Acts 1:1-11
SS Lesson for 04/30/2023
Devotional Scriptures: John 16:5-15
We may find it surprising that a Gentile who was not an apostle wrote more of the New Testament than anyone else. We’re talking about Luke the physician (Colossians 4:14). His writings of the Gospel that bears his name and the book of Acts total 37,932 words in Greek across 2,158 verses. By comparison, Paul wrote 32,408 words across the 2,033 verses of his 13 epistles. The sheer volume of Luke’s writing also explains why the Gospel of Luke and the book of Acts are separate. Writings were frequently on scrolls in Luke’s day, and the maximum practical length of a scroll was about 10 yards. Luke’s Gospel and the book of Acts have about two scrolls’ worth of material, making a physical division necessary. Luke did this thoughtfully by dividing the books into his account of Jesus and his account of the church. The bridge between the two is the ascension of Jesus, found in Luke 24:50-53 and repeated in Acts 1:6-9. Careful study of these two books shows that Luke maintained high standards for accuracy. Where we can corroborate his historical details, he has proven to be completely reliable. For example, Luke refers to the magistrates of the city of Thessalonica by the Greek word politarchas (Acts 17:6, 8), a term not found elsewhere in ancient literature. This had led earlier scholars to wonder if Luke made up this word. However, archaeological excavations have since found inscriptions that use this title, confirming Luke’s attention to accurate detail.
But you shall receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you shall be witnesses to Me in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth."
(Scriptural Text from the New King James Version; cross-references from the NIV)
1 The former account I made, O Theophilus, of all that Jesus began both to do and teach,
2 until the day in which He was taken up, after He through the Holy Spirit had given commandments to the apostles whom He had chosen,
3 to whom He also presented Himself alive after His suffering by many infallible proofs, being seen by them during forty days and speaking of the things pertaining to the kingdom of God.
45 "Who then is the faithful and wise servant, whom the master has put in charge of the servants in his household to give them their food at the proper time? 46 It will be good for that servant whose master finds him doing so when he returns.
It will be good for those servants whose master finds them watching when he comes. I tell you the truth, he will dress himself to serve, will have them recline at the table and will come and wait on them.
Therefore judge nothing before the appointed time; wait till the Lord comes. He will bring to light what is hidden in darkness and will expose the motives of men's hearts. At that time each will receive his praise from God.
So then, dear friends, since you are looking forward to this, make every effort to be found spotless, blameless and at peace with him.
34 "A new command I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another. 35 By this all men will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another."
11 When they heard that Jesus was alive and that she had seen him, they did not believe it. 12 Afterward Jesus appeared in a different form to two of them while they were walking in the country. 13 These returned and reported it to the rest; but they did not believe them either. 14 Later Jesus appeared to the Eleven as they were eating; he rebuked them for their lack of faith and their stubborn refusal to believe those who had seen him after he had risen.
5 In their fright the women bowed down with their faces to the ground, but the men said to them, "Why do you look for the living among the dead? 6 He is not here; he has risen! Remember how he told you, while he was still with you in Galilee:
And for many days he was seen by those who had traveled with him from Galilee to Jerusalem. They are now his witnesses to our people.
3 For what I received I passed on to you as of first importance: that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures, 4 that he was buried, that he was raised on the third day according to the Scriptures, 5 and that he appeared to Peter, and then to the Twelve. 6 After that, he appeared to more than five hundred of the brothers at the same time, most of whom are still living, though some have fallen asleep. 7 Then he appeared to James, then to all the apostles, 8 and last of all he appeared to me also, as to one abnormally born.
That which was from the beginning, which we have heard, which we have seen with our eyes, which we have looked at and our hands have touched-- this we proclaim concerning the Word of life.
4 And being assembled together with them, He commanded them not to depart from Jerusalem, but to wait for the Promise of the Father, "which," He said, "you have heard from Me;
5 for John truly baptized with water, but you shall be baptized with the Holy Spirit not many days from now."
