Acts

“He was seen by them for forty days.”

He showed Himself at frequent intervals.

Luke 24:36-43

“Why are you troubled? And why do you question in your hearts?”

“Behold my hands and my feet, see it is I, myself; handle me and see; for a spirit does not have flesh and bones like Me.”

The number “forty” in the scripture speaks of testing.

Israel in the wilderness—describe the manward side, Israel a failure—the Godward, despite the frequent and sinful provocations, He never failed.

The ark—it rained forty days and forty nights. The ark was safe. God was faithful as promised.

The temptation “Forty days tested by the devil.”

“Stone into bread”—“The kingdoms of the world in a moment of time”—The pinnacle of the temple.

Two things at least He did during the forty days:

1. He gave infallible proofs of His physical resurrection.

2. He spoke of things pertaining to the kingdom of God.

He spoke of things pertaining to the kingdom of God.

The kingdom of God is in the world today.

God rules in His kingdom—you become a citizen by being “born again” into the kingdom.

The “kingdom of heaven” and “kingdom of God” in most references are interchangeable terms.

From man’s viewpoint the professing Christian Church is the kingdom of Heaven.

Lesson 221: The Ascension Of Christ
Acts 1:1-11
Golden Text: Acts 1:11

I. The Great Commission. Matthew 28:18-20; Mark 16:15, 10.

1. The Person Who gave it. He had the right by virtue of His Person and His work.

2. The power for it—“Himself;” v. 18. Note the “power” as seen in (1) His birth; Luke 1:35. (2) Ministry; Luke 4:32. (3) Miracles; Luke 4:36. (4) Forgiveness; Matthew 9:6. (5) Death; John 10:18. (6) Resurrection. Romans 1:4; Colossians 2:13-15. (7) Ascension; Ephesians 1:20. (8) Coming; Matthew 24:30.

3. The plan of it. (1) The command “go ye.” (2) The scope, “world.” (3) The theme, “the Gospel.” (4) The persons, “every creature.”

4. The persons to whom given—His disciples. (1) Chosen. Mark 3:14; John 15:16. (2) Saved; Matthew 16:16. (3) Taught. (4) Commissioned. (5) Equipped.

5. The privilege of it. Ambassadors, co-workers, witnesses, trustees, servants of the Lord Jesus Christ.

6. The price of it. “Go” means leave. Cp. Luke 14:26.

7. The promise with it. “I am with you.” Cp Hebrews 13:5.

II. The Promise. Acts 1:4, 5.

1. Promised in O. T. Isaiah 32:15; Jeremiah 31:33; Ezek 11:19; Joel 228.

2. Promised in N. T. John 15:26—16:14.

III. The Questioning Disciples. Vs. 6-8.

1. The question; v. 6. (1) An earthly kingdom expected; Isaiah 2:2-4. (2) The King being rejected, the kingdom is in obeyance. Luke 19:14; Acts 3:14. (3) He will yet be King over the Earth; Psalm 2.

No one, I think, can read the account of Acts 11 thoughtfully without realizing how prejudices control and dominate the hearts of men. Most of us are more prejudiced in religious matters than we realize. Sometimes what we call “conscience” is, after all, only prejudice. We profess we cannot have any sympathy with this or that person (because he does not see as we do) on account of our consciences. Whereas, if we were honest, we would have to admit that our lack of sympathy is due in large part to our prejudices. Remember the old saying—“Orthodoxy is my doxy; Heterodoxy is someone else’s doxy.”

Notice too how things have changed during the Christian era. In the early days the prejudice was on the side of the Jews, who looked with contempt on the Gentiles. There was good reason for this. God had said, “This people have I formed for myself; they shall show forth my praise” (Isaiah 43:21). On another occasion he said, speaking of the Jews, “You only have I known of all the families of the earth: therefore I will punish you for all your iniquities” (Amos 3:2). Thus in a special sense God recognized Israel as His peculiar people, and He Himself put a hedge about them to keep them from mingling freely with the pagan who worshiped idols and indulged in all the unclean things that accompany idol worship. God called the Jews to separation from the sins of the Gentiles. So we need not be surprised that when the time came to carry the message of the grace of God to the Gentile world, even the Hebrew Christians looked with disfavor on reaching out into the pagan world with the proclamation of the gospel.

