Lesson 1

THE ASCENSION OF OUR LORD

Acts 1

To cover the entire book of Acts in 16lessons is, ofcourse, an impossibility. One will have to choose certain parts rather than others and this choice may not always agree with the choice of the reader. However, this book is extremely important to the life of the individual believer and to the life of the church, making it very valuable for study by groups and by societies. Acts is the bridge between the gospels and the epistles. Acts gives us the earliest history of the church. It gives us the principles and early practices of Missions. It shows us how the church developed in the earliest time. The doctrine of the church, so eloquently developed in Ephesians and Colossians, finds its beginning here.

The Lord Acts

In the second century it was already commonly believed that Luke was the author of Acts and this has not since then been disputed by many. The book spans a period of time of approximately 30 years. The name “Acts” or “Acts of the Apostles” is also.of early origin. We do not know who was responsible for this name but it does not satisfy. In the first four verses of Luke’s gospel we read that the writer is addressing that book to a certain “most excellent Theophilus.” In that prologue he mentions the fact that he is writing to him about the things which have been fulfilled among us . He now refers to that first “treatise” as the one wherein he has made plain the things which Jesus “began” both to do and to teach, so that this is the second treatise in which he will now make known the things which Jesus continued to do and teach. The name of the book ought to be: “The Acts of the exalted Lord through His Apostles.”  In his gospel Luke taught all the things concerning Jesus Christ from the time before His birth until the time of the ascension. However, the ascension is just mentioned—he has more to say about this in this book.

After He had risen from the dead, Jesus stayed with His disciples another 40 days. During this period of almost six weeks He continued to teach them . . . He gave them commandment through the Holy Spirit. He taught His chosen ones. His appearances to them after the resurrection were very important because they had to be witnesses of the risen Christ in order to be Apostles (vv. 21, 22). No act of His is better attested in Scripture than His resurrection! No doubt may exist on this score. He spoke to them concerning the kingdom of God. He had preached the gospel of the kingdom and His Apostles must do the same in the days to come.

The Lord’s Instructions

Even though there is so much to be done now that there is a risen Savior, He informs them that they are to wait a while before they begin the work to which they have been called. They are not yet equipped for that task. They must wait in Jerusalem for the fulfillment of the promise which they had received of the gift of the Holy Spirit. John baptized with water. They themselves, at least some of them, had been baptized by John. This water baptism will not depart, but something even greater will happen to them; they shall be baptized in the Holy Spirit. They did not understand what that would do but they will experience it and then they will be qualified to carry out their given task.

This teaching of the Lord causes questions to arise in the hearts of these disciples. Will Jesus at this time restore the kingdom to Israel? They know that it is His kingdom which is to come. They believe that it is a question of time. That Jesus is not free to tell them. That will have to wait. But, there is also another element which they have not understood—the kingdom will not be restored to the Israel after the flesh! His kingdom is much broader. Indeed, His kingdom will come and no one will be able to stop it, but that kingdom will be far greater than they have ever imagined. When the Spirit comes they shall become His witnesses not only locally but to the uttermost parts of the earth! By witnesses He means those who bear testimony to the truth as they have seen and been taught it and not a testimony to some experience of their own.

The Ascension

When He had said these things He ascended! The event, stated so calmly, is one of the greatest revelations to us in the history of our redemption. The disciples had so many more questions . They wanted to keep Him with them. Even though He had said that it would be profitable for them that He would go away, they would have wished to keep Him with them (Jn. 16:6ff.) because they didn’t know the significance ofthe Spirit’s coming or indwelling. Jesus defies the laws of gravity and of space when He ascends. They keep staring into the sky for one last glimpse of Him but a cloud comes and removes Him from their sight.

The true significance of the ascension of our Lord has not been recognized till the present day. If there is one worship service which His people will skip it is the ascension day service. Why? For one thing, the world doesn’t celebrate it. We may talk and write a great deal about the world’s wrong conception of Christmas and of Easter, but seeing the world calls our attention to them, we too celebrate even though we don’t celebrate as the world does. Another reason for the neglect of this day seems to be the fact that it is so little understood. We are able, in a measure, to understand the coming of Christ in the flesh as a babe, even though it is a miracle. We are even able to understand the fact that He rose from the dead. But, ascension? However, if the ascension is not given its due, we do not have a complete gospel and an incomplete gospel is no gospel. He ascended to the right hand of God from where He rules over all things; from there He sends the Spirit; and from there He will pray for and guide His people into all truth.

