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Acts 1Introduction:

Luke is the author of the book of Acts and is also a companion of the Apostle Paul. He is also the author of the Gospel according to Luke and, at one time in church history before the Cannon of Scripture was laid out in its present form, the Gospel of Luke and the book of Acts were actually joined together as one work. Both the Gospel of Luke and the book of Acts start off with pretty much the same introduction written to one Theophilus. Many believe that Theophilus was Luke’s master because during those times, physicians (which was Luke’s occupation) were usually slaves to prominent people. However, there’s no actual proof of this. It is altogether more probable that Luke was writing in a general sense when he uses the term “Theophilus,” because the word “Theophilus” in the Greek means “lover of God.”

There are also those who believe that when Paul was in Troas (if you remember the story), Paul received a vision of a man calling unto him saying, “Come over to Macedonia and help us.” Many Bible teachers believe that the man in Paul’s vision was none other than Luke. One of the reasons they believe this was that when Paul came to Macedonia, Luke was the first one that he met. We will see that when we get to that portion of the book of Acts. It is also important to note that when we get to that portion, Luke begins to write more in the first person rather than in the third person. It will also be evident when we get to that point that Luke had become a companion of Paul; thus, he begins to use the pronouns “we” and “us” instead of “they” and “them.” So, at that time, Luke becomes an eye witness to those things that were happening from that point on.

As Luke begins Acts, he does so by tying it to his Gospel. It is very interesting that the very last thing that Luke records in his Gospel is the very first thing that he records in the book of Acts. At the end of the Gospel of Luke, he says, “And Jesus ascended into heaven,” and with those words, he closes the Gospel. At the opening of the book of Acts, he writes:

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Acts 1:1-26(1) The former treatise have I made, O Theophilus, of all that Jesus began both to do and teach,

I. All that Jesus began: The key word in this verse is “began.” You see, the Gospel according to Luke is not the full story of the ministry of Jesus Christ. It is only the beginning of the ministry of Jesus Christ. As we are going to see, Jesus continues to minister to the needs of the people, he continues to heal the sick and to raise the dead, and to present His love and His gospel to the world. The only difference is that now He is doing it through His disciples; that is, those who have been anointed by the Holy Spirit. Make no mistake about it, the ministry of Jesus Christ is continuing even now.

a. An unfinished work: As I said before, the premise that Luke takes in this book is that it is a continuation of all that Jesus began to do in the Gospel of Luke. Because of that, the Lord, today, continues to work through the lives of those who have dedicated themselves to be the instruments of God—to be led and guided and anointed by the Holy Spirit to continue the ministry of Jesus in the world today.

b. God chooses flawed men: It is important to note that God has ordained His work to be accomplished through human instruments. Let me be clear: I’m not saying that it has to be accomplished through men; in fact, there’s going to come a time during the book of Revelation that God will use angels to proclaim His gospel all over the world (Rev. 14:6). At this present time, however, God has chosen human instruments, as imperfect and flawed as they may be. Yet, by God’s sovereign choice, He has ordained it to be so.

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This should actually be exciting to you and me because that means that God will use us! So many times I’ve heard people say, “Well, the Lord could never use me because I can’t speak,” and they begin to sound like Moses when he tried to persuade God not to use him because of his stammering lips. Even the prophet Jeremiah said, “Lord, I’m just a kid; no one is going to listen to me.” So, we all have our excuses why we can’t be used, and we all seem to know the reasons why He couldn’t or shouldn’t use us. Yet, He calls, He anoints, and He chooses and equips us for whatever task He has called us to do.

Each one of us can show our imperfections. We can even point to our inabilities and find any excuse why God would not want to use us; yet, God chooses us. Through your life, He might reveal Himself to a needy world. I must admit, I, myself, have wondered how God has ever gotten the job done because He has chosen to use instruments such as us.

(2) Until the day in which he was taken up, after that he through the Holy Ghost had given commandments unto the apostles whom he had chosen:

II. Wait for the power: This is what Luke ended his gospel with the day that Jesus was taken up after He had told the apostles to wait for the endowment of power.

