The Continued Work of the Risen Savior - The Book of Acts - Acts 1:1-8
Text: Acts 1:1-8
Outline:
1. Jesus is still alive and working in the world.
2. The church is empowered by the gift of the Holy Spirit.
3. Our mission is to be witnesses of Jesus both near and far.
Scripture References:
• Acts 1:1-8
• Luke 1:4
• Luke 3:16
Practical Application:
• What is your view of the Jesus of the Bible? Do you see him as continuing to act today in the world all around you?
◦ Have you welcomed his work in your own heart today?
• Do you doubt God's power in your life? What are the barriers? What are the areas of your life that the Spirit today is graciously challenging - sins that need confessing, pride that needs repenting of - so that your life can be filled with his power?
◦ Do you come to God with a posture of prideful or self centered doubt? Or a posture of humble dependence?
• Are you living today as a witness of Jesus and his power in every area of your life? Are you intentionally seeking for ways to tell of that witness to others?
Read text
Today we will be starting the book of acts
This is one of the most exciting books in the NT - a unique one that shows the story of the growth of the church.
The book of Acts is part of a 2-part work by Luke - and addressed to the same person - Theophilus
"I wrote in the first narrative..."
Its clear its connected
Luke - a physician (Paul calls him that) - by his writing style and content it is clear that Luke was a well educated and respected person. He was likely well off and well connected in the greek and jewish communities.
He does a diligent work of historical research and facts.
His goal is to assure his recipient of the validity of the Christian message.
Who is the recipient?
"most honorable Theophilus" - a greek new christian who is likely of higher rank in society.
the title "most honorable" is a title that Paul uses when he speaks to Felix the governor and Festus in Acts 23, 24 and 26
Theo - philos - lover of God
Most likely Theophilus is a new believer who is of higher rank in greek society and facing pressures in his personal or professional life about his belonging to the christian movement
Maybe he is doubting or struggling with the validity of the things he believed
Luke 1:4
"so that you may know the certainty of the things about which you have been instructed."
How many struggle with their faith today? Don't we all?
This then, is a rich story of the facts of how, not only Jesus came - but how the whole christian movement got started.
This is our story and our roots and it is no doubt a study that will strengthen our faith as we make our way through it.
We will cover larger chunks of this work as we make our way through the story because of how Luke writes - we need to see the main idea of each story
What do we learn in this introduction?
1. Jesus is still alive and working in the world.
"I wrote the first narrative, Theophilus, about all that Jesus BEGAN to do and teach 2 until the day he was taken up, after he had given instructions through the Holy Spirit to the apostles he had chosen."
The gospel of Luke takes us through the full story of Jesus' birth, life, death, resurrection and ascension up to heaven.
It seams like his job is done
But what Luke is telling us is that it is only the beginning.
Jesus came to live a perfect life that we could never live, to teach us the way of God, to bring in his own person the kingdom of God to the world - but most importantly - he came to give his life as a ransom, as a payment for our sins and to give us forgiveness of sins and freedom from death.
But as Jesus did that, he opened the door to something new and radical - he began the long awaited work of God to bring healing and renewal to the whole world.
Jesus death on the cross and victory over the grave is only the beginning!
Luke begins his book with a little overlap with the ending of the gospel.
The end of Luke as we read last Sunday - has Jesus appearing to numerous people after his resurrection - and commissioning his disciples to a mission in the world.
And the beginning of Acts overlaps with that same ending as the beginning of the next chapter - like the TV shows giving you the overview of everything that happened in the last episode
"3 After he had suffered, he also presented himself alive to them by many convincing proofs, appearing to them over a period of forty days and speaking about the kingdom of God."
"Theophilus - Jesus is ALIVE! We have proof of that - but not only that - this Jesus is CONTINUING to work in the world TODAY through his Spirit and his people!"
the TRUE title of Acts - Acts of the Apostles is the traditional title of the book - but the real main character in the book that weaves everything together is GOD - it is Jesus who is ascended in heaven, it is the Father who is calling all people to himself and transforming their hearts and the Spirit who is building the church and giving power to his people.
Acts of the Triune God in and through his church.
2. The church is empowered by the gift of the Holy Spirit.
4 While he was with them, he commanded them not to leave Jerusalem, but to wait for the Father’s promise. “Which,” he said, “you have heard me speak about; 5 for John baptized with water, but you will be baptized with the Holy Spirit in a few days.”
6 So when they had come together, they asked him, “Lord, are you restoring the kingdom to Israel at this time?”
7 He said to them, “It is not for you to know times or periods that the Father has set by his own authority. 8 But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come on you, and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.”
we say Jesus is present and active - but HOW is he present? How do we see him working today?
One of the major themes in the book of Acts as we will see is the coming of the Spirit of God on his people.
This is again a link to the OT promises and to Luke's previous writings.
5 for John baptized with water, but you will be baptized with the Holy Spirit in a few days.”
Luke is making a verbal link here.
Luke 3:16
“I baptize you with water, but one who is more powerful than I am is coming. I am not worthy to untie the strap of his sandals. He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and fire."
One of the signs of the New Age of God's fulfilled promises in the OT is the outpouring of God's Spirit.