We have followed Paul step by step as he answered the charge of sedition, first on the temple stairs in Jerusalem, then before the chief captain himself, and later, before Felix. As Acts 25 opens he is still in the prison at Caesarea, but Felix has been displaced by Festus. Felix was a man of most immoral character, but Festus was a Roman governor of a rather different type. He was, in a sense, high-minded, a man who studied philosophy, but one who had no faith in anything beyond this world. H...

We have in Acts 12 the closing scene in Peter’s Judean ministry. When we open the next chapter, he recedes into the background and Paul becomes the leading figure. There had been persecution before, and at that time all the disciples had been scattered abroad—except the apostles. We read in Acts 12:1, “Now about that time Herod the king [this was Herod Agrippa I, the grandson of the Herod under whom our Lord Jesus was born] stretched forth his hands to vex certain of the church. And he k...

In this chapter of Acts we are given the account of Paul’s testimony before Festus and Agrippa. In Acts 22 we noted that Paul’s testimony is recorded five times in Scripture. Here in Acts 26 we read the third account of his conversion. Even though he was addressing King Agrippa, who had been brought up in the Jewish religion, he had in mind the Roman governor Festus. Therefore he presented the story of his great experience in a way that ought to have appealed to a Gentile as well as to Kin...

The church in Antioch was an excellently cared-for church! We do not see anything in the New Testament of that which is so common today: one lone minister set over a congregation; but we find the Spirit of God giving gifts as it pleased Him. In one congregation there might be a number of men ministering the Word, and that without jealousy one of another, each seeking to minister the gift God had given him. A Missionary Church (Acts 13:1-3) In the church of Antioch we find five ministering th...

Acts 27 is one of the chapters of the Bible that we really ought to study with a map of the Mediterranean before us. Those who have carefully investigated Luke’s record are amazed at the accuracy with which he refers to the various ports and to ancient shipping routes. Some people have suggested that perhaps certain portions of the Bible were written at a date later than they professed to be. The book of Acts has been particularly attacked.

Some years ago a little group of freethinkers in Scotland decided on a plan whereby they might show up the supposed inaccuracies of Scripture, and so discredit the Word of God. One member was given the task of going to Asia Minor, southern Europe, and the islands of the Mediterranean, visiting all the places mentioned by Luke in connection with Paul’s journeys. It was hoped that he would be able to unearth enough information to make evident any falsity in Luke’s record, so that many who had pinned their faith to the book of Acts as a part of God’s inspired Word would have to give it up.

The young man chosen was Sir William Ramsay. He investigated very carefully, and after the most minute examination concluded that Luke was absolutely accurate in every particular. He himself, once a freethinker, became a Christian and wrote some splendid books in defense of the Word of God.

It would be interesting to trace the details of Paul’s voyages from one place to another, but space forbids this. There are a few things though to which I would like to call particular attention. First, the use of the little pronoun we. It is very evident that Luke, the writer of this book, volunteered to accompany Paul after his arrest. Also the continuing use of this pronoun in the next chapter shows that Luke was with Paul to the last.

H. A. IRONSIDE First Edition, 1943,  Revised Edition, 1998 © 1998 by Loizeaux Brothers, Inc. Baltimore, Maryland Unless otherwise indicated, Scripture quotations are taken from the King James version of the Bible. Introductory notes are taken from Gaebelein’s Concise Commentary on the Whole Bible. © 1970,1985 by Loizeaux Brothers, Inc. Introductory Notes By Arno C. Gaebelein The Writer of Acts The book of Acts, the great historical...

As Paul and Barnabas continued their first missionary journey they came to Iconium. This was the chief city of the district of Lycaonia, sometimes called southern Galatia. It is also one of the cities to which Paul addressed the Epistle to the Galatians later on. “And it came to pass in Iconium, that they went both together into the synagogue of the Jews [again they went first to God’s earthly people], and so spake, that a great multitude both of the Jews and also of the Greeks believed.