The Acts
Notes
Transcript
Let’s look at the Gospels and how they led up to where we will start in Acts.
16 Now the eleven disciples went to Galilee, to the mountain to which Jesus had directed them.
17 And when they saw him they worshiped him, but some doubted.
18 And Jesus came and said to them, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me.
19 Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit,
20 teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age.”
14 Afterward he appeared to the eleven themselves as they were reclining at table, and he rebuked them for their unbelief and hardness of heart, because they had not believed those who saw him after he had risen.
15 And he said to them, “Go into all the world and proclaim the gospel to the whole creation.
16 Whoever believes and is baptized will be saved, but whoever does not believe will be condemned.
17 And these signs will accompany those who believe: in my name they will cast out demons; they will speak in new tongues;
18 they will pick up serpents with their hands; and if they drink any deadly poison, it will not hurt them; they will lay their hands on the sick, and they will recover.”
19 So then the Lord Jesus, after he had spoken to them, was taken up into heaven and sat down at the right hand of God.
20 And they went out and preached everywhere, while the Lord worked with them and confirmed the message by accompanying signs.
44 Then he said to them, “These are my words that I spoke to you while I was still with you, that everything written about me in the Law of Moses and the Prophets and the Psalms must be fulfilled.”
45 Then he opened their minds to understand the Scriptures,
46 and said to them, “Thus it is written, that the Christ should suffer and on the third day rise from the dead,
47 and that repentance for the forgiveness of sins should be proclaimed in his name to all nations, beginning from Jerusalem.
48 You are witnesses of these things.
49 And behold, I am sending the promise of my Father upon you. But stay in the city until you are clothed with power from on high.”
50 And he led them out as far as Bethany, and lifting up his hands he blessed them.
51 While he blessed them, he parted from them and was carried up into heaven.
52 And they worshiped him and returned to Jerusalem with great joy,
53 and were continually in the temple blessing God.
20 Peter turned and saw the disciple whom Jesus loved following them, the one who also had leaned back against him during the supper and had said, “Lord, who is it that is going to betray you?”
21 When Peter saw him, he said to Jesus, “Lord, what about this man?”
22 Jesus said to him, “If it is my will that he remain until I come, what is that to you? You follow me!”
23 So the saying spread abroad among the brothers that this disciple was not to die; yet Jesus did not say to him that he was not to die, but, “If it is my will that he remain until I come, what is that to you?”
24 This is the disciple who is bearing witness about these things, and who has written these things, and we know that his testimony is true.
25 Now there are also many other things that Jesus did. Were every one of them to be written, I suppose that the world itself could not contain the books that would be written.
Matthew ends with the Great Commission, Mark likewise, Luke ends with the promise of the Holy Spirit being sent, and John with the promise of the second coming.
Acts picks up the dialogue, the story, where the Gospels end. It bridges the end of Jesus ministry, and the start of the ministry of the church. As we delve into chapter 1, the Great Commission begins with the creation of the “church”, it shows the Holy Spirit coming upon the apostles, and it shows the carrying on of the work of Christ that should continue until his second coming.
1 In the first book, O Theophilus, I have dealt with all that Jesus began to do and teach,
2 until the day when he was taken up, after he had given commands through the Holy Spirit to the apostles whom he had chosen.
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.
4 And while staying with them he ordered them not to depart from Jerusalem, but to wait for the promise of the Father, which, he said, “you heard from me;
5 for John baptized with water, but you will be baptized with the Holy Spirit not many days from now.”
In the first book - Luke speaks of the first book written to Theophilus. The book that covers the beginning of Jesus’ ministry up to His death, burial, and resurrection. Why was this important? Think back to history. How many of us love learning about the things of the past? Variations on the repeating-history theme appear alongside debates about attribution. Irish statesman Edmund Burke is often misquoted as having said, “Those who don’t know history are destined to repeat it.” Spanish philosopher George Santayana is credited with the aphorism, “Those who cannot remember the past are condemned to repeat it,” while British statesman Winston Churchill wrote, “Those that fail to learn from history are doomed to repeat it.” One thing we can agree on is this though, drawing wisdom from the past may not stave off ignorance, but it can help us understand the present and illuminate the future. Luke, the physician, has done this to a man named Theophilus. So, who was this man?
