The Promise of the Spirit

Transcript

GR 1576
09/26/10
The Promise of the Spirit
Acts 1:4-11
Gil Rugh

Scripture quotations taken from the New American Standard Bible®,
Copyright © 1960, 1962, 1963, 1968, 1971, 1972, 1973,
1975, 1977, 1995 by The Lockman Foundation
Used by permission. (www.Lockman.org)

We have started a study of the book of Acts and so I direct your attention to Acts 1.  We've just gotten started and looked at the opening verses of Acts.  The book of Acts will unfold the first thirty years of the church's history, the ministry of Jesus Christ in building His church through the work of the Holy Spirit in and through the lives of the followers of Jesus Christ.  Matthew 16:18 Jesus said, “ ‘I will build My church’ ” and that is what we see happening in the book of Acts.  It sets a pattern for us, not that every detail that happened in those first thirty years will be repeated, but it does show us how Jesus Christ is carrying out the work of building His church in the world.  And we'll see that spread from Jerusalem with the Jews to Samaria with the Samaritans, to the Gentiles in other parts of the world.  Yet the process and procedure will be the same.  We'll find as we move through the book of Acts that is overwhelmingly filled with sermons and teaching, that is the way that the Spirit is using the truth to draw people to Christ and then build them up.

The first three verses set the stage for the book.  Luke is the author, he is continuing the account that he began with his gospel.  So he said in verse 1, “The first account I composed, Theophilus,” a man we know nothing about other than the fact that the book of Luke and the book of Acts are both addressed to him.  And Luke refers to his gospel when he says the first account.  I composed “about all that Jesus began to do and teach.”  So you see this is a continuing record of the work of Christ on earth.  The gospel records His work while He was present bodily on the earth.  The book of Acts records His continuing ministry and work while He is now seated at the right hand of the Father in heaven and His Holy Spirit is the active person of the godhead ministering in and through the followers of Christ.

The gospel of Luke carried us up to the ascension, Acts 1 picks up with the ascension which we'll be looking at in a moment.  And between the resurrection of Jesus Christ and the ascension, which is when He will leave the earth to be seated at the right hand of the Father in heaven, that forty-day period between the resurrection and His departure in Acts 1, He meets, we're not told how often but evidently numerous times over forty days, with His followers, particularly His disciples.  And He'll be instructing them, He'll be teaching them.

Back up to Luke 24, and we'll just break in without trying to set the context, but this is following the resurrection of Christ.  Verse 25, “He said to them, [certain of His followers], ‘O foolish men and slow of heart to believe in all that the prophets have spoken!  Was it not necessary for the Christ to suffer these things, [His crucifixion and the events around it] and to enter into His glory?’  Then beginning with Moses and all the prophets, He explained to them things concerning Himself in all the Scriptures.”  Look down in verse 44, another appearance during this forty-day period.  “He said to them, ‘These are My words which I spoke to you while I was still with you, that all things which are written about Me in the Law of Moses and the Prophets and the Psalms must be fulfilled.’  Then He opened their minds to understand the scriptures.  And He said to them, ‘Thus it is written that the Christ would suffer and rise again from the dead the third day, and that repentance for forgiveness of sins would be proclaimed in His name to all the nations beginning from Jerusalem.’ ”  You see He is explaining how His suffering and death was necessary and was revealed in the Old Testament.  And that would be followed by the proclamation of the message of forgiveness through faith in Him and then we could have the Kingdom, the glory of His reign on the earth.

Turn over to I Peter 1.  As Peter opens up talking about the salvation that God has provided in Jesus Christ, you'll note verse 10:  “As to this salvation, the prophets who prophesied of the grace that would come to you made careful searches and inquiries,  [so the prophets were given the message of Jesus Christ, the Old Testament prophets, and they studied it carefully], seeking to know what person or time the Spirit of Christ within them was indicating as He predicted the sufferings of Christ and the glories to follow.”  And that's what had to be clarified for the disciples and the apostles following the resurrection of Christ.  The prophets of the Old Testament couldn't put it together and the followers of Christ didn't either.  They expected He would establish the kingdom on the earth.  Remember John the Baptist, the last of the Old Testament prophets and Jesus said the greatest.  When he was imprisoned he sent some of his followers to Jesus and said, “have I been confused?  Are you the Messiah or do we look for somebody else?”  Now he had baptized Christ, he had seen the Spirit descending on Christ as a dove, he had presented Him to the nation, but he didn't understand.  If He is the Messiah, why doesn't He take control and reign, establish the Kingdom?  You see what seems clear to us now as a result of the additional revelation we have was confusing.  And it was confusing to the disciples and apostles.  Christ is crucified, He is buried.  Even when the message of His resurrection, the empty tomb comes, we've been reading about events following that in Luke 24, the followers of Christ said, I just don't know what to make of this.  And Jesus has to explain to them from the Old Testament scriptures.  It was necessary for me, the Messiah, to suffer and die and be raised from the dead.  That has to come before the glory of the Kingdom.  So the salvation that He has provided will be proclaimed.