(3) To whom also he shewed himself alive after his passion by many infallible proofs, being seen of them forty days, and speaking of the things pertaining to the kingdom of God:

III. Infallible proofs: It is extremely difficult to deny the fact of the resurrection of Jesus Christ because it is backed up with many infallible proofs. Even in our present society, we have a system of

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jurisprudence, which is based upon the testimony of witnesses.

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If someone is accused of robbery and you have several eyewitnesses who will attest to the fact that this one person committed the crime, and if their testimonies hold up, even under cross examination, that person is judged to be guilty because you have two or three witnesses who are testifying about the same story about the same person. It is then accepted as fact that the one on trial is the one who perpetrated the crime and is, therefore, guilty. Now, with that in mind . . .

After the death of Jesus when He arose again, He appeared unto many different people who gave sworn testimony that they saw Him, that they talked to Him, and that He appeared to them in various places and under differing circumstances and that for a period of 40 days, He visited with them, and, at one time, He appeared to as many as 500 people, who were gathered at one place. It is very difficult to just cast aside or to deny the witness of these people. To do so is to discredit the entire jurisprudence system.

It is important to note that these men testified that they saw the risen Lord and had talked to Him and ate with Him. All these men, with the exception of just one, went to a violent death because of their affirmation that the story of Jesus’ resurrection is true. When you think about it, in our own court system before one gives a testimony, he is sworn to tell the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth. If people’s lives were threatened or at risk because of their witness, and it was a lie, it is reasonable to assume that at least one of them would have broken and recanted. I mean, who would have laid down his life in the most heinous of ways for a lie or to perpetuate a hoax? The odds, my friends, are astronomically against it.

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So, these eyewitnesses of people who surrendered their lives attesting to the fact of the resurrection of Jesus Christ are considered, and rightly so, to be many infallible proofs.

IV. The kingdom of God: The disciples seem to be preoccupied with the question of the timing of the kingdom of God. It makes perfect sense because the kingdom of God was a favorite subject of Jesus Christ. He was always talking about the kingdom of God; thus, it was a great hope that He had planted in the hearts of these men. He told them while He was on earth that things were not always going to be as corrupt as they are, that the world would not go on forever under the power of darkness and in the grip of evil but that God would one day establish His kingdom on earth—a kingdom of righteousness, joy, and peace. On that glorious day, the whole world will rejoice. The scourge of sickness, suffering, and pain will be abolished in His kingdom, as will sin and greed and those things which have made the world such an intolerable place. All these things will be abolished in His kingdom. When Jesus reigns in the New Jerusalem, all things will be made right. What a glorious hope! It’s no wonder His disciples were anxious about it being established. They wanted to see it done. As the Lord lives, I, myself, am anxious for His kingdom to come, even as Jesus told us to pray, “Thy kingdom come, thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven.” This, my friends, is the kind of desire that we should have regarding the establishment of the kingdom of God. So, Jesus, during this 40-day period after His resurrection, was talking to them and teaching them of the kingdom.

(4) And, being assembled together with them, commanded them that they should not depart from Jerusalem, but wait for the promise of the Father, which, saith he, ye have heard of me.

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V. What promise? The Lord tells the disciples here to “wait;” don’t go anywhere until you have received “. . . the promise of the Father.” What promise was He talking about? No doubt, He is talking about the promise found in Joel 2:28-29.

Joel 2:28-29(28) And it shall come to pass afterward, that I will pour out my spirit upon all flesh; and your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, your old men shall dream dreams, your young men shall see visions:(29) And also upon the servants and upon the handmaids in those days will I pour out my spirit.

The promise of the Father was that the day was going to come when God would pour out His Spirit upon all flesh; that is, all believers. Each one of them would receive that dynamic from God.

(5) For John truly baptized with water; but ye shall be baptized with the Holy Ghost not many days hence.

VI. Baptized with the Spirit: The word “baptism” is a transliteration of the Greek word “baptizō,” which means “to be totally immersed.” Thus, Jesus says, “. . . John truly baptized (or immersed) with water; but you will be (immersed) with the Holy (Spirit) not many days (from now).”

(6) When they therefore were come together, they asked of him, saying, Lord, wilt thou at this time restore again the kingdom to Israel?

