Acts 01_01-05 Thunder

Read Acts 1:1-4 – This book is written to Theophilus – same as the Gospel of Luke, thus identifying Dr. Luke as its author. Who’s Theophilus? His name means “friend of God”. In Lu 1:3, Lu calls him “most excellent Theophilus”, a title Lu also uses of the Roman governors, Felix and Festus. Thus he was likely of the educated, ruling class of society, probably a Roman. He clearly wanted to know all he could about Jesus and had very likely become a Xn.

Now, to get the flavor of Acts, here’s a question. When you see lightning, what is the one thing you know? Thunder is coming, right? Thunder follows lightning like day follows night. It may be now, or it may be delayed a few seconds, but it’s coming. You can’t have lightning without thunder. And if the life of Christ in Lu’s gospel is Lightning, Acts is Thunder.

Imagine reading the Gospel of John, and the next page is Romans. You’d wonder, who in the world is Paul, and how did Jesus’ message get to Rome already. You need the Thunder of Acts to bridge that gap.

We think of Jesus’ life as confined to the gospels – birth to ascension. Life in full, done and over with. But look at Lu’s language again: “I have dealt with all the Jesus began to do and teach.” Implication – He’s not done yet. Not even close. We here today are an extension of Jesus’ work. He’s not on the scene now, but what He started in His earthly life and continued in Acts is still in progress. His earthly life was the Lightning; but the Thunder rolls on!

So, what is that work? His life, death and resurrection purchased forgiveness from sin and release from guilt for all who believe. Now His work is to gather more believers, to take up rule in their hearts and enroll them in the kingdom of God about which Jesus continued to teach His disciples until ascension.

With Israel’s rejection of their Messiah, God’s kingdom program took a turn. God put Israel on the shelf for a time and formed a new people for Himself -- the church. In the church, Christ works through His disciples to bring others to Himself and rule in their hearts until Israel is provoked to jealousy and God one day turns His attention specifically toward them again.

Meantime, the King rules in the hearts of believers, and kingdom principles drive the lives of people called the church. Acts shows us how it all came about; how the message spread; how we got from the end of the gospels to the epistles. Acts is the bridge. How did this little group of defeated followers of Jesus establish a community that eventually overcame the Roman empire? They had nothing going for them – no money, no strategic leaders, no technological tools, or proven strategy. They taught truths that the world found incredible, worshiped a crucified man, and were subject to intense persecution. Yet, the church spread from this obscure corner of the world to the world’s capital within the lifetime of the first generation of believers.

In 1942 when the Allies won their first victory over Hitler, Churchill said: “This is not the end. It is not even the beginning of the end. But it is, perhaps, the end of the beginning.” So Acts shows that Jesus’ resurrection was not the end. It was not even the beginning of the end, but it was the end of the beginning. And here we are 2,000 years later, still part of the continuing history of Jesus Christ. We’re into something big and can take heart at how the lightning of Jesus’ life rolls on in the thunder of His lifechanging gospel. It’s a spellbinding story; these 5 verses are a first clap of thunder that intro us to the primary players who are center stage in this great, cosmic drama.

The Head

The idea that all religions lead to God by different roads is the height of stupidity. They do not and cannot. Their contradictory claims are impossible to reconcile. Eventually we must choose. Which is more credible, and it is here that Xnty separates itself. Two major facts separate it from the rest of the field and elevate it far above any other religions. First, grace is at the core of the Xn faith. Every other religion tells us what we must do to be accepted by God. Xnty alone tells us what we intuitively know. We can’t make ourselves acceptable to God. Rather, God has in His own Son paid the penalty for our sin, paving the only way to Him by faith in Jesus. It’s not about man ascending the mountain; it’s about God descending to save a lost race.

The second differentiating feature of Xnty is it’s not about religion; it’s about a relationship with a crucified, risen Lord. Every other religious founder died and that was it – the end! Jesus died but that was just the beginning bc He rose again, and while the great work of redemption was complete, the work of spreading the good news of that redemption was only beginning. He was and He remains the head of His church. Two critical facts contribute to this.