So you come back to Acts 1 and keep this in mind when we come to Acts 1 some of the issues that are come before us in a moment will be clearer.  Verses 4-11 record the instructions of Christ, His final instructions to His followers before His ascension to heaven.  Let's pick up with verse 4, “Gathering them together, He commanded them not to leave Jerusalem.”  Now just a note here:  at the end of Matthew, immediately following His resurrection, remember He said, tell My disciples to go into Galilee and I'll meet them there.  Leave the region of Jerusalem and go to Galilee which was their home area.  Eleven of the twelve disciples, Judas Iscariot the exception, were Galileans.  So He would meet with them in Galilee.  That was right after His resurrection.  Now forty days later they are back in Jerusalem.  So He is addressing them in Jerusalem and He tells them not to leave Jerusalem now until the Spirit of God comes upon them. So “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.’ ”  This is what the Father promised—the promise of the Spirit.  That's what the promise was, that's what God had promised, what Christ had related to them.

Come back to John 14.  We were in some of this in our study in Romans earlier today.  And this is the last night.  Jesus has had the meal with His disciples, Judas has gone out, He is instructing His disciples, shortly they will go to the Garden, He will be betrayed and the crucifixion will occur.  In John 14 He tells them in verse 16, “ ‘I will ask the Father, and He will give you another Helper, that He may be with you forever; that is the Spirit of truth, whom the world cannot receive, because it does not see Him or know Him., but you know Him because He abides with you and will be in you.’ ”  The Holy Spirit was present, we'll say more about this as we move along.  The Holy Spirit has always been present.  When we begin with creation back in Genesis 1, “In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth... and the Spirit of God hovered over the waters,” over the deep.  So the Spirit of God has always been present and active in the world.  We just read I Peter 1 where the Old Testament prophets didn't understand what the Spirit of God was revealing to them and through them.  So He was active.

But He is going to take on a new dimension of ministry.  So we're told in John 14:17, ‘You know Him because He abides with you.’ ”  The disciples were familiar with the Holy Spirit's ministry.  But it's going to be taken to a new level, if you will.  “He abides with you” but He “will be in you.”  So when it says the Father “will give you another Helper” and He'll go on to explain that it is necessary that I go to heaven to send Him to you, it's not the Holy Spirit wasn't present but now He will be given in a new ministry to permanently indwell the followers of Jesus Christ.  And there will be a depth of intimacy that had not before been the privilege even of the followers, or believers.

Jump down to John 14:26, “ ‘But the Helper, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in My name, He will teach you all things, and bring to your remembrance all that I said to you.’ ”  There will be a ministry of the Holy Spirit.  How could John write the gospel?  How could he remember all that?  People say we forget things, we get confused.  But there is a supernatural dimension.  What is the Spirit of God going to do for these apostles who will be used to write Matthew, Mark, John— Luke is an exception, he wasn't one of the apostles—so what does Luke tell us at the beginning of his gospel?  We looked at that in our previous study.  He talked to people who had had firsthand experience with Christ, he had searched out from others.  The Spirit of God of course directed him.  But for John the Spirit of God would bring supernatural recall to him.  Much of the discussion on the gospels is did particularly Matthew and Luke use Mark's gospel?  Because how did they get all these things and remember them.  Well the Spirit of God, here it is what He is going to do:  “ ‘He will teach you all things and bring to your remembrance all that I said to you.’ ”

Turn to John 15:26, “ ‘When the Helper comes, whom I will send to you from the Father.’”  In John 14 He talked about “the Father would send Him,” now He says “I will send Him” and He comes from the Father, and the harmony in the triune God.   “ ‘When the Helper comes, [the Holy Spirit], whom I will send to you from the Father, that is the Spirit of truth who proceeds from the Father, He will testify about Me.’ ”  Again, these remarkable passages about the three persons of the triune God working in perfect harmony in the plan of redemption.  “ ‘And you will testify also. [so the Spirit will testify about Me] and you will testify because you have been with Me from the beginning.’ ” The unique role that the apostles have as those who were part of Christ's earthly ministry and will have a special unique role of testifying in the power of the Spirit as eyewitnesses of Christ's earthly ministry, His crucifixion and His resurrection.

John 16:7, “ ‘But I tell you the truth, it is to your advantage that I go away; for if I do not go away, the Helper will not come to you; but if I go, I will send Him to you.’ ” Tremendous passage here.  We think, wouldn't it have been something to have been part of Christ's earthly ministry?  And it would.  But you know we have an intimacy as a result of the indwelling of the Spirit that has carried us to a level of intimacy with God that was not experienced before the giving of the Spirit that we enjoy.  “ ‘And when He comes He will convict the world.’ ” That becomes key because shortly Jesus is going to give them that Commission—you will be witnesses of Me in Jerusalem and all of Judea, and then Samaria and then the uttermost parts of the world.  So “When He comes, He will convict the world concerning sin, righteousness and judgment.’ ”  And the role of the Spirit of God continues on.  We understand this is the work of the Spirit who takes the truth of God and brings conviction concerning sin, righteousness and judgment.

