Until the Whole World Hears
Pastor Allan Kircher
Shell Point Baptist Church
20 Feb 2011
Acts 1:4-11
We saw last week from verse 1 that the first volume of Luke's two-volume work, the Gospel According to Luke, dealt with all that Jesus BEGAN to do and to teach (Acts 1:1),
which implies that the second volume, the book of Acts, will deal with what Jesus CONTINUES to do and to teach.
The book of Acts is not only the acts of the apostles, but the acts of the risen, living Jesus.
Then we noticed that Luke mentioned three things the apostles needed if they were to be the kind of instruments through which the living Jesus could do his work and speak his Word.
First, they needed a Spirit-authenticated commission or command from the Lord.
So verse 2 says he gave them instruction through the Holy Spirit.
Second, they needed verification that Jesus was really alive and triumphant over death.
So verse 3a says that Jesus presented himself to them alive after his death with many proofs appearing to them for 40 days.
Third, they needed more instruction about the kingdom of God.
So verse 3b says that he spent time during those 40 days between his resurrection and ascension speaking to them of the kingdom of God.
That's where we stopped last week.
But verses 4 and 5 go on to show that there is another utterly crucial thing that the apostles needed in order to be the most effective instruments in the hands of the living Jesus.
They needed to be baptized with the Holy Spirit.
So let’s looks at our text today beginning with verse 4-5, 4 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. 5 For John baptized with water, but in a few days you will be baptized with the Holy Spirit.”
Three years earlier John the Baptist had led a brief renewal movement among the Jewish people by calling them to repent and receive forgiveness for their sins and be baptized as a sign of their new relationship to God (Luke 3:3).
But John made it clear that the Messiah was coming soon and would baptize the people not merely in water but in the Holy Spirit.
In Luke 3:16 he says: “I baptize you with water; but he who is mightier than I is coming, the thong of whose sandals I am not worthy to untie; he will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and with fire.”
So Jesus is saying here in Acts 1:5, "This is going to happen in just a few days—you will be baptized with the Holy Spirit.
John immersed you in water; I am going to immerse you in the Holy Spirit. John drenched you in water; I am going to drench you in the Holy Spirit.
This is the fourth thing you need in order to be effective instruments of my life in the world.
You need to be baptized in the Holy Spirit."
What is Baptism?
The baptism with the Holy Spirit is not a special privilege for some believers, nor are believers challenged and exhorted in Scripture to seek it.
It is not even your responsibility to prepare for it by praying, pleading, tarrying, or any other means.
Baptism by Jesus Christ with the Spirit is entirely a divine activity.
It comes, like salvation itself, through grace, not human effort.
God’s sovereignty pours out the Holy Spirit on those He saves.
The Spirit’s presence, leading and might were absolutely essential if the apostles were to be effective in continuing the Lord’s unfinished work.
They had already experienced His saving, guiding, teaching, and miracle-working power.
Soon they would receive the power they needed for ministry after the Holy Spirit fell on them.
You see, regeneration in Christ changes your disposition from the lawless, godless self-seeking that dominates,
Into a disposition of trust and love, marked by repentance for past rebelliousness, and unbelief
And ready compliance with God’s law.
It enlightens the blinded mind to discern spiritual realities.
And liberates and energizes the enslaved will for free obedience to God.
So let’s continue with our study
Where exactly did they meet?
Well, we know that it was no farther than a Sabbath's day walk from the Mt. Of Olives-about a half mile-
which would put it just inside the Eastern gate of the city, not too far from the Temple.
Luke also tells us that they were meeting in the UPPER ROOM of a house.
Back then it was common for homes to have upper rooms, used for a variety of purposes, and this one must have been part of a large house because it could accommodate 120 people.
It was PROBABLY the same upper room where the Last Supper had been celebrated and where Jesus had appeared to the disciples after His resurrection.
Some have identified it as the house of John Mark's mother where Peter came after his miraculous release from prison in Acts 12.
How long did they meet there? How long did they wait?
Well, that's not hard to figure because Pentecost was a Jewish feast that was celebrated fifty days after Passover.
In fact, that's what the word "Pentecost" means: "50."
And, since Jesus was taken back to Heaven forty days after the resurrection, which occurred at Passover,
that would leave a ten day period in which the disciples waited in Jerusalem.
What did they do during those ten days of waiting?
Well, in verse 14 Luke tells us one thing they did was PRAY-in fact he says they did this CONSTANTLY-and that makes sense because they would have had a lot to pray about.
I'm sure they praised God for sending Jesus. Perhaps they prayed for His speedy return.
I think their prayers were also full of the confession of sin as well.