The Lexham Bible Dictionary, describes THEOPHILUS (Θεόφιλος, Theophilos); as literally a “lover/friend of God.” The person to whom the Gospel of Luke and the book of Acts are addressed. “Theophilus” might refer to a title or a proper name. It also could be an epithet concealing the addressee’s true identity or a general designation for the Christian reader. Specific Person Although Theophilus’ Greek name indicates that he was a Gentile, he likely had some acquaintance with Judaism and the geography of Israel. Luke 1:4 suggests that Theophilus might have sought details that would enhance his limited knowledge of Jesus’ life and the early church. A direct inquiry could have prompted Luke to write his Gospel and Acts, in the hopes of influencing Theophilus toward Christianity. Garrison speculates that Luke wrote to Theophilus, a Gentile non-Christian, to show him that Christians were not hostile to the Roman Empire, as many suspected (Garrison, Significance of Theophilus, 97). On the other hand, Theophilus already might have been a follower of Jesus who required certain instructions geared toward new converts. Since one tradition claims that Luke wrote while in Greece, Jerome speculated that the recipient might be a famous official in Athens by the same name. The tradition that Theophilus was bishop of Antioch or Caesarea cannot be substantiated. The honorific “most excellent” (Luke 1:3) might indicate a measure of power or wealth. This expression is used elsewhere to describe Roman government officials (Acts 23:26; 24:3; 26:25), which suggests that Theophilus could have been one himself. Streeter speculates that he might have been Titus Flavius Clemens, the Emperor Vespasian’s nephew (Streeter, Four Gospels, 559). Marx provides some evidence that Theophilus was none other than Herod Agrippa II (Marx, “A New Theophilus,” 17–26). It’s possible that he was simply a literary sponsor, since “most excellent” could designate anyone with a position of means. Still’s theory that Theophilus was Paul’s defense attorney during his audience with Caesar in Rome lacks evidence (Still, St. Paul on Trial, 84). If Theophilus was a Roman official or a person of means, it is significant that Luke emphasizes the poor more than the other Gospels (see Luke 4:18; 6:20; 7:22; 14:13, 21; 16:19–31; 21:2–3).
So, we still know as little about who Theophilus is as we began, but we know there was a purpose for Luke writing to him and being specific in his descriptions of the work of the Jesus and the apostles after the resurrection.
Luke goes on to describe the resurrection of Jesus was an actual event, not only was it actual but Luke goes on to stress the Jesus presented Himself to each and every one of them as one who was alive. He wanted to ensure Theophilus knew that Jesus was not in a grave somewhere, He had not been moved or removed and taken to another location, instead He had been risen and was ALIVE!!! This morning, if we remember how Jesus resurrected Lazarus - his resurrection was in the physical form. He still had his grave clothes on, he was still bound by the physical, and he required help coming out of the things that were binding him. HOWEVER, IN STARK CONTRAST, Jesus resurrected in a GLORIFIED form and left all the bonds of this world behind. THIS is why it was so important for Luke to continue writing to Theophilus - he had to be Paul Harvey and make sure he had “the rest of the story”.
Not only was Jesus alive, in His glorified resurrected state, He stayed with them for a period of forty days, appearing approximately 10 times so others could visibly see His glorified form. Why did Jesus stay on earth for this time? To speak of the Kingdom of God. He made Himself known to the apostles so they could understand what He meant by being resurrected after three days, and to point to the work He had prepared them for the previous three year. All His work could not have been in vain! Looking more closely at verse 2, where did the commands come from?
2 until the day when he was taken up, after he had given commands through the Holy Spirit to the apostles whom he had chosen.
From the time Jesus was born, until the time He was taken up, He too was under the subjection and will of the Holy Spirit! But, Jesus did not ascend until after He gave instructions through the Holy Spirit to the apostles whom He had chosen to carry out His work. “Taken up” reminds us of Elijah’s translation (2 Kings 2:9–11). It was the occasion of the beginning of Elisha’s ministry, just as Christ’s ascension was the beginning of the Church’s ministry. Furthermore, if Jesus relied on the Holy Spirit, then how much more do we NEED to rely on Him?
During this time Jesus was on earth after He resurrected, He told the disciples to not leave Jerusalem. He would be giving them signs, providing PROOF, of His resurrection. The disciples needed to be there to see this, as they would be attesting of Him throughout the rest of their ministries. Not only was He working to secure their belief there was another important reason to stay there. So they could receive the promise of the Father. They, too, would receive the Holy Spirit. Jesus tells them that John baptized by water, but they too would be a baptised by/with the Holy Spirit. Now, what is meant by this statement? Does it mean that the baptism by water is how they would receive the Holy Spirit? No! Does it mean one must be done as a condition of the other? No! But, I see two distinct baptisms. One by water, which is the outward sign of the inward change and the second by the immersion, the filling of the Holy Spirit which comes to a believer upon their profession of faith.
Do we see a picture of the apostles being baptized by water in the book of Acts? NO! So, the water baptism was not a condition of receiving the Holy Spirit was it? So, why do we see this emphasis on the baptism, the filling, the immersion of the apostles with the Holy Spirit? Up to this point, was the Holy Spirit active in the lives of believers? No, it has been promised as a gift that WOULD be given throughout Old Testament prophecies! Now, Jesus was fulfilling this part of OT prophecy by the Holy Spirit coming to those apostles and other believers as we will see on the day of Pentecost. John had also told this would occur in Mark 1:8.
8 I have baptized you with water, but he will baptize you with the Holy Spirit.”
During Moses’ 40 days on Mount Sinai God gave him the Law. But during these 40 days Jesus gave His disciples a better “law.” He was preparing them to carry on after His departure. To do so, meant they would need to be filled with the Holy Spirit which would guide, lead, and direct them just as they had Jesus during His ministry on earth. How much more do we need the Holy Spirit today!.