And there is more for them to learn.  But verse 13, “ ‘When He, the Spirit of truth [this emphasis, the Holy Spirit is the Spirit of truth, He is the revealer] When the Spirit of truth comes, He will guide you into all the truth....He will disclose to you what is to come,’ “ and so on.

Back up to John 7:38.  This is earlier of course, Jesus' earthly ministry.  He said, “ ‘he who believes in Me, as the Scripture said, “From his innermost being will flow rivers of living water.” ‘  But this He spoke of the Spirit, whom those who believed in Him were to receive; for the Spirit was not yet given, because Jesus was not yet glorified.”  So the death, burial, resurrection and ascension of Christ back to glory are necessary before the Spirit is given in this special, unique indwelling ministry for the followers of Christ.

Now prior to that certain individuals were indwelt by the Spirit for special ministries and service.  John the Baptist, Luke 1:15 tells us, he was filled with the Holy Spirit and that goes back to his mother's womb.  David had the special presence of the Holy Spirit, but  not that indwelling ministry.  We read I Peter 1 and referred to the Old Testament prophets who didn't understand what the Spirit within them was saying when He revealed to them the truth concerning the suffering of Christ and the glory of Christ.  So the Spirit of God did come in to individuals for special purposes and ministry, but that permanent indwelling presence of the Spirit did not happen until after Christ was resurrected and ascended back to the Father.

All right, come back to Acts 1.  So He tells them in verse 4 “to wait for what the Father had promised,” which I told you about.  And it's better for you that I leave and go to heaven because then the Father can give the promised Holy Spirit, and I will send Him from the Father when I return to the Father.  Verse 5, “ ‘For John baptized with water, but you will be baptized with the Holy Spirit not many days from now.’ ”  John the Baptist had promised this regarding the Messiah.

Go back to Luke's gospel.  Luke wrote of it in chapter 3:16, “John answered and said to them all, [this is John the Baptist]  ‘As for me, I baptize you with water; but One is coming who is mightier than I, and I am not fit to untie the thong of His sandals; He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and fire.  His winnowing fork is in His hand to thoroughly clear His threshing floor, to gather the wheat into His barn; but He will burn up the chaff with unquenchable fire.’ ”  But John the Baptist did not understand and know at this point.  Verse 16, “He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit”—and then there will be a break of about 2000 years, at least it has been about that long so far—and then there will be a baptism of fire, which refers to the judgments that will take place in anticipation of the establishing of the earthly Kingdom.  Verse 17, “ ‘His winnowing fork is in His hand to thoroughly clear His threshing floor, to gather the wheat into His barn; and burn the chaff up.’ ”  Well Jesus didn't do that at His first coming.  So you see John had the facts correct,  but he didn't understand the gap between the two events that he announced.  “He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit,” and that's going to happen in Acts 2, and then “with fire,” that hasn't happened yet.  That's the Second Coming and the judgments with that.  But He did promise the baptism of the Holy Spirit.  They understood that from Old Testament promises and Scripture.  They didn't understand, that will mark the beginning of a new work because with the rejection of the Messiah by the nation Israel, the nation Israel as a nation comes under the judgment of God.  And the focal point of His saving work on the earth no longer is in the nation Israel, but will be in the church which is Gentile, and will be Gentile in its makeup.  And then when His program with the Gentiles, as we'll see when we get to Romans 11 in our study of Romans, and the time of the fullness of the Gentiles is complete, the work of salvation focused in Gentiles is complete, then God will resume and complete His program with the nation Israel.  So John the Baptist announced the Messiah will baptize you with the Holy Spirit.

