When The Spirit Comes
WHEN THE SPIRIT COMES
(ACTS 1:1-11)
INTRODUCTION
1. In the islands of the Pacific they have an intriguing way of trapping monkeys. They cut a hole in a coconut and put a pebble inside, and stake the coconut to the ground...
The monkey's curiosity becomes his own downfall.
2. The monkey trap of man is knowledge about the future. We all want to know what will happen. Astrology, visualization, Buddhism, Hinduism, Science--all really get their significance in trying to understand, explain, even predict, the future. If you want to draw a crowd, preach a message on "How to Know God's Will." The future is like a magnet to us. Irresistable. It determines our job, mate, investments. We spend a lot of time on it.
3. The book of the ACTS is the third historical writing in the Bible.
a. Gen-Ruth -- OT history -- The Acts of God the Father
b. Mat-John -- Gospels -- The Acts of God the Son
c. Acts The Acts of God the Spirit
4. We find ourselves, therefore, about to look at the outset of a new Era.
5. We are on the brink of the third major phase of God's workings in Human History. Each is well-defined, each has its significant occurances, each has its climactic moments.
I. WAIT ON PROVISION FROM THE FATHER (1-5)
A. The disciples knew some things
1. The cross was past
2. Jesus was with them again
3. He was teaching them about the kingdom
4. The promise of the Spirit was imminent.
5. Were they chomping at the bit?
B. But Jesus commanded them to wait.
C. (I can handle anything but "wait." Give me anything, but waiting. It's totally against. I like to be in control... Give me yes--then I can do something. Give me no--I can spring into action on that, too. But "wait"? Too iffy.
TO WAIT IS TO LET GOD BE IN CONTROL.
I like to be in control.)
D. The disciples found themselves on the brink of something really big, and Jesus commanded only, "WAIT."
II. WORK BY THE POWER HOLY SPIRIT (6-8)
A. They were concerned about the future--Jesus refocused them on the present.
1. They concerned with the big picture--Jesus on the power of the Spirit.
2. They on theology--Jesus on ministry.
B. They would recognize the presence of the Holy Spirit in two areas:
1. What He would do to them
a. He would teach them
b. He would remind them of all truth
c. He would give them a new boldness
2. What he would do through them
a. they would be witnesses of Jesus wherever He sent them.
C. THE POWER OF THE HOLY SPIRIT IS ESSENTIAL TO ALL ACCOMPLISHMENT IN THE CHRISTIAN LIFE.
(They were to wait for the promise to be realized, watch for the power to be received, but they were to ...)
III. WATCH FOR THE RETURN OF THE SON (9-11)
CONCLUSION
1. Even though we've just begun our study in Acts, there is something for us to be well aware of .
2. A.T. Pierson, in his commentary on this book, wrote:
Church of Christ! The records of these acts of the Holy Ghost have never reached completeness. This is the one book which has no proper close, because it waits for new chapters to be added so fast and so far as the people of God shall reinstate the blessed Spirit in his holy seat of control.
THE WORK BEGUN BY GOD THE SON
ACT 1:1 The first account I composed, Theophilus, about all that Jesus began to do and teach, Luke is the author.
began - the Gospel was only the beginning of what Luke was about to reveal.
to do and to teach - Jesus' ministry was not just teaching, it was activity as well
if we would emulate jesus, it is not enough just to have knowledge, it must include action
BECAUSE OF THE HOLY SPIRIT
ACT 1:2 until the day when He was taken up, after He had by the Holy Spirit given orders to the apostles whom He had chosen. Luke's gospel covers up to the ascension
So, Acts opens with a review then of the last days up to the ascension.
by (lit. on account of, for the sake of - dia + acc.) the Holy Spirit: it is for the sake of the Holy Spirit that Jesus spoke to the disciples.
there is a whole new era about to begin. We could call the OT through John the Baptist "the Acts of God the Father," the period of the Gospels "the Acts of God the Son"; now, is about to commence "The Acts of God the Holy Spirit," and, much in the tradition of John the Baptist, Jesus is "handing off the earthly ministry to The Holy Spirit.
the apostles - this is not the first use of the word apostolos = "sent out ones" (cf. John 13:16). But it seems to bear a distinction from "disciple" (Luke 6:13).
whom He had chosen - So, these twelve, now eleven, were special, chosen specifically by Christ. They had been with Him, and they were the ones He would depend upon to carry out His great commission.
