Tune in as Pastor Ryan preaches from the intros to Dr. Luke’s books: The Gospel According to Luke and Acts of the Apostles.
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Transcript
Introduction
Alright, well, this morning we’re kicking off a few sermons through the Book of Acts. Or Acts of the Apostles as it’s sometimes called.
If you’re keen, you can read ahead. We’ll plan to get to chapter 2 next week.
Luke & Acts
First a bit of Bible trivia:
Gospels (Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John)
You’ve heard of Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John? These are the four Gospels. Gospel means “Good News.” These are the four stories about Jesus’ birth, life, ministry, death, resurrection, and ascension. Each is names after the human author.
The first three, The Gospel according to Matthew, the Gospel according to Mark, and the Gospel according to Luke are called the Synoptic Gospels because they are all similar – it seems that Matthew and Luke probably used Mark as one of their sources. The Gospel according John is more unique.
So, if you’re reading the story of Jesus’ life, read a couple of the Synoptics to get a bit different view of the same stories. Read John to get some stories that aren’t told in the other three.
Acts
The Acts of the Apostles (usually shortened to just Acts) tells the story of the early church after Jesus had ascended to heaven.
So, if the Gospels tell about what Jesus did, lived, and taught, then Acts tells us about the early outcome of that. What happened next? Did it make any difference?
Acts is useful for us today, because it tells us how the early church lived out it’s calling to be the Body or Community of Jesus.
Luke -> Acts
The Gospel according to Luke and The Acts of the Apostles are both written by the same author. It’s like Luke wrote The Gospel according to Luke as Part I and The Acts of the Apostles as Part II.
Acts 1:1-3 [NIVUK]
So, let’s jump into Acts chapter 1,
Verses 1-3 (Previously on…)
Remember this is Part II of Luke’s book, so these first few verses, verses 1-3 are like a summary of Part I.
Imagine if this was a TV show. Here we are jumping into Episode 2, “Previously on The Good News television series…”
Acts 1:1-3
1 In my former book, Theophilus, I wrote about all that Jesus began to do and to teach 2 until the day he was taken up to heaven, after giving instructions through the Holy Spirit to the apostles he had chosen. 3 After his suffering, he presented himself to them and gave many convincing proofs that he was alive. He appeared to them over a period of forty days and spoke about the kingdom of God. [Acts 1:1-3 NIVUK]
Verses 4-11 (And now, Part 2…)
After verse 3, the new episode begins, “And now, Part 2…” but it starts a few minutes before the ending of the previous exciting episode. Maybe there was a cliff-hanger at the end of the last episode.
Gospels Ends with:
Check this, here’s how the other three Gospels ended:
Matthew: Ended with Jesus’ instructions to “Go and make disciples…” Finishing with,
…And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age. [Matthew 28:20b NIVUK]
Mark: Gives a little summary of what happened next:
[the apostles] went out and preached everywhere, the Lord working with them and confirming the word through accompanying signs. Amen. [Mark 16:20 NKJV]
John: wrote, I could write a ton more, but if I did, there wouldn’t be enough books to contain it all.
Cliff-hanger
Luke: Though, I think is a bit different. At the end of The Gospel According to Luke, he gives a bit of a summary of the following days, “[the apostles] worshipped Jesus and returned to Jerusalem with great joy, and were continually in the temple praising and blessing God. Amen.” That’s awesome. In fact, you could say, that’s heaven. But… what else happened? We know there’s more than that… but that’s all we get.
You can imagine Theophilus (the guy to whom these Episodes were written). You can imagine him getting to that last page, or scrolling to the end… “Where’s the rest of the story?! What happened next?! Luke! You can’t just end the story there!?”
So, at the start of this next Episode (a.k.a., Acts), they replay the cliff hanger, but the replay is from a different camera angle and maybe includes a few new details.
After the short recap, Luke recalls Jesus’ ascension and His promise that the disciples would receive the Holy Spirit shortly. These will both play prominently into Acts: Jesus is gone; He’s coming back, but now what? Now we have the Holy Spirit.