Come back to Ezekiel 36.  The promise here in the context of the New Covenant, the New Covenant is given in some detail in Jeremiah 31 and here we have it unfolded again in Ezekiel 36.  We'll pick up with verse 22 where God says to the house of Israel, “ ‘ “Thus says the Lord God, ‘It is not for your sake, O house of Israel, that I am about to act, but for My holy name, which you have profaned among the nations where you went.  I will vindicate the holiness of My great name which has been profaned among the nations, which you have profaned.  Then the nations will know that I am the Lord,’ declares the Lord, ‘when I prove Myself holy among you in their sight.  For I will take you from the nations, gather you from all the lands, bring you into your own land.’ “ ‘ “  Remember this because I'm going to read you something in a little bit.  See the promise of God to Israel?  “And it's not because of you, [verse 22], it's not for your sake, house of Israel.  It's for My holy name.”  God's fulfilling His promises to Israel had nothing to do—they've acted in a disobedient and profane way toward a holy God—God says I'm not doing it for you, I'm doing it because My holy name is at stake.  And so when  “‘ “ ‘I take you from the nations [verse 24], and gather you from all the lands and bring you into your own land, then I will sprinkle clean water on you and you will be clean.  [Verse 26] I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit within you.  [Verse 27] I will put My Spirit within you and cause you to walk in My statutes.  You will be careful to observe My ordinances.’ So John the Baptist could preach about the coming baptism of the Spirit and he sees that in connection with the coming of the Kingdom.  And this is the confusing thing to the Old Testament prophets, of which John was one.  I mean, here we are talking about the coming of the Messiah and what the Messiah will do.  And now He gets crucified.  Well there are passages throughout the Old Testament as we read at the end of Luke, that speak about His crucifixion, even His resurrection.  Peter will draw those to their attention in Acts 2.  He understands things he didn't understand until Christ explained them after His resurrection.  And so when John the Baptist announced the baptism of the Spirit, he's thinking in the context of the Kingdom.  He didn't understand the fullness of the plan as yet.

Come back to Acts 1.  “ ‘John baptized you with water, [now note what Jesus says here], but you will be baptized with the Holy Spirit not many days from now,’ “about ten.  It has been forty days and now we're going to have Pentecost and we'll have fifty days.  “ “You will be baptized with the Holy Spirit not many days from now.’ “  What I want you to see here is the baptism of the Spirit has not occurred.  The baptism of the Spirit did not occur during Christ's earthly ministry.  So the promise of the coming of the Spirit to indwell would be dependent upon the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ.  And so the Jews' confusion here that Christ is going to come to establish the Kingdom.  Understand, the fulfillment of these promises require His suffering and death.  And now from the view of completed revelation we look back at Old Testament passages, Isaiah 53 and many others, and say of course, that fits together.  But for them the Messiah is going to come and He's going to establish the Kingdom, He's going to deal with sin, going to bring blessing.  And now we're getting it unfolded.  The baptism of the Holy Spirit is yet future, note that.  So it hasn't occurred prior to this time.  It won't happen for several days yet, and that will be Acts 2.

The disciples have been talking about the Kingdom, talking about the necessity of His suffering and death during this forty-day period.  We saw that at the end of Luke, we see it at the end of Acts 1:3, “over a period of forty days He was speaking of the things concerning the kingdom of God.”   No indication that there is any change in their understanding of the Kingdom.  I mean, he spent this period over forty days explaining to them the necessity of His suffering and death and the Kingdom.  That His suffering and death makes possible the salvation that enables the Kingdom to be established and saving people to populate the Kingdom.  So there is no indication there has been any change in their understanding of what the Kingdom consists of.

“So they, when they came together [verse 6], were asking Him saying, ‘Lord, is it at this time you are restoring the kingdom to Israel?’ “  John the Baptist's ministry had begun with the announcement in Matthew 3:2, “ ‘repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand,’ “ because the Messiah has come.  It was in that context that John announced that the Messiah would baptize with the Holy Spirit.

So it's natural now.  Jesus has just said to them, verse 5, “ ‘John baptized with water but you will be baptized with the Holy Spirit not many days from now.’ “  What did John the Baptist say?  “Repent.  I baptize you with water but the Messiah will baptize you with the Holy Spirit.”  And that would fulfill what was promised in connection with the coming Kingdom and the giving of the Holy Spirit.  So that accounts for their question in verse 6.  They are asking, “ ‘Lord, is it at this time You are restoring the kingdom to Israel?’ “  Now, Lord, right?  Because now we understand You had to suffer and die on the cross and be raised from the dead so that salvation would be found in Your finished work.  Now You tell us in just a few days “you are going to be baptized with the Spirit.”  What would you think?  Lord, is it at this time, then, You are going to establish the Kingdom, you are going to restore the Kingdom to Israel?  Now I understand.  We're ready, we are only a few days away from the Kingdom.

What does Jesus say?  “He said to them, ‘It is not for you to know times or epochs [seasons] which the Father has fixed by His own authority.’ “  He doesn't say, I give up, you guys, you still don't get it.  The kingdom is already here, we're in it, it's in your hearts.  That's not what He says.  Let me read you what one well known commentator , I won't embarrass him by telling you it is John Stott.  But he should be embarrassed.  He's written some very fine things but this is not one of them.  His commentary on this on his commentary on Acts.  He says: “Regarding the disciples, the mistake they made was to misunderstand both the nature of the kingdom and the relation between the kingdom and the Spirit.  Their question must have filled Jesus with dismay.  Were they still so lacking in perception?  As Calvin commented, ‘there are as many errors in this question as words.’  The verb, the noun and the adverb of their sentence all betrayed doctrinal confusion about the kingdom.  For the verb ‘restore’ shows that they were expecting a political and territorial kingdom, the noun ‘Israel‘  that they were expecting a national kingdom, and the adverbial clause ‘at this time’ that they were expecting its immediate establishment.  In His reply Jesus corrected their mistaken notions of the kingdom's nature, extent and arrival.”

