WEBVTT 00:00:09.839 --> 00:00:12.039 Well, I must say, Juanita, that was some kind 00:00:12.039 --> 00:00:14.259 of introduction to glorious things of thee are 00:00:14.259 --> 00:00:18.600 spoken. Actually, it was a, I think it was a 00:00:18.600 --> 00:00:21.420 Mendelssohn sonata, wasn't it? At least that's 00:00:21.420 --> 00:00:25.600 what John Benham told me. I would never have 00:00:25.600 --> 00:00:27.679 known otherwise, except that I know I liked it. 00:00:32.700 --> 00:00:37.799 Acts chapter 1. We begin today a series. which 00:00:37.799 --> 00:00:40.000 will take us verse by verse through the book 00:00:40.000 --> 00:00:45.060 of Acts. One will find no more dramatic, exciting, 00:00:45.280 --> 00:00:48.299 and stimulating history anywhere in literature. 00:00:51.759 --> 00:00:57.560 The book of Acts contains a main character, which 00:00:57.560 --> 00:01:01.179 disappears from sight in the first few verses 00:01:01.179 --> 00:01:06.439 of the book. and yet who acts to change the world 00:01:06.439 --> 00:01:11.299 through his band of followers. In this book you 00:01:11.299 --> 00:01:13.519 find the beginning of the most significant movement 00:01:13.519 --> 00:01:19.340 in all of history, the Christian church. You 00:01:19.340 --> 00:01:23.000 will find in these pages the conversion of a 00:01:23.000 --> 00:01:28.939 leading opponent of the faith to become the leading 00:01:28.939 --> 00:01:36.480 exponent of it in the last half. You find in 00:01:36.480 --> 00:01:40.219 the book of Acts the growth of what was initially 00:01:40.219 --> 00:01:45.900 a small tremor to become a ten -point earthquake 00:01:45.900 --> 00:01:53.019 that shook the Roman Empire. This account of 00:01:53.019 --> 00:01:57.579 the early church is not dry, dusty stuff, but 00:01:57.579 --> 00:02:02.379 rather it is relevant to our day. in this 20th 00:02:02.379 --> 00:02:06.900 century society in which we live. I quote the 00:02:06.900 --> 00:02:12.620 words of Ray Steadman. Dr. E .M. Blakelock, longtime 00:02:12.620 --> 00:02:15.500 professor of classics at the University of New 00:02:15.500 --> 00:02:18.680 Zealand, has said, of all the centuries, the 00:02:18.680 --> 00:02:24.259 20th is most like the first. Steadman continues, 00:02:24.639 --> 00:02:28.120 despite the obvious technological differences, 00:02:28.280 --> 00:02:32.250 which are certainly superficial, The truth of 00:02:32.250 --> 00:02:34.650 Dr. Blakelock's statement can be demonstrated 00:02:34.650 --> 00:02:37.409 in several ways, including the position of the 00:02:37.409 --> 00:02:41.789 church in the world today. Twentieth -century 00:02:41.789 --> 00:02:44.710 Christians confront a thoroughly secularized 00:02:44.710 --> 00:02:49.289 and pagan world, just as the first -century Christians 00:02:49.289 --> 00:02:52.909 did. Persecution of Christians in the twentieth 00:02:52.909 --> 00:02:57.289 century is far more widespread and at least as 00:02:57.289 --> 00:03:00.469 violent as it ever was in the first century. 00:03:01.449 --> 00:03:04.689 The seeds of restless discontent have been widely 00:03:04.689 --> 00:03:08.590 sown among the nations in our day, and people 00:03:08.590 --> 00:03:12.030 everywhere are crying out for relief from the 00:03:12.030 --> 00:03:15.729 sense of emptiness and despair which a widespread 00:03:15.729 --> 00:03:20.909 materialism has produced. I believe that he is 00:03:20.909 --> 00:03:24.909 right. And as a result of that, what the book 00:03:24.909 --> 00:03:27.870 of Acts has to say regarding the first century 00:03:27.870 --> 00:03:31.500 church is relevant and applicable to where we 00:03:31.500 --> 00:03:35.340 are today in our lives. No book in the New Testament 00:03:35.340 --> 00:03:38.919 is more critical to understand than the book 00:03:38.919 --> 00:03:44.520 of Acts. You need to get a handle on what this 00:03:44.520 --> 00:03:48.900 book is all about. Why, you say, do I need to 00:03:48.900 --> 00:03:53.099 do that? Let me give you three reasons. These 00:03:53.099 --> 00:03:56.099 reasons will be in the form of descriptions of 00:03:56.099 --> 00:04:00.490 the book. As you understand these descriptions 00:04:00.490 --> 00:04:04.409 of the book of Acts, it will be explained to 00:04:04.409 --> 00:04:08.469 you why it is so important for you to get a handle 00:04:08.469 --> 00:04:12.469 on the book. In the first place, the book of 00:04:12.469 --> 00:04:18.569 Acts can be described as a book of history. Let's 00:04:18.569 --> 00:04:21.629 turn to chapter 1 in the book and read the first 00:04:21.629 --> 00:04:27.250 three verses. The first account I composed, Theophilus, 00:04:27.740 --> 00:04:32.399 about all that Jesus began to do and teach until 00:04:32.399 --> 00:04:36.019 the day when he was taken up, after he had, by 00:04:36.019 --> 00:04:39.199 the Holy Spirit, given orders to the apostles 00:04:39.199 --> 00:04:43.540 whom he had chosen. To these he also presented 00:04:43.540 --> 00:04:48.160 himself alive after his suffering by many convincing 00:04:48.160 --> 00:04:51.959 proofs, appearing to them over a period of forty 00:04:51.959 --> 00:04:54.920 days and speaking of the things concerning the 00:04:54.920 --> 00:04:59.250 kingdom of God. The book of Acts is, in the first 00:04:59.250 --> 00:05:04.730 place, a book of history. The writer says, the 00:05:04.730 --> 00:05:08.949 first account I composed. The word account means 00:05:08.949 --> 00:05:13.850 narrative. The writer of the book is claiming 00:05:13.850 --> 00:05:17.149 that this is a record and accounting, a narrative 00:05:17.149 --> 00:05:22.649 of events. It is a book of history. It is a book 00:05:22.649 --> 00:05:26.790 that was written by Luke, the physician, to... 00:05:27.069 --> 00:05:32.709 a man by the name of Theophilus. Luke was not 00:05:32.709 --> 00:05:35.610 only a physician, but he was a Gentile as well, 00:05:35.689 --> 00:05:38.569 as is indicated in Colossians chapter 4, verses 00:05:38.569 --> 00:05:42.310 11 through 14, where he is not listed as one 00:05:42.310 --> 00:05:45.149 of the circumcision, that is, the Jews who followed 00:05:45.149 --> 00:05:49.850 Paul. Rather, he was a Greek. It is likely that 00:05:49.850 --> 00:05:52.889 he was converted through the ministry of the 00:05:52.889 --> 00:05:57.040 Apostle Paul, perhaps in Paul's hometown of Tarsus 00:05:57.040 --> 00:06:01.439 in Cilicia. I say that because there were only 00:06:01.439 --> 00:06:03.920 three universities in that day where one could 00:06:03.920 --> 00:06:07.939 receive medical training. They were Alexandria 00:06:07.939 --> 00:06:15.060 in Egypt, Athens in Greece, and Tarsus in Cilicia, 00:06:15.180 --> 00:06:17.600 where Paul was from and where he ministered for 00:06:17.600 --> 00:06:21.839 a number of years quietly. And so it is likely 00:06:21.839 --> 00:06:24.180 that during that period of time, he came across 00:06:24.180 --> 00:06:28.600 this Gentile by the name of Luke and led him 00:06:28.600 --> 00:06:31.959 to faith in Jesus, the Messiah of the Jews, the 00:06:31.959 --> 00:06:39.220 Christ. Luke pens this history to one Theophilus, 00:06:39.220 --> 00:06:42.360 who is unknown to us beyond what is said here 00:06:42.360 --> 00:06:45.240 and in the first few verses of the Gospel of 00:06:45.240 --> 00:06:49.420 Luke, which was also written to him. His name, 00:06:49.480 --> 00:06:54.480 however, means dear to God or friend of God. 00:06:55.800 --> 00:07:03.699 In Luke, Dr. Luke addresses Theophilus as most 00:07:03.699 --> 00:07:09.160 excellent, which is a title used in the book 00:07:09.160 --> 00:07:13.740 of Acts, again by Luke, of other Roman governors. 