Acts 1

Acts 1:1-8

1. “YE SHALL BE UNTO ME” Acts 1:1-8 The Book of Acts is an inspired history of the apostolic ministry of the early church, covering a period of thirty to thirty-five years. The central theme throughout the book is the ascension and Lordship of Jesus Christ. It was written by Luke, who was also author of the gospel narrative bearing his name. Acts begins where the Gospel of Luke ends, with the ascension of Christ. It is a history of the church of Christ in its infancy, showing God’s constant care and special providence for it. In these first verses five important lessons are set before us. First, THE LORD JESUS CHRIST IS THE ONLY IN HIS CHURCH (Acts 1:1-2). Luke makes a connection between his gospel and the Book of Acts. Both were written specifically for a man named Theophilus (Luke 1:3), a man of rank and honor. Not many noble are called (1 Corinthians 1:26), but some are. God has chosen some of all ranks. Theophilus means either “lover of God” or “loved of God”. Luke describes his gospel as “a treatise of all that Jesus began both to do and teach, until the day in which he was taken up.” Though they did not record every word and deed of Christ (John 21:25), Luke and the other gospel writers did record all that the Holy Spirit inspired, all that we need to know, particularly all that Christ did and said relating to the salvation of his people; his obedience to God, his conformity to the law, and his death as our Substitute, by which he brought in everlasting righteousness and obtained eternal redemption for us. Christ gave his commandments by the Holy Spirit to chosen apostles, and by them to his church. All the doctrines and ordinances, faith and practice of the church are, by the commandment of Christ, laid down in the Word of God (2 Timothy 3:16). Secondly, OUR LORD JESUS GAVE MANY PROOFS OF HIS FROM THE DEAD (Acts 1:3). Our Savior appeared to his disciples many times, publicly and privately, giving irrefutable proof of his resurrection (1 Corinthians 15:5). He spent forty days on the earth after his resurrection, eating and drinking, walking and talking with his disciples, showing them his hands and side, and teaching them things concerning the kingdom of God. The testimony of those honest men and women who saw the risen Christ cannot be rejected except by those who are willfully ignorant. Thirdly, THE GIFT OF THE HOLY SPIRIT IS THE PROMISE OF THE FATHER (Acts 1:4-5). There are thousands of promises in the Bible, but only the promise of the Spirit is called “the promise of the Father.” God the Father promised that he would pour out his Spirit upon all flesh in the last day (Joe 2:28), and Christ promised his disciples the gift of the Spirit from the Father (John 14:16; John 15:26; John 16:7; John 7:37-39; Galatians 3:13-14). Fourthly, EVEN THE MOST GIFTED AND USEFUL MEN IN THE WORLD ARE ONLY MEN AND ARE (Acts 1:6-7). “Lord, wilt thou at this time restore again the kingdom to Israel?” They were curious about the fulfilment of prophecy. They did not yet understand the spiritual nature of Christ’s kingdom. These were faithful, believing men, loyal to Christ; but they were only men. Being men, they were confused about the kingdom of Christ. Learn two things from this verse:
2. There are no infallible men in this world! The apostles themselves were not infallible. They wrote the Holy Scriptures by the infallible direction of God the Holy Spirit (2 Peter 1:21). What they wrote is the infallible, inerrant Word of God. But the apostles themselves were just men, sinners saved by grace!
3. We ought to be patient and forbearing with one another’s faults, weaknesses and failures. Our Lord did not show the least bit of anger toward his erring disciples. Certainly we should be as kind to one another (Ephesians 4:32). The lesson of verse seven is one we need often to be reminded of - There are some things God does not intend for us to know! No one on earth knows when Christ will come again, or when the end of the world will be. Indeed, there are many things known only to God. We must never pry into that which God has not revealed (Deuteronomy 29:29). We are to search the scriptures, studying the Word of God, that we might know those things he has revealed concerning himself, us, his Son, and his salvation. Fifthly, OUR LORD PLAINLY TELLS US WHAT THE WORK AND OF EVERY IS (Acts 1:8). “Ye shall be witnesses unto me” (Isaiah 43:10; Isaiah 43:12; Isaiah 44:8; Luke 24:48). Notice two things in this eighth verse.
4. “Ye shall receive power after that the Holy Ghost is come upon you.” Without question, this refers to the special, apostolic power that came upon those men chosen to be our Lord’s apostles. Yet, it certainly has meaning for us today. No one can ever be saved, serve God, or lay down his life in the cause of Christ as his witness until the life-giving power of the Holy Spirit comes upon him in regeneration. “Salvation is of the Lord!” It is by God’s grace alone (Romans 11:6; Ephesians 2:8-9).
5. When the life-giving power of the Holy Spirit comes upon you, the Son of God says, “Ye shall be witnesses unto me.” A witness is one who accurately and honestly relates to others that which he has heard with his own ears, seen with his own eyes, and felt and experienced in his own heart. He does not relate secondhand information. He declares only what he himself knows to be true (1 John 1:1-3). It is the privilege, responsibility, and honor of every believer to be a witness for Christ in his generation. This is every believer’s calling and vocation in this world.

