•INTRODUCTION
•Authorship:
– We know the
author accompanied Paul by the use of plurals such as we and us (16: 10-17;
20:5-21; 27:1-28). These passages give
us enough information to eliminate all traveling companions except Luke. Colossians 4:14 and Philemon 24 defiantly
affirms Luke (a physician) as the author of Acts. We also see many the use of medical terms
many times in Acts, which further substantiates Luke as the author.
–“Luke answered the Macedonian call with Paul. Was in
charge of the work at Philippi for about six years, and later was with Paul in
Rome during the time of Paul’s house arrest.
This is probably the time this book was written”
•Importance of the book:
1.“Acts gives us the record of the spread of Christianity
from the coming of the Spirit on the day of Pentecost to Paul’s arrival in Rome
to preach the gospel in the world’s capital.
In this regard, then, it is the record of the continuation of those
things which Jesus began while on earth and which He continued as the risen
Head of the Church and the One who sent the Holy Spirit (1:2; 2:33)”
•
2. The thirty years covered by the book were
important years of transition. The
gospel was preached first only to Jews, and the early church was composed
largely of Jewish believers. As more and
more Gentiles were included, the church became distinct from Judaism.
3. Doctrines which are later developed in the
epistles appear in seed form. In Acts
(the Spirit, the practice of doctrine more than the statement of doctrine.
4. Acts furnishes principles for missionary
work.
5. The book reveals patterns for church
life 6. Archaeological discoveries
confirm in a remarkable way the historical accuracy of Luke’s writing. [2]
•1 The first account I composed, Theophilus, about all that Jesus began to do and teach,
–Theophilus is the name or
honorary title of the person to whom the Gospel of Luke and the Acts of the Apostles are addressed
(Luke 1:3, Acts 1:1).
•Theophilus means friend of
God or beloved by God or loving God
–The phrase “began to do and teach” is very significant
in that we now see a separation
•The teaching and works of Jesus on Earth (in His own
person)
•The teaching and works of Jesus in Heaven (by way of the
Holy Spiri
•2
until the day when He was taken up to heaven, after He
had by the Hoy Spirit given orders to the apostles whom He had chosen.
–Jesus’ earthly ministry concluded when He ascended to
heaven and sat at the right hand of the Father
–The second phase, the heavenly phase
•Began the continuance of the ministry “through the Holy
Spirit” in which Jesus gave His commandments Matt
28:18-20 , 16:15-18 , Luke
24:44-49
–No where else are such communications recorded
–“But after His resurrection, as if to signify the new
relation in which He now stood to the Church, He signalized His first meeting
with the assembled disciples by breathing on them
(immediately after dispensing to them His peace) and saying, "Receive ye the Holy
Ghost“” [1] John 20:22
•Earlier in our study of the Gospel of John we called
this act as being Jesus ordaining His apostles
•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.
–The word alive is used in a lateral sense
•He could be:
– Seen; as He was before His suffering
»The same except for the scares left by the nails
–Touched; He felt
as though He was flesh and blood warm to the touch.
•4
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 will be
baptized with the Holy Spirit not many days from
now.”
–Jesus told them to remain, not because the Holy Spirit
couldn’t find if they didn’t.
–They were told to wait to be empowered by the Holy
Spirit
–They were to be baptized with the Holy Spirit
•6
So when they had come together, they were asking Him,
saying, “Lord, is it at this time You are restoring the
kingdom to Israel?”
–Finally realizing Jesus was the Christ (deliver), this
was a logical question to ask
–We will see in the next verse, it was not for them to
know the day or hour
•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 will 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.”
–Epochs is translated from the Greek word Kairos (Kahee-ros) meaning proper time
or season
–In verse eight we see the great commission given to His
Apostils
•The Holy Spirit would teach them all the skills they
would need for this mission
•THE ASCENSION
•8 but you will 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.”
–“This order of apostolic preaching and
success supplies the proper key to the plan of the Acts, which relates
first the progress of the Gospel "in Jerusalem, and all Judea and
Samaria" (the first through ninth chapters), and then "unto the
uttermost part of the earth" (the tenth through twenty-eighth chapters).” [1]
•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.
–Note the writer included the phrase “while they were
looking on”
•He wanted no misunderstanding that Jesus was raised to
heaven and didn’t just vanish
•So Elijah, "If thou see
me when
I am taken from thee" (2 Kings 2:10 ); "And
Elisha saw it"
( Acts 1:12 ).
•10 And as they were gazing intently into the sky while He was going, behold, two men in white clothing stood beside them.
–I can only imagine the absolute awe these followers of
Jesus must have experienced
–Interesting to note that two angels appeared in
human form just as they did to Mary Magdolin at the tomb
–The did not visually descend from the cloud that
received Jesus
–Luke describes their appearance has “in dazzling
clothing”
•11
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.”
–“Ye men of Galilee,
why stand ye gazing up into heaven, &c.--"as if your now
glorified Head were gone from you never to return: He is coming again; not
another, but 'this same Jesus'; and 'as ye have seen Him go, in the like manner
shall He come'--as personally, as visibly, as
gloriously; and let the joyful expectation of this coming swallow up the
sorrow of that departure.“ [1]
•THE UPPER ROOM
•12 Then they returned to Jerusalem from the mount called Olivet, which is near Jerusalem, a Sabbath day’s journey away.
