The Word Made Plain

Guest (Male): Welcome to the Word Made Playing, with senior pastor Tony Clark of Calvary Chapel Newport News in Virginia. Currently, pastor Tony is teaching a study in the book of Acts. Please open your Bible to Acts chapter 1 verses 1 through 8.

Tony Clark: And Father, thank you again that you have brought us to this time to study your word and Lord, we pray that your Holy Spirit will lead us and teach us and guide us into all truth. And so speak into our hearts today, Lord, a prophetic word, a timely word, a fresh word for us today in Jesus' name. Amen. Amen. Acts chapter 1 looking at verses 1 through 8. The title of this message is the greatest need in the church. The greatest need in the church. If I were to ask you this question, how would you respond?

What is the greatest need in the church today? Would you say prayer? Yes, prayer is the greatest need in the church. Someone else will say Bible study. There needs to be more Bible study in the church today. And then you will have those who will say outreach to the community. Outreach to the community is the greatest need of the church. Now, none of these things would have the effect that God wants it to without the power of the Holy Spirit. We can't pray effectively without God's Holy Spirit. Ephesians 6 and verse 18 says, praying always without prayer and supplication in the spirit.

We cannot understand the Bible without God's Holy Spirit. Oh, in John 16 and verse 13, it says, however, when he, the spirit of truth has come, he will guide you into all truth. Outreach to our community would be fruitless without the power of God's Holy Spirit as we will see in these verses that we're studying. So the greatest need in the church today is the power of the Holy Spirit as we're going to see. Now, to give us just a little background, the book of Acts was written by Luke at the end of the first century or at the beginning of the second century AD.

It was part of a two-volume set. And this beautiful companion to the Gospel of Luke, you know, was what Luke wrote in in this in two-volume set. And it's an amazing thing because according to Colossians 4 and verse 14, it said that Luke was the beloved physician. So because Luke was a physician, he's into details. And so this beautiful two-volume set is going to give us some great details about the lives of the apostles as well as details about the life of Jesus that the other gospel writers do not give us. So it is a beautiful book to study with the gospel of Luke.

And seeing that we already studied Luke, we got those great details. Now we're studying his other volume set. Now here's the thing, because Luke was into such great details, the gospel of Luke is the longest book of the New Testament by way of verses. And the and the the book of Acts is actually as long as the gospel of Matthew. So just Luke and Matthew, those two books alone gives us 30% of our New Testament, which is more than Paul's epistles, which is more than John's epistles that John wrote. John wrote the Gospel of John as well as first, second, and third John in the book of Revelation.

Well, these two books alone, Luke and Acts, gives us more information than those writings. So the book of Acts gives us the stories of the men and women who took the words of Jesus seriously when he said in verse 8 of this chapter, you shall be my witnesses to me in Jerusalem and all Judea and Samaria and to the ends of the earth. And this book records the lives of those who spread the gospel to the ends of the earth. I I just wonder, have we taken the words of Jesus seriously? The words of Jesus in the Great Commission to go throughout all the world and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all things I've said unto you.

And lo, I'm with you always even to the end of the age. And these are the words of Jesus. The book of Acts is recording the lives of those who took that message seriously. And I just wonder, do we take it seriously today? I just wonder about that, the words of Jesus of taking this gospel around the world. If not, then I believe that this message is for all of us today because I believe that we need a fresh anointing of God's Holy Spirit because whatever it is that is hindering us from taking this message of love and grace and of forgiveness to our hurting and dying world around us can be resolved by the power of the Holy Spirit operating in and through our lives.

Oh, let's dive right in looking at verses 1 to 3. It said the former account I made, O Theophilus, of all that Jesus began both to do and to teach until the day in which he was taken up after he through the Holy Spirit had given commandments to the apostles whom he had chosen, to whom he also presented himself alive after his suffering by many infallible proofs being seen by them during 40 days and speaking of the things pertaining to the kingdom of God. Now in these verses, we see that Luke makes reference to the Gospel of Luke by the phrase, the former account I made.

