The Acts of Christ Through the Apostles

Introduction

Last Sunday, we concluded our study through the Gospel According to Luke, and today we begin our next sermon series. So, please open your Bibles to the Acts of the Apostles 1:1-3.

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As you know, anytime we begin a new book of the Bible, the first sermon deals primarily with introductory matters, like the background, purpose, and author. Details that will help us to better interpret the whole book. In this case, details that will help us understand what Luke, through the inspiration of the Spirit, intends his readers to learn as they read his book.

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Acts 1:1–3 says, “In the first book, O Theophilus, I have dealt with all that Jesus began to do and teach, until the day when he was taken up, after he had given commands through the Holy Spirit to the apostles whom he had chosen. 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.”

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Please Pray With Me

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Breakdown

The reason I’ve prayerfully chosen to preach through The Book of Acts is because this ultimately is Volume two of Luke’s work, which he diligently researched, compiled, and sent to his friend, Theophilus SO THAT might have an “orderly account” of the historicity and validity of the Christian faith.

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But this book is not JUST for Theophilus. God intended for Luke’s detailed, two volume work, to inform and encourage the whole of Christ’s church. The church that would soon expand across the face of the earth. And therefore, because these two books were intended for the whole church, for a time, they were “circulated as one complete and independent history” of Christ’s work upon the earth.

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In volume one, The Gospel According to Luke, Theophilus and the church learned of everything that had been “accomplished” by Christ while He was upon the earth. Then, in volume two, The Acts of the Apostles, or we could call it, The Acts of Christ THROUGH the Apostles, Theophilus and the church would learn of the humble beginnings and expansion of The Church to the four corners of the earth.

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Additionally, THROUGH Luke’s detailed and orderly account, Theophilus and the church could KNOW with CERTAINTY that the AUTHORITY claimed by the Apostles WAS legitimate. In short, we find that The Book of Acts bridges the gap BETWEEN the earthly ministry of Christ, Who exercises KINGLY authority over His church, and the CONTINUED ministry of Christ THROUGH the Apostles. As they, having received authority FROM Christ, proclaimed the Good News of Christ, THROUGH which Christ would build the Kingdom of God upon the earth.

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These are all truths we find in the opening two verses Acts chapter 1. Here Luke tells Theophilus that in his first book, he had “dealt with ALL that Jesus began to do and teach, until the day when he was taken up.”

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By referring BACK to his first book, his account of the Gospel, Luke is setting the groundwork for what Theophilus would need to know in order to read and correctly interpret this second book. Luke wants Theophilus to REMEMBER the ministry of Christ. Specifically, he wants Theophilus to remember everything that Christ DID and TAUGHT.

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So, WHAT did Christ Jesus begin “to do and teach” that would be pertinent to Theophilus understanding what was contained in this Book of Acts?

To answer this question, let us go back to Luke 4:18-19 and read the very first teaching of Christ that Luke records for us.

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After being tempted by Satan to abandon the will of the Father, Christ returned to his hometown of Nazareth. While there He went to the synagogue on the appointed day of worship, as was His costume, and in the synagogue, He opened the scroll of the prophet Isaiah to read. Luke 4:18–19 records Christs reading of this prophesy saying, “The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he has anointed me to proclaim good news to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim liberty to the captives and recovering of sight to the blind, to set at liberty those who are oppressed, to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor.”

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EVERYTHING that Christ Jesus did and said during His earthly ministry was for THIS purpose! EVERYTHING Christ did and said was to proclaim that He was there to set the depraved captives free from slavery to their own wretched minds and hearts! EVERY word He spoke, every demon He excised, every miracle He performed, UP TO AND INCLUDING His resurrection and ascension, was His proclamation of the Good News that He had come to set sinners free from the chains of sin and death!

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Additionally, Luke wants Theophilus to KNOW that this second book that contains the continued work of Christ THROUGH the Apostles, is, like his first book, a trustworthy historical account.

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Any commentator I have read who has a firm grasp on the Greek language used by the New Testament authors will say that Luke was INDEED an incredibly educated man, as made evident in his mastery of the Greek language he wrote in. The consensus is that Luke’s quality and skill in writing is one of, if not the highest, that we have in ALL the New Testament writings. But Luke’s HIGH reputation does not end there. The DETAIL in which Luke writes has withstood the severest scrutiny from both Christian AND non-Christian historians. When one reads Luke’s works, he can know that Luke’s research spares no expense.

