Acts 1:1-3

The first account I composed, Theophilus,

Luke us referring us back to his gospel

Acts is a continuation of Luke, the 2nd part of a two part story

It’s important to recognize that the books of Scripture weren’t written in a vacuum

They each have their own context, a particular author, a reason for writing, etc. We need to interpret passages within a book by understanding the context of the book itself

However, we also need to understand that they are each part of an entire body of work, the Scriptures as a whole

They all have the same Author, the Holy Spirit

Luke is writing to the same recipient that the Gospel was written to

The audience is familiar with the story of Jesus. It’s assumed that they have read Luke

What we read in Acts is to be interpreted in light of what Jesus has said and done

about all that Jesus began to do and teach, until the day when He was taken up to heaven,

Acts is a continuation of the work and teachings of Jesus

We see the continued work of Jesus in him building his church through the Holy Spirit

We see miraculous works through the apostles, however the greatest work of Christ is seen in the building of his church

Jesus builds his church through the proclamation of the gospel message

Jesus continues his work of building his church to this day

We have the continued teaching of Jesus through the teachings of the Apostles

Everything taught by the Apostles was learned from Jesus

The New Testament is the teaching of the Apostles written down, and by that extension it is the teaching of Jesus

If Bibles were consistent, all of the words would be printed in red letters

His work on the cross was finished. He had glorified the eternal God by redeeming his people through his propitiatory sacrifice

John 17:4 I glorified You on the earth, having accomplished the work which You have given Me to do.

Hebrews 9:12 Through His own blood He entered the holy place once for all, having obtained eternal redemption.

His sacrifice was sufficient for all people for all time

While Christ’s work was finished in one sense, in another it was just getting started

This work would be finished by the ministry through the Holy Spirit through the apostles, and the church as a whole until he returns

after He had by the Holy Spirit given orders to the apostles whom He had chosen.

Jesus and the Holy Spirit

Throughout the Gospels, we see the relationship Jesus has with the Holy Spirit

Jesus was conceived by the Holy Spirit Luke 1:35

The Spirit descends on him at his baptism Luke 3:21-22

The Spirit leads him into the wilderness Luke 4:1

Through the Spirit Jesus speaks the words of God John 3:34 “For he is sent by God. He speaks God’s words, for God gives him the Spirit without limit.” NLT

One of the signs of the Messiah is that he will be indwelled by the Holy Spirit Isaiah 42:1-4, Luke 17-21 quoting Isaiah 61:1

Performs miracles and casts out demons through Christ Matthew 12:28

Raised Christ from the dead Romans 8:11

The Spirit is seen here guiding Jesus in the conclusion of his earthly ministry

He is seen throughout Acts guiding the apostles and building Christ’s church through them

At the beginning of Acts we see Jesus by the Holy Spirit giving instruction to the apostles

Jesus had finished his earthly ministry. He was preparing his apostles for theirs

Apostle: sent one, ambassador, envoy, delegate

The apostles were Jesus’ personal representatives and eyewitnesses to his resurrection

There is a generic sense that the word can be used on anyone who fits the description

However, there is a special category in which that word is used special eyewitnesses to the resurrected Christ

Luke 6:13 And when day came, He called His disciples to Him and chose twelve of them, whom He also named as apostles:

This category would later include Matthias, and then Paul. It was not used generically of every Christian, or as an office that would be filled when all of the eyewitnesses had died

Almost every false form of Christianity has some kind of apostle

The pope in Rome is seen as the successor to the apostle Peter by Roman Catholics

There are 12 Apostles of the Mormon church in Salt Lake City

New Apostolic Reformation claims to have apostles

This is nothing new. Groups throughout history have sprung up with their leaders claiming apostolic authority

As there are no living eyewitnesses to Christ today, there are no apostles

Paul asks in 1 Corinthians 12:11 All are not apostles, are they? Implying that it is a unique office

When searching for a replacement for Judas, one of the requirements was someone who had been with and seen Jesus

Acts 1:21-22 “Therefore it is necessary that of the men who have accompanied us all the time that the Lord Jesus went in and out among us— beginning with the baptism of John until the day that He was taken up from us—one of these must become a witness with us of His resurrection.”

