As you know by now, we are suspending all our services and gatherings because of the COVID-19 pandemic, until 30 April, pending further updates from the government.
• Small groups of 10 and below can still meet but will have to keep to the safe distancing and other precautionary measures, now required by law.
• We will livestream our ES for the next few Sundays. After that you can view the recorded services online on YouTube. Only for today, our livestream will be on FB. Bear with us, if there are some teething problems. Over time, we should be fine.
• For tithes and offerings, you can transfer to church DBS account 070-002346-6 or scan the church QR code. We will post this out.
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Today we begin a new sermon series on the book of Acts.
• Acts describes how the message of the Gospel – the good news of the death and resurrection of Christ - spread from Jerusalem to Rome, and from the Jews to the Gentiles.
• It records this unstoppable move of God in the midst of persecutions, the workings of the Holy Spirit through men and women who have placed their trust in Jesus.
We’re going to look at the first 11 verses today. Let’s pray and commit this time to God:
Our Father in heaven, we thank You for your written Word. Through it we understand your will and is assured of your presence with us today. May your Word grants us hope and strength, peace and comfort, especially during such trying times. We open up our hearts to you. In Jesus’ Name, AMEN.
------------------- Read Acts 1:1-11.
Luke wrote this book to Theophilus, and it’s a sequel.
• Acts 1:1-2 1In my former book, Theophilus, I wrote about all that Jesus began to do and to teach 2until the day he was taken up to heaven, after giving instructions through the Holy Spirit to the apostles he had chosen.
• So ACTS is a sequel. That former book is the Gospel of Luke, written also to Theophilus. We can regard LUKE as Volume One and ACTS being Volume Two.
Luke states his reasons for writing in Luke 1:1-4
“1Many have undertaken to draw up an account of the things that have been fulfilled among us, 2just as they were handed down to us by those who from the first were eyewitnesses and servants of the word. 3Therefore, since I myself have carefully investigated everything from the beginning, it seemed good also to me to write an orderly account for you, most excellent Theophilus, 4so that you may know the certainty of the things you have been taught.”
Luke wrote to affirm Theophilus’ faith.
• He investigated all that has been fulfilled (meaning from the Scriptures), gathered the evidences from eyewitnesses, and penned down the Gospel for Theophilus, so that he may know the certainty of the things he has been taught.
• In order words, Theophilus ‘has been taught’; he is a believer. Luke writes to strengthen his faith in Jesus.
• His identity is not known but likely a man of status because Luke addresses him ‘most excellent’.
• Luke himself is not an apostle but a Gentile believer and a travelling companion of Paul. We get to know that he is a physician because Paul mentioned it in Col 4:14.
Luke writes to strengthen Theophilus in the faith, so that he can be ‘certain of the things he has been taught’, the ‘good news’ about Jesus.
Acts 1:3 “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.”
• Our faith is rooted and grounded in HISTORY, not some “cleverly devised stories or fables”. The apostles were all eye-witnesses of Christ, His death and resurrection (cf. 2 Pet 1:16).
• None of the apostles doubted His death, but they needed some convincing regarding His resurrection.
• Jesus showed Himself repeatedly and gave them ‘many convincing proofs that he was alive’, over a period of 40 days.
They were STRENGTHENED BY THE PRESENCE OF THE RISEN CHRIST
Theophilus can be assured that Christ is risen and is with them. It is not a spiritual tale or fable, not some kind of hallucination. Jesus ate with them.
• Luke seems to emphasize this. They had fellowship over meals. 1:4 “On one occasion while he was eating with them…” he gave them a command (1:4).
• In Luke 24 Jesus met two disciples on the road to Emmaus (a mei yus) and had a meal with them in the house: Luke 24:30-31 “When he was at the table with them, he took bread, gave thanks, broke it and began to give it to them. 31 Then their eyes were opened and they recognized him, and he disappeared from their sight.”
• Luke 24:35 Then the two told what had happened on the way, and how Jesus was recognized by them when he broke the bread.
In Luke 24:37-43 when He appeared before the disciples: 37They were startled and frightened, thinking they saw a ghost. 38 He said to them, "Why are you troubled, and why do doubts rise in your minds? 39 Look at my hands and my feet. It is I myself! Touch me and see; a ghost does not have flesh and bones, as you see I have." 40When he had said this, he showed them his hands and feet. 41And while they still did not believe it because of joy and amazement, he asked them, "Do you have anything here to eat?" 42They gave him a piece of broiled fish, 43and he took it and ate it in their presence.
