Jesus Continues To Act

OCTOBER 31, 2021 STUDY NOTES ACTS 1:1-4 BIBLE TEACHER: CLIFTON JONES JESUS CONTINUES TO ACT INTRODUCTION The heading in your Bible probably reads, “THE ACTS OF THE APOSTLES” That heading is not part of the original inspired scripture It was given to us by the Bible Scholars who wrote the English version of the Bible There is nothing wrong with it, but a little more detail is helpful Actually-the book of Acts is the “Acts of the Holy Spirit” through the Apostles And that which Jesus continued to do, by His Spirit, through His disciples His disciples being the believers who follow Jesus Acts begins with the promise of the coming of the Holy Spirit, Acts 1:4-5, 8 In the second chapter we find the descent of the Holy Spirit, falling upon the disciples The presence of the Holy Spirit within the followers of Jesus was the beginning of the church age The church could not be what we find in the rest of the book apart from the presence of the Spirit The book of Acts is the work of the Holy Spirit in and through the church How important is the book of Acts to us? What if Acts was not in the Bible? If we moved from the gospel accounts of Jesus, His death, burial, resurrection, and ascension And then moved to the book of Romans, we would be filled with questions Who is this man by the name of Paul who is writing to the saints in Rome? How did the gospel get from Jerusalem to Rome? Who was preaching the gospel? We find the answers to those questions and many more questions in the book of Acts INSTRUCTIONS AND PROMISES We find instructions: From the time of His resurrection until His ascension, Jesus had instructed His disciples He instructed them concerning the Kingdom of God He commanded them not to depart from Jerusalem He told them to wait for the promise of the Father We find promises, Jesus said: You shall be baptized with the Holy Spirit not many days hence You shall receive power after that the Holy Spirit is come upon you You shall be witnesses unto me in Jerusalem, Judea, Samaria, and throughout the world There is also a question, “Why stand you gazing up into heaven?” And there is one other promise, this same Jesus which is taken up from you into heaven shall so come in like manner as ye have seen him go into heaven THE BEGINNING Act 1:1 The former treatise have I made, O Theophilus, of all that Jesus began both to do and teach, Luke is the human author of the book of Acts, he also wrote the Gospel of Luke Luke does not give his name in either the Gospel or Acts, he simply says, “I” Luke was a Gentile and a physician who frequently traveled with Paul on his missionary journeys, Col 4:14 Luke, the beloved physician, and Demas, greet you. The Gospel of Luke is “the former treatise,” that which was previously written about Jesus Page 1 of 5 In the Gospel of Luke, we have the beginning of the Person and Work of Jesus Christ on earth In the book of Acts, we have the continuation of the Person and Work of Jesus Christ on earth Luke closes with the crucifixion, burial, resurrection, and ascension of Jesus Acts begins with the Ascension of Jesus and the fulfilled promise of the coming of the Spirit We have the beginning of the NT Church, the instructions and promises to the NT Church What the church must do and can do through the Holy Spirit in the world in which we live We learn of the power of the Christian life when filled with the Holy Spirit The Christian of today must learn how the first century of Christianity lived for Christ The continuation of the work of Jesus upon the earth is the work of the church Jesus promised the present work of the church, Joh 14:12 Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that believeth on me, the works that I do shall he do also; and greater works than these shall he do; because I go unto my Father. Greater works because the Holy Spirit will indwell every believer throughout the world, Joh 14:16 And I will pray the Father, and he shall give you another Comforter, that he may abide with you for ever; The greater works in the life of a Christian requires the filling of the Holy Spirit, Eph 5:18 And be not drunk with wine, wherein is excess; but be filled with the Spirit; Only through the ministry of the Spirit working in us are we “meet for the master’s use,” 2Ti 2:21 If a man therefore purge himself from these, he shall be a vessel unto honour, sanctified, and meet for the master's use, and prepared unto every good work. The book of Acts is an unfinished book, it has not reached its conclusion yet Chapters are still being written by the church and paragraphs are being written by each Christian Soon the last chapter for the church age could be written, we could be that chapter (Mt 24:34) It is now time for Christians to be zealous in the work of the Lord, Tit 2:14 Who gave himself for us, that he might redeem us from all iniquity, and purify unto himself a peculiar people, zealous of good works. In the original Greek text Acts 1:1-4 is one long sentence “Theophilus” is a name that means “friend of God,” in Luke he is called the “most excellent” Which would identify him as a believer, well educated, upper class of society, important person Acts is the continuation of what Jesus did and taught as found in the gospel accounts “All” does not include everything that Jesus said or did as He walked upon the earth All of the Gospel accounts together could not include all that Jesus did, Joh 21:25 And there are also many other things which Jesus did, the which, if they should be written every one, I suppose that even the world itself could not contain the books that should be written. Amen. “All” could not be written in the gospel accounts, and “all” is not written in the book of Acts “All” refers to “all” that the Holy Spirit inspired Luke to write, we