“Wait For The Promise”
Acts 1:4-8
When Christine was very young the Christmas present she so wanted was a “Cabbage Patch Doll.” She spoke of it often and said how much she wanted that doll, and I told her that I was going to give her a box of rocks instead. Well I needed to keep my word so I took a box bigger than the gift box and added some rocks. She would shake the box and even shake it for any guest that came over and said “I’m getting a box of rocks for Christmas.”
Imagine her surprise when she opened her box of rocks and found another box with her much desired Cabbage Patch Doll.
The lesson was simple; when you ask for a gift you will need to wait until the proper time to unwrap the gift.
Such is the case with the Disciples of Christ.
Jesus was with them and said there is a gift that will be given to you but you need to wait.
How hard is it to wait when you are so ready to receive that which you know to be a very special gift?
Vs. 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.”
Being assembled together - The last time that Jesus was with these men was just before He was taken to be crucified.
The assembly then was to eat their last meal together but this time the word “Assembly” = to congregate or come together for the purpose of instruction.
It is the same word as Hebrews 10:22-25 “Let us draw near with a true heart in full assurance of faith, having our hearts sprinkled from an evil conscience, and our bodies washed with pure water. 23 Let us hold fast the profession of our faith without wavering; (for he is faithful that promised;) 24 And let us consider one another to provoke unto love and to good works: 25 Not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together, as the manner of some is; but exhorting one another: and so much the more, as ye see the day approaching.”
I cannot bring enough importance to the assembly in a New Testament Church.
It was while together that they received instructions as to what to do next.
That they should not depart from Jerusalem, but wait for the promise of the Father, - For the fulfillment of the promise respecting the descent of the Holy Spirit made by the Father.
Joel 2:28-29 “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.”
Ye have heard of me. - You heard me speaking of this as well.
John 14:16 “And I will pray the Father, and he shall give you another Comforter, that he may abide with you for ever;”
John 14:26 “But the Comforter, which is the Holy Ghost, whom the Father will send in my name, he shall teach you all things, and bring all things to your remembrance, whatsoever I have said unto you.”
John 16:7-13 “Nevertheless I tell you the truth; It is expedient for you that I go away: for if I go not away, the Comforter will not come unto you; but if I depart, I will send him unto you.
8 And when he is come, he will reprove the world of sin, and of righteousness, and of judgment: 9 Of sin, because they believe not on me; 10 Of righteousness, because I go to my Father, and ye see me no more; 11 Of judgment, because the prince of this world is judged. 12 I have yet many things to say unto you, but ye cannot bear them now. 13 Howbeit when he, the Spirit of truth, is come, he will guide you into all truth: for he shall not speak of himself; but whatsoever he shall hear, that shall he speak: and he will shew you things to come.”
Vs. 5 For John truly baptized with water; but ye shall be baptized with the Holy Ghost not many days hence.”
Baptism is One of Two Ordinances given to the New Testament Church.
We see that it was established through John and Jesus was baptized by John establishing the first New Testament Church.
Just so you know where I stand; there is no “Pentecostal Birthday of the Church.”
Jesus established the first Church and the first members were His disciples and those that followed Jesus in Baptism.
Ye shall be baptized with the Holy Ghost not many days hence. - Although there was a time to wait for the Disciples, that is not so for you and me.
As the New Testament Church grew on the day of Pentecost the Holy Spirit is now free to establish His relationship upon salvation.
There is NO secondary filling of the Spirit, because we get Him when we are saved.
Is there a time that you can point to when you discovered that you were lost and that only God could save you?
If that happened then you have the promise of God in you.
The next verse there is a question asked that the Disciples wanted to know the answer to.
Vs. 6 “When they therefore were come together, they asked of him, saying, Lord, wilt thou at this time restore again the kingdom to Israel?
“Wilt thou at this time restore again the kingdom to Israel?” - “The kingdom had been for some time taken away from the Jews, Judea was reduced to a Roman province, and was now actually under the power of a Roman governor.
The nation in general was in great expectation, that upon the Messiah's coming they should be delivered from the yoke of the Romans, and that the son of David would be king over them.
The disciples of Christ had the same notions, and were in the same expectation of a temporal kingdom to be set up by their master, and though his sufferings and death had greatly damped their spirits, and almost destroyed their hopes, yet his resurrection from the dead, and his discoursing with them about the kingdom of God, and ordering them to wait at Jerusalem, for something extraordinary, revived their hopes, and emboldened them to put this question to him.” John Gill
For those who believe that God is finished with the people and nation of the Jews; I see here that is not going to happen.
God’s promises to His people are without end.
Yes they too need to be saved and that is a slow meticulous turning.
They walk looking for the Messiah to come and establish His kingdom on earth and He has already established His Kingdom in Heaven.
Vs. 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.
When should be the time, the day, and hour of the coming of the son of man, when he shall set up his kingdom in a more glorious manner, and the kingdoms of this world shall become his; or when the kingdom shall be restored to Israel.
Jesus simply said, “that is none of your concern.” It is not for you to know the times or the seasons
Which the Father hath put in his own power - It is empty and fruitless to indulge into the thing that you have nothing to do with.
The times and season is of the LORD and not man.
Matthew 24:36-39 “But of that day and hour knoweth no man, no, not the angels of heaven, but my Father only. 37 But as the days of Noe were, so shall also the coming of the Son of man be. 38 For as in the days that were before the flood they were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, until the day that Noe entered into the ark, 39 And knew not until the flood came, and took them all away; so shall also the coming of the Son of man be.”
Vs. 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.”
But ye shall receive power - Luke 24:49 “And, behold, I send the promise of my Father upon you: but tarry ye in the city of Jerusalem, until ye be endued with power from on high.”
Power - dunamis (doo’-nam-is) strength, ability, might
This power is not me but that which is given to me by God.
The ability to accomplish all that the Lord would have us to do.
Holy Ghost - pneuma (pnyoo’-mah) Holy breath of God. The third person of God!
Upon - this means both on and in you.
Witnesses - a witness, in a legal sense; in a historical sense, one who is a spectator of anything,
both in Jerusalem, the "capital" of the nation, and there, in the first place, where such dwelt who had been concerned in the crucifixion of Christ, many of whom were to be called by grace, and converted through their ministry:
and in all Judea; that part of the land of Israel which was distinct from Samaria and Galilee, and from beyond Jordan; where churches were to be planted, as afterwards they were.
Acts 9:31 “Then had the churches rest throughout all Judaea and Galilee and Samaria, and were edified; and walking in the fear of the Lord, and in the comfort of the Holy Ghost, were multiplied.”
And in Samaria; where Christ had before forbid his disciples to go; but now their commission is enlarged, and they are sent there; and here Philip went upon the persecution raised against the church at Jerusalem, and preached Christ with great success, to the conversion of many; and hither Peter and John went to lay their hands on them, and confirm them;
Acts 8:5 “Then Philip went down to the city of Samaria, and preached Christ unto them.
and unto the uttermost part of the earth; throughout the whole world, whither the sound of the apostles, and their words went,
Romans 10:18 “But I say, Have they not heard? Yes verily, their sound went into all the earth, and their words unto the ends of the world.”
Conclusion:
As Luke is giving testimony to Theophilus He is showing him that God was not done with this world or His people.
He is not done with this land as well; if you have breath and are willing to be used of God, He will give to you the same power to accomplish His good pleasure of spreading the Great news of salvation to those who are lost.
Time to DO that which God has given us power to do.