The Angels Explain

The disciples, not understanding what has taken place before their eyes, receive a clear commentary on the ascension. Two men, angels, stood by them. They are not wearing mourning clothes but white apparel. They tell them that they should not continue to stare into the sky, for that is of no value. Jesus has gone into the heavens. But, He will also return in the same way as they have seen Him leave. The second coming of Jesus Christ is immediately connected to His ascension. He went up bodily; so He will also return. Then the various events associated with the redemption of His people will be complete. Christ comes, suffers, dies, is buried, rises, ascends, sends the Spirit and returns! Then the work is complete and the joy of His people will be complete.

The Wait

The Lord’s followers return to Jerusalem without Him. The eleven and some women and the brothers of our Lord meet in an upper chamber. Their work must still wait a while, but they are able to pray. This they do.

Replacing an Apostle

Soon after this, the disciples are again together with various other followers of Jesus, a crowd numbering 120, and Peter takes the lead. He has understood from his study of the Scriptures that certain things must be done by them now. Judas is no longer among the twelve. He had been with them and had also received a mandate of the Lord. He had also gone over the cities of Israel proclaiming the gospel of the kingdom. He had also told of the miracles which they were able to do in the name ofJesus . But, his place must be taken by another. There are various problems in this section which we will only mention. Matthew says that Judas hung himself. Peter now says that he was dashed to pieces. He obtained a field—the acre of blood. The gospels tell us that he cast the 30 pieces of silver into the temple and that the leaders bought this field. I only mention these details in passing because they are not the kind of “problems” which disturb a child of God.

Peter refers to Psalms 69 and 109 . It is amazing that he so well understands the import of the words in these Psalms even before Pentecost. Judas’ office must be taken by another. Some have suggested that the disciples made an error in choosing someone to replace Judas, because the Lord had Paul in mind for this vacant spot. I do not agree. God seems to put His stamp of approval on this action of the early church. It is true that we never hear of Matthias again, but neither do we hear about most of the other members of the “twelve.”

The way in which someone was chosen to take the place of Judas is significant. There are certain qualifications which must be met. Those who are to be considered for this office must have been with Jesus from the time of John the Baptist until His ascension. Not only the twelve but also various others had been very faithful followers of Jesus. Candidates must certainly have seen the risen Lord, because an Apostle must be a witness of the resurrection. Only two men are “nominated.” The one is Matthias, of whom we know nothing, and the other is Joseph, of whom we also know nothing. After prayer they cast lots and Matthias is chosen. The Old Testament had also spoken of the casting of lots as perfectly legitimate, but we must not deduce from this episode that this is the only way or the only approved way of choosing someone for office.

The circle which had been broken by the defection of Judas is now made complete again. These twelve will go primarily to the Jews and the Lord has someone else in mind for the tremendous task of bringing the gospel to the gentile world. He is ruling His church. His acts are clearly evident through the labors of the disciples.

Questions for discussion:

1. Do you think it makes much difference for our understanding of a book of the Bible if we know who the author is and the reason for his writing? 2. Do you think the forty days between the resurrection and the ascension was ample time for Jesus to teach His disciples or must we look for a further meaning in the figure forty? 3. Does the question of the disciples about the time of the coming of the kingdom teach us anything about the need for Pentecost? 4. Is the ascension as important as Christmas or Good Friday or Easter? Give reasons for your answer. 5. Do we hear enough sermons on Christ’s session at God’s right hand and His return? Is “balanced” gospel preaching quite common? Discuss.

6. Do you think it was right for the eleven to choose someone to fill the place of Judas? Give reasons for your answer.

   

Lesson 2

PENTECOST Acts 2

Virtually all the members of the church of Christ realize that something very important happened at Pentecost. However, to explain what the importance of this event is, is a different matter. Although the birth of Christ was a miracle, as was His resurrection, we do have some understanding of what happened. But, Pentecost seems especially mysterious! The Spirit also operated in Old Testament times. David asks that the Holy Spirit may not be taken away from him (Ps . 51). The writer of Psalm 104 speaks of the work of the Spirit in a wider sense when he says “Thou sendest forth thy Spirit, and they are created; and thou renewest the face of the ground” (v. 30). What, then happened on the day of Pentecost?