No longer is God separate from his people - but all people are now know God and are known by God by means of the Spirit of God
At this point the disciples are asking about the kingdom of God being restored in a physical and political way in the world - they killed Jesus and he didn't stay dead! No one can stop him now!!
His response is not to tell them that is a stupid idea. Rather he says that the times and dates are none of their business - HOWEVER - They WILL receive power from on high for the work of God's kingdom very shortly.
Important note - Holy Spirit = power from God to do his work and his mission
POWER
They were thinking of the power of God crushing Rome and restoring Israel and Gods peace to the nations.
Thats not necessarily bad.
But Jesus says I am sending you power for a deeper mission - to be the people of God taking my message to the nations
in some sense - he is saying - its not ME ALONE who will come with power to this world - actually I am sending the power of God on YOU to do my work in the world.
WE might say yeah that sounds so great - the early church, the power of the Spirit - thousands being saved, churches starting - so amazing, so surreal, so unstoppable...
But we live in dull difficult lives - we have hardships, we have personal struggles, we are weak, we have fears, we are not like the apostles or early church who were so on fire all the time.
This is actually quite a misconception!
Keep reading the story. You will see that almost every chapter and every turn in the story brings struggles, trials, difficulties, disagreements and on and on and on.
The story of the early church is not the story of a bunch of perfect, unstoppable super christians.
it is the story of God working powerfully in the midst of difficulty and need
It is the story of a messy and imperfect church being used in amazing ways to do God's work
that sounds just like us
"you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come to you"
All we need is a posture of humility and brokenness before God.
Do you doubt God's work in your life?
Tim Keller - the Spirit gives us boldness by reminding us of the gospel and takes away -
• Pride -
◦ I don't want to serve, no one sees how hard I work, no one appreciates me, I am sick of this!
◦ I just want my own comfortable life
◦ The Spirit tells you - you are saved by GRACE!
• Fear -
◦ What will people think of me?
◦ What if I fail? What if I let people down? What if I don't know what to do?
◦ The Spirit says - You are saved by a risen Savior and no one can take it away from you!
• Pessimism -
◦ I am too far gone, I am weak, I always fail, I will never change
◦ That person is too far gone, I don't even know how to help them...
◦ The Spirit says - there is no one that God can't save and there is NO ONE that God can't use!!
Do you doubt God's work in your life?
Join the club. Read with Theophilus.
Allow your weakness and your brokenness to drive you to desperate dependence to the feet of the risen Jesus - seek his power seek his strength - and he will give.
As he has been doing for 2000 years.
All we need is a posture of humility and brokenness before God.
3. Our mission is to be witnesses of Jesus both near and far.
"...you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come on you, and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.”
"You will be my witnesses"
People who have a story to tell.
The Christian life is a life of knowing Jesus, being changed by Jesus and being a living example that Jesus is real.
"all that Jesus began to DO and TEACH..."
we have a pattern here for what we are to do as witnesses.
WE have a mission a calling. And it includes DOIING - living as those who are knowing Christ and practicing his ways in all that we do - and TEACHING - explaining, instructing, telling about all that he is.
Being a witness to Jesus soaks into every detail of our lives.
one misconception is that its just "ministry"
you are always called to be learning to walk in the ways of Jesus - ESPECIALLY every day life and relationships.
Do you allow the Spirit to challenge your most important every day struggles - laziness, anger, bitterness, conflict - are you learning the ways of Jesus??
Or do you make excuses and push away the work of the Spirit of God?
and then secondly - are you intentionally seeking to bring the ways of Jesus into every relationship and area of life? Are you intentionally learning to bring Christ's grace to every person in your Actions and your WORDS?
"you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.”
The call here is basically to be the witnesses of Jesus EVERYWHERE - both near and far.
A mom who mostly stays home is a witness of Jesus - to her kids, to her neighbors, to her church community...
A missionary is a witness of Jesus
A christian business owner is a witness of Jesus to his partners, his workers, his clients...
This is actually really cool because Luke literally gives us a blueprint for the whole book here.
The story unfolds to show how the disciples go out to do this mission and it goes in sections - first covering the church growing in Jerusalem, then to Samaria and surrounding regions, then on to the ends of the earth.
The end of the book is very interesting because it ends with Paul preaching the gospel in Rome as he is imprisoned - but it doesn't tell us what happened to Paul!! what?? that is because thats not the main point - the main point is that the gospel has reached Rome and is moving powerfully from there!
It is all coming to pass as we speak!! the mission of Jesus is being accomplished.
Here we are 2000 years later - a church in every county on a continent thousands of miles away from Jerusalem.
What is your relationship to this mission?
Practical Application:
• What is your view of the Jesus of the Bible? Do you see him as continuing to act today in the world all around you?
◦ Have you welcomed his work in your own heart today?
• Do you doubt God's power in your life? What are the barriers? What are the areas of your life that the Spirit today is graciously challenging - sins that need confessing, pride that needs repenting of - so that your life can be filled with his power?
◦ Do you come to God with a posture of prideful or self centered doubt? Or a posture of humble dependence?
• Are you living today as a witness of Jesus and his power in every area of your life? Are you intentionally seeking for ways to tell of that witness to others?