From
Acts to Revelation
Part
2 – The Church Begins
Pastor Bruce A. Shields
House
of Faith Church | www.PS127.org | www.TruthDigest.org
INTRODUCTION
We're continuing our series this week,
looking at the book of Acts, and seeing just how the church began.
We will look specifically at Acts
1:1-11, and see how the Lord prepared the apostles, reaffirmed the
promise of the power of the Holy Spirit, re-orientation to the program God
designed for the Kingdom, and the prediction of the Lord's return.
So, three specifics we will see in Acts
today in the Lord's preparation of the apostels for creating the church; the
promise, the program and the prediction.
SCRIPTURE READING
Acts 1:1-11
1 In my former book, Theophilus, I
wrote about all that Jesus began to do and to teach 2 until
the day he was taken up to heaven, after giving instructions through the Holy
Spirit to the apostles he had chosen. 3 After his suffering, he showed
himself to these men and gave many convincing proofs that he was alive. He
appeared to them over a period of forty days and spoke about the kingdom of
God. 4 On
one occasion, while he was eating with them, he gave them this
command: “Do not leave Jerusalem, but wait for the gift my Father
promised, which you have heard me speak about. 5 For John baptized with water, but in a few
days you will be baptized with the Holy Spirit.”
6 So
when they met together, they asked him, “Lord, are you at this time going to
restore the kingdom to Israel?”
7 He
said to them: “It is not for you to know the times or dates the Father has
set by his own authority. 8 But you will receive power when
the Holy Spirit comes on you; and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in
all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.”
10 They
were looking intently up into the sky as he was going, when suddenly two men
dressed in white stood beside them. 11“Men of Galilee,” they said, “why do
you stand here looking into the sky? This same Jesus, who has been taken from
you into heaven, will come back in the same way you have seen him go into
heaven.”
I. THE LORD PREPARES
THE APOSTLES REAFFIRMING THE PROMISE
1. The Lord re-affirms
the promise of the Holy Spirit
1. We see in Acts
1:1-5, Luke first mentions his previous writing, The Gospel of
Luke, which Luke had also sent to Theophilus.
2. Luke speaks of his
writings recording “all the Jesus began to do and teach,” which is the
standard foundation of the Gospel.
3. Luke then speaks of
the ministry the Lord had with the Apostles.
1. Apostles are
disciples who witnessed Jesus' resurrection.
2. After Jesus'
resurrection, he stayed with the Apostles for 40 days.
4. 40 days in the
Bible refer to a time of transformation.
1. Noah waited 40 days
after the rain began before he opened a window on the Ark as God transformed
the world.
2. Moses was on the
mountain with God for 40 days as God transformed him to the point that when he
returned to the Israelites, his face shined.
3. The Israelites
spent 40 years in the desert as God transformed them into His people, free from
idolaters, and obedient to His word.
4. Goliath taunted the
Israelites for 40 days before God killed him through David, transforming them
into a people who would trust in His ways above the ways of man.
5. Elijah was
strengthened by one angelic meal, and traveled 40 days to Mt. Herob, where the
Lord passed and he heard the voice of God.
6. Jonah warned
Nineveh for 40 days as they transformed from a sinful town into a town which
repented and sought God's forgiveness.
7. Jesus fasted for 40
days in the wilderness, being transformed into a Spirit Filled warrior, with
the entire armor of God, and completed rebuked the attacks of Satan.
5. Luke states that as
Jesus spent time with the Apostles, on one occasion, during dinner, Jesus gave
the a command.
1. “Do not leave
Jerusalem, but wait for the gift my Father promised, which you have heard me
speak about. 5
For John baptized with water,
but in a few days you will be baptized with the Holy Spirit.”
2. Some important
things to note here.
1. Do not leave
Jerusalem
1. Jesus wanted them
to know that, without the Holy Spirit, the promise of the Father, they could
NOT have a church, or ministry.
2. Jesus Himself,
performed no miracles before He was baptized with the Holy Spirit, which took
place at the baptism John performed.
1. Why then?
2. For the same reason
Jesus went to the cross during Passover...to show the relationship between the
scriptural teaching, and the spiritual meaning.