VII. The question of the kingdom: The disciples wanted to know if this was the time of the restoration, which is when Israel would be restored and the kingdom of God established. However, Jesus was not talking to them about the kingdom but about empowering them for service. So, he brushes aside their question.

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(7) And he said unto them, It is not for you to know the times or the seasons, which the Father hath put in his own power.

VIII. It’s not for you to know: The disciples had lived in a constant state of anticipation of the immediate setting up of the kingdom. During the time that they had been with Jesus while He was ministering, they had expected Him, at any moment, to show His power and glory and overthrow the governments of the world and to establish God’s kingdom here on earth. This is why every time Jesus would talk to them about going to Jerusalem and being turned over into the hands of sinful men and to be crucified, they balked at it. Even Peter said, “Far be it from thee, Lord.” Thus, when Jesus was crucified and had died on the cross, they were all greatly disappointed.

Even the two disciples on the road to Emmaus didn’t know it was Jesus when they met Him on the road. He asked them, “How come you are so sad as you are walking?” They said, “What do you mean? You must be a stranger around here if you don’t know what’s been going on around Jerusalem?” “What things?” Jesus asked. “A man by the name of Jesus of Nazareth, who was mighty and powerful and the anointing of God was upon His life we had hoped in Him was deliverance of Israel, but they crucified Him. Now that hope is dead.”

Now here in this verse in Acts, Jesus is risen from the dead, and He is telling the disciples that in a few days, they are going to receive the promise of the Father—the promise of power. So, it’s perfectly legitimate that they would associate this endowment of power with the establishing of the kingdom. They were thinking, “This is it! The

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time has come. Are You now going to set up Your kingdom?”

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But Jesus says, “It’s not for you to know the times that the Father has appointed or has put in His own power.”

(8) But ye shall receive power, after that the Holy Ghost is come upon you: and ye shall be witnesses unto me both in Jerusalem, and in all Judaea, and in Samaria, and unto the uttermost part of the earth.

IX. A three-fold relationship: The baptism of the Holy Spirit is not very well understood today, regardless of the denomination. The reason for this is because most people do not systematically read or study through the scriptures. Thus, many professing Christians today do not have the power of the Holy Spirit. You see, the relationship that we have with the Spirit is actually three fold. In order to understand this more fully, turn in your Bibles, if you will, to the Gospel of John, Chapter 14 and let’s read verse 17.

John 14:17(17) Even the Spirit of truth; whom the world cannot receive, because it seeth him not, neither knoweth him: but ye know him; for he dwelleth with you, and shall be in you.

Here, John says that the Holy Spirit shall be with you, but He also shall be in you; that is, the Holy Spirit is first with us to convict us of sin and righteousness in order to draw us to Jesus. The second dynamic is that He shall be in you. You see, once a person puts their faith in Christ—once they are saved—they are filled with the Spirit, sealed unto the day of redemption. We can also see this illustrated in John 20:22. After Jesus’ resurrection, He was with His disciples, and after He had spoken unto them, He breathed on them and said unto them, “Receive ye the Holy Ghost.”

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You can see the first two relationships that we have with the Holy Ghost is His being with us, then upon our conversion, He indwells us. Even before His crucifixion, Jesus spoke of a third relationship that we would have with the Holy Spirit. We find this in John 7:37-39.

John 7:37-39(37) In the last day, that great day of the feast, Jesus stood and cried, saying, If any man thirst, let him come unto me, and drink.(38) He that believeth on me, as the scripture hath said, out of his belly shall flow rivers of living water.(39) (But this spake he of the Spirit, which they that believe on him should receive: for the Holy Ghost was not yet given; because that Jesus was not yet glorified.)

What did He speak of? He spoke of the Spirit, that it would be like a river of living water. So, we have this beautiful picture of the three-fold relationship with the Spirit. He is first with us in order to woe us to Christ; after we believe, He dwells in us; and then, He overflows from us. This last experience is what the Lord is talking about in Acts 1:8.

