Jesus Prepares His Apostles

While this prologue recapitulates the closing scene in Luke’s first volume, it adds additional detail and nuance that sets the stage for the the coming of the Holy Spirit and the ministry of the Apostles in spreading the gospel (which grows and expands as there are new converts to following Jesus, together making up the church).

Further removed by historical distance and clarity provided in the completed NT cannon, we now take it for granted (to us it feels like a given) that Christ’s ongoing work through his church is part of God’s perfect plan. But the Apostles needed confirmation and even commissioning. So the Holy Spirit communicates through Luke to the readers (the early church) how the Lord Jesus prepared his Apostles to be the foundational witnesses to the present phase of God’s kingdom rule.

Acts 1:1–11 ESV

In the first book, O Theophilus, I have dealt with all that Jesus began to do and teach, until the day when he was taken up, after he had given commands through the Holy Spirit to the apostles whom he had chosen. 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. 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; for John baptized with water, but you will be baptized with the Holy Spirit not many days from now.” So when they had come together, they asked him, “Lord, will you at this time restore the kingdom to Israel?” He said to them, “It is not for you to know times or seasons that the Father has fixed by his own authority. 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.” 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. And while they were gazing into heaven as he went, behold, two men stood by them in white robes, 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.”

If you were with us for our Introduction last week, you may recall that vv. 1-2 “The opening verses of Acts suggest that Luke is about to narrate what Jesus continued to do and to teach after his ascension, through his Spirit and the ministry of his followers.” -David G. Peterson, The Acts of the Apostles, The Pillar New Testament Commentary (Grand Rapids, MI; Nottingham, England: William B. Eerdmans Publishing Company, 2009), 102.

“Without Jesus and his work, one cannot make sense of the church’s existence and activity.” -Darrell L. Bock, Acts, Baker Exegetical Commentary on the New Testament (Grand Rapids, MI: Baker Academic, 2007), 53.

***And now…

In his final days [on earth] and at his ascension, Jesus prepares his apostles…

Jesus Prepares His Apostles…

[list subheadings through the verses]

There is, to be sure, a uniqueness to the experience of the Apostles to whom Jesus gave these instructions. But we certainly ought to be asking ourselves: How can God use these same lessons to make us persuaded, prepared, and obedient as his representatives, his witnesses?

By Persuading Them That He is Risen and Reigning (v. 3)

Jesus “presented himself alive to them after his suffering by many proofs...” - Luke himself had given some examples of resurrection appearances… although he had not tried to be exhaustive, which we know since here he also says “appearing to them during forty days.” This also allows for the resurrection appearances that took place not only in Jerusalem but also in Galilee.

The point is, by the time Jesus had appeared to them numerous times, encouraging them to touch his glorified body that retained the scars of his crucifixion, to feel that it was a real body, and had eaten with them to show that an apparition wouldn’t/couldn’t do so.... The point is, Jesus had thoroughly convinced these ones, who had not expected the resurrection, that he was indeed still alive. - It’s good for us to realize too that Luke himself was totally convinced of the historical reliability of the evidence he had gathered from these “eyewitnesses” (Lk 1:2).

Secondly, during these various times that he appeared to them, he was “speaking about the kingdom of God.” - We will have more to say about Jewish kingdom expectation in v. 6, but here we can say that it was necessary for Jesus to explain that the kingdom he had been preaching before his death and resurrection as being “at hand” had now come. God’s Kingdom in this sense “refers to God’s promised rule that comes with Jesus’s messianic program and activity.” -Darrell L. Bock, 55.

“The parallel passages in Luke 24:25–27, 44–49, indicate that he was specifically teaching his apostles how to interpret his death and resurrection in the light of Scripture, demonstrating that these events were to be the means by which he entered his glory as Messiah and fulfilled God’s saving plan for Israel and the nations.” -David G. Peterson, 105.

Are we persuaded that Jesus rose and is presently reigning on high? What does it look like to be persuaded of these things?

- Understanding and conviction of why he came (holy God, sinful man, Messiah and God incarnate), how he lived (sinless perfection, to be and to do what we could not), why he died (to take our sin penalty and satisfy God’s perfect justice/wrath against sin), why he rose (to conquer Satan, sin, and eternal death… to prove his power and authority to forgive sin and grant his righteousness. Having this understanding, this conviction, we must also be persuaded that we can only receive this gift of grace by repentance of sin and self, and faith in Jesus that submits to him as Lord. With understanding and conviction of who God is and therefore who you are with relationship to him, you bow your knee, you yield your heart, forever to the sovereign rule of Jesus. (As one of our own members, Steve Hartley, repeats in his testimony: “I am no longer the boss of my life; Jesus is. He is Lord. He is in charge of my life.”)