Every true Christian is a missionary. Every true believer is an evangelist. Every true follower of Christ is a preacher. Every true child of God is his witness. The word witness is the word from which we get the word martyr. Christ’s witnesses are his martyrs, people who lay down their lives in the cause of Christ!

Go ahead and work your job, so that you can pay the expenses of life; but do not forget that your calling, your life’s work is to be his witness. Let nothing interfere with that!

Acts 1:9-11

2. “THIS SAME JESUS” Acts 1:9-11 These three verses of Holy Scripture are both solemn and delightful, instructive and practical. They speak of the glorious ascension and second advent of our Lord Jesus Christ. Having finished his work upon the earth (John 19:30), our Lord Jesus, the God-man, ascended into heaven and assumed his rightful place upon the throne of God, as King of kings and Lord of lords (John 17:1-5; Romans 14:9; Philippians 2:5-11; Hebrews 1:3; Hebrews 10:12-14). Even so, when he has finished his work in heaven, our Savior will come again to this earth in power and great glory (Revelation 1:7; Revelation 19:11-17; 1 Thessalonians 4:13-18; 2 Thessalonians 1:8-10; John 14:1-3). Here are four things that are of paramount importance. Be sure you understand them. First, THE LORD JESUS CHRIST HAS INTO HEAVEN. “And when he had spoken these things, while they beheld, he was taken up; and a cloud received him out of their sight” (Acts 1:9; Luke 24:50-52). What is the meaning of the ascension? Why was the Lord Jesus taken up into heaven? What happened to the Son of God when he went back to glory clothed in human flesh? What is he doing in heaven? All these questions are plainly answered in the Word of God. Read the answers for yourself (Psalms 2:6-8; Psalms 68:17-20; Psalms 110:1-4; Isaiah 53:10-12; John 16:7; Acts 2:25-36; Acts 4:11-12; Acts 5:30-32; Ephesians 4:8-12; Philippians 2:5-11; Hebrews 10:12-14). Christ Jesus ascended back into heaven to claim his rightful place as King of the universe (Daniel 7:13-14). The Father’s reward to the Son for his mediatorial obedience as our Substitute is dominion over all things (Psalms 2:8). God the Father has put all things into the hands of and under the rule of Jesus Christ, the God-man. In heaven the Son of God is carrying on his great intercessory work as our Advocate and High Priest. Entering into heaven with his own blood, he sat down upon the throne of God, having obtained eternal redemption for us (Hebrews 9:12). By virtue of that blood he offers continual intercession for his redeemed people (Romans 8:34; 1 John 2:1-2). And through the virtue of his blood all the blessings of grace are bestowed upon God’s elect (Ephesians 1:3-6). The exalted Christ has claimed and taken possession of heaven as the Forerunner of his people (Hebrews 6:14; Hebrews 6:16-20). He has claimed all the inheritance of heaven’s glory for all God’s elect, for all for whom his blood was shed, for all who shall believe on him. Our Savior took his place upon the throne of glory to secure the everlasting salvation of all his redeemed ones. He reigns in life to save those he purchased in death (Romans 5:10). He rules all things for the salvation of his people (John 17:2; Romans 8:28). In a word, Christ has gone to prepare a place in the Father’s house for all his adopted sons and daughters, and he will bring them there. Secondly, THE LORD JESUS CHRIST IS COMING AGAIN. “And while they looked stedfastly toward heaven as he went up, behold two men stood by them in white apparel, which also said, Ye men of Galilee, why stand ye gazing up into heaven? This same Jesus, which is taken up from you into heaven, shall so come in like manner as ye have seen him go into heaven” (Acts 1:10-11). God sent two angels with this word of promise to his beloved children upon the earth, so that we might constantly live in anticipation of it - Christ is coming again! This promise ought to cheer our hearts, enliven our souls, and encourage our hope. God has not told us when Christ is coming. He does not intend for us to know the time of our Lord’s appearing.