When Peter went to Cornelius’ house, this was what he said:
• Acts 10:39-43 39"We are witnesses of everything he did in the country of the Jews and in Jerusalem. They killed him by hanging him on a tree, 40 but God raised him from the dead on the third day and caused him to be seen. 41He was not seen by all the people, but by witnesses whom God had already chosen-by us who ate and drank with him after he rose from the dead. 42 He commanded us to preach to the people and to testify that he is the one whom God appointed as judge of the living and the dead.
• Jesus made His appearances on purpose. Jesus had meals with them on purpose.
• The end result of all of these appearances was that the apostles came to believe absolutely in the reality of the resurrection of Jesus.
• This assurance gave them the boldness to preach Christ, even to the very people who had crucified him.
Jesus made presence felt and His resurrection certain, and the disciples were assured.
• In the midst of our uncertainty and fear, seeing His presence makes all the difference. It was true then for the disciples, and it is true for us today. We believe He is with us.
• This quiet confidence that in the presence of the risen Christ is our only assurance of peace. He is our peace, regardless of the circumstances.
• We can do all the precautionary measures we want but ultimately His presence is our peace. We pray and trust His sovereign will and purpose in this crisis. We wait on Him.
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Luke went on to highlight a second assurance that Christ brought to them.
• Acts 1:4-5 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. 5For John baptized with water, but in a few days you will be baptized with the Holy Spirit."
• Baptising with water signifies repentance; baptising with the Spirit is a regeneration, the gift of a born-again life in Christ.
• The disciples mistakenly expected Jesus to establish the kingdom of Israel. Jesus re-directed them back to the topic at hand - coming of the Holy Spirit.
• Acts 1:8 “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.”
They were STRENGTHENED BY THE PROMISE OF THE HOLY SPIRIT
Jesus did not give them a PLAN as He was about to depart; He gave them a PERSON – the third Person of the Godhead – the Holy Spirit.
• It is good if He can give us a PLAN, some instructions on how to do witnessing, how to preach a sermon, how to start a church, but God wants to give us the Holy Spirit.
• Think for a moment, which is what we really need? Which is important? If we are given a plan, will we not think of ways to accomplish it?
But when we are given the Holy Spirit, the situation is different.
• Jesus says in John 14:25-26 25"All this I have spoken while still with you. 26But the Counsellor [the Paraclete], the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, will teach you all things and will remind you of everything I have said to you.”
• He’s the COUNSELLOR, the COMFORTER (KJV), ADVOCATE (NIV), HELPER (ESV) – the One who comes along side and TEACH us and REMIND us of everything Jesus has said.
We are very assured today that God’s work will be done and accomplished, not because we have a good PLAN but because we have the PERSON of the Holy Spirit.
• He dwells in us and He empowers us, He guides and reminds us to do the will of God and fulfil His purposes.
• When the disciples receive the power of the Holy Spirit, they will be Jesus’ witnesses, in Jerusalem, in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth (cf. 1:8)
Reading this book now in year 2020, as believers of Christ, is a testament of the Lord’s work among His people, through the power of the Holy Spirit.
• The message of the Gospel did not stop with the first generation and could not be confined within the vicinity of Jerusalem.
• That work continues today, in this generation and for generations to come, until Jesus returns. It’s not about the good PLAN but the great PERSON of the Holy Spirit.
Jesus said to His disciples earlier, “… It is for your good that I am going away. Unless I go away, the [Counsellor/Helper] will not come to you; but if I go, I will send Him to you.” (John 16:7). Jesus would go. But He would return.
They were STRENGTHENED BY THE HOPE OF THE RETURNING CHRIST
Acts 1:9-11 9After he said this, he was taken up before their very eyes, and a cloud hid him from their sight. 10They 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."
“This same Jesus” NIV/KJV, “This Jesus” ESV, is going to return.
• That’s their hope and motivation. That’s also our hope and motivation.
• The end is certain. The end has already been determined. Jesus will return and establish His Kingdom fully.
• We have already heard about it from Zechariah a few months ago, that Christ will return and set up His glorious Kingdom.
• No one knows when He will come, but everyone lives with the anticipation that He can come during their lifetime.
No matter what transpire between NOW and THEN, from NOW to His RETURN, we can be assured of His presence and the work of His Spirit in our lives.
• We are filled with the Holy Spirit to do the work of God, until Jesus returns.
• We rely on the help of the Holy Spirit and persevere, knowing that the end will be a glorious one.
In the meantime, especially during very trying times, we cry out, “Come, Lord Jesus! Come quickly, Lord!”
• On that day, the sheep (the faithful ones) shall be gathered by our good Shepherd, having overcome all adversaries and all adversities. That’s our enduring hope.
• We can be assured and strengthened today by the presence of our risen Christ, by the help of the Holy Spirit in our life and ministry, and by the enduring hope of seeing our returning Christ one day.