And I say this is an example of eisegesis.  He reads all this into it.  Jesus says nothing about that they don't understand the Kingdom and what the Kingdom's nature is, or the extent of the Kingdom.  He does address the timing of the arrival of the Kingdom and He says that is something in the Father's hand, you don't need to know that.  How do you get that, you back up now and what he says in a footnote: “In the exposition of these verses, I am following what may be justly called or termed the Reformed perspective, namely that the New Testament authors understood the Old Testament prophecies concerning the seed of Abraham, the Promised Land and the kingdom as having been fulfilled in Christ.  Although Paul does predict a widespread turning of Jews to Christ before the end [in Romans 11:25ff], he does not link it with the land.  Indeed the New Testament contains no clear promise of a Jewish return to the land. “

That's why I said to you when I read Ezekiel 36.  Hear what he says about the land?  “I will bring you back to the land,” and I'm not doing it for you, I'm doing it for My holy name.  And now we have somebody saying, the New Testament doesn't say anything about the land, the land promise was fulfilled in Jesus.  Israel is not coming back to the land.  You know what that's a reflection on according to Ezekiel 36?  Not Israel, but the glory of God.  He didn't do what He promised.  God said I'm doing it for My holy name.  All the nations will know that He is the holy God who keeps His word when He brings Israel back to the land.  And now they write and say, Israel is not coming back to the land, the land was fulfilled in Christ.  It was a spiritualized promise.

I have a hard time understanding such an approach to Scripture.  Jesus says nothing about the nature of the Kingdom.  He has explained to them for forty days and to say “Their question must have filled Jesus with dismay.”  Did you get that reading this?  Verse 6, “Lord, is at this time you are restoring the kingdom to Israel?”  Then Jesus was dismayed.  No, it says “ ‘It's not for you to know the times.’ “  Is this the time?  And He says, you don't need to know the time, that's all.  He doesn't say, “you don't understand the nature of the Kingdom.”  I realize I am belaboring, I hope, what is obvious to you because this is where the vast majority of Christians are today.  They want to talk about, we're in the kingdom, we're building the kingdom, we're furthering the kingdom.  And so John Stott's view is that the church has two parallel responsibilities.  And he has written on this and he's spoken on this--#1, evangelism; #2, social action.  And one is not dependent on the other, they are co-equal.  Because now we are in the kingdom, it is spiritualized and then we begin to pull everything that is promised to Israel and a coming kingdom into the responsibility that we have. And the confusion just continues to grow and develop.

All Jesus said is “you don't need to know the time.”  We will leave it there until I get worked up and say something else.

Verse 7, “ ‘It is not for you to know the times of epochs, [the seasons], which the Father has fixed by His own authority.’ “  So they do understand, there is still a Kingdom, the Kingdom that was prophesied in the Old Testament.  We understand the suffering, death and resurrection of the Messiah, it was essential.  They don't understand at this point that there are 2000 years where God will establish the church and do a new work in the world.  And then the Kingdom.  That will be further unfolded.  In fact the Apostle Paul says there was no clarity on that subject until the Spirit of God revealed it to him in Ephesians 2-3.  That the mystery of the church was revealed through Paul in its fullness and clarity.  Remember progressive revelation, God has revealed more and more of His plan.  But later revelation does not cancel or nullify earlier revelation.  That's what is happening here.  The clear promises of God through the Old Testament prophets are nullified by later revelation.  That cannot happen!  Later revelation can clarify and expand, but it doesn't change.  And so the land promise we read in Ezekiel 36 is a land promise to today.  Progressive revelation that was clarified.  We understand the role of the church and the church fitting in.  We couldn't understand that without the revelation given through the Apostle Paul.  We would know something about it, but it is through Paul that that clarity of what God is doing with the church will become clear.  So you don't know the  “‘times or the epochs the Father has fixed by His own authority.’ “

Verse 8, “ ‘But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you.’ “  So He tells them the Father will alone determine the timing of the establishing of the Kingdom.  So indication here, what is going to happen in a few days, is not going to be the establishing of the Kingdom,  “ ‘But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit is come upon you and you shall be My witnesses, both in Jerusalem and in all Judea and Samaria, and even to the remotest parts of the earth.’ “  So what does that mean?  The Kingdom will be established in a month, in three months, in three years, in thirty years, in a hundred years, a thousand years, five thousand years?  He doesn't tell them.  That's in the Father's hands.  There is no way for you to know and you don't need to know.  Here's what you will do, “ ‘you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you.’ “ You know you see here something special in the role of the Holy Spirit coming to indwell them and empower them.