have “all” that we need As Paul Harvey would say, in Acts, we have the rest of the story, up until Acts was written But the rest of the story has not fully been told, the story continues today The rest of the story concerns the life of every Christian today, my life, and your life What we are allowing the Holy Spirit to do in our life is the continuation of the story of Jesus The story will continue until the return of Christ to the earth There are three miraculous experiences in the life of a Christian The first is the spiritual birth, Joh 3:6 That which is born of the flesh is flesh; and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit. The third miracle is the translation of the believer, being made like the Lord Jesus, 1Jn 3:2 Beloved, now are we the sons of God, and it doth not yet appear what we shall be: but we know that, when he shall appear, we shall be like him; for we shall see him as he is. In between the 1st and the 3rd is the second miraculous event, that we can live for Christ today, Gal 2:20 I am crucified with Christ: nevertheless I live; yet not I, but Christ liveth in me: and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by the faith of the Son of God, who loved me, and gave himself for Page 2 of 5 me. What Jesus began to teach and do still-continues, it continues by His Spirit through the Christian INSTRUCTING THE APOSTLES Act 1:2 Until the day in which he was taken up, after that he through the Holy Ghost had given commandments unto the apostles whom he had chosen: The Gospel of Luke closed with the ascension of Jesus Christ Jesus had blessed the disciples, Luk 24:50 And he led them out as far as to Bethany, and he lifted up his hands, and blessed them. Then He ascended into Heaven, Luk 24:51 And it came to pass, while he blessed them, he was parted from them, and carried up into heaven. The book of Acts opens with the ascension of Jesus back to Heaven (Acts 1:9-11) The ascension of Jesus was 40 days after His resurrection Jesus had instructed His apostles during that 40-day time-period His instructions had been given through the ministry of the Holy Spirit The same Jesus was teaching the same Apostles that He had taught before His death, Luk 24:44 And he said unto them, These are the words which I spake unto you, while I was yet with you, that all things must be fulfilled, which were written in the law of Moses, and in the prophets, and in the psalms, concerning me. But something was different, Jesus was alive from the dead, Luk 24:46 And said unto them, Thus it is written, and thus it behoved Christ to suffer, and to rise from the dead the third day: But Luke points out another difference, Jesus was speaking “through the Holy Spirit” There is an emphasis upon the presence of the Holy Spirit and the difference that it made The Holy Spirit was present with Jesus during His earthly ministry, Luk 4:18 The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he hath anointed me to preach the gospel to the poor; he hath sent me to heal the brokenhearted, to preach deliverance to the captives, and recovering of sight to the blind, to set at liberty them that are bruised, But now the ministry of the Holy Spirit was being expressed in a new way By example, Jesus was revealing to the Apostles what their ministry would now be In the Church Age the Apostles and all believers would now minister through the Holy Spirit The book of Acts tells the story of the acts of the Apostles through the Holy Spirit INSTRUCTIONS CONCERNING THE KINGDOM OF GOD Act 1:3 To whom also he shewed himself alive after his passion by many infallible proofs, being seen of them forty days, and speaking of the things pertaining to the kingdom of God: “After His passion” speaks of the suffering and death of Jesus on the cross The Apostles must know why Jesus had suffered and died, Isaiah told us why Jesus would die, Isa 53:4 Surely he hath borne our griefs, and carried our sorrows: yet we did esteem him stricken, smitten of God, and afflicted. Jesus was our substitute, He died for us, for our sorrows, He was afflicted for us, Isa 53:5 But he was wounded for our transgressions, he was bruised for our iniquities: the chastisement of our peace was upon him; and with his stripes we are healed. The truth of the Gospel begins with the death of Jesus, 1Co 15:3 For I delivered unto you first of all that which I also received, how that Christ died for our sins according to the scriptures; We must know why Jesus suffered and died, 1Pe 3:18 For Christ also hath once suffered for sins, the just for the unjust, that he might bring us to God, being put to death in the flesh, but quickened by the Spirit: Jesus “the just” died for us, “the unjust,” but the Apostles must also know that Jesus was alive Jesus proved to them that He was physically alive by “many infallible proofs” Page 3 of 5 Jesus proved in many different convincing ways that He was alive (1 Corinthians 15:1-8) For 40 days Jesus revealed to them that He was alive, 1Jn 1:1 That which was from the beginning, which we have heard, which we have seen with our eyes, which we have looked upon, and our hands have handled, of the Word of life; They saw Him with their eyes, they heard Him teach, they touched Him with their hands They walked with Him, they talked with Him, they ate with Him, after His resurrection They were convinced beyond the shadow of any doubt that Jesus was alive, 1Jn 1:2 (For the life was manifested, and we have seen it, and bear witness, and shew unto you that eternal life, which was with the Father, and was manifested unto us;) John received the Revelation from the “Living Lord,” Rev 1:18 I am he that liveth, and was dead; and, behold, I am alive for evermore, Amen; and have the keys of hell and of death. Are you convinced that Jesus is Alive? There