00:07:14.100 --> 00:07:18.339 For example, Felix and Festus. Check out Acts 00:07:18.339 --> 00:07:25.000 23, 26, 24, verse 3, and 26, verse 25. In those 00:07:25.000 --> 00:07:27.839 cases, the same title is used of a governor, 00:07:27.920 --> 00:07:30.740 and thus we think that Theophilus was likely 00:07:30.740 --> 00:07:34.620 a Roman official of some sort, and perhaps a 00:07:34.620 --> 00:07:40.779 new convert. In writing the book, Luke is recording 00:07:40.779 --> 00:07:45.120 for him what happened in the early church. he 00:07:45.120 --> 00:07:48.920 may well also be pinning an apologetic or a defense 00:07:48.920 --> 00:07:54.579 of Christianity to the Roman government. For 00:07:54.579 --> 00:07:56.920 there were those who tried to convince the Roman 00:07:56.920 --> 00:08:02.360 government that the Christians were a force which 00:08:02.360 --> 00:08:06.759 they should fear. And so Luke may well be writing 00:08:06.759 --> 00:08:08.920 this book to assure the Roman government that 00:08:08.920 --> 00:08:11.439 in fact Christians are loyal citizens of the 00:08:11.439 --> 00:08:14.779 nation where they live. that is seen throughout 00:08:14.779 --> 00:08:21.279 the book. Luke was a careful historian. In this 00:08:21.279 --> 00:08:27.360 book, he records certain events in the lives 00:08:27.360 --> 00:08:32.899 of certain apostles. He does not record all of 00:08:32.899 --> 00:08:35.139 the events that occurred in the early church, 00:08:35.340 --> 00:08:38.460 nor does he say anything about all of the apostles. 00:08:39.629 --> 00:08:42.090 The book might better be called, as it is in 00:08:42.090 --> 00:08:47.289 some Greek manuscripts, Acts of Apostles, rather 00:08:47.289 --> 00:08:49.769 than The Acts of the Apostles, which implies 00:08:49.769 --> 00:08:54.090 that it's complete. It is not. In fact, in this 00:08:54.090 --> 00:08:56.269 book, there are only four apostles who are even 00:08:56.269 --> 00:08:59.529 mentioned. Peter, of course, is one of the main 00:08:59.529 --> 00:09:04.169 figures in the early chapters. John is mentioned 00:09:04.169 --> 00:09:06.230 as being a companion of Peter, but he is never 00:09:06.230 --> 00:09:12.009 recorded as having said anything. James is mentioned 00:09:12.009 --> 00:09:15.269 briefly as having been martyred in Acts chapter 00:09:15.269 --> 00:09:19.730 12. And then the bulk of the book is about the 00:09:19.730 --> 00:09:22.070 Apostle Paul. And so those are the four apostles 00:09:22.070 --> 00:09:27.509 who are mentioned in Acts of the Apostles. Although 00:09:27.509 --> 00:09:30.090 this book is only a fragment of the total record, 00:09:30.350 --> 00:09:36.309 within itself it is thorough, concise in exploring 00:09:36.309 --> 00:09:41.059 its purpose. and well organized it is in fact 00:09:41.059 --> 00:09:47.460 a brilliant recording of events by dr luke what 00:09:47.460 --> 00:09:49.980 are luke's sources for writing this book where 00:09:49.980 --> 00:09:54.659 did he get his information on chapters 1 through 00:09:54.659 --> 00:09:57.480 15 it is likely that he interviewed people like 00:09:57.480 --> 00:10:02.259 peter and paul and others and perhaps he took 00:10:02.259 --> 00:10:05.320 advantage of existing church documents in those 00:10:05.320 --> 00:10:11.139 days The Spirit of God led him in those interviews 00:10:11.139 --> 00:10:15.460 so that in collecting his material, what he finally 00:10:15.460 --> 00:10:19.720 wrote down is the infallible Word of God. And 00:10:19.720 --> 00:10:25.120 then in chapters 16 through 28, Luke himself 00:10:25.120 --> 00:10:28.240 was an eyewitness of many of the events. And 00:10:28.240 --> 00:10:30.399 what he did not observe personally, he could 00:10:30.399 --> 00:10:35.179 easily have learned from the Apostle Paul. Luke 00:10:35.179 --> 00:10:37.779 became, as you probably know, a companion of 00:10:37.779 --> 00:10:42.659 Paul in part of his missionary journeys. The 00:10:42.659 --> 00:10:46.460 book of Acts is commonly divided into three parts, 00:10:46.659 --> 00:10:55.360 chapters 1 -7, 8 -12, and 13 -28. The first division 00:10:55.360 --> 00:10:58.399 centers around Jerusalem and Judea, where the 00:10:58.399 --> 00:11:03.129 gospel was first preached by the apostles. Chapters 00:11:03.129 --> 00:11:06.710 8 through 12, the gospel is preached to a broader 00:11:06.710 --> 00:11:12.789 circle, encompassing Samaria especially. And 00:11:12.789 --> 00:11:15.450 then in chapters 13 through 28, the gospel is 00:11:15.450 --> 00:11:17.909 taken to the uttermost parts of the earth, as 00:11:17.909 --> 00:11:21.990 our Lord commanded in chapter 1, verse 8. In 00:11:21.990 --> 00:11:24.450 the first division, the gospel is given to the 00:11:24.450 --> 00:11:28.210 Jews. The second division, chapters 8 through 00:11:28.210 --> 00:11:31.990 12, it is given to half Jews. Half -Gentiles, 00:11:31.990 --> 00:11:35.090 that is, the Samaritans. They were the descendants 00:11:35.090 --> 00:11:38.649 of the northern kingdom of Israel who intermarried 00:11:38.649 --> 00:11:41.429 with those who were brought into their land after 00:11:41.429 --> 00:11:43.490 that northern kingdom went into captivity to 00:11:43.490 --> 00:11:46.529 Assyria. So they were half -Jews, half -Gentiles, 00:11:46.529 --> 00:11:50.330 rejected by the Jews in particular. And then 00:11:50.330 --> 00:11:52.370 the last half of the book deals with the gospel 00:11:52.370 --> 00:11:59.009 going primarily to the Gentiles. C .H. Turner 00:11:59.009 --> 00:12:01.929 suggests a division of Acts which is a little 00:12:01.929 --> 00:12:04.169 different. He says that there are six panels 00:12:04.169 --> 00:12:09.330 of history, each of which concludes with a progress 00:12:09.330 --> 00:12:12.669 report on how things are going. I want you to 00:12:12.669 --> 00:12:14.830 follow this with me as we move through the book. 00:12:15.309 --> 00:12:19.429 He says chapter 1 through chapter 6, verse 7 00:12:19.429 --> 00:12:23.230 is the first panel, and it deals with what happened 00:12:23.230 --> 00:12:26.409 at Jerusalem plus the preaching of Peter. And 00:12:26.409 --> 00:12:29.529 notice how he ends this section, chapter 6, verse 00:12:29.529 --> 00:12:33.330 7. Here is the progress report, which Turner 00:12:33.330 --> 00:12:36.809 suggests. And the word of God kept on spreading, 00:12:37.070 --> 00:12:40.210 and the number of the disciples continued to 00:12:40.210 --> 00:12:43.509 increase greatly in Jerusalem, and a great many 00:12:43.509 --> 00:12:45.950 of the priests were becoming obedient to the 00:12:45.950 --> 00:12:50.370 faith. Then Turner suggests that beginning with 00:12:50.370 --> 00:12:53.370 verse 8, there is a second panel of history. 