The Apostles carried the same authority as the one who sent them

They taught and preached in his name

Their teachings carry the same authority as the Lord who sent them

That is why our New Testament, though it wasn’t written by Jesus, carries the same authority as Jesus

To these He also presented Himself alive after His suffering, by many convincing proofs,

The resurrection in theological liberalism

A spiritual resurrection

The living on of the ideas that Jesus preached

When people act like Jesus (whatever that means) we are the embodiment of the resurrected Jesus

A physical resurrection is nonsense

The resurrection of Jesus: the most important event in human history

An essential element of the gospel message

We may rush over it in our gospel presentations

If we don’t proclaim the resurrection, we don’t have the whole gospel

1 Corinthians 15:14-9 and if Christ has not been raised, then our preaching is vain, your faith also is vain. Moreover we are even found to be false witnesses of God, because we testified against God that He raised Christ, whom He did not raise, if in fact the dead are not raised. For if the dead are not raised, not even Christ has been raised; and if Christ has not been raised, your faith is worthless; you are still in your sins. Then those also who have fallen asleep in Christ have perished. If we have hoped in Christ in this life only, we are of all men most to be pitied.

Because Christ was raised, death is not the end

We look forward to our own resurrection

Because Christ was raised the gospel is true

It’s not a mere opinion, it is not a philosophy to live by, it’s not one of many ways to God, but it is the ultimate reality of the universe

Because Christ was raised then we can stand before a holy God by faith in that reality

The resurrection proves that Jesus was who he claimed to be

Many in the world today will say that Jesus never claimed to be anything special, but his followers made him out to be God

The truth is, Jesus himself made that bold claim to deity

In John 5 Jesus called God his own Father, making him equal with God. This caused listeners to want to kill him

In John 6 Jesus said that it was only through looking to him and believing in him that man can have eternal life

Jesus claimed to be the light of the world, and called on those who thirst to go to him

Jesus claimed to be one with God the Father

Jesus used the divine name I AM of himself

Jesus claimed to have been alive when Abraham was alive

Jesus claimed to be the Son of Man from the book of Daniel, a title associated with deity

Jesus claimed that if he were put to death he would be raised from the dead three days later

Because Jesus was raised from the dead, all of these claims were proven to be true

God the Father in raising Jesus from the dead affirmed everything that he has ever said

Everything that Jesus said about himself is true

Everything that Jesus said about humanity is true

Every command that Jesus gave is binding

We can trust in every promise that he has made to us

The resurrection of Jesus: an undeniable historical reality

It is recorded in the God-breathed Scriptures

Both the Old and New Testaments announce the resurrection of the Messiah

God spoke through the prophets that the Messiah would be raised from the dead

Isaiah 53 The servant dies and is alive again

David in Psalm 16 You will not allow your holy one to undergo decay

Zechariah 12 They will look on me whom they have pierced

The gospel writers stress the bodily resurrection of Jesus

The tomb is literally empty

Luke 23:55-24:1-3 Now the women who had come with Him out of Galilee followed, and saw the tomb and how His body was laid...But on the first day of the week, at early dawn, they came to the tomb bringing the spices which they had prepared. And they found the stone rolled away from the tomb, but when they entered, they did not find the body of the Lord Jesus.

Mark 16:5-6 Entering the tomb, they saw a young man sitting at the right, wearing a white robe; and they were amazed. And he said to them, “Do not be amazed; you are looking for Jesus the Nazarene, who has been crucified. He has risen; He is not here; behold, here is the place where they laid Him.