–A Sabbath days journey was about two thousand cubits or
about ½ mile
•13
When they had entered the city, they went up to the
upper room where they were staying; that is, Peter and
John and James and Andrew, Philip and Thomas, of Bartholomew and Matthew, James
the son of Alphaeus, and Simon the Zealot, and Judas the
son of James
–This could have been the same upper room the these
disciples used to celebrate the Passover and the first supper (X Luke 22:12 )
•More a meeting room rather than a
•14 These all with one mind were
continually devoting themselves to prayer, along with the women,
and Mary the mother of Jesus, and with His brothers.
–This a time of preparation for that which Jesus had
promised
•They would receive the Holy Spirit
– Mary the mother of Jesus--distinguished from the other "women," but
"so as to exclude the idea of her having any pre-eminence over the
disciples. We find her with the rest in prayer to her glorified Son"
[WEBSTER and WILKINSON]. This is the last mention of her in the
New Testament. The
fable of
the the Assumption of the Virgin has no
foundation even in tradition [ALFORD].
with his brethren--(See on Matthew 16:19 ).
with his brethren--(See on Matthew 16:19 ).
•15 At this time Peter stood up in the
midst of the brethren (a gathering of
about one hundred and twenty persons was there
together), and said, 16
“Brethren, the Scripture had to be
fulfilled, which the Holy Spirit foretold by the
mouth of David concerning Judas, who became a
guide to those who arrested Jesus.
•Peter undoubtly was moved by the Holy Spirit when he stood and made the
statement in v16 ( Matthew 16:19 ).
17
“For he was counted among us and received his
share in this ministry.”
–Referring to Judas Iscariot, Peter announced that Judas
heard the same message as the 11 did and yet betrayed our Lord.
•18 Now this man acquired a
field with the price of his wickedness, and
falling headlong, he burst open in the middle and
all his intestines gushed out.
–This graphic description of Judas’ death served as a
warning to those who would hear and yet refuse Jesus
•This description of Judas’ death embellishes and does
not repudiate Matthew account found in Matthew 27:4
•19 And it became known to all who were living in Jerusalem; so that in their own language that field was called Hakeldama, that is, Field of Blood.)
•
20
“For it is written in the book of Psalms, ‘Let his homestead be made desolate, And let no one dwell in it’; and, Let another man take
his office.” ‘Let his homestead be made desolate, And let no one dwell in it’; and, Let another man take
his office.”
–“his bishopric--or
"charge." The words are a combination of Psalms 69:25 and Psalms 109:8 ;
in which the apostle discerns a greater than David, and a worse than Ahithophel
and his fellow conspirators against David.” [1]
•21
“Therefore it is necessary that of the men who have
accompanied us all the time that the
Lord Jesus went in and out among us— 22
beginning with the baptism of John until the day that
He was taken up from us—one of these must become a witness with
us of His resurrection.”
–21. all the time the
Lord Jesus went in and out among us--in the close intimacies of a three
years' public life.
–22. Our
Lord was not only Himself baptized, but first officially announced and
introduced to his own disciples.
There must one be ordained to be a witness with us of his resurrection
There must one be ordained to be a witness with us of his resurrection
•“(1) to testify, from personal
observation, to the one great fact of "the resurrection of the Lord
Jesus"; (2) to show how this glorified His whole previous life, of which
they were constant observers, and established His divine claims.” [1]
•23 So they put forward two men, Joseph called Barsabbas (who was called Justus), and Matthias.
–“they appointed--"put
up" in nomination; meaning not the Eleven but the whole company, of whom
Peter was the spokesman.
two--The choice would lie between a very few.” [1]
two--The choice would lie between a very few.” [1]
•24 And they prayed and said, “You, Lord, who know the hearts of all men, show which one of these two You have chosen
–This is the first prayer by the apostils exalting Jesus
•Also note the affirmation of Deity by the use of the
phrase “ who know the hearts of all men”; for who else could know the hearts of
all men except God John 2:24 John 2:25 , 21:15-17 , Revelation 2:23
–The apostles poised themselves as messengers of Jesus
who has sent them to minister and bear witness
•25 to occupy this ministry and apostleship from which Judas tuned aside to go to his own place.”
–Judas by betraying Jesus turned his back on Jesus and
all that He taught and thereby lost the opportunity to be an apostil.
•Although Judas admitted he had sinned against innocent blood; there is no record of him
repenting and seeking forgiveness
–For had Judas done these things even his sin though
great would have been forgiven.
•26 And they drew lots for them, and the lot fell to Matthias; and he was added to the eleven apostles.
–Now there was twelve.
•Scripture does not tell us why only twelve disciples
were chosen by Jesus
–However the apostils guided by the Holy Spirit to fill
the missing slot Judas left
–Faith dictates to us that we believe the lots (ballots)
were also guided by the Holy Spirit
»For all things that happen, happen either by consent of
God or by His direction.
•Citation & Credits
•[2] Quoted from Ryrie
Bible Introduction to acts
•
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