00:12:54.200 --> 00:12:56.679 which includes the spread of Christianity through 00:12:56.679 --> 00:13:00.639 Palestine, the martyrdom of Stephen, followed 00:13:00.639 --> 00:13:04.000 by the gospel being proclaimed in Samaria. And 00:13:04.000 --> 00:13:06.299 he says the second panel concludes with chapter 00:13:06.299 --> 00:13:10.759 9, verse 31. And here we have another progress 00:13:10.759 --> 00:13:15.700 report. So the church throughout all Judea and 00:13:15.700 --> 00:13:19.879 Galilee and Samaria enjoyed peace being built 00:13:19.879 --> 00:13:23.240 up. And going on in the fear of the Lord and 00:13:23.240 --> 00:13:25.559 in the comfort of the Holy Spirit, it continued 00:13:25.559 --> 00:13:29.960 to increase. Isn't that interesting? And then 00:13:29.960 --> 00:13:31.620 he says, beginning with the next verse, there's 00:13:31.620 --> 00:13:34.879 a third panel, which covers the conversion of 00:13:34.879 --> 00:13:39.220 the Apostle Paul, an extension of the church 00:13:39.220 --> 00:13:44.220 to Antioch in Syria, and the conversion of the 00:13:44.220 --> 00:13:48.460 Gentile Cornelius. And it concludes again with 00:13:48.460 --> 00:13:54.000 a progress report in chapter 12, verse 24. But 00:13:54.000 --> 00:13:57.759 the word of the Lord continued to grow and to 00:13:57.759 --> 00:14:01.840 be multiplied. And then beginning with verse 00:14:01.840 --> 00:14:06.220 25, there is a fourth panel of history which 00:14:06.220 --> 00:14:09.960 talks about the gospel going into Asia Minor. 00:14:10.679 --> 00:14:13.899 And it too concludes with a progress report in 00:14:13.899 --> 00:14:20.029 chapter 16. Verse 5, so the churches were being 00:14:20.029 --> 00:14:23.210 strengthened in the faith and were increasing 00:14:23.210 --> 00:14:29.309 in number daily. In verse 6, there begins the 00:14:29.309 --> 00:14:32.370 fifth panel of history, talking about the gospel 00:14:32.370 --> 00:14:35.470 going to Europe and the great metropolitan areas 00:14:35.470 --> 00:14:41.309 of that day. The summary is found in chapter 00:14:41.309 --> 00:14:46.980 19, verse 20. The progress report here says, 00:14:47.159 --> 00:14:50.000 so the word of the Lord was growing mightily 00:14:50.000 --> 00:14:56.000 and prevailing. And the final panel then begins 00:14:56.000 --> 00:14:58.740 with the next verse and concludes with chapter 00:14:58.740 --> 00:15:03.519 28, verse 31, where it says that Paul was welcoming 00:15:03.519 --> 00:15:06.259 all who came to him, preaching the kingdom of 00:15:06.259 --> 00:15:09.700 God and teaching concerning the Lord Jesus Christ 00:15:09.700 --> 00:15:13.990 with all openness unhindered. So I think that 00:15:13.990 --> 00:15:16.649 is another interesting view of how the book fits 00:15:16.649 --> 00:15:21.409 together. So why do we need to understand the 00:15:21.409 --> 00:15:23.250 book of Acts and get a handle on it? Because 00:15:23.250 --> 00:15:26.210 in the first place, it is a book of history. 00:15:27.830 --> 00:15:31.169 It is a reminder to us that our faith has deep 00:15:31.169 --> 00:15:36.889 historical roots. We do not follow some cleverly 00:15:36.889 --> 00:15:41.110 devised tales, but rather we follow in the steps. 00:15:42.379 --> 00:15:45.159 of some of history's most important and influential 00:15:45.159 --> 00:15:50.059 people. And what we read furthermore in the history 00:15:50.059 --> 00:15:54.379 of the early church stimulates us to desire for 00:15:54.379 --> 00:15:58.860 God to work in mighty power in our day as this 00:15:58.860 --> 00:16:05.360 age draws to its culmination and its close. As 00:16:05.360 --> 00:16:08.259 we study the book of Acts, I believe our hearts 00:16:08.259 --> 00:16:10.860 will begin to cry out and we will say, God, bring 00:16:10.860 --> 00:16:15.059 this age to a close as you began it with the 00:16:15.059 --> 00:16:19.320 church in victory and in the mighty power of 00:16:19.320 --> 00:16:24.220 the Holy Spirit. There's a second reason it's 00:16:24.220 --> 00:16:26.019 important for us to get a hold of the book of 00:16:26.019 --> 00:16:28.440 Acts because of a second description of the book. 00:16:28.840 --> 00:16:31.840 It is not only a book of history, it is also 00:16:31.840 --> 00:16:35.909 a book of continuity. Go back with me now to 00:16:35.909 --> 00:16:41.090 the first verse of the book. Notice how Luke 00:16:41.090 --> 00:16:47.230 phrases this sentence. The first account I composed, 00:16:47.769 --> 00:16:55.049 Theophilus, about all Jesus began to do and teach. 00:16:56.070 --> 00:16:59.149 And so he says, Theophilus, the first book I 00:16:59.149 --> 00:17:01.289 wrote, in other words what we call the Gospel 00:17:01.289 --> 00:17:06.000 of Luke. Matthew, Mark, Luke, that book, the 00:17:06.000 --> 00:17:10.119 third gospel. He says, the first account I composed 00:17:10.119 --> 00:17:15.140 about all that Jesus began to do and to teach. 00:17:15.599 --> 00:17:19.359 And so he implies that what he is about to write 00:17:19.359 --> 00:17:22.980 now is only a continuation of that same theme 00:17:22.980 --> 00:17:27.220 found in the gospel of Luke. In other words, 00:17:27.220 --> 00:17:31.440 that the book of Acts, as we call it, is a continuation 00:17:31.440 --> 00:17:36.720 of the ministry of Jesus Christ. And I'd like 00:17:36.720 --> 00:17:38.720 to suggest to you this morning that it is, in 00:17:38.720 --> 00:17:41.400 fact, a continuation of his ministry in three 00:17:41.400 --> 00:17:46.640 aspects. It is a continuation of his working. 00:17:47.279 --> 00:17:51.619 He says here, all that Jesus began to do is in 00:17:51.619 --> 00:17:53.700 the gospel. Now I'm going to go on and talk about 00:17:53.700 --> 00:17:59.000 what he is doing. It is a continuation of... 00:17:59.289 --> 00:18:03.390 Jesus' teaching. He says here in the gospel, 00:18:03.509 --> 00:18:06.869 I wrote, what Jesus began to teach. Now I'm going 00:18:06.869 --> 00:18:11.289 to tell you more. And it is in the third place 00:18:11.289 --> 00:18:16.569 a continuation of Christ's kingdom. Because in 00:18:16.569 --> 00:18:21.049 verse 3, he talks about Jesus after his resurrection 00:18:21.049 --> 00:18:24.410 continuing this theme of the kingdom of God. 00:18:24.609 --> 00:18:27.890 Now let's think about those three aspects. of 00:18:27.890 --> 00:18:31.970 the continuity between the book of Acts and the 00:18:31.970 --> 00:18:34.950 gospel of Luke. Number one, it's a continuation 00:18:34.950 --> 00:18:39.029 of Jesus' working, his working through the Holy 00:18:39.029 --> 00:18:44.230 Spirit. And thus, the best name for the book 00:18:44.230 --> 00:18:47.849 of Acts would probably be the Acts of the Holy 00:18:47.849 --> 00:18:52.869 Spirit and not the Acts of the Apostles. For 00:18:52.869 --> 00:18:55.250 it is the working of the Holy Spirit directing, 00:18:56.119 --> 00:19:00.359 the apostles, and the people of God. It is the 00:19:00.359 --> 00:19:03.059 work of the Spirit of Jesus doing miracles through 00:19:03.059 --> 00:19:05.819 His people and disciplining those that He loves. 00:19:07.180 --> 00:19:09.980 Let's follow this theme just briefly, and I'll 00:19:09.980 --> 00:19:12.980 show you what I mean. The book of Acts is a continuation 00:19:12.980 --> 00:19:17.240 of the working of Jesus Christ in the world. 