WITNESSES

Proclaiming the Kingdom

Rodney Gehman – May 18, 2025 – Acts 1-10

[ 001 ] Well, church, we have made it to the end of this series on the book of Acts! September 17, 2023 was our first Sunday in Acts, and while we took a few breaks along the way, we’ve covered 1003 verses in over 60 sermons. We have reached the end of the series!

If you were here last week, you know we’ve already covered the last verses of the last chapter, so there are no new verses to talk through today. But we’ve spent so much time covering the life of Paul – at least 30 of the 60+ sermons have been about Paul – that I wanted to go back to the beginning of Acts before we just walked away from it. While Paul is obviously a main character in Acts, he’s not actually the focus.

After 60+ sermons, I want to make sure one last time that we all know what the primary theme of the book of Acts really is – which is why I think this is a very important message for closing out the series.

PRAYER

I want to start by giving you a bit of Bible reading advice. I love to help people read and understand the Bible, and this is a tip I picked up several years ago that has been incredibly helpful when approaching a new book of the Bible. and I call this the bookend theory, or the bookend method, where you take the beginning of a book of the Bible and the end of that same book and then let that help you determine what to look for as you go through it.

For example, turn with me to Acts chapter 1, and let’s start right at the very beginning.

[ 002 ] 1 I wrote the first narrative, Theophilus, about all that Jesus began to do and teach [ 002-2 ] 2 until the day he was taken up, after he had given instructions through the Holy Spirit to the apostles he had chosen. [ 002-3 ] 3 After he had suffered, he also presented himself alive to them by many convincing proofs, appearing to them over a period of forty days and speaking about the kingdom of God.

In the forty days between his resurrection from the dead and ascending back to heaven, his primary focus points were speaking about the kingdom of God, and convincing them that he wasn’t a ghost or a figment of their imagination. That’s the end of the gospels, the beginning of Acts.

Now when you flip all the way to the last page of the book of Acts, where we ended last week, here’s what you see: [ 003 ] From dawn to dusk [Paul] expounded and testified about the kingdom of God. [ 003-2 ] He tried to persuade them about Jesus from both the Law of Moses and the Prophets. 24 Some were persuaded by what he said, but others did not believe. [ 004 ] 30 Paul stayed two whole years in his own rented house. And he welcomed all who visited him, [ 004-2 ] 31 proclaiming the kingdom of God and teaching about the Lord Jesus Christ…

So, do you see that? [ 005 ] In both the intro and the ending, there is teaching, persuading, and proclaiming the kingdom of God. Now that we’ve spent almost 2 years in the book of Acts, what do you think? Does that capture the entire book of Acts? Sure does, right?

Acts 8:12: Philip preaches the good news of the Kingdom of God and the name of Jesus Christ.

Acts 9:29: Paul conversed and debated with Jews who then tried to kill him

Acts 14:22: Paul and Barnabas strengthen disciples, encouraging them that their hardships are part of entering the Kingdom of God.

Acts 17:2–4 “As usual, Paul went into the synagogue, and on three Sabbath days reasoned with them from the Scriptures, explaining and proving that it was necessary for the Messiah to suffer and rise from the dead: “This Jesus I am proclaiming to you is the Messiah.” Some of them were persuaded and joined Paul and Silas, including a large number of God-fearing Greeks, as well as a number of the leading women.” ,

Acts 18:4 “He reasoned in the synagogue every Sabbath and tried to persuade both Jews and Greeks.” ,

Acts 19:8: Paul speaks boldly in the synagogue about the Kingdom of God.

Acts 26:28: Paul tries to convince King Agrippa to confess Jesus.

Acts 28:31: Paul preaches the Kingdom of God and teaches about Jesus boldly.

So the book of Acts is not primarily about miracles or missions or the apostles or speaking in tongues, although those are all important pieces. The main theme of the book of Acts is proclaiming the kingdom of God. This was a huge emphasis in Jesus’ ministry too, to the point where that’s how Jesus even taught his disciples how to pray. Pray, Lord, may your kingdom come on earth as it is in heaven. Jesus taught us to pray that the kingdom would come.

