Acts 1:1-11. The Ascension of our Lord and Saviour

Acts 1:1-11.

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.

4 And while staying with them he ordered them not to depart from Jerusalem, but to wait for the promise of the Father, which, he said, "you heard from me;5 for John baptized with water, but you will be baptized with the Holy Spirit not many days from now."

6 So when they had come together, they asked him, "Lord, will you at this time restore the kingdom to Israel?"7 He said to them, "It is not for you to know times or seasons that the Father has fixed by his own authority.8 But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you, and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth."9 And when he had said these things, as they were looking on, he was lifted up, and a cloud took him out of their sight.10 And while they were gazing into heaven as he went, behold, two men stood by them in white robes,11 and said, "Men of Galilee, why do you stand looking into heaven? This Jesus, who was taken up from you into heaven, will come in the same way as you saw him go into heaven."

 

Note The History of It

Incarnation, crucifixion, resurrection, Ascension.

Eph 4:8 8 Therefore it says, "When he ascended on high he led a host of captives, and he gave gifts to men.

1 Tim 2:4

Note The Theology of it

For Our Benefit  John 14:12 "Truly, truly, I say to you, whoever believes in me will also do the works that I do; and greater works than these will he do, because I am going to the Father.

As our Master  Phil 2:⁸ And being found in human form, he humbled himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross.⁹ Therefore God has highly exalted him and bestowed on him the name that is above every name,¹⁰ so that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth,¹¹ and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.

Romans 14:9 For to this end Christ died and lived again, that he might be Lord both of the dead and of the living

Our Forerunner     Heb. 6: 19 We have this as a sure and steadfast anchor of the soul, a hope that enters into the inner place behind the curtain,20 where Jesus has gone as a forerunner on our behalf, having become a high priest forever after the order of Melchizedek.

Our High Priest as Intercessor  Rom  8:34 Who is to condemn? Christ Jesus is the one who died---more than that, who was raised---who is at the right hand of God, who indeed is interceding for us.35 Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or danger, or sword?

As Our Victor  2Cor 2:14 But thanks be to God, who in Christ always leads us in triumphal procession, and through us spreads the fragrance of the knowledge of him everywhere.15 For we are the aroma of Christ to God among those who are being saved and among those who are perishing,

Made Possible Descent of the Spirit  John 7: ³⁷ On the last day of the feast, the great day, Jesus stood up and cried out, "If anyone thirsts, let him come to me and drink.³⁸ Whoever believes in me, as the Scripture has said, 'Out of his heart will flow rivers of living water.'"³⁹ Now this he said about the Spirit, whom those who believed in him were to receive, for as yet the Spirit had not been given, because Jesus was not yet glorified.

Note The Practicality of It

8 But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you, and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth."

Jesus said when the Holy Spirit arrived, He would bring power with Him. The term translated "power" is a word from which we get the word, "dynamite" and "dynamic." It is the explosive power of God in one's life! When the Holy Spirit takes over there will be a spiritual explosion in your life! Specifically, the Holy Spirit will transform you in three different ways.

First, the Holy Spirit will bring a change in your life.

If you look at the lives of the apostles, what you will see are men changed—literally transformed—from the inside out. Peter was a haughty, hotheaded fisherman with a dirty mouth. John had a temper so bad Jesus called him "a son of thunder." Yet, he was changed to the disciple whom Jesus loved. When the Holy Spirit takes control, He changes our lives (2 Cor. 5:17).  God works a changed life. Have you had a changed life? Have you personally taken the Lord Jesus Christ as your own Saviour and Lord? If you do, you will have a changed life.  The Spirit of God comes into your life and changes you from within.

Second, the Holy Spirit will bring courage in your life.

One of the prominent features of Acts is boldness—a reckless, holy abandon. Know, however, that courage does not come before the Holy Spirit but after. Recall Peter as he stood before the fire warming himself as Jesus was being tried. A little maiden pitifully backed him in a corner. To show how rough he was, he resorted to profanity.   It takes courage to look another man in the eye and tell him what Jesus means to you. The Holy Spirit is the divine corrective to fear.

Third, the Holy Spirit will bring compassion in your life.

He places into your heart a deep love for people—and that means all people not just some. It is easy to love some people, isn't it? What about the unlovely? What about the skeptic, the alcoholic, the drug addict, or the person who smells a bit?  Jesus said to His disciples.  "by this all men will know that you are my disciples if you have love for one another" ( John 13:36).

Scripture says the fruit of the Spirit is love (Gal. 5:22). In addition, we are promised the love of God floods our hearts when the Holy Spirit comes (Rom. 5:5). Love cannot be absent when the Holy Spirit is present. There's no place in God's Kingdom for headstrong, selfwilled people. We must have our lives broken and our wills yielded to His.

Note The Doxology of it. 

The launching of the church meant the leaving of Christ. His going would mean the Spirit's coming. The ascension of Jesus was simple, yet beautiful. The term translated "taken up" refers to a movement happening slowly and in full view. The cloud received him; it was a miracle! Jesus predicted His ascension, which completed His incarnation (John 6:62; 13:3; 17:11). Even more, Jesus' departure would enable the Church to do greater works than He (John 14:12).

The King is Coming

While the disciples were straining their eyes, two celestial beings appeared— making a stunning announcement: "...this same Jesus, which is taken up from you into heaven, shall so come in like manner as ye have seen him go into heaven" (v. 11). The Bible is filled with promises that Jesus will come again. His coming will be personal (1 Thess. 4:16), visible (Matt. 24:30), and local (Zech. 14:4).

Such exciting times lay ahead for the church!

Yet what was the church to do while they waited on the coming of the Lord?

There is the Whatology of it.  So what?

8 But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you, and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth."

A witness tells what he knows to be true. Thus, there are three things about which we witness.

First, we witness about a Saviour.

This means of course that the witness does not call attention to himself. There can be no self-glory for the true witness of Jesus Christ. Sometimes the church errs in thinking that celebrities have the greatest Gospel witness. Many mass evangelism ministries focus entirely too much time and resources on high-profile witnesses—country music stars, popular athletes, film stars, or anyone who is well-known.

Nor does the witness call attention to the Holy Spirit. Jesus clearly said that when the Holy Spirit came He would not testify of Himself; instead, He would testify of Christ ( John 16:13-16; 15:26). Any ministry that places more focus either on the Holy Spirit or the gifts the Holy Spirit gives is a ministry that very well may be out of touch with God. A witness calls attention to Jesus. This is true throughout the entire book of Acts. It should be true of us as well.

Second, we witness about a story.

If we are to witness "unto Him," what is it that we are to say? Though not mentioned in the book of Acts, the Apostle Paul summed up the gospel story in his letter to Corinth, "I declare to you the gospel which I preached to you... how that Christ died for our sins according to the scriptures; And that he was buried, and that he rose again the third day according to the scriptures: And that he was seen of Cephas, then of the twelve... And last of all he was seen of me also..." (1 Cor. 15:1-8).     We can divide Paul's Gospel story into easily four facets:

• Death— Jesus died for our sins. All have a problem—the sin problem (Rom. 3:23)

• Burial— He put away our sins forever through his death

• Resurrection— He conquered sin and death through rising from the dead

• Appearance— He was seen of others and then of me. I met him.

What a story! Do you have a story to tell? You might ask, "But what is the story about?"

We witness about a salvation.

If it happened to you, you can tell about it. The most effective witness possible is a satisfied customer. When we tell about Jesus, we are telling about what Jesus has done for us. He saved us; He delivered us; He washed us. And, the witness never fails to say that what Christ has done for others He can do for you.