00:19:18.119 --> 00:19:23.670 Look at chapter 1, verse 24. One of the first 00:19:23.670 --> 00:19:26.910 things the apostles were confronted with was 00:19:26.910 --> 00:19:29.609 the absence of one of their own number, Judas, 00:19:29.710 --> 00:19:35.029 who had killed himself. They felt the pressure 00:19:35.029 --> 00:19:40.089 to have 12 apostles, and therefore they began 00:19:40.089 --> 00:19:43.509 to seek out who that one might be that should 00:19:43.509 --> 00:19:47.009 be added to their number. And in verse 24, they 00:19:47.009 --> 00:19:50.829 prayed and said, Thou, Lord... who knowest the 00:19:50.829 --> 00:19:54.789 hearts of all men, show which one of these two, 00:19:55.029 --> 00:19:59.410 the two listed in verse 23, Joseph and Matthias, 00:19:59.529 --> 00:20:04.250 thou hast chosen, which of them, to occupy this 00:20:04.250 --> 00:20:08.130 ministry and apostleship from which Judas turned 00:20:08.130 --> 00:20:12.049 aside to go to his own place. And they drew lots 00:20:12.049 --> 00:20:14.869 for them, and the lot fell to Matthias, and he 00:20:14.869 --> 00:20:18.079 was numbered with the eleven apostles. And so 00:20:18.079 --> 00:20:20.579 what do the apostles claim here? It is Jesus 00:20:20.579 --> 00:20:25.859 working now to fill that empty slot. They say, 00:20:25.900 --> 00:20:30.019 Lord, you direct us as to who should be the one 00:20:30.019 --> 00:20:35.359 to fill Judas' place. And the lots fell upon 00:20:35.359 --> 00:20:38.619 Matthias, and they took that as the working of 00:20:38.619 --> 00:20:42.440 the Lord, though Jesus was back in heaven. Look 00:20:42.440 --> 00:20:46.609 over in chapter 3, verse 6. Peter and John are 00:20:46.609 --> 00:20:49.710 entering the temple, and there is a beggar there, 00:20:49.789 --> 00:20:52.630 a crippled man. Peter said, I do not possess 00:20:52.630 --> 00:20:56.490 silver and gold, but what I do have I give to 00:20:56.490 --> 00:21:00.390 you. In the name of Jesus Christ, the Nazarene, 00:21:00.430 --> 00:21:04.710 walk. And the result was the man was healed. 00:21:06.950 --> 00:21:09.849 And so what takes place here? It is the working 00:21:09.849 --> 00:21:13.109 of Jesus Christ. It is in the name of Jesus Christ 00:21:13.109 --> 00:21:17.150 this man was healed. Look in chapter 4, verse 00:21:17.150 --> 00:21:19.269 10, where this incident is being talked about. 00:21:19.509 --> 00:21:22.470 Let it be known to all of you and to all the 00:21:22.470 --> 00:21:25.750 people of Israel that by the name of Jesus Christ 00:21:25.750 --> 00:21:29.250 the Nazarene, whom you crucified, whom God raised 00:21:29.250 --> 00:21:31.730 from the dead, by this name, this man stands 00:21:31.730 --> 00:21:34.730 here before you in good health. And so what are 00:21:34.730 --> 00:21:36.970 they claiming before these religious leaders? 00:21:37.190 --> 00:21:40.049 That it was Jesus Christ who healed this man. 00:21:43.849 --> 00:21:46.349 A similar thing is said in verses 29 and 30. 00:21:46.849 --> 00:21:49.289 They're praying here and they say, And now, Lord, 00:21:49.369 --> 00:21:53.549 take note of their threats and grant that thy 00:21:53.549 --> 00:21:56.690 bondservants may speak thy word with all confidence 00:21:56.690 --> 00:22:03.470 while thou dost extend thy hand to heal. And 00:22:03.470 --> 00:22:06.130 signs and wonders take place through the name 00:22:06.130 --> 00:22:09.640 of thy holy servant Jesus. And so what are the 00:22:09.640 --> 00:22:12.019 apostles saying? What is taking place is the 00:22:12.019 --> 00:22:15.240 continuation of the working of Jesus Christ in 00:22:15.240 --> 00:22:18.500 the world. You see, there's a continuity here. 00:22:19.279 --> 00:22:23.480 Look in chapter 5, verses 4 and 5. Here we come 00:22:23.480 --> 00:22:28.859 to a situation where two people have hypocritically 00:22:28.859 --> 00:22:32.720 lied regarding what they were giving to the church. 00:22:34.240 --> 00:22:36.279 We'll cover that in detail, but notice verses 00:22:36.279 --> 00:22:41.259 4 and 5. While it remained unsold, did it not 00:22:41.259 --> 00:22:44.779 remain in your hand, said Peter? And after it 00:22:44.779 --> 00:22:47.619 was sold, was it not under your control? Why 00:22:47.619 --> 00:22:50.180 is it that you have conceived this deed in your 00:22:50.180 --> 00:22:53.839 heart? You have not lied to man but to God. And 00:22:53.839 --> 00:22:57.559 as he heard these words, Ananias fell down and 00:22:57.559 --> 00:23:02.480 breathed his last. And great fear came upon all 00:23:02.480 --> 00:23:05.180 who heard it. And the same thing happened a few 00:23:05.180 --> 00:23:08.220 moments later to his wife. What is taking place 00:23:08.220 --> 00:23:11.299 here? It is the working of the Lord Jesus Christ 00:23:11.299 --> 00:23:16.700 disciplining His people. Disciplining His people. 00:23:18.779 --> 00:23:24.460 Turn with me to verse 12 of chapter 5. And at 00:23:24.460 --> 00:23:27.119 the hands of the apostles many signs and wonders 00:23:27.119 --> 00:23:30.440 were taking place among the people. What is taking 00:23:30.440 --> 00:23:32.940 place here? It is the continued working of Jesus 00:23:32.940 --> 00:23:36.839 Christ through His apostles. Look in verse 16. 00:23:37.099 --> 00:23:39.599 And also the people from the cities in the vicinity 00:23:39.599 --> 00:23:41.720 of Jerusalem were coming together, bringing people 00:23:41.720 --> 00:23:45.259 who were sick or afflicted with unclean spirits. 00:23:46.019 --> 00:23:50.900 And they were all being healed. That's interesting. 00:23:51.000 --> 00:23:52.940 They were all being healed. You'll want to circle 00:23:52.940 --> 00:23:57.019 that. All who were coming were being healed. 00:23:57.140 --> 00:24:04.339 What is this? The gift of healing? Yes. And they 00:24:04.339 --> 00:24:07.339 were all being healed. It is the continuation 00:24:07.339 --> 00:24:11.440 of the ministry, the work of Jesus Christ. We 00:24:11.440 --> 00:24:16.819 could go on, but time forbids. It was Jesus who 00:24:16.819 --> 00:24:20.440 confronted Saul of Tarsus on the road to Damascus. 00:24:22.480 --> 00:24:25.900 And through that, he was converted and was commissioned 00:24:25.900 --> 00:24:30.740 by Jesus as his apostle. So you see, the book 00:24:30.740 --> 00:24:34.240 of Acts is a book of continuity. There's a continuity 00:24:34.240 --> 00:24:37.259 between what Jesus began to do in the Gospels 00:24:37.259 --> 00:24:41.460 before his death and resurrection and what he 00:24:41.460 --> 00:24:44.640 continued to do then after his ascension back 00:24:44.640 --> 00:24:47.880 to heaven. Now secondly, it is a continuation 00:24:47.880 --> 00:24:51.519 of his teaching. And I mean this in two ways. 00:24:53.460 --> 00:24:55.500 I'm not going to take the time to look at the 00:24:55.500 --> 00:24:58.519 specific verses, but you can tell quickly just 00:24:58.519 --> 00:25:01.680 by reading through the chapters. that the theme 00:25:01.680 --> 00:25:04.640 of all of the preaching and all of the teaching 00:25:04.640 --> 00:25:09.640 and all of the confrontation was Jesus Christ 00:25:09.640 --> 00:25:15.119 and primarily His resurrection. There continued 00:25:15.119 --> 00:25:19.319 to be the teaching about Him. He was the focus 00:25:19.319 --> 00:25:22.480 of it all. But not just the teaching about Him, 00:25:22.559 --> 00:25:25.339 there was also teaching from Him which continued. 