It is difficult to use an example or an illustration to make it clear. In his book: The Work of the Holy Spirit, Abraham Kuyper uses this illustration: “The rain descends from heaven and man gathers it to quench his thirst. When householders collect it each in his own cistern, it comes down for every family separately; but when, as in modern city life, every house is supplied from the city reservoir, by means of mains and waterpipes, there is no more need of pumps and private cisterns. Suppose that a city whose citizens for ages have been drinking each from his own cistern proposes to construct a reservoir that will supply every home. When the work is completed the water is allowed to run through the system of mains and pipes into every house. It might then be said that on that day the water was poured out into the city. Hitherto it fell upon every man’s roof; now it streams through the organized system into every man’s house” (Page 123). This illustration may be as good as any, but it still does not do justice to that which took place on this day.

This rather long chapter may easily be divided into three parts. In the first part the event of Pentecost is made known; in the second the discourse of Peter explains what has taken place; and in the third the reaction to this happening is reported.

The Event

Because of the wealth of material in this chapter, I will mention only a few things concerning the event of Pentecost. The word itself means fiftieth. It was the Thanksgiving Day of the Jews. Because this was the feast of harvest there were many people from all the then known world in Jerusalem. Regardless where they had settled, they would like to be back in the holy city at the time of the feasts. Consult a map to see where the people had come from.

Suddenly strange things happen! T here was the sound as a mighty wind. There were tongues as of fire on each of them. The symbol ism is clear. The Spirit is often likened to wind. The Spirit is a fire. Now the believers begin to speak other languages. The people who had come from various parts of the world heard them speaking in the languages in which they had been born. No doubt the older ones were also able to understand Hebrew or Aramaic, but their everyday language was of another kind. Their children and young people perhaps knew little Hebrew or Aramaic. In other words, they do not hear languages which are unknown or gibberish, but languages and dialects with which they are so well acquainted. Nor is the speaking of these other languages done for the purpose of introducing something different; they are speaking of the mighty works of God! That is the important thing concerning the speaking in tongues on Pentecost.

What does it all mean? Something tremendously important is taking place, but what is it? Vs. 4 makes it clear that the tongue-speaking was the result of the Spirit giving them utterance. T hey are all unlearned men. They have not learned these languages in which they are now speaking. The people are amazed and perplexed about what they are seeing, but there are always some who have a mocking answer. These suggest that these believers are filled with new wine!

The Bible Explanation

Now follows the discourse of Peter. He first explains what has taken place and then proclaims Jesus. Luke emphasizes the fact that Peter now speaks boldly and clearly and demands the attention of all the people within the sound of his voice. This is already a fruit of what has taken place this morning. Peter had been struck with fear before and this was one of the reasons for his terrible conduct the night Jesus had been taken.

First of all, let it be clear that these people are not drunk. It is only 9:00 in the morning. Besides, the pious Jews did not eat and surely did not take strong drink before the first prayer and sacrifice of the day. They had better not mock the things which have happened because what has happened is the fulfillment of the prophecy ofJoel (Joel 2:28–32) . If they have any respect for holy things they must listen to what Peter has to say. The Spirit has suddenly made him an exegete! He understands things which he has never understood before. Joel had talked about this great day of the outpouring of the Spirit of God. That Spirit will come on men and women, on old and young. That Spirit will open eyes and open hearts. The prophecy refers to “the last days.” Let everyone know that the outpouring of the Spirit is “the last event” which will occur before the Lord will return. In other words, the day of Pentecost ushers in the final dispensation! Later the Apostles will remind us again and again that we are in the last days. By this they do not always mean that the return of Jesus will be soon, but that we are living in the last days of the gospel age! Therefore, everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved. Salvation has been completed.

Now Peter proclaims Jesus Christ. Of course, Pentecost can never be separated from the work and Person of Jesus. He first refers to the great works which had been accomplished by the Christ while He was on earth. His hearers know them! He was approved of God—they cannot maintain the falsehood that He had done any evil. Then the Apostle speaks of something which men have usually considered to be very difficult. Christ was delivered up “by the determinate counsel and foreknowledge of God!” Don’t forget that! God was in control. This was the only way salvation would come to pass. But, “You killed Him!” They are responsible. Do not let them hide behind the excuse that the Romans actually did the killing! You, Jews, killed Him! This is made clear to them in order that they realize their guilt. The fact that they were thereby carrying out the counsel and the will of God does not leave them blameless concerning the deed. Although they have carried out God’s plan (unknowingly), they are responsible for and guilty of their action.