Come back to Matthew 10:1, “[He] summoned His twelve disciples, gave them authority over unclean spirits, to cast them out, to heal every kind of disease, every kind of sickness.”  Then He names the twelve apostles.  Verse 7, “ ‘As you go, preach, saying, “the kingdom of heaven is at hand.”  Heal the sick, raise the dead, cleanse the lepers, cast out demons.’ “  This is what these men had been doing for three years.  Now He says you will receive power.  I mean, they already had the power to heal the sick, raise the dead, cleanse the lepers and cast out demons.  Now He says “ ‘you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes upon you.’ “  We think they really had power when they were serving with Christ on earth.  But they are going to have a power that goes beyond, because their power now is going to be a spiritual power bringing salvation through the message of the Gospel of Jesus Christ.  And the Spirit will be using them in the proclamation of that message for salvation of all kinds of people, not just Jews.

So when we say, “you shall receive power,” we ought to remember.... I mean, the disciples were amazed.  Luke 10:17, they come back after this and do you know what they said?  “ ‘Lord, even the demons are subject to us.’ “  I mean, they can't get over the power they have.  And now Jesus tells them in Acts 1, “ ‘You will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes upon you.’ “  And that message of salvation that they will now be conveying brings true power.  How sad it is, people want to go back and say we want to be like the apostles during the earthly ministry of Christ.  We need to appreciate the real power that is given to us with the indwelling Spirit of God, to convey a message that brings God's salvation to a soul.  That's true power.

Come back to Acts 1.  “You will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes upon you and you shall be My witnesses.”  It's power for witnessing, testifying.  That's what the book of Acts is about—testifying to Christ, proclaiming the message of Christ.  And the Spirit of God uses it in dramatic and awesome ways to bring about salvation.  This is foundational for the church to understand at its very beginning and we'll see it unfolded through the book of Acts.  The church is chasing after every new thing that comes down the pike.  And we have the power of God in the person of the Holy Spirit residing in each individual believer and in the church.  And we are to be witnesses to Him.  We're not the entertainment ministry, we're not the social ministry; we are the Gospel ministry.  And that is the focus of the Spirit's power.  Using human methods we can do remarkable things, but we cannot do the work of God.  Only the Spirit of God can do the work of God.  And that's what He does and we are witnesses.

And so their pattern will follow out and this is going to be the growth of the ministry.  From “‘Jerusalem and all Judea,’” which is the region around Jerusalem, the Jewish region; then we're going to go from the Jewish region to the half-Jewish region, the Samaritans who are mixed blood Jews; and from there we will go “‘even to the remotest parts of the earth.’”  You understand, there was no missionary activity in the Old Testament.  There is no real missionary activity in the gospels.  The real missionary activity will begin in Acts 8.  By that I mean carrying it beyond the Jews, going outside Israel.  I realize Jonah went to Ninevah, but he went there in the context of Israel, proclaiming a special message to delay God's using them as an instrument of judgment.  And Jonah recognized that, and that's why he didn't want to go.  And he didn't want them to repent.  He saw what was in the future for Israel.  But there is no missionary outreach in the Old Testament to other nations, there is no missionary outreach in the gospels.

Come to Matthew 10:5, He sends out the twelve apostles, evangelists, missionaries.  Not in the sense we think.  Look what He tells them.  Verse 5, “These twelve Jesus sent out after instructing them:  ‘Do not go in the way of the Gentiles, do not enter any city of the Samaritans; but go rather to the lost sheep of the house of Israel.’”  That's it.  That's why I say it is not a missionary outreach in the sense that we think of  as missions or evangelism—go to everyone everywhere.  You do not go tell the Samaritans; you do not go tell Gentiles.  You simply go to the lost of the house of Israel and you tell them, repent for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.

Look over in Matthew 15.  We see how serious this is.  What do you think when a Gentile comes to Christ and asks Him for mercy?   Pick up with verse 21, “Jesus went away from there and withdrew into the district of Tyre and Sidon [He moved outside Palestine on rare occasions].  And a Canaanite woman from that region came out and began to cry out saying, ‘Have mercy on me, Lord, Son of David; my daughter is cruelly demon-possessed.’  He did not answer her a word.  His disciples came and implored Him saying, ‘Send her away, she keeps shouting at us.’  He answered and said, ‘I was sent only to the lost sheep of the house of Israel.’” He didn't say, what an opportunity.  Here is a non-Jew, a Canaanite woman who is coming and asking for mercy.  He won't even respond to her.  And when His disciples say, she is getting on our nerves, He says, I have nothing to say to her.  I have a ministry only to Israel.  And so, “She came and bows down before Him and says, ‘Lord, help me!’ [verse 25].  And He said, ‘It is not good to take the children's bread and throw it to the dogs.’” That's not good evangelism.  You know He is telling her, you are a dog.  And the dogs weren't the nice household animals, they were the scavengers of the streets, not the household pets we like to think of.  He said, what I have is for the children, that's the Jews.  It wouldn't be right for Me to take the food, My ministry that is just for the children and give it to a dog like you.  You see there is no missionary strategy here.  And in grace this woman says, “‘even a dog can get the scraps.’”  Humility.  That's no way to talk to me, I expected more from you when I came and asked for mercy.  No.  You're right, I am nothing but a dog, but even a dog gets a scrap from the table.  So He grants her wish.