Then Luke tells us who he wrote Acts and the Gospel of Luke for, a person by the name of Theophilus. Some scholars suggest that Theophilus could have been Luke's owner because doctors were slaves in the Roman Empire. They also believe that he freed Luke to travel with the apostle Paul as his personal physician. Now I am amazed at the length that Luke went to to tell his former owner about Jesus Christ. And I wonder how much energy and effort are we willing to go through to share the gospel with someone we used to work for or work with now presently.

And and maybe someone just came to your mind and God is leading you to write them sharing the gospel of Jesus Christ with them either through social media or text or the old-fashioned snail mail going through the mail. You don't know the impact that it might have on them. Then there are a group of scholars who believe that Theophilus was not an individual of rural of of priestly kind of not necessarily priestly, but of great importance that Theophilus wasn't an an individual, but this was a crypted word for the people of God. Theophilus, it comes a combination of two Greek words, theo which means God and philos which means lover.

And that Luke was actually writing to the lovers of God. There's some room and there's a little bit of room to to believe that. And the question is, if you are a lover of God today, then the book of Acts is for you as well. Then Luke tells us in verse 1 of all Jesus began. Stop right there. The Gospels are just the beginning of what Jesus began. And he will continue his work through the apostles, through the book of Acts, and through our lives today. So the book of Acts continues so to speak today as we continue to take the gospel of Jesus Christ around the world and and and and actually watch God do great things in and through our lives as well.

And then Luke says, Jesus began to do and to teach. Oh, this is always the divine order. Do it first, then teach it. And if you want to impact your children's lives and the lives of those around you, you have to do it first, then teach it. And this is what Jesus did for his disciples in John 13 and verse 15 after he washed his disciples' feet, he said, for I have given you an example that you should do as I have done to you. So Jesus did it first, then taught them the lesson. And we would have the same effectiveness in those around us if we did it first, then we taught them the lesson.

Oh, none of this mess you know, do as I say, not as I do. That doesn't work. And it will have the opposite effect in our lives of those around us. Now, how long should we do this? You know, do it first, then teach it. Well, for as long as Jesus did. For he did it until verse 2 says, the day in which he was taken up. And even though Jesus was taken up according to these verses, he would drop in on the disciples for a period of 40 days giving them commandments and further instructions on taking the gospel around the world.

There's something else I would like to draw to your attention is the phrase in verse 3 being seen by them for 40 days. The Greek word for seen is and it is where we get our English English word ophthalmologist or an eye doctor. It means that the apostles were eyeballing Jesus. Every time he came around to the point where he had to show them through many infallible proofs or unmistakable proofs that it was really him. Oh, I can just see whenever Jesus came around, they would kind of nudge each other, kind of hit each other, kind of look and you think that's really him?

I I don't I don't know. Maybe maybe it really is him. And they would just eyeball him and kind of stare and kind of look at him. Hey, let me tell you something. There's people eyeballing you. You came to you know, you you came around and you said that you're a Christian or you came Monday and said, hey, we had a great time at church and they heard you. And there's people that's really just kind of sitting back and they're eyeballing you. Are they really who they said they are? Are they really a Christian? Are they really living for God or are they one of those hypocrites?

Are they one of those people and and talk about God but don't live it? And there's people eyeballing you and they're eyeballing me. They live around us. They work with us. They see us at the store and and they just kind of sitting back and just eyeballing us as well. So not only did Jesus come around and through many infallible proofs did he prove that he was he was really Jesus. Well, according to 1 Corinthians 15:6, Jesus showed himself to over 500 people. Why is that important? Because if the case of Jesus being resurrected came into our court system, our Jewish prudent system is based upon the testimony of witnesses.

And so if you had a case where the resurrection of Jesus was on the books and if you had 500 people who walked in the courtroom and said, yeah, I saw him. I saw him. Yeah, I saw him. I saw him. It will be a slam dunk case that the resurrection of Jesus really took place on the testimony of witnesses. And so over 500 people saw Jesus alive during that 40-day what is called post-resurrection ministry that he had with the disciples as well as with many many people. Now the final thing I want to show you in these verses is what Jesus spoke to them about.