X. Dynamite: The baptism of the Holy Spirit is given for one reason: To empower you. “And you shall receive power.” The word “power” in the Greek is the word “dunamis.” This is where we get the word “dynamic” from, or as some have suggested, “dynamite.” This dynamic is received when the Holy Spirit has come upon (epi—over you or when there is that overflowing from) you. What is the purpose of this empowering? Why do we need this dynamic? Answer: In order to make you witnesses. The word “witness” here in the Greek is the word, “martus.” Of course, this is where we get the word “martyr.”

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You see, a witness is “one who not only proclaims what he believes, he lives what he believes, he is what he believes, and he believes it so strongly that, if necessary, he will die for what he believes. That’s just how strong his belief is. He is a martus—you can’t stop him because he’s not afraid to die for what he believes. You remember the story of Paul on the way back to Jerusalem when Agabus came down from Caesarea. He took Paul’s girdle and he tied himself up in it and he prophesied, “So is the man who owns this girdle to be bound when he gets to Jerusalem.” All of Paul’s friends, when they heard this, began to weep, pleading with him not to go down to Jerusalem. What did Paul say? “What do you mean by these tears? Do you think that you are going to sway me? Do you think that I’m concerned about being bound? I am ready to die for the cause of Christ.” Paul was a martus. Being put to death for his faith did not make him a martyr; being put to death for his faith only proved that he was a martyr. All the brothers and sisters all over the world who are dying for their faith are martyrs. Dying for their faith does not make them martyrs; it only proves that they are. Don’t be fooled, my friends. Not every person who claims the name of Christ will go to their death proclaiming the truth of the Gospel. Countless millions since the church began, when called upon to take a stand, recanted and denied the faith. It is only those who, having been baptized in the Spirit and endued with power to be witnesses for Christ, will prove themselves to be martyrs.

a. Separate and subsequent: The thing that we need to realize about this third relationship with the Holy Spirit—this endowing of power to be witnesses—is that more times than not, it is separate and subsequent to salvation. We know this because when we get to Acts Chapter 8, we will read in verses 14-17:

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Acts 8:14-17(14) Now when the apostles which were at Jerusalem heard that Samaria had received the word of God, they sent unto them Peter and John:(15) Who, when they were come down, prayed for them, that they might receive the Holy Ghost:(16) (For as yet he was fallen upon none of them: only they were baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus.)(17) Then laid they their hands on them, and they received the Holy Ghost.

We find another account in Acts Chapter 19.

Acts 19:1-2(1) And it came to pass, that, while Apollos was at Corinth, Paul having passed through the upper coasts came to Ephesus: and finding certain disciples,(2) He said unto them, Have ye received the Holy Ghost since ye believed? And they said unto him, We have not so much as heard whether there be any Holy Ghost.

XI. Witnessing begins at home: After being empowered by the Holy Spirit, Jesus said that the disciples would become witnesses, both in Jerusalem, all Judea, Samaria, and the uttermost parts of the world. So, the witness was to begin at home, but that’s always the hardest place to begin, isn’t it? So often witnessing to those who have known you, who know your past or your B.C. (before Christ) story, are the hardest to witness to, but I would encourage you to do it, anyway. Tell them all that Jesus has done for you and how the Lord is now going to use your story for His glory. This is the very progression that we are going to see here in the book of Acts. They started witnessing in Jerusalem and in the area of Judea; then it spreads to Samaria. In the next chapter, we will see how Phillip went to Samaria and then finally Paul and Barnabas are called to go into the uttermost parts of the world. Thus, we see how the witness spread through the anointing and the empowering of the Holy Spirit.

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(9) And when he had spoken these things, while they beheld, he was taken up; and a cloud received him out of their sight.

XII. The final promise: This is the final promise that Jesus made to His disciples prior to His ascension. This was His final word. Later, Jesus came and spoke to Paul and others, but prior to His ascension, this is His final word to His disciples. So, after “. . . He had spoken these things and while they were watching Him, He was taken up, and a cloud received Him out of their sight.”

(10) And while they looked stedfastly toward heaven as he went up, behold, two men stood by them in white apparel;(11) 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.

XIII. He shall return in like manner: The disciples were witnesses of the ascension of the Lord, and we are told that He will return again “. . . in like manner.”