A. Jesus is Living – This is the most wonderful thing about being a Xn. Our Savior is living. No other religion can make this fantastic claim. Jesus overcame our greatest enemy – death, and He is alive. We don’t revere a dead leader, we worship a living Lord. We don’t do pilgrimages to a gravesite to do homage; we visit an empty tomb. That’s a world of difference?

There is no Xn faith without the resurrection. The disciples fled, and were ready to scatter – until they met Jesus again face-to-face. Resurrection turned them around; it turned Jesus’ brothers around; it turned Paul around. Take that away and there is not Xn faith. His redemptive work would have been negated had He remained in the tomb. How can you save someone else from death if you can’t save yourself?! That was Paul’s point in I Cor 15:17: “And if Christ has not been raised, your faith is futile and you are still in your sins.”

So right at the beginning of this book, Luke emphasizes Jesus’ resurrection: 3 He presented himself alive to them after his suffering by many proofs, appearing to them during forty days and speaking about the kingdom of God.” Jesus’ resurrection was the lynchpin for everything. So, He gave many proofs (irrefutable evidence) that this was all real. In a sense, His work was done. Redemption was bought and paid for. He could have returned immediately to the Father, but He stayed another 40 days giving proofs of His resurrection.

They began the minute He left the grave. Recall what Peter and John found: Jn 20:6: “Then Simon Peter came, following [John], and went into the tomb. He saw the linen cloths lying there, 7 and the face cloth . . . folder up in the place by itself.” Who would move the body and leave the grave cloths, looking as tho a body were still in them, face napkin neatly folded. Something extraordinary had happened. That day and in the days that followed, Jesus talked and walked with them. From His first visit, the evening of resurrection, He gave proofs. Lu 24:39) See my hands and my feet, that it is I myself. Touch me, and see. For a spirit does not have flesh and bones as you see that I have.” 40) And when he had said this, he showed them his hands and his feet. [That’s a good start, but he wasn’t done yet] 41) And while they still disbelieved for joy and were marveling, he said to them, “Have you anything here to eat?” 42) They gave him a piece of broiled fish, 43) and he took it and ate before them.”

Thomas wasn’t there for that first meeting. He insisted on seeing the scars for himself. So a week later, Jesus came to the disciples through locked doors. Spooky?! Yes! But not a ghost. How gentle He was with Thomas’ honest doubt. Jn 20:27: “Then he said to Thomas, “Put your finger here, and see my hands; and put out your hand, and place it in my side. Do not disbelieve, but believe.” 28 Thomas answered him, “My Lord and my God!” 29 Jesus said to him, “Have you believed because you have seen me? Blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed.” The evidence was irrefutable; the proofs were strong enough for them to die for.

So a living Jesus is head of His church. He’s not a dead founder; He’s a living head. The 1961 movie, El Cid documents the life of Rodrigo Diaz who led the fight to unite Spain against African invaders. In a horrific battle, an arrow gives him a fatal wound. But next day his followers tie his dead body onto his horse with guides on either side to support him. When the enemy sees his open eyes, they believe he has risen from the dead and flee leading to a final victory. That’s like us, Beloved, except our champion really is alive! He really has risen from the dead, and so, as a living Lord, he continues the work he started 2,000 years ago in our hearts and in our lives. Jesus lives.

B. Jesus is Leading – Not only is Jesus alive, but He leads His own. His ascension was not for the purpose of fleeing the scene, but to extend His leadership. Eph 1:20 speaks of the Father’s power, 20) that he worked in Christ when he raised him from the dead and seated him at his right hand in the heavenly places, 21) far above all rule and authority and power and dominion, and above every name that is named, not only in this age but also in the one to come. 22) And he put all things under his feet and gave him as head over all things to the church.” Nothing in the universe is outside His purview.

