Sunday Bible Study Notes.. Acts, Chapter One... 2-06-22

 

Let's pray ..

Father, thank you for Your word

that does it’s work in the hearts of your chosen people .

We come, Lord, this morning and we bring ourselves.

We bring our attention, , to engage in the words

that we hear, the words that we read, the thoughts your Holy Spirit may give us.

It is in the spirit of Paul that we are here this morning which is our “reasonable Service” to thee…….

We pray that you would feed us, teach us, and equip us to be vessels to speak your word.

Help us to share truth, to encourage others ,and as you grant us wisdom and knowledge guide us in a way that we may apply it to our own lives…

For we ask it in Jesus' name.

Amen.

Lets begin with verse three--

“To whom he presented himself” This is to his apostles-- to whom he also presented himself alive

after his suffering by many infallible proofs. Being seen by them during 40 days,

and speaking of the things pertaining to the Kingdom of God.

Now, here's a bit of information that we did not get from the books of Luke or Matthew or Mark or John. They just say that Jesus took them to the Mount of Olives. He blessed them, and he ascended into heaven. And they returned to Jerusalem with great joy.

But now we're given a little more coloring into a time period, a 40 day-- actually

you find out it's a 50 day time period—because between the Passover and the next feast, Pentecost, there's a period of 50 days.

But 40 days after Jesus rose from the dead until the time he ascended into heaven, he is teaching his disciples. He continues teaching them, and speaking to them about things pertaining to the Kingdom of God. 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.

Now, notice in those verses that we read that little phrase, many “infallible proofs”.

The disciples were convinced that Jesus was who he said he was. That he was the Son of God, that he was God the Lord. Principally, because of his Resurrection from the dead, as well as what he claimed himself to be. But then after Jesus rose from the dead, they saw for 40 days “infallible proofs”. Things that they experienced subjectively, but because they were the ones to see, as did many others and experience them, they became objective, hence infallible.

And what do I mean by that?

You see, if one person experiences something, or claims to experience something, how do you know if it’s really true or not? So if somebody says, I saw a banana flying through the sky and flowers growing out of it, You may say interesting. Thank you for sharing, with a smile but you'll dismiss it out of hand, because those things just don't happen.

But if you get two and three and four and 12 saying, we saw exactly that at exactly the same time its very different.

Because if one person says he saw or she saw one thing you'd say, well, that could be a hallucination. Now, psychologists will tell us that hallucinations can happen, but they don’t happen to a group of people. A subjective experience-- if everybody sees the same thing and experiences the same thing at the same time-- it's not a hallucination, it's not the product of one's private imagination. Now you have something objective/ believable, because there are several eyewitness accounts.

So Jesus appeared and taught his disciples, but Paul said, that Jesus appeared to over 500 after his resurrection, at one time. So you can say, well, Peter saw a hallucination and John he saw a hallucination. But if all 12 said, I saw it, too……… You have to consider that also…

And then you get 500 that say, we saw him show up on this day at this place saying these things.

Well, now you have something not subjective as much as objective. In other words you have “ Infallible proofs.”

So the infallible proofs involve the senses. Them seeing them, hearing them touching, them tasting. Example, on one occasion-- actually on a couple of different occasions--

Jesus showed up in the room they were meeting without going through the door or a window.

He didn't crawl through a window, he didn't knock on the door, he just appeared. They saw that together. On another occasion, he ate a meal with them. So they tasted what he gave to them.

On another occasion he spoke to them. So they're hearing with their ears words that he is saying, and they're being corroborated because many people are seeing it and hearing it together.

Remember that Thomas even touched the wounds of Jesus after the resurrection. These became infallible proofs.

John, the apostle John, was one of them. And this is what John refers to in first John chapter one, verse one when he says, that which was from the beginning, which we have heard, which we have seen with our eyes, which we have looked upon and our hands have handled concerning the word of life. And what we have seen and heard, we testify unto you, said John.

So for 40 days Jesus showed up, taught them, ate with them, And stayed with them..

But one occasion is given in verse four, 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. For John truly baptized with water, but you shall be baptized with the Holy Spirit not many days from now

WHAT WAS THE PROMISE OF THE FATHER?

It was the promise of the coming of the Holy Spirit, the third Person in what we call the trinity.. one with the Father and the Son bound together by the Holy spirit. Before Pentecost He was working in the world and in the lives of God’s people.

In the Old Testament we have instances of His coming upon men to empower them for special service: Bezaleel (Exodus 31:3); Eldad and Medad (Numbers 11:26); Gideon (Judges 6:34); Samson (Judges 14:19). Thus far, however, He had not come to abide with all God’s people. The promise of the Father was the promise that the Holy Spirit would come at Pentecost to do a distinctive work in the lives of all Christians; it was a promise relating to this period of time in which we are living, the Dispensation of the Spirit, and the blessed creation the Church Age. We are ever thankful for this example…



1. It was given through the prophet Joel (Joel 2:28-32).

2. It was proclaimed by John the Baptist (John 1:29-34).

3. It was referred to by the Lord Himself (John 7:37-39; John 14:16-17; John 15:26; John 16:6-7 and 13-14; and Acts 1:8.

4. It was anticipated by the Lord after the Resurrection (John 20:22).

5. It was fulfilled on the Day of Pentecost (Acts 2:4). Which we will be studying shortly…

The promise of the Father, then, was the promise that at Pentecost the Holy Spirit would come in a special way to do a three-fold work in the lives of all God’s children. These three ministries of the Holy Spirit would only come into operation at and after Pentecost and throughout the whole of this dispensation. What are these ministries?