And I thought it would be helpful to close out our series by asking the question, what do we mean by “the kingdom of God”? If that’s what we’re invited to be praying for, if that’s what we’re supposed to be proclaiming, let's look at this one more time before we go.

WHAT IS THE KINGDOM? First of all, what it’s not:

When the Bible talks about the kingdom of God, it’s not talking about the church. I know there is a Christian music band these days called We The Kingdom. I like their music, but the name is wrong. We, the people, are not the kingdom of God. Paul isn’t sitting in prison for two years trying to persuade people to join a church. The kingdom of God involves people, though. [ 006 ] Jesus said in Matthew 25 that the kingdom is something you enter by faith. Colossians 1 says that when someone comes to faith in Christ, we are immediately transferred into the kingdom. Luke 12 says the kingdom is something the Father is excited to give us. We need to enter the kingdom, and Jesus said we have to drop our pride and become like little children to do it.

Secondly, when the Bible talks about the kingdom of God, it’s not talking about an area where the kingdom is. When you take a road trip and enter a new state or a new territory, you see a border sign. A specific flag. Different color police cars maybe. License plates. If you fly to another country, you might hear a different language. [ 006-2 ] But in Luke 17, Jesus told the Pharisees, “The kingdom of God is not coming with something observable; no one will say, ‘See here!’ or ‘There!’ For you see, the kingdom of God is in your midst” or as some translations clarify – the kingdom of God is within you. He said in John 18:36 “My kingdom is not of this world…”

[ 007 ] “The basic meaning of the word kingdom in the Bible is God’s kingly rule — his reign, his action, his lordship, his sovereign governance. For example, consider Psalms 103:19: “The Lord has established his throne in the heavens, and his kingdom rules over all.” You can hear the basic meaning of the word kingdom as rule. He sits as king on his throne of the universe, and his kingly rule — his kingdom and his reign — governs all things.

So when we enter the kingdom by faith, or we are transferred into the kingdom, we are gladly, willingly changing our allegiance from having myself or something else as lord of my life, to putting Jesus in his rightful place as Lord and Sovereign. That’s what we’re praying for when we say, let your kingdom come. Lord, have your way, your will, accomplish your purpose, take your rightful place as Lord here on this earth the same way that happens in heaven.

THE KINGDOM AND ISRAEL

[ 008 title ] All throughout the Hebrew OT there was talk of a future king, appointed by God, a faithful servant, who would rule and reign on a throne of righteousness and justice. Daniel prophesied that this kingdom would dwarf all other kingdoms of the world. God promised David that one of his descendents would be on the throne of this kingdom forever. Ezekiel said it would involve a new heart. Isaiah said this would be a government of peace that would never end. The prophet Joel said that the Spirit being poured out on all people will be one of the signs that the kingdom has come. Even in the gospels, people are looking for the kingdom.

Luke 2:25 “There was a man in Jerusalem whose name was Simeon. This man was righteous and devout, looking forward to Israel’s consolation, and the Holy Spirit was on him.”

Luke 23:51 The man who carried Jesus’ cross “… was looking forward to the kingdom of God.”

Luke 24:21 The two men on the road to Emmaus were so sad and disappointed that Jesus had been crucified, specifically because “… we were hoping that he was the one who was about to redeem Israel.”

The people of Israel had always been looking for a kingdom that would arrive on the scene and save the day. The good news that Jesus proclaimed was that the kingdom of God was here. The promises of the Old Testament have come near in the person and work of Jesus. Blind people are receiving their sight, the lame are walking, people are being set free from demons, sins forgiven… the powers of darkness and sin and death don’t have the final say anymore.

But the people of Israel – Simeon, Joseph, even the disciples – had much different expectations for the kingdom than that. So when Jesus promises the Holy Spirit here in Acts 1, pointing out one of the signs that the kingdom of God was here, the disciples can’t help [ 009 ] but ask in verse 6: “Lord, are you restoring the kingdom to Israel at this time?” Is this the moment we’ve all been waiting for? It’s not a dumb question. It’s like seeing thunderclouds, feeling the wind on your face, the temperature drops, and someone asks, so is it going to rain now? All the signs are there.

