about. For John baptized with water, but in a few days you will be baptized with the Holy Spirit."
Jesus instructs His followers to WAIT for the gift. .
Waiting is not a word many like to here.
A young lady busied herself getting ready for a blind date. This was not just dinner and a movie; her date had planned dinner at an exclusive downtown restaurant with live music and dancing. Wanting to make a good first impression she had taken the day off work. She cleaned her apartment; she went out that afternoon to have her hair done and get a manicure. When she got home she did her makeup, put on her best dress and was ready for her date’s arrival. His expected arrival came and went, but she continued to wait patiently. Finally after waiting over an hour she decided she had been stood up, so she took off her dress, let down her hair put on her pajamas, gathered all her favorite junk food and sat down to watch TV with her dog. Sometime later there was a knock at the door; it was her date. He looked at her surprised and said, “What I gave you an extra two hours and you’re still not ready to go!”
There are many words interpretted wait in the NT. In Mathew 26:38, the word is MENO and is translated abide. In Luke 2:43 the word is HUPOMENO and means to endure.( like a line up at The Opera, Dr.’s office or church)
But in Luke 24:49 and Acts 1:4, the word Luke uses is Kathizo, and it simply means “TO MAKE TO SIT DOWN.’
When Jesus gave his commission to send the Apstles into all the world to preach the gospel, it was as if they felt they came to the end of the sermon and were about to leave.
Jesus stops them, and tells them, SIT DOWN THERE IS MORE IN STORE!
We are often impatient with people and with God. We want to get the job done, NOW. But the Bible says there is more so we need to learn the lesson of waiting.
ILL.- It was said that the outstanding characteristics of the great New England preacher Phillips Brooks were poise and calmness. His close friends, however, knew that at times he suffered moments of frustration and irritability. One day a friend saw him pacing the floor like a caged lion. ‘What is the trouble, Dr. Brooks?’ asked the friend. ‘The trouble is that I’m in a hurry, but God isn’t!’” That sounds like most people.
Jesus said to His apostles, “Wait for the GIFT my Father promised…”
If we all knew we were going to get a special gift from someone, especially, our Heavenly Father, we would be anxious to receive it. However, in the case of the apostles they really didn’t understand what that gift was going to be.
Anyway, they should have been somewhat excited like a kid on Christmas morning, impatiently waiting to open his gifts.
I believe that God has many gifts that He wants to give us but we just have to learn to be patient. We might pray, “Lord, when is this trial going to be over? And when is something good going to happen?” We have to learn to trust the Lord and His timing.
Psalm 40:1-2 “I waited patiently for the LORD; he turned to me and heard my cry. He lifted me out of the slimy pit, out of the mud and mire; he set my feet on a rock and gave me a firm place to stand.”
God is saying to us in life: Be patient. Trust me. Keep praying. Keep seeking. And I will lead you and bless you. Wait patiently. I have more in store for you. You can trust God. Listen to what Jesus says,
…wait for the gift my father PROMISED…
How many have ever received an envelope in the mail that read, YOU’RE A SWEEPSTAKE WINNER.! I have not received one in the mail for a long time. But I know many people took those envelopes, and were saddly dissappointed that they were not actual winners.
Sometimes we can feel as if God has disappointed us
Jack was out jogging one day and as he passed a cliff, he got too close and fell. Grabbing hold of a branch he was stranded. No way up and certainly no way down. He began to scream, “Hello up there can anyone hear me.” He yelled for hours and was about to give up when he heard a voice.
“Jack, Can you hear me?”
“Yes, Yes, I can hear you I’m down here.”
“I can see you, Jack, are you alright?”
“Yes, but...who are yo and where are you?”
“I am the Lord Jack, I am everywhere.”
“The Lord? You mean God?”
“That’s me.”
“God, help me, I promise that if you get me down from here, I’ll stop sinning. I’ll be a really good person and serve you for the rest of my life.”
“Easy on the promises, Jack. First let’s get you down, then we’ll discuss those
I’ll do anything, Lord, just tell me what to do, okay?
Okay, let go of the branch.
What?
I said, let go of the branch. Just trust me, let go.
PAUSE
Hello, Hello, is there anybody else up there?
I am glad that our Heavenly Father never dissapoints His children. He never makes false promises. His word can be trusted. One day Jesus was teaching His disciples about prayer. Luke records this story in Luke 11:9-13
9"So I say to you: Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you. 10For everyone who asks receives; he who seeks finds; and to him who knocks, the door will be opened.
11"Which of you fathers, if your son asks for[a] a fish, will give him a snake instead? 12Or if he asks for an egg, will give him a scorpion? 13If you then, though you are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father in heaven give the Holy Spirit to those who ask him!"
Did you hear what Jesus says? The Father longs to give you His promiseed Holy Spirit. It is His gift because He loves you.
Furthermore,
GOD WILL EMPOWER YOU TO BE HIS WITNESS(6-8)
Acts 1:6-7: So when they met together, The disciples quizzed the Lord; "Lord, are you at this time going to restore the kingdom to Israel?" He said to them: "It is not for you to know the times or dates the Father has set by his own authority.”
Many Christians worry or stew over certain things when it comes to the Lord’s kingdom. Like what? When is Jesus coming back? Will He come back silently as in the secret rapture that many people talk about or will He come back visibly and loudly so all can see and hear Him? Will heaven be on earth or somewhere else?
ILLI remember REMEMBER WHAT Willard Cantelon used to say, “Someone once asked me Dr.Cantelon are you pre-mil, a- mil or post-mil? I tell them, I am Pan-Mil. Everything will pan out in the end.