But the second advent of Christ is a matter of certainty. It should be, to every believer, a matter of imminent expectancy (Hebrews 9:26-28; Zechariah 14:4-5; Zechariah 14:9; Matthew 16:27; Matthew 24:27; John 14:1-3; Philippians 3:20; 1 Thessalonians 4:16; 2 Timothy 4:8; Titus 2:13; James 5:7-8; Jude 1:14; Revelation 1:7; Revelation 22:20). Here are four things revealed in the Scriptures about the Lord’s coming.

1. Christ’s second coming will be a personal, bodily advent (Revelation 1:7).
2. It will be a glorious appearing (2 Thessalonians 1:7-10).
3. It will be the consummation of our salvation (Romans 13:11; Ephesians 1:14).
4. Our Lord will appear suddenly, without warning, as a thief in the night (1 Thessalonians 5:1-6). Thirdly, OUR LORD’S SECOND ADVENT WILL BE THE OF GOD’S ETERNAL PURPOSE (Acts 3:19-21; 1 Corinthians 15:24-28). Reading the Scriptures, it appears that once our Lord Jesus appears in his second advent everything after that will happen with great speed. With great swiftness, the Lord God will wrap up his work among men. The resurrection of the dead, the judgment, the conflagration of the earth and new creation, the final separation of the righteous and the wicked, all seem to take place in a matter of moments! There will be A GENERAL (John 5:28-29). The dead shall be raised. The living saints shall be changed, translated in a moment and gathered out of the earth. All men will stand before God and be judged by him. According to the strict standards of inflexible justice, everyone will receive exactly his due. The righteous, made righteous by grace, shall inherit glory. The wicked shall be cast into hell. There will be A GREAT (2 Peter 3:9-14). Our God shall indeed make all things new! There will be a new heavens and a new earth where nothing dwells but righteousness! There will be A GLOBAL (Revelation 5:13). The Lord God will demonstrate to all creation how that all creation has served his purpose and brought glory to him. Then there will be A REST (Hebrews 4:9). The Triune God and all the countless multitude of his elect will enter into an eternal sabbath. In heaven’s glory we will rest from all our troubles and from all our works. There we shall worship our God perfectly, serve him without labor, and love him completely! Fourthly, THE ONE WHO IS COMING FOR US IS “THIS SAME JESUS!” The angelic messengers assure us that our Lord will never forget his people. The One coming to bring us home to glory is the very same Jesus who died to redeem us. “This same Jesus” who is full of love and sympathy, - “This same Jesus” who brought in everlasting righteousness, - “This same Jesus” who has gone into heaven for us, who now appears in the presence of God for us, who sits upon the throne of universal dominion, ruling all things for us, - “This same Jesus” shall come again!

Acts 1:12-26

3. BUT LEADERS Acts 1:12-26 Acts 1:12-26 covers a brief waiting period (about one week) between the ascension of Christ and the outpouring of the Holy Spirit on the day of Pentecost. The things that are recorded here were written by Luke, by divine inspiration, for our learning and admonition. If we are wise, we will lay them to heart. First, THE LORD JESUS CHRIST EVERY OF THE OLD TO HIS , LIFE, EARTHLY , , , AND (Acts 1:12). When Luke tells us that the disciples returned from the mount called Olivet to Jerusalem, he is, almost casually, telling us that Christ stood upon Mt. Olivet when he ascended to heaven, just like the prophet Zechariah said he would (Zechariah 14:4; Ezekiel 11:23). The mount had been divided in two parts by a great earthquake in the days of Uzziah. Our Lord ascended from that part of it which was near Bethany (Luke 24:50). It was there that he began his sufferings (Luke 22:39). It was most fitting therefore that he should cast off the reproach of his sufferings there by his glorious ascension. Second, THE PATH OF AND IS THE PATH OF (Acts 1:12-14). The disciples returned to Jerusalem because the Lord commanded them to do so (Acts 1:4). There their enemies awaited them. There they were most likely to suffer and be persecuted. But the Lord’s commandment was clear. So they returned (Proverbs 3:5-6).