6 Therefore, when they had come together, they asked Him, saying, "Lord, will You at this time restore the kingdom to Israel?"
7 And He said to them, "It is not for you to know times or seasons which the Father has put in His own authority.
8 But you shall receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you shall be witnesses to Me in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth."
'And afterward, I will pour out my Spirit on all people. Your sons and daughters will prophesy, your old men will dream dreams, your young men will see visions.
1 When the day of Pentecost came, they were all together in one place. 2 Suddenly a sound like the blowing of a violent wind came from heaven and filled the whole house where they were sitting. 3 They saw what seemed to be tongues of fire that separated and came to rest on each of them. 4 All of them were filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in other tongues as the Spirit enabled them.
The circumcised believers who had come with Peter were astonished that the gift of the Holy Spirit had been poured out even on the Gentiles.
And this water symbolizes baptism that now saves you also-- not the removal of dirt from the body but the pledge of a good conscience toward God. It saves you by the resurrection of Jesus Christ,
We were therefore buried with him through baptism into death in order that, just as Christ was raised from the dead through the glory of the Father, we too may live a new life.
11 In him you were also circumcised, in the putting off of the sinful nature, not with a circumcision done by the hands of men but with the circumcision done by Christ, 12 having been buried with him in baptism and raised with him through your faith in the power of God, who raised him from the dead.
The secret things belong to the LORD our God, but the things revealed belong to us and to our children forever, that we may follow all the words of this law.
"No one knows about that day or hour, not even the angels in heaven, nor the Son, but only the Father.
From one man he made every nation of men, that they should inhabit the whole earth; and he determined the times set for them and the exact places where they should live.
9 And he made known to us the mystery of his will according to his good pleasure, which he purposed in Christ, 10 to be put into effect when the times will have reached their fulfillment-- to bring all things in heaven and on earth together under one head, even Christ.
1 Now, brothers, about times and dates we do not need to write to you, 2 for you know very well that the day of the Lord will come like a thief in the night.
13 In the sight of God, who gives life to everything, and of Christ Jesus, who while testifying before Pontius Pilate made the good confession, I charge you 14 to keep this command without spot or blame until the appearing of our Lord Jesus Christ, 15 which God will bring about in his own time-- God, the blessed and only Ruler, the King of kings and Lord of lords,
So he said to me, "This is the word of the LORD to Zerubbabel: 'Not by might nor by power, but by my Spirit,' says the LORD Almighty.
4 My message and my preaching were not with wise and persuasive words, but with a demonstration of the Spirit's power, 5 so that your faith might not rest on men's wisdom, but on God's power.
When you are assembled in the name of our Lord Jesus and I am with you in spirit, and the power of our Lord Jesus is present,
I pray that out of his glorious riches he may strengthen you with power through his Spirit in your inner being,
For God did not give us a spirit of timidity, but a spirit of power, of love and of self-discipline.
9 Now when He had spoken these things, while they watched, He was taken up, and a cloud received Him out of their sight.
10 And while they looked steadfastly toward heaven as He went up, behold, two men stood by them in white apparel,
11 who also said, "Men of Galilee, why do you stand gazing up into heaven? This same Jesus, who was taken up from you into heaven, will so come in like manner as you saw Him go into heaven."
making the most of every opportunity, because the days are evil.
Be wise in the way you act toward outsiders; make the most of every opportunity.
And do this, understanding the present time. The hour has come for you to wake up from your slumber, because our salvation is nearer now than when we first believed.
Therefore, as we have opportunity, let us do good to all people, especially to those who belong to the family of believers.
Teach us to number our days aright, that we may gain a heart of wisdom.
6 Go to the ant, you sluggard; consider its ways and be wise! 7 It has no commander, no overseer or ruler, 8 yet it stores its provisions in summer and gathers its food at harvest.