Acts 1:4-11, The replay from, a different angle:
4 On one occasion, while [Jesus] was eating with them, he gave them this command: ‘Do not leave Jerusalem, but wait for the gift my Father promised, which you have heard me speak about.5 For John baptised with[a] water, but in a few days you will be baptised with[b] the Holy Spirit.’
6 Then they gathered round him and asked him, ‘Lord, are you at this time going to restore the kingdom to Israel?’
7 He said to them: ‘It is not for you to know the times or dates the Father has set by his own authority. 8 But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you; and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.’
9 After he said this, he was taken up before their very eyes, and a cloud hid him from their sight.
10 They were looking intently up into the sky as he was going, when suddenly two men dressed in white stood beside them. 11 ‘Men of Galilee,’ they said, ‘why do you stand here looking into the sky? This same Jesus, who has been taken from you into heaven, will come back in the same way you have seen him go into heaven.’
Acts 1:4-11 [NIVUK]
Verses 12+ (the story continues)
Then, starting at verse 12, the story continues…
Verse 12 is the beginning of the new material
Summary
Back to Acts 1:1-3, then. What is it that Luke included in the recap of Episode 1?
If you’re doing a recap of the previous episode. What are you going to share?
You’re going to share the need-to-know stuff for this next episode. What is it that Luke wanted to be sure we knew in order to make sense of Episode 2?
How’s this:
Put your finger back on verse 1 if you’re following along in your Bible.
- Jesus began to do and to teach
- “began,” that is, He’s not finished doing & teaching.
- Maybe Luke was referring to Luke 3:23 where Jesus’ ministry began.
- This was the beginning. But it’s not finished yet… even today, we’re called to the work.
- “Jesus began to do and to teach.” His ministry here on earth was important. Sometimes we think that it’s only the crucifixion and resurrection that matter. Here Luke reminds us, Jesus life and His teaching were important.
- Jesus gave instructions through the Holy Spirit to the apostles he had chosen.
- This is significant for Acts, because Luke here is saying, “Jesus, by the Holy Spirit gave some instructions.” He’s making a big deal about that because here in Acts he’s going to show how following those instructions played out.
- Apostles are chosen. Here he tells us they’re chosen.
- Suffered
- I think it’s interesting that Luke doesn’t mention Jesus’ crucifixion, just that He suffered… Perhaps calling us to follow Him.
- The [resurrection] isn’t mentioned, but the Resurrected Jesus gets a whole lot of mention
- The highlight isn’t that Jesus came back to life, but that He’s alive!
- He presented himself to the apostles
- He gave the apostles many convincing proofs that he was alive.
- He appeared to the apostles over a period of forty days
- Jesus spoke about the kingdom of God.
- This is what it’s about. This is our work. Proclaiming God’s Kingdom.
- Father, Son, and Holy Spirit are included here: each calling us to the work to be done.
- Finally, Jesus was taken up to heaven. Then, as we read, Luke expands on this and reminds the reader that IS Jesus coming back, BUT don’t worry, you’ll receive the Holy Spirit in the meantime.
Luke 1:1-4
That’s the intro to Acts. We might say, that’s the intro to Episode 2. But, the full intro to the Luke’s work is found in the Gospel according to Luke, Chapter 1 (right, the series intro is found at the top of Episode 1).
Flip back to Luke if you like, Luke 1:1-4
1 Many have undertaken to draw up an account of the things that have been fulfilled among us, 2 just as they were handed down to us by those who from the first were eye witnesses and servants of the word. 3 With this in mind, since I myself have carefully investigated everything from the beginning, I too decided to write an orderly account for you, most excellent Theophilus, 4 so that you may know the certainty of the things you have been taught. [Luke 1:1-4 NIVUK]
Theophilus
It seems Theophilus had commissioned Luke to write an account of all these things. “Most excellent” probably indicates that he was a person of rank.
Theophilus means “beloved of God” or “friend of God” or “lover of God.” There no indication that this was a symbolic name (it seems Theophilus was a real person). But, I believe the Holy Spirit is winking here, if you’re a friend of God / if you’re God’s beloved… these books are written to you.
Theophilus was specially chosen to be the recipient of these works, BUT, he was also specially chosen and specially named so that you would know that these books were written to you.