3. Communion is an
expression of the spiritual truth of Jesus' atoning death and sacrifice on the
cross.
1. It is not the bread
and wine which saves, but the body on the cross and the blood which was shed.
4. Water baptism, in
the same way, is an expression of the spiritual truth that we will be filled
with the Holy Spirit.
1. It's not the
dunking in water which gives us power in this world, but the filling of the
Holy Spirit of God.
2. John baptized with
water
1. Jesus makes this
evident by clarifying, John baptized with water...but wait in Jerusalem, and
you will receive the baptism the Father promises in the Holy Spirit.
6. To often we see
people and churches fail because they did not wait.
1. We cannot succeed
as a church if we do not wait for the filling of the Holy Spirit.
2. We cannot succeed
as a servant of the Lord, if we do not wait for the filling of the Holy Spirit.
I Corinthians 2:14
The man without the Spirit does not accept
the things that come from the Spirit of God, for they are foolishness to him,
and he cannot understand them, because they are spiritually discerned.
Luke 24:32
And they said to one another, "Did not
our heart burn within us while He talked with us on the road, and while He
opened the Scriptures to us?"
It is one thing to hear the beautiful
sounds of an orchestra playing one of Mozart's finest pieces, and quite another
to merely hear about it.
Do not move, until you have received the
promise of the Father.
II. THE LORD PREPARES
THE APOSTLES RE-ORIENTATION OF THE PROGRAM
1. The Lord re-orients
the Apostles on the focus of the church
1. We read Luke's
description of the Apostles meeting with Jesus, just before the Ascension.
2. The Ascension took
place 40 days after Jesus' resurrection.
2. They ask Jesus, “Will
you now restore the kingdom of Israel?”
1. The Apostle Paul
answers this question in II Thessalonians 2, but as it is to the
date and time, as Jesus spoke of the End Times, He answered them, “It is not
for you to know the times or the seasons, which the Father has put in His own
power.”
2. This lines up with
Jesus' answer to the Apostles when they questioned Him about the End Times.
Jesus answered, “No one knows about that day or hour, not even the angels in
heaven, nor the Son, but only the Father. ”, Matthew 24:36
3. Jesus is
simply telling us, it's none of the followers of Christ's business “when”,
the duty of the church is simply to occupy “until” the Lord returns.
Luke 19:13 Jesus' Parable of the Ten
Minas
“A man of noble birth went to a distant country
to have himself appointed king and then to return.
13 So he called ten of his servants
and gave them ten minas. ‘Put this
money to work,’ he said, ‘until I come back.’
Where do we get these minas (talents,
abilities) to put to work until His return? The Holy Spirit!
Occupy in His name, putting to work the
minas, talents, abilities, Lord has given you,
III.
THE LORD PREPARES THE APOSTLES ASCENSION AND PREDICION
1. While Jesus spoke
these things, He was taken up in a cloud before their eyes.
1. The Apostles who
had witnessed Jesus' resurrection for 40 days, now witnessed Jesus' Ascension
into heaven.
2. As Jesus ascended
upward two angels appeared.
3. They spoke to the
Apostles.
1. “...this same
Jesus, which is taken up from you into heaven, shall so come in like manner as
you have seen Him go into heaven.”
4. The Ascension they
witnessed proved the prophecy of the second coming of Christ.
Jesus will return to the same place He
left...the Mount of Olives.
CONCLUSION
Acts 1:1-11, authored by Luke,
has shown us that the Lord was establishing the foundation of His church here
on earth, through the instruction He gave the Apostles before His ascension.
These instruction line up with scripture
throughout the Bible, and fulfill many prophecies in the Old and New Testament.
1. Do not move until
you have received the promise of the Father, the Holy Spirit.
2. Do not worry about
“when”, simply occupy until Christs return, using the gifts and power of the
Holy Spirit you have received.
3. The ascension was
proof, the prophecy of His return will come.
These three points are the foundation and
basis for the church Christ intended.
Ask yourself, have you received the
power of the Holy Spirit? Are you using this power to occupy
until His return? Are you telling others He is coming?
ALTAR CALL