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We see evidence of such rigorous historical detail back in Luke 24:42. After Christ appeared to the Apostles and the other Disciples and showed them His risen body, He told them to touch Him and see that He truly had risen from the dead. Then, for further evidence of His physical resurrection, He asks for some food so that He may eat with them.

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Look at the level of detail Luke gives us regarding this event. He says, in Luke 24:42, “They gave him a piece of broiled fish.”

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Out of the four Gospel writers, Luke is the only one who gives us such meticulous detail. And Luke continues such detailed historical research throughout this second volume of his. For one example, please turn to Acts 3:1-2.

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Acts 3:1–2 says, “Now Peter and John were going up to the temple at the hour of prayer, the ninth hour. And a man lame from birth was being carried, whom they laid daily at the gate of the temple that is called the Beautiful Gate to ask alms of those entering the temple.”

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Then after Peter healed this man in the name of Christ Jesus, the man got up, and while walking and leaping and praising God, he went into the Temple, andThen Acts 3:9–10 says, “And all the people saw him walking and praising God, and recognized him as the one who sat at the Beautiful Gate of the temple, asking for alms. And they were filled with wonder and amazement at what had happened to him.”

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Anybody could go to the BEAUTIFUL GATE and ask about this man and what they had seen, BECAUSE the Beautiful Gate was a REAL location, in a REAL city, in history.

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Now, Luke was not present for this event, however he was present for others.

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Please turn to Acts 16:11-12.

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Acts 16:11–12 says, “So, setting sail from Troas, we made a direct voyage to Samothrace, and the following day to Neapolis, and from there to Philippi, which is a leading city of the district of Macedonia and a Roman colony. We remained in this city some days.”

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Luke intends his readers to KNOW EXACTLY where these things took place, and that he was there to witness them.

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So, through the rigorous and detailed questioning of those He interviewed regarding events he was NOT present for, AND by the incredibly detailed descriptions of the events he WAS present for, we CAN conclude that Luke is one of the greatest historians to have ever walked the face of this earth.

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R. C. Sproul points out that,

Acts Luke the Historian

Luke has been esteemed as the most accurate historian of the ancient world. He enjoys a higher reputation than Suetonius, Heroditus, Tacitus, Pliny, Josephus, or any of the rest. His work has been checked more carefully than anybody else’s.

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Sproul goes on to tell the story of an early “twentieth century… scholar by the name of William Mitchell Ramsay” who was skeptical about Christianity. Saying, Ramsay

Acts Luke the Historian

traced the missionary journeys of the Apostle Paul as recorded in the book of Acts. He looked for evidence in the landscape and ruins and in the titles of the local rulers or magistrates in foreign cities that were not common knowledge to people who lived in Jerusalem. Ramsay started out a skeptic and ended up a believer because he was overwhelmed by the evidence he was able to uncover. The stones were crying out that every title of every magistrate Luke recorded in the book of Acts was verified by the turning over of the shovel. Likewise, the description and accounts of the towns were just as Luke had described them.

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Because of the rigorous and detailed historical research that Luke did in this second volume of his GREAT work, The Acts of the Apostles has been, and should be, regarded as a work of apologetics. Or what we would call a DEFENSE of the Christian faith that has stood up to historical scrutiny for two millennia, being proven an ACCURATE historical document.

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Church family, it is no small thing to say that Theophilus was encouraged by, and the church is continually encouraged by, Luke’s historical accuracy. We can KNOW with certainty that what Luke FIRST gave us in his first book was an accurate telling of the ministry of Christ, and therefore, the events and teachings contained in this Book of Acts are ALSO accurate, and therefore, ALSO trustworthy. And if TRUSTWORTHY, the teachings contained within that were given by the Holy Spirit, through the Apostles, should be diligently studied and applied

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And NOT JUST applied to our personal lives, but ALSO applied to the church, how we worship, and how each member interacts with each other and interacts with the lost world in which we reside. All of which is NOT possible WITHOUT the Holy Spirit’s intervention and guidance. A truth Luke points us back to in Acts 1:2.