This Jesus whom they had crucified was the same One whom God raised from the dead. Death could not hold Him. The original points in the direction that this death had to give way to a resurrection which is looked on as being a new birth. Then the Apostle again begins to interpret the Old Testament for them. Psalm 16 now receives his attention. T he whole Bible is beginning to live! He sees prophecies concerning the Christ in many places. David had rejoiced in restoration. He cannot see himself in the realm of the dead. Yet, David is not speaking of himself alone. David was buried and his grave is there for everyone to see (Nehemiah 3:16). David was held by the grave and he also saw corruption. But, the grave of Jesus is only two months old and it is EMPTY! God did not allow His Son to remain in the grave but raised Him up and we are all witnesses of it!

Not only has Jesus been resurrected from the dead but God has exalted Him to sit at His right hand. Being at the right hand of God (which is either a place for the accuser Zech. 3, or the place of honor) this Jesus has poured out the Spirit—that which they now see and hear. The Father had promised Him this and He always keeps His promises.

Psalm 110 is now interpreted. David did not ascend into heaven, nor did he receive the place at God’s right hand. David speaks in this Psalm of those things which “the Lord said to my Lord.” Jesus is the fulfillment of Psalm 110. The Scriptures are really beginning to open up. Let the people remember that they crucified the One whom God made Lord and Christ!

The Reaction

This was the first post-pentecostal sermon. What power it had! The people are “pricked in their hearts” by a consciousness of sin. Jesus had said that when the Spirit came He would “convict the world in respect of sin, and of righteousness, and of judgment” (John 16:8). No one knows himself a sinner unless the Spirit makes it clear. This is also the first thing a man must know (Heidelberg Catechism, Q. 2). Then the question is: What shall we do? Spirit filled preaching has these results. I doubt that many said to Peter: “That was a nice sermon!”

There is a clear answer to the question: “What shall we do?” The Apostle tells them that they are to repent. Their sins have been unmasked. Now let them show the proper attitude to the sins they have committed. Both John the Baptist and Jesus began their ministries with the same requirement. Let them seek baptism for the remission of sins. This does not teach that baptism itself removes sins, but that the baptism is a witness to the fact that sins have been forgiven. It is noteworthy that Peter speaks of being baptized into the name of Jesus Christ. Isn’t this strange? Into whose name did John the Baptist baptize? Although much has been written about this statement, I believe that it is merely a short form of the institutional form of baptism used by Jesus when He sends the apostles out into the world with the great commission. Those who respond will receive the gift of the Spirit. The promise contained in baptism is for them and their children and for all whom the Lord may add to the church. This teaching of Peter was most effective. In that one day 3,000 were added–many more than in the three and a half years of the ministry of Jesus.

The life of the early church will be described more fully later. Here the writer only mentions that a fear fell upon all, seemingly because the Apostles were wielding the power of Jesus Christ. They sought one another’s company. They had all things common. They even sold their possessions to minister to the needs of others. This was no “Christian communism,” as some have said. It was the opposite. Nor did it continue. Only a few years later the Apostle Paul must take up collections in all the new churches to help the poor at Jerusalem. Even Acts 6 already speaks of the material needs of many. They were together in the temple. They broke bread at home and took their food with gladness. The words do not indicate more than common eating but the emphasis on such a common thing almost makes one wonder whether it did not approach the taking of the Lord’s Supper together. They had favor with the people—this is surprising. Usually His people have been mistreated. Every day new members were added to the number of believers.

Pentecost was exciting, accomplished great things, and promised more.

Questions for Discussion:

1. Was the speaking in tongues on the day of Pentecost different from the speaking in tongues we find in various places today? How? Why? 2. When the people spoke of the mighty deeds of God in various tongues, does this indicate that tongue-speaking is not something which exists for itself? 3. What gives Peter such an insight into the Old Testament Scriptures? Is he correct in his interpretation? Give reasons for your answer.