Peter and the others must have asked forgiveness for their cowardice the night of Jesus' arrest.
I imagine they also asked God for the strength and guidance they would need to fulfill His great commission.
In any case one important fact you and I should take from this is the importance of prayer.
But they did more than pray and work for unity.
They also STUDIED SCRIPTURE.
Presumably this is what Jesus Himself had been doing with them during those 40 days prior to His ascension.
And this makes sense because this is what He did with those disciples on the road to Emmaus.
Remember? Luke 24:27 says, "And beginning with Moses and all the Prophets, He explained to them what was said in all the Scriptures concerning Himself."
So, I think before He ascended Jesus reviewed the hundreds of Messianic prophecies in the O. T.
After He was taken back to Heaven perhaps Peter and the others said, "Why don't we study these passages ourselves?!"
Peter showed himself to be a good pupil because as we see shortly coming,
he stood up to preach on Pentecost Sunday he referred to these same Old Testament Messianic Scriptures.
And then, their ten-days of Bible study led them to do one other thing:
FIND A REPLACEMENT for the traitor, Judas.
They used a common O. T. practice to discern God's will-they drew lots to select Matthias for the job.
By the way this is the last record of lots being used because in a short time the Holy Spirit came and made His dwelling in all Christians-since then He has been available to guide us in decisions.
Well, with all this prayer support and Scripture study and Matthaias' selection, all was in readiness for the dawning of Pentecost Sunday.
Assurance of the Kingdom
In these final hours with our Lord verse 6 says, “They met together and they asked Him, “Lord, will you at this time restore the kingdom of Israel?”
As they gathered, maybe the men sensed that this was the last time they would see their Lord on the earth.
Some apostle’s perhaps thinking to themselves,
”I know you have told us your kingdom is not of this world, but we have a hard time with that idea.
Let me ask you one more time before you go.
Is David coming again, or is one of his heirs going to take over the reins of government? Will we hear drums roll and see uniformed armies escort a real king into Jerusalem?”
All of the expectations and hundreds of years of Jewish pride and hope literally screamed from the apostle’s mouth, even though his tones were hushed.
Gently, ever so gently, Jesus addressed the misput question by not answering the query.
Perhaps with a touch of parental weariness in his voice, for the umpteenth time he suggested again:
“My friends, my kingdom is different. Please understand my kingdom is different.
Jesus said in verse 7, “It is not for you to know the times or dates the Father has set by his own authority.”
The kingdom Jesus was initiating and in which they would be so prominent was not one of calendar or seasons.
A day could be like a thousand years, or a thousand years could be like a day.
We are not to concern ourselves with the timetable.
That sort of thing has always been in the hands of God
Even though predicting times and seasons has been a fascinating religious hobby, such is not central to worship.
The purpose of God and the passion of the Spirit are not yet completed.
We might question why, but Jesus' answer will always be, "It is not for you to know the times and seasons which the Father has fixed by his own authority."
The great danger we face in the American church is the illusion that the purpose of God is complete,
that the world has been evangelized.
During his ministry, Jesus had a way of telling them that he did not keep up with such esoteric notions.
But Jesus did give the disciples a promise of great victory for the kingdom.
He said in effect: “What you can expect is a great infilling of the Holy Spirit.
You can count on that because in just a short while, when you hearts are ready,
you are going to experience a heavenly visitation such as few in the history of the world have ever had.”
Are you ready for that Shell Point?
God has been signaling us just as the apostle’s to get our hearts ready for His divine intervention.
Can you not feel the movement of the HS in our midst over the past several weeks?
We are on the verge of Ezekiel 36:24-27 and Joel 2:12-14 in connection with the outpouring of the Spirit Jesus has promised.
The Spirit’s presence, leading, and might are absolutely essential if we are to be effective in continuing the Lord’s unfinished work.
We need to experience the release of that power in our lives through not grieving the Spirit by sin (Eph. 4:30).
And then being continually filled and controlled by the Spirit (Eph. 5:18).
The latter takes place as believers yield moment by moment control of their lives to Him.
First, the Spirit wants the world for Christ.
I learn this truth from the way the two halves of verse 8 relate.
The first half says, "You shall receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you."
The second half says, "and you will be my witnesses . . . to the end of the earth."
How could Jesus be so sure the disciples would press on to the end of the earth with their witness to Christ?
Answer: because he was going to send his Holy Spirit upon them with power.
The Spirit's all-consuming passion is to exalt Christ to the end of the earth.
If this were not so, then his coming would be no guarantee or a compelling incentive for us to press on to the end of the world.
But this is the passion of the Holy Spirit.