1 The first account I composed, Theophilus, about all that Jesus began to do and teach, 2 until the day when He was taken up, after He had by the Holy Spirit given orders to the apostles whom He had chosen (Acts 1:1-2, NASB).
The Book of Acts is clearly a sequel, a second volume to be read in conjunction with the first, the Book of Luke. The author is the same, as well as the recipient, Theophilus. The content of the first volume pertained to the deeds and the doctrines of the Lord Jesus Christ, ending with His ascension. Jesus’ final words, Luke tells us, were orders to the apostles He had chosen. These orders were given, Luke includes, “by the Holy Spirit.” Those orders were given in Luke and will be reiterated here shortly. The purpose then of Acts is to provide an account of that which Jesus continued to do through His church, by means of the Holy Spirit. What Jesus began to do and to teach, the Holy Spirit would continue to do, through the church.
3 To these He also presented Himself alive; after His suffering, by many convincing proofs, appearing to them over a period of forty days, and speaking of the things concerning the kingdom of God. 4 And 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; 5 for John baptized with water, but you shall be baptized with the Holy Spirit not many days from now” (Acts 1:3-5, NASB).
Verse 3 tells us something very clearly which is of great importance: Jesus set aside once and for all the doubts of the disciples concerning the fact of His resurrection. In the Gospel of Luke, the disciples are doubtful as to our Lord’s resurrection to the very end. Mark’s Gospel tells us most clearly that the disciples’ unbelief was deep-seated and that Jesus found it necessary to rebuke them for it (Mark 16:14). Here, in Acts, Luke tells us the reason the disciples could be so entirely convinced about His resurrection. It was not just that Jesus rebuked them for their unbelief, but that He presented Himself alive to them on various occasions and over a period of forty days. This evidence was irrefutable. They were convinced. Never again does the issue of the fact of His resurrection arise with them. Indeed, from this point on they are the “witnesses of His resurrection,” something which they will repeatedly and confidently affirm (cf. Acts 1:22; 2:32; 3:15; 5:32; 10:39-42; 13:31).
Verse 3 also informs us of the content of the teaching of our Lord during those forty days. It is summed up by Luke by the use of the phrase, “the kingdom of God” (verse 3). Jesus commenced His ministry by announcing that the “kingdom of God” had come (Mark 1:15), much the same as John the Baptist had been preaching (cf. Matthew 3:1-2). Throughout His earthly ministry, Jesus spoke of the kingdom of God and found it necessary to continually correct the misconceptions of Israelites and even of His own disciples. Now, after His resurrection, Jesus spoke once again of that kingdom, which was still future. It is not just a matter of the very distant future, however, but a matter of the present as well. While the promises of the kingdom of God have not been fulfilled in 2,000 years since the days of our Lord, there were some present aspects of that kingdom of which our Lord must have been speaking. Surely Jesus was not talking only of the distant future with His disciples, but He was teaching them the things which they needed to know pertaining to the near future and to their ministries in particular. Thus, the “kingdom of God” must have included the ministry and message of the apostles, which would commence with the coming of the Spirit.
Not separate from the teaching of our Lord and the kingdom of God was the matter of the “promise of the Father” (verse 5), for which they were to wait. It was a baptism which the Father had promised, and thus a matter of Old Testament prophecy, but it was also one of which our Lord Himself had taught (“which you have heard of from Me,” verse 4). While Luke has some things to say on this matter, John’s Gospel is the most thorough on the matter of the Holy Spirit (cf. 7:37-39; chapters 14-16). This promise was a “baptism,” not one like that of John, but distinct from it. Jesus contrasted the coming of the Spirit and the baptism He (Christ) would perform through the Spirit, with that of John. Indeed, it was a contrast which John himself taught. John told his audiences that while he baptized with water, Jesus would baptize men with the Holy Spirit and with fire. This was the “promise of the Father” for which they were now commanded to wait. It would not be many days before this would come to pass.
