Acts - 1

Acts – 1

Acts 1:1-11

Introduction

The inauguration ceremony for the President of the United States takes places anywhere from 72 to 78 days after the election to commence a new four-year term of office. This is a critically important ceremony where the new President takes the official oath of office, committing to preserve, protect, and defend the Constitution. This ceremony is a hallmark of American democracy because this is officially where the transition of power between the outgoing President and the incoming President occurs.

As we begin our long journey through the NT book of Acts, the book opens with a “ceremony” of sorts. A critical transition occurs between Jesus and the apostles. Jesus has just finished His ministry on the Earth and will ascend into Heaven to take His place as Eternal Ruler over all things. The Apostles will receive power, authority, to take up the ministry of Jesus and continue it in the world. Jesus doesn’t give up any of His power and authority, He invites His followers to join Him in His powerful work in the world.

Acts 1:1-11 – In the first book, O Theophilus, I have dealt with all that Jesus began to do and teach, 2 until the day when he was taken up, after he had given commands through the Holy Spirit to the apostles whom he had chosen. 3 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.

4 And while staying with them he ordered them not to depart from Jerusalem, but to wait for the promise of the Father, which, he said, “you heard from me; 5 for John baptized with water, but you will be baptized with the Holy Spirit not many days from now.”

6 So when they had come together, they asked him, “Lord, will you at this time restore the kingdom to Israel?” 7 He said to them, “It is not for you to know times or seasons that the Father has fixed by his own authority. 8 But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you, and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth.” 9 And when he had said these things, as they were looking on, he was lifted up, and a cloud took him out of their sight. 10 And while they were gazing into heaven as he went, behold, two men stood by them in white robes, 11 and said, “Men of Galilee, why do you stand looking into heaven? This Jesus, who was taken up from you into heaven, will come in the same way as you saw him go into heaven.”

TS – here in the introduction to the book of Acts, our text impresses upon us three truths that summarize what it means to be a Christian, a faithful follower of the risen and reigning Lord Jesus Christ.

1. THE FOUNDATION OF FAITH (V. 1-3, 9-11)

Acts opens with a sort of preface that shows us some background information. V. 1 – “In the first book, O Theophilus, I have dealt with all that Jesus began to do and teach…” This opening statement links Acts to the Gospel of Luke. Listen to how Luke begins: Luke 1:1-4 - Inasmuch as many have undertaken to compile a narrative of the things that have been accomplished among us, 2 just as those who from the beginning were eyewitnesses and ministers of the word have delivered them to us, 3 it seemed good to me also, having followed all things closely for some time past, to write an orderly account for you, most excellent Theophilus, 4 that you may have certainty concerning the things you have been taught.

So Luke, a Christian doctor, has taken up the cause of writing an orderly account of the life and ministry of Jesus. That orderliness is shown throughout the Gospel of Luke, as it contains more details than the other Gospel writers. Luke has followed the life and ministry of Jesus closely from the beginning, and wants to compile all the eyewitness testimony. He writes to Theophilus, a name that means ‘loved by God,’ who may have served as his financial sponsor for this undertaking. Theophilus is likely a high-ranking official in the Roman Empire, as shown by his title, Most Excellent. So Luke is commissioned to research and write an accurate, historically reliable account of the life and ministry of Jesus Christ.

The book of Acts opens by letting us know that this is volume 2 of this orderly account. So Acts is written by Luke, again to Theophilus, to continue to narrative of Jesus’ work in the world. Luke himself becomes part of the eyewitness testimony, as shown by the first-person accounts recorded later in Acts when Luke switches from “they” to “we.” The two-volume work of Luke/Acts forms, as one NT scholar writes, “The core of the New Testament.” Luke’s works account for a full 30% of the entire NT, more than any other NT author.

According to Acts 1:1, the Gospel of Luke is an accurate, historical record of all that Jesus “began” to do and teach. So Acts is a continuation of all that Jesus does and teaches. All of it being anchored in historical reliability. This is the foundation of the faith of Christianity. It is real. It is historical. It actually happened. This is not true with other world religions. You don’t need a historical Buddha to have Buddhism. All you need is the teaching of someone claiming to be Buddha and away you go. Same is true with Islam, Taoism, and all the others. But Christianity is unique…everything we believe, everything the Bible teaches, everything we do as followers of Jesus, is based on the historical reality of who Jesus is and what Jesus has done. If Jesus wasn’t real, then the whole faith based upon Him falls apart.

Dr. Steve Lawson – Christianity is centered in Christ. The sum and substance of what it is to be a Christian is found in trusting Christ, knowing Him, and becoming like Him. The height of the Christian life is adorning Christ, the depth of it loving Him, the breadth of it obeying Him, the length of it following Him. Everything in the Christian life revolves around the person and work of Jesus Christ. Simply put, Christianity is Christ.