The last part of verse 3 says, speaking of the things pertaining to the kingdom of God. The Lord is still speaking to us today about the things pertaining to the kingdom of God. You say, well, how? Well, through our trials and tribulations. You say, well, what do you mean? Through our trials and tribulations, we realize that this world is not our home. Trials and tribulations and suffering, it has a way of loosening our our grip upon this world. When this happened, we long for the kingdom of God where Jesus is king, where righteousness dwells. Oh, I don't know about you, but I am excited about something like that, about a time where Jesus is reigning and ruling upon the earth.

We long for that particular time. And it's when we go through trials and tribulations and sufferings and things like that that it has us longing for the kingdom of God. Somebody ought to be excited about that. Where righteousness dwells, where there's no more sin, where Jesus is on the throne. We don't have to worry about who's in the White House so to speak. We can worry about Jesus Christ reigning and ruling where righteousness is dwelling. And I don't know about you, but I am very excited about that. But it's when we go through tough times, when we go through sufferings, when we go through tribulation, it has a way of loosening our grip that we have upon this world.

Oh, we're in this world, but we're told we're not of it. And so often we have such a tight grip upon this world and it's it's when God allows the trials and tribulations to pry this world from our grip. And we long for the kingdom of God. Oh, we need to have the mindset that Abraham had in Hebrews 11 and verse 10 which says, for he waited for a city which had foundations whose builder and maker is God. Abraham dwelt in tents. A tent was a temporary dwelling because he said, this world is not my home.

He was looking for a city that was had firm, solid foundations whose builder and maker is God himself. Oh, may we long for a time where may we long for a time where Jesus Christ is ruling and reigning and Jesus Christ will fill this earth with righteousness and not with the godliness that we are tormented with every single day. So remember this when you're going through tough times. God is reminding you and me that this world is not our home. Oh, oh, dear people, I believe we need to understand that this world is not our home.

That one day we're going to dwell with Jesus Christ and be with him forever and ever. This world is not our home. Somebody needs to be reminded of this because you're always trying to get the the latest things and and stuff of this world and you want the this and that and the and and trials and tribulation has a way of loosening our grip. Sometime God has to pry the world from our grip. And let us know that this world is not our home. Look at verses 4 and 5. And being assembled together with them, he commanded them not to depart from Jerusalem but to wait for the promise of the Father which he said, you have heard from me.

For John truly baptized with water, but you shall be baptized with the Holy Spirit not many days from now. Now in these verses, we see how Jesus was assembled together with them and commanded them them not to depart from Jerusalem but to wait for the promise of the Father which he said, you have heard from me. Now why did Jesus want them to wait for the promise of the Father? I believe because what he was commissioning them to do was depended upon them waiting for the promise of the Father. Or the next question is, what is the promise of the Father?

Oh, well, verse 5 tells us that it is the baptism the baptism of the Holy Spirit. So the baptism of the Holy Spirit is essential to the Great Commission of spreading the gospel around the world. So what Jesus was commissioning them to do was predicated upon them being baptized with the Holy Spirit which they had to wait upon which was the promise of the Father. In other words, they could not begin to do one little peep of spreading the gospel around the world without the baptism of the Holy Spirit being upon their lives. And I believe the same is true in our lives as well.

We cannot do what God has called us to do without us being baptized with the power of the Holy Spirit. Now there's a lot of confusion today in the church about the baptism of the Holy Spirit. And I believe that the confusion lies in the lack of understanding of the three relationships we can have with the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit is number one with us. And that's the Greek preposition para. And and the purpose of the Holy Spirit with us is to convict us of our sin and to show us our need for Jesus Christ according to John 14 and verse 17 says that the Holy Spirit shall be with us.

