The Church’s Power
Acts 1:1-11
February 5, 2012
Well tonight we begin a new study in the Word of God.
It is always fulfilling to me (and I hope you)
To dive into a dedicated study of a book of the Bible.
(Acts is an intimidating book to me)
That being said, I do think the main them of the book of Acts is clear.
“It is the record of how Christ grew His church”
Matthew 16:18 “I also say to you that you are Peter, and upon this rock I will build My church; and the gates of Hades will not overpower it.”
It is apparent that Acts is the record of how Christ did that.
(and continues to do that)
And right off the bat, I think that addresses one of the ways
That the book of Acts is most commonly misapplied.
While it is true that we can learn principles and techniques from the apostles as we watch them endure suffering and evangelize a lost world,
By in large this book is not meant to magnify certain ministry practices.
This book is about God at work, not men at work.
In fact, You will see several times throughout the book that men
(even Godly men like the apostles)
Would have gone in a different direction
Had God not had sovereign control over their circumstances.
For example:
In Acts 8 we are familiar with Philip being directly told to take the desert road to Gaza, something he would not have done, and yet there he met the Ethiopian eunuch.
In Acts 9 we find Ananias directed to a house on Straight Street to witness to Saul, a place he would not have gone on his own.
In Acts 10 we see Peter being directed to the house of a Gentile named Cornelius, a place Peter would not have gone.
In Acts 16 we find Paul trying to go everywhere on mission except where God desired, the Holy Spirit literally forbidding him from speaking in some regions.
None of those indicate disobedience on the part of the apostles,
It simply reveals that in and of themselves
They did not know how to grow Christ’s church.
The plan was Christ’s, He is sovereign, and that is very clear in this book
So we don’t really study this book in order to learn ministry techniques from the apostles, although they are great examples of Christian living.
We study this book to have our faith encouraged
That Christ knows what He is doing as He builds His church,
And we can trust His will and His commands as He does it.
We will see Christ grow His church:
• In spite of intense opposition (He actually converts the greatest adversary)
• Across racial barriers (saving Jew and Gentile alike)
• Through doctrinal confusion (circumcision and things like these)
And this growth is even chronicled throughout the book.
The beginning
Acts 1:15 “At this time Peter stood up in the midst of the brethren (a gathering of about one hundred and twenty persons was there together)…”
But it isn’t long before the number explodes.
Acts 2:47 “… And the Lord was adding to their number day by day those who were being saved.”
And then the growth continues.
Acts 4:4 “But many of those who had heard the message believed; and the number of the men came to be about five thousand.”
Acts 5:14 “And all the more believers in the Lord, multitudes of men and women, were constantly added to their number,”
Acts 6:7 “The word of God kept on spreading; and the number of the disciples continued to increase greatly in Jerusalem, and a great many of the priests were becoming obedient to the faith.”
Acts 11:21 “And the hand of the Lord was with them, and a large number who believed turned to the Lord.”
Acts 14:1 “In Iconium they entered the synagogue of the Jews together, and spoke in such a manner that a large number of people believed, both of Jews and of Greeks.”
Acts 16:5 “So the churches were being strengthened in the faith, and were increasing in number daily.”
Acts 17:4 “And some of them were persuaded and joined Paul and Silas, along with a large number of the God-fearing Greeks and a number of the leading women.”
And so the point of this book is clear.
This is the record of how Christ built His church.
And we will see His sovereign hand over her
And learn to trust that He knows what He is doing,
So that we may trust Him as well.
We also know that Luke has a historical purpose in mind.
This was an account written for Theophilus.
Acts is the second volume to Luke’s work for this man.
(The gospel of Luke being the first)
And so Luke’s purpose is also clear.
Luke 1:1-4 “Inasmuch as many have undertaken to compile an account of the things accomplished among us, just as they were handed down to us by those who from the beginning were eyewitnesses and servants of the word, it seemed fitting for me as well, having investigated everything carefully from the beginning, to write it out for you in consecutive order, most excellent Theophilus; so that you may know the exact truth about the things you have been taught.”
That work is being continued here.
And so as Luke begins this second volume,
He does so by very briefly reminding Theophilus of where he left off.
(1-2) “The first account I composed, Theophilus, about all that Jesus began to do and teach, until the day when He was taken up to heaven, after He had by the Holy Spirit given orders to the apostles whom He had chosen.”
So Luke reminds Theophoilus what the first volume was about.