6 And so when they had come together, they were asking Him, saying, “Lord, is it at this time You are restoring the kingdom to Israel?” 7 He said to them, “It is not for you to know times or epochs which the Father has fixed by His own authority; 8 but you shall 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.” 9 And after He had said these things, “He was lifted up while they were looking on, and a cloud received Him out of their sight. 10 And as they were gazing intently into the sky while He was departing, behold, two men in white clothing stood beside them; 11 and they also said, “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” (Acts 1:6-11).
One of the things about which Jesus must not have spoken was the timing of the coming of the kingdom. The disciples found it necessary to ask Jesus when the kingdom was going to come about. More specifically, they asked the Savior if the kingdom was to be established immediately.
It is the Christmas season as I write this message, and the poem, “The Night Before Christmas,” somehow comes to mind in connection with this question of the disciples. Just as thoughts of Christmas and the “coming of Santa” filled the minds of children on Christmas eve, so thoughts of the kingdom seemed to be dancing in the minds of the disciples. I am not certain their motivation for wanting the kingdom to come was much different than it was during the earthly ministry of our Lord. Perhaps the disciples were still thinking of power and position and prestige. It isn’t impossible. The resurrection of Christ need not have changed the attitudes and motivations of the disciples. As we shall see, even Pentecost will not produce all the changes which are yet to come in the lives of the disciples of our Lord. It would seem that the disciples were preoccupied with the kingdom, a “Jewish” kingdom2 (“restore the kingdom to Israel”), and an imminent one. How Acts will fill in the details here!
The timing of the kingdom was within the sovereign purposes of God, not to be known by the apostles. It is clear that knowing the time would not have been beneficial to them. What was within their realm of responsibility was to proclaim the good news of the gospel to all nations, and thus our Lord reiterated the Great Commission, not so much as a command, mind you, but as a prophecy of what was certain to come. The Holy Spirit would come upon them, bestowing power on them, and they would be witnesses to the nations. This was a certainty. It did not always happen consciously or voluntarily—even willingly—but it did happen. Acts is the historical account of how, in the wisdom of God, this was accomplished in spite of His disciples, as well as because of them.
It has often been noted, and rightly so I believe, that Acts 1:8 provides a geographical outline of the development of the preaching of the gospel and of the growth of the church, but also of the argument of the Book of Acts as well. The gospel will be preached in Jerusalem and Judea (Acts chapters 1-7), in Samaria (chapter 8), and eventually all the way to Rome (chapters 13-28). Luke gives us the key to the Book of Acts at the “front door” of this book, in Acts 1:8.
From the very outset of the Book of Luke, God’s intention of saving Gentiles, as well as Jews, has been indicated. The angel Gabriel (1:30-33) spoke of the Lord Jesus in terms of fulfilling Israel’s hopes; Mary spoke likewise (1:46-55). But the angel who spoke to the shepherds said, “Do not be afraid; for behold, I bring you good news of a great joy which shall be for all the people (Luke 2:10).
Jesus, in His first public announcement of His Messiahship in Luke 4, clearly spelled out that the salvation of the Gentiles was an inseparable part of the plan of God which He came to fulfill. Thus, Acts 1:8 spells out what Luke is going to report as the Book of Acts continues: The Holy Spirit will come on the disciples, empowering them to be witnesses of the resurrection and the gospel of our Lord world-wide, beginning at Jerusalem but extending to the ends of the earth.
The discussion ends with the ascension of our Lord. While they looked on, Jesus was taken up, into the clouds, disappearing from their sight. It seems as though the disciples must have stood there for some time, gaping into the clouds as though expecting Him to come back. The two angels who were present gently rebuked the disciples and sent them on their way with the assurance that the Lord Jesus would return in a similar way, but also informing them that their standing there, looking into the sky, was of no profit. No idle standing around waiting for the return of the Lord was sanctioned then. Surely such idleness is not of profit today either.