That's why Jesus can point us with assurance to the ends of the earth with a Christ-exalting witness.
The reason the Spirit has a white-hot passion to empower us to the ends of the earth with a witness about Christ is that God's overarching purpose from beginning to end has been to glorify himself in the whole world.
This great purpose runs through the whole Bible.
Numbers 14:21 and Habakkuk 2:14, "All the earth shall be filled with the glory of the Lord."
David commanded us in Psalm 96:1–3, "Sing to the Lord all the earth . . . Declare his glory among the nations, his marvelous works among all the peoples!"
Jesus himself said, "Go make disciples of all nations" (Matthew 28:19).
"This gospel must be proclaimed to all the nations"(Mark 13:10).
So the first thing to remember about this point is that the Spirit wants the world for Christ because this has been the purpose of God from the beginning of creation and will be until the end of the age.
Then Jesus says, “you shall be my witnesses.”
The word “witness” translates the Greek word “martus”.
It refers to “those who bear witness to the truth.”
It came to be used of those who bore the ultimate witness to the truth; of those who laid down their lives for the truth.
Thus, we get the word “martyr” from this word.
Jesus is calling His people to tell others the truth about Him.
God is calling His people to tell what they know and what they have seen to be true.
Do you know anything about Jesus Christ? Has God done anything for you through Jesus Christ?
If you can answer yes to those questions that is what you are to tell the world, until the whole world hears.
Do you know that God loves you? Tell the world!
Do you know that you are saved? Tell the world!
Do you know how God saves sinners? Tell the world!
Do you know who to tell? Tell the world!
God through his Spirit has already equipped us to do his work.
Those disciples on the hillside had all the native talent and gifts they needed to be witnesses to the ends of the earth.
What they lacked was surrender to the Holy Spirit.
When the Spirit moved in on them and they chose to yield to him,
their innate capacities were freed so that they could do the work which God through Christ had already equipped them to do.
They had been in Jesus’ school for three years.
They would continue to grow and develop through their graduate work in the University of Hard Knocks,
but they already had the essential information.
“Jerusalem and in all Judea and Samaria and to the end of the earth.” Until the whole world hears.
Jesus was pushing their concept of geography to the limits.
They were untraveled men.
Jesus himself never left Palestine and its immediate environment, as far as we know.
He was urging them to go beyond what they know or even wanted to know.
It took some dramatic revelations from God to convince the apostles of the universality of the gospel,
but Jesus laid the groundwork on that day on Mount Olive.
Memory pegs are important!
Maybe when Peter had his vision on the rooftop and subsequent encounter with Cornelius the Roman, he harked back to that day on the hillside.
“What was it that Jesus said?”
“Until the whole world hears’—now I see?”
If the book of Acts teaches anything, it teaches that the Holy Spirit wills to reach the end of the earth through us.
Until Christian disciples carry the message of Christ crucified and risen for the forgiveness of sins to unreached peoples, they will remain in darkness and rebellion (Acts 26:18).
There is no salvation without the witness of a man or woman to Jesus Christ.
You and I are an indispensable link in the chain of redemption.
We must have power. Jesus said, "You shall receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you, and you shall be my witnesses." Until the whole world hears.
Without the power of the Spirit we languish in fruitlessness.
In Luke 24:49 Jesus said, "Behold, I send the promise of my Father upon you; but stay in the city until you are clothed with power from on high."
What does this mean practically for us today?
Does it mean we have to feel powerful before we obey God's call to missions or to witness?
The problem with this is that several times in Acts the apostles were filled with the Holy Spirit just as they were given opportunity to speak (Acts 4:8, 31; 13:9).
The muzzle gets hot when it is fired. When you open your mouth, he will fill it.
How, then, do we wait for power? We wait until we are sure that "the gospel is the power of God unto salvation" (Romans 1:16).
We wait until we are sure that "the word of the cross is the power of God" (1 Corinthians 1:18).
We wait until we know the Spirit dwells in us.
The power of the Spirit is unleashed in our lives when we put our confidence in the word of the cross,
pray for the Spirit's help, and obey the command to go and to witness.
The power is latent in every believer, because the gospel is believed and the Spirit is present.
But the experience of that power will only come when we seek it with all our heart and open our mouths in witness.
Make the Passion of the Spirit Your Passion
This is the challenge: Let us earnestly seek the power of the Spirit to reach people without the gospel.
That is, let us seek to make the passion of the Spirit the passion of our heart.
I believe that this kind of experience is what Jesus meant by the "witnessing" in Acts 1:8 that will be able to extend the gospel to the end of the earth.
"You will receive this power . . . and you will be my witnesses."