1. He would come to BAPTISE them all. John the Baptist said that Jesus would baptize His people with the Holy Spirit (John 1:33). Jesus told His people they would be ““baptized with the Holy Spirit”” (Acts 1:5). The explanation of this baptism of the Spirit can be found in 1 Corinthians 12:12-13. At Pentecost, when the Spirit came and filled the 120, they were until then isolated units, but He united them into the body of Christ. Pentecost marked the formation of the Church, the body of Christ. All our forefathers were baptized into Moses and in the sea once (1 Corinthians 10:1-4). That was never repeated. Similarly, the baptism of the Spirit was historical and collective, not to be repeated. By the baptism of the Spirit every Christian has been placed into the body of Christ.

What an incredible experience !

Just pause for a second in your mind. Reflect and go back to the end of the gospel accounts…. When Jesus said to his disciples go into all the world. Go into all the world, and preach the gospel to every creature.

We call that the Great Commission.. The great commission is Jesus saying go.

Can you ,for a moment put yourself in the disciples' sandals?

For somebody to say, I've got a mission. I've got a task I want you do do. I want you to go somewhere.

You might say, well, I have a job. I'm busy. I have a wife. I have kids. I have plans. I can't just go.

But if somebody who was dead that you loved is now alive after three days, and you see that person alive. And now you realize, oh my goodness, this is everything he claimed he said he was. He is God in human flesh. It is the living Lord risen from the dead, just like he said, controlling nature. When he says go, you're going to be pretty zealous to go. Because now you have found a whole new way of life.

You're going to follow him you're going to do what he says. There's nothing more exciting than to follow and be directed by that guy. So you can imagine that when Jesus tells them, we're not finished here yet guys.

I want you to go to all the world, and I'm putting you on a mission. You have to imagine their excitement was at an all time high. They were ready to go. They were ready to conquer the world. Their zeal was over-the-top. However, with their zeal over the top, in all of that excitement they could be tempted to just bolt out the door and go do what Jesus told them to do in the work in the energy of their own flesh.

So Jesus says, go, but don't go yet.





Verse four, “ being assembled together he commanded them not to go. Not to depart from Jerusalem, but to wait for the promise of the Father which he said, you have heard from me.

Now, why does he tell them, wait?

For the Holy Spirit to baptize them in the body. This is what being baptized in the Holy spirit means.. To be baptized with the Holy Spirit in Jesus’s name. We become part of the body of Christ and therefore we also become as one with the father, the son bound together by and made one by The Holy spirit.. This example was left for us by Jesus himself and by the 120 who set their sights on walking with the Lord and were committed to carrying the light of Christ wherever they went.. As do we all who are born again into Christ and who carry within the Holy Spirit….We are, in this regard, also bound by the Great Commission….We may not preach or start new churches but we are a living example of the light of Christ as we abide by His teachings and apply them in our daily lives…

So Jesus is commissioning them to go out into all the world. filled with power from on high. The filling of the Holy Spirit, the necessary equipment to do the job. God will always give us the tools to enable us to do his will…

Therefore, verse six, when they had come together they asked him saying, Lord, will you at this time restore the kingdom to Israel? And he said to them, it is not for you to know times or seasons which the Father has put in his own authority.

These men are so much like most of us in so many ways…They're so human.

I don't know if you caught this or not, but in the normal flow of chapter one this is called an interruption. Anyone who has taught knows this one only too well…

It's bringing an issue up that isn't related to the main subject that was being discussed.

OK, I've told you to go into all the world, but now wait until you get filled with the Holy Spirit.

Hey, let's set the date when are you coming again? When's the power thing going to happen?

Are you going to restore the kingdom of Israel now?

I mean, what does that have to do with anything Jesus is telling them?

About this much, zero. OK, so they're so human, and this is what I love about them.

So just like at the Mount of Transfiguration Moses and Elijah's transfigured with Jesus, and they're watching it. And Peter goes it's good that we're here.

Let's build three temples right now. And God the Father has to interject on Peter's interruption

by saying, this is my beloved Son. Listen to him. Be quiet and listen to him.

But that's not the only time.

There was the time Jesus mentioned that he was going to the cross to die on the cross. And so they asked him, who's going to be the greatest in the kingdom?

What?

Were we talking about the kingdom and the glory? I thought we were talking about the cross.

Yeah, but they're thinking the kingdom. So that's it.

And why I'm bringing this up is because I have a good friend who likes to say this,

he goes, people change, but not that much. And so here you see the same apostles, yes, after the Resurrection. Yes, they are going to be filled with the spirit, but they are who they are.