And then when we realize our need for Jesus Christ, we repent of our sins, then the Holy Spirit, we accept Jesus as our Lord and Savior, then the Holy Spirit comes number two in us. The Greek preposition en. And if this is we also see this in John 14 and verse 17 it said the Holy Spirit shall be with us and then it shall be in us. Then the Holy Spirit comes number three upon us by the Greek preposition a p. And and and like we will see in verse 8 but a sneak preview of coming attractions, it said that the Holy Spirit shall come upon you and you shall be witnesses to me.

And so look what it said there in verse 6. It says, therefore, when they had come together, they ask him saying, Lord, will you at this time restore the kingdom to Israel? Now all of this talk about the promise of the Father um sparked or rekindled a hope that had died down. Uh the restoration of Israel. Oh, the Jews all always wanted to know when God was going to restore the kingdom back to Israel. So as we can see, the baptism of the Holy Spirit has something to do with the restoration of Israel. But as we will see uh that the baptism of the Holy Spirit is so much larger than just restoring Israel.

It it was to benefit the whole world. And this is what Jesus was trying to teach them. Yes, you know, it will have benefits to the nation of Israel, but it it will have benefits beyond Israel and around the world. And this is true for us. The baptism of the Holy Spirit is not to just benefit us personally or for our church collectively, but the baptism of the Holy Spirit is to have benefits globally. I say this because what we see in churches and in many people's lives today is them saying that the Holy Spirit came upon me.

And they and and they do a personal dance, a personal shout, a personal manifestation, but the Holy Spirit is to have a global impact upon our lives. Now can the Holy Spirit do things for us personally? Yes. Yes, it can. But the main focus is to have an impact around the world. Well, how did Jesus respond to their question? Look at verse 7. And he said to them, is it not for you it says it is not for you to know times and seasons which the Father has put in his own authority. Now Jesus is telling them, it is not for you to know.

Oh, can we stop right there, please? It might do you some good to underline this phrase because there are things that we aren't going to know that the Father has put in his own authority. Oh, now Jesus isn't saying that Israel doesn't have a place in God's plans because they do. He is saying, you just worry about what I commanded you to do which is to take the gospel around the world and leave the other things in the Father's hands. Now don't be afraid to tell people that you don't know something about the ways of God.

Please keep in mind Deuteronomy 29:29 which says that the secret things belong to the Lord our God, but those things which are revealed belong to us and to our children forever that we may do all the words of the law. So some things belong to God. And those things he wants us to know, he will reveal them to us. In other words, don't try to be annoyed all but always be very careful when you're talking about the ways of God. This is why James 3:1 says, let not many of you become teachers knowing that you shall receive the stricter judgment.

When I first started out in ministry, I felt like I had to know everything about the ways of God. And now 30 plus years later, I realize how much I don't know. Don't be afraid to say you don't know about the ways of God. When God does something or he allows something and you don't understand it, don't feel that you have to try to make up some kind of answer. Sometime the best thing to do is just be quiet because you don't know God's ways. I don't know all of God's ways. Why God allowed this and allowed that and allowed this to happen and that didn't happen.

We don't know the ways of God. Oh, I I as I began to search the scriptures and look at some the things of God, I I wonder how I just realized how much I don't know. Why did God allow for David, a man after God's own heart, David, the warrior who killed Goliath? Why did God allow him to be old and well advanced in years meaning that he was starting become feeble-minded in his older age? But Caleb said, I'm 80 years old today. I'm just as strong as I was when I was 40. Why why?

I don't know. I don't know. Why did why did God allow in Acts chapter 12 for James to be beheaded and he allowed Peter to go free? Why? I don't know. I don't know the all the ways of God. And it is best for you to to realize what Jesus says in these particular verses here. It is not for you to know. The secret things belong to God. And earlier on in ministry, I would never admit to this. Oh, but now 30 plus years later, I realize I don't know anything about the ways of God.

And so it would be behoove you to follow in the same steps to just you study hard, you try to study and know the word, but there are some things we're just not going to know. We're not going to know.

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