Jude 1:14-15(14) And Enoch also, the seventh from Adam, prophesied of these, saying, Behold, the Lord cometh with ten thousands of his saints,(15) To execute judgment upon all, and to convince all that are ungodly among them of all their ungodly deeds which they have ungodly committed, and of all their hard speeches which ungodly sinners have spoken against him.

Revelation 1:5-7(5) And from Jesus Christ, who is the faithful witness, and the first begotten of the dead, and the prince of the kings of the earth. Unto him that loved us, and washed us from our sins in his own blood,(6) And hath made us kings and priests unto God and his Father; to him be glory and dominion for ever and ever. Amen.

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(7) Behold, he cometh with clouds; and every eye shall see him, and they also which pierced him: and all kindreds of the earth shall wail because of him. Even so, Amen.

And so, the Lord is coming, and every eye shall see Him. The Jehovah Witnesses say that Jesus has already come, but it was a secret coming, and because only the disciples saw Him go, it was only the disciples (the Jehovah Witnesses) who saw Him return. However, Jesus states in Matthew 24:26:

Matthew 24:26(26) Wherefore if they shall say unto you, Behold, he is in the desert; go not forth: behold, he is in the secret chambers; believe it not.

(12) Then returned they unto Jerusalem from the mount called Olivet, which is from Jerusalem a sabbath day's journey.(13) And when they were come in, they went up into an upper room, where abode both Peter, and James, and John, and Andrew, Philip, and Thomas, Bartholomew, and Matthew, James the son of Alphaeus, and Simon Zelotes, and Judas the brother of James.(14) These all continued with one accord in prayer and supplication, with the women, and Mary the mother of Jesus, and with his brethren.

XIV. Last mention of Mary: This is the last mention of the mother of Jesus. From this point on, there is no further mention of her in the book of Acts or in the epistles. There is no mention of her death or of her supposed miraculous ascension into heaven without dying. The scripture is just silent.

a. His brethren: It is interesting to note that Jesus’ brothers, who were skeptical of Him at first, are all gathered together with the disciples now after His ascension.

(15) And in those days Peter stood up in the midst of the disciples, and said, (the number of names together were about an hundred and twenty,)

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(16) Men and brethren, this scripture must needs have been fulfilled, which the Holy Ghost by the mouth of David spake before concerning Judas, which was guide to them that took Jesus.

XV. Still the impetuous Peter: I think it’s kind of funny that even in this earliest of stages of the church that waiting on the Lord seems to be a hard thing to do. Nonetheless, here they were waiting in prayer and supplication, and then Peter stands up and says, “Guys, there’s a scripture that has to be fulfilled. We need to find out who is going to take Judas’ place.” So, Peter takes the reigns of the church and begins to move ahead in order to get the program going. He comes up with a great idea: “Let’s cast lots in order to make this decision.” There are many other Bible teachers who believe that Peter, once again, was simply manifesting his impetuous nature and was, more or less, operating in his flesh at this moment. With them, I intend to agree. I believe the rest of the book of Acts will point this out. One thing about Peter that I do like is his understanding of the scriptures, how he is able to quote from so many places in the Old Testament, and how he is able to recall these miniscule verses and to see their prophetic nature pointing to Judas. It certainly is a point in his favor.

It is important to note here that Peter ascribes to the Holy Spirit those things that David wrote. Paul would also point this out to us in II Timothy 3:16.

2 Timothy 3:16(16) All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness:

Luke, in writing what Peter was saying, declares that David was actually the mouthpiece of the

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Holy Spirit. Thus, the Holy Spirit, by the mouth of David, spake concerning Judas.

(17) For he was numbered with us, and had obtained part of this ministry.(18) Now this man purchased a field with the reward of iniquity; and falling headlong, he burst asunder in the midst, and all his bowels gushed out.