The first volume was “about all that Jesus began to do and teach, until the day when He was taken up to heaven”
And so to get the fullest understanding of Acts
I suppose we could go and do a full study on the gospel of Luke.
(I’ll trust you to get that done before we meet again next week)
Luke closed his gospel with these words:
Luke 24:44-53 “Now He said to them, “These are My words which I spoke to you while I was still with you, that all things which are written about Me in the Law of Moses and the Prophets and the Psalms must be fulfilled.” Then He opened their minds to understand the Scriptures, and He said to them, “Thus it is written, that the Christ would suffer and rise again from the dead the third day, and that repentance for forgiveness of sins would be proclaimed in His name to all the nations, beginning from Jerusalem. “You are witnesses of these things. “And behold, I am sending forth the promise of My Father upon you; but you are to stay in the city until you are clothed with power from on high.” And He led them out as far as Bethany, and He lifted up His hands and blessed them. While He was blessing them, He parted from them and was carried up into heaven. And they, after worshiping Him, returned to Jerusalem with great joy, and were continually in the temple praising God.”
So Luke closed his gospel by hearing Jesus commission His disciples.
“You are witnesses of these things”
He mentioned that the disciples would be
“clothed with power from on high.”
And then Luke bore witness to Jesus being “carried up into heaven.”
And that was the end of the first volume.
Now Luke writes again to pick up the rest of the story.
At the first of that first volume Luke said he wanted
“to compile an account of the things accomplished among us”
AND SO LUKE BEGINS THE 2ND PART OF THE STORY
THE ONLY PLACE HE CAN
And that is with the Holy Spirit.
• This book is not about the superior ministry techniques of the apostles…
• This book is not about the amazing oratory skills of the apostles…
• This book is not about the amazing fortitude of the apostles…
This book is about the power the apostles had to do what they did,
And it is that power that Luke introduces right off the bat in his story.
And so tonight, the story continues.
In our text tonight there are 5 things I want you to see
In regard to how Jesus put His church in motion to go change the world.
#1 HE PRESENTED HIMSELF ALIVE
Acts 1:3
It is obvious that this was a necessary beginning for the church.
We recently read in Matthew:
Matthew 16:21 “From that time Jesus began to show His disciples that He must go to Jerusalem, and suffer many things from the elders and chief priests and scribes, and be killed, and be raised up on the third day.”
And we have talked about how each of these aspects was necessary.
• He had to suffer publicly to become a merciful and faithful high priest.
• He had to die to atone for sin.
• He had to be raised to claim victory over death.
We are all aware that if Christ dies, but does not rise,
Then our faith is in vain.
1 Corinthians 15:14-18 “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.”
It was necessary for Christ to rise from the dead,
And certainly necessary to present “Himself alive after His suffering,”
He had to prove He was alive, and that Hell was defeated.
He “presented Himself alive after His suffering, with many convincing proofs”
Luke 24:36-43 “While they were telling these things, He Himself stood in their midst and said to them, “Peace be to you.” But they were startled and frightened and thought that they were seeing a spirit. 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.”
All of those could be seen as insignificant things on a normal daily basis,
But the fact that Christ did them after dying on the cross
Makes them absolutely miraculous.
He was alive, He could speak, He could be touched, He ate food.
He simply presented Himself alive.
And not just once, “but appearing to them over a period of forty days”
Perhaps the most extensive account of this is found in 1 Corinthians.
1 Corinthians 15:3-8 “For I delivered to you as of first importance what I also received, that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures, and that He was buried, and that He was raised on the third day according to the Scriptures, and that 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; and last of all, as to one untimely born, He appeared to me also.”
Seeing Christ was not a one-time event…
It was not like seeing a vision or a spirit, He was flesh and bone…
Jesus was alive, and He proved it continually over a forty day period.
But that is not all He did.
He also took that time to reinforce a very important truth.
“and speaking of the things concerning the kingdom of God.”
When you read the post-resurrection accounts in the Scriptures,
Or even when you read the first part of the book of Acts,
There is little doubt that Jesus had tunnel vision.
It was all about the kingdom.
Matthew 28:18-20 “And Jesus came up and spoke to them, saying, “All authority has been given to Me in heaven and on earth. “Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age.”
Mark 16:15-16 “And He said to them, “Go into all the world and preach the gospel to all creation. “He who has believed and has been baptized shall be saved; but he who has disbelieved shall be condemned.”