ACT 1:3 To these He also presented Himself alive, after His suffering, by many convincing proofs, appearing to them over {a period of} forty days, and speaking of the things concerning the kingdom of God. forty days - the ascension, then, was about five days before Pentecost. And, then, so was the time spent in prayer in the upper room (v. 12)
the kingdom of God - the content of their talk in this forty day period was God's kingdom. This isn't a dominate topic in Acts (7x). But it is in this and the last verse in the book. It is prominent in Luke's Gospel (27x), and there seems to refer mainly to eternal life.
ANTICIPATION OF THE HOLY SPIRIT
ACT 1:4 And gathering them together, He commanded them not to leave Jerusalem, but to wait for what the Father had promised, "Which," {He said,} "you heard of from Me;
ACT 1:5 for John baptized with water, but you shall be baptized with the Holy Spirit not many days from now."
Not to leave Jerusalem? Wait -
Their mission could not begin without the presence of God in their lives.
what was promised - it the Holy Spirit that is anticipated, and it will be very soon!
ACTION OF THE HOLY SPIRIT
ACT 1:6 And so when they had come together, they were asking Him, saying, "Lord, is it at this time You are restoring the kingdom to Israel?" they had a focus problem
What was about to happen was not perfectly clear. Now that Jesus had accomplished his primary mission, dying on the cross, what was to keep Him from declaring Himself king, and taking His throne. Their question is parallel to that of the Jews at the first advent. Is this it? Since that wasn't it, is this it?
to Israel? Their understanding here was that Israel was still God's nation. They didn't yet realize the full impact of Jesus condemnation of the nation for rejecting Him, an understanding that would be made clear by the Holy Spirit when He came (as indicated by the content of Peter's sermon; cf. 2:40)
ACT 1:7 He said to them, "It is not for you to know times or epochs which the Father has fixed by His own authority; His response indicates that what God is up to is not to be their big concern.
by His own authority - this is God's area of concern, alone.
God is sovereign over the times and epochs, geography...
The timing of the kingdom is not to be their focus, but rather the work at hand.
how hard it is for us to keep our priorities straight! Here Jesus reproves them for even asking about the timing of the coming Kingdom. They will have enough to do without worrying about theology.
ACT 1:8 but you shall receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you shall be My witnesses both in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and even to the remotest part of the earth." What God is doing with Israel and when isn't of concern. What will happen is that when the Holy Spirit comes, there will be power (-ability, abundance, meaning, might, power, strength, (wonderful) work.))
and you shall be my witnesses - the word my is in an emphatic position. No question what their witness is to be about, and it's not primarily the kingdom of God, but rather the Person of Christ.
being a witness is a result of the power of the Holy Spirit in the life of the martures. The power they receive will lead to Christian witness.
The power of the Holy Spirit was indicated in two ways:
1) what He did in them: giving them (a) leading them into all truth (John 14); and (b) giving them the boldness to speak out about Christ; and
2) what He did through them: convicting those who heard the message of sin, righteousness, and judgment (John 16)
witnessing to the person of christ is a result of Spiritual indwelling. In the book of Acts we will see many signs and wonders attesting to the validity of the Apostles' message. Their witness will be believed because of the signs they do.
The evidence of the power of the Spirit in the lives of the Apostles wasn't so much the miracles, signs, wonders. Rather, it was the conviction and conversion of hardened enemies of the church.
Jesus' statement here is not a command to witness, it is a prediction of what will happen when the Holy Spirit comes down.
It is not a strategy for evangelism, it is a prophecy of what is about to take place under the sovereign hand of God. They will testify in Jerusalem, but will not move out into Judea & Samaria until the Spirit causes it, and to the uttermost parts because of persecution (Acts 9).
ACT 1:9 And after He had said these things, He was lifted up while they were looking on, and a cloud received Him out of their sight. a cloud - the shekinah glory, the same cloud that stood over the tabernacle, that surrounded Mt. Sinai. It was God receiving back His beloved Son, in whom He was well pleased.
(cf. Luke 9:34-35: While he was speaking, a cloud appeared and enveloped them, and they were afraid as they entered the cloud. A voice came from the cloud, saying, "This is my Son, whom I have chosen; listen to him.")
ACT 1:10 And as they were gazing intently into the sky while He was departing, behold, two men in white clothing stood beside them;
ACT 1:11 and they also said, "Men of Galilee, why do you stand looking into the sky? This Jesus, who has been taken up from you into heaven, will come in just the same way as you have watched Him go into heaven."