XVI. No discrepancy: There are those who find a discrepancy in the scriptures because in one of the Gospels (Matthew 27) we are told that when Judas came back and tried to return the money, they said, “Can’t do it. We can’t put it back in the temple treasury because it is blood money.” Judas then threw it on the temple floor and went out and hanged himself. Peter says here that Judas purchased a field, and he fell headlong and burst asunder.” There’s really no discrepancy. The money could not be put back into the temple treasury because Judas had earned it with his betrayal. So, after having thrown it down on the floor of the temple, they simply put it to good use by purchasing a field with Judas’ blood earnings. After having hanged himself, it is apparent that either the rope broke or he lost his head over the whole matter and his body fell down the ravine and simply popped.

(19) And it was known unto all the dwellers at Jerusalem; insomuch as that field is called in their proper tongue, Aceldama, that is to say, The field of blood.(20) For it is written in the book of Psalms, Let his habitation be desolate, and let no man dwell therein: and his bishoprick let another take.

XVII. Peter’s scriptural expertise: I do find it amazing that Peter is actually able to quote from two entirely separate verses (Psalm 69:25 and Psalm 109:8). Putting these two together, he sees the prophesies concerning Judas.

(21) Wherefore of these men which have companied with us all the time that the Lord Jesus went in and out among us,

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XVIII. Qualifications of an apostle: Remember in the beginning of Jesus’ ministry, He actually had many disciples, but He only chose 12 to be apostles, which means “one who is sent out.” So, Peter, making note that they are now lacking one, makes his case that they needed one to take Judas’ place, but that one had to have been with them from the very beginning.

(22) Beginning from the baptism of John, unto that same day that he was taken up from us, must one be ordained to be a witness with us of his resurrection.

XIX. The requirements: These were the requirements they were looking for: Someone who had been with them from the time of John’s baptism and who was also a witness to the Lord’s resurrection, up to His ascension. It is interesting that later on, the Apostle Paul, asserting the fact that he was an apostle, said, “Have I not seen the risen Christ?” So, being a witness to the resurrection was one of the biggest requirements. I also find it funny that there are many today who bear the title of apostle. Some have asked me, “Are there apostles today?” My answer has always been the same: If they can bear eye witness to the Lord’s resurrection, then the answer would be “Yes!”

(23) And they appointed two, Joseph called Barsabas, who was surnamed Justus, and Matthias.(24) And they prayed, and said, Thou, Lord, which knowest the hearts of all men, shew whether of these two thou hast chosen,

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XX. Confining God: I think it is an extreme mistake when we confine God to our choices. Just like here, they limited God to two choices, both obviously wrong because it will be so obvious that Paul was God’s choice. Peter, being impetuous and jumping the gun, so to speak, said, “Hey, we’ve got to do something. We’re missing a man; we’ve got to fill his position. So, God, which of these two do you want?”

(25) That he may take part of this ministry and apostleship, from which Judas by transgression fell, that he might go to his own place.(26) And they gave forth their lots; and the lot fell upon Matthias; and he was numbered with the eleven apostles.

XXI. Determining God’s will: I can honestly tell you that the best way of determining God’s will on any issue is not by rolling the dice. We don’t want to be too harsh with these guys, though. Being led by the Spirit was new to them. They were used to the Old Testament way of doing things. In the Old Testament, the erim and thummim were black and white stones which were worn in a pouch on the chest of the priest. They would pray and ask the Lord specific questions, the priest would pray and seek God, and then he would reach in and pull out one of the two stones. If it was a white stone, the answer was, “Yes.” If it was a black stone, the answer was, “No,” which some say is where we get the term “black balled” today. Just what the erim and thummim were, we really don’t know.

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Under the Old Covenant, they used this method of casting lots to determine the will of God. If you remember, David did this when he asked, “Lord, shall we go out against the Philistines?” The answer was, “No.” So, again on the next day, he asked, “Lord shall we go out against the Philistines?” The answer was, “Yes.” Here we see the disciples falling back on this same practice: throwing dice to see which one of these two men God had chosen to replace Judas Iscariot.

a. Matthias? It is interesting that even though the lot fell upon Matthias, no one had ever heard of him before or since. In all fairness, none of the original apostles are heard of again in the rest of the New Testament, except for Peter and John. The real point is that after the baptism of the Holy Spirit, we find the church being guided directly by the Holy Spirit and throwing a dice to determine the will of God, like the Law, was set aside.