should be no doubt within our minds Are you convinced that He can and will live His life in you today? What will it take for you to let Him live in you today? Jesus living in us is the witness that the lost world must see The lost world today must see that Jesus is alive and that He lives in us (Philippians 4:9) Our witness must tell them the truth of Jesus and win them to Jesus (Acts 2:42-47) We must believe that Jesus is alive and receive His revelation through the Word of God Jesus instructed the Apostles of those things “pertaining to the kingdom of God” Christians today must proclaim the “gospel of the kingdom,” Mat 24:14 And this gospel of the kingdom shall be preached in all the world for a witness unto all nations; and then shall the end come. At the first coming of Jesus to the earth the message was the “Gospel of the Kingdom” Listen to the message of John the Baptist, Mat 3:2 And saying, Repent ye: for the kingdom of heaven is at hand. (A present experience) The Kingdom of Heaven and the Kingdom of God are the same In the beginning of the earthly ministry of Jesus his message was the “Kingdom of God” Mat 4:17 From that time Jesus began to preach, and to say, Repent: for the kingdom of heaven is at hand. (A present experience) Jesus told Nicodemus, Joh 3:3 Jesus answered and said unto him, Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God. (A present experience) Jesus taught in the sermon on the mount, Mat 6:33 But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you. (A present experience) The Kingdom of God is the rule and reign of God in the hearts and lives of His people The Kingdom of God must always be first in our life For forty days Jesus taught them these truths related to the Kingdom of God Forty days is the time-period between His resurrection and His ascension There is ten days between His ascension and the day of Pentecost The coming of the Holy Spirit was a must in the Kingdom of God So, Jesus instructed the disciples, DO NOT DEPART FROM JERUSALEM Act 1:4 And, being assembled together with them, commanded them that they should not depart from Jerusalem, but wait for the promise of the Father, which, saith he, ye have heard of me. “Being assembled together with them” is one word in the Greek, found only here in the N.T. It is not the usual or ordinary phrase to identify coming together It means “to gather together in one place,” but the emphasis is upon it being a “special time” Luke selected a special word to describe a very special time for Jesus and His followers It spoke of the time that they had been instructed to wait for, expecting something to happen They were “not to depart from Jerusalem but wait for the promise of the Father” “Wait” is something that we don’t always enjoying doing, “wait” is not the American way today Page 4 of 5 To wait on God, and the promises of God, is a test of our faith, Isa 40:31 But they that wait upon the LORD shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings as eagles; they shall run, and not be weary; and they shall walk, and not faint. The disciples had something worth waiting for, it was “the promise of the Father” They had heard Jesus speak about this promise many times Jesus promised another “Comforter,” Joh 14:16 And I will pray the Father, and he shall give you another Comforter, that he may abide with you for ever; The Comforter is the Holy Spirit, Joh 14:26 But the Comforter, which is the Holy Ghost, whom the Father will send in my name, he shall teach you all things, and bring all things to your remembrance, whatsoever I have said unto you. He is the “Spirit of Truth,” Joh 15:26 But when the Comforter is come, whom I will send unto you from the Father, even the Spirit of truth, which proceedeth from the Father, he shall testify of me: Before the Spirit could come it was necessary for Jesus to go away, Joh 16:7 Nevertheless I tell you the truth; It is expedient for you that I go away: for if I go not away, the Comforter will not come unto you; but if I depart, I will send him unto you. Jesus had promised that He would send the Holy Spirit when He went to the Father Jesus told the disciples that His promise would be fulfilled in a few days, Act 1:5 For John truly baptized with water; but ye shall be baptized with the Holy Ghost not many days hence. In a few days the Holy Spirit would come in a new work and ministry of the Spirit That day is known as the “Day of Pentecost” and was fulfilled in Acts 2 On that day the disciples of Jesus were baptized with the Holy Spirit as Jesus had promised CONCLUSION There are different views today concerning the baptism with the Spirit Which lead Christians to ask many questions related to the baptism with the Spirit What is the “Baptism with the Spirit?” As a Christian, have I been baptized with the Spirit? It so, when was I baptized with the Spirit? If not, what do I have to do to be baptized with the Spirit? What is the purpose of the “Baptism with the Spirit?” What is the evidence of the “Baptism with the Spirit?” Next Sunday we will study Acts 1:5 and discuss these questions, you study it this week The knowledge of the Holy Spirit is as important as the knowledge of God and Jesus, 2Pe 1:2 Grace and peace be multiplied unto you through the knowledge of God, and of Jesus our Lord, The book of Acts is telling us the same thing Peter does in, 2Pe 1:3 According as his divine power hath given unto us all things that pertain unto life and godliness, through the knowledge of him that hath called us to glory and virtue: In Acts we will learn of God’s “Divine Power,” and His work for us and in us, Eph 3:20 Now unto him that is able to do exceeding abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that worketh in us, Listen to the song and leave today to do what it says Page 5 of 5