They're still growing. They're still imperfect.

Does that give you a little bit of encouragement? I hope it does. These guys were far from perfect. As are we all…

Now, having said that and having to sort of ditz them

I have to say this, I understand their question. There's part of me that says I want to give them a break, and I understand why they would ask that. Because Jesus keeps promising that he's going to send the Holy Spirit. I'm going to send the Holy Spirit, that's the promise of my Father. That's the other helper.

He's been saying that before his death, and now after his resurrection. So in their minds-- they're Jewish-- they were raised believing that the messiah is going to come and establish a kingdom. There are several passages in the Old Testament that describe the kingdom-- like Isaiah 35 and others-- that describe the kingdom of Messiah on earth.

Incredible promises, but there are a couple in particular--

Ezekiel 36, Joel chapter two-- that talk about the coming of the Holy Spirit in conjunction with the kingdom of Messiah on the earth. That he would pour out his spirit on the inhabitants of Israel. And so when Jesus keeps saying, the Holy Spirit's coming.

Perhaps-- I want to give them a little bit of a break-- perhaps they're thinking actually of these two promises of scripture, Ezekiel 36 and Joel 2 . So in fairness I want to cut them a little slack for their interruptions and Jesus cut them slack as well..

I don't know if they're just interrupting and doing their thing, or they're actually engaged as deep Bible students.

Just from what I know about them probably the first, not the second, but maybe.

But then comes the answer of Jesus. His answer is basically this. It's not about when, it's about what.

You're worried about when is the time. When is the kingdom going to be restored? I want you to forget the when, and I want you to think though what it is I want you to do.

I have a job for you to do. And that's been Luke's theme since the beginning

in verse one.

This is what Jesus began to do and to teach, but now he's going to do it through the Holy Spirit through the lives of the apostles. So he says it's not for you to know times or seasons which the Father has put in his own authority.

But-- shifting gears-- 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.

So many of us do want to know what's next.

What's next? Then what???

It's good to be informed, but not so much that all you care about is information, and not the transformation that comes in your own life to do what God wants you to do right now.

I remember the Jesus movement. And some of them , frankly, thought Jesus was coming by tomorrow.

I mean, if he didn't come by tomorrow or maybe next week, that's the latest.They expected Jesus to come at any moment. And I like that thought of the imminence of Christ; the return of Christ.

But I saw a lot of , during this period of time, people quitting their jobs, getting lazy. Jesus is showing up, you know, maybe a month, but not longer than that. And trying to set the date--but when Jesus talked about his return, his kingdom, he didn't expect his disciples to check out, strum a guitar, sit on a hill side, eat bird seed ,smoke a little, and wait for Jesus to show up. He wanted them to be busy about his business.

Occupy until I come, our Lord said. So once again he says, but you shall receive power.

That's why you need to stay, until you get this power.

When the Holy Spirit, the powerful one, has come upon you.

And you shall be witness-- now watch this-- to me in Jerusalem, in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth.

Please notice verse eight, Luke is giving us the words of Jesus. Jesus is providing for us the outline of the book of Acts. Luke will follow this as the outline for his entire book. So chapters one through chapter seven is the gospel witness going to Jerusalem.

Chapters eight and nine, the gospel witness going to Judea and Samaria. Chapter 10 through chapter 28, the gospel witness going to the ends of the earth, all the way to the heart of the world at that time, Rome.

If you were looking for a theme for the book of Acts I can give it to you in one phrase, from Jerusalem to Rome. It's how the gospel message goes from the backwaters of the Roman Empire--Israel at the time, Jerusalem--and makes it to the very heart of the Roman Empire itself.

So the message of Acts is showing us how the powerful message of the gospel goes out in ever widening circles.

It struck me that when it comes to how the Lord has operated in my life, he's operated the same way, in ever widening circles. It started with me getting saved.

In ever widening circles the gospel should go out from you, from us, in the same way.

This may be a good place to stop for today..

But if you think about Jerusalem as the starting point in those days for the apostles .. I wonder where is your Jerusalem.. Where will be you Judea your Samaria as your message and influence expands also in ever widening circles, throughout your life, carrying God’s message and sharing it as you are able…

Dear Lord,

Help us this morning to understand your word and to minister to others so we can fulfill our calling in this life. Help us to impart your message as it would please you. We are thankful this morning for our fellowship and for your continued presence with us. We are ever thankful for your word that has been left as a guide and benchmark for us..

We pray this morning for all of those who are sick among us, those of us also who struggle spiritually and ask that you reach out to touch us, to heal us in our bodies and our hearts. Give us strength O Lord to press on through these dark and difficult days. Be with our leaders and men of power and direct them to help the people.. The suffering of the helpless and the children touches us most so we are asking out of great need that you intercede and help those who are innocent and vulnerable among us..

Bless our humble bible study and all of its members and families this morning. Keep us safe from harm and direct us down the path of righteousness..

We ask these things in Jesus’ name…

Amen…