You will no longer be merely advocates who can prove like a good lawyer that Jesus rose from the dead.
But under the influence of this power—this experience of the Spirit of the risen Christ—
you will speak with the unwavering assurance of one who has tasted and knows the reality so immediately that all doubt is gone.
You move from being an advocate of Christianity to being a witness of the living Christ.
You move from simply deducing Christian truths from valid premises to proclaiming them boldly as experienced realities.
This is the power and the witness that will take Christ to the end of the earth.
The Promise Is for Us Too
Is it for us or just for the first generation that Jesus was talking to?
And my answer is that it is for us. And the one argument I will give is simply this.
The promise of this extraordinary power—this extraordinary experience of the fullness of God—is given,
Jesus says, to enable his witnesses to take the gospel to the end of the earth (Acts 1:8), or, as Luke 24:47 says, to all the nations.
But we have not completed that assignment yet.
Therefore I do not think he has withdrawn the promise yet either.
If the promise was given to empower the church to complete the Great Commission,
then the promise is valid till the Great Commission is complete,
and the witness to Christ has been planted among all the unreached people groups of the world.
Therefore, I conclude that the power promised here—the extraordinary experience of being "clothed with power"—is for us.
And if we love the glory of God, and if we long for his kingdom to advance,
and if we have compassion on the lost and hurting people of the world,
we will increasingly want this power and we will seek this power.
Shouldn’t we do the same here at Shell Point.
Aren’t we in the same upper room this morning..
Can we, will we, seek a spirit of repentance?
Humbly submitting to the throne of God.
Now in verses 10-11 two men in white robes said in effect to the disciples, “He’s coming again.”
Nothing electrified and charged the preaching of the church quite like that.
No program was given. No Sunday School curriculum.
Nothing will aggregate the powerful statement that
He will return..
Through the centuries, conversation and speculation about the Lord’s return have been sources of great confusion.
All our debating and even arguing flies directly in the face of the Lord’s own caution about getting bogged down in eschatology.
We all have our opinions. Great!
What matters is that we feel the urgency of our work,
we witness in the full expectation and confidence that he will return someday.
Jesus tells us to take heed of this in Revelation 22:12
12 “Look, I am coming soon! My reward is with me, and I will give to each person according to what they have done.”
When he comes, Jesus will bring His reward…with Him, to render to every man according to what he has done.
Believers’ eternal rewards will be based on their faithfulness in serving Christ in this life.
Their works will be tested, and only those with eternal value will survive.
The rewards believers enjoy in heaven will be capacities for serving God:
the greater their faithfulness in this life, the greater will be their opportunity to serve in Heaven (cf. Matt. 25:14-30).
Knowing that, John exhorted believers, “What out that you do not lose what you have worked for, but that you may be rewarded fully” (2 John 8).
The knowledge that Jesus could return at any moment should not lead Christians to a life of idle waiting for His coming (cf. 2 Thess. 3:10-12).
Rather, it should produce diligent, obedient, worshipful service to God, and urgent proclamation of the gospel to unbelievers.
Believers must serve Christ faithfully in light of His imminent return.
Jesus warned, “Behold, I am coming like a thief. Blessed is the one who stays awake and keeps his garments, lest he walk about naked and men see his shame.”
The task of finishing the work that Jesus began, the duty of evangelizing the lost world, is a daunting one.
The Lord in His mercy from the start has provided all the spiritual resources necessary for us to accomplish this task.
It is up to each believer to appropriate those resources and put them to use.
That leaves one last question for the rest of the story.
Are you leading a valid, worthwhile Christian life and ministry if you have not had this experience but are seeking to honor the Lord daily in your life?
The answer is yes. Let's call that solid Christianity.
It is faithful, honest, obedient, loving, persevering service to Christ and his kingdom.
I do not want us to minimize the blessings God has brought to us in this state of life together.
Their have been many and wonderful blessings.
But I ask you, can you not imagine what it might be like if our Father swept us up into his arms?
In the history of Shell Point, the obedient, faithful, persevering years of life have preserved and nurtured the fruit of the times of extraordinary power.
And, to put it the other way around, the times of, faithful, obedient life have prepared the soil here,
But now is the time to seek the extraordinary outpourings of God's Spirit that will take the work of the kingdom forward in a quantum leap,
accomplishing overnight, as it were, what people have been laboring years to see.
I pray that the Lord will give us a double grace:
the grace to walk joyfully and obediently in the wonderful mercy of faithful Christianity, holding our Father's hand;
but also the grace to yearn and pray more and more that we might be clothed with power from on high and swept up into our Father's arms,
that all the world might know that God is real.