00:25:26.410 --> 00:25:29.250 Now, you see, in the gospel, we have the direct 00:25:29.250 --> 00:25:33.890 teaching of Jesus to his disciples. He gave them 00:25:33.890 --> 00:25:37.869 direct revelation. And there are certain aspects 00:25:37.869 --> 00:25:41.170 in which that revelation continued into the book 00:25:41.170 --> 00:25:43.589 of Acts after Jesus had gone back to heaven. 00:25:44.390 --> 00:25:47.230 An example of that is in chapter 10 when Jesus 00:25:47.230 --> 00:25:51.410 appeared to Peter in a vision and said, Peter, 00:25:51.549 --> 00:25:56.460 arise and eat what you see. And Peter's response 00:25:56.460 --> 00:26:02.759 was, no, Lord. And yet Peter concluded ultimately 00:26:02.759 --> 00:26:05.920 that he should arise and eat. Jesus insisted 00:26:05.920 --> 00:26:08.740 that he do so. And the whole vision was all about 00:26:08.740 --> 00:26:11.900 Jesus trying to communicate to Peter that the 00:26:11.900 --> 00:26:14.700 Gentiles were no longer to be considered unclean. 00:26:17.500 --> 00:26:20.819 That they were just as clean as the Jews, or 00:26:20.819 --> 00:26:24.430 unclean, however you wish to look at it. That 00:26:24.430 --> 00:26:26.529 there was no longer this difference of clean 00:26:26.529 --> 00:26:30.450 and unclean between Jew and Gentile. That was 00:26:30.450 --> 00:26:34.769 a new revelation. And so new and so astounding 00:26:34.769 --> 00:26:37.650 was it that Peter had a very difficult time receiving 00:26:37.650 --> 00:26:41.650 it. And so do you see my point? There is a continuation 00:26:41.650 --> 00:26:46.130 of Jesus' teaching in the book of Acts. The teaching 00:26:46.130 --> 00:26:48.789 about him, but also direct teaching from him 00:26:48.789 --> 00:26:54.759 in this book. It is a book of continuation. And 00:26:54.759 --> 00:26:58.180 then the book of Acts is in a third way the continuation 00:26:58.180 --> 00:27:04.720 of his kingdom. The kingdom of God was the chief 00:27:04.720 --> 00:27:09.079 theme in Jesus' teaching in the Gospel of Luke. 00:27:09.619 --> 00:27:12.500 Go back to the Gospel of Luke for just a moment 00:27:12.500 --> 00:27:20.700 and look in chapter 4. This is very near the 00:27:20.700 --> 00:27:27.849 beginning of his public ministry. And in verse 00:27:27.849 --> 00:27:33.430 43 of Luke 4, Jesus said to them, I must preach 00:27:33.430 --> 00:27:38.410 the kingdom of God to other cities also, for 00:27:38.410 --> 00:27:41.349 I was sent for this purpose. What purpose? To 00:27:41.349 --> 00:27:46.089 preach concerning the kingdom of God. And over 00:27:46.089 --> 00:27:51.009 30 times in the Gospel of Luke, you will find 00:27:51.009 --> 00:27:54.890 that phrase, the kingdom of God, used by the 00:27:54.890 --> 00:27:58.950 Lord Jesus Christ. That was the theme of his 00:27:58.950 --> 00:28:06.869 teaching in the Gospel of Luke. The kingdom had 00:28:06.869 --> 00:28:10.890 become the chief expectation of Jesus' followers. 00:28:13.089 --> 00:28:16.109 That's why the crucifixion seemed so strange 00:28:16.109 --> 00:28:19.150 to them. They could not put together how the 00:28:19.150 --> 00:28:24.390 kingdom and the crucifixion could possibly work 00:28:24.390 --> 00:28:30.549 together. And even after his resurrection from 00:28:30.549 --> 00:28:34.549 the dead, the kingdom of God was their chief 00:28:34.549 --> 00:28:37.690 expectation. For example, in the very passage 00:28:37.690 --> 00:28:40.970 we read in Acts chapter 1. Don't lose Luke, by 00:28:40.970 --> 00:28:42.869 the way. We're going to go back there in a moment. 00:28:43.509 --> 00:28:47.309 But in Luke, or rather in Acts chapter 1, Jesus 00:28:47.309 --> 00:28:50.210 was speaking to them concerning the kingdom of 00:28:50.210 --> 00:28:53.670 God, verse 3. And in verse 4, in gathering them 00:28:53.670 --> 00:28:56.109 together, he commanded them not to leave Jerusalem. 00:28:57.039 --> 00:28:59.220 But to wait for what the Father had promised, 00:28:59.380 --> 00:29:02.180 which he said, you've heard from me. For John 00:29:02.180 --> 00:29:04.579 baptized with water, but you shall be baptized 00:29:04.579 --> 00:29:06.960 with the Holy Spirit not many days from now. 00:29:07.819 --> 00:29:09.880 And so when they had come together, they were 00:29:09.880 --> 00:29:13.720 asking him, saying, not, Lord, when is the Holy 00:29:13.720 --> 00:29:16.380 Spirit coming? What is this baptism you're talking 00:29:16.380 --> 00:29:18.259 about? What is the promise of the Father? But 00:29:18.259 --> 00:29:20.160 notice what they're asking him about in verse 00:29:20.160 --> 00:29:23.700 6. Lord, is it at this time you are restoring 00:29:23.700 --> 00:29:29.160 the kingdom to Israel? You see, they expected 00:29:29.160 --> 00:29:33.660 the visible, literal, messianic kingdom to be 00:29:33.660 --> 00:29:38.000 established even after Jesus' death and resurrection. 00:29:38.119 --> 00:29:42.079 That was their first thought regarding all that 00:29:42.079 --> 00:29:45.900 he had taught them. Jesus responds to them in 00:29:45.900 --> 00:29:48.500 verse 7, It's not for you to know the times or 00:29:48.500 --> 00:29:51.960 epics which the Father has fixed in his own authority. 00:29:52.500 --> 00:29:54.960 Notice Jesus didn't say, Fellas, you got it all 00:29:54.960 --> 00:29:58.930 wrong. There is no kingdom. He didn't rebuke 00:29:58.930 --> 00:30:03.329 them for the question. He simply said, men, that's 00:30:03.329 --> 00:30:06.869 really not a concern of yours. That's the Father's 00:30:06.869 --> 00:30:12.069 business. But he said, you will be witnesses 00:30:12.069 --> 00:30:15.970 unto me. You will receive the Holy Spirit. And 00:30:15.970 --> 00:30:17.769 he brings them back to the theme of the coming 00:30:17.769 --> 00:30:21.089 of the Holy Spirit and what they were to do in 00:30:21.089 --> 00:30:25.839 their ministry. And so he doesn't... try to undermine 00:30:25.839 --> 00:30:28.299 his message about the kingdom. He doesn't say, 00:30:28.339 --> 00:30:30.420 fellows, you misunderstood what I was saying 00:30:30.420 --> 00:30:33.500 about the kingdom. But he simply says, that's 00:30:33.500 --> 00:30:37.599 not your chief focus right now, the visible, 00:30:37.700 --> 00:30:42.779 literal kingdom. At this point, the disciples 00:30:42.779 --> 00:30:45.700 still did not understand that in his coming, 00:30:45.720 --> 00:30:51.230 Jesus had, in fact, established a kingdom. Not 00:30:51.230 --> 00:30:53.430 the one they were expecting, not a political 00:30:53.430 --> 00:30:58.730 entity, which would throw off the yoke of Rome 00:30:58.730 --> 00:31:02.609 and deliver them from their bondage. Not that 00:31:02.609 --> 00:31:06.930 kingdom. But Jesus had established a kingdom 00:31:06.930 --> 00:31:14.329 in their hearts. An inner kingdom. An invisible 00:31:14.329 --> 00:31:20.250 kingdom, if you please. And they began to understand 00:31:20.250 --> 00:31:25.450 that in the book of Acts. And thus their preaching 00:31:25.450 --> 00:31:31.690 began to be regarding the kingdom of God. They 00:31:31.690 --> 00:31:33.910 began to understand that it was not immediately 00:31:33.910 --> 00:31:38.309 going to become visible to them, but that an 00:31:38.309 --> 00:31:41.829 invisible heart kingdom had been established 00:31:41.829 --> 00:31:47.309 by Jesus. Now let's go to chapter 8, verse 12. 00:31:48.430 --> 00:31:53.049 I want you to look at the preaching here of Philip. 