This isn’t all that far from the way people today want to know if we’re living in the end times. Is God going to restore the world now? We’ve read the end of the book, right? We know what Revelation says about no tears, no pain, no sorrow, we know from Isaiah that the lion will lay down with the lamb, and there will be peace. We know we’ll be able to eat from the tree of life again, and its leaves will bring healing to the nations, and we’ll enjoy the presence of God for eternity as he shows us more and more and more and more of his mercies and his glory. We know the day is coming where there will be no more funerals, no more hospitals, no more replacement surgeries, no more depression, no more cancer, no more divorce, no more addiction, no more lies – and anytime we see Israel on the news, or strange things in the sky, or whatever, people start asking, Lord, are you restoring us at this time? Could this be the moment? It’s not a dumb question.

But for the disciples, notice, it’s the Kingdom of Israel that is on their minds. Something national and political. Something external that would involve a king and armies. Strength and domination. Government. Boundaries. And why wouldn’t they think that? Most of the prophecies pointed in that direction. But look at their question… are you restoring the kingdom “at this time”?

In Jesus’ mind, that’s a trick question. Yes and no. Yes, the kingdom is here, however, the kingdom isn’t one and done all at once. It is a long, slow, gradual process that starts small – almost invisible. It’s like a seed that is planted and then takes time to grow before you see much fruit. It’s like yeast in a lump of dough that invisibly takes time to work through the entire batch. It’s like a master who went on a long business trip and put all of his employees in charge of the farm while was gone. It takes time and it’s unpredictable.

ALREADY, BUT NOT YET

The rule and reign of Jesus is present now in some ways. With Christ in us, we have power over sin. In Christ, we have authority over spiritual enemies. In Christ, our work, our creativity, our hobbies all have meaning and purpose as we look to glorify God through them. The rule and reign and sovereign action of Christ is seen in the church, as we put sin to death, and walk in the obedience of faith. When you are at the park or the store, and you sense that the Lord wants you to walk up to that person and strike up a conversation, and you obey? The rule and reign of Christ is on display. You’re treating him as Lord. Any time you are tempted to sin or be violent or act in anger or lust or pride, but out of love for Jesus and love for others, you say no to your flesh and yes to his authority in your life – the kingdom is on display. Anytime someone lives their life as if Jesus is Lord, the kingdom is present here and now.

That said, there will be a day when the kingdom will be political. It will have a government. There will be thrones and people ruling in a day where peace and justice and righteousness mark the government instead of corruption, scheming, and abuse of power, and it will be right here on a fully restored and new earth. [ 010 ] Revelation 11 speaks of a time when “The kingdom of the world has become the kingdom of our Lord and of his Christ, and he will reign forever and ever.” That happens when he returns a second time.

So when the disciples ask the question, is it happening now? [ 011 ] 7 He said to them, “It is not for you to know times or periods that the Father has set by his own authority. Don’t worry about it. We are on a need to know basis, and right how, we don’t need to know. The Father doesn’t owe us any explanations for what time it is, why it’s been so long, or what he’s doing.

There’s a lot of talk these days among religious leaders about what age or what time period we are currently in. Are we in this age? Are we in that age? Jesus said in [ 012 ] Luke 17:24, look, when the fullness of the kingdom arrives, you’re going to know it. 24 For as the lightning flashes from horizon to horizon and lights up the sky, so the Son of Man will be in his day.

But that’s not your concern today. Today, you have [ 013 ] one concern: 8… you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth,” and the power of the Holy Spirit is what’s going to help you get it done! Look at this verse. What are they supposed to bear witness to? To Jesus. You will be MY witnesses. That’s how the kingdom grows, like Daniel prophesied, and covers the whole earth. It grows through witness.

That’s what was happening at the end of Acts. Paul expounded and testified about the kingdom of God, trying to persuade them about Jesus from both the Law of Moses and the Prophets. To expound and testify about the kingdom means persuading people that Jesus is the King of the kingdom! In other words, persuading people that the promises of the kingdom are met in Jesus Christ, who is the Lord. The Master. The King. You will be my witnesses, Jesus said, and he gave us his very own Holy Spirit as the power source, our ability, our strength, and the grace to get it done.

