ACTS CHAPTER 1

Scripture

Today I will summarize Acts chapter 1 where Luke gave an introduction to his letter describing Jesus’s ascension to heaven and explaining what the disciples did immediately after Jesus left them.

Luke began writing to a man named Theophilus to tell him all the things that Jesus did and taught from the time he began his work until the day he was taken up to Heaven.  Before his ascension, he had given instructions by the power of the Holy Spirit to the men he had chosen as his apostles. 

For forty days after his death, he appeared to them many times in ways that proved beyond doubt that Jesus was alive. 

Luke continued, during that time Jesus taught the disciples about the kingdom of God in more detail than before his crucifixion.  He commanded them to wait in Jerusalem until they received the Holy Spirit. 

One time when they were together the disciples asked Jesus if he was going to now be king and restore the kingdom of Israel.  Jesus told them no it was not time yet and it was not for them to know the timing that the father set for these things.  But Jesus told them that they would receive power when they were baptized in the Holy Spirit and then they would go out into the world to be his witnesses telling everyone how they could be saved.

Luke then described what happened after Jesus taught his disciples forty days after he was resurrected.  Jesus was lifted into the sky and disappeared behind a cloud out of the disciple’s sight.  As they were looking up two angels appeared to them and said they had a message from the father.  The angel said, “Jesus who has just been taken up from you will return in the same way in the last days.  He will appear in the clouds and every eye will see him.” 

The disciples went immediately back to their room where they were staying.   They began praying along with the woman who followed Jesus.   Mary the mother of Jesus and with Jesus’s brothers.  Peter stood up in the meeting and said to the 120 people gathered there. 

The prophecies about Judas had to be fulfilled.  He betrayed Jesus and then changed his mind but the religious leaders would not accept his blood money back from him.  Judas went away and bought a field, where he fell to his death; Where his body burst open and all his bowels spilled out, his intestines spilled out on the ground, and because of what had happened, the people called it the “Field of blood.”

 In the Psalms, there is a prophecy about this and in this prophecy, it says,

 “May his house be empty; may no one live in it.”

“May someone take his place of service”

So, let’s choose someone to take his place.  The person we choose had to be with us the whole time since John the Baptist’s preaching until now.  So, the disciples prayed and choose two men.  One was named Barsabbas also known as (Justus) and the other was named Matthias.

The disciples prayed and asked God to choose the right man for the job.  They drew lots to choose between the two men, and the one chosen was Matthias, who was added to the group of 11 apostles. 

OBSERVATION

The thing I think the Lord wants us to understand after reading this chapter is Jesus had an apostle named Luke and he documented the historical events surrounding the spread of Christianity.  He wants us to know that Jesus was resurrected and was seen by his disciples for forty days before Jesus ascended into heaven.  Jesus promised that the Holy Spirit would come down on the disciples and they would receive power and would be witnesses to tell everyone what they saw and what they heard.  God wants us to know that Jesus Christ will come back in the last days in the same way he ascended. He will come back in the clouds.

Do you believe that God can raise the dead?  Do you believe that Jesus is coming back in the clouds?  Would be wise for you to believe that God can do anything he wants at any time he wants.    Why wouldn’t he do something that most people consider impossible?  He not only can do this he has made his plans known that he will be doing this.  If you ran away from the Lord in the past why don’t you come back to him today?  Repent for your sin and turn to the Lord for salvation.

Prayer

Dear Heavenly Father,

We praise you for your promises of steadfast love, daily mercies, and doing the impossible, for we need all three.  Because of your steadfast love for us in Jesus, we have incomparable peace.  Because of your daily mercies, we have the freedom to be vulnerable. 

Because nothing is impossible for you, we trust you with our hardest situations and most broken stories.

Father, some of us run to your throne of grace today, primed for a miracle; some of us are making our way very slowly, under the weight of shame and emotional exhaustion; and some of us are stuck on the mercy road, not sure we can risk the pain of hoping again.  Thank you that you meet us where we are, just as we are; because you are always running towards us in the gospel. 

Father, for those of us who ache with the pain of betrayal, loss, and rejection, hold us close to your heart, tightly.  We want you close and yet we are inclined to stay away from you. 

We want you to bring healing, yet some days we want justice much more than we want mercy.  Help us, Lord.

Father, for those of us who feel the burden of our guilt, the consequences of our failure, and the shame of our foolishness, help us leave our agenda for putting things right with you, and simply come home to you as Abba.  You must script our repentance and renewal.  We’re tired of being out own savior.

Father, for those of us who are ready to trust you with failing health, limited finances, unexpected reversals, big and little decisions, spiritual malaise – ours and others, job situations, children who are “all over in the map” and any of several other situations, with palms up, we praise you and surrender to you the God who does all things well and who makes all things beautiful, in your time.  We make this prayer in the most powerful and mighty name of Jesus.  Amen