To lose Jesus is to lose it all. This is why Luke is careful to let his readers know that it is all real. This was not fabricated. This was not imagined. Notice v. 3 – “He presented himself alive to them after his suffering by many proofs, appearing to them forty days and speaking about the kingdom of God.” After Jesus went to the cross and suffered and died, he rose from the dead, defeating sin and death forever. If that didn’t actually happen, then this is all for nothing. The Apostle Paul deals with this very reality in his first letter to the church in Corinth.

1 Corinthians 15:17-19 - 17 And if Christ has not been raised, your faith is futile and you are still in your sins. 18 Then those also who have fallen asleep in Christ have perished. 19 If in Christ we have hope in this life only, we are of all people most to be pitied.

There are those who say that even if it turns out that Jesus did not rise from the dead, the Christian life is still the best way to live. The Bible absolutely disagrees with that sentiment. If all of this is made up, then we are wasting our time and the world should pity us for the mental illness of faith. But it is real! Jesus proved that. He presented himself alive for the forty days after his resurrection from the dead. V. 4 says, “And while staying with them…” ‘Staying’ is a word that literally translates as “shared salt with them.” It is a metaphor for eating. Jesus appears to them, stays at their house, eats with them. That’s about as real as it gets. He gives to them, v. 3 “many proofs.” That phrase translates a word, used only here in the NT, that was used in the field of logic to refer to a demonstration of evidence that clenches the case. These forty days made it unarguable that Jesus is alive and really is risen and the reigning Lord of all things.

Luke does this again towards the end of our text in v. 9-11. Jesus gives them their orders, which we will look at in a minute, then He ascends into Heaven. Notice the repetitive language Luke uses: v. 9-11 - 9 And when he had said these things, as they were looking on, he was lifted up, and a cloud took him out of their sight. 10 And while they were gazing into heaven as he went, behold, two men stood by them in white robes, 11 and said, “Men of Galilee, why do you stand looking into heaven? This Jesus, who was taken up from you into heaven, will come in the same way as you saw him go into heaven.”

v. 9 – they were looking

v. 10 – they were gazing

v. 11 – looking into heaven

v. 11 – as you saw him go

Why repeat that? Because we need to know…they saw this! This actually happened. They did not imagine this. They did not fabricate this. Jesus really did ascend into Heaven (into Heaven repeated 4x), meaning Jesus really is risen and He really is reigning.

Christian, your faith is solid. Your faith is reasonable. Your faith is actual. Your faith is real. Jesus really was born of a virgin. Jesus really did live sinlessly. Jesus really did die for the sins of His people. Jesus really did rise from the dead. Jesus really did ascend into Heaven where he rules and reigns over the universe.

2. THE PROMISE OF POWER (V. 4-8)

v. 4-5 - 4 And while staying with them he ordered them not to depart from Jerusalem, but to wait for the promise of the Father, which, he said, “you heard from me; 5 for John baptized with water, but you will be baptized with the Holy Spirit not many days from now.”

Jesus reminds them of the ‘promise of the Father,’ something he had already promised them in Luke 24. There are multiple overlaps between Luke 24 and Acts 1 to show these two volumes go together. John the Baptist had immersed (that is what ‘baptism’ means) with water, but God is going to immerse them with the Holy Spirit.

In college I took a class simply titled “The Holy Spirit.” Over the course of the semester, we looked up every single time in the entire Bible where the word ‘Spirit’ is used. We researched whether it was talking about the Holy Spirit, man’s spirit, or something else. Then we had to write papers on what the OT/NT says about the HS, what Jesus/Paul said about the HS. It was fascinating. The biggest change in teaching comes from what the OT teaches v. the NT. In the OT, the Holy Spirit is temporary. He comes and goes from people’s lives. But in the NT, He is permanent. Upon being baptized into Christ (according to Acts 2:38), the Holy Spirit takes up permanent residence in the life of the believer. The question is ‘why?’ What purpose does the Spirit serve in our lives?

According to Acts 1, one of His purposes is to bring power to our lives. The early disciples were certainly interested in power. Look at what they say to Jesus in v. 6 – So when they had come together, they asked him, “Lord, will you at this time restore the kingdom to Israel?” That is a loaded question. God had summoned Abraham out of the city of Ur in the book of Genesis to the Promised Land and birthed a new nation that would be for God’s glory in the world. He then promised King David that someone from his line would sit on the throne over God’s people for all eternity. But ancient Israel had been destroyed. The Assyrians and the Babylonians had taken care of that. Since then, “Israel” had been ruled by the Babylonians, the Persians, the Greeks, and now the Roman Empire. Their hope for the Messiah was that when He arrived, He would lead Israel in their revolt against Rome and lead their nation politically and militarily. Israel could once again rule the world.