Luke 24:46-48 “and He said to them, “Thus it is written, that the Christ would suffer and rise again from the dead the third day, and that repentance for forgiveness of sins would be proclaimed in His name to all the nations, beginning from Jerusalem. “You are witnesses of these things.”
John 20:21 “So Jesus said to them again, “Peace be with you; as the Father has sent Me, I also send you.”
And of course we could read the entire account of John 21
And listen to Jesus tell Peter three times to take care of His sheep.
It was all about the kingdom.
It was all about evangelism.
It was all about the growth of the church.
When Jesus first introduced the church back in Caesarea Philippi He ended by warning the disciples not to tell anyone about it.
But now that atonement has been made and hell is defeated,
Jesus says, “Go and tell everyone!”
However, He did not tell them to go right away.
For there is a second thing He did.
He Presented Himself Alive
#2 HE PROMISED THE HOLY SPIRIT
Acts 1:4-5
And again this is a very important step that Jesus took
In regard to the beginning of His church.
“Gathering them together, He commanded them not to leave Jerusalem, but to wait for what the Father had promised, “Which,” He said, “you heard of from Me;”
So He had been talking about the kingdom,
But the mission didn’t start just yet.
And this is very important to grasp.
The book of Acts really rests upon these few verses.
Jesus had a passion for the entire world to know about
What He had accomplished through His death and resurrection.
But He did not want the disciples going
In their own strength or by their own wisdom.
And we know why.
On their own, the disciples can’t do it. (Just look at the gospels)
In the gospels the disciples are selfish, ambitious, weak in faith,
Uncompassionate, given to tradition, moody, weak,
And they desperately lack endurance.
• We see Peter sinking in the water because of his little faith…
• We see James and John wanting to call down fire on the Samaritans…
• We see Philip telling Jesus there is no way to feed the multitude…
• We see the disciples wanting to send the Canaanite woman away…
• We see them ridiculing Mary for pouring perfume on Jesus’ feet…
• We see James and John arguing over who can have the best seat…
• We see the rest arguing over who is the greatest…
• We see Peter continually trying to wreck the purpose of Christ…
• We see them sleeping in the garden…
• We see them fleeing during the arrest…
• We even see Peter denying the Lord three times…
Their preaching is weak…
Their faith is weak…
Their power is weak…
Their endurance is weak…
They were not cut out to take the gospel to the ends of the earth.
They needed help!
They could not do anything until the Holy Spirit arrived.
Now Jesus had already spoken about Him a little.
John 14:16-17 “I will ask the Father, and He will give you another Helper, that He may be with you forever; that is the Spirit of truth, whom the world cannot receive, because it does not see Him or know Him, but you know Him because He abides with you and will be in you.”
John 14:25-26 “These things I have spoken to you while abiding with you. “But the Helper, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in My name, He will teach you all things, and bring to your remembrance all that I said to you.”
John 16:7 “But I tell you the truth, it is to your advantage that I go away; for if I do not go away, the Helper will not come to you; but if I go, I will send Him to you.”
But it wasn’t just Jesus.
Even John the Baptist knew the necessity of the Holy Spirit.
“for John baptized with water, but you will be baptized with the Holy Spirit not many days from now.”
And so Jesus told them to wait.
He was passionate about their mission,
But at the same time He was adamant that they
Be equipped before they embark upon it.
He Presented Himself Alive, He Promised the Holy Spirit
#3 HE PRIORITIZED THEIR MINISTRY
Acts 1:6-7
Now of course this is not surprising,
We know the disciples have a propensity to miss the point (as we all do)
“So when they had come together, they were asking Him, saying, “Lord, is it at this time You are restoring the kingdom to Israel?”
• Jesus had no gone through suffering…
• Jesus had now endured death…
• Jesus had risen from the dead…
Now is it time that we finally get the kingdom?
But if you remember from our study in Matthew,
The suffering of Jesus is only half of the equation.
He said we must follow Him.
And that entailed our suffering as well.
The disciples were failing to grasp one very important part.
WE HAVE WORK TO DO.
So Jesus answers:
“He said to them, “It is not for you to know times or epochs which the Father has fixed by His own authority;”
You are on a need to know basis,
And timing is not something you need to know.
We are simply called to obey.
Remember Jesus’ admonition to Peter?