What I want you to see here is there is no missionary program, reaching out beyond the Jews in the Old Testament.  I remember my Hebrew professor in seminary saying, “people that think they find missionary strategy in the Old Testament are living in a fog.”  I mean, there is no missionary strategy.  When God sent Israel into Canaan it wasn't to do missionary work.  It was kill every man, woman and child, I mean every last man, woman and child.  You come through the gospels, Israel.  Now things change.  “ ‘You are going to be My witnesses in Jerusalem and all Judea.’ “  Well of course.  “ ‘And Samaria,’ “ the very place I told you not to go during our earthly ministry together.  And then you're going to go to the dogs, the Gentiles, those who are unclean. You wouldn't even eat with them, now they were going to carry the message of life to them.

So we'll go from Jerusalem and Judea in Acts 1-7, to Samaria and that region, and then we will go to the Gentiles.  That will pick up in Acts 10 when Peter takes the Gospel there.  And remember when we get to Acts 10 the Lord had to give him special revelation to prepare him.  And Peter says when he goes to the house of Cornelius, a Gentile, I wouldn't have come here if I didn't get special revelation from God to do it.  That tells you how far... We're ten chapters into the book of Acts!  And Peter said he would not have gone to tell the Gospel to a Gentile when they ask him to, if God didn't give him special revelation.  And then after he does, you know what happens in Acts 11?  The apostles in Jerusalem call Peter on the carpet and say, we want an explanation.  What are you doing going and telling the Gospel to Gentiles?  And Peter has to explain, God gave me special revelation.  You know what the apostles said?  Can you believe it?  God is going to save Gentiles.  What next?  Now the real ministry and outreach to Gentiles then won't really take place until the Apostle Paul undertakes his missionary ministry in chapter 12.

Come back to Acts 1:9, “After He had said these things, He was lifted up while they were looking on, and a cloud received Him out of their sight.”  So over the forty days following His resurrection Jesus had come and gone in ministry to them on the earth.  What the ascension is, and that doesn't mean He hadn't been to His Father in heaven, but His ministry on the earth personally and bodily has now come to a conclusion.  With the ascension in Acts 1, His bodily presence on earth will be to all intents and purposes completed.  There will be special revelation in Acts 7—He will appear to Stephen at his stoning.  But there Stephen sees Him standing at the right hand of the Father with that special vision or opportunity to look into heaven that the others around him don't see.  He'll appear to Paul on the Damascus Road, and Paul said that was a unique and special occasion.  I was the last to see the resurrected Christ, the last apostle.  And then on the Island of Patmos, of course John has that special revelation of the presence of Christ that communicates then through the angels the book of Revelation.

But for all intents and purposes Christ's ministry on earth is done.  Now He ascends to the Father and is seated at the right hand of the Father in heaven.  This is the focal point of where He is.  Just one passage, Hebrews 1:3, talking about Christ, starting in verse 2, “In these last days has spoken to us in His Son, whom He appointed heir of all things, through Him also He made the world.  He is the radiance of His glory, the exact representation of His nature, and upholds all things by the word of His power.  When He had made purification of sins, He sat down at the right hand of the Majesty on high.” That's what is happening in Acts 1.  He has made purification by His death on the cross, then He has His resurrection and forty days of ministry, now He takes His seat at the right hand of His Father in heaven..  Down in verse 13, quoting from the Old Testament, “To which of the angels has He ever said, ‘Sit at My right hand, until I make Your enemies a footstool for Your feet’?”.  So why is He seated at the right hand of the Father?  The Messianic Kingdom has not yet begun.  He is seated at the right hand of the Father until the time of the establishing of the Kingdom.  Then He will return to earth in power and great glory and until then He is seated at the right hand of the Father in heaven.  I mean, to read into this that the Kingdom began and He is ruling from heaven—I mean, there is nothing in Scripture to support that.  Just brings confusion to the Word of God.

Come back to Acts 1.  The significance of the ascension is His ministry on earth is done.  By that I mean His personal presence on earth, ministering, is done.  Now He is seated in heaven and the Holy Spirit will be sent to continue the ministry of God, the Father and Son, as well as Holy Spirit, on the earth.  But the person actively the focus, is the Holy Spirit.  He is on earth indwelling every believer.  So it's the presence of the Spirit now that is the focus, with Christ being in heaven.  Now the Spirit's ministry is to testify concerning Christ, so the message still focuses on Christ but He is not bodily present on the earth.