That is what they are after with this question. They want the glory days of their kingdom ‘restored’ to them. They want that kingdom to be restricted to Jewish thought and ideology (to Israel). And they want it now (at this time). They like the idea of power…political power, military power, national power. But they had forgotten that Jesus said His kingdom was not of this world, something too many believers in America have forgotten.

The Holy Spirit doesn’t bring that kind of power. He brings a much bigger and more Heavenly power. Jesus tells them in v. 7 not to concern themselves with all that. But, v. 8 – you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you…”. The Spirit of God will indwell the people of God and give to them the very power of God. God’s power has been placed in you through the Holy Spirit, power to accomplish unimaginable things. Such as…the power to bring life to your dead soul (as the Spirit’s resurrecting power brought life to Jesus’ dead body in Ephesians 1), the power to defeat sin (Romans 5). The power to be conformed to the likeness of Christ (Romans 8). The power to faithfully follow Him when everything in you wants to be unfaithful to Him. But Acts 1 has something very specific in mind when the Spirit brings power. It is power to fuel the mission of God in the world.

3. THE MANDATE OF MISSION (V. 8-11)

v. 8 – “But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you, and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth.”

The purpose of God’s powerful presence in your life, through the indwelling presence of His Holy Spirit, is to empower His mission. God’s people are called to take the Good News of Jesus’ death, burial, and resurrection to the entire world. God’s Spirit empowers God’s people to enable God’s mission to take the Gospel to God’s world.

They are to take the Gospel to Jerusalem. That’s good, they are already there. Jerusalem was, and still is, the religious center of the world. Jerusalem already has a solid, biblical view of God from the OT. While their mission was to start at home, it wasn’t supposed to end there. God’s heart isn’t just for the people who already know Him, but for all who are created in His image. Their mission is to expand from Jerusalem to all Judea (their region) and Samaria. That one was way more challenging. Jews hated Samaritans. Samaritans hated Jews. Samaritans were viewed as racial half-breeds by the Jews. They were also viewed as religious sell-outs who had watered down the OT with outside pagan influence. So their mission included taking the Gospel to those they didn’t like, didn’t agree with, and wanted nothing to do with. It is hard to deal with the fact that God loves people that you don’t like.

But their mission wasn’t to stop with their own nation…Galilee, Judea, and Samaria were the regions of “Israel.” The Gospel isn’t a nationalistic Gospel. It is global. Take it to the ends of the earth. And that is exactly what they did. Acts 1:8 serves as an outline for the entire book. They faithfully took the Good News of Jesus into Jerusalem (chapters 1-7), into all Judea and Samaria (chapters 8-11), and to the furthest reaches of the known world (chapters 12-28).

How do you feel when you hear God’s command to take the Gospel to your family, to your region, to people you don’t like, to the nations? I don’t know about you, but I feel “powerless.” I can’t get that done. It’s hard enough taking it to the people who live next door, much less those who live on the other side of the world. But we need never feel powerless. Because we are anything but powerless. God’s own Spirit indwells for the purpose of enabling, empowering this mission mandate.

The only thing left to do is to get to work. That is why the two angels appear at the end of this account. Jesus ascends into Heavenly glory to rule and reign. And there they stand gazing into the sky. Two angels appear (likely the same two who confirmed Jesus’ resurrection in Luke 24) and question what they are doing. Why are you staring into the sky? He left, and He will come back the same way. While that is a promise of hope, it is also a prodding to get to work. Jesus is going to return, and when He does, all will stand before Him in judgement. They need the Gospel. Get to work!

Conclusion

Friend, see the foundation of your faith. It stands on solid ground. See the promise of power. You have the indwelling power of God. See the mandate of mission. It’s time to get to work. Let’s go be faithful witnesses to who Jesus is and what He has done. It’s all real. So let’s tell them.

George Whitefield is perhaps the greatest preacher to ever step foot on American soil. His preaching sparked the Great Awakening in the UK and the US. He commanded audiences of tens of thousands as he rode on horseback up and down the eastern seaboard. When he was in Scotland, thousands of people in Edinburgh would come to hear him preach at 5am every morning. One morning, the crowd included David Hume, a famous Scottish philosopher and notorious skeptic of Christianity. When people in the crowd saw him, they were surprised he would join them to hear Whitefield preach. They asked him, “Why are you coming to hear Whitefield preach? We didn’t think you believed all this.” Hume replied, “I don’t. But he does.” Do you? Because if you do, it will change everything.