PURPOSE

When it comes to finding your purpose in life, the message of Jesus here at the beginning of Acts is that it’s very simple: Be my witnesses. Or as he said in Matthew 28, “Go and make disciples.” [ 014 ] Or as one modern day author puts it: live your life in such a way that the surpassing worth of Jesus Christ looks like what it really is (John Piper). Live your life in such a way that people see the infinite value of Jesus!

Are you a business owner? Testify to the person and work of Jesus. Do you remodel houses, fix cars, or sew things – Jesus would say, be my witnesses. Are you a stay at home mom or dad, a teacher or school employee, a lawyer, retired, are you a bus driver, construction worker, farmer, banker; are you in middle school, high school, college – Bear witness to the surpassing worth of Jesus! Glorify him. Treasure him. Make his infinite value plain to the people you’re around, and when you have the opportunity, teach them to do the same. That’s your purpose on this earth. You were created to glorify God by knowing him, enjoying him, and giving witness to him in whatever you do! We proclaim the kingdom of God when we make much of Jesus!

POWER

[ 015 ] But Jesus himself knows that if he ascends to heaven, and leaves us to our own efforts, we can’t and won’t bear witness to what’s true. We still have a sin nature that is part of us. We are still prone to have ourselves as lord of our lives. On our own strength, we don’t have what it takes to override that sin nature in our flesh. On our own strength, we don’t have what it takes to proclaim the kingdom in a way that people are transformed, turn from sin, and confess Jesus as Lord.

[ 016 ] So in his mercy, in his wisdom and in his kindness, Jesus said, I will send you a helper. John records this in chapters 14-17 of his gospel – the Holy Spirit is our helper, our counselor who will guide us. Jesus even calls the Holy Spirit a “comforter.” How does he comfort them? Can you imagine the disciples’ questions as Jesus leaves?

What if we forget everything you said! The Spirit will remind you!

What if we’re not sure if what we’re saying is right? OR what is we’re not sure we’re reading the scriptures correctly? The Spirit will guide you into all truth! He’ll take what the Father has made known to the Son, and he’ll pass it on to you!

Are you sure we can pull this off? John 15:5 - Without me, you can do nothing. The Father and I will come to you and make our home in you, and that will be your ability to pull this off.

And immediately you see this played out at Pentecost in chapter 2! The Spirit showed up in the wind and fire, and enabled them, verse 3, to do what they were helpless to do just minutes before! The Spirit enabled them to speak in languages they had never learned! Then Peter, filled with the power of God, the helper, the Spirit of truth, now stands up in the middle of a city that only 2 months earlier had crucified Jesus, the same city where Peter and the other disciples had locked themselves in an upper room out of fear, the same city where he denied that he even knew Jesus – and now he boldly proclaims in public to a crowd of thousands – including people who were responsible for crucifying Jesus:[ 017 ] 22 “Fellow Israelites, listen to these words: This Jesus of Nazareth was a man attested to you by God with miracles, wonders, and signs that God did among you through him, just as you yourselves know. [ 017-2 ] 23 Though he was delivered up according to God’s determined plan and foreknowledge, you used lawless people to nail him to a cross and kill him.

[ 018 ] 32 “God has raised this Jesus; we are all witnesses of this. 33 Therefore, since he has been exalted to the right hand of God [ 018-2 ] and has received from the Father the promised Holy Spirit, he has poured out what you both see and hear. [ 019 ] 36 “Therefore let all the house of Israel know with certainty that God has made this Jesus, whom you crucified, both Lord and Messiah.”

Peter, the Jesus-denier, is now Peter the Jesus-proclaimer, and the Holy Spirit is the difference. The Holy Spirit is the power that enables him to get it done.[ 020 ] And the arrow hit the bullseye – When they heard this, they were pierced to the heart (that’s also what Jesus said would happen in John 16:8 – that the Spirit would convict the world of sin, and righteousness, and judgment. It’s not on you to bring conviction on sinners – the Holy Spirit will take care of that too!) and said to Peter and the rest of the apostles, “Brothers, what should we do?” [ 020-2 ] 38 Peter replied, “Repent and be baptized, each of you, in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins, and you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit… who will help you to be Jesus’ witnesses, who will fill you with courage and enable you to override the desires of the flesh.