Even the ones who put Jesus to death admitted the tomb was empty Matthew 28:12-15 And when they had assembled with the elders and consulted together, they gave a large sum of money to the soldiers, and said, “You are to say, ‘His disciples came by night and stole Him away while we were asleep.’ “And if this should come to the governor’s ears, we will win him over and keep you out of trouble.” And they took the money and did as they had been instructed; and this story was widely spread among the Jews, and is to this day.

Justin writing to Trypho over 100 years later: yet you not only have not repented, after you learned that He rose from the dead, but, as I said before you have sent chosen and ordained men throughout all the world to proclaim that a godless and lawless heresy had sprung from one Jesus, a Galilean deceiver, whom we crucified, but his disciples stole him by night from the tomb, where he was laid when unfastened from the cross, and now deceive men by asserting that he has risen from the dead and ascended to heaven.

Jewish writings for several hundred years after the resurrection repeat this lie

However, it demonstrates their acknowledgement that the tomb was empty

A physical, bodily resurrection is stressed, opposed to a spiritual resurrection

In the Gentile world, a bodily resurrection was foolish. In our day a bodily resurrection is foolish, but for different reasons

Gentile religions of the day saw physical matter as evil. For a resurrection to be a good thing it would have to be a spiritual resurrection

One of the greatest threats to the early church was a religious system called Gnosticism

Many gnostic writings about Jesus deny the physicality of his body

Some cult groups, such as the Jehovah’s Witnesses, deny a bodily resurrection but only believe in a spiritual resurrection

This is contrary to the clear teaching of Scripture

Luke 24:38-43 And He said to them, “Why are you troubled, and why do doubts arise in your hearts? “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.” And when He had said this, He showed them His hands and His feet. While they still could not believe it because of their joy and amazement, He said to them, “Have you anything here to eat?” They gave Him a piece of a broiled fish; and He took it and ate it before them.

It’s impact has rocked the world

After the crucifixion the apostles were in no condition to do much of anything

They were fearful, sad, defeated

Some followed Peter back to their old profession

An ultimate evidence of the resurrection is the impact of the apostles in building the church

The apostles went from broken, defeated men, to men who courageously took the gospel into the world

Men who were afraid at first to die for Jesus went gladly to their deaths to share the message of the risen Lord

Men may die for a lie believing it’s true. But men won’t die for a lie if they know it’s false

If Jesus hadn’t truly risen from the dead they would not have given their lives to build his church. But because they had seen him alive they went gladly to their deaths

Most religions today can exist without their founder

Buddha didn’t have to exist for Buddhism to exist, you just need the teachings

It is a religion based on philosophy

Most religions that don’t stem from Christianity are not dependent on a historical reality

However, without the historical basis for the death and resurrection of Jesus, Christianity could not possibly have existed

The very existence of Christianity is modern proof that Jesus rose from the dead. It could not have began without that

appearing to them over a period of forty days

Jesus appeared after his resurrection

He didn't immediately ascend into heaven

Jesus appeared to many people after his resurrection

Gospel accounts

Jesus appeared first to

1 Corinthians 15:5-7 He appeared to Cephas, then to the twelve. After that He appeared to more than five hundred brethren at one time, most of whom remain until now, but some have fallen asleep; then He appeared to James, then to all the apostles;

James, and the rest of his brothers, went from unbelief to belief

James became a prominent leader in the Jerusalem church

and speaking of the things concerning the kingdom of God.

Jesus continued his teaching on the kingdom of God

The Old Testament promised foretold the coming of the millennial kingdom of God

Daniel 2:44 “In the days of those kings the God of heaven will set up a kingdom which will never be destroyed, and that kingdom will not be left for another people; it will crush and put an end to all these kingdoms, but it will itself endure forever.

Zechariah 14:9 And the LORD will be king over all the earth; in that day the LORD will be the only one, and His name the only one.

The crucifixion did not nullify the promise of the kingdom of God

The kingdom of God encompasses more than just the millennial kingdom

The kingdom of God, or the kingdom of heaven, was a major theme throughout Jesus’ earthly ministry

Mark 1:14-15 Now after John had been taken into custody, Jesus came into Galilee, preaching the gospel of God, and saying, “The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand; repent and believe in the gospel.”