John 21:18-22 “Truly, truly, I say to you, when you were younger, you used to gird yourself and walk wherever you wished; but when you grow old, you will stretch out your hands and someone else will gird you, and bring you where you do not wish to go.” Now this He said, signifying by what kind of death he would glorify God. And when He had spoken this, He said to him, “Follow Me!” Peter, turning around, saw the disciple whom Jesus loved following them; the one who also had leaned back on His bosom at the supper and said, “Lord, who is the one who betrays You?” So Peter seeing him said to Jesus, “Lord, and what about this man?” Jesus said to him, “If I want him to remain until I come, what is that to you? You follow Me!”
Jesus taught Peter that same lesson there.
It doesn’t matter what I do with others, it doesn’t matter what My timing is.
All that matters is that you do what I ask of you.
“but you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you shall be My witnesses both in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and even to the remotest part of the earth.”
I am not interested in you figuring out the timing,
I’m telling you to be active as a witness.
The church didn’t need planners, the church needed witnesses.
And they will be “witnesses”
We know what a witness is.
It is someone who gives an account of what they have seen and heard.
They are to go and share that truth.
• In “Jerusalem” (their town)
• In “Judea” (their state)
• In “Samaria” (their region)
• And “even to the remotest part of the earth.”
All around our church we have these little signs that read,
“Everyone has the right to hear about Jesus”
That is what Jesus was telling His disciples.
Go and tell everyone!
“you shall be My witnesses”
Interestingly enough the Greek word for “witnesses” is MARTYS
He wasn’t necessarily telling them to go be martyrs.
He was telling them to go share the truth with the world.
But the world treated His witnesses so badly that to be a witness
Became synonymous with being a martyr.
So Jesus told them He didn’t need men who knew the timing,
Just men who were dedicated to take the truth to the ends of the earth,
Using the power that the Holy Spirit would supply.
And they did to such an extent that the world saw them
As those who would give their lives to publish the message.
And this is really the foundation to the work of the church.
• Christ suffered, Christ died, Christ rose and made the church possible,
• Now by the power of the Holy Spirit, the church would grow through the sacrificial witness of those who know Christ.
So He Presented Himself Alive; He Promised the Holy Spirit; He Prioritized their Ministry
#4 HE PROCEEDED TO HEAVEN
Acts 1:9
Now obviously we could spend quite a bit of time
Talking about the implications of the ascension.
I don’t want to stay here long,
Just to say that this is what began His great high priestly role.
Hebrews 7:25 “Therefore He is able also to save forever those who draw near to God through Him, since He always lives to make intercession for them.”
And this is really the virtually unseen power to the book of Acts.
Now, Jesus does make some appearances here.
• We all remember His appearance in the conversion of Saul.
• We remember His appearance giving a standing ovation to Stephen.
But even more than that is the continued assistance
He gives through continual prayer for his church.
And so the ascension is of vital importance.
It also means the last command He ever gave was to be His witnesses.
“His last command, our first priority”
He Presented Himself Alive, He Promised the Holy Spirit, He Prioritized their Ministry, He Proceeded to Heaven.
#5 HE PROVIDED INCENTIVE
Acts 1:10-11
Here the disciples continue to gaze intently into the sky,
And at once “two men in white clothing stood beside them.”
Obviously these men are angelic messengers
And they really bring a breathe of practicality into the equation.
“Men of Galilee, why do you stand looking into the sky? This Jesus, who has been taken up from you into heaven, will come in just the same way as you have watched Him go into heaven.”
In other words, there is no time to just stand here being star gazers.
We have work to do.
And beyond that, there is incentive.
He “will come” again.
Remember when Jesus told the disciples to follow Him even into death, He ended that statement by saying:
Matthew 16:27 “For the Son of Man is going to come in the glory of His Father with His angels, and WILL THEN REPAY EVERY MAN ACCORDING TO HIS DEEDS.”
That is the same incentive we see here.
He left you with a mission,
Rest assured He will return to evaluate how you did it.
And there is really the beginning of the church.
• We have the fact that Christ died and rose again.
• We have the command to bear witness of that to the whole world.
• We have the power through the indwelling Holy Spirit to accomplish this task.
• We have the Christ interceding on our behalf.
• We have the judgment as a constant incentive to do it well.
And it is with that that Christ put His church in motion
To go and save the world.
And today it continues.
It is not us at work, it is Him at work through us,
Sovereignly working to bring about His kingdom.
He has paid all that need be paid.
He has provided all that need be provided.
Now He sends us to go and do our job of bearing witness to the world.
THAT IS THE CHURCH.
Acts 1:8 “but you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you shall be My witnesses both in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and even to the remotest part of the earth.”