00:31:57.569 --> 00:32:02.049 It says, They believed Philip, preaching the 00:32:02.049 --> 00:32:05.650 good news about the kingdom of God and the name 00:32:05.650 --> 00:32:09.890 of Jesus Christ. You see, Philip continued this 00:32:09.890 --> 00:32:12.029 theme now, the kingdom of God. They understood 00:32:12.029 --> 00:32:15.289 the transition, that the kingdom of God was not 00:32:15.289 --> 00:32:17.910 going to come literally and visibly at this point. 00:32:18.380 --> 00:32:20.920 but that nonetheless there was an invisible kingdom 00:32:20.920 --> 00:32:24.420 that had been established in this world. And 00:32:24.420 --> 00:32:26.900 so they began to talk about the kingdom of God 00:32:26.900 --> 00:32:35.640 that was. Chapter 14, verse 21. And after they, 00:32:35.799 --> 00:32:40.240 this is Barnabas and Paul, after they had preached 00:32:40.240 --> 00:32:44.640 the gospel to that city and had made many disciples, 00:32:44.779 --> 00:32:50.259 they returned to... Lystra and to Iconium and 00:32:50.259 --> 00:32:53.920 Antioch, strengthening the souls of the disciples, 00:32:54.319 --> 00:32:57.460 encouraging them to continue in the faith and 00:32:57.460 --> 00:33:00.259 saying, notice what they were saying, through 00:33:00.259 --> 00:33:03.839 many tribulations we must enter the kingdom of 00:33:03.839 --> 00:33:07.359 God. And so they also were talking about the 00:33:07.359 --> 00:33:13.390 kingdom of God. Chapter 19, verse 8. And he entered 00:33:13.390 --> 00:33:16.089 the synagogue, this is Paul, and continued speaking 00:33:16.089 --> 00:33:20.269 out boldly for three months, reasoning and persuading 00:33:20.269 --> 00:33:25.609 them about the kingdom of God. Chapter 20, verse 00:33:25.609 --> 00:33:32.089 25. Now, behold, I know that all of you among 00:33:32.089 --> 00:33:35.509 whom I went about preaching the kingdom will 00:33:35.509 --> 00:33:38.950 see my face no more, says Paul to the Ephesian 00:33:38.950 --> 00:33:45.000 elders. And then finally to chapter 28, verse 00:33:45.000 --> 00:33:47.700 23. When they had set a day for him, they came 00:33:47.700 --> 00:33:49.839 to him in his lodging in large numbers, and he 00:33:49.839 --> 00:33:53.119 was explaining to them by solemnly testifying 00:33:53.119 --> 00:33:57.140 about the kingdom of God and trying to persuade 00:33:57.140 --> 00:33:59.599 them concerning Jesus from the law of Moses and 00:33:59.599 --> 00:34:02.500 from the prophets. And then the book concludes 00:34:02.500 --> 00:34:05.740 in verses 30 and 31. And he stayed two full years. 00:34:06.380 --> 00:34:08.360 in his own rented quarters and was welcoming 00:34:08.360 --> 00:34:11.440 all who came to him, preaching the kingdom of 00:34:11.440 --> 00:34:14.739 God and teaching concerning the Lord Jesus Christ 00:34:14.739 --> 00:34:17.880 with all openness. And so I'll get my point. 00:34:18.000 --> 00:34:23.559 The book of Acts is a continuation of the kingdom 00:34:23.559 --> 00:34:28.280 of God. Jesus teaching about that. It is changed 00:34:28.280 --> 00:34:33.039 somewhat. But Jesus came proclaiming the kingdom 00:34:33.039 --> 00:34:36.079 of God, and in the book of Acts we have a continuation 00:34:36.079 --> 00:34:41.179 of the kingdom of God. Not the kingdom in its 00:34:41.179 --> 00:34:44.219 visible, literal form, that is still yet to come, 00:34:44.360 --> 00:34:48.239 but the kingdom that was invisible and inward, 00:34:48.320 --> 00:34:52.000 in the heart. In this sense, the kingdom of God 00:34:52.000 --> 00:34:55.199 can be defined as God entering the world and 00:34:55.199 --> 00:34:59.019 reigning over a redeemed people, a new race of 00:34:59.019 --> 00:35:03.719 mankind. And that is his kingdom today. You are 00:35:03.719 --> 00:35:08.079 his kingdom. You do not possess political power. 00:35:09.139 --> 00:35:13.460 You are invisible to the world around us. But 00:35:13.460 --> 00:35:16.400 you who are redeemed by Jesus Christ in this 00:35:16.400 --> 00:35:22.219 age are a form of his kingdom in the world. Now 00:35:22.219 --> 00:35:25.659 someday, his literal and real kingdom will be 00:35:25.659 --> 00:35:29.460 established upon the earth. But even now, His 00:35:29.460 --> 00:35:32.519 kingdom is here in the person of Jesus Christ 00:35:32.519 --> 00:35:36.780 who reigns over the hearts of his redeemed people. 00:35:37.239 --> 00:35:39.920 You say, why do we need to know this, that the 00:35:39.920 --> 00:35:43.900 book of Acts is a continuity? Because, folks, 00:35:44.000 --> 00:35:46.579 we need to realize that although Jesus Christ 00:35:46.579 --> 00:35:50.820 is not visible to our eyes, that does not mean 00:35:50.820 --> 00:35:57.340 that he is unreal. He wasn't seen in the book 00:35:57.340 --> 00:36:00.820 of Acts either by most of the apostles and converts 00:36:00.820 --> 00:36:06.099 after his ascension. And yet he dynamically worked 00:36:06.099 --> 00:36:11.219 in his people. In one sense, and follow me closely 00:36:11.219 --> 00:36:14.980 here by what I really mean, in one sense the 00:36:14.980 --> 00:36:19.480 book of Acts is still being recorded today. Not 00:36:19.480 --> 00:36:24.079 in the inspired sense. as these 28 chapters, 00:36:24.260 --> 00:36:27.980 not in that sense, but in the sense that what 00:36:27.980 --> 00:36:31.320 we have today is a continuation of his work and 00:36:31.320 --> 00:36:35.079 his teaching and his kingdom in the world. We 00:36:35.079 --> 00:36:38.500 flow directly out of chapter 28 of the book of 00:36:38.500 --> 00:36:46.760 Acts. It is a book of continuation. It is important 00:36:46.760 --> 00:36:50.190 that we get a handle on it. Now there's a third 00:36:50.190 --> 00:36:53.010 reason why it's important, and this too is found 00:36:53.010 --> 00:36:56.670 in a description of the book. The book of Acts 00:36:56.670 --> 00:36:59.909 is not only a book of history, a book of continuity, 00:37:00.170 --> 00:37:03.210 but it is, number three, a book of transition. 00:37:05.210 --> 00:37:09.889 The book of Acts is a bridge. Picture it, if 00:37:09.889 --> 00:37:13.289 you will, in your mind as a bridge between two 00:37:13.289 --> 00:37:20.300 mountains. Two mountains of revelation. The one 00:37:20.300 --> 00:37:24.639 mountain is the mountain of the Gospels, Matthew, 00:37:24.699 --> 00:37:30.519 Mark, Luke, and John. The other mountain is the 00:37:30.519 --> 00:37:36.179 epistles, Romans, 1 and 2 Corinthians, Galatians, 00:37:36.179 --> 00:37:39.619 Ephesians, Philippians, and so on. These are 00:37:39.619 --> 00:37:43.360 the two mountains of Revelation. The book of 00:37:43.360 --> 00:37:48.889 Acts is a bridge between the two. On this one 00:37:48.889 --> 00:37:52.510 side, we have the record of the historicity of 00:37:52.510 --> 00:37:57.130 Jesus Christ, the facts about his earthly work. 00:37:57.989 --> 00:38:00.929 And by the way, going back to Acts chapter 1, 00:38:01.050 --> 00:38:06.710 we find several aspects of his earthly work mentioned 00:38:06.710 --> 00:38:12.369 here. Notice how concisely Luke incorporates 00:38:12.369 --> 00:38:17.150 these things. In verse 3, he talks about his 00:38:17.150 --> 00:38:23.389 suffering, his work on the cross, where he paid 00:38:23.389 --> 00:38:26.250 for your sins and mine, his suffering, his passion 00:38:26.250 --> 00:38:31.269 for us. That's his earthly work. He mentions 00:38:31.269 --> 00:38:36.269 also his resurrection from the dead. Notice that 00:38:36.269 --> 00:38:38.949 he talks about really three categories of proof 00:38:38.949 --> 00:38:42.170 of the resurrection. You see in verse 3 where 00:38:42.170 --> 00:38:46.809 he says, By many convincing proofs, he showed 00:38:46.809 --> 00:38:49.889 himself alive. That is an interesting word. Convincing 00:38:49.889 --> 00:38:52.889 proofs is one Greek word, and it's a medical 00:38:52.889 --> 00:38:57.030 term. It's a medical term. It's the term that 00:38:57.030 --> 00:39:01.190 a physician like Luke would use for a medical 00:39:01.190 --> 00:39:05.190 conclusion based upon the evidence. In other 00:39:05.190 --> 00:39:08.750 words, you give the tests, you ask the questions, 00:39:09.070 --> 00:39:12.000 you examine the patient. And on the basis of 00:39:12.000 --> 00:39:16.920 that, you make your conclusion. In logic, it 00:39:16.920 --> 00:39:21.440 was used as a demonstrable proof of something. 