150510 Jesus Continues to do and Teach

Acts 1:1-3 In the first book, O Theophilus, I have dealt with all that Jesus began to do and teach, ² until the day when he was taken up, after he had given commands through the Holy Spirit to the apostles whom he had chosen. ³ He presented himself alive to them after his suffering by many proofs, appearing to them during forty days and speaking about the kingdom of God.

Luke, the beloved physician, traveled with the Apostle Paul throughout much of his ministry. Luke joined Paul at Troas during his second missionary journey. From that time forward Luke was the recorder for the missionaries. He kept the record that eventually became the Gospel of Luke and the Book of Acts. In fact, Luke wrote more of the New Testament in volume than anyone else. Today we will be looking at the beginning of the record that is called Acts. This letter picks up where Luke’s Gospel leaves off. Recording the spread of the good news about Jesus beginning at Jerusalem and moving on towards “the end of the earth”.

Luke describes his gospel as being a book about all that Jesus began to do and teach. Obviously, the Book of Acts is a continuation of all that Jesus did and taught. I have heard many suggestions for changes in the title of the Book of Acts. One of the suggestions is the “Acts of the Holy Spirit”. While that may be appropriate it is not exactly accurate. The Holy Spirit did not come into the church to work on his own, or to magnify himself, John tells us that when the Spirit of truth comes, “he will guide you into all the truth, for he will not speak on his own authority, but whatever he hears he will speak, and he will declare to you the things that are to come. He will glorify me or he will take what is mine and declare it to you.” (John 16:13-14) That is clearly referring to the Holy Spirit. Throughout the Book of Acts we will see how the Spirit glorifies Jesus and enables his people to carry the good news to the ends of the earth. We find this account beginning with a reference to…

Jesus’ commands. Turn with me to Luke 24:45-49 and see the account of Jesus’ command to his disciples while he “opened their minds” to understand.

Then he opened their minds to understand the Scriptures, ⁴⁶ and said to them, “Thus it is written, that the Christ should suffer and on the third day rise from the dead, ⁴⁷ and that repentance and forgiveness of sins should be proclaimed in his name to all nations, beginning from Jerusalem. ⁴⁸ You are witnesses of these things. ⁴⁹ And behold, I am sending the promise of my Father upon you. But stay in the city until you are clothed with power from on high.”

In this account the “Great Commission” is folded into Jesus’ telling them all that the Scriptures told about him. He presents as a natural outcome of his suffering, death and resurrection, that repentance and forgiveness of sins should be proclaimed to all nations beginning from Jerusalem.

This would seem to be an impossible task for his disciples. They had run away and hid themselves when he went to trial. Only a few of them were near enough to see what was going on and Peter, who had promised he would die for him if necessary, denied him three times! It certainly would seem that these men and women could not carry out such a command in their own strength but what they did would have to be done…

Through the Holy Spirit. Throughout his ministry Jesus had functioned in the power of the Spirit. He was conceived by the Spirit and directed daily by the Spirit. Before his trial and crucifixion he had imparted Holy Spirit to his disciples. This event is recorded in John 20:21-23. Listen while I read. Jesus said to them again, “Peace be with you. As the Father has sent me, even so I am sending you.” ²² And when he had said this, he breathed on them and said to them, “Receive the Holy Spirit. ²³ If you forgive the sins of any, they are forgiven them; if you withhold forgiveness from any, it is withheld.”

This was not the first time the Holy Spirit was introduced to his disciples. Jesus had pointed out to them that no one could come to him “unless the Father who sent me draws him” (John 6:44). That drawing is done through the Holy Spirit and had been operative in the lives of the disciples. When Peter had affirmed “You are the Christ, the Son of the living God”, (Matthew 16:16) it was evidence of some kind of regenerating work of the Holy Spirit in his heart. Jesus had told him that this truth was revealed to him by the Father.

When Jesus breathed on his disciples and said to them, “Receive the Holy Spirit” (John 20:22), it probably was an acted-out prophecy of what would happen to them at Pentecost. In this same context—in fact, in the verse immediately preceding—Jesus had told them something that would not happen until Pentecost: “As the Father has sent me, even so I send you” (John 20:21). But even though he said this before he had ascended into heaven, he did not really send them out to preach the gospel until the Day of Pentecost had come. Therefore his words were looking forward to what would happen at Pentecost. It is best to understand the words in the next sentence, “Receive the Holy Spirit,” in the same way—he was speaking in advance of something that would happen on the Day of Pentecost. On that day they would receive the new covenant fullness and power of the Holy Spirit, a much greater empowering of the Holy Spirit than what they had experienced before. (Systematic Theology, Wayne Grudem)

Jesus gave his commands “through the Holy Spirit” to his disciples and imparted to them the same power that he had been given. So he could send them out into ministry as the Father had sent him. In my mind, that explains Jesus’ statement to his disciples found in John 14:12. Jesus said “whoever believes in me will also do the works that I do; and greater works than these will he do, because I’m going to the Father.” Now I ask you how would it be possible for us, who are so weak in faith, to do the work that Jesus did? I will attempt to answer that question.

After Jesus had healed a man on the Sabbath he was challenged by the Pharisees and their followers. He was not only breaking the Sabbath by healing a man he  called God his own Father making himself equal with God.