Matthew 4:23 Jesus was going throughout all Galilee, teaching in their synagogues and proclaiming the gospel of the kingdom, and healing every kind of disease and every kind of sickness among the people.

Luke 4:43 But He said to them, “I must preach the kingdom of God to the other cities also, for I was sent for this purpose.”

John 4:3 Jesus answered and said to him, “Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born again he cannot see the kingdom of God.”

The universal, present kingdom, referring to God’s sovereign rule over all creation

Jesus is today exercising his kingly authority over the earth Matthew 28:18 And Jesus came up and spoke to them, saying, “All authority has been given to Me in heaven and on earth.

Psalm 103:19 The LORD has established His throne in the heavens, And His sovereignty rules over all.

1 Chronicles 29:11-12 “Yours, O LORD, is the greatness and the power and the glory and the victory and the majesty, indeed everything that is in the heavens and the earth; Yours is the dominion, O LORD, and You exalt Yourself as head over all. Both riches and honor come from You, and You rule over all, and in Your hand is power and might; and it lies in Your hand to make great and to strengthen everyone.”

All authorities fall under the ultimate authority of God and are accountable to him Romans 13:1-4 Every person is to be in subjection to the governing authorities. For there is no authority except from God, and those which exist are established by God. Therefore whoever resists authority has opposed the ordinance of God; and they who have opposed will receive condemnation upon themselves. For rulers are not a cause of fear for good behavior, but for evil. Do you want to have no fear of authority? Do what is good and you will have praise from the same; for it is a minister of God to you for good. But if you do what is evil, be afraid; for it does not bear the sword for nothing; for it is a minister of God, an avenger who brings wrath on the one who practices evil.

One of the accusations made against Paul in Thessalonica in Acts 17 was that he was Saying there was another king, Jesus

Today, Jesus exercises his rule through mediation

He rules through the church

Paul, when sharing the gospel and planting churches, was preaching the kingdom of God

Acts 20:25 “And now, behold, I know that all of you, among whom I went about preaching the kingdom, will no longer see my face.

Acts 28:30-31 And he stayed two full years in his own rented quarters and was welcoming all who came to him, preaching the kingdom of God and teaching concerning the Lord Jesus Christ with all openness, unhindered.

Colossians 1:13 For He rescued us from the domain of darkness, and transferred us to the kingdom of His beloved Son,

Through the Spirit

All believers have been indwelt with the Holy Spirit, and can rightly be called citizens of the kingdom of heaven

Peter calls us a royal nation

Though we do not see Jesus, he is still present with us

We have the assurance of Jesus that he is with us Matthew 28:20 And lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age.”

Where two or three are gathered together he is with us

Blessed are those who haven’t seen, but believe

and though we have not seen Him, we love Him, and though we do not see Him now, but believe in Him, we greatly rejoice with joy inexpressible and full of glory, obtaining as the outcome of our faith the salvation of our souls.

We look forward to the millennial kingdom, when he will return and rule the earth for 1000 years

Whenever we share in the Lord's supper together, we proclaim not only his death but that he will return

Even more so, we look forward to the end of the Millennium with the new creation

1 Corinthians 15:24-27 then comes the end, when He hands over the kingdom to the God and Father, when He has abolished all rule and all authority and power. For He must reign until He has put all His enemies under His feet. The last enemy that will be abolished is death. For HE HAS PUT ALL THINGS IN SUBJECTION UNDER HIS FEET.

Revelation 21:3-4 The tabernacle of God is among men, and He will dwell among them, and they shall be His people, and God Himself will be among them, and He will wipe away every tear from their eyes; and there will no longer be any death; there will no longer be any mourning, or crying, or pain; the first things have passed away.

Finishing the Lord's work all starts here in Jerusalem with the Apostles

That work continues to this day

We look forward to the Lord’s return. But until then, it is our task to proclaim his kingdom, his gospel