00:39:22.940 --> 00:39:28.340 Now here, the writer uses that same word referring 00:39:28.340 --> 00:39:32.139 to the resurrection. He says, here are some conclusive, 00:39:32.139 --> 00:39:35.840 convincing proofs. He talks in the first place 00:39:35.840 --> 00:39:38.320 about his appearances. He says he presented himself 00:39:38.320 --> 00:39:44.739 alive. The word present there means to place 00:39:44.739 --> 00:39:50.219 beside. The idea is that Jesus Christ in his 00:39:50.219 --> 00:39:53.539 resurrection glory placed himself beside his 00:39:53.539 --> 00:39:57.059 disciples. It was not something which was simply 00:39:57.059 --> 00:40:00.659 told to them. He himself was there. He placed 00:40:00.659 --> 00:40:03.719 himself beside them. It says that he appeared 00:40:03.719 --> 00:40:08.219 to them in verse 3. He appeared. That is the 00:40:08.219 --> 00:40:11.639 root word for our word optical. or ophthalmologist. 00:40:12.280 --> 00:40:16.420 They saw him with their eyes. So he placed himself 00:40:16.420 --> 00:40:19.940 beside them. They saw him. The first category 00:40:19.940 --> 00:40:23.519 of proof that he rose from the dead, his appearances. 00:40:24.599 --> 00:40:28.980 Secondly, his conversations with them. Notice 00:40:28.980 --> 00:40:31.659 that Luke says he spoke with them concerning 00:40:31.659 --> 00:40:35.940 the kingdom of God. If he were but an apparition 00:40:35.940 --> 00:40:40.690 or an hallucination. it would be very difficult 00:40:40.690 --> 00:40:43.869 to carry on a conversation. I think you understand 00:40:43.869 --> 00:40:48.769 that. And so he is saying, Jesus spoke with them. 00:40:49.389 --> 00:40:52.849 They carried on conversations. The second category 00:40:52.849 --> 00:40:56.510 of proof that he literally was alive. The third 00:40:56.510 --> 00:40:59.650 category of proof is suggested in verse 4, where 00:40:59.650 --> 00:41:02.369 it says he gathered them together. And that word 00:41:02.369 --> 00:41:08.219 literally means to eat salt with. And it was 00:41:08.219 --> 00:41:10.539 a word that was used in those days in talking 00:41:10.539 --> 00:41:14.920 about a meal, or perhaps even with a person living 00:41:14.920 --> 00:41:18.019 with you for a period of time. And so the third 00:41:18.019 --> 00:41:21.260 category is that of personal fellowship with 00:41:21.260 --> 00:41:26.260 Jesus, the meals that they shared together. So 00:41:26.260 --> 00:41:29.639 Luke talks about his resurrection and the proof 00:41:29.639 --> 00:41:32.860 of his resurrection. And then he talks about 00:41:32.860 --> 00:41:35.980 his post -ministry. Post -resurrection ministry. 00:41:36.420 --> 00:41:41.639 He says for 40 days Jesus appeared to them. By 00:41:41.639 --> 00:41:43.460 the way, this is the only time in the New Testament 00:41:43.460 --> 00:41:45.539 that we learn how long it was from the resurrection 00:41:45.539 --> 00:41:50.039 until the time of his ascension. And then finally 00:41:50.039 --> 00:41:52.360 he does talk about his ascension in verse 2. 00:41:52.440 --> 00:41:54.659 He talks about the day when he was taken up. 00:41:55.300 --> 00:41:58.639 He was taken up. This is the same word that's 00:41:58.639 --> 00:42:00.940 used in the Greek translation of the Old Testament 00:42:00.940 --> 00:42:04.000 when it talks about Elijah. And 2 Kings chapter 00:42:04.000 --> 00:42:08.420 2 being taken up. And so in a similar fashion 00:42:08.420 --> 00:42:11.340 to what happened to Elijah, the idea is Jesus 00:42:11.340 --> 00:42:16.300 Christ was taken up in his ascension. And so 00:42:16.300 --> 00:42:20.900 the one mountain of truth on this side is all 00:42:20.900 --> 00:42:24.260 of the history about Jesus Christ. His coming, 00:42:24.400 --> 00:42:27.539 his life, his suffering, his resurrection, his 00:42:27.539 --> 00:42:30.440 post -resurrection ministry, his ascension back 00:42:30.440 --> 00:42:36.380 to heaven. That's this mountain. Now on the other 00:42:36.380 --> 00:42:41.039 side, we have the epistles penned by Paul and 00:42:41.039 --> 00:42:49.340 Peter and James and John and Jude. That's the 00:42:49.340 --> 00:42:52.579 next mountain of revelation that we have in the 00:42:52.579 --> 00:42:55.780 New Testament. How do you tie the two together? 00:42:56.559 --> 00:43:00.159 The answer is that the book of Acts is the bridge. 00:43:01.400 --> 00:43:05.639 Acts is a transitional book. Just for a moment 00:43:05.639 --> 00:43:10.559 in your mind, imagine its absence. Just take 00:43:10.559 --> 00:43:13.800 away the book of Acts in your mind and skip directly 00:43:13.800 --> 00:43:20.739 from the Gospels over to the Epistles. Here are 00:43:20.739 --> 00:43:22.519 some of the questions you would be asking yourself. 00:43:25.599 --> 00:43:29.280 Paul the Apostle to the church at, who is Paul 00:43:29.280 --> 00:43:35.869 the Apostle? The churches, where? How in the 00:43:35.869 --> 00:43:38.150 world did these churches get started? And by 00:43:38.150 --> 00:43:42.929 the way, what are they anyway? What happened 00:43:42.929 --> 00:43:48.469 to the 12 apostles? Where's Peter? Where's James? 