Immediately Jesus answered them, “Truly, truly, I say to you, the Son can do nothing of his own accord, but only what he sees the Father doing. For whatever the Father does, that the Son does likewise. (John 5:19) Later in that same discourse Jesus asserted, “I can do nothing on my own.” Everything Jesus did the Father directed and the Spirit empowered! So when Jesus says, “As the Father has sent me, even so I am sending you.” Jesus was saying that his followers would have the same access to the Father, through the Spirit, as he had had when he was on earth and, therefore, could do the works that he did, in the same power, and under the same direction. This is a concept that is hard for us to grasp. Remember the same power that Jesus relied on is available to us today. We, like the Son, can do nothing on our own accord. We can do nothing on our own that really counts. Yet, anything we do through the Holy Spirit, directed by the Father, is done by him, not by us! We forget, or never knew, that he is willing to empower his people to do his work on earth. So, we spin our wheels and pound our heads against the wall in an effort to do the things that he would gladly do for us.

Jesus had given commands through the Holy Spirit…

To the chosen. Turn with me to John 15:14-17. You are my friends if you do what I command you. ¹⁵ No longer do I call you servants, for the servant does not know what his master is doing; but I have called you friends, for all that I have heard from my Father I have made known to you. ¹⁶ You did not choose me, but I chose you and appointed you that you should go and bear fruit and that your fruit should abide, so that whatever you ask the Father in my name, he may give it to you. ¹⁷ These things I command you, so that you will love one another.

Jesus had chosen his apostles to be the ones who would carry the good news of the kingdom of God to the ends of the earth, under the direction of the Father and empowered by the Holy Spirit, That work of the Spirit did not end in the first century but it continues today. We are the ones who are to carry out the Great Commission in our world. Whatever God gives us to do in the process of preaching the gospel he will empower. Our God will enable us to do everything that needs to be done. We just need to hear him speak and follow his commands. Whether it is teaching Sunday school on Sunday, conducting Vacation Bible School, or helping with the work in another church or on the camp property it is his work not ours!

Jesus’ chosen apostles had no more advantage than we do. They could only accomplish what the Holy Spirit empowered. We will talk about that more next week! God is still in the process of choosing people to do his work in this world.

These things could only be done in the resurrection power that God gives. Paul could tell the Philippians that he did not have a righteousness of his own that came from the law but he had a righteousness that came through faith in Jesus Christ. He wanted nothing more than to know Jesus and the power of his resurrection! (Philippians 3:9-10) This was essential to those men and women who spent those final days with Jesus.

During a period of forty days…

He gave them living proof. Turn with me to 1 Corinthians 15:3-8.  For I delivered to you as of first importance what I also received: that Christ died for our sins in accordance with the Scriptures, ⁴ that he was buried, that he was raised on the third day in accordance with the Scriptures, ⁵ and that he appeared to Cephas, then to the twelve. ⁶ Then he appeared to more than five hundred brothers at one time, most of whom are still alive, though some have fallen asleep. ⁷ Then he appeared to James, then to all the apostles. ⁸ Last of all, as to one untimely born, he appeared also to me.

Luke, the beloved physician, and our historian, tells us that, “He presented himself alive to them after his suffering by many proofs,” Paul had not been there in the beginning. Instead he had relied on the account of his friends, and of his doctor, concerning the living proof of the resurrection of Jesus Christ. We know, from the gospel accounts, that Jesus appeared at the open tomb to Mary and some of the other women. We know that, that very night, he met with some of the disciples in the upper room. During the afternoon and early evening he had met with two of his disciples on the road to Emmaus. The following Sunday he met again with the disciples to show himself to Thomas so that he would no longer doubt. We also know that he met some of them on the seashore when they went fishing. Now Paul tells us that he met with more than five hundred at one time. He had appeared to James, who was very likely his brother in the flesh. And then Paul says that, “Last of all, as to one untimely born, he appeared also me.”

What was Jesus doing all that time? For forty days Jesus revealed himself to his disciples. He ate with them, walked by the seashore with them, filled their nets with fish, he opened their minds to understand the Scriptures…

And taught them about the kingdom of God. Turn with me to Luke 24:25-27.  And he said to them, “O foolish ones, and slow of heart to believe all that the prophets have spoken! ²⁶ Was it not necessary that the Christ should suffer these things and enter into his glory?” ²⁷ And beginning with Moses and all the Prophets, he interpreted to them in all the Scriptures the things concerning himself.

Wow! What a wonderful experience! Walking along the road to Emmaus, Jesus taught them about the kingdom. This had always been his message. Remember, when John the Baptist came preaching in the wilderness of Judea, “Repent for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.” (Matthew 3:2) Then, after his temptation, Jesus came and began to preach, saying, “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.” (Matthew 4:17) It was always about the kingdom!

Jesus took those forty days to finish the teaching he had begun. With many proofs he showed them that he was alive. He was now prepared to tell them about the kingdom of God.

We need to remind ourselves that there was only one resurrection like that of the Lord Jesus. Occasionally, throughout history, people have been brought back from the dead only to die again. Jesus had called the son of a widow back to life at Nain. That young man was allowed to come back to his mother and take care of her (Luke 7:11-17). However that man was only returned for a time and he would die again. Jesus called his friend Lazarus from the grave (John 11:43-44) only to die again. Jesus’ resurrection was totally different. He was resurrected from the dead with a resurrection body that lives forever. That resurrection body is our assurance that we too will be raised from the dead to live forever in the presence of our God.

We need to know what happened in the earliest days of the church because these things continue today. We, too, are subject to the same commands that Jesus gave. We have the Holy Spirit as our source of power and direction. I am so glad that God gave proof through Jesus Christ that he had been restored to life in a resurrection body. I am grateful that Jesus taught everything that was necessary for the kingdom of God to be established. I am further grateful that he commissioned his disciples to teach others who would continue the process of teaching. I praise God that the process has gone on for these 2000 years. Today, a person can come to faith in Christ in the same manner that faith was applied in Jerusalem. Please, if you have not accepted Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior let this be the day! Today is the day of salvation! Let it be your day!

All scriptures quotes are from: The Holy Bible: English standard version. 2001. Wheaton: Standard Bible Society.