(Adapted from URL:https://bible.org/seriespage/1-getting-ahead-god-acts-11-26)
When discussing the Great Commission given by Jesus, most Christians will think of Matthew 28:19-20, where Jesus said, Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age. Luke’s version of this is found in Acts 1:8, which could be summarized as, “Go to the ends of the earth and be my witnesses.” There is no conflict between these versions. They are different ways of commanding the same thing. In both cases, the message is not confined to a small group of men who were physically present at Jesus’ ascension, men who died some 2,000 years ago. Rather, these commands also apply to Christians today. If we are truly Christ’s disciples, we will be involved in spreading the saving testimony about Jesus to all the people of the earth. For some Christians, this involves strategic relocation to interact with people groups in countries that have no Christian witness. For other Christians, it means funding and supporting such cross-cultural evangelism. For all Christians, it involves ensuring that talk matches walk (Colossians 4:5; 1 Timothy 3:7; etc.). The New Testament teaches that all Christians are to be involved in making disciples. This is to be motivated by our love for those who do not know Jesus, as well the need to obey his commands as our Lord (John 14:15). Jesus went to the cross out of his love for the world and his obedience to his Father’s will. We should do no less.
The apostles had thought that they were about to follow Christ into war, as is evident from their words in Acts 1:6. They had asked the Lord whether He in-tended to restore the kingdom to Israel. They were hoping He would wrest power from Rome and establish the messianic kingdom. This was an age-old Jewish concept that was deeply in-grained in their belief system. The Jews longed for the restoration of the Davidic kingdom in all its power and splendor. They looked for a kingdom inhabited and controlled exclusively by Jews. They had thought that Jesus was the one who would accomplish this. Jesus had something else in mind entirely. He told the disciples that they would receive power. He spoke of spiritual power, however, not of political power. The Holy Spirit would descend upon them ten days after His ascension. When the Holy Spirit came upon them, they would receive the heavenly power necessary to be effective in dispensing the gospel. Truly Jesus’ plan was to create a kingdom, but in the present age it was to be a heavenly kingdom filled with His children from all nationalities. The word “power” is translated from the Greek word dunamis, from which the English word “dynamite” is derived. The Holy Spirit would give the disciples dynamic power that would reside in them and give them all they needed to carry out their divine mission. This power from God would explode from their lives into a world that needed the light of such a glorious, heavenly explosion. This power was for the apostles, but it is also the same enabling power given to all believers. In the Holy Spirit, every Christian has an endless power source to make him a mighty herald for the kingdom of God. Jesus then tersely outlined His plan for the apostles. It is often pointed out that the geographical terms in this verse provide the order in which the apostles were to proceed in the evangelical outreach. Their testifying was to start in their capital city of Jerusalem, the very city in which the Lord was crucified. They were to preach next in all of Judea, the province in which Jerusalem was the capital, and then in Samaria, the neighboring province in which lived a mixed race of people whose religion was a distorted form of Judaism. Finally, they were to go out into the distant parts of the earth. A study of the book of Acts will show the reader that the order in which Jesus proclaimed that His Word would be spread was prophetic in its out-come. The gospel has now come to us, reaching far beyond Rome, where the book of Acts ends with the Apostle Paul imprisoned. The war for the souls of this world was just getting started, however. Today believers need to tell others about Christ. The spiritual welfare of others needs to be on our hearts. Living with such a burden for the unsaved imitates Christ, whose final words before He ascended expressed His love for the entire world. In order for the promise of God to become a reality in our lives, we have to trust Him. We must follow His instructions carefully. One of the most important promises that He has given us is the promise that the Holy Spirit will reside within us and be with us always. He offers the best. This means we have ready help to clear all the hurdles of witnessing and living the Christian life. God is a Friend who is close to us. This week let us remember that if we are believers in Christ, we always have His help through the indwelling of the Holy Spirit. He will give us the strength we need to be His witnesses. We are never alone, and we can remember His special promise.