When the same conversation happens two chapters later, [ 021 ] Luke records 13 When [the people] observed the boldness of Peter and John and realized that they were uneducated and untrained men, they were amazed and recognized that they had been with Jesus.

I love that. You don’t have to have higher education or training to be effective for the kingdom of God – you just have to be with Jesus, and trust him as the Lord, the Sovereign, the Ruler of your life. And that being with Jesus, filled with his Spirit, gave these disciples a boldness that amazed the religious leaders who had both education and training.

When you read the first couple chapters of Acts, it’s like these disciples get shot out of a cannon having no idea where they will land. It’s wild. There’s so much going on in such a short time. 3000 people on their first day, and the Lord adding to that number every day. They don’t have a building to meet in. They have no structure in place yet to withstand the growth. They have no youth group, kids classes, no men’s and women’s ministry, no doctrine classes, no full time pastors or worship leaders. Those things are all great and necessary, and they will come, but they aren’t what makes the church.

What makes up the church is repentant and redeemed people, filled with the Holy Spirit, under the authority of Jesus’ apostles, proclaiming the kingdom of God and persuading others that Jesus is the Messiah: That’s the church of Acts, and I would say that’s still true of the church today.

The fruit of this growth was joy and excitement and generosity and hospitality and community around it all. The things of heaven are making their way to earth. Your kingdom come, your will be done. The kingdom is present.

[ 022 ] And then out of nowhere, we are reminded that the kingdom isn’t fully here yet. A lie infiltrates the church from within. There is still a snake in the garden, and the kingdom of God comes under assault. Peter calls it out and said to the couple who had brought the lie – why have you let Satan fill your heart? You’re not lying to us – you’re lying to God. They both drop dead, and fear fills the church. In chapter 6, attacks from the religious leaders of the day start to happen. There are death threats against the apostles. They get arrested and beaten and in chapter 7 Stephen is murdered, and severe persecution breaks out against the church – led by a guy named Saul – and everyone scatters.

The powers of darkness thought that fear and death and scattering would certainly put this Jesus movement to rest, especially if they used the religious leaders to get to them. But what they didn’t anticipate is [ 023 ] chapter 8:4 – So those who were scattered went on their way preaching the word.

See the enemy’s plan backfired because the kingdom of God isn’t an area. It doesn’t have borders. It doesn’t depend on geography. You can’t defeat this kingdom by moving people out of their hometown. In fact, it has the opposite effect. Because the kingdom is internal, it goes anywhere its citizens go, and the more you threaten them, the more they multiply! So as persecution scattered believers around, the kingdom of God, the sovereign rule and reign of Jesus over sin and death in the hearts and lives of people, went with them into Samaria and Judea and spread north into Syria and south into Ethiopia where more men and women were baptized and received the Holy Spirit!

And in chapters 9 and 10, the most unlikely people of all are welcomed into the kingdom as both Saul the persecutor and Cornelius the Roman centurion are filled with the Spirit.

APPLICATION

[ 024 ] As you read the rest of the New Testament, nothing has changed. The kingdom is still present today anywhere you see the rule and reign and sovereign action of God in the hearts and minds of his people. The kingdom still advances through witness. The kingdom is still available to anyone who will humble themselves, become like a child, repent and let Jesus have complete rule and reign over their lives, their work, their finances, their hobbies, their time, etc. Even the most unlikely people are still eligible to enter the kingdom if they enter through the gate, which is Jesus Christ who lived, died, and rose again for our salvation.

The kingdom is most gloriously revealed in a crucified and risen king. And this king came to earth, born as one of us, grew up like we did – with the exception that he was perfectly obedient to the will of God his Father. He came to show us that global politics isn’t our biggest problem. Cancer or leprosy isn’t our biggest disease. That even demons aren’t our worst enemy.

The greatest indwelling problem we have is our own willful choice to make ourselves king; our own willful desire to be lord of our own lives. And Jesus came to show us that God’s rule and reign in the world is both here presently his sovereign action to redeem and deliver sinners through faith in the crucified and resurrected Jesus, and then in the future when he restores and renews his universe completely.

Amen.