Not an Eyewitness
Luke makes it clear that he wasn’t an eye witness, but that there were eye witnesses.
So That (verse 4)
Verse 4, “so that you may know the certainty of the things you have been taught.”
The same might be true for you: You’ve already been taught the Gospel. You’ve already been told what you must do. You’re already Theophilus – Beloved of God…
This is so that you would know the certainty of these things.
After this, Luke begins the story with the story of Jesus’ birth.
Application
So, let me share a few thoughts that are obvious here, but that might be helpful to have spelt out. Consider these two as we continue through Acts in the next few months.
Jesus is Alive!
First of all, Jesus is Alive!
If you read through Acts, you’ll see that it’s all about the work that Jesus is doing.
Jesus is Lord (Acts 2:36).
“Therefore let all Israel be assured of this: God has made this Jesus, whom you crucified, both Lord and Messiah.” (Acts 2:36 NIV11-GKE)
I mentioned earlier, the very last line in The Gospel According to Matthew,
And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age. [Matthew 28:20b NIVUK]
This is the message that is literally told through Acts.
Do a search for Lord (κύριος) in Acts, you’ll see that this isn’t the story of a group of people obeying the instructions Jesus gave them in the past. No, this is the story of a group of people living as Jesus’ People.
And friends, this is the story that continues with us today. We aren’t a group of people that simply obey the stuff recorded here that Jesus said many years ago. No, He is with us still!
We don’t go out and do, because some dead guy told us to many years ago. No! We FOLLOW because Jesus is still leading us!
God Uses All Sorts
Second, God Uses all Sorts of People.
Apostles
Consider the apostles: Mentioned in the first few verses of Acts. Specially chosen by Jesus for the work of proclaiming the Good News that He’d entrusted to them.
Luke
Or, consider Luke. A Gentile (rather than a chosen Jew). A doctor – writer-of-the-Bible wasn’t something he’d expected to add to his resume.
Neither the Apostles nor Luke knew up-front – or even in the midst of it – the significance of the work to which they’d been called.
Theophilus
Theophilus. When he hired Luke to put these two volumes together… Until the day he died, he would have had no idea that 2000 years later we would be reading this work he’d commissioned.
You
Put it all together:
Theophilus didn’t know that He was commissioning the Bible. To give us an orderly account of all these things.
Luke didn’t know that He was writing the Bible. To proclaim the Good News to billions of people.
The apostles didn’t know that their actions would be written in the Bible. As examples of God’s faithfulness.
You
What about you? Keep doing the seemingly-insignificant things – God will use them to accomplish His mighty deeds.
You’re like, “God uses some individuals, but He’s not concerned about me.” Or, even if you don’t say that or think that, sometimes we act like we think that.
Hairs on Head
Luke 12:7a, “…even the hairs of your head are all numbered…”
Have you heard that verse before?[1]
But here’s the thing. This isn’t like God’s in heaven, “I’ve got a special job that’s going to need someone with a real mop of hair. I’d better start counting.” Right? Lines everybody up.
But, no. He already knows. Maybe there will be a day where He needs someone with 140,173 hairs, “I know just the person!” But more often, He just knows this. He knows all about you. He’s already counted the hair in your hairdo. Not so that He can give you an important assignment, but because He loves you – you’re important.
So, here’s one more thing these intros to Luke’s books proclaim: you don’t have to be anxious, because there’s a God that loves you and cares about you; you’re valuable to Him.
Plan for your Life
Don’t rebel against that plan. Or, maybe you already have – fear not: God loves to redeem broken situations; turn back towards Him! The seemingly-insignificant things you do will be used by God.
More than that
But, it’s more than that. It’s not that you’re just a tool in God’s hand. He has a plan, yes, but more than that: He knows you, He cares about you, He is for you. You do not have to be anxious.
Conclusion
Let’s finish up friends.
It’s strange that God would use Luke and the Apostles. It’s strange that He would use me. Its strange that He would use you.
But He does. He doesn’t do this from afar. No, He is here with us. Jesus is alive!
***This is how we want to live! Not doing our duty, but following Jesus!***
Let’s pray.
- Pray
[1] Blond 150,000; Red 90,000; Black or brown 100,000
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