Jesus is risen and reigning, and not in a distant, uninvolved sort of way, but God actively engaged with his people through the Holy Spirit he has given us!

Jesus also therefore prepared his apostles…

By Persuading Them to Wait Patiently for the Promised Baptism With the Holy Spirit (vv. 4&5)

In v. 4, the translation while he was staying with them would be better translated as “eating with them,” bc it is literally “took salt together, which is an idiom for table fellowship. -Craig S. Keener, The IVP Bible Background Commentary: New Testament (Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity Press, 1993), Ac 1:4.

This undoubtedly refers back to what Luke wrote in Luke 24:36-49 (you can turn there briefly) when Jesus ate with them (vv. 42-43) and explained to them how to read the OT Scriptures christologically (vv. 44-47) and also then told them to wait for the promise of the Father (v. 49), by which we learn here he clearly means the gift of the Holy Spirit.

Now when we come to v. 5, probably the thing we need to answer is: What’s the difference between John’s baptism and the Baptism with or in the Holy Spirit?

John’s was an outward symbol of repentance of sin to prepare a people ready to receive their Messiah. The baptism of the Spirit is spoken of in terms of similar imagery, only it is in fact literal, internal/spiritual, and permanent (Eph 1:13-14… “sealed with the promised Holy Spirit, who is the guarantee of our inheritance until we acquire possession of it”).

How is our baptism in the Spirit similar and different than that experienced by the Apostles at Pentecost? Well, the NT teaches that baptism in the Spirit is something God does for us when placing us in Christ, at the moment that God gifts us with responding rightly in repentance and faith (the moment God’s saving working is first initiated in us) -1 Cor 12:13. And it is something shared by all of us, every true believer (Eph 4:4-6). What is not true of us is that it must be accompanied by external signs of it taking place, like it does in Acts both at Pentecost and a little later as a clear sign to the new community that God is truly accepting and bringing in new people groups into the people of God through Christ (Acts 8 & 10 Judea and Samaria, Acts 19 Ephesus).

A final brief note here is that “Not many days from now” turns out to be 10 days, since the Spirit comes at Pentecost, celebrated 50 days after Passover, and 40 days have already passed.

The point is that they must wait because God must equip them for this task. To launch the church in power the Apostles would need the Holy Spirit’s presence to do through them what they could not possibly do on their own. To continue as Christ’s representatives we too must have the indwelling Spirit’s presence and power.

Are you persuaded that you have been given the indwelling Spirit of God? Lean on him and let him lead you. He is the assurance and proof that you are in Christ, and he is the power to live for God and to bear witness in your life and in your proclamation of the good news of Jesus Christ.

Jesus prepares his Apostles…

By Persuading Them That This Phase of the Kingdom is According to God’s Plan (vv. 6&7)

Being somewhat removed from Judaism, we might miss that this question in v. 6 was a natural one for them to ask, especially in connecting the kingdom to the coming of the Spirit. References in Isaiah (32:15 & 44:3), Ezekiel (36:25-28, 37:14, 39:29), and Joel (2:28-3:1) speak of the outpouring of the Spirit in the context of Israel’s restoration. -Craig S. Keener, Ac 1:6.

The thing is, as we began to explain already, Jewish expectation for the kingdom was primarily one of physical and political liberation and restoration to God’s favor because of his choosing and promise. So the apostles are essentially asking if now is the time of kingdom consummation—the final answer—the completion of the kingdom.

So that seems to be the question Jesus is answering, “Will you bring the kingdom to its completion at this time?” And without saying no directly, Jesus essentially says no but that it is set for a future time that the Father has fixed and that they do not need to know.

Christians do not all agree… even those who submit to the authority of the scripture as the completely inerrant word of God that is to be believed and obeyed… on what God’s future plan is for ethnic (or national) Israel as it relates to the present age and the future consummated kingdom. Some of us interpret the Bible as teaching (our position here at BBC) that the church is a partial fulfillment of the kingdom in a way that there will one day yet be a literal kingdom on earth over which Christ will rule with his people. Others believe that the church is a partial fulfillment and that the heavenly kingdom is the consummation, and still others that the church is a complete fulfillment in the sense that the church’s job is to usher in the kingdom in not only spreading the gospel to all people but to effectively bringing the majority of the world into submission to the rule of God through Jesus.