00:43:49.309 --> 00:43:56.130 John? Why is there all of this activity other 00:43:56.130 --> 00:44:03.019 than in Jerusalem? What happened to the emphasis 00:44:03.019 --> 00:44:06.340 on temple worship? Why aren't these people worshiping 00:44:06.340 --> 00:44:11.739 toward the temple? How does this teaching in 00:44:11.739 --> 00:44:15.079 these epistles relate to Moses' law, which is 00:44:15.079 --> 00:44:19.699 talked about in the Gospels? What are all of 00:44:19.699 --> 00:44:23.199 these Gentiles doing within the bonds of God's 00:44:23.199 --> 00:44:29.139 family? How did such a small group of people 00:44:29.139 --> 00:44:33.920 over here in the Gospels Become so many, as referred 00:44:33.920 --> 00:44:39.119 to in the epistles. The Holy Spirit indwelling 00:44:39.119 --> 00:44:42.840 every believer? What is that all about? That 00:44:42.840 --> 00:44:48.719 wasn't back here in the Gospels. How did this 00:44:48.719 --> 00:44:50.880 message regarding the kingdom of the Messiah 00:44:50.880 --> 00:44:55.840 broaden to include a period of time which precedes 00:44:55.840 --> 00:45:00.340 the kingdom? Those are all questions that you 00:45:00.340 --> 00:45:02.659 would be asking, if you did not have the book 00:45:02.659 --> 00:45:06.019 of Acts. The book of Acts is a bridge between 00:45:06.019 --> 00:45:09.159 the earthly life of Jesus in his physical body 00:45:09.159 --> 00:45:13.900 and his resurrection life through his spiritual 00:45:13.900 --> 00:45:18.039 body, the church. It is a transition between 00:45:18.039 --> 00:45:22.260 Jewish -centered religion and one that makes 00:45:22.260 --> 00:45:27.139 no distinction between Jew and Gentile. You say, 00:45:27.179 --> 00:45:30.179 why is this so important to know? That it's a 00:45:30.179 --> 00:45:34.460 book of transition. Simply because it tells you 00:45:34.460 --> 00:45:39.079 who you are and what you're a part of. And furthermore, 00:45:39.079 --> 00:45:42.159 without the knowledge of what is contained in 00:45:42.159 --> 00:45:47.199 the book of Acts, you are left to poor biblical 00:45:47.199 --> 00:45:52.519 interpretation. With the book of Acts, you have 00:45:52.519 --> 00:45:55.860 help so that you can interpret the Bible properly. 00:46:00.139 --> 00:46:02.199 You must keep in mind as you look at the book 00:46:02.199 --> 00:46:05.260 of Acts in particular that it is a book of transition. 00:46:06.460 --> 00:46:11.320 Hear me carefully. It is dangerous to base any 00:46:11.320 --> 00:46:17.039 doctrine upon a passage solely in the book of 00:46:17.039 --> 00:46:22.659 Acts. It should also be undergirded by a passage 00:46:32.809 --> 00:46:34.610 There are many things that take place in the 00:46:34.610 --> 00:46:36.789 book of Acts that were for that period of time 00:46:36.789 --> 00:46:40.610 alone, that transition period. They are not intended 00:46:40.610 --> 00:46:44.449 by the Lord to be the usual, customary, normal 00:46:44.449 --> 00:46:46.829 things that would happen throughout this whole 00:46:46.829 --> 00:46:51.090 age. And so it is important to understand that 00:46:51.090 --> 00:46:56.150 this book is a book of transition. We need to 00:46:56.150 --> 00:47:00.440 get a handle on it. It is a book we need to know 00:47:00.440 --> 00:47:03.559 because its main character is the Holy Spirit, 00:47:03.659 --> 00:47:08.500 the Spirit of Jesus. The Spirit is referred to 00:47:08.500 --> 00:47:11.900 some 60 times in this book, 40 times as the Holy 00:47:11.900 --> 00:47:16.719 Spirit. Is it not true that the reason that our 00:47:16.719 --> 00:47:23.159 love is so often cold, our work so often without 00:47:23.159 --> 00:47:27.820 fruit, our witness so frequently without power, 00:47:28.719 --> 00:47:33.340 and our character too much without Christ -likeness 00:47:33.340 --> 00:47:37.900 because He, the Holy Spirit, is not the main 00:47:37.900 --> 00:47:43.920 character in our lives. Is that not true? If 00:47:43.920 --> 00:47:46.039 we would know something of the experience of 00:47:46.039 --> 00:47:49.780 the early church, something of it, it will take 00:47:49.780 --> 00:47:53.579 a personal inventory by each of us, followed 00:47:53.579 --> 00:47:56.880 by an honest... and brokenhearted confession 00:47:56.880 --> 00:48:00.800 of ignorance of the Holy Spirit, of our failure 00:48:00.800 --> 00:48:06.179 to recognize Him, learn of Him, and depend upon 00:48:06.179 --> 00:48:11.320 Him. Do you know the empowering work of the Holy 00:48:11.320 --> 00:48:17.139 Spirit in your life? Will you, as we study through 00:48:17.139 --> 00:48:20.880 the book, and even this morning, ask the Holy 00:48:20.880 --> 00:48:26.369 Spirit to do a new and deeper work in you? Are 00:48:26.369 --> 00:48:29.969 you willing personally to deal honestly with 00:48:29.969 --> 00:48:35.989 any sin, any hindrance in your life, so that 00:48:35.989 --> 00:48:40.110 the Holy Spirit can be the main character in 00:48:40.110 --> 00:48:44.909 your book of Acts, in your life? Let's pray. 00:48:51.329 --> 00:48:53.849 Lord, I pray that you will not only give us understanding 00:48:53.849 --> 00:48:56.889 of the content of the book, of its flow, of its 00:48:56.889 --> 00:49:03.230 main characters, of its events. But in fact, 00:49:03.230 --> 00:49:05.409 as we study this book, I pray that you will do 00:49:05.409 --> 00:49:07.510 a new and deeper work in our lives regarding 00:49:07.510 --> 00:49:13.250 the ministry of the Holy Spirit to us. And we 00:49:13.250 --> 00:49:16.190 are aware, Lord, that that work can take place 00:49:16.190 --> 00:49:20.389 beginning this morning, as we're willing to be 00:49:20.389 --> 00:49:27.400 honest, to take inventory. To confess, to repent. 00:49:30.320 --> 00:49:32.940 Break our hearts with those things in our lives 00:49:32.940 --> 00:49:39.099 that break your heart. May we truly be grieved 00:49:39.099 --> 00:49:44.639 by those things that grieve your spirit. May 00:49:44.639 --> 00:49:47.000 we be cognizant of that which quenches the Holy 00:49:47.000 --> 00:49:53.659 Spirit. Show us, Lord, why we are so powerless. 00:49:57.740 --> 00:50:03.539 fruitless, loveless, perhaps so much unlike the 00:50:03.539 --> 00:50:10.360 Lord Jesus. And when we understand why, correct 00:50:10.360 --> 00:50:15.719 us. With our heads bowed and our eyes closed, 00:50:16.039 --> 00:50:19.980 I wonder if right where you're seated, the Spirit 00:50:19.980 --> 00:50:22.099 of God is ministering to you at this moment, 00:50:22.139 --> 00:50:26.300 whispering to you. reassuring you of His love, 00:50:26.500 --> 00:50:33.599 inviting you to appropriate His power, His fullness, 00:50:33.800 --> 00:50:38.940 reminding you of that which prevents Him at this 00:50:38.940 --> 00:50:43.320 moment. What is that? What is that hindrance? 00:50:47.019 --> 00:50:51.679 Where is the root of that coldness, that lethargy, 00:50:51.699 --> 00:50:57.699 that weakness? Can you focus on it yet? Has he 00:50:57.699 --> 00:50:59.800 been able to get your eyes open to the point 00:50:59.800 --> 00:51:03.440 that you can see what it is? If so, will you 00:51:03.440 --> 00:51:10.239 right now talk to him about it? Will you agree 00:51:10.239 --> 00:51:12.199 with him regarding what he's telling you, that 00:51:12.199 --> 00:51:17.519 it's wrong, it needs to be corrected, that you 00:51:17.519 --> 00:51:20.420 need to change your mind about that activity 00:51:20.420 --> 00:51:29.059 or that thought? process, that group of friends, 00:51:29.360 --> 00:51:41.739 that habit, that language. Lord, open our eyes, 00:51:41.900 --> 00:51:46.500 not just so that we can see ourselves, though 00:51:46.500 --> 00:51:50.079 it must start there, we know. And as painful 00:51:50.079 --> 00:51:52.969 as that is, it's good for us. but open our eyes 00:51:52.969 --> 00:51:54.789 to the point that we see not only ourselves, 00:51:54.869 --> 00:51:59.110 but we see Jesus. Jesus desiring to continue 00:51:59.110 --> 00:52:03.989 his work in our lives today. And I pray that 00:52:03.989 --> 00:52:06.269 we'll depart from here being as obedient as we 00:52:06.269 --> 00:52:10.550 are given to understand to be today. Help us 00:52:10.550 --> 00:52:13.849 to be honest and make whatever decisions are 00:52:13.849 --> 00:52:15.949 necessary that we might be brought to that place 00:52:15.949 --> 00:52:22.860 of obedience and thus fullness of blessing. Amen.