There in a large upper room, they met together in prayer, united in heart, waiting for the promise of the Holy Spirit. Much needed to be done. They had a message to proclaim. Sinners were perishing. But the Lord had commanded them to wait. So they waited.

They were waiting upon the Lord, waiting for God to move, waiting for God to come upon them, waiting for God to open the door before them (Psa. 27:15; Psalms 62:5-7; Chron. Acts 15:13). We must obey his Word and wait for his direction. In all things, the point of our responsibility is the commandment of God. We must obey him. Obeying his Word, the disciples were filled with the Spirit and greatly used of God for much good. Thirdly, EVEN THE BEST OF MEN ARE ONLY MEN AT BEST (Acts 1:15-26). So long as we are in this world we will be prone to error and sin. We stray in many ways and err in many things. Even true, faithful servants of God are weak, fallible men of flesh and blood. This is manifest in the fact that Peter led the disciples to choose an apostle God had not chosen. Without question, Peter was a faithful man. He had the heart of a true pastor. On other occasions he acted rashly from bad motives, but not here. His motives were good. He wanted what was best for the glory of God, the people of God, and the gospel of God. The sin of Judas had made a vacancy in the apostolic office. Twelve apostles were originally chosen and ordained. As there were twelve tribes in Israel, descended from the twelve patriarchs, so there were twelve apostles. They are the twelve stars which make up the church’s crown (Revelation 12:1). For them, twelve thrones were reserved (Matthew 19:28). Peter read Psalms 69:25 and concluded that it was the responsibility of the church to fill the vacancy left by Judas’ apostasy. His error was an error of judgment, not of motive or principle. He humbly recognized the sovereignty of God in all that had happened (Acts 1:16). He understood that the death of Christ was the work of God for the redemption of his people (Acts 2:23; Acts 4:27-28). He realized that God had sovereignly overruled the evil deeds of Judas to accomplish his own eternal purpose (Psalms 41:9). Peter sorrowfully remembered the fall of his former friend and companion (Acts 1:17-19). He said no more about the subject than was necessary. Though he and Judas had been close friends, he bowed to the will of God and honored the judgment of God upon his friend. Peter knew that the only difference between him and Judas was the grace of God (1 Corinthians 4:7). He reverenced and honored the Word of God (Acts 1:20). Peter sincerely wanted to obey the Scriptures. He thought he was doing what God would have him do. He was motivated by an earnest desire for the glory of God. With genuine reverence, he sought the will of God (Acts 1:21-25). Peter should have sought the Lord before he appointed Justus and Matthias. Never say to God, “Lord, I am going to do this or that, you choose which you want me to do.” Rather, go to God and say, “What will you have me to do?” When the lots were cast, Peter led the church to ordain an apostle God had not chosen (Acts 1:26). It was true, the Lord’s intention was for his church to have twelve apostles, twelve and only twelve. David’s prophecy must be fulfilled. Another apostle must take Judas’ place. But, like the others, he must be personally chosen and ordained to the office by Christ himself. The Lord had not chosen Justus or Matthias for this office. He had chosen Paul (1 Corinthians 15:8). How could Peter have made such a mistake? He sought to determine the will of God by casting lots. Like David, he made the mistake of seeking to determine the will of God by seeking the will of the people (1 Chronicles 13:1-4). He tried to accomplish the will and work of God by the wisdom and energy of the flesh! As a result, Matthias was chosen to do what God had not gifted him to do. So far as we know, he never preached a sermon or wrote an epistle. We can only speculate about what became of him. But his name is never mentioned again. Where God ordained twelve apostles there was neither room nor need for thirteen! Still, Peter was God’s appointed leader for that early church. In spite of his many errors, faults, and falls, Peter was God’s man, and the people of God rightfully submitted to his rule as their pastor (Hebrews 13:7; Hebrews 13:17). Though he was a fallible man, he was a faithful man. He preached the gospel of Christ, sought the will of God, lived for the glory of God, and served the people of God. Blessed is that congregation who has been given such a pastor after God’s own heart (Jeremiah 3:15). Faithful pastors do sin. Faithful pastors do err in judgment. Faithful pastors do even err in doctrine. Faithful pastors do make mistakes. Faithful pastors need the prayers and the love of God’s people (1 Thessalonians 5:12-13; 1 Thessalonians 5:25; Hebrews 13:18).