And as our head, He prays for us (Rom 8:34; Heb 7:25), forgives us (I Jn 1:9); represents us (I Jn 2:1), gives wisdom (Jas 1:5), disciplines (Heb 12:5), answers prayer (Jn 14:13) and much, much more. The head of the church is not the pastor, the elders, the deacons or anyone else. It is Jesus alone, so we are privileged to seek His will in all we do. A Buddhist cannot appeal to Buddha for leadership; he’s gone. A Hindu cannot appeal to Vishnu for leadership; He’s gone. A Muslim cannot appeal to Muhammad for help; he’s gone. But we have a living Lord to look to for guidance and help.

Too often we appeal to business principles and marketing strategy to grow the church, thinking numbers equal success. Rockstar Michael Been of The Call charged: “Everything that goes on in every major corporation goes on inside the church except as a sideline the Church teaches religion.” That is a tragic indictment. If Jesus Christ lives, and He does, then He alone is the head of the church – her sole and single goal. Obedience, not numbers, is our goal.

II. The Body

The next actors we find in this drama are 2b: “the apostles whom he had chosen [εκλεγομαι].” This refers to the 12 whom Jesus specifically chose to carry the burden of leadership on earth following His ascension. During these 40 days they are getting last minute instructions, if you will, from the Head.

A summary is given in Mt 28:19: “Go therefore and make disciples of all nations.” Their mission was to lead others to faith in Jesus. Those who do have also been chosen. All believers have been chosen by God Himself. Eph 1:4: “even as he chose us in him [Christ] before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and blameless before him.” I Cor 1:27: “But God chose what is foolish in the world to shame the wise.” Jas 2:5: “Listen, my beloved brothers, has not God chosen those who are poor in the world to be rich in faith and heirs of the kingdom.” Why did God choose who He chose? Certainly not for our intelligence or personality or beauty.

Yet God chose us. Do you know how special that is?! It’s been said, “Many a young man thought he had chosen the girl who became his wife – only to find out after the wedding that she had first chosen him.” Same with us and Christ. We’d have never chosen Him had He not first chosen us. The word “church” means “called ones.” We thought we chose Him, but it turns out He chose us. We’ve been chosen in Christ.

And, in the words of Paul in Eph 1:23, we are “his body, the fullness of him who fills all in all.” We fill out Christ – not that we could ever add anything to Him, but as now being his eyes and ears and hands and feet in this world. What He started, He now continues – only thru us -- a priceless privilege.

A cartoon shows a psychiatrist in his chair taking notes. On the couch lies life-size piece of a puzzle. The puzzle piece says, “Did you ever feel like you’re part of something greater than yourself?” Xns are – representing Jesus in this world. He said in Mt 16:18b: “I will build my church – I will build it – and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it.” If you’re a Xn today, you’re into something far bigger than yourself. You’re into something great. Holocaust survivor, Viktor Frankl, saw many lose their faith and their will to live. But he concluded, “Happiness is the unintended side-effect of one’s personal dedication to a cause greater than oneself or as the by-product of one’s surrender to a person other than oneself.” This explains why so many of us are unhappy – we’re our own biggest cause, the most important people in our lives. How much greater to be part of His mission on earth.

Conc – Now there is one more player that we could not get to today. The head of this new thing, the church, is Christ. The body is us. But the animator – the one who gives it life is the HS. More on Him next week.

Meantime, know how special it is to be called by Christ to be part of His mission to reverse all Satan’s attempts to defeat mankind. TBS in Isa 49:1b: “The Lord called me from the womb, from the body of my mother he named my name.” Is that good or what? Joe DiMaggio met Babe Ruth in the Yankee locker room around 1937. He was amazed when Ruth came up to him, pumped his hand in a warm handshake and said, “Hello, Joe.” Amazing. But Left Gomez, who’d been around Ruth for years later told DiMaggio, “Ruth had two names for ballplayers – ‘Doc’ for those who’d been around for awhile, and ‘Kid’ for those who were new.” He went on, “Joe – that’s the first time I ever heard him call anybody by name.” How special would that have been. But nothing compared to God’s promise; “Behold, I have engraved you on the palms of my hands; your walls (the building of your life) are continually before me” (Isa 49:16). If Jesus is the lightning, then we who belong to Him are the Thunder. So, let’s roll! Let’s pray.

Related Media

Related Sermons