All that matters is that we know the Lord is in control! He will take care of things. Our job is to walk by faith and put our trust in Him. In answering his disciples, he said do not concern yourself with things that our outside of your control or authority. Know this,
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 the ends of the earth.”
Jesus promises His followers that they will be empowered by the Holy Spirit. The disciples are promsed POWER…not political power but POWER FOR SERVICE.
The word power is DUNAMIS and means to ‘to be able’ or ‘to have strength’.
In Acts power refers to the working of miracles ( 3:12, 4:7, 6:8), power for bearing witness for Christ ( 1:8; 4:33) and power over the Devil (10:38).
Jesus then, promises to equip His followers to be his witness.
The basic meaning of the word witness is :One who testifys.’
This power comes from God. It s not a program or course of study. It is not using eloquent words. It is the power of the Holy Spirit to give testimony to Jesus Christ, a power to influence others to accept Christ.
Notice that it is a promise and not a command. Unike the great commission where Jesus sends out the disciples, Luke couches the commission in the form of a promise.
Jesus sya when they receive the fulness of the Spirit, the power they receive will transform tem into witnesses.
The witness of the Apostles is to begin in Jerusalem and will not conclude until they have reached ‘to the ends of the earth.’
Some Christians get so confused about witnessing, evangelsm and mission.
Jesus presents a very simple yet paradigmn to follow.
First of all, our mission begins at home ( our family) Then ito Judea ( our nieghborhood and community and workplace) following this is Samaria ( Home missions, our youth Kids, 100 Huntly) and then the world.
One of my pet peave is when I hear someone say, “Why are we spending money, sending people and resources to other nations, Charity begins at home.”
I have news for you, the JOB IS FAR FROM BEING DONE> We have the most money, resources, churches, missions organizations and technology that has ever existed in the history of the church and missions.
Yet according to OPERATION WORLD, and other Missions Organizations, 20% of the world’s population has 90% of the missionaries. That means 80% of the worlds population has not had access missionas and of hearing the gospel.
Here is the point, God has not given you His power to keep to yourself. It is meant to flow through you to touch others.
ILLUSTRATION: The Dead Sea, The head waters of the Jordon river flow south to the dead sea. Once it reaches it, there is nothing growing. Why? IT IS DEAD. The dead sea is 1000 feet below sea level. While the Worlds oceans contain 8% salt, the Dead Sea contains 26-30% salt and miniserals. But because there is now outlet, nothing grows. It is Dead.
The same result is for Christians. If you do not allow the power and love of God flow through you to others, then you will be fruitless, powerless and unchanged. Manymistakenly think that as long as they have all the right programs, wear the right clothes, sing the right songs and attend the right churches then they are OK. If you are trusting in your works, church, ministry and abilities to win favor with God then Jesus says that you are ,” pitiful, poor, blind, and naked. ( Rev.3:13 CEV)
The key is to allow the life, power and love of God flow freely through you and,
REMAIN FAITHFUL TO THE WORK TILL JESUS RETURNS
Acts 1:9-11 “After he said this, he was taken up before their very eyes, and a cloud hid him from their sight. They were looking intently up into the sky as he was going, when suddenly two men dressed in white stood beside them. "Men of Galilee," they said, "why do you stand here looking into the sky? This same Jesus, who has been taken from you into heaven, will come back in the same way you have seen him go into heaven."
If one of the Devils tricks is to get us to worry about the little things, then another trick of the devil is to get us involved in navel gazing.
The wonder in this verse is that the apostles were standing there in wonder and amazement as Jesus ascended into heaven. And it would be utterly amazing.
ILL.- One night a wife found her husband standing over their infant’s crib. As she watched him looking down at their very first baby, she saw on his face a mixture of emotions: disbelief, doubt, delight, amazement, enchantment, skepticism. Touched by this unusual display and deep emotions, with eyes glistening she slipped her arm around her husband. "A penny for your thoughts," she said.
"It’s amazing!" he replied. "I just can’t see how anybody can make a crib like that for only $46.50."
What’s that saying? Some people can’t see the forest for the trees. Sometimes when you concentrate on the details of a problem, you lose sight of the overall picture; in other words you focus on the unimportant, rather than on the important things. You miss the big picture.
ILLUSTRATION: In March of 1917, Lenin and the Bolshvicks stormed the Royal palace, assasinated the Tsar and his family, and began the Comunist revolution that would terrorize Russia and the world for more than 80 years.
In the city of St.Petersburg, miles away from the bloodshed and violence happening in Moscow, a group of Russian Orthodox preists were holding a heated debate. They were arguing over the colour of the Bishops Robe: Should it be red or blue?
They got their focus on the trees ( religion) and could not see the forest fire of revolution burning all around them.
Jesus had just told his disciples that they would be His witnesses to the ends of the earth, but here they were, standing in amazement, looking up into the sky. And suddenly two men dressed in white whom we assume to be angels, stood beside them and “What are you doing, standing there looking into the sky?”
We are not unlike those Apostles.
What are some of the things we get our eyes focused on that distract our attention from the mission of the gospel,?
• Signs of the times
• World tragidies
• Signs and wonders
• Preachers’ failings
Do not let your attention befocused on anthing other than what God has called you too. It’s like God is saying, “Don’t worry. I’ll be back. Get busy. You have work to do. Let’s get on with the program, my program of reaching the lost.”
CONCLUSION:
The message of Acts is, Jesus continues to work through His Spirit empowered followers. He urges us to wait on Him for the fathers promise to empower us for service.
The task is great so He gives us His power in order to be effective witnesses to our family, friends, and world.
The temptation is to get bogged down by busiess, religion and personal agendas. Our task is to remain faithful to the mission Christ has called each of us to. The question is will we respond in obedience?