So back in Acts 1.  “After He said these things, He was lifted up while they were looking on, a cloud received Him out of their sight.  As they were gazing intently into the sky while He was going  [and they can watch Him ascending in the cloud] two men in white clothing stood beside them.  [All of a sudden here they, standing beside these disciples.]  And they said, ‘Men of Galilee.’ “  Remember these eleven here now, Judas has betrayed Him and died.  These eleven men are from Galilee, that's their home, they are often referred to as Galileans.  Over in Acts 2:7, on the Day of Pentecost the people are “amazed and astonished saying, ‘Are not all these who are speaking Galileans?’”  So they are noted as Galileans.  “ ‘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 way you have watched Him go into heaven.’ “  So there you have an indication.  He's coming back the same way you watched Him going.  Why are you standing here gazing for Him?  Getting them ready for being His witnesses, verse 8, in the power of the Spirit.  And He will return again and they understand this because this is what the Old Testament promised.

Come back to Daniel 7:13, “ ‘Behold I kept looking in the night visions, and behold, with the clouds of heaven One like a Son of Man was coming, [that's a title for the Messiah, “the Son of Man,” you see He is coming with the clouds of heaven and the glory of heaven] He came to the Ancient of Days, was presented before Him.  To Him was given dominion, glory and a kingdom, that all the peoples, nations and men of every language might serve Him.  His dominion is an everlasting dominion which will not pass away; His kingdom is one which will not be destroyed.’ “  That's the coming Kingdom.  So they can grasp this.  “ ‘This Jesus you have seen taken up in a cloud’ “—it's not failure here.  And they realize that they are going to appoint a replacement for Judas, in the last part of Acts 1, for their ongoing ministry as they wait for Christ to return, as He departed in the clouds of heaven, to take possession of the earth and establish the Kingdom for Israel.  And that is in Daniel 7:18, “ ‘ “The saints of the Highest One will receive the kingdom, possess the kingdom forever, for all ages to come.” ‘ “  Jesus spoke about this in Matthew 24-25 as well.

So for these angels to say, “He'll come as you have seen Him go”—ow did we see Him go?  The clouds.  What does the Old Testament say?  When He comes to establish His Kingdom He'll come in the clouds.  It doesn't say anything is changed about the Kingdom; the only thing that has been said for them, when they ask, “ ‘Are you going to restore the kingdom at this time?’ “ He says you don't need to know when.  You will be witnesses to Me.  And when He leaves in the clouds of heaven and ascends to the Father the angels say, “ ‘He'll come the same way as you have seen Him go.’ “  Connects it to the specific, clear promises and prophecies of the Scripture.

So they can anticipate His return.  Matthew 24:30, “ ‘Then the sign of the Son of Man will appear in the sky, and all the tribes of the earth will mourn, and they will see the Son of Man coming on the clouds of the sky with power and great glory.’ “  So nothing has changed as far as the promises concerning the Kingdom.  But obviously not today.  When?  You don't need to know, only the Father knows.  Here is what you are going to do until the Kingdom, you are going to preach Me, the message of Me which will prepare people for the coming kingdom.  They could understand that.  John came to prepare the way for the Messiah.  They thought, we are going to go and preach to Israel and Israel will turn in faith to their crucified, resurrected Messiah and then we'll have the kingdom.  They don't even grasp when He says Jerusalem, Judea, Samaria, the uttermost...  But they couldn't fathom yet because God hadn't revealed it yet.  He had said some things, but how do you put that in?  “ ‘Go to the uttermost parts of the world,’ “ even Samaritans....  That won't be until it is unfolded ... Then we have the completed revelation and now we see something of the work of God.

All right, preparing the way, the foundation.  Now we're going to replace Judas and we will be ready for the Day of Pentecost.  Those few days will have passed and the church will be established.  The disciples will not understand what a momentous event that is.  They could not know that for the next 2000 years the work of God on earth will focus not in Israel, but in the church.  And it will be a time when the Spirit of God is using the people of God to proclaim the message of Christ, so that men, women, all nationalities might come to salvation in Him and form the church, after which we will have the completion of God's program with Israel.

Let's pray together.  Thank You, Lord, that You are the God who honors His word.  You are a holy God, a God of truth—that all of Your promises are sure and steadfast.  We praise You that even Israel's unfaithfulness cannot change or alter the glorious promises You have given them.  Lord, our hearts are encouraged even as we stumble in many ways, so often unfaithful, yet You are the God who is always faithful.  Even when we are unfaithful You are faithful.  You are the God who will fulfill each detail and every promise.  Lord, that includes the glory promised to us as well as the glory and Kingdom promised to the nation Israel.  Thank You, Lord, for the presence of the Spirit, the power that He has brought and the message that is entrusted to us.  Thank You for our salvation, the salvation of others as we are privileged to share with them.  Use us this week to bring the message of Christ to family, friends, co-workers and strangers alike.  We pray in Christ's name, amen.