Although we take the first view, we should note that one could argue that this response from Jesus could be supportive of any of these positions.

Whatever the case, you cannot read the Bible with integrity and not conclude that the present phase of the kingdom (salvation through Christ, for people from every tribe and tongue and ethnicity) is an intended and a necessary part of God’s program to establish his rule.

The overall thrust of vv. 6&7 seems to be: You must wait for the coming of the Spirit, but don’t be waiting for kingdom consummation. Instead, in the power of the Spirit, the new community is to spread the word that Jesus is God’s offer of salvation to all who will receive him as Lord (to the Jew first and also to the rest).

Just so, Jesus prepares his Apostles…

By Persuading Them That They Will Be Empowered by the Spirit to Advance His Kingdom (v. 8)

We tend to take this verse as a command, and rightly so, especially once we get through v. 11 and “why do you stand here looking up into heaven?” Get busy doing his work until he returns. - But the statement from Jesus is a promise, and this promise has two parts (two emphases):

1. You will receive power - This power (dynamis) they receive through the presence of the Holy Spirit is associated in Acts with both the miracles they perform and the boldness and clarity with which they proclaim the message.

2. You will be my witnesses - This verse “sets forth a mission that supplies the outline for Acts and reflects the church’s fundamental call.” -Darrell L. Bock, 60. (There is also a presumed uncomfortableness and difficulty that requires empowerment from the Holy Spirit to carry it out.)

“Acts makes it clear that the gospel about God’s saving accomplishment in Jesus must be proclaimed and believed if people are to ‘enter’ God’s kingdom and experience all its benefits.” -David G. Peterson, 108. -Jesus is the way to enter the kingdom; there is no other. And the witness of his people by the power of the Spirit is the vehicle God has sovereignly chosen to carry the kingdom to all peoples.

Are you persuaded by this promise that by the power of the Holy Spirit in us we too represent Jesus to others around us? … That we are empowered to be his witnesses in the community where God has us? And that some of us need to sent out strategically to spread the gospel to the ends of the earth?

Finally in our text for today, Jesus prepares his Apostles…

By Persuading Them That He Is Sure to Return (vv. 9-11)

(the way he left—in power and glory)

What must it have been like to be there? Jesus ascends before their eyes, a visible representation of his returning to the Father, to sit and reign at the right hand of the authority of the Triune God himself. And the disciples must be not only astonished and amazed, but perhaps still somewhat perplexed, still trying to take it all in.

So two angels sent from God (two men clothed in white/bright clothing… described just like the angels at the tomb after the resurrection) shake them out of their stupor (these men, these Galileans—they had all been from Galilee except Judas—men chosen by Christ himself to be his Apostles). ‘Hey, no need to keep standing here. Go prepare yourselves to await the promise and then get to the task he has given.’

Note the way that both the promise and command of Christ are reinforced:

Here we have a sure promise, that even though we do not know the timing (we do not know the parameters of the epochs in God’s own providence), … but we do know that our Lord will come again to consummate His kingdom program.

“The point of the unit is really a command: do not look up and merely be idle, waiting for the return, but move out and share what God’s program in Jesus is all about.” -Darrell L. Bock, 60.

Jesus “leaves believers as his successors, responsible for the job of world evangelization, until his return in the same glorified body (1:11).” -Craig S. Keener, Ac 1:9–11.

Conclusion: As we draw our study of these verses to a close for this morning, we are wise to ask ourselves this question: Why did the Holy Spirit breath out this text through Luke?

To persuade us that Christ continued his work through the Apostles by the power of the Holy Spirit to spread the good news that the kingdom of God has already come in spiritual form to all mankind (Jew first, and to the rest), and that the presence and power of the Spirit in the church is assurance that Christ is reigning and returning to consummate the kingdom.

This prologue to Acts “prepares the reader for what God has called the new community to do. The church’s primary task is to represent God faithfully, including witnessing to God’s work in Jesus through the Holy Spirit.” -Bock, 51.

If we belong to God through faith in Christ, then we too have become God’s chosen agents to carry on the task, to represent him and be his messengers. “Discerning readers will discover that this question is answered in various ways throughout the rest of Acts.” -David G. Peterson, 101.

Christ is risen… Christ is reigning… Christ is returning… and he has equipped us, His church, by the presence & power of the Holy Spirit, to be his representatives until he returns.