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Luke says that while Christ was with the apostles, before His ascension, He gave them “commands THROUGH the Holy Spirit.” And then, in Acts 1:3, Luke connects the work of the Holy Spirit with the furtherance of the Kingdom of God.

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Acts 1:3 says, “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.”

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Luke wanted Theophilus and the Church to KNOW with certainty that he had given them this ACCURATE historical record SO THAT they would BE about the Kingdom of God. But ALSO SO THAT they would KNOW with CERTAINTY that they COULD NOT be about the Kingdom of God, proclaiming the Good News, WITHOUT the presence of the Holy Spirit.

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Please look back with me to Luke 24:47 and verse 49.

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Luke 24:47 says, “and that repentance for the forgiveness of sins should be proclaimed in his name to all nations, beginning from Jerusalem.”

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Theophilus and the church could know from this that Christ INTENDS His church to proclaim the Good News and THROUGH this, The Kingdom of God would spread throughout the whole world! HOWEVER, this could not be accomplished by their OWN power. It must be accomplished by The Holy Spirit of God working THROUGH them. Which Christ teaches, in Luke 24:49 saying, “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.”

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Now, we will deal more with the Holy Spirit, His nature, and His work, as we progress further into The Book of Acts. But for now, we should understand that salvation CANNOT come to sinners apart from a work of The Holy Spirit, AND The Church CANNOT function apart from the Holy Spirit.

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The Holy Spirit is the seal by which sinners will attain the guarantee of their salvation and admittance into the presence of a Holy God. Ephesians 1:13–14 says, “In him you also, when you heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation, and believed in him, were sealed with the promised Holy Spirit, who is the guarantee of our inheritance until we acquire possession of it, to the praise of his glory.”

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It is because of this wonderful work BY the Holy Spirit that sinners can lovingly obey the commands of Christ and rest in these wonderful words of life spoken by Christ in John 15:14–15. He says, “You are my friends if you do what I command you. No longer do I call you servants, for the servant does not know what his master is doing; but I have called you friends, for all that I have heard from my Father I have made known to you.”

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A beautiful truth that leads us to one final element we should consider within these first three verses of Luke’s Acts of the Apostles.

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Theophilus means “Friend of God.”

It can also mean “One who loves God” or is “loved by God.”

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Some have argued that Theophilus was a made-up name intended to address EVERY member of the church, since every member is a friend of God, but I believe this unlikely, as Luke uses the title “Excellent” when addressing Theophilus in Luke 1:3.

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Because of this, I believe Theophilus is a real individual whom Luke cared for, and, THEREFORE, Luke WANTED Theophilus to know, with certainty, that what Christ accomplished and did through the Apostles was true.

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HOWEVER, Theophilus’ name IS important. As, through a great work of the Holy Spirit of God, sinners ARE brought into a right and friendly relationship with God, when BEFORE there was only animosity between Him and us. Luke’s account of the Acts of the Apostles was intended to give Theophilus and the whole church, of every age, the REASON we are now called the friends of God, the REASON we are loved by God, and the REASON we MUST believe that everything contained within the Scriptures is INDEED true.

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Furthermore, Luke wants us to know that we MUST participate in the ever-expanding Kingdom of God THROUGH proclamation of the Gospel AND Biblical worship, ALL BECAUSE we have INDEED been “sealed with the promised Holy Spirit, who is the guarantee of our inheritance.”

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Concluding Thoughts

And so, if you are lost in your sin today, consider the accurate and reliable research God has given us through Luke and SEE that the words contained in God’s Word are true and trustworthy. and if true and trustworthy, consider that these very words call you to believe the Good News that Christ Jesus died for your sin to save you from the wrath of God that you deserve. These words call you to REPENT of your sin, no longer following after your own ways, but following Christ as Lord and King.

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Furthermore, church family, I LOOK FORWARD to going on this journey together through this accurate and reliable historical work that was inspired by the Holy Spirit of God, SO THAT we, First Baptist Church of Ironton, might KNOW with certainty that Christ has redeemed us. SO THAT we might worship Him in His own way. And SO THAT we might proclaim Him to a lost and dying world, ALSO, in His OWN way.

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Please Pray With Me